Chapter 11: Field Trip!

The security guard silently patrolled the exterior of the old warehouse on a cloudy night, her only beacon the flashlight held in hand. A sign reading "Keep Out" hung on the chain-link fence surrounding the building to deter any trespassers, but thieves would not be so easily stopped, thus the guard's presence. She turned a corner, ever determined to protect the mysterious cargo hidden inside, never hearing the sound of a young girl phasing out of the ground behind her.

Shadowcat tapped her shoulder, and as the woman reached for her gun she was knocked unconscious by a can of knockout gas the mutant had sprayed in her face. Looking down at the fallen security guard, Shadowcat removed a small walkie-talkie from her yellow utility belt and whispered, "North perimeter secured."

On the other end of the warehouse, another guard combed the area, unaware that his partner was down for the count. On the roof, he was being watched by two shadowy figures that suddenly disappeared, only to rematerialize in front of him in a puff of sulfurous smoke.

"Boo!" grinned a blue-faced, pointy-eared demon. The guard would have screamed, except he joined his partner in the land of dreams due to knockout gas utilized by the demon's companion. Nightcrawler gave Spyke thumbs-up as the boy murmured into his own walkie-talkie, "South perimeter secured. This guy's catchin' z's."

"All right, you three, the rest of us will take it from here," Cyclops whispered into his communicator from atop the warehouse roof. He then gazed at Jean Grey and Avalanche. At his nod Jean telekinetically opened the skylight, careful not to trip an alarm, and lifted both boys into the air to transport them safely inside in order to fulfill their mission objective.

"Careful!" Avalanche snapped as his head bumped the ceiling.

"This isn't as easy as it looks," Jean replied from behind clenched teeth. "And I think you've been putting on pounds thanks to your girlfriend's cooking!"

"Both of you be quiet!" Cyclops yelled before Avalanche could make a typically caustic response. "There's Storm!"

He was pointing to a hooded figure lying inert on the floor of the decrepit building, gloved hands chained to a girder.

"Let's snag her and get out of here," Avalanche muttered.

Cyclops pressed his visor, and a red optic blast shot through the air, narrowly missing the chains. A second try was equally ineffective since he was being jerked around in the air by Jean's still underdeveloped mental powers.

"Nice aim," Avalanche quipped.

Resisting the urge to point the next blast in his direction, Cyclops reached for his visor when Jean's hold on him and his teammate was severed by one of the recovered guards, who had startled her back on the roof. With a bitten-off cry they both fell unceremoniously on the floor, triggering the alarm system. As a shrill siren ripped through the warehouse, Cyclops ran to the girl on the floor and blasted the chains, taking her into his arms.

"Are you all right, Storm?" he asked, pulling down her hood. To his shock he saw that the mutant he held was not Storm—but rather Rogue.

"No...!"

With a menacing smirk the girl yanked off a glove and grabbed his face, resulting in his powers flowing into her. Her eyes began to glow a fearsome red, and she blasted him clear across the room.

"Cyclops!" Avalanche shouted the other X-Man's name, and as he looked at his fallen comrade he realized that he was on his own. Turning his attention toward Rogue, he stomped his foot on the floor, sending shockwaves through the ground. She stumbled, but fired at him; he jumped out of the blast's way and sent more tremors through the floor. Growling, his eyes rolled back as he focused his powers. The earth beneath Rogue's feet upturned, and she yelled in fear as she lost her balance and discovered she had nothing to stand on. She skidded and fell atop more rocks, knocked out.

Panting hard, Avalanche rubbed his temple as the simulation faded. It had been a while since he had used his mutant powers to such a violent degree, and the pain in his head that sometimes came with overusing them had returned. He heard a groan and saw Cyclops stand from across the Danger Room as the doors opened, revealing the rest of the X-Men. Wolverine marched over to the young leader and gave his hand to steady the boy.

"You okay, Cyke?" he asked.

He nodded, still feeling the shock of having an optic blast fired into his chest at point blank range and full power.

"Why didn't you defend yourself?"

Cyclops sighed. "I…couldn't attack Rogue. And what was she doing in that simulation, anyway? We weren't briefed about that!"

"The Prof calls it the element of surprise, kid. And there's a difference between attacking someone and defending yourself. Rocky!"

Avalanche turned sharply at the sound of his nickname. "Sir?"

"Good work."

His eyes widened as the words sank in. He then felt himself grin, and nodded.

Shadowcat witnessed the brief exchange from the entrance of the Danger Room and felt proud of Avalanche. She knew quite well that those words had meant a lot to him. She knew so well that she didn't even say anything about them when her boyfriend marched over to her, kissed her quickly on the lips, and swung his arm around her waist as the team filed into the briefing room.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Kitty asked, phasing through Lance's bedroom door later that morning. The boy swung his backpack over his shoulder and nodded the affirmative.

"Ororo asked if we could, like, drive Evan to school today too," she added. "Seems Scott's mad that he scuffed up his convertible with his skateboard."
           

Lance groaned and rolled his eyes. He then flashed a wolfish grin at his girlfriend and gathered her in an embrace. She giggled, "Lance, what's gotten into you?"

"Nothing," he replied smoothly, "It's just that we haven't been properly alone since Northbrook." He kissed her softly and whispered huskily into her ear, "Maybe we should get another hotel room…"

To his surprise and dismay, Kitty put her hands on his shoulders and gently pushed him away, her pretty face darkened by a frown. "I don't think that would be a good idea," she said quietly. "I don't think we should rush into this."

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his long hair, trying not to sound too disappointed. He shrugged. "I understand. It was just an idea. No big deal."

"No big deal," Kitty echoed with a faint smile. "Let's go to school."

* * *

"So Scott's still sulking about this morning?" Lance asked his companions on the drive to Bayville High.

"Yeah man," Evan Daniels answered from the back seat. "I think the Rogue thing really made him wiggy."

"I feel bad for him," said Kitty, who brushed one of her long bangs behind an ear as the wind caressed her face. "Even Kurt wasn't this bent out of shape when Tabitha started showing up in Danger Room sessions. Jean told me that he's trying to make friends with Rogue, so I can understand why he'd be upset."

"She's with the Brotherhood, right? That makes her a bad guy until she proves otherwise," Lance remarked, his eyes narrowed. He had no love for any of the Brotherhood.

Suddenly a loud horn honked at the jeep, startling all three passengers. Evan spun around and looked behind them at the electric blue Ferrari that was gaining on them. "Speaking of bad guys…" he muttered.

Lance's eyes darted to the rear view mirror, and he gritted his teeth at the sight of the silver-haired driver.

"It's Pietro!" Kitty cried the obvious when the Ferrari sped up and moved into the other lane next to them.

"Nice piece of junk, Alvers! Think you can keep up with me?" the field leader of the Brotherhood laughed mockingly, then hit the gas again, passing and sharply cutting them off.

Evan scanned the license plate. "SPD DMN? That's not even funny!"

"What's he doing?" Kitty wondered aloud, shocked at Pietro's reckless speed.

"Delivering a challenge," Lance furrowed his brow, and then put his foot on his own gas pedal.

"What are you doing!?" Kitty demanded.

"Accepting."

The jeep sped up after the Ferrari, the tires screeching. Pietro glanced at his mirror and smirked, confident that this was a contest he wouldn't lose. He effortlessly turned a sharp corner, unaware that he was steadily approaching 70 mph.

Lance's pathetic old jeep was still a way's behind him. Would he be able to catch up, Pietro wondered, or would the ol' clunker break up into little bitty pieces on the highway? Either way, he was sure to be amused.

Lance Alvers was no stranger to drag racing and other types of joyrides. In fact, he had raced for cash a few times back in Northbrook. He was a good driver, and knew what his car was capable of. He was in control, and didn't intend on hitting the outrageous speeds Pietro Maximoff was addicted to—after all, he had no desire to put Kitty, Evan, or even himself in that much danger. But he wasn't going to let the skinny bastard get away either.

Pietro threw his head back to get a good look at the slowpokes, and in his carelessness nearly missed crashing into a truck that had changed lanes. He overcorrected, and nearly slammed into the guardrail. His cheeks burned as he thought of the X-Geeks witnessing his error. He was fast approaching Bayville High.

Duncan Matthews took a long sip from his foamy cappuccino as he lazily steered his slick convertible with his free hand. The blonde quarterback was entertaining thoughts of his last hot date with Jean Grey and his secret rendezvous that night with her friend Taryn when he heard someone honking at him down the road.

"Blow it out your ass!" he growled, flipping the bird at the honking Ferrari that cut him off to turn into the Bayville High parking lot. Muttering more curses under his breath, he turned into the lot as well only to hear more honking in his direction. He saw a speeding jeep come up quickly behind him—much too quickly, he noted—and had barely registered the driver as that trashy Alvers guy when he realized that the jeep was going to hit him. Hard.

Duncan let out a shriek as the jeep passed right through him like a phantom. He dropped his cup and now had a cappuccino-soaked lap, but he didn't care. He just stared blankly ahead as the now tangible jeep hit the brakes and took a parking space at the front of the school, cutting off the Ferrari that had nearly slammed into him moments earlier.

Duncan gazed dumbly at the now empty Starbucks cup. "What did they put in this?" he mumbled.        

Pietro pounded his steering wheel in frustration as the X-Geeks exited the jeep. Kitty was frazzled, but both Daniels and Alvers were looking positively smug.

Lance flashed a "Loser" sign as he opened the school door. "Too slow, Maximoff," he mocked. "You should really work on your speed."

"You're going to pay for that, rock-tumbler," Pietro swore as the doors slammed shut behind the young X-Men.

His angry reverie was broken by the sounds of laughter. His head turned to see Tabby, Todd, Fred, and Rogue standing by a school bus, snickering. Pietro had refused to drive them to school in his brand new car, snidely commenting that Todd would slime it up, Fred would crush it, and he wouldn't let a hot girl ride in it unless they paid a toll. Given the rude brush off, the Brotherhood couldn't help but snicker at how badly he had been beaten at his own game.

* * *

"Has Pietro always been such a…prick?" Lance asked Evan as they roamed the high school's halls.

"Hell yeah," the skateboarder sneered. "Like Auntie O used to say, he thinks he shines brighter than the sun. Always has."

"You used to be friends when you were little, didn't you?"

"Not really. We were rivals kinda from the start, except it was friendly in the beginning. But Pietro always had to make a competition outta everythin'. Part o' it was that his foster parents spoiled him rotten to try to make up for his crappy life in the orphanage."

"Orphanage?" Lance repeated the word that struck a cord within him.

At his locker, Evan dumped his skateboard inside and pulled an English book from the clutter. "Yeah, apparently his old man dumped him off without so much as a goodbye. It sucks, but what're ya gonna do? I tried to be nice to him when my parents told me about his past, but he just threw it back in my face. Some people are just rotten, I guess."

"Definitely." Having digested that bit of information, Lance decided to head off. "I'll see you later," he said.

"Later, man. Have fun on the field trip. Maybe with some luck you and Kitty will get lost in some dark, romantic cave." He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Quiet, you."

* * *

Meanwhile, at the other end of the school, Kitty emerged from her geometry classroom holding a stack of worksheets and looking very disheartened.

I knew it was, like, a bad idea to ask for the work I'm going to miss, she thought, unaware that she was being observed by one Jean Grey from across the hall. The redhead frowned, wondering if she was about to do the right thing. After reassuring herself for the 50th time, she composed herself and strode towards the freshman, making her presence known.

"Kitty, I need to talk to you," she said directly.

The girl blinked. "Um, okay. What's up?"

Jean glanced from side to side at all the teenagers and possible eavesdroppers hanging around them. "Actually, I don't think we should talk about it right here." Before Kitty could ask any questions, she took her arm and pulled her into a deserted stairwell.

"What is it?" questioned Kitty, slightly cross. She didn't like the way her teammate was acting.

Jean took a deep breath and folded her arms over her chest. She tried not to sound too harsh. "Kitty, as you may know, being a telepath has given me certain…empathic abilities as well. There are times when I can strongly sense the feelings of another person, be it anger, joy, or something else. Ever since you got back from winter break I've sensed powerful sentiments emanating from you and Lance, and I'm not exactly comfortable with what I've felt. I've also picked up on some…interesting dreams from both of you. I have to ask: are you two having sex?"

Kitty pulled back, too stunned for words. The bluntness of her question, added to the implications of telepathic spying, was almost too much. Finally, "I don't think that's any of your business."

"Kitty, please. This is serious."

"I am being serious!" she insisted. She then bit her lip to keep her from making another comment that she would probably regret later. One look at Jean's pretty but determined face told Kitty that denying it was useless, since she'd probably pry it out of her thoughts anyway.

"Have you had sex?" Jean asked again, more forcefully that time.

"We've made love, yes."

The redhead actually seemed shocked. "Oh God…how many times? Did you use protection?"

By then Kitty's cheeks were bright crimson. She hated to be under Jean's spotlight, but she refused to feel ashamed. "We've only done it once. Our last night in Northbrook. Lance had protection…why are you looking at me like that?"

Jean took Kitty's hands and forced her to meet her gaze. "Oh Kitty, don't you see? The fact that Lance had condoms on him means that he was planning this for a long time--"

Suddenly Kitty was enraged, and she freed her hands from Jean's grasp as if the girl had burned her. "This again?" she snapped. "Why are you constantly trying to make Lance into some evil monster? Can't you just be happy for us?"

"I'm just looking out for you! I don't want you to be taken advantage of!"

"I wasn't taken advantage of! I wanted it as much as he did!"

"Sure, you may think that now…but you're barely sixteen! You're not nearly mature enough to properly handle something like this. You may not be able to accept this, but some people use, and they hurt, and they manipulate..."

Kitty clenched her fists. "Oh yeah? And what about you and Duncan?! I've heard things about you two, and if they're true, you have no right to attack me or Lance!"

Jean blustered, "That's totally different! Duncan and I are older, more mature, and are more prepared for that sort of thing, and--" her face was now as red as her hair, "We haven't done anything like that!"

"Yeah, right! Since you're such a great empath, why don't you, like, pry into Lance's mind and see what kind of person he really is!" With that, the girl started to storm off, only to have her wrist intercepted by her companion.

"Please, just listen to me--"

But she would not. With a dark scowl Kitty phased her way out of Jean's tight grasp and disappeared down the hall without so much as a glance back.

"Oh, no," Jean sighed, disappointed.

"Is everything all right, Ms. Grey?" a woman's voice asked. Her head turned, and she saw Principal Darkholme standing on the staircase a few feet above her head. Her expression was unreadable.

"Yes, ma'am," the teen replied automatically. Raven watched her depart, lips cracking into a thin smile. She had seen the fear that had briefly flashed in the telepath's eyes as she wondered whether or not her principal had more of the conversation than she should have. Which, of course, she had.    

* * *

Professor Charles Xavier sat quietly in his study, completing a mess of paperwork. It was a fairly windy day, and he could hear the loud rustling of the air as it whipped through the tall trees through the closed window. What he didn't hear, however, was the sound of the wind being manipulated by a force outside—a force that was steadily approaching.

Suddenly the windows flew open, startling the mutant. Xavier wheeled over to the other end of the study to close them, but as he did a powerful force took control of his wheelchair and pushed him roughly across the roof where he collided with his desk.

"Metal wheelchair. Foolish."

Xavier's eyes went wide at the voice's icy familiarity. Magnus.

"It's quite a fine collection of mutants you have at this…school, you call it?"

The Professor regained his composure and faced the open window. His visitor had not chosen to reveal himself yet, but he could feel his presence. "Yes, the students here are a very fine lot indeed."

"Yet you do not trust them."

"I do trust them—with my life!"

"But not with the truth!"

The wind howled, and Xavier found himself pushed against the wall from another magnetic attack. When he glanced up again, he saw the dark figure in the window, purple cape billowing.

"I'm only trying to protect them, Magnus. You know that. Everything I've done has been for their well-being!"

"And the Mindcoil? What of that?" he asked. Magneto smirked at the surprised look on his old friend's face. Oh, how he wished he could read his mind. "Yes, I know what you've been trying to do with our 'child'. You think you can change it, make it help humans as well as mutants, but you're wrong. It is what it is, and soon you won't be able to control it anymore."

"You're wrong."

"Am I? I helped create it, remember, Charles? I know what it's capable of. Your pathetic morals and ideals mean nothing to it. Weapons of the Mindcoil's caliber do not belong in hands of weak-minded fools like yourself! And when my forces are ready, I will come back to reclaim what you've stolen from me. Farewell." And Magneto was gone, just as quickly and silently as he came.

Xavier took a deep breath. It had gone badly. He had not anticipated Magneto making an appearance quite so soon, or for his former comrade to know so much. He put his hands on his temples and concentrated on reaching one particular mutant.

**Logan, meet me in my study at once. There has been a change of plans.**

* * *

A large group of Bayville High students from the Chemistry and Earth Science classes were huddled together in the school courtyard as their teachers, Mr. Gardner and Mr. Rodetsky, checked their names off the roll list. Lance strolled over to the bright yellow school bus to put his and Kitty's gear in the cargo area. When he turned around, he saw his girlfriend talking on her cell phone and wearing a concerned expression.

"Who was that?" the boy asked when she hung up.

"Mr. Logan," she explained. "He called to let us know that he and Professor X are leaving on some urgent business for a couple nights."

"Must be really urgent if they're calling us at school."

"Yeah," Kitty said with a deep frown. "I hope everything's all right."

Unbeknownst to the young lovers, they were being watched by Principal Darkholme, who was hiding in the shadows of an empty doorway not far off.

So Xavier and Wolverine are gone, just as Irene predicted, she thought. I couldn't ask for better luck. The plan will go off without a hitch.

Just as she finished her thoughts, a muscular black-haired boy in a Bayville High letter jacket walked by the shape-shifter. She recognized him immediately.

"Mr. Anderson!" she called out his name, and he stopped, looking at her like a deer caught in the lights of oncoming traffic.

"What?" Trey Anderson asked in a panic, wondering if she had discovered he was the one responsible for the peephole in the girl's locker room. "I haven't done anything!"

"Of course not, my dear boy," she said with a crafty smile, patting his shoulder. "You're going on the Taipos Caves field trip, aren't you? There's something we need to talk about…" she trailed off, leading him away from the crowd to where no one would hear their discussion.

Meanwhile, Lance and Kitty stood in line single file as their teacher finished roll call. "Where are Maximoff, Dukes, and Tolensky?" Mr. Rodetsky asked. "Has anyone seen them?"

"Hopefully not," Kitty murmured under her breath. "Like, I can't believe they're coming too."

"Me neither. And what about Summers and Jean? Weren't they supposed to be going on this field trip?" Lance inquired.

"Yeah, but Scott decided at the last minute he didn't want to go. I think he's still sulking over the Rogue thing. Jean stayed behind to look after him."

"Oh. I get it," the boy grinned.

"Has anyone seen Pietro Maximoff, Fred Dukes, or Todd Tolensky? They're the only ones missing!" Rodetsky asked again. His students shrugged.

"We're here," a particularly self-satisfied voice declared, and heads turned to see the terrible trio marching down the courtyard.

"Sorry we're late, teach," Todd said, "But Pietro here likes to be fashionably late."

"Well, I don't care what Pietro likes, we were all waiting for you three. Now get in line," Mr. Gardner snapped, pointing to the group of young science students.

"Nice one, slime breath," Pietro whispered harshly as he and his friends went to the back of the line.

"Now where's Trey Anderson?" Mr. Rodetsky asked. "I just saw him a few minutes ago."

Kitty flinched at the name. It had been a long time since the football player had dragged the unwilling girl into a closet with impure thoughts in mind, but the violent encounter was still hard to forget. She shivered, and felt Lance take her hand.

"I'm right here!" Trey's voice called, and he ran from across the courtyard. "Ms. Darkholme had to talk to me about somethin'."

"Fine, fine, fine," said the exasperated Earth Science teacher. "Just get in line."

The linebacker did as he was told, and as he passed Kitty he flashed a predatory grin that said he had not forgotten their encounter either.

"Don't worry, he won't get near you again," Lance whispered into her ear, his voice dark. Kitty said nothing.

"All right, everyone ready?" Mr. Rodetsky spoke up. "Let's go to the Taipos Caves!"

* * *

The Taipos caves were located about an hour and a half from Bayville in upstate New York—so far upstate, in fact, fresh snow was still on the ground. Lance and Kitty sat close together at the front of the school bus, wrapped in each other's arms. Kitty rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as she gazed out the window at the idyllic scenery.

Kitty's thoughts were her own. She decided not to tell Lance about her confrontation with Jean, since it would surely re-ignite the animosity between them that had only recently quieted down. She didn't know what she would do if the redhead told the Professor what she had found out—Kitty could easily imagine a disappointed lecture, or, at worst, an order for them to end their romance. The girl actually wondered for a brief moment if Jean's words were true. Maybe she and Lance were to young to be sleeping together. But…they had agreed to wait. That had to mean something, right?

Outside, glittering snowflakes began to fall. The beauty of the sight was enough to make her forget what was troubling her. "It's so gorgeous," she whispered. "Too bad we're going to be stuck in a dank old cave and can't enjoy this."

"I'm more concerned about the Brotherhood," muttered Lance. About three seats behind him, the ever-smooth Pietro was trying to sweet talk a cute freshman but was having little success thanks to Todd and Fred's heckles.

"You're beginning to sound like Scott," teased Kitty. "What could they possibly do on a school trip?"

"Maybe you're right," Lance admonished, letting the Scott crack slide. "And it is the Brotherhood. Without Mystique, they're nothing."

"Totally. So relax, this'll be fun."

"Yeah."

The two smiled at each other, oblivious to the sinister gaze of Trey Anderson.

* * *

"Lucky for us we got here before all the major snow started to fall," Mr. Rodetsky remarked as the students filed out of the school bus onto a hiking trail. "Now, it's still a ways to the mouth of the caves, so to get there we'll be partnering up and finishing the distance on our snowmobiles." He pointed to the large trailer that the bus had dragged along behind it.

Lance and Kitty took no time claiming one for their own. The young mutant girl had just put her helmet on and sat behind her boyfriend when Pietro and Todd zoomed up beside them on their ride.

"How about a rematch, Alvers?"

Lance grinned. "You're on."

"What?!" Kitty cried. "No way! Lance, don't you daaaaaaaaarrrrrrrreeee!" Her protests were lost in the wind as Lance revved the engine and zoomed off hot on the Brotherhood's trail.

Maximoff had as much control over his snowmobile as he did his Ferrari, and ignored Todd's cries of being sick as he hit high speeds down the snowy trail. He zigzagged through several trees in an attempt to lose his pursuers, but to his chagrin he saw that Lance had equal skill at driving. Gritting his teeth, Pietro slowed down enough for the X-Men to catch up. There was little room for two vehicles on the narrow trail, which was something he counted on. Suddenly he jerked his snowmobile to the right, nearly slamming into Lance and Kitty. The teens gasped as Lance jerked farther to the right to avoid a collision—nearly tumbling over the rim of the trail and into a ravine. For a few terrible seconds the couple teetered on the edge. Kitty clung to her boyfriend for dear life as they both leaned in to the left, steadying the snowmobile. They both let out huge sighs of relief, but they weren't out of harm's way.

"Tree!" Lance cried out when he saw the tall evergreen rushing at them. The snowmobile was going much too fast to veer safely out of the way, and a collision was surely imminent. The blood pounding in her veins, Kitty turned them both intangible, allowing them to phase through the mighty tree unscathed.

Once the last ordeal was over, Lance turned the keys, shutting off the vehicle. His breath was ragged, and he could feel the frightened beating of Kitty's heart against his back. For several moments, nothing was said. They were just thankful to be alive.

"Hey, are you all right?" A faraway voice called. Another snowmobile was coming up behind them, driven by two senior boys Lance had never talked to. They looked concerned, but apparently hadn't seen the disastrous race.

"We're fine," Kitty said shakily. "Just had some problems with our snowmobile."

"Okay, cool," one boy said. They then sped up and left the couple alone. Lance gazed out ahead as they faded into the distance, his view obscured by the now heavily falling snow. Pietro and Todd were long gone, nowhere to be seen.

I thought they were harmless, the boy thought. But just now…they were really out to get us.

* * *

Much later, Pietro, Fred, and Todd were waiting at the mouth of the Taipos Caves with the rest of the group. They began to snicker as they heard Lance and Kitty's approaching voices.

"…When I get my license, I am so going to be a better driver than that," Kitty avowed.

"I said I was sorry!"

As the snowmobile pulled up to the entrance, Kitty jumped off and angrily pulled off her helmet. "You don't get it! God, you can be such a jerk sometimes!"

Lance hopped off the vehicle and hastily threw his helmet on the ground. He snatched her arm before the girl could storm off in a huff. "Come on, Kitty, don't be mad," he pleaded, keeping his voice low so that the other students wouldn't overhear the lovers' spat.

"Yeah, Pretty Kitty!" Fred chortled, pointing and laughing with his two friends.

"Shut…up!" growled the rock-tumbler. The ground around Fred began to tremble, shaking the evergreen he stood under. A pile of snow falling on his head cut the mutant's bovine laughter short.

"Hmmph!" Kitty scowled, sliding her hand out of Lance's grip and marching towards the group huddled around Mr. Gardner and Mr. Rodetsky. Lance watched her go, his cheeks burning.

"Awww, poor Lancey Boy," Pietro wiped away an imaginary tear. "Looks like someone's in the cat house tonight."

Throwing a withering glance at the smirking mutant, Lance stomped off in the direction of his girlfriend.

* * *

The formations inside the caves were truly a sight to behold, from the mutated igneous rock to the glimmering stalactites and stalagmites. The Earth Science teacher, Mr. Rodetsky, was in his element, and was enthusiastically lecturing his students while Lance tried to mend things with an unhappy X-Girl.

"I am sorry! It was a stupid thing to do, I admit it," he murmured.

"You're right, it was stupid," Kitty huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to look him in the eye. "Why has Pietro been so under your skin lately?"

He threw his arms into the air, anger mounting. "I'm sick and tired of the Brotherhood screwing around with me. If they're not going to play by the rules, why should we?"

Kitty was taken aback by the frustration in his voice. Her next words were very quiet. "I know it's not fair, but sinking down to their level won't make things right. We're the good guys, remember?"

"Of course," he snapped, suddenly feeling very bitter. "How could I forget?"

"Lance, you have nothing to prove to the likes of Pietro Maximoff. Remember that. And…" she swallowed a lump in her throat, her voice pained. "I'm scared when you act like that. It reminds me of Northbrook, when you fought Griff and Pete…I don't know how to describe it, but it was like you weren't yourself anymore. All that anger and violence…it isn't you."

At that moment all the hostility between them melted away. Kitty's confession had impacted Lance. He knew what it was like to lose oneself; he thought of the dark years he spent with his heart hidden away, lashing out at the world. It was his time at the Institute and the light radiated by that one special person that had saved him. To lose that now, after everything…

 "Attention, everyone!" Gardner's loud voice echoed through the cave, interrupting Lance's thoughts. "At this point we're going to split up into pairs and explore the caves. Be sure your flashlights have fresh batteries and don't forget to fill out your worksheets on your finds. Here are your assigned partners: Farley and Galvan, Dukes and Tolensky, Macher and Lokey, Raider and Hall, Trocino and Dillon, Anderson and Pryde, and Alvers and Maximoff."

Lance summed up his and Kitty's feelings in one sentence: "You have got to be kidding me."

"Now get in your partners and follow us," Gardner finished, gathering his students with Rodetsky. Both Lance and Kitty lingered, looking at each other in shock, unsure what to make of that recent turn of events.

Trey stood with arms crossed over his chest, a sour expression on his face. "Hey, you—Pryde! You're with me!" he said rudely, pointing to the dark depths of the caves.

Lance leaned towards her and whispered, "Are you gonna be all right?"

Kitty wasn't exactly pleased with the arrangements, but she wasn't going to let the football player see her unease. "Yeah. I can handle a dumb jock like him. What about you?"

"Lancey Boy! Get your ass in gear!" Pietro's shrill voice called from deep in the caves, making the rock tumbler roll his eyes.

"I'll live…but he might not," he said with a supportive grin.

"Just be careful."

"You too."

Kitty squeezed his hand, and just before they went their separate ways she kissed his cheek and murmured, "I love you." Then, before her boyfriend could return the sentiment, she darted away after Trey. Letting out a deep sigh, Lance turned on his flashlight and went in search of his own partner.

* * *

For a long time, neither Lance nor Pietro exchanged words as they explored the Taipos Caves by themselves. They marched forward into the dank, labyrinthine depths; Lance a few steps behind the other boy, the cold air heavy with an oppressive silence.

"You know…I'm a little glad we ended up as partners. It's a good opportunity to talk by ourselves."

Narrowing his eyes, Pietro stopped and faced Lance. "Oh?"

"The Brotherhood…it has plans for me, doesn't it?"

Pietro's eyes widened. He hadn't thought much of Lance's intelligence, and was surprised that the grunt was onto them. Oh well, smirked the sophomore, It's not as if he has any clue what we're really planning. "What are you babbling about?" he said aloud, faking ignorance.

"It's something that just dawned on me…When Freddy joined your gang of retards he tricked me into meeting up with Mystique…who tried to recruit me. Me and me only. She never went after Kitty, Evan, Kurt, or any of the others. And since then, I've noticed you all at school, watching me, glaring at me, as if you were up to something. A few days ago Tabitha threw herself at me and tried to convince me to 'party' with you clowns, something she didn't even do when she was pulling the elf's tail. And today, out of the friggin' blue, you try to run me over twice. So what is it, Pietro? What the hell is this all about?"

For a tense moment their gazes locked, Avalanche staring down Quicksilver. It was the Brotherhood member who finally cracked, bursting into laughter.

"Don't flatter yourself, X-Geek. You want to know the real secret? Fine, here it is. Mystique knows all about your record, and how at heart you're nothing but a piece of trailer trash with a chip on his shoulder. Mutants aren't exactly easy to come by, so she got it into her head to bring you over to our side. In fact, she originally went after the very day you met your Pretty Kitty, but Baldy got to you first. She doesn't like losing, y'know? Mystique then decided to go after you again, with Freddy as her patsy. Even now she still wants you on the Brotherhood, even though I told her to forget it, since you have to be the most pathetic mutant I've ever seen."

Lance's anger rose, and he thought that his prediction about Pietro's lifespan might just come true. "What the hell is that crack supposed to mean?"

"It means you're a loser. Mystique thinks that someone with your past and attitude would fit right in with us, but I know better. You want to fit in with those snotty, self-righteous goody-goods and constantly deny what you really are so they'll accept you. But they won't. Not really. I know what you really are, Lancey, and I know that they'll turn on you the first chance they get. Even your Pretty Kitty will ditch you when the thrill of screwing a bad boy wears off--!" His words were never finished as Lance's hand grabbed him by the collar and shoved him against the icy cave wall.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?"

A low growl escaped Lance's lips. It was all he could do to keep himself from wringing Pietro's skinny neck. The silver-haired boy wiped his brow and chuckled.

"You know I'm right, don't you?"

"No," Lance spat, balling his hands into fists. "No. You don't know a damn thing about me Pietro, and don't you dare drag Kitty into this. You're not fit to say her name."

"And you're still in denial." Pietro shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. Such a shame."

That was it. Lance leapt at the other boy, punching him squarely in the jaw. Pietro crumpled to the floor like a paper cup, utterly shocked. My face! he thought in wonderment. He hit me! He actually hit me!

He was dragged to his feet, grabbed roughly by the collar once again. Lance brought their faces dangerously close together, and Pietro found himself slightly scared by what he saw in the rock-tumbler's eyes. The ground began to tremble under his barely contained rage.

"You're surrounded on all sides by two-hundred feet of solid rock, Pietro. Pissing me off right now is a very bad idea."

He had hoped to scare Pietro spitless, but all he got was another damned smirk. "Do it, Alvers. Bring this place down. I want to see if you can."

The sentence sank in, and Lance's eyes flashed in realization. He dropped him and turned away, furious with himself. "So I can prove you right? No way." He left the speed demon behind, walking away into the shadows of the cave.

Kitty would be proud of me, he thought. I hope she's all right. If Trey does anything to her…I'll kill him.

* * *

Deep in another part of the twisting tunnels, Kitty was faring all right. Once in a while her partner would try to make small talk, but she ignored him, ever on her guard.

"Whoa, look at this rock formation!" Trey suddenly called out. He was looking in awe at an igneous formation on a cave wall, running his hands over the smooth surface. The girl had to admit, the swirling patterns of the different rock layers were cool, but something was bothering her. Trey definitely didn't seem like the kind of guy who could appreciate the aesthetics of the surroundings.

"Didn't Rodetsky say that these were some kinda mutation?"

"I suppose so."

"Hmm…mutants. Majorly creepy stuff, if you ask me."

Before Kitty could mutter, 'But I didn't ask you' her flashlight suddenly went out. Immersed in total darkness, a wave of fear crashed over the girl, and she frantically hit the faulty device until the light flickered back on. Breathing a sigh of relief, she glanced up, only to see that Trey had disappeared. Her fear returned.

"Trey?" she called out. "Trey! Where are you?"

No response. She took a few small steps forward, illuminating the cavernous path ahead of her. She shouted out his name once again.

"Over here!" his voice yelled in the distance. She followed it, walking deeper into the darkness, then stopped still. "We're not supposed to go down that way! Mr. Gardner said it was dangerous!"

"Come on! I found some more really cool rocks! You gotta see it!"

"I don't think so," Kitty said, turning around to go find a teacher. It wasn't long before she heard footsteps approaching. She gasped as she saw the newcomers were none other than Todd and Fred.

"Hey, Kitten!" Fred hooted. "Wanna play with us?"

Hearing the menacing edge in his voice, Kitty spun around to bolt the other way, but found Trey blocking her exit.

"Nowhere to run, I'm afraid," he shrugged.

Trey and the Brotherhood? Kitty's mind reeled. What is this?

"Well, I brought her here. You know what to do," said Trey to the two other mutants.

"I am so getting out of here!" Kitty bolted towards the ext being blocked by Todd and Fred. Todd spat a huge glob of slime at her, but it passed harmlessly through her intangible form and slimed Trey instead. Kitty phased through Fred's humongous body and dashed down a pathway, hoping to reach Lance or any of the other students. There was no way her attackers would risk exposing themselves in front of the whole class. She was so determined to get away she didn't hear the sound of Todd's long green tongue shooting through the air until it wrapped around her ankles, tripping her.

"No offense, babycakes, but you ain't gettin' away," Todd said almost apologetically.

Scowling, Kitty phased through his slimy appendage and stood, but before she could make haste one of her three attackers threw a small capsule at her feet, and it exploded in a cloud of noxious blue fumes. Coughing, she had barely identified it as knockout gas when things started to grow dim.

Lance!

* * *

Most of the students had already completed their exploration of the Taipos Caves when Lance finally made his way back. He scanned the many young faces for Kitty, and was distraught when he saw she wasn't there.

"Lance, where's your partner?" Mr. Gardner asked curtly.

"He's around," he shrugged. "Have you seen Kitty?"

"She and Mr. Anderson are still looking around the caves, I imagine. As are Mr. Dukes and Mr. Tolensky."

Lance went pale. "You mean that the four of them are the only ones not here?"

"I believe that's what I said, Mr. Alvers—where are you going?!"

Lance never answered the question. He ran back into the depths of his caves, desperate to find Kitty. He had a terrible feeling something was wrong. But before long he was cursing himself for leaving his flashlight with Maximoff. The farther he ran the darker it was, and his chances of finding anyone in the murky shadows were very slim. Suddenly he ran into something—or rather, someone—who fell to the ground with a small feminine cry.

"Kitty?!" Lance exclaimed.

"Oww…Lance? Is that you?" she asked, barely able to make out his shape. He nodded, and she threw her arms around his neck joyfully.

"Oh, Lance, thank God it's you!"

He returned the embrace, pressing his face to her sweet-smelling hair. "Kitty, you sound scared…did something happen?"

"Yes!" she said, stifling a sob. "Trey was working with the Brotherhood…they attacked me. I tried to run away, but they, like, had this thing full of knockout gas…it was a miracle that I was able to phase through the ground and get away!"

"Those bastards," Lance fumed, refusing to relinquish his hold on her as if afraid she'd disappear.

"But what about you?" Kitty inquired. "Did Pietro try to hurt you?"

"Yeah, he did. But everything's all right."

"Yes…"

Lance felt an overwhelming sense of relief. "Come on, let's go."

The pair walked back to the mouth hand in hand, where they met the perturbed face of Mr. Gardner. "Well, you found Kitty, Mr. Alvers. Where are the others?"

"We're coming, we're coming!" a voice shouted deep from within the cavern, and the haggard forms of Pietro, Todd, Fred, and Trey sauntered out.

"For heaven's sake, can't you four be on time for once?!" Mr. Rodetsky demanded in anger. "We were almost late leaving again because of you!"

"Sorry," Fred mumbled.

"Yeah, we, uh, got held up," Todd shrugged, giving Kitty a peculiar look.

"Just get on the bus," Gardner sighed, rubbing his aching forehead. He wasn't paid enough to deal with those miscreants.

And so the field trip ended. The Bayville High students filed into the bus, Lance and Kitty taking a seat up front and holding onto each other as if they never wanted to let go. Trey sat down with an odd expression on his normally handsome countenance, not saying a word to anyone. Todd and Fred sat across from each other, as the big-boned mutant took up the entire seat, and Pietro sat alone in the very back. The slender mutant felt something vibrate in his pocket, and he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hi…fine, sir, how are you? Great…yeah, I had fun." Pietro held back a laugh as he spoke to the voice on the other line. "Yes, Mystique altered the partner list according to your specifications…don't worry, Magneto," his eyes shifted to Kitty and Lance's snuggling forms, "Everything's going according to plan."

* * * * * * * * * * *

To Be Continued…

* * * * * * * * * * *

Author's Notes: Here's "Turn of the Rogue" without the, uh, turning of the rogue. -_- I have my reasons for not converting her at this point in time, as you'll all see soon enough. I decided to give Pietro a more villainous role in the story in keeping with his wonderful actions and leadership abilities as seen in "Day of Reckoning" and "The Toad, The Witch, and The Wardrobe." And at this point it's probably obvious I don't like Jean—however, there is a method to my madness. Trust me. ::wicked grin::

Next chapter: Everything comes to a head as Mystique finally reveals her true plans for Lance and the Mindcoil…and does something unthinkable. It's going to be big, folks. Again, let me pause to thank all my reviewers for giving me such great feedback! (and X-MenEvolutionArt—keep drawing those awesome pics!) 'Till next time! ~Sandoz