Chapter 5: Brotherhood Blues

"'Cause bay-bee, when I heard you for the first time, I knew we were meant to be as ooonnnnnnnneee~!" Kitty bobbed her head up and down as Kylie Minogue filled her ears. She sat on the stone wall by the pool, typing eagerly on her laptop. Enthralled by the music, she didn't realize she had company until a pair of hands covered her eyes.

"Guess who."

"Mornin' Lance," Kitty greeted, removing her headphones.

"What're you up too?" the rugged young mutant asked, sitting down beside her.

"Sending an e-mail to my parents. They totally freak if I don't write every week."

"Ahh," Lance nodded in understanding. "Have you told them about the X-Men?"

"No way. They'd be worried sick, and I doubt they'd let me stay at the Institute anymore."

"You really think they'd be worried?"

Kitty looked at him curiously. "Of course! Lance, don't tell me you're parents wouldn't be scared if they knew what was really going on."

Lance's face fell and he looked away, unable to gaze into her deep blue eyes. Kitty frowned. Could it be that his parents really didn't care? She thought back to the day they left Northbrook. Her parents hadn't let her go until the very last minute, but Lance had been alone. It occurred to her that she really didn't know anything about his life before the X-Men, even though they had been friends for weeks. But before she could say anything more, Kurt teleported in front of them.

"Ready to go?" the elf asked.

Lance raised a questioning eyebrow.

Shutting off her laptop, Kitty said, "I'm going to school with Kurt today. We're going to listen to the Stone Zephyrs' new CD. Wanna ride with us?"

He shook his head. "Nah, you two go."

Kitty's face bore a disappointed look. "All right. I'll see you at lunch, ok?" She took Kurt's hand, and they 'ported away.

As the yellow smoke faded, a dejected sigh escaped Lance's lips.

* * * * *

"Aren't ze Stone Zephyrs' tight? Zey totally rock!"

Kitty shrugged. "Actually, they're pretty derivative. Hear one of their songs, you've heard them all."

"You just don't know good music vhen you hear it. I'll convert you yet," Kurt pouted as they walked up the steps of Bayville High.

His companion couldn't help but chuckle. Kurt Wagner was one of the most likable guys she had ever met, and she hated to think that she had once stayed away from him because of his unusual looks. It had been over a week since he had saved both her and Lance during the "rogue" incident, and Kitty thought about what Wolverine had said to her as they boarded the X-Jet.

"You know, half-pint, the elf's never teleported with more than one person before. He risked a lot by saving you two."

It was then that she saw Kurt in a new light.

They stopped by Kitty's locker, and as Kurt was about to leave, she tugged on his jacket. Holding her books close to her chest, she bit her lip. "Um, Kurt?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to say that, like, I'm really glad we've become friends. I'm sorry about how I acted before. It was silly of me."

Grinning, he replied, "Don't vorry about it. It's in ze past, right?"

"Definitely."

He ran his hands through his long hair, and thought a moment. "Kitty, you're friends vith Lance aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Er, don't take zis the vrong vay, but can I ask vhy?"

Scowling, she put her hands on her hips. "What kind of a question is that?"

"How can I say zis--he's a snide, surly jerk. He's tussled vith me, Scott, and even Jean, but ze two of you get along just peachy. I've vondered vhy."

"I know Lance has a gruff, unfriendly side, but once you get past that he's a really sweet person."

Lance? Sweet? Kurt thought. Zose two vords do not go together.

"Believe me, at first I didn't think much of him either," Kitty added, thinking regretfully, I even called him a freak. "But you should try to get to know him. He might surprise you."

           

Yeah, something tells me he's just full of surprises.

* * * * *

Lance left the mansion for school pretty late, despite Jean's naggings. He brushed her off, figuring that she was still upset over failing to recruit some mutant who worked at a monster truck show. Two botched recruitments in a row had to have been a blow to the amazing Ms. Grey's pride. By the time he arrived at school the halls were already vacant, so he snuck past the classrooms hoping a teacher wouldn't catch him. Turning down a corner, he thought he was home free until he witnessed an utterly bizarre scene.

Duncan Matthews was sprawled out on the floor, cowering under a huge mass of blubber in overalls. The gigantic, snarling boy had ripped a locker out of the wall was about to crush the jock when Lance intervened.

"Hey!" he shouted, "Stop!"

The new boy stared at Lance stupidly and did what he was told. Duncan scurried away, and his would-be attacker dropped the locker back into place. His rage had completely disappeared, and he looked at Lance like a small child who had been caught doing something bad and knew he was in trouble.

Did I just save Duncan Matthews? Lance wondered in disbelief. No, I just did the janitor a favor by preventing a big red stain on the floor. And who the hell is this fatso? He looks kinda familiar…

"What was that about?" the longhaired mutant asked, surprised that the newcomer had actually listened to him.

"He-He made fun of me," was the meek reply.

"Matthews is an idiot. Forget about him. Are you new here?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah I am," he pulled a piece of paper out of a large pocket in his overalls, "I was having trouble finding my first class."

Lance glanced at it, and pointed in the right direction. "Room 103 is just down that hall."

"Wow! Thanks!" Grinning, he held out his hand, "My name's Fred. Fred Dukes."

"Lance Alvers," he returned the handshake, noting the ferocious grip the boy had. "I'm new here myself. See you around," he said casually as he snuck off to class.

"See you," Fred murmured, watching him go. "…Buddy."

* * * * *

Later during lunch, Lance stalked up to a soda machine. Searching his pockets, he discovered he was low on change. Shrugging to himself, he put his hand against the cold surface. He closed his eyes and concentrated on sending a small seismic wave through it, and a few moments later, the machine rewarded his efforts with two cans of soda. His satisfied smile vanished as a voice sneered, "What do you think you're doing?"

"What does it look like?"

Jean crossed her arms over her chest. "You used your powers to steal!"

"So what? This crappy school rips us off, anyway."

"That's not the point! What would the Professor say if--!"

"The Professor this, the Professor that," Lance mocked. "Give it a rest, Red," he sneered, walking away.

Jean fumed. How dare he!

Lance made his way towards Kitty, who was sitting alone at a table, engrossed in a book. She smiled as he sat down.

"Soda?" he offered.

"My hero! A girl needs her caffeine, you know." Just then, her eyes caught sight of something over Lance's shoulder. "Omigod! It's him!" she gasped.

"Huh?"

"Look behind you," she pointed a finger at the lunch line, where a very hungry Fred was making the lunch lady pile on as many sloppy joes as his tray could take. "Isn't that humongous guy the mutant Jean and Mr. Logan were scouting out the other day?"

"I thought he looked familiar," Lance remarked.

"Like, that's so weird! First that creepy Rogue girl transfers here, and now him? It can't be a coincidence."

"I think I agree with you," her friend mused.

Meanwhile at another table, Jean was studying Lance and Kitty.

"Is something wrong?" Scott asked, noticing her dark expression.

"I don't think I like the way those two are bonding. He could be a bad influence on her."

"It seems harmless enough to me."

"Well, just now I saw Lance use his powers to steal drinks from the machine. Kitty's a nice kid, and I don't want her to get mixed up in something bad."

Scott leaned back in his seat. "Alvers can be a pain, but he seems genuine about his feelings for her."
           

"Feelings?" Kurt joined in as he finished off his second sloppy joe. "Zey're just friends!"

"Hmm, maybe. But I think there's more to it than that. I saw the way they hugged after Rogue zapped him."

Jean gave a bemused smirk. "Why Scott Summers, here I thought you were denser than lead when it came to matters of the heart."

Scott blustered. "Well, er, I wouldn't say that!"

Jean's expression changed. "I still don't like it, though," she muttered under her breath.

* * * * *

Fred Dukes whistled happily as he took his second tray of sloppy joes back to his seat. He sat down too fast, and the cheap plastic chair broke right under him. Landing firmly on his behind, he lost his grip on the tray and it went flying in the direction of Duncan Matthews and his buddies. The group of football players went ballistic as they were bombarded with greasy sloppy joes, and they focused their anger at Fred.

"Bad move, fat ass," Duncan snarled, rolling up the sleeves of his prize letter jacket.

"Get him!" one of his friends shouted. They charged at the gigantic boy, fury in their eyes. Fred got to his feet, and heaved the other tray of sloppy joes at them. Direct hit. Fred took a step back, accidentily slipping on a fallen sloppy joe.

"Whoa! Whoooaaa!" he cried as he fell squarely on his butt for the second time. Nearly everyone in the cafeteria was watching the fight unfold, and they burst out into uproarious laughter.

Hurt and dumbfounded, Fred snarled as the laughter set in. "Don't laugh at me!" he shouted, flipping over another table and sending more food flying.

Somewhere in the ruckus someone yelled, "Food fight!" and the cafeteria was consumed by chaos. Kurt grabbed onto Scott and Jean and they teleported out of the melee. Lance and Kitty huddled together, stunned by what was going on.
           

"He's going crazy!" Kitty cried as Fred swung a chair over his head. "Let's get out of here!"

"No," Lance furrowed his brow. "I have to stop him before he does something stupid!"

Kitty smiled softly at him, and squeezed his hand. "Good luck," she said, phasing through the floor.

Lance darted through the bevy of people, trying to reach Fred. They boy was in a blind rage, and threw a chair to the ground, shattering it instantly.

"Fred! Snap out of it!" he yelled. Oblivious to the sound of his voice, Fred picked up another chair, and threw it with a gut-wrenching howl. The rock-tumbler recoiled as the chair landed inches away from him.

Fred collapsed, his head hanging low. Lance heard the muffled sound of him heaving and sobbing. Sobbing? He was crying?

Struck by pity, Lance crouched down beside his fellow mutant. They were the only ones left in the cafeteria, as everyone else had fled.

"Are you all right?" he asked. Real smart, Alvers, of course he's not all right!

"They laughed at me! They shouldn't have laughed at me!"

"You're right, they shouldn't have. But blowing up like that ain't how to make a good impression on the first day of school."

"I'm sorry," Fred sniffled, collecting himself. "It's just that when people make fun of me, I kinda snap inside, you know?'

"Yeah, I know."

"How could you? You're not like me," he lamented, looking down at his oversized hands.

"That's where you're wrong. I'm a mutant."

Fred's head shot up. "No foolin'? You have powers too?"

"Watch, and be amazed." Lance rose to his feet, extending both his hands. The ground began to rumble, and several tables fell over at his small tremor.

Fred was stunned. "Holy cow! You could do some serious damage with powers like that!" he exclaimed gleefully.

Lance frowned. "Yeah, I could, but I shouldn't. The Institute is about getting control of our powers, and helping people with them."

"What?"

"The Xavier Institute. I live there, with other mutants. You could get serious training there, if you want."

"I'll think about it. That is, if it's not too much trouble."

"Nah. I'll write you a recommendation," Lance chuckled.

"What is going on here?!" a new voice cried vehemently. Lance gulped as Principal Darkholme stormed in, giving them a look fit to kill.

"Nuthin', Ms. Darkholme," Fred mumbled sheepishly. "We were just talkin'."

"Get to class! Both of you!" she sneered. "And Mr. Dukes, I expect to see you in my office after school."

The two boys wasted no time in leaving. Raven folded her arms over her chest, and looked all around her. Tables were turned over, chairs were broken beyond repair, and sloppy joes were everywhere.

Her hands balled up into fists. "Not again!" she hissed.

* * * * *

Lance's shoulders slumped as he took his time getting to his locker. Once there, he pulled out his Algebra book, and his eyes passed upon his dim reflection in the metallic interior.

//You could do a lot of damage with powers like that!//

//Yeah, I could, but I shouldn't.//

"I'm such a hypocrite," Lance cursed himself, slamming the locker shut.

* * * * *

Fred Dukes sat nervously in front of Ms. Darkholme's desk. Crossing her legs, the woman smiled like the cat that ate the canary.

"So, Mr. Dukes, you've become acquainted with Lance Alvers?"

"Uh, yeah, he's pretty nice. He doesn't make fun of me like the others."

"That's good to hear. But I'm sure you know that he's a member of Xavier's group. Our enemy."

Fred squirmed.

Raven leaned forward, a dark gleam in her eye. "But what if that weren't the case? What if he were to convert to our side? You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Well, sure," Fred answered.

Reaching into her desk, Ms. Darkholme pulled out a small folded piece of paper and slipped it into the boy's hand.

"Give him this. Tell him to meet you at the time and place specified within. I'll take care of the rest."

Fred looked at the paper, and then back at his principal and leader. "You won't hurt him, will you? He's my friend."

Raven laughed. "Oh no, no, no, my dear boy. I won't hurt him." Rising from her chair, she placed a strong hand on his shoulder. "I'm merely going to show him the light."

* * * * *

A short while later, Lance sauntered over to his battered old jeep, twirling his keys around his finger. Unlocking it, he glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Fred's sullen face staring at him.

"What's up, Fred?" he asked, a little surprised.

The bulky mutant looked nervous, and awkwardly smoothed back his mohawk. "I just wanted to, uh, thank you for helping me calm down earlier. R-Really."

"Don't mention it."

"I thought about what you said, you know, about that place for mutants, and I'd like to check it out," before Lance could say anything Fred blurted out, "But first, I really need you to meet me at this place. It's important." He stuffed the note in Lance's gloved hand and hurried away.

The X-Man stared at the piece of paper, unsure what to make of it.

"What was that about?" Kitty asked as she slipped into the seat next to him. She had witnessed Fred's hasty getaway, and was curious.

"I have no idea," Lance stuffed the note in his pocket, promptly forgetting about it. "Let's go home."

* * * * *

In the seedy outskirts of Bayville, located between a landfill and an old tire yard, lay an abandoned warehouse. Unused for over five years, it was a musty, rat-infested dump, yet there was something in its atmosphere that appealed to Mystique. The shape-shifter had bought the warehouse under an alias, and had used it several times to store goods "acquired" during her jaunts of espionage. Once again, she had a use for it.

"You're certain he'll come?" Mystique inquired, talking to Fred via cell phone. "Good. Suit up and meet us here as soon as possible." She hung up without a farewell.

Toad hopped throughout the warehouse, dining on any cockroach he could find. "Man, this place is tops!" he declared, crunching on another multi-legged morsel.

Mystique's upper-lip curled in disgust. "This is no time to be eating, Toad. The Blob will be here soon, and then we face Alvers."

"So, what exactly are we gonna do? Try to recruit him or somethin'?"

"We are not going to try, we are going to recruit him."

"Whatever you say, Boss-lady. Uh, why are we after him again?"

"That's not for you to know!" she hissed.

Toad huffed. I get no respect, he thought glumly. "So why ain't Dracula's Daughter here?"

"Rogue is still coping with her powers, and her new life in Bayville. She'd be no good to us in battle now." Was that a hint of compassion he heard in her voice? No, it couldn't be. "It doesn't matter. The three of us are more than enough to handle one boy."

* * * * *

Lance's jeep pulled up to the vacant lot in front of the warehouse. Casting a scrupulous eye on the deserted building, he reread the address on Fred's note.

This can't be right, the mutant thought, why would he want me to meet him here?

           

Lance had snuck out of the mansion with ease, as everyone else at the Institute was observing an outdoor exercise between Shadowcat and Nightcrawler. He thought meeting Fred wouldn't be a big deal; after all, he had already persuaded him to come to the Institute. But now he had second thoughts.

"Fred wanted me to come alone to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of nowhere," he muttered aloud, "This practically screams 'trap'. Ugh, what am I saying? This is Fred, for Christ's sake."

Shaking off his doubts, he marched towards the entrance. It had been boarded up, but someone very strong had ripped off the wooden planks and smashed them into splinters. Lance could easily guess whose handiwork it was.

He stepped into the dark warehouse. The only light in the place came from a broken window, and Lance could hear someone moving around in the shadows.

"Fred?" Lance called.

"No," Mystique purred, stepping into the light, "I'm not."

* * * * *

Toad and Blob leaned against the half-rotten door in another room, eavesdropping.

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Blob whispered.

"No! Pipe down, yo!" Toad rasped. "We gotta be ready to make our entrance."

* * * * *

Lance backed away from the figure. She was tall and shapely, with long crimson hair and scaly blue skin. Lance was unnerved to see tiny skulls adorning her belt.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

Mystique folded her arms over her chest. "A mutant, like yourself."

"I guessed that much."

"I know who you are, Lance Alvers, and I know who you're working for. I'm here to give you a warning: do not trust Xavier. He has kept secrets from you. Dangerous secrets. To remain in his fold is to bring disaster. I'm offering you a way out—join me, and be one of my Brotherhood."

Lance scoffed. "I'm not going anywhere with you, lady." Not wanting to stay there any longer, he turned on his heels towards the exit.

Mystique narrowed her eyes. "Toad! Blob! Stop him!"

The two boys heard their cue, and burst out of their hiding place. Lance bolted, only to have Toad's long, green tongue wrap around his ankles. Losing his balance, the X-Man fell to the ground and Toad dragged him back towards Mystique.

Blob stepped forward. "Sorry about this, buddy," he said sadly.

"Fuck you," Lance gritted his teeth and threw out one hand. Aiming it at the ceiling, he sent seismic waves through the decrepit building, searching for a weak spot. The roof above Blob's head caved in, and huge chunks of brick and concrete fell at the burly mutant. Holding his hands above his head, the Blob let out a guttural cry and caught the broken slabs. "Is that all you got?" he laughed mockingly.

Shit, I walked right into this! How can I get out of here? Then, it occurred to him. The Professor!

* * * * *

Kitty giggled as she phased through Kurt, deftly catching the football. The training exercises were over, and the two friends were playing a lighthearted game of catch football while Xavier and Logan sat by the pool.

"Ahh, to be young again," the Professor smiled, watching Kurt chase after Kitty.

"I'll take old age and wisdom any day," Logan said wryly as Kurt snatched the football, blowing a raspberry.

Professor Xavier!

The Professor reeled forward and clutched his head as Lance cried out his name.

**Lance? Lance, what is it?**

I'm in trouble. Big Trouble.

** Where are you?!**

I'm at an abandoned warehouse down by Red Dale. Todd and Fred attacked me, and there's some creepy blue lady here too! I'm trapped--! Lance's thoughts were suddenly cut off.

By that time the three mutants had assembled around Xavier, all looking worried.

"What happened, Charles?" Logan questioned, hovering nearby.

"Are you, like, okay?" a concerned Kitty asked.

"I am fine," Xavier replied, "But Lance isn't."

Kitty went white, and she dropped the football. "What?"

"He's been attacked by Todd Tolensky and Fred Dukes. If we're to help him, we must act quickly. Kurt, go find Scott and Jean. Kitty, suit up. Logan, I want you to go on ahead and scout things out. He told me he's trapped in a warehouse near Red Dale."

Logan scowled. "I know where that rat-hole is. Don't worry, I'll find Rocky." With that, the gruff mutant was off.

Kurt teleported away, and Kitty ran inside the mansion. Please God, she prayed, let him be all right.

* * * * *

Blob held Lance by the throat, though he was careful not to hurt him. The mutant had already taken a fierce beating, though.

"What are we gonna do with him?" Blob asked his leader.

"Take him with us, of course. Even if he won't come willingly, there is knowledge in his mind I can unlock later."

Blob looked uncomfortable and bit his fat lip. "I dunno, Mystique. I think we've hurt him enough."

"He's not as hurt as you will be if you don't stop questioning me!" she snarled. "Now, let's get out of here before his little friends get wise of us."

"Too late!" a voice cried, and a red optic blast tore through the wall, revealing six costumed figures. Cyclops stepped through the rubble, clenching his fists. "Let him go, or things get ugly."

"No!" Mystique cursed, turning to her two lackeys. "Take care of them!"

"I dunno 'bout that," Toad said fearfully. "They kinda outnumber us two to one."

Blob set Lance down. "Come on, we better get outta here!"

"I told you already, I'm not going anywhere with you!" He made a move to run to his teammates, but Blob grabbed him by the arms, holding him still.

"Fred, you're seriously invading my personal space," Lance hissed, making the ground rumble. "Back off!"

"No! You're my friend, and I'm not letting you go!"

"Leave me alone, you stupid tub of lard!"

Blob gasped. The angry words sinking in, his face twisted in rage. "You—you liar! You're not my friend; you're just like the others! I-I hate you!" With those words, he swung Lance like a rag doll and threw him across the warehouse. He would have impacted against the wall, if not for Shadowcat quickly phasing through it and catching him.

"Kitty?" Lance murmured, his voice weak.

"Shhh, I got you," she whispered gently.

Mystique and Toad had already made their getaway, so Blob was the last opponent facing the X-Men. Standing tall, he stared at them all like insects. "I'll take you all on! I'm the Blob!" he roared.

"No, you're garbage," Jean replied coolly, using her telekinesis to levitate him off the ground and hurl him out of the hole in the warehouse roof. The newest member of the Brotherhood of Mutants landed headfirst in the landfill, and cried bitter tears.

* * * * *

Lance opened his eyes, and found himself lying down in the Institute's clinic. He still felt the many stings of the injuries inflicted by the Brotherhood, but the feeling of Kitty's warm hand on his alleviated his pain. He gazed into her soft blue eyes and smiled.

"Feeling any better?" she asked.

"I do now," he answered.

Kitty's cheeks turned pink. "Tell me, what were you doing there, anyway?"

"Yes, Lance, do tell us." Xavier said, wheeling into the room.

The rock-tumbler gulped. He had hoped to avoid this conversation. "I don't know what to say, Professor. Fred told me to meet him there. I knew the whole setup smelled, but I went in anyway. I shouldn't have underestimated him."

"It's all right. From what Kitty told me, you reached out to Blob and tried to befriend him."

Lance nodded. "He said he would come to the Institute. I thought I was doing something good, you know?" His voice was troubled.

"I appreciate your efforts, Lance. Truly, I do. But sadly, there are some mutants that are beyond even my reach."

"Like the Brotherhood?"

Xavier's eyes widened. "So, you know about them?"

"They're the ones who attacked me, remember?"

"Indeed. I'm sorry Lance, but I didn't think you were ready to know about them. I see that was a mistake."

"Secrets can be dangerous," Lance remarked, echoing Mystique's earlier words.

"Yeah, Professor," Kitty spoke up, hands on her hips. "I think you have some explaining to do."

* * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued.

* * * * * * * * * *

Author's Notes: Well, Mainstream was definitely interesting. On one hand, it was a great episode. Kurt's fears were very realistic, Jean was actually sympathetic, Kelly showed us what he's really made of, Amanda's quickly becoming one of my favorite characters, and Logan got to fight someone who wasn't Sabertooth. But there were some things I hated, namely the B'Hood's portrayal, and Lance and Kitty's breakup. The B'Hood boys seem to have regressed back into their Season 1 selves, picking fights for no reason and being all-around jerks (They teamed up with Duncan? WTF?!). Even the rock puns are back! (Nooooo!) Lance and Kitty's breakup killed me. First of all, Kitty should know what kind of a person Lance really is, after everything he's done for her (The cut Growing Pains scene and Joyride, anyone?). And Lance should know that Kitty has more depth than to dismiss him as "beneath" her. But whenever there's angst, the romance can't be over. In my eyes these two are meant to be together, and they better reconcile. I'm praying that the writers know a good thing when they see it, and didn't make them part just so they could stick Kitty with Piotr. That would suck.

The Stuff of Villains was pretty cool. It was Gambit-riffic. Kitty's line of "Can't Lance stay out of trouble for one day?" was pretty cute. Too bad that was the only Lance/Kitty content of the episode. ::sigh:: Oh, and Lance played guitar! Be still, my heart. ^_^

But back to the fic, I've decided that there will be some Anti-Xavier in this, though he will not be the main villain of the story. Also, be ready for some great Lance/Kitty goodness next chapter, and look out for the Brotherhood's new mystery member in Chapter 7!

Now, to answer questions I missed last time:

WaterFaerie 72: Yup, Lance is going to stay at the Institute. He's definitely an X-Man.

Diamond Unicorn: I will be going into other romantic relationships besides Lance and Kitty's. Hint: one will involve a certain X-Man, and a certain mystery member of the Brotherhood. ^_~

Much love goes to my readers. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 5! ~Sandoz