Bits and Pieces

Bits and Pieces Chapter Seventeen
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… *rushed * I don’t know how you can do it, all those things, and not panic! ALL the archivists are wondermous and loverly for hosting/archiving. :) ProPhile: Go finish your work! Morgan: Hello? Readers/Reviewers: Saturdays ate my brain. I swear.


“I don’t understand what’s going on here,” Jubilee said, raking her fingers through her hair and setting the multicolored tips askew. “I’m gone for two hours and all Hell breaks loose!”
Mark sighed. “Let’s focus on the issue at hand here, shall we? It’s not centered around you, by the bye… You have five minutes to get ready before I leave to take everyone to see Jean. She’s in ICU but she’s allowed one visitor at a time. She’s not conscious but in a medically induced coma. Do you understand so far?”
“Yeah, but…”
“But nothing. Further, Emma has called. She is coming up with her students to be here while this is going on. Most of them know Jean and care for her. Is that understood?”
Jubilee rolled her eyes and nodded.
“Then what’s not to understand?” Mark mused. “Go get some clothes on and be ready in,” he checked his watch, “four minutes.”
Jubilee turned and trudged up the stairs, confused to say the least and angry to say the most. _I can’t go one fucking day here without all Hell breaking loose… _Her thoughts transmuted themselves into a shriek as she ran headlong into Kurt, materializing before her at the top of the stairs. He caught her before she could fall backwards, pulling her into him and falling back himself, balancing with his tail before he truly fell over. “God DAMN it, Kurt! Warn me, would you?”
“Keep yelling at me,” he muttered, glancing past her.
“What? Is this some weird kink of yours you neglected to tell us about?” Jubilee twisted free of his grasp and headed for her room and a clean change of clothes that were less street punk and more hospital appropriate. Kurt followed her, dogging her steps. “Dude, step off!”
“I need to talk to you,” he whispered, his eyes wide in exaggeration. “Move!” He gave her a little shove into her room, following and kicking the door closed behind them. He pointedly turned his back so she could get dressed, sighing as he waited.
Jubilee frowned. She knew there was no way to get Kurt to leave when he was this determined so she grabbed her jeans off the foot of her bed and headed for the half bath. “Start talking, fuzzbutt. I’m not in the mood for a harebrained scheme or some lovelorn bullshit.”
“I know,” Kurt replied tartly. “I rode into town with Remy on his new motorcycle.” At Jubilee’s snort, he continued, “Mystique was here earlier.”
“What?” Jubilee stuck her head out of the bathroom, her expression incredulous. “How do you know? I mean, you’re SURE it was her and not just your own shadow? I love ya man but you can be one paranoid motherfucker sometimes.”
“Bitte, not so crude!” Kurt made a face of disgust and continued, still facing away from her. “She was here to see Mark—I think they may be dating or worse!” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “I think that maybe Mark is consorting with the enemy!”
“Kurt, dude…” She exited the small bathroom, pulling her sweater over her head as she walked and talked. “Mark doesn’t have a clue about Mystique. I’ve talk to him a lot more than you have and he doesn’t know what she’s done in the past and I really don’t think she’s gonna tell him. You can turn around now.”
“So what do you mean? You think we should tell him?” Kurt raised a brow as his tail swished thoughtfully.
Jubilee sat on the edge of her bed to put on her sneakers, far cleaner than her usual boots, and lace up the bright yellow ribbons which had replaced the laces. “I think…we should wait and see. Mystique isn’t stupid. She’s not going to just waltz in here and expect us to not mind… If she’s here and she’s seeing Mark, it’s one of two things. Maybe Mags sent her to recon and she’s bold. She’s coming in here, knowing we know who she is and not caring because we’re not gonna raise a stink in front of a norm like Mark. Magneto knows that the Professor is on thin ice with some parents and the school board so he’s counting on everyone laying low and just holding tight till it’s all done, ya know?” She shook her head and stood, patting her pockets to see if she had vending machine change. “Got a quarter or four?”
Kurt nodded, fishing in his own pockets then. “What’s the other thing?”
“Huh?”
“You said there could be two reasons Mystique was here. One was she’s on recon and the other?”
Jubilee shrugged. “They like each other.”
“Was?” Kurt recoiled as if struck. “Inconceivable!”1 He began pacing, a new habit for him that Jubilee quickly found annoying.
“Stop it! You’re making me motion sick! Look, I’ll be one of the first people to offer to kick Mystique’s ass on a normal basis but we don’t know what’s going on. Maybe she’s switching sides,” she suggested, not quite believing it herself.
“Right,” Kurt snarled. “And I’m signing up for the Friends of Humanity tomorrow…”
“Rogue switched. So did Lance and Todd. And don’t you think Amara wouldn’t go the other way if they had a good dental plan. I don’t like ol Blue and Scaly, Kurt, but I’m not going to start World War Three until I know for sure what’s going on.” She pushed past him to open the door. “They weren’t kissing or anything, were they?” she asked as if it were an afterthought.
“Nein… Why? Would you be jealous if they were?” he snapped, unhappy to the nth degree.
Jubilee snorted. “No, but it’d be nice to have something to tease the man about. He’s like Teflon…”
“Who is?” Mark inquired as the pair reached the last step.
“Logan,” Jubilee said smoothly, smiling. “Nothing sticks to him in the Danger Room.”
Mark snorted. “Right. Let’s go…” He shook his head slightly as the teenagers filed past towards the station wagon. One day he would have to explain to them that sound carries.
1 Yes, The Princess Bride is on in the background, lol