AN: Man, y'all reveiw fast! That's awsome! Well, I figured this once I'll update faster to thank y'all, especially considering the really mean Cliff Hanger I left you with...

Rogue14: Be nice, or I might just use that line! HA-HA, you would track me down and smear my carcass over the blacktop, wouldn't you? ...I shouldn't give you ideas...

Toxic-Beetle: Well, Cliff used to be a lot scarier, but he shaved and showered, so now it's not quite so...wait, what?

Soul Raider 116: (attempts to look Elvis swanky) Why, thank you. Thankyouverymuch.

persian85033: I know. I really feel bad, using Evan as a dis goat in all my stories, but he's so...expendable. Gosh, that's mean.

BlueGirl90 : Yay!

Disclaimer: "Anger is a better sign of the heart than of the head; it is a breaking out of the disease of honesty." Marquess of Halifax


Chapter 12

"Why didn't she call me?" He yelled, punching the nearest tree. "Didn't I deserve to know?"

"Ah don't know, Lance. But she didn't want anyone from school to know. And, we didn't think you-"

"Didn't think I'd what, CARE? Of course I CARE! Just because we had a stupid fight, you decide not to tell me SHE'S DYING?"

"Lance, ah was just trying to do what she wanted. I guess she figured you were better off thinking she was just ignoring ya."

He shoved past her.

"I'm going in…DON'T try to stop me, either. I'm sick of this beating around."

"Go ahead, but she's not there." Evan mumbled.

"What?" Lance demanded. "Where is she?"

"Ah...don't know." Rogue said, haltingly. "She left earlier today. She's been cooped up for a while. I can understand how she wanted to get out."

"I don't BELIEVE this!" Lance yelled, slamming his hand into yet another tree.

"Man, getting angry ain't gonna help her…or the tree." Said Evan.

"Shut up, dorkwad!" He grabbed him by the shirt and held him up. "I want answers. When did this happen?"

Evan narrowed his eyes. "Put me down or I'll give you more holes than Swiss cheese, dude."

Rogue put her hand on Lance's shoulder comfortingly. "Lance, we know how you feel. We care about her too. Arguing is getting us nowhere. Put him down."

"You know how I feel? HOW I FEEL?My girlfriend- former girlfriend-WHATEVER- neglects to tell me she has INOPERABLE CANCER, then you try to comfort me? I'm outta here! YOU can take care of the little-"

"Hey!" Rogue said, causing him to snap his head toward her. She took a breath. She knew her former teammate was acting in frustration and fear. She also knew his tendency to say things he didn't mean or would regret. "It ain't Kitty's fault, and it ain't mine or yours. It HAPPENED, Lance, an' there ain't anything we can do about it now."

There was a pause, the three of them breathing in the seemingly icy air between them.

"We'll see about that."

He slammed Evan to the ground and turned to go, shockwaves echoing his anger as he went.


Kitty returned home a few hours later. As she walked in the door, she decided to not go up to her room right away.

knock, knock

"Come in, Kitty."

"Prof?"

"Hello. You were gone quite a while today." He said, not raising his head from his paperwork.

She smiled. "Thanks."

"For what?"

"I kind of figured you'd be coming to get me once somebody figured out where I went…but I needed the walk, to clear my head…and stuff."

She smiled at her now. "I thought as much. At Rogue's request, I did locate you to make sure you were alright, however."

Kitty made a face. "She babies me like I'm a little sister or something."

"She needs you, Kitty. As a friend and a sister figure. You should be happy to have a friend like her, willing to look after you."

"Yeah, well." Kitty turned to leave.

"You have many friends, Kitty, who care about you." He took a breath. "Like…Lance."

Kitty stopped.

"He came by, while you were gone."

"He…did?" She asked, over her shoulder.

"Yes. He had been worried about your absence from school. He and Rogue and Evan had a… spirited conversation, from what I hear."

"Really."

"Kitty, Rogue told him about your cancer."

"Oh."

"You seem disappointed."

"I…I wanted to tell him myself."

"I see."

She exhaled deeply. "Now he's going to think…that I didn't want him to know."

"Did you?"

She faced him now. "I didn't know, for a while. But…after a while, the stupid fight we had didn't seem very important anymore. I…went to tell him this afternoon."

"I see."

"But he was here, I guess."

"Hmm."

"I should call him…try to patch things up."

"That is an advisable course."


AN: Okay, now he knows. Y'all happy? Huh? ; ) Well, then, reveiw away.

By the way, I know you all were hoping that she would tell him herself, but I just had to use the idea this way. Hearing from someone else opens a whole 'nother can of worms between them, more angst for me to use. Sorry, but...you know you love it. :)