Gambit's Nightmare- thanks again for the review, this is the last chapter that I have ready to upload righ now. I'm almost done with the next one!

Ch3: Pietro's promise

-At the Bellomy's club-

"Hey Lance!" Kitty says happily as Lance shoots an evil look to Pietro and Kitty throws her arms around him as if nothing is wrong with their relationship. 'This pretending is killing me. I hate to act like I love him. I just want him to go away.'

"I love that outfit on you my Pretty Kitty. You should wear stuff like this more often." Lance says smiling as he returns the hug squeezing her tightly and glaring at Pietro who only raises an eyebrow.

"You look great Lance. I'm glad that you decided to come tonight I was afraid that you wouldn't show." Kitty says breathlessly making him realize that he was holding her too tightly, but he didn't care, he was only concerned with showing his possession of her. 'Oh God, I can't breathe. He is going to kill me over walking in with Pietro.'

"I'll always come to see you Kitty. Come on Kit, I wanted to talk to you." Lance says guiding her to a backroom by her elbow. "Why did you wear that? You are showing off your bruises! They will know I hit you!"

"I told everyone that I fell down the stairs!" Kitty says trying to defend herself, but Lance backhands her across her face anyway. 'Here it goes. I won't get to do anything tonight, and I love to dance so much. God please help me! I can't stop him alone.'

"I... don't... care! Kitty you can't show them... No one understands our love!" Lance says between hits. He is careful not to hit her too hard where the bruises will later show. In the end though, he does worse than bruise her. Kitty collapses to the floor. "Kitty… I'm so sorry that I had to do that. But you had to see that I loved you. You only learn from pain." Lance says standing over her nearly completely limp body.

"You don't love me Lance, I can see that now." Kitty says coughing up blood as she tries to speak to him. 'If I have to die now then I'm going out fighting. God please forgive me. I can't live like this. I can't do this anymore. Please don't let me die. Send me a miracle.'

"You little two-timing Bitch. How can you say that? I do love you with all of my heart!" Lance says throwing her across the room onto boxes but she phases through them. "You're a mutant! Why didn't you tell me!"? He says trying to pick her up but his hand goes right through her. He tries to backhand her but it happens again. 'Thank you God, I won't abuse this miracle that you have sent me!'

"Lance! It's over! Now that you can't touch me I'm not afraid to say it! Lance leave me alone." Kitty says standing up by sheer adrenaline shakily and walking out with an obvious limp. She walks out to see Kate all over Pietro. 'I have to make it to Kate and Pietro… they have to know, I can't die like this. Kate needs to know that I didn't die in vain.' "Kate..." Kitty whispers before her world goes black and she falls to the floor right in front of the table that they are sitting at.

"Look at little kiddy Kitty girls! She can't even stand on her own!" A brunette girl says laughing at Kitty who is bruised and bleeding on the floor.

"Yeah, I so agree Sarah!" Another girl giggles.

"Kitty!" Kate says as she runs to her and tries to bring her back into reality.

"Call an ambulance Kate! I'll take care of Kitty! Go!" Pietro says kneeling beside her and checking for a pulse and a sign breathing. 'I knew that this Lance guy was bad news, but why would you beat a girl like Kitty? What did she do to deserve it? I won't let her get hit again. Right now she needs help. I shouldn't be fighting myself; it's not the time to do it now. There is barely a pulse. She'll die if she doesn't make it to the hospital soon!' Pietro vows silently to himself confusing himself by how protective he was becoming, after all he had just met her that day! "Wait Kate!" He says grabbing Kate's hand as she turns around. "Call her parents! I'll take her to the hospital on my motorcycle! It'll be faster!" 'I'll have to run. Hopefully no one wil see me not get on my motorcycle!'

"Ok." She says running off to the phone. She gets to the phone and calls Kitty's house. "Mr. Pryde... yeah it's Kate... Kitty is being rushed to the hospital. Lance beat her. OK, I'll meet you there." Kate hangs up the phone. "Dad! I need a ride to the hospital!"

-Hospital; next day-

"How long have you known Kate?" Mrs. Pryde asks holding her husband's hand as they sit in Kitty's hospital room waiting for her to wake up. Mrs. Pryde was crying and Mr. Pryde was stony and silent as his free hand rubbed his daughter's cheek slowly.

"I've known for about a year. Lance has beaten her the whole time they've been dating." Kate says lowering her head. "She told me that I couldn't tell, that she loved him too much to just let him go." Kate says bursting into tears unable to look at her best friend's parents in the face. "I guess that you like, hate me now." She mutters between sobs.

"Kate, don't cry it's our fault too. We should have known that she wasn't as clumsy as she lead us to believe." Mr. Pryde says looking from his daughter to Kate. "After all, we raised her."

"I told people at school, but then Lance threatened to kill me. No one believed me anyway, they said that she was too smart to let herself be beaten. All I could do was watch." Kate says still sobbing. "And after that Kitty made me promise not to tell anyone anymore. I was so afraid-" Kate goes into sobs so violently that it cuts off all words that she may have had to say.

"But I think that we need to thank you, Kate and Pietro. Kate for calling us and you, Pietro for bringing her here so quickly." Mrs. Pryde says sighing loudly before continuing. "I don't know what would have happened without the two of you." Mrs. Pryde says finally breaking down into tears and leaning into her husband. "They told us that we would have lost her without you. I couldn't live through that."

"As long as she doesn't go back to him that will be thanks enough for me." Pietro says from where he was leaning against the wall by the door. 'If I so much as see his face I'm killing him.'

"Me too." Kate agrees. Right then the doctor walks in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pryde, I have the test results back. If you would follow me." Mr. and Mrs. Pryde walk out and follow the doctor.

"It's all my fault." Kate cries into her hands. "I should have told her parents, I should have told someone."

"Kitty didn't want you to tell, you did the right thing by her. You kept the secrecy that she wanted." Pietro reassures Kate as he walks toward her and gently strokes her hair in a very un-Pietro action. 'My idiotic father just had to land me in all of this drama. I guess that she wouldn't have lived long enough to join without me though.'

"Yeah, but what can we do about Lance? He'll just come back." She says meeting Pietro's icy glare at the older boy's name. "You have totally fallen for her haven't you? If she reacts how I think she will then she like, won't go for anyone right now. You're so fighting like a snowball like down under."

"Not if I can help it." Pietro says giving her a reassuring look basically saying that he will get revenge for them. 'This lance guy won't come back. I guess that I have fallen for her, but I don't know if I am willing to take on the baggage that she is going to have. Let her rebound on Remy or someone else first, but I will take care of Lance first.