A/N: As usual, credit to the owners of each OC appearing in this fanfic is given in my artist's comments on this chapter on deviantArt. (If you don't know my deviantArt username to find my gallery, I'm on there as Yoruhoshi.) Also, a big thanks to Fauna's creator for helping me decide the title of this chapter from the pool of suggestions I got from my dA readers. NOTE: This fanfiction is the sequel to my other X-Men: Evolution fanfiction, "Tempest Fury." I highly recommend you read that one in its entirety before you start reading this one! R&R please!


Chapter 6: Pressure Zone

A strange sort of thrilling sensation continued to bubble in Jubilee's stomach after she returned to the Institute. She had expected the feeling to go away upon meeting and talking to Arial, but for some reason it didn't; if anything, their meeting only heightened the feeling. She was beginning to solve the mystery, bit by little bit! Not to mention…what if she was actually helping Arial by getting him to open up and talk to her?

She tried to scoff the idea off, tell herself she was being ridiculous, but maybe it was a real possibility. After all, Arial was willing to talk, however reluctantly, and maybe that was what he needed. Maybe, just maybe, he might change his mind and return to the Institute after a while, make amends with everyone, and then the tension surrounding the whole issue would die down.

"Yeah right, Jubilation," she snorted, tossing her armadillo stuffie up in the air and catching it, "And maybe you'll get a plaque with your name on it in the Xavier Institute Hall of Famous Mutants. 'The Chick Who Brought Back Arial.' I can see it now."

She continued tossing the armadillo up and down, doing her best to dismiss her delusions of grandeur, a task that was fast proving difficult with her thrill of meeting the elusive young artist. After several minutes, someone knocked on her door several times, causing her to fumble the stuffed animal.

"Aww, crap!" She groaned. "Come in!"

The door slowly creaked open to admit four solemn-faced figures, who entered her room and measured her with calculating looks.

"Uh-oh…is this the interrogation committee?" She asked, eyes darting from Jean to Katy to Chase to Kitty and then back to Jean.

"Jubilee, we're not here to interrogate you," Jean began.

"—we just want to know where you like, ran off to earlier," Kitty jumped in, "And with your backpack? That's not like you at all."

"I'm surprised you just didn't read my mind right away." She remarked, picking up the armadillo stuffie and stroking its ears.

"Don't tempt me." Jean said dryly. "We want to give you the opportunity to talk first, to tell us. Is everything okay? Are you alright?"

"What, are you kidding me?" She burst out, the thrilling sensation reaching boiling point without warning, her face splitting into a huge smile. "Everything. Is. Awesome."

The other four exchanged several startled looks before all eyes turned to Chase, who grimaced and nodded.

"She's telling the truth, girls." She confirmed.

"Exactly!" Jubilee said cheerfully, "I'm working on something, something big! But it's a surprise, so no peeking or anything until I'm positive it's ready!"

Jean and Kitty just frowned, but Chase and Katy were struggling to keep their faces neutral, which put her on a wary edge. They both already knew about her interest in Arial's story; if they didn't somehow already know what she had been up to, they probably suspected it. And with a glance at Katy, Jubilee could tell she and Chase weren't about to leave anytime soon.

"Well," Kitty said uncertainly, "Okay. If you're sure."

Jean frowned but said nothing, and she left the room, Kitty on her heels. There was a long, awkward pause, and the three girls remaining looked back and forth between each other. At last, Jubilee let out a long sigh, squeezing her armadillo tightly, and patted the comforter on her bed.

"You might as well sit down." She said in exasperation.

"Okay, Jubilation," Katy began, "Spill it, an' be honest."

"You say that like I'm under oath."

"With me here, you might as well be." Chase pointed out. "So tell us the truth. Where did you go earlier?"

She took a deep breath, feeling the hair raise on the back of her neck, her heart pounding, a twisting knot building in her stomach.

"I went out to the Peace Baptist Church on 3rd and Elm," she replied, refusing to meet their eyes, "Because I was passed a note. Arial somehow found out that I had his sketchbook, so I went to return it to him."

"What?!" Chase practically squawked.

"You returned his sketchbook to him?" Katy said, eyebrows raising, and when Jubilee nodded, she smiled in approval. "Good girl!"

"What? No, no!" Chase protested. "You should have told someone! That wasn't safe, Jubilee. You could have gotten hurt!"

The two turned and looked at her, each raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"Uh…yeah, okay Mom." Jubilee said. "Talking to strangers is bad. But last I checked, Arial used to live here too."

"Yes, and I still consider him a friend—"

"Then why are you wigging out?"

"But you guys don't know what Arial used to be like, versus what he's like now."

"Are you sayin' you do?" Katy asked skeptically.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Chase admitted, cheeks going slightly pink, "But I do know that the old Arial rarely made open threats or talked about how dangerous he was. Not to mention he didn't dress like a quasi-Goth reject biker."

"Hey, I think the leather jacket adds to his masculinity," Jubilee declared, "What with that baby face and long princess hair he's got, he probably needs it."

"The point is," Chase pressed on, "Switching sides and living with the Brotherhood has changed Arial. And I'm not so sure it's for the better. Just running off to meet up with him like that isn't safe, Jubilation."

"Well, I went this time and came back just fine, didn't I?" She said, feeling slightly angry, an indignant edge to her tone. "Sure, Arial tried to scare me a little, but that was just because I took his sketchbook when I should have just let it be."

"You learned your lesson well, young padawan." Katy remarked with a pleased smile.

"I did, and I told him that. We talked a little, and then he had to leave. He already said he's willing to meet up again sometime, to answer some of my questions." Jubilee said, crossing her arms at Chase.

"But it may not be safe." The redhead insisted.

"Chase, Arial was your friend, right?" She asked. "Wouldn't you rather he come back here to stay?"

"Well…yes, but…"

"Then maybe we have to hear his side of the story first, before he'll come back."

There was a very long silence in which none of them said a word, then at length Chase let out a sigh of defeat.

"I hope you're right, sparky. For all our sakes."

That largely ended the discussion, and in a moment the two left. Jubilee resorted to writing down a list of possible questions she wanted to ask Arial when they next talked, trying to keep her mind off of what Chase had said. How could Arial be any more dangerous than the next mutant? Besides, Brotherhood status or not, something about the blonde boy just didn't strike her as, well…unsafe. The way he had been so happy at the return of his sketchbook, it was like watching a little boy being reunited with his lost puppy. He just seemed too vulnerable, too…human.

She paused while writing the list, picked up the armadillo stuffie, and studied its plush face.

"Arial's a nice guy, Pickles. I just know he is," she whispered, "He just needs to remember it too."
She continued to work on the list until late at night, editing and revising most of the questions and scrapping others entirely. It was a bit ironic really, as she had never put in that much effort before with school and homework. But then again, perhaps she was just invested enough in solving this mystery that she was willing to put in that extra effort. Eventually, her stomach gave a low growl and she tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen, intent on sneaking a late-night snack. But once she got in there, she realized she wasn't the only one with that idea.

"You should be in bed by now, squirt," Logan remarked without looking up from the huge sandwich he was making, "Not pokin' around for food."

"Just getting a slightly-before-midnight snack." She explained, slipping past him to take a look in the fridge. He didn't say anything at first, but started to sniff the air in his distinctly animal way. She paid little attention to the mannerism, until he made an unexpected remark.

"How was your visit with Arial?"

She fumbled and nearly dropped the jug of milk and bottle of chocolate syrup she'd been going for, heart hammering in panic.

"V-visit with who? I-I don't know what you're—"

"Give it up, half-pint," he sighed in exasperation, "I know you went, as if your sneakin' around earlier wasn't enough of a clue. Goldilocks has a very unique scent; smell of octopus ain't one you forget any time soon."

She bit her lip furiously. Heightened sense of smell; she'd have to remember that the next time she tried to hide anything from him.

"Come on, Jubilee," he said, tossing her a look as he slapped a generous portion of mayonnaise on his sandwich, "Tell me what happened."

She fidgeted, setting the milk and syrup on the counter, not wanting to meet his eyes. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to find out where she had gone and end up being forbidden from trying to talk to Arial again. She was so close to solving the mystery of the incident! Eventually though, Logan's presence won out and she resigned herself to confessing to him.

"Well, he wanted his sketchbook back, because I kind of found it and took it on accident. So I met up with him and gave it back." She said somewhat lamely.

"And?" He prompted.

"We kind of talked, a little bit," she replied, glancing up at him hesitantly, "I tried to ask him some questions, but we didn't get too far before he kinda ran out on me."

"Hmm." Was the only response she got. She hesitated, unnerved by Logan's silence, then threw out something she hoped would get him talking.

"Arial said you brought him to the Institute." She said in what she hoped was a cheery voice, but he only gave a nod of confirmation, nothing more. She stayed quiet, unsure of what she was doing wrong, all the while getting the strong impression there was something Logan was waiting for her to ask. After a couple moments of hard thinking, it clicked, and she turned to face him completely.

"Why do Chase and all the others say Arial's dangerous?" She asked. "They treat him like he's a threat whenever I bring him up, but it's not like he's any more dangerous than any other mutant, right?" When he gave her a long look, clearly struggling with what to say, she added, "He's like a big puppy under the tough guy James Dean act. Even if he is with those Brotherhood guys right now, he just doesn't seem like a bad person, Wolverine. I just don't get that vibe from him."

"You aren't wrong on that, kid," He began slowly. "Arial's no more dangerous than any of the rest of you. Not that he's anywhere near my level of dangerous. None of ya are. But that's not the point. Thing is, Arial's troubled. He's got a lot of things in his recent past, a lot of personal demons to deal with. He's confused. We figure that's how Magneto talked him into joining the Brotherhood. Still, can't say I think Goldilocks has it in him to be the kind of little anti-human soldier Magneto wants."

Suddenly Logan's expression became clouded as he frowned in puzzlement, looking slightly off to the side. "Although…" he murmured, as though recalling something he'd forgotten.

"What?" She asked.

"Ahh, it's nothing," He answered, shaking his head. His tone was nonchalant enough, but there was a hardness in his expression that made Jubilee think twice about asking what "nothing" was.

"Oh. Okay…" she murmured, looking away and trying to ignore a sudden sense of worry building in the back of her mind. Magneto was trying to turn the Brotherhood boys and Arial into human-hating brain-washed machines? And what was that hesitation on Logan's part that he insisted was "nothing?" Logan gave her a small, sympathetic smile, and walked over to a cabinet, retrieving a pair of glassed and a spoon.

"Don't stress about it, squirt," he remarked, setting the glasses down on the table and pouring the milk, "And try not to rush things with Arial, okay?"

"What?!" She spluttered. "What does that mean?!"

"Ask him too many questions right off the bat, he's gonna be skittish," Logan explained, emptying a good amount of chocolate syrup into one of the glasses of milk before passing the syrup bottle to her, "Go slow and easy with it. Don't rush things, and don't pressure him. You'll get a better response that way."

"If you say so." She muttered, squeezing syrup into her milk and snatching the spoon. As she stirred up the chocolate milk, she considered Logan's words, going over them in her mind. Really, it didn't sound like socializing-with-the-anti-social tips so much as early relationship advice or boyfriend-hunting hints.

"Trust me, kiddo." He insisted before swiping the spoon from her. "I know what I'm talking about. Now take the cookies or whatever else you came down here to get, and haul your butt back up to bed."

She tossed him a mischievous grin, bounced over to one of the cabinets, snatched a box of mint chocolate cookies, and fled the kitchen before he could protest, grabbing her chocolate milk as she sped past the table. The last glimpse of the kitchen she caught was a hurried look over her shoulder, the sight of Ororo dashing inside, and she grinned. In her opinion, Logan and Ororo totally had the hots for each other, even if they didn't realize or wouldn't admit it.

Oh, well. They'd figure out they liked each other sooner or later.

She went back to her room and flopped onto her bed. She picked up a notebook as she ate, and began doodling, feeling rather accomplished and optimistic.


Logan was preparing to bite into his over-sized, sloppy tower of a sandwich when Ororo burst into the kitchen, face white as a sheet. He froze in place, frowning.

"Don't like that look of yours, Storm. What's going on?"

"Logan, you have to come, and quickly!" She exclaimed, seizing his arm and pulling. "It's Charles!"

"Chuck?" He asked, dropping the sandwich back on his plate without a second thought. "What happened?"

"He's had another nightmare." Was all she answered as they rushed to his room, and Logan gave a soft growl. The Professor had never really been given to dreams for as long as he'd known the man, and now Charles had had two unsettling dreams in less than three weeks? There was something about it all that had him on the edge, and since there weren't really any other mutants whose telepathic abilities could truly challenge Charles, that ruled out any foul play on a psychic level. This left him to the conclusion that there was something…supernatural or what-have-you involved in these dreams, and that grated on his heightened nerves. He couldn't take down the supernatural with his bare hands.

"Logan, Charles' psychic abilities could just be growing," Ororo said tentatively as they reached the room, as much to ease her own worry as his. She knew what he thought, and as usual, had tried to come up with a more optimistic and logical counter-argument. The professor looked up as they walked in, eyes tired and marked by dark rings, a hand pressed wearily to his forehead.

"Doesn't explain the nightmares." Logan grunted, striding over to the bed. "What happened, Chuck?"

Charles shook his head slowly, expression distant. "It was…incredibly similar to my last nightmare." He murmured.

"Arial again?" Logan asked.

"Not just Arial this time," came the answer, "The rest of the children were there too, including the Brotherhood."

"You think this dream means they're all involved in Arial's problem?"

"I believe it means they are all connected, however loosely or otherwise. I fear it is a sign of something yet to come, some sort of trial for Arial, and…it affects all of us."

"And…the thorns?" Ororo asked, worried.

"Yes," he said quietly, "The shadow-thorns were present in this dream as well. And I think…I believe I may know now who creates them."

"Someone created those?" Logan said in disbelief. "Who?"

"This mutant calls himself Blackthorn, I believe, but that is hardly his real name," the professor replied, "I have my suspicions as to his true identity, but I cannot confirm them unless—"

"Cerebro?" Ororo suggested.

"I have to try."

" 'Try?'" Logan echoed.

"I'll need to throw Cerebro's range out farther than normal. I'll have to use it at full power," Charles explained as Logan helped him out of bed and into his wheelchair, "If my suspicions are accurate. But it is still entirely possibly that Cerebro will drain power from the mansion and I will have done so in vain."

"Honestly, Charles," Logan snorted, "You're too modest for the most powerful telepath on the planet."

The professor offered him a weak smile but said nothing as he led them down to the lower levels of the mansion, which were eerily quiet as ever. They kept right on the end of his wheelchair, neither determined to let him out of their sights under the current circumstances. Not even when the doors to the Cerebro room opened did they let up, and followed him inside, standing like silent sentries keeping guard of their guiding star.

"So, Cerebro at full power…" Logan murmured, "How big of a scan we talkin' here?"

"Global," the professor answered grimly, lifting the metal, helmet-like device and slowly lowering it onto his head. "Though if my hunch is correct, then that will be most unnecessary."

"What hunch?" Asked Ororo softly.

"I believe the answers to my nightmares—and the identity of this 'Blackthorn'—lie in Dresden."

"Germany." Logan said to Ororo, comprehension dawning on both their faces. Suddenly they had an all-too-clear idea of what the professor's hunch was, and it was a notion that sent icy fingers of dread down their spines.


A/N: Me again. Something that always bothered me about X-Men: Evolution is the lack of Jubilee, and most particularly the lack of a father-daughter relationship between her and Wolverine. It's one of my favorite dynamics about the two, so I'm trying to incorporate a tiny bit of that in here. Also, I'm sorry if anyone is upset with how I'm writing Jubilee; she didn't get much screentime in Evo and had hardly any speaking lines at all, so I'm trying to develop her character, and I'm basing a lot of it off how I remember her from the comics and the X-Men Animated Series cartoon. (And she suddenly has a stuffed armadillo named Pickles. Don't ask me why, I'm not quite sure how that happened.) Also, I finally got back to the other key plot point I've mentioned before, concerning the nightmares Professor X is starting to have. (Geez, it's only taken me five chapters since the prologue.) Still, I'm going to try a bit harder to keep that focus in here as well. I don't want to slack off on it.