A.N. This was written under the influence of Fallout Boy, My Chemical Romance, and Anna Nalick, two nights without sleep, three cigarettes, and a Red Bull. If it's angsty, blame it on them and my pathetic existence. I don't own shit, Marvel does.
Chapter 1: Something Sober
The crowd roared as SHadOWcaT ScRAtcHEs stepped out onto the stage at Madison Square Garden. As the band hit the first cords of the song, and the lead singer stepped to the microphone, every girl in the place almost hyperventilated. Lance Alvers was the "shit" according to every teen magazine out in the universe. His dark brown locks, chocolate eyes, and silky smooth voice had captivated many a heart, except one. As he began the band's hit single, "Sugar Like Sweet, Burn Like Fire", his thoughts fell back to the girl he had originally written the song for when he was eighteen, Katherine Pryde.
He hadn't seen her in almost five years after they had slowly drifted apart as he chased his music career, and she had gone to England to study at Oxford. Their relationship drifted apart as well and as a result, they had parted bitterly, with harsh words and angry faces. The moment he had flown out of Heathrow airport, he had known that he had made a huge mistake. He had tried to persuade her to give him another chance with flowers and candy, and serenading her with the sweet words written into his songs, but she would have none of it. So, he poured out his feelings into his music, and her memory slowly drifted out of him. But every time he had to play that song, he felt the familiar twang of depression and pain he felt the very first time he had to play it without her.
Now he was scheduled to go back to London tonight after the show and he wanted to find out what had happened to Kit. He threw himself into the show with new life, his fingers thrashing over the guitar as he belted out the angsty ballad of his life, "Once An Outcast". He knew from the crowd's response that this was going to be one of the best shows of the year. His bandmates were catching on to his renewed life and were now playing their best. His spunky blonde bassist Tabitha Smith was yet again throwing her water onto the crowd. And Bobby Drake, his drummer, was banging his head along with the music and had already thrown three pairs of drumsticks into the crowd. They too were thinking of the show in London. A chance to see their good friend Kurt Wagner, a chance to hang out for a few days, a chance to catch up on their drinking skills, and also a chance to see Kit again. They had felt betrayed after she had left the Institute for England, but they now had nothing to hold against her as they had left to join the his upstart of a band not long after.
They finished up the last set energetically and then Lance did his signature move to Kit, a move that many people speculated the origin on: one last wail on the guitar and then the sign language K, something that he hoped symbolized to her that he hadn't forgotten her. He smiled one last time as he walked off stage as he thought once more on his ex.
3465 miles away in London:
"Tha boy is the 'ottest!" a smashed blonde slurred as she slipped off of her barstool as the live broadcast ended. The bartender silently laughed as another of her customers helped the poor girl up off the floor. She couldn't help but agree with the drunken girl's statement though. The bartender switched off the telly and wiped down the bar. There was no denying that Lance Alvers was a fine species of man; it was just too bad that he was a general self-serving pain in the butt…or in the heart if you let him in.
"I wonner why he does tha 'and thingy always at the end of 'is shows," the young women muttered through her drunken stupor.
"Oh…it's 'is signal to 'is girlfriend sayin' tha 'e loves 'er," said the man who helped the drunk girl up. " 'e says 'e's single, buh people say tha 'e's got a girlfriend 'ere in the U.K. I wouldn't 'ave a bloody girlfriend if I 'ad all that pussy comin after me."
"See…that's the difference between you and him. You're a pig, and he's not," the bartender snorted, and then added, "Most of the time," as an afterthought. "It's time to go you bloody blokes!" She swatted one of her regular customers on the butt with her bar towel as she passed him by to the door. "Out, out, out!"
"Okay…god Shadow, you gotta be the tightest bartenner in the 'ole of Enland," the man slurred as he slid off the barstool and threw a couple of bills on the bar as he headed out the door.
"Yeah, yeah, just get your bloody bum arse outta my bar," she chuckled as she shoved the last of the patrons out the door and locked up.
She shook her head as she wiped down the bar one more time and then headed upstairs to the apartment she and another young woman named Romany shared while they worked their way through school. Blonde Romany Wisdom was a goof and a general priss and Shadow loved her.
They had roomed together in Oxford, but had to move out due to the huge credit card bills the girls had generated the first semester of college, and hadn't been able to pay for the dorms at the second semester when they had received all of the overdue notes.
Shadow snickered at this. Well, at least she had gotten a new wardrobe. She would have been easily recognized wearing all of her other preppy clothes from the Institute, but now that she'd fallen in with the 'Punks Of London', she was certain no one from her old life would be able to find her, save the Professor, Jean, and Rogue. A new hairdo, new clothes, and a new job…it was amazing how much a change could hide.
She tried hard to forget living in the U.S., but sometimes, like when watching MTV like earlier, the memories would flood back into her system. It happened, but not very often, to her eternal happiness. The pain of disillusionment would flood back into her system and she would wonder what she had ever seen in the X-Men, in the Professor, in 'fighting the good fight'. She had seen way too much hurt and destruction while pretending to be a superhero, and she decided that it wasn't worth it. Let nature take its course, and everything will turn out like it is supposed to, that was her new theory.
She leaped up the last few stairs and burst into the apartment tiredly. There was a stack of mail piled on the coffee table yet again…she would have to tell Romany to stick it on the kitchen counter by the fruit basket. That way Shadow would see it when she got up in the morning instead of when she got off of work.
She noticed the little red LED light flashing, indicating she had eight messages, so she pushed the play button and listened while she undressed.
BEEP'ey Shadow! This is Misty! Just callin te say 'i and ask ye when are we gonna go out again? 'aven't seen ye in ages girl! Come party with ye friends! We miss ye! Well…talk to ye later! Bye
BEEPShadow laughed at her friend's spunk. She missed hanging out with Misty and Romany and the gang, but she had to work nights now to pay off the rest of her bills now that she didn't have support from Xavier. She pressed the delete button and listened to the next…
BEEPThis is the Publisher's Clearing House. You have qualified for the One Million Dollar Prize…
BEEPShadow snorted at the message. I wish, she thought. She deleted that one and went to the next one.
BEEP'ey Romany…uh this is your brother…I need ta talk to you about Da. 'e's in the 'ospital again, an 'e's askin for you. Come see the bloody old git before 'e drives me completely insane. Bye
BEEPShadow made a mental note to tell Romany in the morning when she got back from whatever guy's pad she was chillin in for the weekend. She didn't know Pete, Romany's brother, that well. The few times she had talked to him he came off as suspicious and untrusting, but Shadow just pushed it off as a reflection of what she was feeling towards anyone new.
BEEPKit? Kit…I don't know if this is your number anymore, but I just vanted to let you know that Lance and the gang are jetting over for a veek. He's already asked about you through Meggan and Brian, but they referred him to me. I didn't know if I should tell him that I didn't know vhere you vere, so I decided to call you to ask you vhat you vanted me to do. Call me or Amanda back, vould you?
BEEPShadow frowned at the answering machine. She didn't know Kurt had her number here. Meggan must have given it to him during one of her weaker moments. She was gonna pay Meggan back for this. She pressed delete on the machine and listened to the next messages and then pulled on some comfy pajamas to do her yoga in. A shiver ran down her spine as she stretched. She hadn't thought that Lance would have the gall to try and look her up if he had ever come back to England. She wondered about that rumor that Jack (the drunk) had spouted about a girlfriend here in England.
It would be just like Lance to go out and get a girlfriend right in the freaking city that she had decided to run away to. And why the heck would he want to see her if he had some London brat stashed away somewhere. The only thing she could think of was closure. He needed closure to their abruptly ended relationship. So he would show up and turn her whole world upside down…again.
Well…little did he know he would never find her in this big old city that was now her home.