The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER CHAPTER 2 (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, may I have the two bonhomie back for the evenings at least? It's getting cold here... InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are sparkled. :) Readers/Reviewers: big, lickity kisses to all of you. (don't worry...it only seems kinky the first time... lol)




Lunch could not come too quickly for Amara. Slamming her locker as hard as she could, she turned on her toes to find Lance already waiting for her. "Good. Saves me the trouble of extricating you from Todd and Scott's scintillating conversation about cheerleader skirt length..."
Lance rolled his eyes. The general crush of students was heading towards the cafeteria so he took Amara's arm and half-dragged her the opposite direction, towards the library. "Come off it, Am. We're guys. We talk about hot girls."
Amara snorted. "That's the problem in the first place..." She pulled free of his grip and stopped dead in the middle of the hallway. "You and girls..."
"How many ways can I say it? I was just _talking _ to Patricia Garrison. She looks at everyone like that!" Lance blew his bangs out of his face and stared down at his girlfriend. "What the Hell are you so paranoid about? Feeling guilty?" He cringed inwardly at his last words and instantly regretted them.
If Amara was more certain that she would not be seen, she would have burst into flames there and then. "Lance Alvers! Are _you _ accusing _ me_ of cheating on you?"
"It came out wrong...I was being sarcastic..." _Don't make me grovel _ ... "Look, I don't know what set you off this morning, but she was just asking me for a light. Nothing else..."
Amara raised her eyebrows at him. "Nothing else? Then it wasn't her hand on your chest?"
"She's just very touchy feely. I swear, Princess, there's nothing going on!"
"Prove it!"
"What?" Lance took a step back in surprise. "I have nothing to prove to you or anyone else!"
Amara closed the distance, acutely aware of ears all around them, specifically, she noted, Jubilee, who was taking a little too long at her locker. "Tell me something, sweetie...Have you told anyone about us?"
"Sure, loads of people...."
"Aside from those you live with, Tabby, Fred and Pietro?" She tapped one manicured nail against her biology text, clutched to her chest.
Lance looked up and down the hall, praying for a fire drill or bomb threat or tidal wave, something, _anything _ , to keep him from answering this question. "No," he sighed finally.
"Didn't think so..." Amara's expression was dangerously neutral as she inclined her chin to look him in the eye. "If you can't tell people we're together, why should I believe you aren't screwing around? For all I know, you have a stable of girls that think you're single..."
"A stable?" he laughed, reaching out to take her hand only to have her twist away with an aggravated noise. "Amara, baby, there's no one else..."
"How do I know that for sure? Why should I believe you?"
Lance had been trying to keep his annoyance abated but his temper finally snapped. "Amara, I have no idea what the fuck your problem is today, but jealousy doesn't look good on you."
"Answer my damned questions, then! How do I know you're not fucking around on me? Why are you so embarrassed about being with me?" Her voice was rising to a whiney pitch, grating even to her own ears.
Lance threw his hands up. "Fuck it, Amara. I don't need this shit. When you grow up, come find me." He turned and strode down the hall, half expecting her to call to him. He even paused at the intersection of the hallway and the corridor to the courtyard, waiting for her to stop him.
Amara felt her breath catch and tears well up. _A princess of Nova Roma does not cry. A princess of Nova Roma deserves respect. _ "Lance!"
"Yes?" he said, loud enough to reach her but not shouting. He turned with a smug expression on his face, infuriating her.
"You don't need this? Fine. That's it. You can have your Patricia Garrison or whichever other little slut you're after. I refuse to be with someone who doesn't respect me enough to...to," here she sniffed loudly and turned her face away from Lance's frankly shocked expression, "I refuse to be with someone who doesn't respect me enough to make it known we're in a relationship." Lance stared after her, mouth agape, as Amara hurried towards the cafeteria, her staccato footsteps turning into a clacking run as she turned down the next hallway.

"You going to eat that, Katzchen?"
"Are you, like, kidding me? It's loaded with grease. It's all yours!" Kitty shoved her lunch tray across to Kurt, the offending slice of pizza alone since the demolition of it's salad companion.
"Danke, Liebes...I knew I loved you for a reason." He smiled broadly at her before tucking into what would be his third slice of pizza. "Where's Rogue?"
Jean answered, "She said something about needing to think and disappeared towards the library. What'd you two do to her earlier? She kept mumbling about you two in some sort of conspiracy against her...Ew, Kitty!" Kitty had snorted, mid-sip of juice and purple liquid was now running from her nose.1
Kurt nearly choked on his pizza as he shoved napkins hastily towards Kitty, Scott's burst of laughter doing nothing to help matters. "Real ladylike, Kit. Remind me to nominate you for Queen of Hearts."
"Do what?" Jean looked from the rapidly reddening Kitty to her boyfriend. "The Juice Newton song?"2
"I am so giving you some new CD's for your birthday," Kitty sighed. "The Valentine's Dance is coming up and the dance committee decided to have a contest, like for homecoming, and elect a Queen of Hearts."
"That's sad," Jean sighed. "Can't we have one school event that isn't a popularity contest?"
There was a brpauspause before three voices chorused, "No."
"Hey..." Todd sank down next to Kurt without looking up. He was so quiet that no one had hear him arrive, in great contrast to his usual boisterous entrances.
"What's with you?" Scott asked around a mouthful of fries. "They get rid of the flies behind the kitchen?"
"Fuck you, Summers. Rogue broke up with me."
"Holy Shit!"
"Katzchen!"
"Sorry...holy crap! You're kidding!" Kitty was already shoving away from the table. "C'mon Jean...we have to have an intervention!"
"Leave her alone," Todd sighed. "She knows what she's doing..."
"No," Kitty declared. "She's stupid. You coming or not, Jean?"
"Duty calls..." the red head sighed. "Later, hon." She kissed Scott on the forehead and squeezed his shoulder, trotting off to catch up with Kitty.
'They don't even know where she is," Scott mused.
"The girl's bathroom by the old gym...they go there to talk. Kitty told me once," Kurt said, popping the last of the pizza into his mouth. "What happened, Todd?"
"No idea," he said softly, though he knew full and well just what happened. Rogue had laid it all on the line, told him she didn't care what happened, she was just upset that he was so down on himself, making himself miserable. She demanded, begged, cajoled, even whined to get him to understand but in the end, Todd told her he just could not forgive himself for letting that _thing _ violate him3. She cried then, her eye makeup running in black streaks and Rogue heedless of how it looked for once. She told him then that she could not stand to watch him torture himself and she could not be with him since it apparently caused him so much pain, and, she had said around a sob, she just would have to stay away from him until he understood she still loved him and did not blame him for what happened.
Scott's voice brought him back to the present. "I'm surprised at the girls..."
Kurt frowned. "Why? Rogue and Todd are our friends and Kitty's always saying how cute she thinks the two of them are together..."
"I'm still _here _ , dude," Todd sighed. "Look, just drop it...I don't wanna talk about it."
Kurt and Scott, being guys, shrugged. "Kay. You gonna eat your lunch?"

"Okay...found Jubilee making out with Remy out in the parking lot...she said she'll catch up with us later," Kitty panted slightly, out of breath from running all the way from the parking lot.
Jean rolled her eyes. "He's not a student here...if they get caught, she'll get suspended."
"If they get caught," Amara said sulkily from within the locked handicapped stall, "he'll be arrested. Isn't she underage?"
"How long you been in here?" Rogue growled, growing more irritated by the second. "I thought I was alone..."
"Been in here all lunch period..." Amara sniffed. "The Get Along Gang4 still out there?"
Rogue snorted. "Yeah. And they're feeling talky..."
"Hey now!" Kitty sounded rightly offended. "You're our friend...s... and we want to help. What's going on?"
Jean raised a brow. "Don't make me find out on my own..."
"You do and I'll..."
"Kick my ass. You've gotta come up with more threats, Rogue. What's with you, Amara? Break a nail?"
The door to the stall creaked open slowly, Amara sidling out and heading straight for the sink to splash cold water on her red face. "I broke up with Lance."
"Ouch," Kitty said softly. "Bad day for Brotherhood..."
"What do you mean?" Amara asked, looking at Kitty and Jean in the mirror.
"I broke up with Todd..."
Amara looked over at Rogue with an expression of incredulity on her face. "You _what _? Rogue, I'd never thought I'd say this, but you're insane!"
"What?" Jean's eyes went wide. "Amara, you're _supporting _ Rogue and Todd? A relationship you said, and I quote, was unnatural and twisted?"
"Yeah, thanks for that, by the bye..." Rogue muttered.
Amara sighed. "Okay, this doesn't leave this room-I know where you sleep. Rogue, as much as it sickens me to say this, you and Todd work. It's weird, it's unnatural, but it's..." Amara sighed and closed her eyes, "it's _good." _
Kitty edged away slightly, feeling a little discombobul by by Amara's sudden goodwill towards the Institute's most unusual couple. "What's up with you two? Last night, everything was fine..."
"No, it wasn't," Rogue snapped. "Todd's tearing himself apart inside because of something that's not his fault and being with me makes it worse."
Amara chimed in, "Lance is ashamed to be with me and he was flirting with Patricia Garrison..."
Jean rolled her eyes. "Patricia Garrison flirts with anything with external genitalia." At Kitty's nudge, she said in her best big-sister voice, "Look, I'm sure Todd and Lance have no idea what they did wrong or what you think they did wrong...You guys should work it out..."
"What does it matter to you?" Amara huffed, pushing past them towards the door. "You and Scott are so disgustingly perfect for each other that it makes me nauseated. Literally nauseated. Go back to your boyfriend who is so fanatically devoted to you that I bet he's waiting outside your fifth period class just to...gah!" She threw her hands up in the air and slammed out of the bathroom.
"Well..." Kitty said when the sound of the door hitting the wall faded, "that was an exercise in useless."
"Look," Rogue said before either girl could turn their helpful attention to her, "I don't want to talk about it. If we get back together, it's because Todd sees he's being stupid." _Not because I feel hollow. _ "Just let it lie, kay?" Kitty and Jean looked at each other uneasily. "_Okay? _ "
"Fine, fine..." Kitty sighed. "We promise."
"We do?" Jean asked sotto voce.
"Yes. We do." Kitty nodded firmly. _Never promised that Kurt and Scott wouldn't meddle, now did I? _


Kurt caught up with Kitty after sixth period, outside her Russian class. "How'd it go, Katzchen?"
"Fanfreakingtastic. I got assigned as a tutor to the new foreign exchange student. Sorry, babe, but I'm gonna have to take a raincheck on that movie tonight..." She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. "Who gets tutored on Friday nights?"
"I do..." The couple turned as one to see a face that made Kitty's stomach twitch in mild jealousy.
"Amanda!" Kurt fairly shouted. "I thought you were still doing the exchange student thing. When'd you bac back?" He hugged her briefly before catching Kitty's narrowed eye, pulling away before Amanda could hug him back.
"Right before the semester started up again... Hey, Kitty!"
"Hi...How was France?" Kitty adjusted her back pack over one shoulder, taking a visual inventory of Amanda Sefton. _Pretty hair, great legs, angelic face...I hate her. Damn it, but she's nice...I can't hate her. Damn it, why can't she hate puppies or something? Make it easy for me to dislike her... _
"Wonderful!" Amanda sighed, closing her eyes in an emphatic expression of bliss. "Have you ever been?"
"No," Kitty said shortly. "You have to get tutored tonight?"
"Oh, yeah...that's actually why I came looking for you, Kurt!" Her smile was dazzling as she turned to her ex boyfriend. "I need help in math...think you can spare a few hours tonight?"
Kitty bit her lip. She felt horribly lumpy and plain next to Amanda's exotic features and tiny figure. Kurt's look of askance set her teeth on edge. "What are you looking at me like that for, babe? Since I have to tutor Paolo, you've got at least until I get back at ten to tutor Amanda!"
"Ten?" Kurt frowned. "What time are you starting?" He did not like the idea of Kitty spending very long with strange men, much less ones rumored to be extremely attractive and quite popular with the females and some of the males in Bayville High.
"Oh, I'm going to meet him at the college library at seven..." Kitty shrugged as if indifferent to Amanda's keen gaze. "But I think we can make the eleven o'clock showing of _It Came from Outer Space _ at the Bijoux if you meet me there instead of me coming back to the house..." She let her voice trail off under Kurt's intense gaze. "What?"
"I thought you said we'd have to take a rain check..."
Amanda laughed. "She probably forgot about the late show..."
"Yeah," Kitty said. "Forgot that they had one after ten..."
Kurt nodded slowly. "Okay..." Turning back to Amanda, he said, "So want to just meet me at the Institute around seven?"
"Great!" Amanda bounced happily on her toes. "You have no idea how grateful I am! I just failed that quiz today and you know how my parents are about grades..."
"Yeah, are you going to tell them who's tutoring you?" Kurt took up Kitty's hand, slightly worried about the intense look of annoyance on her face.
Amanda looked hopefully at Kitty. "Um...Kitty? I was wondering if maybe you could cover for me? Just in case my dad calls looking or something..."
Kitty felt a deep satisfaction when she said, "Did you forget? I'm going to be gone, tutoring Paolo..." She plastered a fake smile on her face and shrugged. "I'd bring him to the house, but he doesn't know about the...you know." Kitty tapped Kurt's holo meaningfully and was rewarded by Amanda's soft noise of understanding.
"Hey, I know!" Kurt said, bright as if he had just invented the wheel, "why don't we all go to the library and then double up to the movies? I hear Paolo is single..."
Amanda giggled, missing Kitty's growl of annoyance. "Sounds fun! It's been a while since I've been on a date..." Kitty did not miss the meaningful glance she gave Kurt from under her lashes. "See you at seven then!"
Kitty waited until Amanda vanished down the hall before slapping Kurt on the shoulder. "Ow! Liebes, what's wrong with you?"
"I'm just beginning to sympathize with Amara is all..." She favored him with another glare before storming to her locker.
"I will never understand her as long as I live..." Kurt sighed, trudging after her.

1 Happened once to a friend of mine in high school. I was taking off my sweater and he thought I was flashing him. He sprayed Big Red from his nose and it was almost spectacular had it not looked like blood... ew.
2 All together now-"Midnight, waitin' for the twelve o-five, hopin' and a'prayin' it'll take me further down the line..." ((sigh)) Yes, I know too many random songs. I digress.
3 Shameless self reference to DoS...as you were.
4 Anyone else remember that cartoon?