A/N: Alright, here's the deal. Chapters 1-14 are being resubmitted b/c I've gotten a lot of complaints about all my descriptions… so here are the chapters w/o my lengthy descriptions, except for my original characters, whose descriptions will remain intact. If u want the descriptions leave me ur e-mail address and I'll send 'em to ya. Enjoy!
Disclaimer:
As I have said before, I only own the X-Sword Team, the two new Brotherhood members, and Thomas Five, but I have a feeling that I will gain ownership of Marvel one day… oh wait, no, wrong company. My contract of ownership was supposed to say, "… owns Marvel," but it says "… owns one DVD of the movie Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets." Drat… maybe next time…
"…"- conversation
'…'- thoughts
(…)- extra facts/actions (some)
((…))- author's/my own thoughts
'blah…' -telepathy/what people say mentally
Present Day: 2014Note: This story takes place 10 years after Apocalypse was originally defeated, which was in 2004. Also, I will be referring to people by first name and sometimes by their specific codenames on and off, even in battle, so a warning: some confusion may occur.
Also, this story is rated PG-13 for language use, and I may raise the rating in later chapters, so beware.
Chapter 1: Thoughts and a Flashback
Bayville, New York- May 13, 2014, 11:00 PM
One spring night- May 13 to be precise- in the year 2014, Lance Alvers was walking in the vicinity of Bayville College, located in the town of Bayville, in Westchester County, New York, the United States of America.
Lance's beat-up sneakers came into contact with a rock and sent it flying. He heard it strike a metal of a telephone pole a minute later, and, shrugging, shoved his fingerless, dark brown biker-gloved hands into his torn, dark blue faded jeans while he hunched his shoulders forward a bit more, trying to move his sleeveless black vest closer to him over his brown T-shirt. Lance's thoughts soon wondered back to whom he was thinking of: Kitty Pryde.
Lance and Kitty have been off and on together for the past five years, as they kept breaking up whenever their relationship hit at least a six-month anniversary. An argument would always occur between them before they would break up, and then they would agree to not see each other anymore. However, they would still remain friends, and would usually hook up again about six months to a year after they had broken up, making everyone who knows them comment on how much of a soap opera- type relationship they have.
Lance knew that every time he and Kitty broke up he would only love her even more, but knew that they could never be truly together because of obstacles separating them. He would continuously think that it would be best for her if they didn't see each other, but they still managed to get back together.
Each time they did so made Lance more convinced that because of their rocky relationship they were not meant to be together, and because of his feelings he would grow more insecure about them as a couple, and they would have more arguments then they had had the last time they were together.
Lance just didn't think they belonged together, but knew deep inside his heart the truth that he didn't want to admit: he and Kitty belonged together and were always meant to be.
As Lance walked near the technical entrance of the college, he couldn't get his mind off Kitty, and knew he could no longer deny that he had feelings for her after a year of just being friends; actually, make that over ten years of being friends, lovers, significant others, acquaintances, and even enemies- he loved her. However, Lance wasn't sure if Kitty felt the same, especially after the tumultuous breakup they had had the year before, and didn't want to ruin the friendship they had for fear he would lose her forever and not even have her as a friend anymore.
'Man, this isn't fair…' thought Lance to himself as he walked, hands stuck in his jean pockets. 'After we went to that dance together a while back, I thought that she really did like me more than a friend once more, and that we wouldn't break up again. I mean, she is a ton better than some of the friends I have, not including the people I live with, although I could care less if Raven or Erik died; better yet, if both of them died. I won't let anyone, especially those two know this, but since I gave up my chance to become part of the X-Men all those years ago, I've been regretting it; especially lately. I've also been regretting breaking up with Kitty over a year ago. Damn it, just because I've been regretting my choices over how many years doesn't mean that Kitty's regretting the choices I made, right? God, I can't stop thinking about her; I have to get her back somehow, but how can I get Kitty to like me more than a casual acquaintance… again?'
Lance thought back to that morning when he had had a customer come in that morning…
FLASHBACK
Lance's Mechanics and Service, Bayville, NY- May 13, 3:00 PMLance had gone out to greet a customer while cleaning his hands with a rag, the business at his small mechanics shop booming that day, and was shocked to find Kitty there, and Kitty was just as surprised to see Lance, as she was usually serviced by one of his other mechanics.
"Hi, Lance," said Kitty as she looked around, while trying to avoid looking at Lance directly.
"Hey there, Kitty. So, what's up?" asked Lance as he put the rag in his back pocket and looked at her, his eyes going over her outfit of choice for that day, which consisted of light blue jeans, a light blue and pink long-sleeved shirt, white sneakers, and his eyes finally settled on a heart pendent necklace that he remembered giving her for her twenty-first birthday.
"Nothing much, except that my muffler's busted. Think you can replace it?" replied Kitty as she finally looked at Lance, and then back at her car, a dark blue Nissan.
"Uh, yeah… yeah, I can replace it. Let me take a look," answered Lance as he took the keys from Kitty, got into the car, and slowly drove it onto one of the shop's racks, amid the loud noise that wasn't quieted due to the busted muffler. He then got out and began his examination of the car.
As Lance took an evaluation of the busted muffler, examining it to see where the problem lay and jotting down notes on his clipboard, he couldn't keep his mind on task; his thoughts kept drifting back to Kitty.
'My god, she's so damn beautiful,' said Lance to himself, 'I'm still in love with her, and I know it; just don't want to admit it. But since I blew my chance to make her mine when I broke up with her close to a year ago, I have doubts as to whether or not I can win her back. And, to make matters worse, I think I remember… no, I told her that I didn't love her, when I knew that I was lying.'
"Well, how much will it cost?" asked Kitty as Lance came out from under the rack and was checking things off on the clipboard that was now covered in notes on the muffler, the car, and some blank sheets.
"Well, you're muffler's definitely busted, so I'll have to replace it, but it'll take a day to do, as I have to order the brand of muffler you'll need. I'm not quite sure how much it will cost, but I should know when we get the muffler in and I install it. If you'll follow me, I have some forms I need you to fill out; responsibility and ownership and stuff like that," said Lance as he looked up from his clipboard and motioned Kitty to follow him.
As they went towards his office, he stopped at his secretary's desk and told her to get the forms needed according to the information on the clipboard. He then handed her the clipboard and led Kitty to his office, not noticing Kitty glancing at the secretary enviously.
As Lance and Kitty went into his office, Lance pointed Kitty to a seat in front of his desk as he leaned against the wall next to it and thought, 'Maybe I can win her back…'
Just as Lance was about to talk to Kitty, his secretary, Ashonda, came into the office with the clipboard and some forms, put them in Lance's hands, nodded a greeting to Kitty, which she coolly returned (not that Lance noticed) and left. Lance was silently cursing Ashonda for her bad timing as he flipped through the forms, making sure everything that was needed was present and accounted for.
"All right, I need you to read these forms and then sign where indicated," said Lance as he pushed off the wall, took the forms needed off the clipboard, and gave them to Kitty. He then pointed to where she was to put the information that was needed, and then went and sat behind his desk, every now and then glancing at Kitty as she worked.
Kitty began to fill out the forms, doing them as quickly as she was able to, and as she did this, Lance glanced at her more and more, until he was just watching her work, and thought about what to do. After thinking for a few minutes, he knew that he had to try to get her back by talking to her about their relationship, about the mistakes he'd made in the past, and how he still loved her.
Just as he was about to speak, Kitty finished up the forms and happened to glance at her watch and exclaimed, "Oh my god! I have a computer-tech class to teach in, like, 10 minutes; I have to go! Lance, do you mind if I pick up my car tomorrow around 6:30 in the evening?"
"Yeah, sure," replied Lance as he took the forms from Kitty, and then looked at her and asked, "Kitty, do you have a ride home, because if you don't, I could get my secretary to take over so I could give you a ride."
"No, that's, like, okay, Lance. I hear Rahne's car coming up now," replied Kitty as she cocked her ear at the sound of a car pulling up. She handed Lance the keys to her car, and left the office. Lance watched through his window as Kitty greeted the red-haired woman and a young girl whom he knew was one of the younger mutants who had recently come to the Institute, got in, and drove off.
"Damn it, Lance! You're a fuckin' idiot!" yelled Lance out loud as he angrily turned away from the window, and keeping control over his powers, took out his frustration by pounding his fist on the surface of his desk, causing a dent to appear. This, along with his yelling, was loud enough to be heard by his employees. They all stopped what they were doing and stared in the direction of Lance's office. Lance knew that this was happening, but right then, he didn't care who heard him.
"God, Lance, you had a chance to get Kitty back, but you blew it; you are such a fuckin' idiot!" shouted Lance in frustration as he brought up his fist and stared at the dent he had made. Lance then berated himself for the rest of that day, and was still thinking about Kitty that night.
BACK TO PRESENT DAY
As he finished these thoughts, he heard screaming. He looked around in surprise, and saw on the roof of the college two figures. He saw one of them fall, and heard the screaming again, and this time he recognized it.
"Wait a minute…" exclaimed Lance as he stared at where he knew the screaming was coming from, "that's Kitty! I have to help her!"