Notes: I had the idea for this story a long time ago. I started working on it. I got busy with other things and eventually lost all the work I did on the story. The idea wouldn't go away, though. The setting for this is, rather firmly, after the first movie, taking no other films into account. Which means you should probably ignore Juggernaut's appearance in X3, Deadpool's in X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Emma Frost's in X-Men: First Class. Mostly because those actors don't really bring to life the Jughead and Poolboy I came up with. Not their fault, of course. Movies rarely live up to comics.

Summary: Most kids at Xavier's have some issues. Theresa Rourke has three huge ones: Black Tom, Juggernaut, and Deadpool. They all want her, and it's not a question of whether one will get their hands on her, but who will manage it first.


The Liberation of Theresa Rourke

An X-Men Movie-verse Fanfic by

Nate Grey (xman0123-at-aol-dot-com)


Prologue: Domino's Rejects


Seated on the front steps of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, a young girl named Marie calmly watched the setting sun as she considered the current state of her life.

There were two sides to everything. She was starting to learn that very quickly.

Take herself, for example. On one hand, she was Marie, a fairly attractive Southern girl. On the other hand, she was also Rogue, a mutant with the ability to absorb the memories and personalities of anyone who touched her bare skin long enough. In the case of other mutants, she also absorbed their powers. There were plenty of bad things about this, though: Marie's victims, depending on how long they touched her, either collapsed, passed out, and in the worst cases to date, fell into a coma. Marie had it nearly as bad: each additional person she touched became a new persona swimming around in the back of her mind. She'd had enough trouble convincing herself that she wasn't crazy back when she'd been relatively normal, but now she had inner voices arguing with each other and herself at random intervals, and some of them were quite forceful.

The school she currently attended was another example. Xavier's was, on the surface, a private institution known for providing a great number of free scholarships to deserving students. Beneath the surface, these deserving students were all mutants, like her. Some had families and homes, but many simply had no place else to go. Whatever their circumstances, at Xavier's they could hopefully learn to control their powers, so as not to be a danger to themselves or anyone else.

But even at Xavier's, there were generally two types of students. There were "norms", like Marie, who simply wanted enough control over their abilities so that they could still fit in with other people. Then there were the others, who showed no interest in fitting in, and instead desired to become the best mutants they possibly could, for various reasons. The staff, of course, was supposed to teach the virtues of the former attitude, rather than the latter. But how strongly each teacher subscribed to that theory varied from person to person, with some teaching the exact opposite every chance they got.

The woman called Domino was one of those.

At first, Marie had simply thought that Domino, clearly named so for the large, black birthmark (at least, Marie assumed it was natural) that surrounded her left eye, was so militant because she had been mistreated. But after being around the woman for a few months, Marie had revised that opinion: Domino was militant because it suited her, and because she was so very good at it. All things considered, it was probably the main reason Professor Xavier allowed her to stay. Shortly after Domino's arrival, the school's security systems had been completely overhauled at her suggestion. All students and teachers had to have retinal scans on file, and any shape-shifters had to submit to some additional security measure that Marie hadn't heard the details of. Marie thought it was all a little excessive at first, but once she heard the horror story of how someone had impersonated Domino for the better part of a decade, she had stopped complaining. She already knew one evil shape-shifter, and she was in no hurry to see that one again, or meet any other.

Domino was pretty intimidating when she wanted to be, but plenty of the students actually liked her. Not surprisingly, these were typically the same students who either couldn't or didn't want to fit in with humans. In some cases, like that of Maria, this was understandable: the poor girl looked and acted more like a feral cat than a human. Marie had kept her distance out of necessity, as she had enough animal-like people jostling for attention in her head already. That was why people like the Guthrie siblings made no sense to her. Sam and Paige were blond, blue-eyed, and despite their best efforts, had Southern drawls thicker than molasses. Marie liked them a lot, but she simply could not understand why they were so obsessed with mastering their powers.

Those three had all been lumped into the group known among most students as "Domino's Rejects". Domino was responsible for them, and they all seemed to prefer it that way. Marie privately felt the label was a little unfair. Partially because she often felt like a reject, yet wasn't included in the group. But the reason for that was obvious to everyone: Marie belonged to Logan. No one ever said as much, but Logan got a lot less tolerable when anyone else made decisions concerning her without consulting him, and he was perfectly willing to be her human shield anytime someone tried to force her into something she'd rather not do. And it wasn't so much that Logan hated Domino, as it was that he tended to growl a lot more when she was in the room. He complained that she always smelled like gun oil. Marie had never seen Domino with a gun, and said as much. Logan claimed she wasn't looking in the right places, and he was the one with the hypersensitive nose, so he probably knew better than her.

This was not to say that Marie was excluded because of her power, though. Far from it. She had plenty of friends, more than she'd ever had before coming to Xavier's, in fact. She had to wear long opera gloves and baggy coats around them most of the time, because some of them were younger and liked to hug without warning, but other than that it was fine. Still, she was aware that she was very lucky. When she'd first arrived, most students had been warned away, just to be on the safe side. But once everyone was made aware of Marie's special circumstances, and she had proven to be approachable despite them, they had mostly relaxed. There were still some people who preferred to keep at least a few inches of space between them when talking to Marie, and she understood this. Actually, she was rather used to it, and even preferred it in some cases. It was nice that everyone wasn't afraid of her anymore, but she never wanted to get to the point where she simply forgot the dangers involved. If she were ever to hurt one of the little kids like Illyana, she'd never forgive herself. And that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that Illyana's big brother could practically turn his whole body into a ton of steel.

Some people, however, insisted on letting Marie know that they were comfortable being close to her. Mostly it was one boy in particular, like Bobby. Or one girl in particular. Like Dani.

Dani had been born Danielle Moonstar, but would allow only a select few adults to actually call her Danielle. To everyone else she was "Dani" unless they wanted to end up on her bad side. If the rumors were true, Dani had requested to be roommates when Marie first arrived at Xavier's, but had been turned down. Of course, if rumors were true, then Dani had also gone through no less than four roommates her first month at the school, and had been without one ever since. Dani didn't like to talk about it, but Marie felt certain this had something to do with Dani's mutant power, whatever it was. Dani would only say that she was a telepath, though not quite like Dr. Jean Grey or Professor Xavier.

When they first met, Dani had insisted on shaking hands. This was not really a big deal. But as time went on, Dani had insisted on holding Marie's hand, or putting an arm around her waist, or even leaning against her for a few moments. Marie suspected that all Dani really wanted was to show her and everyone else that they didn't have to be afraid of touching Marie, just careful about it. While this was appreciated, Marie could not help feeling that Dani had still become a bit too familiar with her, especially considering that Marie had never really given Dani permission to touch her. But between Marie being terribly self-conscious about her power, and Dani's natural pushiness, the topic had simply never come up. And by now, physical contact had become so much a part of their relationship (Marie hesitated to call them friends, for fear that it would inspire Dani to touch her even more frequently) that things would be awkward if she tried to put a stop to it.

Despite all of the touching, Marie did actually enjoy Dani's company. She talked a little too much, but she was a good listener. Aside from that, she was one of the few female students that made Logan uncomfortable without becoming giggly and staring at his butt, the way Jubilee and Kitty did. Marie wasn't sure why this was: as far as telepaths went, Logan tolerated Professor Xavier and clearly liked Dr. Grey, and Dani was nowhere near as powerful as either of them.

Marie's alone time was interrupted, rather predictably, when Dani sat down beside her. Marie had left plenty of space on the steps in case someone needed to get by, and Dani could have done the same, leaving plenty of space between them. She didn't, of course, and instead sat so close that Marie was tempted to just slide off of the edge. But she was immediately stopped by the familiar arm draping itself around her waist.

"If you're going to hide from me," Dani said casually, "you should remember that I'm a telepath."

"I wasn't hiding," Marie protested. "Not from you, anyway. I know you have your outside sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and that you always leave from here. In fact, I thought I'd wait with you."

"Bobby being a jerk again?" Dani guessed, giving Marie her usual penetrating stare.

Marie blushed. "Not really. He just pinched my butt was all."

Dani smirked. "I assume it was covered at the time?"

"Dani!" Marie shrieked, turning redder. "Of course it was!"

"Well, you seem to be fine with it, so I assume no harm was done?"

"No, nothing like that. But Ms. Munroe saw him, so I had to at least act offended."

Dani shook her head. "I really don't know what you see in him, Marie."

"You just don't like him because he called you 'Moonpie' that one time."

"I don't like John because he called me that," Dani corrected. "I don't like Bobby because he snickered."

"He apologized right after."

"Only because I caught him."

Marie sighed. "Dani, please. I don't want to fight about this again."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Dani gave her a little squeeze. "It was nice of you to wait for me, and I do appreciate it."

"Do you think it'll be a problem?"

"I can't imagine why it would. All we're doing is sitting."

Almost on cue, the front gates opened to admit a long, white limousine.

"Are you sure I shouldn't run inside?" Marie asked. "I don't think she likes me much."

"You're being silly. She doesn't like anyone much, except me. But she'll tolerate you. Come and say hi."

Marie sighed and stood up with Dani as the limousine pulled up in front of the steps. Immediately, a very large man in a white chauffer uniform got out of the driver's seat and walked quickly to the other side of the car. Marie hesitated to come any closer: the man was among the largest she'd ever seen, and aside from that, his skin was entirely hairless and light green. But Dani tugged firmly on her hand, and Marie followed her resignedly. The green man opened the car's passenger door as they approached.

"Hi, Bumpkin," Dani said, giving his large, green hand an affectionate pat.

"Hey, kid," the man replied with a hint of warmth in his tone as Dani climbed into the car. This was replaced by uncertainty as he noticed Marie. "Hey, um... other kid?"

"Hi. I'm not going," Marie said quickly.

"Oh, really?" said another voice. "Such a shame. We'd love to have you, dear."

Marie blinked and looked into the car. Just beyond Dani, she could see a face. It was obviously female and enormously attractive, but smiling in a way that made Marie feel prickly all over. "Hello, Miss Frost. I was just leaving."

"Are you certain? This wasn't scheduled, but for Danielle's sake, I'd be willing to make arrangements. You're welcome to join her any time you wish."

"That's very generous of you, Miss Frost, but I really shouldn't. The teachers worry when the students aren't where they say they're going to be."

"Yes, I imagine they would be. Well, do keep it in mind, dear. You might also mention to Charles that there was a three second delay when Bumpkin used the intercom at the gate. It pays to be prompt, I always say."

Marie took a long look at the limousine. "If anyone would know, I'm sure it would be you, Miss Frost."

There was a laugh that did not seem entirely genuine, or at least non-hostile. "Oh, you darling. You simply must come with us next time. Do try and convince her in the future, Danielle."

"Yes, Miss Frost," Dani replied obediently, shooting Marie a pleading look that was promptly ignored.

"Well, I should get to class," Marie said, taking a step back. "Good luck with your lessons, Dani. Bye, Miss Frost. Bye, um... Miss Frost's driver."

The man shrugged as he closed the car door. "Been called worse, kid." He was back in the car far faster than any man his size had a right to be. Maybe it was an aspect of his mutant power. Maybe Miss Frost paid him to be that prompt. Or, more likely, he was just smart enough never to keep her waiting.

As the limousine pulled away, Marie turned around a let out a little scream: Logan was standing there, and obviously had been far longer than she realized. "Don't DO that!" she hissed, giving his arm a swat.

He didn't even have the decency to flinch. "Don't you go anywhere with her."

"I never planned to," Marie snapped, waiting for her heart to stop pounding. "I know she's Dani's legal guardian, but that lady gives me the creeps."

"Good. You remember that feeling every time you see her."

"It's hard to forget, frankly." What she didn't say was that the little part of Dr. Grey she had absorbed (with permission) tended to feel edgy around Emma Frost as well. And Dr. Grey was generally nice to everyone, so anyone she didn't like automatically set off warning flags in Marie's mind. "Wait, why don't you like Miss Frost, Logan?"

Logan snorted. "Take whatever reason you don't and multiply it by a thousand."

Marie took the hint and decided not to pursue the matter any further. "Did you come out here to make sure I don't skip gym class?"

"Did you come out here to make sure you did?" he countered.

She pouted up at him. "I was going! I just wanted to see Dani off is all."

"Sure. Can't help but notice that she's gone and you're still here, though."

"Jubilee's in my gym class, you know." It was quick and very hard to see, but she was certain that Logan had actually shuddered.

"Your point being?" he asked, clearly irritable now.

"I won't tell you're skipping gym class, if you don't tell I'm skipping gym class."

Logan stared at her thoughtfully.

Ten minutes later, Marie was on the back of Scott Summers' "borrowed" motorcycle, her face buried in Logan's leather jacket as they roared into town. Really, it was a wonder she ever made it to gym class at all.


Next Chapter: A Friendly Mirage

Dani finally gets a roommate, though not the one she's been hoping for. The new girl is just as tight-lipped about her abilities as Dani is, and for good reason. Meanwhile, a kidnapping plot is put into motion, or at least paid for in a seedy diner.


Endnotes:

On an unrelated note, I'm trying to track down two stories that were once housed in the Wolverine and Jubilee fanfiction archive. The two I'm seeking both feature Jubilee, but I've had no luck finding them. If you know the titles, authors, or where they can be found, please give me a shout, preferably by private message, or in a review if you have to. Though, if you're going to do it in a review, it would be appreciated if you could also actually review my story... Anyway, the stories I'm searching for:

1) Jubilee somehow ends up working with Deadpool. Possibly he kidnapped her. At any rate, they go to a school dance, and Deadpool is wearing a dinosaur costume (Barney, maybe?). And I'm pretty sure his target is a guy dressed as male genitalia. I know, doesn't sound like something easily forgotten, but I managed it. I want to say Ascian is the author, but I'm not totally sure.

2) Jubilee is injured somehow (not to be confused with "Blading" and its sequel "A Friend In Need"... although it took me a while to find those, as well) and ends up in the care of Juggernaut. Possibly he did the injuring accidentally, I dunno. Anyway, Jubilee finds out that he isn't such a horrible guy. Pretty sure it was unfinished the last time I saw it.