Disclaimer: I am NOT Stan Lee, I do not own the X-Men movieverse or comicverse or anything that Marvel lays claim to. I'm just a poor drama major with insomnia. Please don't sue me, you won't be getting much. That much I can promise you.


The Pit in Her Heart- by Ms. Caitlin Rose


The pit was cold, and dank, and dark. And Jubilee was terrified. But since she was the oldest of the kids taken by Stryker's men, she had to pretend to be brave. Telling the little ones stories, distracting them as much as possibly from the threat waiting just outside those bars. It calmed the younger ones, and she'd be lying if she claimed it didn't make her feel at least a little better as well. Although, nothing was better than the feeling of relief that washed over her when she heard Ms. Munroe's voice.

"Storm!" she cried out, standing quickly and looking up at the mouth of the pit. The blue stranger teleported all of them out of there, and Jubilee ran over to Storm and hugged her tightly. She held back her tears, though. They would come in due time, but first she had to help make sure everyone was safe.

They made their way through the damp tunnels, checking carefully around each corner for the soldiers who had taken them. Jubilee's fear grew marginally, but she managed to keep it in check for the most part. She had her priorities now; she knew that Storm was counting on her.

Suddenly, a sharp pain struck her, and she felt like her brain was trying to make its way out of her head. She cried out, grasping her head and letting her blanket slip from around her shoulders. She curled up into a ball on the ground and whimpered as the pain persisted.

The pain stopped as quickly as it had begun, and Jubilee looked around in confusion. She rose slowly, wrapping her blanket around her again as she helped one of the smaller girls to her feet. She smiled at her reassuringly, brushing the girl's bangs from her face. "We'll be fine. We're almost out, okay?"

They made it back to the Blackbird soon after that. Jubilee strapped herself in and watched in horror as Ms. Grey sacrificed herself to make sure the rest of them got to safety. Her eyes shut hard against her tears and remained that way the entire flight home.

She could have kissed the ground the Mansion resided on when it came into view. She was home and safe once again, and so were the other kids. Jubilee wandered the halls slowly, thinking about how everything was changing. Jean was gone; Cyke wouldn't be the same; who knew how Logan felt…

She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, making her way to John's room. All she wanted to do was sit with him and listen to his awful jokes that would still make her laugh through her tears. She pushed the door open, her tired greeting on her lips.

Empty. No one was there. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Both John's and Bobby's beds were mussed, as they had been left during the attack. She felt a presence behind her, and she whirled around to face the resident Popsicle and Rogue.

"Where's Johnny?" she asked quietly. Bobby's shoulders drooped and he shook his head sadly. Rogue spoke in that gentle manner of hers.

"Gone. He left us."

Her face went blank as those tears she'd fought over the last 24 hours spilled and made their way down her cheeks. She barely felt Bobby pull her to him and Rogue rest a hand on her back.

That pit back at Alkali Lake couldn't possibly compare to the pit that now resided in her heart.


Please review!

xoxox Ms. Caitlin Rose