Chapter 21
Lance's Brotherhood
The air outside was absolutely freezing, but Kitty didn't really notice. She was so cold inside that the biting cold winds outside felt downright balmy. Every step she took brought her closer to the Blue Lotus, the last place on earth she wanted to be. That was the place where Lance worked and he was the one who had spiked her drink. She'd trusted him almost completely and he had drugged her with the intent to rape her. Just thinking about it made her shiver violently. Oh how she wished that Logan had given them something else to do or some other place to go. She gladly would do just about anything to avoid Lance now.
Kitty squeaked in surprise at the sudden sensation of something soft and warm gripping her hand. She looked down to see Kurt's hologram-cloaked hand tentatively holding hers. Her eye's traveled up his arm to settle on his face. While his faint blush made her think of a young schoolboy with a crush, the look of deep concern in his eyes gave her the impression of a far more mature young man. Suddenly feeling inexplicably shy, she nervously returned his grip with a weak, wavering smile. He smiled faintly back and reduced the distance between them from the usual half-foot to barely more than an inch. Kitty struggled to contain her shock at yet another uncharacteristic action from her German companion.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with my fuzzy elf?" Kitty demanded mock-seriously.
"Was?" He asked in confusion.
"Who are you? And what have you done with my fuzzy elf?" She asked again more slowly, fighting back a smile.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, obviously lost. The look he gave her as he spoke was too much for her to bear and her serious expression dissolved in a fit of giggles. "What's so funny?" He demanded, not sure what to make of her reaction.
"I was just teasing and you thought that I was being serious!" She laughed.
"Oh," he muttered, looking thoughtful. Then he frowned. "I don't get it."
"Really?" Kitty asked. He nodded. "Well, when I said, 'who are you and what have you done with my fuzzy elf?' I was saying that you aren't acting like you usually do." She explained.
"I'm not acting like I usually do?" He repeated, not knowing what she was referring to.
"Well, there was that whole weird episode from earlier when you pried me out of bed. And now you're willingly holding my hand and walking almost shoulder to shoulder with me. Since when do you do any of that?" Kitty questioned.
Kurt opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it and stopped walking. Since her hand was still linked with his, she also came to a stop. He stared at their joined hands as if he didn't believe it was real. Then he slowly brought his wide-eyed gaze up to her face. He looked into her eyes for a moment before quickly turning to stare at the icy sidewalk, blushing fiercely and swallowing hard. Kitty sighed. Why did I have to point that out? Now he's falling apart on me. She did notice that he hadn't let go of her hand yet, which she decided to take as a good sign. After a few minutes, he seemed to regain his composure enough to face her again.
"Does it bother you? Me holding your hand, I mean." He asked nervously.
"No," Kitty replied.
He gave her a weak, wavering grin after a moment and they resumed walking. Kitty let him lead, following one step behind and still holding his hand. She didn't really have anything else to say so the walk was very quiet. The silence didn't bother her but it seemed to bug Kurt. Out of the corner of her eye she watched him grow increasingly antsy, glancing at her from time to time. Before she could come up with something that would calm him down, the Blue Lotus club came into view and her heart sank.
Nervously she moved closer to him and slowed her pace so that she was walking almost directly behind him. He looked very confused, but said nothing. When they reached the entrance Kitty had to move to the front to pay, but she fell behind again as soon as they entered. The loud music and flashing lights that she once found exciting, now were threatening. Then Kurt abruptly let go of her hand and vanished into the crowd, leaving her to deal with her fears alone. She shivered and fought the rising urge to phase through the floor. I wanna go home…
The instant Kurt entered the club he let go of Kitty's hand and went his own way. He quickly but carefully picked his way to his customary shadowy booth and took his seat. As he settled himself in for a long, boring, stressful wait, he gazed out at the crowd and began to ponder this very strange day. First, Kitty had gotten drunk and spent the previous night in his bed with him. Second, she refused to get up and that forced him to take rather extreme action. And third, well, she just wasn't herself. Just as he was about to do a little Venn diagram in his head to compare the difference in her behavior between today and yesterday, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and found a most unexpected person sitting across the table from him.
"Kitty?" He mumbled in disbelief.
"Did you say something?" Kitty asked loudly so that she could be heard over the loud music.
"What are you doing here?" He asked, speaking louder this time.
"I just feel like it." She replied with a shrug.
Kurt frowned at this answer. She loved to go and mingle with the other club patrons. He knew that she had found many friendly and interesting acquaintances here and it was very unusual for her to skip talking with any of them. When he said nothing else to her, she looked out at the partying crowd. He watched her watch the other people and carefully noted her reactions to them. When the drinkers, dancers, and druggies kept their distance, she seemed fine, but when someone strayed too close, she looked upset, almost panicky. Was I like this when I first came here? He found himself wondering as he watched her. His frown deepened at that thought and he stood up. He slipped around the end of the table and reseated himself next to Kitty. Now his body formed a buffer between her and the club crowd. At her expression of confused surprise, he managed to change his frown into a weak smile.
"Why did you move?" Kitty asked.
"Why not?" He countered.
She gave him an odd look for a moment before shrugging. Kurt was relieved that she didn't press for a better answer and he allowed himself to relax. Then, just as he decided to look away, Kitty decided to make a move. She scooted right up next to him, wrapped her arms around his arm, and rested her head against his shoulder. Fortunately, he wasn't drinking or eating anything, otherwise he would've choked on it. However, once he recovered from his shock, he stealthily slipped his tail around her waist. Normally he would never do such a thing in public, but this was a special exception. The lighting inside the club was terrible so that, unless someone was to look very closely, they'd never see his tail, and besides, it was underneath the table. When Kitty made no protest concerning his tail, Kurt allowed himself to think that this night wouldn't be so bad.
"Hey!" A new voice called. Kurt looked up to find a grinning Amanda Sefton standing next to him. "Is this seat taken?" She asked, indicating the same bench seat that he and Kitty were sitting on. Since these seats were designed for no more than two people, Kurt shook his head no. Amanda frowned before moving to the seat across the table. He poked Kitty with his tail to make her aware of her friend's arrival since last time he looked she seemed to be trying to take a nap.
"Amanda?" Kitty wondered dazedly as the dark-skinned girl took a seat.
"Kitty?" Amanda asked, equally confused at Kitty's presence as Kitty was about Amanda's. "What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same question." Kitty replied tightly.
"Well I asked first." Amanda insisted stubbornly. Kurt felt his eyebrows rising. I thought they were friends. Why are they so tense?
"Fine, I'm here because I feel like it. Now your turn." Kitty replied, sounding quite childish.
"And I'm here to talk to him." Amanda replied stiffly, indicating Kurt with a nod. "Now tell me, why aren't you over with Lance? I heard that he's looking for you."
"None of your beeswax!" Kitty snapped; her voice oddly strained. Kurt tightened his tail's grip on her waist slightly in an attempt to calm Kitty a bit. She didn't seem to notice.
"What's with all the hostility?" Amanda asked, genuinely confused. "Are you embarrassed about last night's drunken escapade?"
"Well, yeah." Kitty mumbled barely loud enough to be heard over the music.
Kurt wasn't totally convinced that embarrassment was the sole reason for her odd behavior, but he let it go. After a few more tense words, the two girls entered into friendly conversation and they seemed to forget that he was still there. However, Kitty now clung closer to him somehow, as if to say that he belonged to her. Though he knew that the idea should bother him, when he thought about it he found that he really didn't mind at all. In fact, he actually found it a very attractive thought and his imagination ran off with it. He was so absorbed in his rapidly forming fantasy that he completely missed one particular man emerge from the crowd and stalk over to their table.
The next thing that he was aware of was a solid yank on the back of his coat collar. Before he was quite sure what was happening he found himself out of his seat, detached from Kitty, on his back, and sliding across the floor. Kurt managed to regain his feet before anyone decided to step on him. He looked around for a minute, disoriented by his sudden, unexpected change of location. Then he spotted his table. Kitty and Amanda were still sitting there, but where he'd been another man had taken his place. Kurt ground his teeth as he marched back to the table, but he halted when he was close enough to hear what was being said.
"Hey Pretty-Kitty! Whatcha doin' all the way over here?" The man, who Kurt now identified as Lance, asked.
"I was enjoying myself." Kitty replied, her tone surprisingly harsh.
"Enjoying yourself? How could you have any fun in this little boring corner? Come on, let's go." Lance commanded as he attempted to drag Kitty of somewhere.
"Who said I was going to move? Let go of me!" Kitty snapped, jerking free of Lance's hand.
"What's with you? You were totally fine with me last night." Lance whined pleadingly.
"That was last night." Kitty responded tartly.
"What's this? Are we forgetting the last two months?" Lance demanded, his voice suddenly cold.
"Yes," Kitty declared. Even though Kurt couldn't really see Lance's face from where he was standing, he knew that the man's expression wasn't pleasant.
"Well this is sudden. Why don't we discuss this somewhere more private?" Lance growled in a tone that left no room for argument.
He took her by the wrist and dragged her up before she could offer any protest. Amanda was left sitting and looked quite stunned. As Lance tried to tow Kitty off she broke free long enough to whisper some assurances in Kurt's ear. She'd be alright, she'd take care of things, she claimed. Don't follow, everything will work out fine, she promised. Then Lance recaptured her and they vanished into the crowd. Kurt found himself standing alone, scanning the crowd, and still slightly dazed by the sudden turn of events. Far across the room, he spied the pair slipping through a dark doorway and he frowned. I don't like this at all…
Kitty really didn't like where things were going. Lance had shown up out of nowhere, got mad, and was dragging her off to God-only-knows-where. They'd left the main room of the club and entered a narrow maze of back hallways. Lance led her past room after room and he showed no signs of stopping. The further they went, the more nervous she became. But before she felt the need to force him to talk right there, he finally chose one door and dragged her through it. The door led to a dark alley directly behind the club. It was dark, cold, and totally empty.
"Now, let's go trough this again." Lance growled, firmly shutting the door behind them.
"What is there to go through?" Kitty demanded, fighting back her rising anxiety.
"Just what your problem is for one thing." Lance snapped.
"You know perfectly well what my problem is! You spiked my drink last night!" She hissed acidly.
"Oh grow up! It didn't hurt you any." Lance groaned.
"I made a total fool of myself!" She protested.
"So?" He grumbled, no impressed in the least by her exclamation.
"You are so lucky that nothing bad happened to me because of that." She snapped back. "Otherwise you'd have had you ass kicked already."
"Sure, whatever." He smirked. Kitty glared furiously at him.
"I trusted you and you betrayed me. Consider us through. End of story." She replied stiffly. Kitty turned to leave, but Lance grabbed her by the shoulder and shoved her away from the door and clear across the alley.
"I didn't say that you could leave yet." He said in a low, cold voice.
"Let me pass!" She snapped. She tried to walk past him, but he shifted his position to mirror hers, keeping her trapped. A good minute of this was more than enough to send her to a desperate course of action. With a snarl of frustration, she phased right through him and marched towards the door.
"You're a Mutant?" He asked, sounding stunned.
"Yes," she replied as she reached the door.
"So am I!" He exclaimed, freezing her in her tracks. That was not one of the many reactions that she had expected to hear. Then to prove his claim, she supposed, the ground began to tremble strongly enough to make her stagger.
"And this is supposed to make me stay?" She asked once the ground settled down.
"Well yeah, now's when I get to give you 'The Offer'." Lance replied, arrogantly swaggering over to where she stood.
"Offer? What offer?" Kitty asked suspiciously.
"The offer to join." He answered, draping one arm around her shoulders. Kitty tried to shake him off, but he squeezed her tighter.
"Join what?" She asked uneasily.
"Magneto's Brotherhood of Mutants, of course." Lance replied.
"No," Kitty said flatly.
"But, I didn't even explain it yet!" He complained.
"You don't have to, I already know what it is." She replied, her voice tight and sharp.
"Well then why won't you join?" Lance wondered.
"Because it goes against my morals and beliefs." She growled, trying to squirm loose from Lance's arm.
"Is striving for the Mutant future immoral?" He demanded.
"The way that you 'strive' for it is." She retorted sharply.
"Let's see if I can't change your mind." He growled threateningly.
Without warning, Lance shifted his grip on her shoulders to painfully squeeze the back of her neck. As he started to drag her down the alley, she struggled and squirmed, trying to focus enough to phase. Lance pinched tighter and she shrieked in pain. Annoyed by her screaming and probably worried about it drawing the attention of others, he slammed her against a brick wall and slapped her across the face. Kitty only screamed louder and her panic spiraled out of control, making it impossible to phase away. This only made him angrier and he hit her harder. She whimpered when she tasted blood and she was unable to determine whether it came from her lip or her nose.
What happened after that was difficult for her to say. A shadow, a living piece of blackness, abruptly detached itself from the opposite alley wall and launched itself at Lance. It lifted her attacker by the back of his jacket and tossed him aside like a broken toy. There was a flash of yellow within the darkness and the shadow flew at Lance again. She heard sounds of a struggle, grunts punches, and what sounded like the crack of a whip. Then the shadow threw Lance further down the alley and came back for her.
It swept toward her, a silent rush of air with golden embers for eyes. It surrounded her before she could gather the breath to scream. The darkness embraced her, blocking the feeble light of the alley from her sight. Then the world fled from her. Her stomach churned as she went flying through the somewhere. A tiny bit of her brain recognized the motion as teleportation, but that information didn't quite make it to the rest of her. The motion stopped as quickly as it began and Kitty found herself looking into a pair of deeply concerned yellow eyes. Finally, the fear and reaction to the events swamped her and all she could do was cry.