The Ride

~*~

I bet you counted all the tears I bet you've cried

I bet you swore you'd never let love back inside

'Cause it hurt you way too bad to say good-bye

Now, there'll be times when I might put us to the test

And it's hard for broken hearts to just forget

But I'm driving blind, I'll lay it all on the line for you

-Bon Jovi

~*~

Two hours later

"Kit, we're gonna go," Rogue said. "Do ya need a ride home?"

"I can give her a ride," Pete said.

"I'll go with him," Kitty said. Remy walked over to her and patted her pocket looking at her pointedly. "Remy, I swear-"

"Bonsoir, chat," he smiled wrapping an arm around Rogue's shoulder. The two walked away.

"You want t' go?" Pete asked seeing Kitty yawn.

"Not a bad idea," she said. He took her hand leading her outside. "When we were at the bar you, like, told me that you were a mutant. What's your power?"

He took out a cigarette and lit it with one of his hotknives. "That."

She pretended to be confused. "You're a lighter?"

"Cute." He opened her door for her before getting in on the other side. "`Ow long are you staying?"

"Until next week, maybe longer," Kitty said. She sighed gazing out the window as he pulled out. "I just don't know where I belong any more."

"I know the feelin', Pryde," he admitted. He then surprised himself by telling her about Black Air. He told her about the experiments, and about Culley.

"Is that why you stole my address book?" she asked.

"Yes, I was supposed t' get information on you," he said. "They were thinkin' `bout recruiting you."

"Why didn't they?" she asked interested.

"Me," he told her.

"Didn't you like me?" she asked.

"It wasn't that," he assured her. "Although, if I'm completely `onest, you annoyed the `ell out of me. I just saw how things were going down there. I also saw that you didn't have the heart for that type of work."

"Why not?"

"After what Trask did, you never tried to go after him."

"I didn't know where he was."

"That's shit, and you know it. You could `ave found him."

Kitty looked down. "Even after what he did I don't want to seek him out," she admitted. "But if I ever see that son of a bitch again-"

"An' that is what I'm talking about," he said. "It's not a bad thing. I see that you have it in you to kill, just not to hunt."

"What would you do?"

"When Culley was killed I blew the base sky high," he told her. "I snuck in saw what they were doing and blew it up."

"Oh."

"Almost got killed meself," he admitted.

"Um, Pete?"

"Yeah?"

"Where are we?"

"Shit!" he exclaimed.

"I'll take that to mean that you don't know. Or are you, like, going to go all macho on me?"

"I'll perfectly willing to admit it, Pryde, we're lost. You live here. Where are we?"

"No clue. Just turn around." He did so quickly. "Be a bit more careful, I enjoy living."

"You tol' me t' turn around. Just following orders."

"I have a hard time picturing you following orders."

He turned to leer at her briefly. "I do, if I have a proper reward."

"Watch the road, Wisdom," she said. "Turn left up here." He turned. "That should lead us back into town." She had this wild desire to ask him to drive to Lookout Point but flushed and shook her head. "So you're a spy."

"Ex-spy," he corrected.

"Right," Kitty said. "Kinda like James Bond."

This brought a snort of laughter from her companion. "I am so much better than that wannabe. I do everything better."

She laughed. "'Everything'?" He stopped the car and she looked around startled that they were back at the mansion. He leaned in close and kissed her softly.

He pulled back to meet her eyes. "Yes, everything, includin' that."

"I don't know," she teased, "I think I've seen him do better." With a smirk he kissed her again, this time coaxing her lips open with his. He then slid his tongue into her mouth. He felt Kitty touch his arm and was afraid for an instant that she was about to push him away but she simply gripped the arm of his shirt tightly as she returned the kiss leaning towards him. He pulled away.

"And of course other things," he said with a wink. She flushed catching his meaning. He got out and opened her door for her. They walked up the stairs. "Pryde, remember what you said about not knowin' where you belong?"

"Yeah," Kitty said.

"There's always a place with me," he told her smoothing a hand over her bangs. Her eyes widened at that simple offer then she smiled and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him softly.

"Thank you."

"Any time." She walked back into the mansion. She went upstairs and got dressed climbing into bed. She smiled the entire time. There was a knock on her door just as she was about to fall asleep.

"Come in," she called. To her surprise Lance walked in. "Lance, hi."

"Hey, Kitty," he said. He walked over to her bed. "Can I sit down?"

"Sure." He sat next to her.

"Listen, I know we kinda left things off," he said gently. "I mean, when Emma and I first got together I hid it from you, and we never talked about what was happening between us."

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you. I mean, as you pointed out, we weren't together."

"I'm sorry too," Kitty said. "I'm sorry for everything that happened before, for not trusting you and for letting them break us up."

"We should have had this talk a long time ago," Lance said shaking his head.

"You're right. If we had..."

"Yeah," Lance said sadly. "Well, Pretty Kitty, Magneto is sending me on another mission in the morning. I need to get some sleep." He stood and walked to the door. He turned back. "So, we're all right?"

"We will be," Kitty smiled.

"By the way, tell this Wisdom guy that if he hurts you he dies."

"Okay, Lance," Kitty said rolling her eyes. "Goodnight."

"`Night." He walked away and Kitty stretched back out yawning and thinking about the two guys.