Author's Note- Kitty might seem a tad OOC but I've never seen the 2nd
movie so I'm basing her personality on the comic book and cartoon as
well as what we do see of her in the first movie.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The Meeting

~*~

Fall on real life

Is anybody left there sane?

If we slide on over and accept fate

Then it's bound to be a powerful thing

-Matchbox Twenty

~*~

Pete Wisdom sighed as he shut his car door. Here it was. He walked up the stairs and was about to knock when something hit him and sent him flying backwards. He fell down the stairs and was left on his back looking into the wide brown eyes of a young woman. "What in the bloody hell were you doin'?" he demanded touching his head gingerly and hoping he wasn't going to get a concussion.

The woman got to her feet and pulled him up. "I am so sorry."

"What were you doing?" he repeated.

"Are you okay?" She touched his head where he had hit it on the way down. "You aren't hurt are you?"

He glared at the girl. "Look, I'm freezin' me arse off out here, show me where the professor is."

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"The man that you bloody well tried t' kill. I have an appointment. Where's Professor Xavier's office?"

"I'm trying to be nice here," Kitty said. "You could try to have a little bit of manors."

"I'm not nice t' people who nearly knock me out," he snapped. "Now, are you gonna show me in?"

"Whatever," she said reopening the door and walking in. She took him to the office knocking on the door.

"Come in," the professor said. She led him inside. "Ah, Kitty, is there something wrong?"

"No, I found this on our doorstep," she gestured to the man beside her. Pete narrowed his eyes at her but she didn't even glance at him.

"Mr. Wisdom," Xavier said.

"Yes," Pete said.

"Kitty, thank you, you may go." Kitty nodded glared at Pete one last time before leaving.

"Nice girl," Pete said thinking: /for a pit bull./

"I should probably let you know that I am a telepath," Xavier said. "So if you project thoughts like that I will hear them."

Pete shrugged sitting down. "I have nothin' t' hide."

"Good," the professor said. "Now, your résumé said that you have a degree in History."

"Yeah, and English," Pete said. This was a lie of course. Pete had never been to college, he was knowledgeable in both fields but that was through his training, not his schooling.

"Very good. Well, will it be okay for you to start the Monday after winter break?"

"That soon, huh?"

"With Jean and Ororo at a convention we need it."

"Sure, I can start then."

"Thank you, Mr. Wisdom. Scott?" he asked into the intercom on his desk. A handsome young man appeared with red sunglasses. "Please show Mr. Wisdom to his room." Scott nodded and Pete followed him into the hall.

"Do I have t' tip you?" Pete asked dryly.

Scott chuckled holding out a hand. "Scott Summers," he announced.

"Pete Wisdom," Pete said taking the hand and shaking it firmly.

Scott stopped at a room. "If you need anything Kitty, Jubilee, and Rogue's room is next door."

"Bloody wonderful," Pete muttered.

"What?" Scott asked.

"You might say the cat and I didn' get off on the right foot."

Scott smirked. "You were the guy she was muttering about."

"What'd she say?"

"Something about you being a rude inconsiderate jerk."

Now Pete smirked. "That sounds about right."

"Get unpacked, if you want to meet the others the rec. room is downstairs. They'll probably be there." Scott left. Pete unpacked his bag. He then walked down the stairs. The lights were out as the group intently watched Jason X. He looked for a familiar face and saw Kitty burying her head in a pillow against the gore.

"Yes!" one of the boys yelled.

"Stop rooting for the monster," a girl said.

"The monster deserves it more than that idiot," the boy retorted. "Really, anyone who can't outrun Jason deserves to die, am I right?" There was general agreement. "Thank you."

"Could you two keep it down?" a soft southern voice asked.

"Sorry to interrupt," the guy said sarcastically.

"Excuse me," Pete said causing the group to jump.

Kitty turned and groaned. "You again."

"Nice to see you too," Pete drawled. "My name's Pete Wisdom, I'm the new History teacher."

"Damn," Kitty muttered the others looked at her surprised, not used to the petite teenager cursing.

"I'm Bobby," the boy who had been talking before.

"Jubilee," the girl said. The others went around introducing themselves. The southerner was Rogue and the guy who she had been kissing through a piece of sheer silk was Remy, a fellow teacher.

Scott came in when the others had finished introducing themselves. "And you've already met Kitty, AKA Shadowcat, AKA Sprite." The others snickered.

Kitty tensed glaring at the team leader. "Scott!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Sprite?" Pete asked looking at the other mutant interested. "Do tell."

"Scott don't even think about-" Kitty warned crossing over to them.

Scott grinned. "When the X-Men had just recruited her, Kitty here had to come up with a codename. Our little freespirit decided on Sprite. She went around for days demanding that everyone call her that."

"I was fourteen!" the girl in question yelled obviously mortified. "And you, Mr. Summers, said you wouldn't mention that again!"

Scott smiled unrepentant. "I did, didn't I?" Kitty punched him in the arm. "Ow!"

"Never bring that up again!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he said rubbing his arm. "Those training sessions are starting to show." She smiled now.

"Really?"

"Yes, I think I'm going to bruise."

"Big baby, I didn't hit you that hard . . . did I?" She looked worried with those last words. Pete looked between them. All he could see from Scott was brotherly love. From Kitty though . . . the girl obviously had it bad for the sunglasses wearing mutant. Judging by the knowing looks from the others, they all knew it.

"I'm fine, Kitty." He sat down with the others. "What are you people watching?"

"Um . . ." Bobby trailed off looking at the younger members of the team who shouldn't be watching the overly gory movie.

"Guys, I'm not going to tattle," Scott said rolling his eyes, although no one could tell.

"Sorry, Mr. Summers," Bobby said. Kitty sat back in her seat. Pete sat on the arm of the couch, which just /happened/ to be next to Kitty. He saw the girl tense at his closeness and smiled to himself.

"So, Mr. Wisdom, what brings you here?" Rogue asked breaking in on the dirty looks he and Kitty were sending each other.

"Needed a change," Pete said. "You can only look at the fog for so long when it starts to become boring."

"You lived in London?" Jubilee asked.

"Yes, but most of England's like that," Pete said.

"I'd love to go there," Jubilee said.

"Uh, Jubes, we've all been there," Bobby said.

"Yeah, but that was on a mission," Jubilee said. "I'm talking as a tourist." Pete lit up a cigarette, causing Kitty to wrinkle up her nose. He smirked taking in a deep purposeful drag and letting it out slowly.

"Problem, Pryde?" he asked lazily.

"Hey, you want to slowly kill yourselves with those, be my guest," she told him crossing her arms. A few seconds later she yawned and stretched lithely.

"Are we keeping you up past your bedtime, Pryde?" Pete asked his tone condescending.

Kitty looked up at him narrowing her eyes. She then reached out, laid one hand on his chest and pushed him onto the floor. "Goodnight everyone." She got up and walked away. Pete stood in complete shock. The other tried to muffle their laughter, except, of course, Bobby and Jubilee. Muttering a goodnight, Pete started up the stairs.

"Those two are A.) going to kill each other or B.) screw any day now," Bobby said.

"Bobby," Scott said.

"Tell me you didn't see that," Bobby challenged. "Kitty never acts like that."

"It was very . . . explosive," Jubilee noticed.

"We should help them along," Bobby said.

"Yeah, Kit needs a guy," Rogue said.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this," Scott said. "He's got to be at least six years older than her."

"And that's *so* different than your and Ms. Grey's relationship," Rogue challenged. Shaking his head Scott left. "Since Scooter is never going to break it off with the She-Bitch we need to help Kitty move on." She didn't add: /I don't want her to do what I did./ She had moped over Logan for a full year before giving Remy a chance. She and Logan were still close but she had finally moved on.

"What's your plan, chere?" Remy asked.

"Ah don't know yet," Rogue admitted. "We'll have to wait to see what happens."

~*~

Kitty changed and fell down on her bed still fuming. "Stupid British jerk!" she muttered. There was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said thinking it was one of the girls. To her surprise a very shirtless Pete Wisdom walked in.

"Pryde, would you mind keeping it down? Yer bangin' stuff around is keeping me awake," he said crossing his arms. She leapt to her feet crossing over to him.

"I don't know what your problem is," she seethed. "I tried to be civil. You have been rude ever since you got here."

"Guess you bring out the best in me," he grinned.

"What did I do to you?" she asked crossing her arms. He suddenly noticed what she was wearing, a small tight baby blue tank top and a pair of silk pajama pants. "Mr. Wisdom?"

He looked into her brown eyes. "Nothing, kid, you've been bloody wonderful, nearly knockin' me out-"

"I apologized!"

"Then you introduced me to the professor as 'this.' You `aven't exactly been nice either."

"Fine," Kitty said. "I haven't been a very good example."

"And I've been a complete wanker," Pete conceded. "Now, goodnight, Sprite." He walked away ignoring her outraged fuming.