Chapter Seven: Someday My Prince Will Come
That night, after dinner, which even Logan had to admit was delicious, the kids showed Jean what they did after coming home from mines, have fun. They each played an instrument they did best with and simply sung nonsense, with Logan playing the organ that Jean saw earlier.
Ororo then walked up and smiled.
"I like to dance and tap my feat, but they won't keep in rhythm." She sang. "You see I washed them both today, and can't do a thing with them."
Everyone then chuckled at the choke and sang out,
Oh hum,da-doo-lee-dum!
The words don't mean a thing!
Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?
Kurt then used several pots and pans as drums and did a nice trick where he pounded on the drums before hitting a cymbal with his tail. Kitty then stood up.
"I…" She began. "Uh…"
Logan then blew a loud note, and that snapped Kitty to the alert.
"I chased a pole cat up a tree." Kitty said. "Way out upon a limb, and when he got the best of me, I got the worst of him."
Oh hum, da-doo-lee-dum!
The words don't mean a thing!
Isn't this a silly song for anyone to sing?
As the music continued, Rogue was pestered by that fly again.
"Hey, go away!" She said.
The fly then bothered Kurt who ended up quickening the beat in his effort to get the fly. He only ended up panting as the fly landed on Rogue's nose. She then made to swat it as Kurt gave her a cymbal, but she only succeeded in giving herself a big headache.
"Why you…" Rogue said angrily, and Kurt ended up with a very bad wedgie.
Jean then danced with each of the kids, except Logan in turn.
Kurt then got on top of Bobby with a long cloak.
"Hey watch it!" Bobby said. "Don't tickle my nose!"
Kurt made sure to keep his feat still as he put the cloak over the two, with Kurt as the arms and head and Bobby as the legs. They then walked up to Jean, and she danced around a little, with Kurt only nearly falling off once before he was pulled back up by Bobby.
The dance went on and everyone had a great time until they heard a sneeze building up from underneath Kurt's feat.
"Uh-oh." Kurt said.
"Duck and cover!" Logan called out, and everyone hid behind the organ.
"Mommy." Kurt squeaked as Bobby sneezed, and Kurt flew up into the ceiling and teleported back down.
Everyone laughed, and Jean sat down.
"That was fun." Jean said with a smile.
"Now it's your turn to do something." Ororo said.
"What should I do?" Jean asked.
"Tell us a story." Rogue said.
"Yes, tell us a story!" The others called out.
"A true story!" Kitty said.
"A love story!" Ororo said as she looked at Logan, who didn't return the gaze, but everyone saw a pink tinge in what they could see of his face.
"Well…" Jean said before she remembered the day she met Peter. "Once there was a princess."
"Was the princess you?" Hank asked.
"And she fell in love." Jean said with a nod.
"Was it hard to do?" Bobby asked.
"It was very easy." Jean said with a laugh. "Anyone could see that the prince was charming. The only one for me."
"Was he strong and handsome?" Hank asked puffing out his chest.
"Was he big and tall?" Bobby asked as he flew up.
"There's nobody like him anywhere at all." Jean said dreamily.
"Did he say he loved you?" Kitty asked.
"Did he steal a kiss?" Ororo asked.
"He was so romantic, I could not resist." Jean sang out.
Everyone except Logan then sat down as Logan leaned against a corner.
Someday, my prince will come.
Someday, we'll meet again.
And away to his castle we'll go,
To be happy forever, I know.
"Hmph." Logan muttered. "Mush."
Ororo then managed to pull herself away from the story and pulled Logan over to Jean, with Logan blushing even more.
Someday when spring is here,
We'll find our love anew.
Rogue was beginning to fall to sleep, just as if she was listening to a lullaby, even though she tried to resist it.
And the birds will sing,
And wedding bells will ring,
Someday when my dreams come true…
Everyone then sighed as a clock began to chime eleven.
"Oh look at the time." Jean said. "It must be way past all of our bedtimes."
"But I'm not sleepy…" Rogue said as she yawned.
"Oh yes you are." Jean said as she picked Rogue up.
"No I'm not." Rogue said as she made another yawn.
"Now, all of you, go to your room." Jean said kindly.
"Wait a second." Hank said. "We can pretty much sleep anywhere. The princess will sleep in our room tonight."
"But where will you sleep?" Jean asked.
"Oh, we'll be fine down here." Hank said.
"In a pig's eye." Logan muttered.
"Hey, stop that!" Hank said. "Don't worry. We'll be comfortable down here. Won't we, guys?"
"Oh yeah." They all said as Kurt grabbed a pillow and prepared to go to sleep on a bench.
"Don't worry about us." Ororo said. "We'll be alright."
"Go right on up." Hank said.
"Well…" Jean said. "If you insist. Good night."
"Good night princess." The children said.
"Are you sure you'll be comfortable?" Jean.
"We'll be fine." Bobby said.
"Well, have pleasant dreams then." Jean said as she went inside.
Once Jean closed the door, they all headed for the pillow.
Unfortunately, it ended up ripping because everyone had dived at it. Kurt shrugged and curled up like a dog as he went back to sleep on the bench.
()()()()()
In the children's room, Jean was saying her evening prayers.
"Bless Warren Worthington for saving my life, and please help my step-mother overcome her anger." Jean prayed. "Bless the seven little children who have been so kind to me, and may all my dreams come true. Also, please help Logan find it in his heart to like me. Amen."
Jean then went to sleep on the same three beds she had taken her nap in.
()()()()()
"Women!" Logan said as he tried to get himself comfortable in the pot that Jean's soup had been before he felt something poking in his back and pulled out the ladle. "This has been a fine kettle of fish."
He tossed the ladle onto the floor and began to go to sleep.
Kitty was sleeping near a drawer. Ororo was sleeping on top of the drawer. Hank was sleeping in the sink, getting a small drop of water in his mouth too. Bobby was sleeping on top of Kurt, but he woke up when Kurt was whimpering like a dog before Bobby poked him in the leg, and he went back to sleeping peacefully.
Logan went back to sleep as he was used to their snores by now, but the only thing he wasn't used to was someone whimpering, and Rogue did just that. She was fretting like a toddler as she squirmed in bed. Logan easily knew what had happened. Rogue's stuffed rabbit, Bunny, was upstairs in the bed room. Normally, if Rogue didn't have Bunny, Logan or Ororo would go and get it for her, but Ororo was out like a light, and Logan didn't feel like looking for a stuffed rabbit up in the bed room with Jean there, so he just got out of the pot, walked up to Kurt and slipped a pillow under Bobby's head. Logan then picked Kurt up and put him in Rogue's arms, as they both slept contentedly while Rogue petted Kurt.
Finally with some variation of peace and quiet by now, Logan hopped back into the pot and fell asleep.
()()()()()
Meanwhile, the old hag that would be Emma for the next few days dipped an apple into a potion she had spent several hours making.
"Dip the apple in the brew." Emma chanted. "Let the sleeping death seep through."
She then picked the apple up, and it had turned black with the green potion clinging to it dripped away until it made a skull image.
"Yes!" Emma said wickedly. "Under skin, a symbol of what lies within. Now turn red to tempt Jean and make her hunger with such pangs."
Emma then smirked and looked at the now beautifully red apple in her hand, sort of an opposite of her. Something ugly disguised as something delicious.
Emma chuckled and got a mischievous look on her artificially aged face.
"Have a bit, sweetie!" Emma said as she shoved the apple into Pierce's face.
"BWAH!" Pierce said as he backed away.
"Oh, you know it's not for you." Emma said as she tickled Pierce's chin with her claw like finger. "It's for Jean. When she breaks the tender skin to taste this apple, her breast will still, her blood congeal, and I'll be the fairest in the land!"
"As soon as that disguise wears off." Pierce said before Emma starred him down.
"Wait a minute." Emma said as a sudden thought crossed her mind. "There may be an antidote. Nothing can be over-looked!"
Emma looked at her book again and found what she was looking for.
"Here it is!" Emma said. "'The victim of the sleeping death can be revived only by love's first kiss.' 'Love's first kiss'? Emma said with a sneer before closing the book. "No fear of that. Those brats will think she's just dead. She'll end up buried alive!"
She then walked down a secret stairway.
"Sweet Heaven, what's that girl's problem?!" Pierce asked as the door closed.
()()()()()
Emma then made her way to a secret ship as she looked at a long dead captive of the dungeon that appeared to be reaching for water.
"Thirsty?" Emma asked the skeleton that was left of the prisoner. "Have a drink!"
Emma then kicked the jug, and the skeleton smashed to pieces. She then got onto the ship and rested as she thought about what she would do once Jean was out of the way. Maybe she'd seduce that little beau Jean met just to spite her soon to be buried alive step-daughter.
In a few days, Emma landed on Earth and saw the ruined husk of the boar Warren Worthington had killed to trick Emma. She'd deal with Warren and his family after this. She only had about five hours left before the disguise wore off, and she knew Jean would never accept an apple from her.
Aw… Logan has a heart.
Logan: Shut up!
