Finally, my fourth chapter. If any of my readers is a fan of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., I wasn't trying to use May's name for the lunch lady. The first and last names for her just came to mind. That's one good series if anyone is interested. Great tech, great twists, and a great story. Anyway, on to the fourth chapter of X-Men: Light within Darkness.

Chapter 4: Back to Bayville

The blast of light and the shriek of a firework caused Jubilee to cry out involuntarily. It was much brighter and louder than usual and she fully expected for her hand and then her arm to start disintegrating. She opened her eyes hesitantly to behold…a perfectly healthy hand.

She held her arm out in front of her and studied it from different angles. As far as she could tell, she was perfectly fine. She squealed and then laughed as she caught sight of the Gary Anderson target she had been shooting at. There was a pretty big hole right where his mouth had been. Taking aim once more, she let her powers rip.

Her fireworks weren't just brighter and louder now. Instead of being purple and yellow with bursts of random colored lights flashing off, the blast was black and red with the mini bursts ranging from yellow to red with the occasional white one. The firework slammed into the target a second time, shattering it and sending the pieces flying everywhere. She grinned as she surveyed the damage. Not only were her mutant powers not going to kill her, but they had been enhanced! She wasn't sure she liked the color scheme but she wasn't going to complain too much about that.

She hummed as she gathered her stuff up and headed out for home. She felt great as she ran through the warehouses and lots at above-average speeds, only slowing down when she came up on a crowded sidewalk. These new powers would really help with the X-Men's missions. Right now she only had two problems with her new situation: The vampire allergies she had yet to test and the fact she should probably tell her parents and the X-Men about what had happened to her. That last thought pulled her up short. How will that go over? Hey everyone, it's great to see you again and, oh yeah, I'm a vampire. Anyone up for a trip to the mall?

She cringed at the thought of what they would do if they found out she was a vampire. Images flashed through her mind of Kurt holding a silver cross towards her as a ward while Jean hurled wooden stakes. Kitty threatening her with a piece of garlic while Amara powered up her flame abilities. The cover art of Rogue's Anne Rice novels were slashed open to reveal Wolverine dipping his claws into holy water and then turning towards her with a snarl. Their faces were all twisted with fear, disgust, and hatred. Hurriedly she shook her head.

These are my friends for crying out loud! They're not going to kill me right off the bat. That's a pretty good pun there. Besides, I haven't ripped someone's throat out and drained their veins. I can smell blood and it smells pretty good, but that doesn't mean I'm going to drink the stuff. Maybe blood just smells good when you have an enhanced nose.

"Ow!" She looked towards the cry of pain to see a little boy about eight years old on the ground crying. He was holding his right hand with his left. He had apparently tripped and scraped his hand on the concrete. Her thoughts forgotten, she rushed over to help him up.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she helped him to his feet.

He sniffed. "I fell down and my hand hurts." He held it out to her. There were a few small cuts in close proximity to each other, easily covered by a band-aid. She had a small bottle of hydrogen peroxide along with a few band-aids in one of her bag's compartments. Ever since the incident at the Institute, she always kept a few essentials on her person in case of an emergency. Granola bars, bottles of water, and a few other items.

"This is going to sting a little," she soothed as she brought the bottle to his outstretched hand. As she looked into his palm, she stopped short.

Oozing up through the cuts in his skin was blood. As soon as she saw it, her senses went on overdrive, focused entirely on the red drops. She could see the tiny indentations in the boy's skin fill up with blood just like an irrigation ditch. She could smell the fluid; it seemed like a combo of iron, cinnamon, and chocolate. She could hear the sticky sound of it as it came to the surface, as well as more of it flowing to the wound, pulsing with his heartbeat. A craving unlike any other overcame her rational mind, an urge to put her mouth to the cuts and suck like a baby on its mother's milk, accompanied by the instinct to grab the boy and keep him from struggling. She felt her fangs starting to elongate, but, mercifully, she was interrupted.

"Bobby," called a feminine voice. Jubilee snapped out of her trance and looked up to see a tall woman hurrying towards them. Jubilee quickly applied the hydrogen peroxide and started searching for a band-aid. The boy let out a muffled yelp as it started to bubble.

The woman came up to them and kneeled down by her son. "Bobby, don't wander off from me again. What happened?"

"Mommy, I tripped and cut myself," the boy explained. "She helped me." Jubilee tried to hold down the sudden explosion of guilt that shot through her heart. She took out the band-aid and waited for the hydrogen peroxide to quit bubbling. The sizzling sounded like bubblewrap to her ears.

"Thank you for helping my son," the woman smiled. She looked quizzically at the bottle, the band-aids, and the open compartment on Jubilee's bag. "You carry band-aids and hydrogen peroxide wherever you go?" she enquired.

"Yeah," Jubilee responded. "A gas line near my old home blew up and took the house with it. Nobody was hurt, but we didn't have anything for a while. I started carrying stuff with me just in case." It was half true: her home had exploded. She just hadn't mentioned it was the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters or that it was the mansion's self-destruct device that blew it up. She hoped she could get Mystique back for that. "I need to go now. My parents are waiting for me."

"Go ahead, and thanks again," the woman said. "Bobby, what do we say?"

"Thank you," Bobby answered, smiling at Jubilee.

Jubilee smiled back, but as soon as her back was turned, the smile melted into a look of horror and guilt. The boy's name brought up memories of Bobby Drake, the Iceman. She remembered the ice ballerina he had made to show her, the time they had taken the X-Jet for a joy ride, and the Sadie-Hawkins Dance. What would he think of me? I just considered draining a kid of his blood. A kid! Holy crap, this…this is worse than I thought. Okay, as soon as Xavier comes to pick me up, I'm telling my parents and the instructors. Mr. McCoy might be able to create a cure, and I think Logan's healing factor would allow for multiple blood donations. What really scared her was that half of her was revolted by the whole thing, while the other half was thinking about the incident and enjoying the memory of that obscene craving. Half of her wanted this!

She thought about it all the way back home. She resolved to test the other weaknesses as soon as possible. She had heard the pulses of both her parent's and felt her father's last night. She was attuned to the human circulatory system. They needed to have something to defend against her if she really gave in to temptation. She couldn't help up choking up as she thought about her few friends and protectors at school. If they learned that her eyes and teeth weren't caused by her mutation, but by vamparicism, she could kiss their support goodbye real quick. A mutant was one thing, a vampire was something else entirely. Magneto may believe that mutants were a superior species, but they didn't prey on humans for their blood. Jubilee sighed and pulled herself back together as she came up to her house. Just test for any other weaknesses after dinner and tell them as soon as the X-Men get here. I just hope I can eat dinner. Oh, and be sure to ask Xavier about Brandon. He sounds like a good kid.

She had promised Janet she would speak to Professor Xavier about Brandon coming to the Institute. Nobody at their school knew about his mutation but that was usually a matter of time. Then again, going to the Institute might only expose him far earlier than otherwise. She honestly hoped that Xavier's dream of humans and mutants coexisting could become reality but right now, she didn't think it would happen in his lifetime or hers. Wait a minute. I'm a freaking vampire. Of course I'll be around for that. Assuming I don't get staked first.

When asked about her day, Jubilee didn't mention the incident with her eyes and teeth. She'd tell them when Xavier dropped in to pick her up. When she asked about that, her mother told her that: "Professor Xavier said that he and a Mr. McCoy would be dropping around tomorrow. I already contacted the school about transferring your credits to Bayville High. They were pretty quick with it." Thankfully, the next day was a Saturday. Her parents would take her finished homework for the weekend to the school this Monday.

Jubilee noticed that her mother's usually delicious fish tacos tasted rather bland. Adding condiments didn't help much but she didn't say much about it. Her parents had enough to put up with her mutation, her school issues, and now her vamparicism. A bland taco was nothing compared to that.

While she was putting away the washed and dried dishes, she found one of her mother's silver special occasion plates. Taking a deep breath, she tapped it quickly with a forefinger. When nothing happened, she placed her whole hand on the plate. Still nothing. With the garlic, she found a clove of it in the pantry. It didn't hurt her at all, even when she popped it into her mouth and gave it a chew. She did find the taste of raw garlic incredibly unpleasant though. When she went upstairs to finish the thankfully small amount of weekend homework she had been given, she dug through her jewelry box until she found the necklace with a small silver cross on it. She found she could both look at it and touch it.

This is both good and bad Jubilee thought. On one hand, nobody like Anderson or the FOH can use those things against me. On the other, if I go blood-crazy, none of the good guys will be able to stop me. Of course, Professor Xavier could stop me with a good mental assault, hopefully. And I'm pretty sure I'm not adamantium-proof. Jubilee hurriedly shook her head. Thinking about ways your friends and mentors could kill was way too morbid. She found the history of the American Civil War to be a much better alternative, ironically.

When Jubilee finished up her homework, she got onto her email account to check her inbox. After deleting the copious amount of hate mail, she found a few from her friends at the Institute, including one from Bobby with an attached photo of himself in his new X-Man uniform. Most of the New Mutants had formed their own group, which they called "X-Force." Basically, it was a more experienced version of the New Mutants. She wondered which group she should join. X-Force would have most of her friends, while the X-Men were slightly more prestigious and had Bobby as a member. How will this vampire thing affect us? I know he finds me attractive and I think I like him back, but I'm a vampire now. If he finds out, I'll be lucky to remain his friend, let alone date him.

The last email in her inbox caught her eye as it was from Rahne. She opened it to discover that the Scottish mutant was coming back as well. Jubilee thought back to when they had all shared how their powers had manifested. Her own had been during a fireworks show. Rahne's was far more traumatic. The village where she had lived in Scotland had turned out to hunt her, thinking her a werewolf. The priest that Rahne had considered a father figure had led the mob, crying out that she was child of the devil. Jubilee couldn't help but notice the extreme irony. Rahne was a total mutant with the ability to turn into a wolf and a werewolf-like form, prompting her to be mistaken for the creature. She, on the other hand, was now a vampire/mutant hybrid who was still believed to be just a mutant even when her vamparic features had been exposed in public. Maybe that was just because people knew about mutants.

Jubilee finished writing her response to Rahne's email and just sat on her bed, thinking about the possibilities that her transformation implicated. If vampires were real, what about werewolves? How many mutants in the past had been persecuted as monsters? What if some of the victims of the Salem Witch trials had really been mutants? How many of the creatures of the night in the Middle Ages were really the first mutants and how many mutant misdeeds today was really the work of actual monsters? Her world had just become more complicated.

Yawning, Jubilee decided that those questions were better thought about in the morning. She washed her face, brushed her teeth, wished her parents good night, and then went to bed. She didn't fall asleep until her mind finally quieted down. What she didn't notice was that her night vision wasn't as good as it had been in the early morning.

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The next day found Jubilee waiting nervously in her living room for Professor Xavier and Mr. McCoy to arrive. She had spent the morning packing her things for the Institute. She had also rehearsed how she would tell them and her parents she was a vampire. The professor's telepathy would confirm her story. It was incredibly unbelievable unless you could see it for yourself. She just hoped that he would still take her in. She remembered wanting to drink that boy's blood all too well. It would be a glaring warning sign to any telepath that took an extensive look through her memories. Vampire here! Expose veins and get cut at your own risk.

She winced as she remembered that Jean's telepathy was both passive and strong. One wrong thought around her and she would know everything. Okay, she's one of the first people I'm telling. A secret like this isn't worth keeping from someone who can find out just by walking close to you. So far, she planned on telling her parents, the Professor, Mr. McCoy, Logan, Storm, Jean, and Scott, and eventually everyone else. After the instructors, she'd probably start with Bobby or Rahne; Bobby because they had a mutual crush going on, and Rahne because she understood what it was like to be mistaken for a true monster. Except Jubilee had become the real deal, not a mutant with vamparic features.

Then again, maybe this whole thing is part of my mutation. Some mutations do change and develop as time goes on. But, those changes usually reflect on a change or upgrade to the original abilities, and besides the fact my fireworks have gotten stronger and changed color, most of my changes have been physical and mental. Maybe Mr. McCoy can check my DNA at the Institute, if the Professor approves of me going there. This can go wrong in so many ways.

She wasn't feeling that good about this. To tell the truth, she didn't feel good period. It was like she had a bad cold without the coughing or the mucus. She felt fatigued, breakfast had barely had any taste to it, and her senses were barely functioning on a normal level. Getting up and looking in a small mirror showed that her skin had gotten even paler than yesterday. Her complexion matched Rogue's now, which was rather strange to see. All she needed was a little dark lipstick and eyeliner and she'd make a pretty good Goth.

She jumped when the doorbell went off. She took a moment to collect her thoughts as her mother answered the door. Well, no point in procrastinating. Pivotal moment in my life, here I come. It was a pivotal moment in her life, just as when she found out she was a mutant, or when her parents took her out of the Institute. Only this time, she had to show Professor Charles Xavier, the world's most powerful telepath, that she was a vampire and that she was not a threat to the others at the Institute. If he approved, she could go back to the Institute where her friends were, people who understood her. If he saw her as a monster, she would have to go back to school tomorrow, worrying constantly that her new secret would be exposed. Breathing in and out, she opened the living room door to admit the Professor and Mr. McCoy.

"Professor, Mr. McCoy, it's good to see you again." Inwardly she cringed. She would be a lot more enthusiastic if it wasn't for this entire vampire thing. They'd notice that.

The Professor smiled from his wheelchair. "It's good to see you too, Jubilee." The Professor always had a calming effect on those around him, which she was thankful for. Though she could tell he was studying her, wondering why she was acting so subdued. "I'm glad your parents have decided to let you come back to my Institute. The others were excited to hear you were coming back."

"I'm excited too, Professor. How is everybody?"

"They're good," he answered as Mr. McCoy wheeled him besides an easy chair. Her parents came in behind them. "Things have settled down since Apocalypse was defeated, and Magneto won't be causing any more trouble."

"A relief in both cases," added Mr. McCoy. He looked at Jubilee closely. "Jubilee, have you been getting enough sun? A vitamin D deficiency isn't good for your skeletal system."

"Yes, I've been getting enough sun, and exercise, if Logan is wondering," she answered, covering her nerves in a wry smile. "There are a couple of things I need to tell you, in a few minutes," she added while sitting down.

"Of course," nodded the Professor. Turning to Jubilee's parents, he started. "Now, are there any questions?" Her parents asked the usual stuff about the Institute and Bayville High that they had last time. While Jubilee prepared her speech about Brandon and her newfound vamparicsim, the Professor explained that the school board at Bayville High prohibited the Institute's students from using their powers while on school grounds.

Yes, the students did face the same kind of discrimination from their peers, but they did have each other and the Institute to fall back on. No, Danger Room sessions hadn't gotten more dangerous, though they did up the levels as the students got more experienced. Yes, security measures had been upgraded in the aftermath of both the Sentinel Incident and Apocalypse's attempted takeover.

By the time her parents had their questions answered, Jubilee's stomach felt like it had dragonflies instead of butterflies buzzing around in it. The sudden episodes of vertigo didn't help either. After this, she was either going to see a doctor or have Mr. McCoy do a check-up on her at the Institute, depending on how the Professor felt about vampires.

"Jubilee." She nearly jumped at the sound of the Professor's voice. The concerned look in his eye showed her he could either discern or sense the tension raging in her. "You said you had a few things you wanted to tell me."

"Um, yes professor." Jubes took a quick moment to gather her thoughts. "There's a friend of mine at school, Janet Watson. Her brother Brandon is a mutant. He's been able to hide his rock-abilities for a few months now. He nearly had a mob come after him when his powers acted up while in public. You might want to contact his family about him joining the Institute." She told him their number.

The Prof nodded. "Yes. Unfortunately, the number of mutants manifesting has been far too much for the Institute to handle. I should look into expanding. I will contact his family about him joining the Institute."

"Professor Xavier," piped up Mr. Lee. "The day before yesterday, Jubilee was attacked by a mutant gang while on her way home. She may want to tell you what happened herself." Jubilee looked at her dad out of the corner of the eye. She'd much rather start telling him herself.

"Jubilee, what happened?" enquired Hank, giving her a concerned look.

She sighed. Time to tell one of the most bizarre stories ever told, which was rich considering she was a mutant, living in an incredibly strange world.

"I headed home after school. I had gotten detention for getting in a fight, one," she added pointedly, "which I didn't begin or end. I was going through an abandoned warehouse when all the doors and windows were slammed shut. It was dark and then I saw them." She took a breath.

"There were six of them. I tried reasoning with them, and when that didn't work, I used my stun gun and my mace." She snorted. "That barely slowed them down. They were stronger and faster than normal, and it wasn't just that. Their eyes were red and their teeth were like fangs. They looked just like vampires. Their leader claimed that they were vampires, and when he tried to bite me, I used my powers on him." Her voice decided to crack right then. "I…I killed him. My fireworks, or plasmoids as you call them," she gestured to Mr. McCoy, "disintegrated his head, and then the rest of him turned to ash."

"Oh dear Lord," whispered the Professor, horror written on his face and Mr. McCoy's.

"When his 'girlfiend' sicced the rest of them on me, I killed them. All of them." Jubilee couldn't help but clench her fists. "They just wouldn't leave me alone," she whispered. "And then, the girlfriend managed to jump me. She hit me in the head and then bit my wrist. I blasted her and then blacked out."

"That's how I found her," her father said quietly. "We never should have taken her from the Institute. Everything at school and then this…." He covered his face with his hands.

"Jian," her mother put a hand on his shoulder and whispered a few comforting Chinese words to him. Jubilee felt a surge of guilt. Her parents had no idea that it was even worse than that, and she was planning on telling them that she was a full-on vampire. Any resentment she still felt towards them evaporated right then and there. New plan: Tell the Professor via telepathy. There was no way she was telling her parents that she was a vampire now. They had enough guilt.

Professor Jubilee thought as loudly as she could.

Jubilee, not so loud. I can hear you just fine replied the familiar psychic voice of the Professor.

Jubilee "lowered" her thoughts' volume before continuing. There's more to the story than that. Telling you all now would only hurt my parents more. I'll wait until we're on the Blackbird to explain.

Is this something that your parents should hear? The prof asked. I can sense your unease Jubilee. I don't have to dig to see that you're afraid, afraid I'm not going to accept you back. Jubilee looked at him, startled. She could see the concern in his eyes, both for her and for whatever it was that made her afraid he would reject her. If it's about the gang that attacked you, it's not your fault. You were just defending yourself. I'm not going to leave you on your own because of that.

Professor, please Jubilee thought back. It's worse, and I'll explain when we're on the jet. This is something you need to know.

The Professor gave her an odd look and then turned to her parents. Her mother was still speaking to her father. Xavier knitted his eyebrows together in concentration. Suddenly, her parents just froze there. Jubilee concentrated on her own gifts and managed to pick up their heartbeats with her ears. They were both alive but unmoving. "What in the…."

"I've used my telepathy to freeze your parents' minds," Xavier said. "They're alright and they'll be fine when I let them go. Since most people don't consciously keep track of time, they'll simply be surprised that my visit took so long."

"Charles, why are you doing this?" asked Mr. McCoy. He hadn't heard a word of their mental exchange, and looked rather perturbed at the Professor's mental pausing of her parents.

"Hank, Jubilee told me via my telepathy that there's more to her story than she's let her parents know. Whatever it is, she's afraid it'll hurt her parents more and that I won't let her come back to the Institute because of it."

Mr. McCoy raised an eyebrow and looked at Jubilee, puzzled.

Jubilee took a deep breath. A week ago, if someone had told her she would be telling the Headmaster of the Xavier Institute that she was a vampire, she would have said they were nuts. "I thought those gangbangers were just mutants. But I'm pretty sure that when a mutant bites you…." She paused and called upon her newfound powers to show themselves. The sensitivity of her sight, hearing, smell, and touch increased beyond a normal human but not by much, not this time. She knew that her eyes had changed to that frightening shade of red, and as her teeth became fangs meant for piercing soft flesh and veins, she opened her mouth and revealed them. Glancing down at her hands, she realized that her pale skin didn't visibly change, even to her vamparic vision. She became aware of the Professor's and Beast's heartbeats going up. She looked them full in the eye as she finished. "You don't get that mutant's powers. That does happen with vampires though."

"Oh my stars and garters," breathed Mr. McCoy, staring at her.

"Professor, look through my memories. You need to know what taking me back means," Jubilee said quietly.

The Professor nodded slowly, put his hands to his temple, and closed his eyes. Jubilee gasped and clutched the chair as she began to relive the past two days. The fight in the hall, detention, the attack, her collapse, awakening, the incident outside the girl's restroom, testing her new abilities, and finally, the temptation to drain the little boy of his life's blood. Then it ended.

"Oh my…," whispered the Professor, staring at her. "We need to get you back to the Institute, figure out a cure for this."

"Fine with me prof. The benefits don't outweigh the costs," agreed Jubilee.

"I'll just unfreeze your parents and get to the Blackbird." Jubilee hurriedly calmed her vamparic side down and when her parents started moving again, she got up and embraced them. The rest of the meeting was a blur to Jubilee. Telling the Prof about her "healing factor," packing her things into an extra taxi, giving her parents her last farewell.

"Remember, we'll always love you," her father told her in Chinese, smiling.

"Take care, little firework," her mother teased.

Jubilee reflected on her nickname as they drove to the airport. When she was little, she had had a real flare for loud noises and bright colors. She had therefore loved the Fourth of July, especially the fireworks displays. It was ironic that her mutation gave her the ability to shoot plasmoids from her hands, little balls of plasma held together by small magnetic fields. Everything about her, her name, her personality, her likings, her powers, they all spoke of celebration and happiness. And now she was a freaking vampire.

Jubilee breathed in and out. Happy thoughts, girl, happy thoughts. She was going back to the Institute with her friends. They and the instructors there would help her out whenever she needed it. They understood what it was like to be different. And she would get to see Bobby again. She smiled at that. She wasn't a prankster like him, but they both knew how to use their powers for fun. They had had some good times, and they would again.

It wasn't until they were well on their way to New York onboard the Blackbird that Jubilee noticed it. Her vision had been getting worse along with her hearing, but she was really noticing it now. Everything was hazy, and she could barely make out her hand in front of her face. The vertigo that swept her brain when she stood nearly sent her to the ground. Her head pounded like a drum, making her wince. She hungered for something and she was afraid of what it was. She could barely make out the Professor and Mr. McCoy looking up at her from the controls. "Professor…" she started to say, but she couldn't finish. She crashed to the jet's floor. She could barely make out their cries of alarm before the darkness claimed her.

Jubilee gets in touch with her vamparic abilities and desires, oh boy. Next chapter, what is causing Jubilee's mysterious illness, and who is now at the Institute?