"Sheesh, why do these groceries have to be so heavy?"Jubilee groaned as she heaved yet another paper sack onto the kitchen's central island. Beside her Rogue put three sacks down, her super-strength making the load easy. Both women were dressed for the hot weather – Jubilee in a yellow vest and cut-off denim shorts, Rogue in a cropped denim skirt and checked shirt tied up under her breasts. Rogue fanned herself and stood where the breeze from the open window could reach her.
"Dat a simple question to answer." Gambit lounged at the table, feet propped up on one corner as he played cards with Wolverine. Both men nursed large beers and small cigars; though they'd opened a window, the room was still wreathed with fragrant cigar smoke. They'd stripped down to their boxers. "You feeding an army, chere. And everyone know an army marches on its stomach!"
"Very funny," Jubilee moaned. "But you, Logan and Beast eat more food than the rest of us put together! It's not fair we have to do the grocery shopping!"
"Ah, quit your grousing, kid," Wolverine rumbled. "We all gotta take a turn at the chores. Cleanin' out the bathroom after you've used it ain't no walk in the park."
"Hey!" Jubilee put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "How many times do I gotta tell you, I'm not a kid! I'm twenty-two!" She made a frustrated noise. "And that's rich coming from you, furrball! You got any idea how often you clog up the drains? That much chest hair oughta be illegal!" It was easier not to stare at Logan when she was angry with him. Although when his chest was bare like that… no, Jube, look away, she ordered herself.
"Furrball!" Wolverine threw his head back and laughed. "Been called every name under the sun, but that's a new one on me. Runnin' outta insults, are ya?"
"Aw, sweetheart, don't you worry none about that mean ol' dog," Rogue chuckled, dropping the younger woman a wink as she leaned back against a counter. "We don't need no men to do all the heavy liftin'. Not when we got a big strong gal like me." She flexed the muscles of one arm, putting her other hand on her hip at a jaunty angle. Jubilee made no effort to suppress a giggle.
"Or maybe, petit," Gambit remarked, taking another pull at his cigar, "we men just like to watch pretty girls stretching and bending over, non?"
"Gambit!" Rogue squeaked, "you are such a pervert!" But Jubilee was quick to notice the delicate shade of pink already spreading across the Southern Belle's face. Not for nothing was Gambit known as a smooth talker.
"Gumbo, you gonna sit here all day an' gawk at the ladies?" Wolverine bit out. "'Cause if y'are, I'm outta here. Got better things to do."
"What better thing is there than to appreciate a beautiful woman?" Gambit remarked, deftly walking a playing card between his fingers.
Wolverine puffed hard on his cigar. "Ya see one nice-lookin' dame, you seen 'em all," he grunted.
Gambit's peculiar eyes flicked unnoticeably between Jubilee and Wolverine, then met Rogue's. He knew she, too, had glanced between the two.
"Well maybe, mon ami, your eyes are not fully open to de pretty girl right under your nose?"
"What's that supposed t'mean?" Wolverine growled, but his quick, guilty look at Jubilee gave him away. The younger woman had her back turned as she put the groceries away, so she didn't notice – but Gambit and Rogue did.
"Sugar, it means that if an ol' dog wastes too much time, someone else might snap up the juicy bone he's been starin' at for so long."
Wolverine's gaze narrowed and he let out a long, slow growl through clenched teeth. It was at that point Jubilee turned around, hands balled angrily on her hips.
"Will you lot stop gasbagging and help me with these groceries? I'm not doing it all by myself!"
"Gambit help you, petit," the Cajun said with a flourish. "You not tall enough to reach the high shelves."
"I'll do it!" Wolverine flared, pushing his chair back as he stood up. "I'm not havin' anyone accusin' me of not pullin' my weight, Gumbo."
"Great! Thanks, Logan!" Jubilee turned a wide, dazzling smile on the Canadian. If he was going to help her, that meant he'd be working close to her – with no shirt on – and he'd probably brush up against her once or twice…
"You sure you tall enough?" Gambit joked with a wicked smile.
Snick. Wolverine unsheathed one single claw and used it to beckon the Cajun closer. "Come over here an' say that, bub." He took a single menacing stop forward – and stopped abruptly.
"Hey," he said, raising his head to sniff the air, "what's that stink? Smells like… snake?"
"Snake!" Jubilee exclaimed, shrinking in on herself. "Ew! I hate sn–"
A woman appeared out of thin air, right behind Wolverine.
Jubilee had time for one startled look – a short, sleek white bob, split-pupil eyes, white leather jumpsuit – before the stranger lunged and grabbed Wolverine's bare arm and bit him.
Wolverine let out a howl of pain and grabbed at the woman even as Jubilee – for once reacting faster than anyone – hit the stranger with a high-grade paff. She let out a startled hiss of pain and vanished.
Gambit's exploding cards hit the ground a second later while Wolverine's hands closed on thin air.
"No one bites me an'… ugh… gets away with it…!"
Wolverine collapsed.
"What in tarnation just happened?" Rogue yelled, rushing to her fallen friend. Jubilee beat her to it, sinking to her knees beside him. Gambit ran to the intercom, to warn Professor Xavier that they had a security breach. "Who the heck was she?"
"No idea, chere." Gambit was grim. "Best keep our eyes open, make sure she don't come back!"
"Logan," Jubilee gasped, trying to ease him into a sitting position. "We gotta get him to the sick bay! He musta' been poisoned when that crazy snake lady bit him!"
"Jubes, I'm… fine," Wolverine pushed through gritted teeth.
He looked anything but. He'd been bitten on one hairy forearm; underneath the hearty tan his skin was already swollen and angry. Dark lines radiated from four neat puncture marks – two on the top, two on the bottom. He was trembling and sweaty.
"Budge up, sweetheart, let me pick him up," Rogue commanded. Jubilee scooted to the side as Rogue slipped one arm under his arms and another under his knees. "Flyin's the quickest way to get him to sick bay. Darnit, Logan, have you put on a few pounds?"
"Never could… stand a… smart mouth," Wolverine mumbled, but he didn't resist her. With a groan he passed out.
Rogue heaved and then she was up, hovering several inches above the tiled floor. Jubilee lurched to her feet and hurried in front of her to open the door.
Hands closed on her shoulders. She was yanked back hard enough to pull her off her feet; as she fell she turned her head to see who was behind her. It was the vanishing woman again!
The stranger's lower jaw dropped unnaturally wide. Needle-sharp fangs dripped thin, greenish liquid. She pulled her head back to strike – but was knocked against the wall by a dazzling display of light, a sharp kinetic burst Jubilee herself would have been proud of… but it hadn't come from her.
Jubilee wasn't able to regain her balance in time. She fell on her rear with a hard thud. In a second she was scrambling upright, putting her back to the wall.
"Where the heck did that come from?" she cried, casting one panicked look at the prone snake-woman. "Who's got the same power as me?"
"Chere, look out!" Gambit called. Jubilee looked up just in time to see a second stranger swing nimbly through the open window. She landed in a crouch that turned into a sideways leap as she dodged one of Gambit's exploding cards, a tumble of dark hair billowing behind her.
"Rogue, get Wolverine outta here!" Jubilee barked. "Now!" She thrust both hands out and prepared to blast the second stranger.
"Wolverine?" the dark-haired woman cried. "Dammit, I'm too late!"
"Rogue!" Jubilee urged, taking her eye off the second attacker just long enough to glance across at her friend, "Go!"
But Rogue wasn't moving. She stood stock still, the unconscious Canadian in her arms. Her stare was blank.
"Gambit! Something's wrong with Rogue!"
The Cajun was already moving, but as he approached he slowed and then stopped, seeming to lose all purpose. Half-charged cards dropped from his fingers and exploded at his feet, doing nothing but knock him off balance. What was wrong with him?
"Don't look at her eyes!" the long-haired stranger shouted, "she'll hypnotise you!"
Jubilee's attention shifted back to the snake-woman, and she released the kinetic energy she'd been holding in one hard paff. But Snakes wriggled away in a split second, rolling and rolling until she'd given herself space to stand.
Then she vanished again.
"Where'd she go?" Jubilee wailed.
"Shuttup a minute!" Longhair cocked her head to one side, eyes closed. Then, eyes still closed, she whirled and punched what looked like empty space.
Jubilee heard a pained grunt and Snakes became visible, slumped on the floor. Longhair grabbed her by the short bob and hauled her upright, ignoring her squeals of protest.
But Snakes wasn't done yet. She pushed herself back, knocking her captor over and loosening her grip in the same movement. She lunged at Jubilee.
Jubilee didn't react swiftly enough. The snake-woman grabbed her yet again, hauled her close and bit her bare shoulder.
Agony ripped through her, radiating from her shoulder to her arm, her neck, her chest – she found it difficult to breathe – multi-coloured lights twinkled in her eyes –
The lights were more of Longhair's fireworks as she paffed Snakes. The woman ducked and charged, hitting Longhair hard enough to drive her against the kitchen's central island. Through a haze of pain Jubilee heard a dull crack as Longhair's head bounced off the heavy marble.
Jubilee's vision clouded. Wolverine might have been able to fight the venom for a few minutes with his healing factor, but Jubilee had no such reserves to fall back on. Cold, black unconsciousness rose up to claim her.