Bits and Pieces

Bits and Pieces Chapter Thirty Seven

Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… I feel all Sprout-class=SpellE>ish now, lol.
InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena and Greywolf are loverly and
wondermous for archiving/hosting. style='font-family:Wingdings;mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-char-type:symbol;mso-symbol-font-family:
Wingdings'>J
ProPhile: Um… yeah. It’s really hard to
write something to someone who’s not going to read this for a while, lol.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Morgan: *glomp *style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Readers/Reviewers:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Thank you soooooo
much!

Mark raked
his fingers through his hair, shutting his bedroom door behind him and locking
it with an air of finality. That, he
decided, would be the last time today he changed shirts. Tabby’s mascara and
bright red lipstick were currently soaking off of his initial choice and
Jubilee’s mascara, blue eye shadow and a wad of pink bubble gum were marring
his second, also soaking in his bathroom sink.
He frowned, tugging on the hem of the black t-shirt down as hard as he
dared. _It is physically impossible for
this shirt to have gotten smaller since I packed it in England.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> And I know I did not grow taller… not unless
there’s some Gamma radiation oddity going on.
_class=MsoFootnoteReference>class=MsoFootnoteReference>[1]style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He paused at the top of the stairs and
considered his options. Professor Xavier
had requested a meeting at his earliest convenience, Raven was awaiting his
call to schedule their meeting and he had two teenaged girls weeping copiously
in *his* library. _Professor Xavier
first—he does sign my paychecks, after all—then Raven, then crying
teenagers. Right.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> We can do this.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> _ He
walked down the stairs quickly, just short of skipping, and began making his
list of things to do in his head. He had
made it as far as having Jubilee reorganize the section on Ridiculous Wars when
he heard it. A shrill, high pitched
sound which could only mean one thing.
Someone, somewhere in the mansion, was having a hissy
fit. He winced and began backing up the
stairs, hastily revising his to do list, but it was too late.

“Mark!
Good! You’re an adult!” Jubilee advanced up the stairs two at a time, giving
him no choice but to stop or bolt and run. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He could not think of a good way to stop the
impending outburst aside from taping her mouth closed or inventing a fake
illness so he stood his ground, grimacing.
“Tell him that I’m not stupid, or a child or insane…”

Remy rolled
his eyes, standing several steps down from Jubilee.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He looked angry and confused but he did not
voice his feelings. He narrowed his
eyes, though, when Mark sighed, and pushed his glasses up his nose, trying to
buy time. “Jubilee, it’s not my
place. I’ve told you this before…”

“So you go class=SpellE>talkin’ to him an’ decide you gonna break up with me?” Remy
demanded, folding his arms across his chest.
“What goin’ through your head, class=SpellE>fille? You class=SpellE>lettin’ people put ideas in dere?”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He glared up at Mark.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “An’ why you so interested in a teenaged
girl?”

Mark
stiffened, his expression carefully neutral. “And just how old are you anyway?”

Remy did
not answer. He turned and began to walk
back down the steps, then paused and turned back.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “Jubilee, ma chere…
I’m not gonna push you for dis, mais…”
He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, then seemed to be forcing the words
out painfully. “Je
t’aime, je class=SpellE>t’adore… I ain’t gonna stop just cause you mad at me, class=SpellE>d’accord?”

Jubilee
licked her suddenly dry lips and nodded.
“Remy, I don’t not love you… I just need to breathe, okay?”

Remy nodded
slowly and let his gaze skitter past her to rest on Mark.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “Si class=SpellE>vous la touchez, class=SpellE>je vous tuerai.”style='mso-footnote-id:ftn2' href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">class=MsoFootnoteReference>class=MsoFootnoteReference>[2]

Mark’s
brows shot up but he did not respond.
Instead, he looked at Jubilee as she turned to face him, Remy’s
footsteps thudding into the foyer and fading as he headed into the class=SpellE>rec room. “Don’t,”
he said hurriedly, “even start. It’s not
my concern nor, honestly, do I want to know.
Why aren’t you in the library with Tabby? I told you don’t leave her
alone in there!”

Jubilee
shrugged, forcing down the well of panic and sadness that threatened to spill
over inside her. “I went to talk to Remy
and…well, she kinda took off about half an hour ago,
when you went to go change. Again.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Dude, that shirt’s kinda
tight. Who’re the Sex Pistols?”

“Never mind
them,”class=MsoFootnoteReference>class=MsoFootnoteReference>[3] he
replied. “Where did she go?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I have strict orders from Professor Xavier as
to keeping her in sight at all times…”
He did not wait for Jubilee’s answer but rather edged past her and set
off for the library at a steady pace, his stride long and fast, leaving Jubilee
behind. She had to run to catch up then
practically jog to keep pace. “There is
too much going on for you to be haring about as if the world turned solely for
you. As it is, we’ve missed the chance
to see Jean today due to the overwhelming incompetence of the auto club and
their repair of Emma’s tires. I am late
for a very important meeting in town, one which, might I add, will garner me my
OWN clothing back, and now I have to track down Tabby!”

Jubilee
rolled her eyes. “She didn’t go far! She
left her purse!”

“That,”
Mark said, stopping suddenly and rounding on the young woman, “is not the
point! The library is not some place to wander about and finger through texts!”

“Uh…dude?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Yeah, it kinda is…”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Jubilee’s brows crept up as she looked on
Mark’s aggravated expression. “Mark, you
okay?”

“I’m
*dandy*,” he snapped. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He took a deep breath and let it out slowly,
marshalling his thoughts and temper. “Now,
do me a huge favor, will you? Pass the
word to Professor Xavier I can’t meet with him right now, I’m too busy looking
for Tabby!”

“Tabby?”
Rogue asked, emerging from the library and tugging at her own shirt,
frowning. “She’s in the kitchen with
Kurt… sobfest or something.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Who the Hell did the laundry last?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> They stretched out my…”

Mark
groaned at the same moment Rogue gasped.
“I think there’s been a mix up,” he sighed.

Rogue
looked down at her own shirt, then at the identical one on Mark.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “We speak of this to no one,” she said
firmly. “We switch shirts and kill Jubilee and speak of this to no one…”

Jubilee
held her hands up in protest. “I swear…
I don’t even know how I’d start that story!”
She practically dove for the phone room as the two Sex Pistol t-shirt
wearing individuals took steps towards her.
“Got it!” she called. “Xavier
Institute for the Gifted… and Crossdressers.”

There was a
very long pause before Kitty spoke. “Jubilee?”

“Yo… what’s
shakin’, Kit Kat?”
Jubilee leaned against the narrow door, holding it closed with her
weight. She could do with a good dose of
Kitty’s nattering, just to make her feel normal for a few minutes.

“I need to
talk to Logan or Professor Xavier or… or Storm.
There’s a tiny problem…”

“What’s
that? The Frost place running on steam
power still or something?”

“No…”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Kitty paused again, this time to say something
to someone on the other end. Jubilee could not make out the words but the tone
was definitely, she realized, nervous.

“Kit?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> C’mon… spill it… what’s going on?”

“Evan’s
here,” she said slowly. “And he’s sort
of…um… The Morlock’s are on the offensive.”