-1Kitty sat at a lonely table in the mall's food court, an untouched order of French fries in front of her with a tiny cup of ketchup sitting beside it. She was never one to run away from problems but somehow she found herself there, away from Bobby Drake.
Had she been a fool to believe that they had had something? It wasn't just one moment they'd shared, but several. He was there to hold her hand at the Professor's funeral. He had sat and listened to her while the tears still lingered on her cheeks. He had even frozen the fountain in the school's courtyard over so that they could ice skate just like she had at home. It had seemed like something developed, but what happened to it?
Rogue.
She sniffled as she thought about the older girl. Bobby had abandoned all of the moments they'd shared the moment Rogue stepped back into his life, a changed mutant or, actually, not a mutant at all. She'd been cured and her touch no longer had the power to drain an individual's life force. Bobby sure took advantage of the situation. He acted on years of suppressed sexual tension, kissing her and brushing his fingertips over her skin. They'd done more than that, Kitty imagined, and it drove her to tears. What else could she do but get away?
The shopping mall was more Jubilee's territory than hers, but she found it to be a good escape. The chatter of strangers blurred together in a comforting sort of white noise and all around her were vibrant colors and sights. Even though she wasn't much of a fashionable girl, she found it enjoyable to look at the clothing in the stores' display windows.
Kitty took a French fry and bit off the crunchy tip. It had been a while since she had enjoyed fast food. It was unhealthy, of course, being fried and covered in salt, but it was good to eat for a change. Unfortunately, her broken heart had shrunk her appetite. She pushed the fries away from her propping her elbows up on the table and burying her face in her hands. She sniffled and her sniffles soon turned into silent tears but all of that stopped when she felt something wet on her elbow. Kitty dried her tears with her shirt sleeve and looked down to see her elbow in a puddle of ketchup.
"Great…" She murmured, shaking her head. Could the day get any more miserable? She examined the ketchup on her shirt, dabbing at it with a cheap one-ply napkin until it was just an slightly wet stain. She was glad that she'd worn white that day. All she would need was a little bleach and it would be as good as new.
Kitty slid her chair out from the table, standing up. She didn't have anything with her, she just wasn't a 'purse' kind of girl. She walked over and pushed open the glass doors, exiting the mall and hailing a taxi.
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"Here," Kitty instructed the cabby. "Stop here." She slipped him the cab fee through a hole in the wire mesh separating the driver's area from the passenger area. "Thanks," She smiled even though the driver looked totally indifferent.
They'd stopped at a Walgreens' store, a place Kitty remembered as having just about anything one could ever want to buy. Surely they'd have one of those bleach pens that got rid of stains with just a little wipe.
The doors opened on their own having been alerted of Kitty's presence by the little motion detector above the doorway. A casual smile formed on her face as she breezed into the store, but it disappeared as she was jolted by a loud, harsh voice.
"Stop right there!" She jumped a little looking where it had come from, completely caught off-guard when she saw that it was none other than John Allerdyce, a person she'd been in a battle against just a few weeks ago, and he looked twice as surprised as she did. He recovered quickly, quicker than Kitty, and a ball of flame appeared in his open palm. "Empty the cash registers!" He commanded the frightened women behind the counters. They obeyed, eyeing John fearfully as they removed the money from their registers.
"John…?" Kitty murmured. She knew he'd turned to the 'dark side', so to speak, but she imagined him as being above armed robbery.
"Shut up," He glared at her, looking with his eyes and not turning his head.
"Calm down for a second, John." She pressed him with a gentle voice, taking a hesitant step towards her enemy. "You don't want to hurt anybody."
"I will." He insisted. "I'll hurt someone if you don't be quiet." Kitty believed him, stopping where she stood and silencing herself. She could phase through his fire, he knew that, but she couldn't reach the other customers or the Walgreens' employees. They were vulnerable and she didn't want to see them hurt.
One of the women started crying, trembling as she handed John several handfuls of paper money. He shoved the money into the deep pockets of his hoodie jacket, eyeing everyone in the store, especially Kitty. She stayed put, her hands slightly raised in front of her to show that she wasn't making any quick moves. Her eyes drifted back towards the door, though, as she heard the sound of sirens gradually growing louder.
"John," She warned him, her hands slowly falling to her sides again. "The police--"
"Shut up, Kitty." He insisted, taking money from another of the employees. Kitty just shook her head, wondering why she had warned him at all.
The whole thing seemed like a dream. People were crying quietly to themselves, shaking with fear and praying that John - Pyro - wouldn't burn them to death. Kitty somehow managed to be brave and keep her cheeks dry. She'd been in battles before and had countless practice sessions in the Danger Room but she'd never been involved in something like this before. It seemed like a television show or maybe a movie but nothing that she'd ever imagined happening to her in real life.
Then, somehow, it took a turn for the worse.
"Freeze, mutant!" A policeman shouted, holding his gun in front of him like he was ready to use it. There were four other armed officers standing in positions behind him, all brandishing their weapons with a look of hate in their eyes. They were probably one of the many humans who just didn't tolerate mutants existing in a mostly human world.
Kitty gasped, looking worriedly from the police back to John. She didn't want him to die. Silently, she edged closer to him, planning on phasing through any fireballs he threw in her direction.
"Freeze…?" John sneered, laughing a little at their threats. He refused to acknowledge his own vulnerability to their guns.
"Sir, extinguish the fire immediately or we will fire." The officer cocked his gun, trying to show that he was completely serious. John responded by throwing a ball of fire at the man's feet. Instead of backing away in fear, he glared at John, looking him right in the eyes, and made a move like he was going to fire.
"No!" Kitty shouted, practically leaping over and embracing John tightly as the bullet phased through his chest and right out his back. John shivered a little as he felt the bullet pass through his body. It felt strange. He gazed up at Kitty, a look of surprise on his face as he did so. What the hell was she doing helping him out? She was one of the good guys.
She didn't really know what she was doing, but Kitty gripped his hand in hers, running as fast as she could right through the miniature army of policemen and into one of their still-running cop cars. John's mouth seemed to be perpetually open in shock during all this, but he took his seat in the car in spite of his surprise and rolled down the window just in case he would have to throw fire at those who chased after him. Kitty, of course, gave him a look that could kill.
"No fire." She cautioned, driving the police car as best as she could. People seemed surprised that a police car could drive through traffic quite literally, passing through one car after another making it almost impossible for anyone to follow them close behind.
The whole thing was something new to John. He held tightly to Kitty's free right hand so that he could also pass through traffic. It was a strange feeling having objects pass right through him. He couldn't find any words to describe it properly. Even stranger was the fact that Kitty Pryde was helping him get away from a crime scene. Of course, he wouldn't doubt it if she drove the two of them straight to the police station. She was a do-gooder. He expected it. But then…
"Where are you staying?" She quickly glanced over at him, turning just as quickly back to looking down the road.
"What do you-- Nowhere. I drift." He explained, shaking his head in confusion with the whole situation.
"Super." Her eyes narrowed and she clenched her jaw tightly. "Really great." She had planned on driving him to his hideout or his home, wherever he'd been staying since the disbanding of the Brotherhood, but now he had nowhere to go.
"We'll stop here and walk the rest of the way." She stated it like she was in charge and expected John to follow her without question. After all, he couldn't phase through bullets without her holding his hand.
"Walk to where?" He hesitated to open his door and get out, waiting to evaluate her plan. "No offense, Kitten, but you're not an expert on evading the cops."
"And you are? I thought all you knew was how to hide behind Magneto." She crossed her arms, glaring bitterly at him for a second. Why did she even bother to save him? Robbing the drug store was a stupid idea. Still, she wasn't sure that she wanted him to die. She pressed the button and all of the car's doors unlocked.
"You've got no idea what I know how to do and I don't think you want me to show you." His eyes narrowed.
"Oh, is that a warning I hear?" She raised her eyebrows, looking at him without fear in her eyes. John just shook his head. Arguing with her was pointless, and she deserved to be treated decently since she saved him from a death by bullet. "Now, come on. We need to ditch the car."
He could agree with that. People were looking for two mutants in a cop car. Then again, they could just as easily get caught as they were out in the open for all to see. True, their mutations didn't affect their appearance like Mystique's or Beast's, but people were wary, watching over anyone who seemed a little bit off.
Kitty hopped out first, drumming her fingers on the hood of the car as she waited impatiently for John to get out, as well. He took his time, stepping onto the side of the road and shutting the cop car's door.
"Do you have any idea where we're going?" He looked at Kitty, walking around to her side of the car.
"No," She confessed with a shrug. "Not really." This didn't exactly instill confidence in John's mind, but he kept silent, only showing his uneasiness with the situation with a slight grimace on his face. This was the first time he'd ever done anything dangerous without someone watching his back and participating with him. Even when he'd thrown fire at the clinic giving away the mutant cure there had been members of the Brotherhood standing by, ready to help him with anything he might need assistance with. Now the Brotherhood had disbanded, leaving John without food or a roof over his head. All he had was his fire, now. Well, his fire and apparently the assistance of one of the X-Men… It was hard to believe, but there she was, in the flesh. He would never let it show, but he was grateful for her having saved his life.
"What next?" He stood by her, waiting for whatever she'd had planned for their next move.
"I guess we find you a hide-out." She began walking towards wherever the road would lead them. John caught up with her, walking at her side.
"Me?" The question left Kitty confused. She wrinkled her eyebrows and looked to John curiously.
"Yeah, you." Her pace slowed and she turned to face him. "Who else?"
"You're an accessory, Kitty. I couldn't have escaped without you." It was hard for someone as self-centered as John to admit that someone else had had to help him out with anything, even armed robbery. Kitty laughed, but with some thought the laughter was cut short. He was right.
"Shit." She whispered the word, instantly tensing her entire body. Her eyes darted from one direction to another.
"Ease up, Kitten. You drove us away from danger. We've got some time before they catch up." He put a hand on her shoulder without thinking, trying to keep his accomplice calm.
" Don't call me 'Kitten', John." She looked at him, her eyes narrowed into angry slits. Her pace quickened to a brisk walk and she gestured for John to keep up with her. They walked a few yards together in complete silence. The road Kitty had driven them on had come to an area that seemed to be void of civilization. All around them were trees and wildflowers with the occasional 'Deer Crossing' sign posted. She couldn't decide whether the lack of people was a good or bad thing. On one hand, no one was around to finger them for the crime. There were no cops to shoot hastily at the pair of mutants. On the other hand, there was nowhere to hide. No dingy motel to duck and cover inside… Her mind was going crazy with ideas and at the same time she kept scolding herself for helping out one of her enemies. Even with all of that mental turmoil, Kitty managed to stay silent.
John, however, was waiting for a chance to talk to her. His eyes kept darting from the horizon to her face, reading whatever look she was currently giving. He'd never really talked to Kitty all that much when they'd attended school at Xavier's mansion. He barely knew anything about her. There were only a few things he was certain of. Firstly, she was a nerd. He could depend on her to cheat off of whenever Xavier wasn't looking. Second, or maybe just a deviation of the first thing, she was good with technology. John's philosophy regarding technology was that if it was broken all it really needed was a hard swat and eventually it would get back to working properly. She knew the inner workings of most gadgets and she was good at repairing them. Last, she may have had spunk, but she was sensitive. She handled it well, but he could see it in her.
"We make a good team." He stated simply. Kitty hesitated before responding. Yeah, they kind of did make a good team, didn't they? But it bothered her to agree with that statement. She shook her head emphatically and looked up at John with wrinkled eyebrows. She didn't say anything at all, she just shook her head.
"Aw, c'mon. I scared them with the fire and you made a clean getaway for us both." He smiled like committing a crime was a good thing. Kitty just shook her head again, feeling guilty for having taken part in anything illegal. It wasn't just illegal but also against her morals and everything Professor Xavier had taught either of them. It was wrong to use one's powers so carelessly and for all the wrong purposes. Kitty was more conscious of that fact than John was but he was aware of what he'd done.
"I didn't mean to make a 'getaway'." She made quotation marks with her fingers. "I meant to save your life." Kitty sighed and looked up at John.
"Thanks." Although he said it without much emotion in his voice, it still meant a lot. Especially considering that John hardly ever thanked anyone for anything… Kitty knew that flaw in his personality and recognized his gratitude as a rare little gem that would probably not occur again for quite some time.
They walked and walked until it felt like someone had been hammering away at the soles of their feet. Kitty felt it most because she hadn't dressed to go hiking. She had worn platform shoes, thinking that she was being trendy and would fit into the crowd of fashionistas at the shopping mall. Robbing a drug store, and she had been part of the robbery even if she kept trying to convince herself that she wasn't, had been the furthest thing from her mind that morning when she dressed herself.
"Hey," He elbowed her gently, pointing down the highway to a road that forked off of the one they were walking on. "Ever been there?"
"Nope," She shook her head and stopped in her tracks for a moment, trying to filter the light out of her eyes so she could get a clear glimpse of the dirt road ahead.
"We're going to have to stop somewhere." John stopped next to her. "Give it a shot." He looked at her and she hung back, trying to decide if this was really what she wanted. She could turn John in in hopes that the police would show her leniency. They would go easy on her if she helped them out. Somehow, even with Kitty's strong sense of morals, this idea totally turned her off. No, she wouldn't turn John into the cops. She would stick things out with him. It was the point of no return, now, and she had no desire to go back.
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Kitty drank from the water fountain inside the old, musty smelling motel like she'd gone days without anything to drink. With only the old motel owner and John around she didn't bother to sip the water. She made loud slurping noises as she quenched her thirst, finally looking up at the old man and John who eyed her like she was completely rude.
"Sorry," She whispered, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. John stepped up to the counter.
"We need a room." Kitty's eyebrows raised. A room…? Didn't he mean two rooms? But she kept quiet, deciding that one of them could sleep on the floor.
"Now," The crotchety, cantankerous old man leaned forward, eyeing the two young individuals who stood in front of his counter. "This ain't no pay-by-the-minute cheap place for you two t'get yer jollies on, y'hear me? This is a lee-git-a-mate business an' we cater to families, y'got that? There'll be no prom-night-adventures goin' on in any of my rooms. Ya understand all that?" He looked at Kitty and John who nodded with their eyes wide open. Oh, god, did the owner really think that they had just been looking for a place to 'get their jollies on'?
"Good." The owner nodded, reaching under the counter for a set of room keys and setting said keys on the counter for the taking. "Fer the night it'll be seventy-five."
Kitty didn't respond. She was too busy eyeing the unattractive stubble on the man's face along with his two gold teeth. She felt like she was seeing a pirate or something.
John answered after a pause. "Seventy-five dollars?"
"Naw, seventy-five longhorn cattle." The man crossed his arms looking as crabby as ever. "Of course seventy-five dollars." He narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to John. "Y'got seventy-five dollars, young'un?"
"Sure." John reached into his hoodie's pocket with an air of cockiness. If he hadn't been elbowed sharply in the side by Kitty he would have counted all of the stolen money right out in the open. Instead, he took out a few bills and pulled $75 out from the bunch, sliding it to the motel owner on the counter.
"Alright," The man sniffled loudly, stirring up something rather disgusting inside his nose. Kitty wrinkled up her face in distaste.
"Room 110. It's on th'far end. Cain't get lost in a place this small, eh?" The man laughed heartily 'til he burst into a coughing fit. It was clear that this guy had seen better days.
"Thank you, sir." Kitty spoke meekly, smiling a little at the owner before taking the keys and walking back out the door they'd came in. John followed close behind and as soon as they were out of sight he burst into a laughing fit, trying to muffle the noises he made by clenching a hand over his mouth. Kitty smiled and then her smile turned into a big, toothy grin, but she managed to keep from laughing.
"God, you're going to owe me big-time for this, John."