Hello! I hope you enjoyed chapter 7! Thanks to the reviewers and keep on reviewing! Hope you enjoy 8!

Return To the Core

Lance and Kitty were in Lance's room

'Lance, it's like not like, your fault.' Kitty insisted.

'Kitty, yes it is, not get away from me.'

'But, Lance?' Kitty started.

'Look…. Just……go.' Lance growled.

'No, I won't leave you.'

'Just go you stupid freak!' Lance shouted.

'What did you just like, say?' Kitty said angrily.

'I said you're a stupid freak. You've ruined my life! In Northbrook if you'd have just done what I wanted you to and taken those test answers then I could have left this life of hell, I would have had enough money to move away! And for what? Just to make you think that your pathetic little life had some purpose?' Lance screamed.

Kitty gasped and ran out.

Lance stormed into the planning room, Kitty was there being consoled by Kurt.

'Vat do you vant Alvers?' Kurt growled.

'None of your business smurf,' Lance said, he looked at the brotherhood 'Come on guys, we're going home.'

'Alright Yo!' called Toad from the pile of rubble that Wanda had dropped on him.

'Sure..' said Wanda. Lance was worried, she hadn't said anything since Pyro had been taken by Apocalypse.

Pietro flashed a look at Kitty but then said 'Whatever.'

'Now boys, I believe it would be best if you stayed here while we search for Earth.' Said The Professor.

Lance gave him a 'shut up or suffer' look and the Brotherhood left the room.

Kitty watched them go as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

………………………………..........................................................................................

Lance sighed, it had been a month since he had left the X-Geeks….. Left her.

Kitty and Blue- boy were now officially going out.

But strangely enough he didn't care.

She wasn't worth it.

At that moment Wanda came into the house, fell down on the sofa and began to cry.

'Still can't find Pyro?' Lance asked Wanda, concerned.

'No! I don't think that I'm ever going to find him. I mean where has he gone?' she sobbed.

'You really cared for him didn't you?' Lance mused.

'Yeah? So what if I did?' Wanda snapped.

Lance looked at the Scarlet Witch 'Then why didn't you tell him that you cared?'

'I wanted to, but he probably didn't feel the same way.'

'He did.' Said Lance.

'Really?' gasped Wanda.

Lance nodded.

Wanda sighed and said 'it's too late now…… he's gone..'

Lance looked up and said 'Maybe…… Maybe Not.'

………………………………..........................................................................................

Kitty sat alone in her room.

She only agreed to go out with Kurt to try and make Lance jealous… then she had hoped that he would come back to her.

She shook her head, why hadn't she gotten over him yet?

There was a creak and Nightcrawler came in.

'Hey Kitty, vat's up?' he smiled.

'Oh, nothing Kurt.' she lied.

'So, do you vant to go out tonight?' the smiling German asked.

Kitty tried to make Kurt what Lance used to be… her boyfriend…. But she couldn't.

'Ok, sure, Whatever..' she replied emptily.

'Kitty, vat's wrong, tell be now.'

'Nothing'

'Are you sure?' asked Kurt

'Totally.'

'Good,' Kurt said sleazily ' because I thought that we could stay in tonight.'

Kurt's tail began to go up her trouser leg.

Kitty was sick inside but managed to smile.

'Do you vant to… you know…..'

Kurt tried to pull her in for a kiss but Kitty phased through him and slapped him hard around the face.

Kurt clutched his cheek and stared at her.

'Kurt you creep, like, get away from me!' she screamed as she ran from the room.

………………………………..........................................................................................

Lance slammed the door as he walked out of the Brotherhood house.

He jumped into his battered old jeep and headed for the park.

Why did Lucy have to come to help him, why did she have to be the Element of Water?

Why did they have to be here, now on opposing teams in this pointless place?

Lance was in the middle of the park when he heard a voice from behind him.

'Hey bro.' Lance wheeled around, Lucy was standing there.

Apocalypse, Rouge and Pyro were also there.

'What have you come here for?' Lance snapped.

'To claim my element of Earth.' Apocalypse replied.

'What? I'm not the element of Earth.' Lance protested in shock.

Pyro and Rogue vanished and then reappeared, grabbing hold of his arms.

Apocalypse grabbed Lance's arm and focussed.

Lance felt new images coming into his head, Apocalypse seeing his face in his mind, his parents arguing and Lucy falling.

Lance felt his mind going blank and then nothing but his unison with the Earth.

Lance's thoughts were being changed, manipulated to Apocalypse's benefit.

His mind reeled as he relived his most painful experiences, his father being shot, Magneto taking him away from Lucy, Sabertooth hitting him and Kitty glaring at him.

Apocalypse let go of him and both Lance and Avalanche were gone, he was Rock Slide.