Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made by this work.
"Meow." The kitten mewed.
Had she not just seen it happen Kitty would have liked to believe she couldn't believe it but coming of age with the X-men had pretty much killed her sense of disbelief to the point it took a lot to really ruffle her feathers. Case in point this time watching the girl she considered as close as she'd ever get to know what it was like to have a bratty little sister turning into a cute fluffy kitten.
"I thought you were trying for a bat." Kitty noted, sipping her mug of coffee that stated her other mug was the pot.
"Meerrr." Jubi-Kitten meowed clearly not impressed with her transformation.
"Can you change back?" Kitty asked, flipping through her book and nibbling on a biscotti.
Jubilee's overly intelligent kitten eyes glowed red as her form seemed to grow hazy for a few seconds just as she had trying to transform into a bat. As the glow faded the kitten grew distinct again and curled in on herself. On the one hand it was a black cat Kitty noted so at least it was sort of spooky in a Disney or Pixar sort of way. Patting her lap, Kitty waited as Jubilee pranced over and easily climbed up to nestle down.
"I'm sure it'll wear off after a while." Kitty assured, fondly petting the kitten formerly known as Jubilee.
Secretly though Kitty had to confess it could wait a bit more than a little while, at least this kitten had human intelligence and likely didn't need a litter box. Stopping mid-sip, the question of just what happened to everything vampires ate or imbibed intruded on her thoughts and she throughly beat it down with the baseball bat marked 'Magic!' for the answer.
"So, at least we proved you can change form like all that vampiric lore states even if your first attempt didn't go as planned." Kitty offered, snapping off a piece of biscotti for her lap warmer to enjoy.
She took the purring to be from both the encouragement and the cookie, Jubilee always was a good student if you knew how to handle her. Emma had noted this in her transcript from the Massachusetts Academy once, along the lines of either treat her or trick her. Having gotten some emails over the years, trick her usually meant get the girl angry enough that she'd go out of her way to prove you wrong just for bragging rights. Looking back over her last train of thought Kitty realized she needed a break as she was falling into the Headmistress role a little too much.
"Kitten?" Ororo's voice called from the hallway.
Both Kitty and Jubilee looked up, the one likely forgetting of the others fond nickname. Welcoming herself in, Ororo settled down in a chair across from the desk and took the offered biscotti from the plate that had been nudged. She looked a touch tired and worn but her duties her team and the school were about as demanding as Kitty's own as Headmistress with Logan. Actually Kitty thought hers was worse as she couldn't just beat down the students when they irritated her.
"Busy as always I see?" Ororo noted with a look to the several books strewn across the desk.
"It's a new day out there, and it feels almost like a new world. Logan does what he can but when it comes to a lot of the weightier reading he goes off to keep the kids in order and leave me in peace." Kitty explained, scratching Jubilee behind the ear and finding just how relaxing it was for her too.
"You both seem to be doing a wonderful job especially with everything that happened." Ororo said softly.
Kitty had her own opinion as far as everything 'that happened' and how seemingly easy it was for two women to change the world again. Especially given all the trouble that one of them had caused before and particularly to the girl she was now giving a belly rub to. Life growing up with the X-men was never simple and both herself and Jubilee were graduates of that very different school of hard knocks. She hoped to do her best to make sure none of her own wards and students would ever have to suffer as they had.
"Is that...purring?" Ororo asked after the silence had stretched on long enough between them for it to stand out.
The purring stopped instantly and looking down to her lap Kitty saw Jubilee shaking her little kitten head back and forth looking like so many videos of cats being bothered with that elusive 'red dot' of a laser pointer. Grabbing her by the scruff of her neck she picked her up and placed her on the desk for Ororo to instantly swoon over.
"Goodness when did you get such an adorable kitten?" Ororo asked picking Jubilee up and cuddling her.
To her credit Jubilee looked to be back to enjoying the affection and was back to purring, Kitty enjoying the scene and wondering just how to break the news. On the one hand she did feel a little bad for Jubilee, yet on the other hand how often did you get to say just the words she was toying with.
"About five minutes ago when Jubilee flubbed her transformation." Kitty said gleefully.
Pretty sure she heard thunder, Kitty took that to be Ororo's shock at the revelation but that faded quickly as she looked back into the little kitten face who was currently purring up a storm pardon the pun she thought.
"Jubilation?" Ororo asked, Jubi-Kitten cracking an eye to look to her former team captain and all around mentor and friend.
"It's really her." Kitty chuckled, swirling the last of her coffee for that sip that tasted like another cup.
"Goddess, she is so..." Ororo whispered as she stroked her teammates ears.
"Cute?" Kitty asked, not expecting an answer.
"Adorable." Ororo said, picking the kitten up to kiss her button nose.
Smiling at the sight, Kitty filed that particular memory for a later day if Jubilee ever felt low about being a Vampire as she had after her transformation when she had struggled with the unnatural thirst and all the forced natures fighting with her sense of self. Finding her phone and snapping a photo, she sent it off to Megan remembering a tale about a game of tag that had ended with boulders being thrown.
She figured the upbeat Pixie could stand to see just how her wayward friend was doing. Getting up for her refill, a thought struck her that she of all people should know about teleporters and their rather sudden appearances as Megan popped into existence in her office.
"Where is she?" Megan asked, spotting Jubilee and Ororo shortly after and joining in on the cuddling.
"Merrrrr." Jubilee mewed sounding unimpressed again as she was passed around between the pair.
"Don't you merr me missy." Kitty said.
Marking her page, Kitty figured she might as well give up on whatever she was trying to do with the spectacle going on in her office. Pulling up a chair she joined the two others in having their turns with Jubilee who seemed to be adapting well to her current situation.
"What if she can't change back?" Megan asked playing with Jubi-Kitten's paws.
"It's probably just one of those things that she just has to stop thinking about it and poof." Kitty promised, scratching Jubilee behind the ear noticing what clearly looked like a kitten worrying.
All the while though she started wondering just how she was going to break it to a couple of people in what she really thought of as her sort of immediate but a step removed family. No one could ever take the place of her parents after everything they had been through, right down to how her father had died, but she really considered them family and knew she had to tell them.
"Megan, could you find Laura for me and see if she can't meet down in Logan's office? Next period that's where he should be. I think maybe we should let them in on the fun." Kitty said, gladly taking Jubilee from Ororo who looked extra mischievous with her mohawk.
"Merrrr." Jubi-Kitten mewed unimpressed with the proposed plan.
"Well it's that or he starts asking the kids whose cat you are." Kitty pressed.
If a kitten could sigh like an indigent young woman whose life paralleled her own, Kitty would have thought Jubilee had somehow managed the feat. As it were it sounded more like a sneeze and she just wanted the snuggle her friend even more. The thought of snuggling something so intelligent and full of character had her realize she couldn't wait to get to Logan's office even more as she giggled a touch maniacally to herself. How often could she have this much fun she figured, skipping out the door ready to surprise everyone.
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"Do you have it recording?" Kitty asked of Laura for the third time.
She could tell both Laura and Logan were wondering just where Jubilee was clearly catching her scent so fresh and full, but at the same time they looked to be looking around for the whereabouts of the mystery cat the likely smelt. Sitting on the desk after having lit up one of Logan's cigars was her best friend in the whole wide world, strange that he was a little purple alien dragon but that's what a life with the X-men lead to. Lockheed also looked to be looking around for the cat that she had hidden in her shirt, this was going to be precious to the nth degree.
"Yes, it's recording." Laura promised for the third time.
Both Laura and Logan had noticed just how extra bubbly Megan was and probably put it off to her having a prohibited Redbull, there were just some people that shouldn't be allowed energy drinks and she was one. Though Logan seemed to notice the difference in Ororo most of all who looked to be waiting on pins and needles. Sure she was ready, Kitty reached into her shirt and found Jubilee just where she had hid her, right under the pouch of her hoodie.
Pulling her out and plopping her down in front of Lockheed, Jubilee started hissing adorably complete with her hackles raised high. Both Logan and Laura looked confused but Lockheed was sniffing the intruder to his affections and looked to his friend slash mistress for the answer to his question.
"So, you got a pet kitten? Guess it's about time ya got a normal pet, no offense there buddy." Logan said as he leaned back in his chair to enjoy his smoke.
Whether animals had some sort of telepathy people just didn't know about or were experts at reading facial expressions, both Lockheed and Jubilee looked to another and after the slightest of nods proceeded to attack Logan in a flurry of claws, fangs and the odd spurt of fire. Kitty had to remind herself that Jubilee was still a vampiric kitten and had vampiric strength evident with how she had just knocked a man over who clearly outweighed her. It was right around the time that her kitten eyes started glowing red again that both Logan and Laura put the pieces together.
"How did this...?" Laura asked.
Kitty figured Logan's laughter warranted the attack, adding to the things she had to remember about Jubilee being in this case that she had vampiric speed too as evident by the flurry of paws that just had torn to shreds one James Logan Howelett's face. Sadly the upbeat and perky Pixie had to suffer just about every profanity Logan knew just then, though it was kinda cute seeing her standing there with her mouth agape.
"Jubilee is a cat?" Laura asked, likely just making sure.
"Kitten." Ororo corrected.
"A feline?" Laura tried again.
"A putty tat?" Megan offered doing her best Tweety.
"Jubilee?" Laura asked of the grumpy kitten.
Apparently cats could look apologetic, Kitty would have to file that under useful information if she ever got one. For now she watched with a smile as Jubilee let herself get picked up by Laura to be cuddled and coddled between probing pokes and peeks.
"It's really her, I saw it happen. She was trying to turn into a bat." Kitty explained.
"Well, looks like she got cat instead." Logan chuckled, wiping his face off with a rag he had in his desk for just such an occasion.
Held by the husk of her neck, Jubi-Kitten swiped and clawed at Logan who just laughed harder at the sight. Thankfully the video recorder was still capturing it all for posterity, more than a few people Kitty wanted to send it off to figuring after everything that had happened they could all use a good laugh at Jubilee's expense. It was actually just the crazy bit of normal for the X-men that she needed herself after everything she had been through herself, from her return to Earth to everything else since then.
"Can she not turn back?" Laura asked.
One Jubi-Kitten boop to the nose seemed to show that the currently feline vampire was tired of being talked about in the third person or if she wasn't there. All it took though to pacify her was Laura scratching her behind the ear just like any other kitten. Everyone looked as if they wanted their turn with her aside from Logan who seemed to just be yucking it up.
"She tried, it didn't work. I guess it'll wear off in it's own time." Kitty explained again.
Petting Lockheed as he crawled onto her lap looking a little put out by all the attention lavished on Jubilee, Kitty really had to remind herself that he was a sentient alien dragon who was a champion to his people with how often he seemed to just look for a good scratch himself.
"So, what are we going to do with her until it wears off?" Logan asked, though the glint in his eye hinted he had an idea.
"Well..." Kitty started, looking to Megan and Ororo.
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"Just put up with it Lee..." Kitty asked of her friend.
Pulling up to the department store sized pet store, Megan kept saying she could just teleport them but something about the normalcy of driving just seemed what the doctor ordered. They fought over radio stations and got coffee at the drive through and had the employees fawning over Jubilee and giving her treats. She had tried to bring Lockheed along but after the last time she claimed him to be an 'odd iguana' he wouldn't have anything to do with it. At the same time he loved the treats she brought him home, promising to bring him another fresh batch of whatever disgusting animal bones they were.
"Can I hold her?" Megan asked of Laura, who currently had Jubilee perched up on her shoulder.
"You would have to ask Jubilee." Laura replied.
Kitty had to confess Megan was a delight to be around, watching that little lightbulb go off in her that had her remembering the Kitten she wanted to hold was the same girl she used to go out for coffees with back in San Francisco. Some cuddling and coddling later had Megan enjoying Jubilee curled up on her shoulder walking into the pet shop.
"Okay, we need a collar with her name on it and some flea drops and just some toys for her to play with as we know how bored she can get and I don't need a bored Vampiric Kitten running around the school." Kitty said recalling everything she could think of off the top of her head.
"Flea drops?" Megan asked, a 'Meeerrrr' from Jubilee showing her offense.
"You don't have fleas Lee but I'm not so sure about some of the male student body. Bad hygiene gets more complex when you're dealing with mutant teenage boys." Kitty explained.
One Kitten equivalent of a groan later had that issue out of the way, the collar wouldn't be too bad given that she was known to wear chokers so it wasn't that much a stretch. Toys though, that would be interesting. Kitty had to wonder just how well that Kinect system would work for a cat, maybe they could just get her some games to try and figure out rather than a rubber mouse.
"Oh my gosh she's so cute, what breed is she?" A staffer asked noticing Jubilee.
"Vampire." Laura stated flatly, the smile on the staffer faltering under her gaze.
"I'm sorry?" The staffer asked, a woman who looked to be getting to that age where the cats might start reaching the threshold of the honorary Crazy being tacked on there somewhere.
"Sorry, that's her name, Vampire Jubilee. She's a...mix." Kitty recovered.
"Aww now aren't you just darling." The staffer, who the jury was still out on whether or not to call crazy, purred while petting Jubilee.
It was right about then that Kitty started to wonder about that whole infectious bite issue with Vampires and figured right as she started her pre-emptive scolding of Jubilee who looked ready to bite the lady. Waggling a finger and making a gesture for fangs with her fingers, Kitty breathed a sigh of relieve catching her kitten friend looking chagrined by her lapse.
"So what can I help you folks with?" Clearly crazy from nowhere near Colorado asked.
"A collar and flea drops." Laura stated.
"Toys!" Megan chirped, Kitty wondering just who they were for.
"A bed." Ororo said, adding to the list.
"Those weird stinky bones, I think they're from cows or bison or something." Kitty asked recalling she figured she'd be in the proverbial dog house if she forgot his treat.
Crazy and the others looked at her if she were crazy, turning back to Jubilee who was furiously scratching herself behind the ear. Maybe she could get some flea drops for the student body while she was here Kitty wondered.
"I...don't think those are good for kitties..." Crazy said slowly.
"They're for my...dog." Kitty said with a pause, nearly having said dragon.
"Oh, your little kitty as a puppy friend? That's so sweet, well just right this way we got a fresh batch in." Crazy promised.
Three isles in and Kitty could smell them, it was another five until they got to the rack of...
"Excuse me." Laura said, leaving what looked like the leftovers of a roadkill accident in the desert.
Ororo joined her and Megan stood transfixed staring at all the shelves full of self serve bins for customers with the need of their pets to chew on stuff that had name full of various parts of anatomy most people could go their lives without needing to know.
"Do puppies really...eat..." Megan was asking in a high pitched voice of someone who had just found out Santa wasn't real.
"Why don't you go see Ororo and Laura." Kitty urged.
Watching the pink haired girl wander off, it was then Kitty realized that she should have had a little black patch of fur curled up there. She couldn't remember if Jubilee had been passed around or not, but if she had run off on her own Kitty was about to go test some of that other Vampiric Lore in the form of a whoop ass.
"Now, what flavour does your dog like?" Crazy asked, showing a few new product lines that all looked and smelt the same.
"Uh? Crunchy?" Kitty asked.
That was about the only thing she could remember as far as what Lockheed did with them, hiding behind the sofa in her room with a horrible noise that proved just how strong his jaw was.
"I know just the one!" Crazy chirped, coming back with a bag full of...clearly crunchy and decidedly gross.
"Thanks, I'll just...go do some browsing." Kitty smiled thinly.
"Well if you need any help we're just all over the store." Crazy threatened, at least that was how Kitty took it.
Rushing off in search of her friends and one pint-sized one in particular, sure enough they had gone off on their own just to make her task all the harder. Laura was the first she found, sitting cross-legged in front of a display of husky puppies romping and playing. Spotting one that had two different colours of eyes who was currently chewing on another's ear, Kitty had to hope wherever Jubilee was she could take care of herself as she got her heart achingly sweet 'squee' moment tended to.
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Jubilee had decided she needed a break from all the petting and cuddling and 'Aww look at her wittle nose' that had filled her life ever since her failure at turning into a bat. All she really wanted to do was try flying for the first time, just completely unfettered from the world and soaring through the air like so many people she knew. She doubted she would have been getting the kind of treatment she currently was if she was a bat. Except maybe Megan, who was a special kind of person. The kind of person you could wonder at, but if anyone ever tried to throw a wet blanket on her perkiness they were in for a world of hurt. She still felt bad for the boulder but she wasn't really herself, maybe she'd let Megan dress her up and take pictures later if this lasted too much longer Jubilee mused, that should make them even.
"Are you lost?" A sickeningly sweet voice asked.
Nope! A burst of Vampiric Speed had her hiding under a shelf looking at the confused old woman who might as well have Crazy tattooed on one hand and Cat Lady tattooed on the other even if she might have to get creative on how to make it fit. Thinking she could afford a breather while she wondered what to do with her freedom, a scream that could only come from a young girl rang through the store, the kind of scream reserved for finding out that well, 'Yes Cordelia there is a Dracula'.
Dashing and darting through the isles, she found out just what had the girl screaming as well as a mother likely having fainted. Even everything she had seen in her life which was a severely long list, Jubilee had to put watching a Corgi getting choked out by an obvious escaped python from the lizard section of the store as heart breaking and day ruining. Hackles raised, she was about to open a can of whoop ass on this snake.
"No, don't!" The girl screamed as Jubilee rushed the snake.
"Mew." Jubilee meowed, meaning Sorry Kid, Busy.
Thankfully the Corgi was still alive by the squirming and painful whimpering Jubilee saw, fuelling her more to save the puppy. Why people even wanted snakes as pets she would never know, that was totally in the range of creepy dudes that liked watching this or the kind of people that kept their eye out for volcanoes as habitable real estate. Figuring turn about was fair play, Jubilee grabbed the snake by the neck and started working her vampiric strength into what any other time would have looked cute as it appeared she was currently trying to hug the snake. Nix that, hugging snakes was never cute.
"Jojo!" Little girl cried, her puppy falling free of the coils of the python.
Having decided dog was off the menu the snake turned it's attention to Jubilee herself, wrapping itself around her. Well, too bad for python she wasn't no normal kitty and for that matter she didn't need to breath. At the same time a kitten kicking a snakes ass might raise a few eyebrows as the crowd came, so she decided to fake it. Kitty or Laura had to have heard that scream, Ororo could handle it no problem but might have a time trying to explain lightning indoors let alone the results while Megan...might pull some crazy magic that to her world view would be a valid response to a snake choking out a kitten.
As it was Kitty came rushing through the isles as only she could, that being the shortest distance between two points as she ghosted her way right through the displays. Rolling her eyes at catching Kitty's terror at the scene, Jubilee waited for her 'saviour' to extract her if only to get away from all the kids crying at the last thing they should be watching. These people seriously needed to have their parenting skills reviewed.
"Jubilee?" Kitty asked, ghosting her out from the python.
Finding it's meal currently elsewhere, the Python was already on the prowl when a 'snickt' combined with some growling that wasn't coming from any of the dogs in the store to have it turn and look on Laura. One thing Jubilee knew about Logan and Laura was that they had a way with animals, currently the python was probably realizing it had 'Wallet' written in its future if it didn't curl up into a ball and wait to be put back in it's cage.
"She saved my dog!" Little girl swore, pointing to Jubilee.
Gasps went around the gathered crowd while some staffers came to wrangle the now very docile python. Jojo was getting checked out by an onsite vet and given a clean bill of health other than the scare of his little life. Jubilee watched it all as if it were another day at the office, Kitten or not you didn't stop being an X-man because life threw another curve ball at you. It was the story of her life.
"Jubilee why don't you go make friends." Kitty said softly.
As much as she just wanted to sup on a saucer of some nice blood, feeling in the mood for Deer as it were, Jubilee licked Kitty on the nose and let herself be put down next to Jojo. Even as a Vampire Kitten, a puppy was a puppy and she was playing and cuddling with the little guy in seconds while people took their photos. Two to one the whole story was going to go viral, and as she let herself be pet by the Little Girl named Angie that it just went to figure she'd never be able to say in public 'Yeah, that was totally me' once this flopped transformation wore off.
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Author's Note : Just the silliest little idea that popped into my head. Was originally thinking of it as a one shot but I think I'll have fun with it for another chapter or two instead as it's just too silly not to toy with :) Enjoy!