Through Hellfire and Back,

Part 8

Disclaimer: Marvel and Kid's WB own X-men Evolution, and all characters in this story; period, finito, case closed.

Enjoy!

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Three weeks.

It had been three weeks.

Three long, agonizing weeks.

Three weeks had gone by and Kitty hadn't sent word. Not a phone call, not a letter, not so much as an email, _nothing_. After two months of almost constant correspondence, Kitty Pryde had disappeared of Lance Alver's map.

At one week, he figured she'd been busy. At two weeks she'd been swamped. Now at three she was either literally buried under her text books or...... he didn't want to think about it.

He'd tried calling her himself, but never got passed the answering machine. He'd written her letters, but received nothing in response. If Kitty was angry and wanted him to feel miserable, she was doing a pretty good job.

Lance Alvers sat down on the Brotherhood couch, eyes set on the distant dusty window as he watched the occasional car roll down the street. Few people drove past the Brotherhood boarding house, given the random earthquakes that seemed to appear, and slippery green substance constantly splattered on the sidewalk.

All things considered, it wasn't a rout for the faint of heart.... or stomach for that matter.

Kitty could've driven it, if she could drive. Tough as nails and nerves of steel; just two of the things he missed about her.

He missed lots of things about her.

He missed her.

"She's dumped you, yo."

Lance scowled at the speaker, one Todd, 'Toad' Tolansky, who joined him on the couch with a bowl of popcorn, grabbing the T.V remote with his tongue and clicking it on.

Without diverting his eyes from the screen, Todd continued. "It's been three weeks since the gal so much as left a message to say hi. You've left messages, sent email, and all but gone up to that fancy Academy in person to reach her. She hasn't answered one of your calls, ignored the mail, and all but slammed the door in your face. Face it man, it's over."

"It's not over." Lance's eyes drifted back to the window. Todd smacked him on the back of his head. "Hey!" The earthshaker looked the frog right in the eyes. Todd glared back at him, and for the first time that he could remember, Lance was tempted to back off from the Toad; for a reason other then the smell.

"No, it's over. No calls, no letters: no contact man. It's called the silent treatment. She's either pissed or guilty with someone new. Face it, you two are nearing splitsville."

"WE ARE NOT!" Lance roared, giving the ground a slight tremble. He was smacked again. "Now cut that out! Top hitting me Toad!"

"Fine, I'll do it, jerk." Lance found himself on the receiving end of a smack from Wanda Maximoff, who came up from behind.

"Score one for the Red Witch." Freddy chuckled, walking in and joining Todd with his own armful of snacks.

"Do all of you need to get involved in this?" Lance yelled.

"Yeah buddy, we do!" Todd stood up and got in Lance's face. "For the past two months you've been off your game, ever since your so called 'pretty kitty' went back under her parent's leash. Now, for the past three weeks, you've been so depressed you'd make Rogue proud! What does that tell you?"

"She's just busy, it's the new school, I'm sure....." Lance faltered, for some reason not believing his own words.

"Bullshit." Wanda hissed. "Three weeks is for friends who only like to touch base now and then. Not for lovesick boyfriends that you're *suppose* to have feelings for! If Kitty really did care for you, which, honestly I find a stretch for any woman, she'd have done something by now!"

"Yeah, um, plus don't you think she'd have told you if she wasn't going to be talking for a while?" Fred interjected between a handful of chips.

"It's not that bad." Lance tried to defend himself

"It's getting to be that bad." Wanda shot him another look.

Todd sighed, placing a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Look man, we don't mean to come down to hard. We're just worried about you yo." With his free hand he offered up some popcorn. "You're in a slump, and it's time you got out of it. Why don't you join us tonight? Y'know, go wreck up another club, catch some tail?"

"Get some food!" Fred snatched the popcorn from Todd.

"Annoy someone other then me." Wanda muttered.

Lance released a breath as he brushed a hand through his chocolate brown bangs." I appreciate the effort guys, but no thanks." He headed for the door. "I think I'll go for a drive."

"It's a start."

"Fine, go. One less yahoo I have to deal with."

"Hey, if you pass any restaurants, could you pick up something?"

"Right Freddy." Lance rolled his eyes, taking out the keys to his jeep. "See ya."


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The drive didn't do as much good as he'd hoped it would; Lance found himself circling through the east side of town all day. Kitty, Kitty, Kitty...... what, did the girl have her friends telepathically glue her to his mind? Maybe he would have had more luck if the radio quite playing a song titled "Can't get you outta my head".

Eventually, as per the Blob's request, Lance found himself entering a soda shop to pick up a few supplies. He didn't have a whole lot of cash on hand, but he could always shake down a few vending machines later..... or a few bank machines.

He was about to walk up to the counter and order, when something caught his eye. Or, more correctly, someone. Someone who always seemed to have the answers. Answers which Lance wouldn't mind getting hold of. One miss teen queen supreme, overachiever x-geek Jean Gray.

Jean Gray was one of those that the Brotherhood was particularly unimpressed with. Not that the Brotherhood really cared about the X-Geeks anyway (with the exception of Kitty, Tabitha and, on occasion Rogue), however Jean's extreme popularity only escalated the mutual dislike. She never forgiving them for circulating photos of her in her underwear to half the male population of Bayville, and they not really liking the popular, moral crowd to begin with. Although, they did give her a standing ovation when she finally got wise and dumped Duncan, complete with a half finished potato salad to his empty head. Some things were worth a little cheering.

Regardless, Jean was an X-men, and aside from Rogue, one of Kitty's most trusted companions besides. So Lance was as surprised as she was when he walked up to her booth and sat down across from her.

Jean's brow furrowed but she said nothing, opting to give Lance a cold hard glare as he slouched down, helping himself to her french fries until a quick hand slapped his gloved paws away. Jean pushed aside her strawberry milkshake, her green eyes never leaving the earth shaker's brown. "What do you want, Lance?"

Not wanting to remain a second longer then necessary, least someone they knew catch them and start a rumor of stomach-turning proportions, Lance spoke up. "Kitty. Or at least, what she's been up to."

Jeans eyebrow raised. "She's still in Massachusetts last I heard. Why?" A slight hiss hit her voice. While minds like the Brotherhood's made her telepathic abilities more or a hindrance then a gift, she felt a severe urge to reach in and knock some sense into the boy. Preferably away from her booth, out the window.

Lance didn't budge. "When's 'last I heard'?"

Jean didn't like his tone. "Why do you want to know?" she repeated.

"Because it's been almost three weeks on this end, and I'm getting anxious."

This statement made Jean blink. Three weeks from the guy Kitty talked to on the phone every other night? She racked her memories, trying to recall the last contact she'd had with her former teammate.

"Well..... Rogue sent a letter a little while ago but I don't think the response came yet....... Kurt's been so busy with his biology project I doubt he's called....... we talked a few weeks ago but....." Nothing. Jean felt unease as she found no recollections of Kitty Pryde's existence for such a long span of time. Hadn't they been calling each other once a week? When had they slipped? Why had she stopped? Homework, training and a social life had filled her time sure....... but, certainly..... had it really been that long?

"So she's been avoiding you guys too." It was a statement, not a question.

"I hadn't thought about it like that." Her voice dripped of acid.

Lance smirked. "For a so-called telepathy, you don't think, period." Jean's gaze turned venomous. So intent was she on giving the boy looks of death, she failed to notice Lance's hand slip under the table and into her purse.

"Don't you have anything better to do then aggravate me, Alvers?" She wished. When it came to a round of Jean vs the Brotherhood, the game always seemed to last longer then it needed to. Fortunately, Lance caught the desperate tone of voice, or so she assumed, and backed off immediately.

"Matter of fact, I've got a few errands to run. Glad for the info." Lance's hands went in his pockets, and he sauntered out the door. Jean returned to her shake, but not before the Brotherhood mutant called out one last thing.

"Oh, and Red, thanks for dinner!"

Jean eyed his retreating form carefully, when alarm spread over her face. She looked at her purse.

"LANCE ALVERS YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!!!" Lance laughed as he sped up in his jeep, headed for another restaurant. Well, now he knew that Kitty wasn't mad at just him, and he scored a free meal to boot!

However, even as he drove on, one thought continued to linger in his mind.

If Kitty wasn't talking to any of them, then who was she talking to?