author: Lucinda
rating: pg/pg 13
main character: Xander
pairing: Fireworks contains Xander/Jubilee, with side pairings of John(Pyro)/Faith and Bobby/Marie(Rogue)
tenth in the 'Fireworks' series.
disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or X-Men: the Movie, nor do I hold any legal rights to the comic sources for some of the additional background information for Movie characters.
distribution: XanderZone, IneedAparrot, TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Cat if she wants it. Anyone else ask.
note: going rather AU after Becoming for Buffy (yes, all the way back to season 2!), post X-Men the Movie (Sequel? what sequel?).
Xander had just smiled as Willow looked in awe at the mansion and grounds. She'd looked this way and that, her lips parted in wonder, trying to take everything in at the same time. "This is a school? But it... wow."
Laughing, he'd just gripped her fingers, not wanting to let go for fear that it would be a dream. "Yeah, this is my new school. Big step up from Sunnydale, isn't it? So... now that I've let you get jealous over the fact that my school's prettier than yours, can you help out?"
"Silly, of course I'll try to help." Willow had been laughing, and it had gradually seeped back into her eyes.
Jean chuckled, and rested one hand on Willow's shoulder. "Why don't you go talk to Jubilee, and I'll take Willow to the lab and explain what we do know about the device?"
Xander leaned over, winking at his friend. "Don't worry, she doesn't bite, and since she's a telepath, willow-babble should be okay for her to understand."
Xander made his way quickly to the back yard, where he figured that Jubilee would be, probably hanging out with Bobby and Marie. John had gone to spend the day with Faith. Sure enough, Jubilee was there, her bright pink tank top showing the bandages on her arm nicely. Walking over, he placed a kiss on her head. "Hey. We got back, and the redheads are off to the lab, where they will communicate in the arcane language of science. Which means I get to be here."
"You just let Jean drag your best friend off to the lab to talk about science stuff? She'll be going on about genetic mutation and the biological changes… Maybe talking about that device…" Marie shuddered, and leaned against the towel that she'd placed over Bobby's arm. "Are you sure that you like her?"
Xander blinked, and just started to laugh. "You think… no, this is Willow. She's all… science-loving. She's the one who found out about this place, and I'm hoping that's he can help figure some stuff out about that device."
"Maybe you should go down there and say hi anyhow? Maybe be there to referee between your friend and your girlfriend?" Bobby was smiling, and running his hand carefully over Marie's hair.
"But then they'll babble at me in science talk." Xander mock-pouted, one arm wrapped around Jubilee as he sat in the sunshine.
"You can't hide from the science forever, Xander. Especially not when one of them came all the way out here just to see you." Marie dipped her fingers into Bobby's glass of water, the only one that still had any ice, and flicked a few drops towards him. "Shoo, go save her from the labs."
Jubilee stayed with him as Xander went to the elevator, descending to the medlabs. Even if Willow didn't need rescued from Dr. Grey, Marie had made a very good point. He could feel his stomach tensing as he let his mind return to the gunman and the not-a-bullet that had been used to shoot Jubilee. He felt almost light headed, and his pulse felt loud in his ears as they left the elevator. Xander wondered if their footsteps were really loud, or if it just seemed that way to him. Peeking into one of the room, he discovered that they'd left the room with the tracking device, and had apparently gone to the computer room.
Jean was in a chair, frowning at a stack of papers, and Willow was at the computer, her back to the door. She had a few papers of her own, and the screen was currently showing some sort of electronics diagram. Every few moments, Jean's eyes would flicker over to Willow, and her frown would intensify for just a moment. Apparently, they were both deep in their work.
"Hey there, ladies. Have either of you brilliant red heads found anything useful?" Xander grinned, hoping that if he acted like he wasn't a nervous wreck, the almost but not quite sick feeling inside of him would go away.
"mmmm. The Professor is recovering, and he should wake up fairly soon. There will be a terrible headache, but all of the tests show that there was no neural damage." Jean looked worried, as if something was still bothering her in spite of the good news. "Is she supposed to be able to go to those sites?"
"I asked her something like that once. Will told me that if she could get to it, obviously they had left it accessible." Xander shrugged, still feeling like hot snakes were squirming in his stomach.
Jubilee giggled, and looked over at Willow. "If she can get there, it's obviously allowed?"
"I've back-traced the design, and I know what company and factory made that device." Willow hadn't even turned around, and sounded as if she was concentrating on something. "I'm trying to check who the manufacturer thinks bought it."
"How are you going to do that?" Jubilee blinked, looking at Willow with curiosity.
"I wrote down the serial number. It's the same sort as the wildlife tracking units, not the bird ones, more like what they use on wolves. Anyhow, they need the serial number so they can keep track of each individual with their satellite relays, it lets them track movements, hunting patterns, migration routes… all that good stuff. Anyhow, depending on who the company thinks bought that unit, we may have some answers, or a lot more questions." Willow turned around, looking at them with a bright smile.
"That's… wow, I was hoping that you could find some answers, but this is faster than I expected." Xander shook his head, leaning against the doorway.
"This computer is so wonderful… it's faster, and it's got lots of memory… I mean, wow. It's making this so much faster than it would be at home. Just… slips right past. But knowing who made this isn't the big point, the big question is who arranged for it to get put into Jubilee?" Willow looked serious again.
"Yeah… that's the biggie." Jubilee leaned closer to Xander, shivering at the memories. "And, umm… hi."
"Hi." Willow walked over, holding her hand out towards Jubilee. "umm… It's good to meet you. Should I get to the... no, the questions should definitely wait, but I am curious how you and Xander met, got together, everything."
"What, no threats of how she'd better not break my heart?" Xander teased Willow just a little, giving Jubilee a quick hug.
"I'll give those out later, when I'm not trying to wiggle information out of someone else's computer system. Followed by the interrogation." Willow had turned back to the computer, her fingers practically flying over the keyboard. "oh, Xander? When did you start getting bright green flecks in your eyes anyhow? They sort of look like sparks."
"What sort of threats?" Jubilee snickered, glancing at Willow thoughtfully. Jubilee was shorter than Willow, but looked to be in much better shape.
"My uncle used one that I always liked. It goes like this – break his heart and I will beat you to death with a shovel." Willow looked at Jubilee, her eyes unexpectedly serious. "A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend, and Xander is one of the few friends that I have. I want him to be happy."
"A shovel?" Jubilee blinked, her eyes wider as she glanced from Xander to Willow. "Is she serious?"
"Why a shovel?" Jean's question was soft, filled with curiosity and worry.
Shrugging, Willow turned back to the computer. "I asked him about that once. He said that not only could you find a shovel just about anywhere, but you can either use the flat side so that it's a blunt surface, or if it's been used, there's a sharp edge. Maybe we should mention that to Bu…. never mind."
"Remind me not to make your Uncle Owen mad." Xander shook his head, remembering the serious eyed relative, and the way that he'd always watching everything so carefully. Now, he wondered if maybe Uncle Owen had known something about what was out there, if maybe he knew that Sunnydale wasn't safe. And what had Willow meant by green flecks in his eyes anyhow? He didn't have green spots in his eyes.. at least, he'd never had them before...
"He's a sweetie… most of the time." Willow dismissed the concern. "Umm… Jean? Dr. Grey… whichever you want me to call you…. Anybody know anything about Essex Biomedical Foundation? It's listed here as some sort of research foundation, but…"
"But what?" Xander asked, not liking the way Willow was sort of twitching.
"The name doesn't sound familiar… Does it have anything about their area of specialization?" Jean was frowning now, either picking up Willow's worries or having a few of her own.
"Not listed. But they ordered and received a batch of three hundred of those tracing units. That one was in the middle of the numbers." Willow was definitely not happy. "Umm… how do I tell this to print out the information? I've found the shipping address, and the billing information on Essex, but… Something about it just… I don't know, but I think there's something off about it. Other than one of them ended up in Jubilee's arm. Let me see if I can get their purchasing history with this company…"
Jean was frowning, the pages now placed to the side. "I don't think that I've ever run across a paper or research report from this Essex Biomedical Foundation."
"Well, whoever they are, they've certainly ordered enough to have some very well equipped labs." Willow spoke, her words filled with uncertainty. "I just… what are they researching?"
"Maybe we can figure that out from the listing of their equipment?" Jean's voice wasn't very optimistic. Unfortunately, it sounded like the best lead they had right now.
End Fireworks 10: Burning Questions.
rating: pg/pg 13
main character: Xander
pairing: Fireworks contains Xander/Jubilee, with side pairings of John(Pyro)/Faith and Bobby/Marie(Rogue)
tenth in the 'Fireworks' series.
disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or X-Men: the Movie, nor do I hold any legal rights to the comic sources for some of the additional background information for Movie characters.
distribution: XanderZone, IneedAparrot, TNL, Twisting the Hellmouth, Cat if she wants it. Anyone else ask.
note: going rather AU after Becoming for Buffy (yes, all the way back to season 2!), post X-Men the Movie (Sequel? what sequel?).
Xander had just smiled as Willow looked in awe at the mansion and grounds. She'd looked this way and that, her lips parted in wonder, trying to take everything in at the same time. "This is a school? But it... wow."
Laughing, he'd just gripped her fingers, not wanting to let go for fear that it would be a dream. "Yeah, this is my new school. Big step up from Sunnydale, isn't it? So... now that I've let you get jealous over the fact that my school's prettier than yours, can you help out?"
"Silly, of course I'll try to help." Willow had been laughing, and it had gradually seeped back into her eyes.
Jean chuckled, and rested one hand on Willow's shoulder. "Why don't you go talk to Jubilee, and I'll take Willow to the lab and explain what we do know about the device?"
Xander leaned over, winking at his friend. "Don't worry, she doesn't bite, and since she's a telepath, willow-babble should be okay for her to understand."
Xander made his way quickly to the back yard, where he figured that Jubilee would be, probably hanging out with Bobby and Marie. John had gone to spend the day with Faith. Sure enough, Jubilee was there, her bright pink tank top showing the bandages on her arm nicely. Walking over, he placed a kiss on her head. "Hey. We got back, and the redheads are off to the lab, where they will communicate in the arcane language of science. Which means I get to be here."
"You just let Jean drag your best friend off to the lab to talk about science stuff? She'll be going on about genetic mutation and the biological changes… Maybe talking about that device…" Marie shuddered, and leaned against the towel that she'd placed over Bobby's arm. "Are you sure that you like her?"
Xander blinked, and just started to laugh. "You think… no, this is Willow. She's all… science-loving. She's the one who found out about this place, and I'm hoping that's he can help figure some stuff out about that device."
"Maybe you should go down there and say hi anyhow? Maybe be there to referee between your friend and your girlfriend?" Bobby was smiling, and running his hand carefully over Marie's hair.
"But then they'll babble at me in science talk." Xander mock-pouted, one arm wrapped around Jubilee as he sat in the sunshine.
"You can't hide from the science forever, Xander. Especially not when one of them came all the way out here just to see you." Marie dipped her fingers into Bobby's glass of water, the only one that still had any ice, and flicked a few drops towards him. "Shoo, go save her from the labs."
Jubilee stayed with him as Xander went to the elevator, descending to the medlabs. Even if Willow didn't need rescued from Dr. Grey, Marie had made a very good point. He could feel his stomach tensing as he let his mind return to the gunman and the not-a-bullet that had been used to shoot Jubilee. He felt almost light headed, and his pulse felt loud in his ears as they left the elevator. Xander wondered if their footsteps were really loud, or if it just seemed that way to him. Peeking into one of the room, he discovered that they'd left the room with the tracking device, and had apparently gone to the computer room.
Jean was in a chair, frowning at a stack of papers, and Willow was at the computer, her back to the door. She had a few papers of her own, and the screen was currently showing some sort of electronics diagram. Every few moments, Jean's eyes would flicker over to Willow, and her frown would intensify for just a moment. Apparently, they were both deep in their work.
"Hey there, ladies. Have either of you brilliant red heads found anything useful?" Xander grinned, hoping that if he acted like he wasn't a nervous wreck, the almost but not quite sick feeling inside of him would go away.
"mmmm. The Professor is recovering, and he should wake up fairly soon. There will be a terrible headache, but all of the tests show that there was no neural damage." Jean looked worried, as if something was still bothering her in spite of the good news. "Is she supposed to be able to go to those sites?"
"I asked her something like that once. Will told me that if she could get to it, obviously they had left it accessible." Xander shrugged, still feeling like hot snakes were squirming in his stomach.
Jubilee giggled, and looked over at Willow. "If she can get there, it's obviously allowed?"
"I've back-traced the design, and I know what company and factory made that device." Willow hadn't even turned around, and sounded as if she was concentrating on something. "I'm trying to check who the manufacturer thinks bought it."
"How are you going to do that?" Jubilee blinked, looking at Willow with curiosity.
"I wrote down the serial number. It's the same sort as the wildlife tracking units, not the bird ones, more like what they use on wolves. Anyhow, they need the serial number so they can keep track of each individual with their satellite relays, it lets them track movements, hunting patterns, migration routes… all that good stuff. Anyhow, depending on who the company thinks bought that unit, we may have some answers, or a lot more questions." Willow turned around, looking at them with a bright smile.
"That's… wow, I was hoping that you could find some answers, but this is faster than I expected." Xander shook his head, leaning against the doorway.
"This computer is so wonderful… it's faster, and it's got lots of memory… I mean, wow. It's making this so much faster than it would be at home. Just… slips right past. But knowing who made this isn't the big point, the big question is who arranged for it to get put into Jubilee?" Willow looked serious again.
"Yeah… that's the biggie." Jubilee leaned closer to Xander, shivering at the memories. "And, umm… hi."
"Hi." Willow walked over, holding her hand out towards Jubilee. "umm… It's good to meet you. Should I get to the... no, the questions should definitely wait, but I am curious how you and Xander met, got together, everything."
"What, no threats of how she'd better not break my heart?" Xander teased Willow just a little, giving Jubilee a quick hug.
"I'll give those out later, when I'm not trying to wiggle information out of someone else's computer system. Followed by the interrogation." Willow had turned back to the computer, her fingers practically flying over the keyboard. "oh, Xander? When did you start getting bright green flecks in your eyes anyhow? They sort of look like sparks."
"What sort of threats?" Jubilee snickered, glancing at Willow thoughtfully. Jubilee was shorter than Willow, but looked to be in much better shape.
"My uncle used one that I always liked. It goes like this – break his heart and I will beat you to death with a shovel." Willow looked at Jubilee, her eyes unexpectedly serious. "A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend, and Xander is one of the few friends that I have. I want him to be happy."
"A shovel?" Jubilee blinked, her eyes wider as she glanced from Xander to Willow. "Is she serious?"
"Why a shovel?" Jean's question was soft, filled with curiosity and worry.
Shrugging, Willow turned back to the computer. "I asked him about that once. He said that not only could you find a shovel just about anywhere, but you can either use the flat side so that it's a blunt surface, or if it's been used, there's a sharp edge. Maybe we should mention that to Bu…. never mind."
"Remind me not to make your Uncle Owen mad." Xander shook his head, remembering the serious eyed relative, and the way that he'd always watching everything so carefully. Now, he wondered if maybe Uncle Owen had known something about what was out there, if maybe he knew that Sunnydale wasn't safe. And what had Willow meant by green flecks in his eyes anyhow? He didn't have green spots in his eyes.. at least, he'd never had them before...
"He's a sweetie… most of the time." Willow dismissed the concern. "Umm… Jean? Dr. Grey… whichever you want me to call you…. Anybody know anything about Essex Biomedical Foundation? It's listed here as some sort of research foundation, but…"
"But what?" Xander asked, not liking the way Willow was sort of twitching.
"The name doesn't sound familiar… Does it have anything about their area of specialization?" Jean was frowning now, either picking up Willow's worries or having a few of her own.
"Not listed. But they ordered and received a batch of three hundred of those tracing units. That one was in the middle of the numbers." Willow was definitely not happy. "Umm… how do I tell this to print out the information? I've found the shipping address, and the billing information on Essex, but… Something about it just… I don't know, but I think there's something off about it. Other than one of them ended up in Jubilee's arm. Let me see if I can get their purchasing history with this company…"
Jean was frowning, the pages now placed to the side. "I don't think that I've ever run across a paper or research report from this Essex Biomedical Foundation."
"Well, whoever they are, they've certainly ordered enough to have some very well equipped labs." Willow spoke, her words filled with uncertainty. "I just… what are they researching?"
"Maybe we can figure that out from the listing of their equipment?" Jean's voice wasn't very optimistic. Unfortunately, it sounded like the best lead they had right now.
End Fireworks 10: Burning Questions.