A/N: It's been a long ass time since I even thought about this story, so I'm sorry for the late update for those of you who have been waiting. I'm trying to remember the direction I intended to go with this chapter of the story, so please understand that if it seems unrelated to the rest of the story thusfar.
The warehouse is packed wall to wall with party-goers; some thrashing to the beat of the blaring bass line of the DJ, others weaving their way through the dancers to find someone, or something, to ease the troubles of daytime life. Among this crowd, Kitty, Lance, and Pietro can be seen making their way through the crowd in search of Tabitha, as well as a good time.
"Where could she be?" Pietro shouts back to Lance, holding Kitty's hand firmly in his own. Lance can only shrug, scanning for sights of the vivacious blonde. Kitty shakes her head at her companions, signaling that she hasn't spotted Tabitha either. Pietro pushes past the crowd, hoping to find higher ground. Failing, Pietro rushes back to Lance and proceeds to climb him like a tree without warning. "Get off!" Lance commands, flailing to catch his speedy friend, losing his balance and grip on Kitty's hand in the process. The Brotherhood Tower tumbles, and while Lance lands on the cold ground below, Pietro is caught by the crowd of dancers, and carried away as though he intended to body surf the crowd.
Helping Lance off the ground, Kitty sways her hips and bops her head to the music, signaling that she would rather dance than search. Lance obliges, and the two spend an interminable amount of time on the dance floor, under the colorful strobe and disco lights. As she shakes and sways, Kitty stares into Lance's eyes and things of how lucky she is to have him, lucky to have someone who knows how to have a good time, and how to make her feel wonderful. The tempo of the music increases, and shaking is accompanies by head twirls and hair flips. Lance embraces his dancing love, presses his mouth against hers, sending a spark the likes of which Ororo Monroe would conjure up rushing through Kitty's petite body.
Kitty grips Lance's hand and the two make their way to a vacant spot in the warehouse so they can catch their breath. "Having fun?" Lance asks, breathing in the stale air heavily. Kitty giggles and nods, fanning herself with her hands. "So much more fun than the Danger Room," she adds, taking a moment to fan Lance's face. "It's a shame we didn't find Tabitha, though." Lance can only shrug. "I'm sure Pietro was able to find her when the crowd carried him off," he reasons. "I just hope we can find him."
"I'm gonna go get some water," Kitty says, "I'll be right back." Lance nods, and Kitty maneuvers between dancers and people twirling colorful glow sticks in the air. After purchasing a bottle of water (which Kitty considered "like, so over-priced"), she drank half of it as fast as her body would allow; after ensuring that the bottle is backwash-free, she makes her way back towards Lance, hoping to quench his thirst. The crowd seems more congested than it was just a few moments ago, forcing Kitty to shove her way past dancers rather than politely weave. Feeling like a football player in training, Kitty would prefer to phase through party attendees out of convenience rather than annoyance; thinking against it, she elbows her way through thrash-dancers and ravers.
She spots Lance out of the corner of her eye, a slender girl with short blonde hair next to him, twirling her ringed fingers through his long, brown hair. Kitty grunts, forcing her way through the crowd just in time to see the blonde snake her arm behind Lance's neck and press his lips against hers. Kitty stands petrified, her hand gripping the bottle of water, crushing the plastic. Her lips purse, her eyes glare, and she feels a warming sensation sprout from the base of her neck and rush through her body. Her shoulders twitch upward, and Kitty chucks the bottle of water over some of the crowd, beaming the blonde in the back of the head. She and Lance separate suddenly, both of their hands rushing to check the spot on her head where the bottle made contact.
Lance stands stunned as Kitty emerges from the crowd, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. She cocks her hip, sarcastically congratulates Lance on his smooth moves. The blonde turns around, and Kitty instantly recognizes the face through caked on and smeared make up: Tabitha. "What was that?" Tabitha shouts, her hands balling into fists. The heat in Kitty's body rises, and rather than answer the former X-Recruit, she tackles her to the ground, before a serious of slapping and wrestling begins. The crowd encircles them, eager to watch the girl fight unfurl. Pietro appears beside Lance, and the two work to separate the fight by grabbing their respective love interests.
"Kitty, what's with you?" Lance asks, wrapping his arms around the feisty, petite girl in a bear hug. Even when separated, the two girls hit and kick at the air, hoping to make residual contact with their assailant. After a moment of being restrained, Kitty stops flailing and phases herself out of Lance's grip. Her eyes wild and her breathing furious, Kitty tells Lance to buzz off before storming away. Some members of the crowd separate, not wanting to cross paths with the angry girl, while others resume their dancing. She pushes past those who do not move, and after exiting the building, she walks towards the dimly lit main road.
After a few minutes of muttering about how dumb Lance is, how skanky Tabitha is, and how stupid the whole night has been, the road is partially illuminated by headlights. The Jeep rushes past Kitty, and parks perpendicular to the road, blocking her way. "What was that?" Lance shouts, jumping out of the car. "What was that?" she mocks, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Lance tries to sputter an explanation, how Tabitha came up to him, flirted with him, kissed him. Kitty rolls her eyes. "Takes two to kiss, Lance," she smirks, "and I didn't exactly see you pull away". Lance stands stunned once again.
"Screw you," she spits, before phasing through the Jeep's door and sitting in the passenger seat. "Take me home," she demands, her breathing still rough and rigid. "Don't talk, don't look at me, don't even think about me, just drive." Her seatbelt clicks, and Lance returns in his Jeep to drive home. The drive is marred by tense silence, which is only cut by Kitty's stressful breathing. She looks at the adjacent side view mirror, notices her face tinted red from being slapped, a scratch on her collar from Tabitha's face nails, her make-up smeared from the heat of dancing. She steals a glance at the clock radio: 10:46 PM. She sighs heavily, knowing she will be out past curfew, and suffer the consequences Logan will administer. When the Jeep pulls up to the mansion, Lance breaks before the large iron gate. Kitty phases out of her seat, through the gate, without saying one word to Lance. "Great, now I'm late, and he's an ass" Kitty mutters up the long driveway.
She walks through the door to find Logan and Hank McCoy standing by the staircase, waiting for her. "I know I'm late," she groans, pulling her shoes off so as to carry them back to her room. "Like, I'm really sorry." The two instructors share a glance, noting that her tone sounds anything but sorry. "5 AM wake up," Logan says, walking away from the foyer. "You can help Hank alphabetize the library" Kitty sighs, feeling as though she got off easy.
"But not before you collect specimens from the swamp to help me with my latest study," Hank adds, placing a firm blue hand on the shocked girl's shoulder. "And off course, you'll have to clean up the Danger Room after Logan's session." Kitty growls, and stomps up the foyer staircase, slamming the door to her bedroom shut, throwing her shoes across the room.