I Want You Back

Disclaimer: Ugh, wished I own it, but unfortunately, no. And there're also a tiny part here that belong to One Tree Hill. I love that show!

Chapter 3: Bittersweet Memories

After the trip to the mall that was supposed to be much longer than an hour, Lance had walked to the park in an attempt to nullify the pain of seeing Kitty with another man. It hurt him to no end, especially when she didn't even acknowledge him. Had their relationship meant nothing to her?

With one hand deep in his pocket and the other clutching the bag that contained his sweatshirt, he made his way around the park as every tender and cherished moment spent with Kitty came floating back to his head, no matter how much he willed it to stay away.

"Hah, you can't catch me!" Kitty cried over her shoulder gleefully as Lance chased her around the park as she phased through trees and bushes. Thankfully, the locals had decided to stay home and there were no hostile looks sent their way. And considering the fact that it was around eight in the evening helped.

The sun had completely set by then as Lance attempted to catch her. He was slowly losing his breath. 'Man, when was the last time I was this out of shape?' he thought to himself as he panted. He could faintly hear her squeals somewhere to his right and a plan formed in his head as he hid behind a tree. It was wide enough to hide his whole being.

He looked around the edge and smiled to himself as Kitty stopped when she finally realized she wasn't being chased by her boyfriend anymore. And suddenly, she grew scared.

"Lance?" he heard her timid voice say. "Lance, where are you?" she said, raising her voice slightly even though it shook. "This is so not funny, Lance!" He could almost see her shiver as she rubbed her arms. "Lance?"

"Boogidy boogidy!" he said loudly, jumping out of the tree when he was sure she was close enough. He had has his arms in the air and a ridiculous expression on his face. What he thought would be a gleeful expression was actually a blow to the stomach. "Ah, Kit, you know you could kill me right?" he grimaced. She sure packed one hell of a punch.

"Like, shut up! That wasn't funny!" Kitty snapped, scowling as she crossed her arms.

Lance calmed himself down but the grin wouldn't fade from his face. He rolled his eyes as she turned away from him. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry, Pretty Kitty," he said, giving her puppy-dog eyes. "Please forgive me?"

She made the mistake of looking at him. Her heart melted immediately at the sight and silently cursed herself for looking in the first place. "Alright," she said softly.

His face split into a huge smile as he gathered her into his arms. "You okay?"

"No. I'm scared," she admitted. She buried her head into his shoulder. "Don't do that again, okay?"

He could distinctly remember the story she told him of how she got her powers. Sometimes, sleeping at night was hard for her because she was scared that she'd phase through the bed, down the floor and into the ground without stopping.

"Alright. I promise," he murmured. And he never did again.

Lance smiled wistfully despite himself. He could still remember how mad Summers was when he had finally dropped her off, half an hour late for curfew. He sometimes wondered who was more protective; Wolverine, or the one-eyed leader.

Several girls giggled as they passed him, giving him looks. He simply ignored them and continued walking. It didn't matter if he was a mutant, especially to shallow girls. He knew the girls liked him as much as they liked Summers. He refused to acknowledge it.

He sometimes wondered why he even bothered. Back in Illinois, he wasn't the type to stick to one girl. But everything changed when he met Kitty during that fateful day in Northbrook.

Lance and Kitty were at the mall, holding hands, painfully aware of the attention Lance was getting from the many girls who hung out there. Kitty looped her arm through his and leaned her head against his upper arm to show that he was hers.

Lance chuckled at the obvious sign of jealousy Kitty was displaying.

"You're not jealous, right, Kitty?" he asked, as they steered themselves into a CD store. He looked through the rack, but paid attention back to his beautiful girlfriend when she didn't answer. Her silence was the answer. "You are, aren't you?" She refused to meet his eyes.

She said in a quiet voice, "You wouldn't cheat on me, like, ever, right, Lance?"

"I have no idea where you got that idea, but I'll always be true to you," he said softly, pushing a stray lock behind her ear. "Even if you were to break my heart, rip it out and leave it for the animals to eat."

Kitty smiled softly at the reassurance and kissed him on the cheek. They continued to browse through, with smiles on their faces.

Kitty was without a doubt the most beautiful girl he'd ever had the fortune to meet. Most people didn't see past the ditzy, Valley-girl persona. He was lucky that he was able to. To see that she was more than that. That she was more than meets the eye. He never forgot the day he fell in love with her.

"Okay, so what do you think? Be honest," Kitty said, modelling Lance a white collared top and a pair of light brown smart pants with the cuffs flaring out a little.

"I like it. Plain and simple," he said, approving. Actually, he could care less about what she wore. She was beautiful in anything. That and the fact that he wasn't entirely fashion-conscious. Unlike some people he knew. Namely his girlfriend and best friend.

She looked at the mirror again with her bottom lip jutting out to the side and her eyebrows furrowed. "You know what? I think I'm gonna, like, find something else." She hastily walked away from the changing room. About five minutes later, she came back with an armload of clothes.

Lance chuckled at her enthusiasm. He slouched slightly on the chair as he waited for her to come out. Each new outfit that she modelled looked stunning on her. But the last made his heart turn into goo. She was absolutely breathtaking.

She was wearing button-up white blouse that was slightly see-through. The sleeves went from a tight fit on her arms and flared out as it went down the length of her arm. She wore a loose, flowy multi-coloured skirt that swished around her knees. She had let her hair loose, leaving her hair to frame her face.

Lance's heart was caught in his throat. She was absolutely breathtaking. And when he attempted to comment on it, it only resulted with a few gagging sounds and the repetitive blinking of his eyes. From the top to bottom, she was absolutely beautiful. And suddenly, and without an explicable reason, everything they went through together in the past came back full force. And he realized then, that he was in love with her.

"You look absolutely beautiful," he finally choked out.

"I guess it's a winner then," she chuckled.

He finally reached the Brotherhood boarding house. His jeep was already in the driveway.

"Hey, yo," Todd said as Lance entered. He merely nodded and went straight to his room, the door shutting behind him with a faint 'click'.

A/N: You know what? Ignore my notes. Not all. Some may be important.