Later back in his attic, Griffin opened an old shoebox, the one he'd thought never to open again, and looked into it. The bundle made up of his old, baggy, gray jogging pants wrapped around a long green sash and his beat up black dance slippers was unchanged and he chuckled as he drew the cloths out to see his green legwarmers laying at the bottom of the box… waiting.
#Hi guys, I'm back… Why? Well lets just say I was foiled by a pair of your relatives, duck covered relatives.# He went into the bathroom to change as he locked his bedroom door with a thought.
**
Later on:
In the kitchen Page was baking muffins, with a ½ cup of sugar in her hands she turned back to her mixing bowl, only to drop the crystals all over the floor when she came face to face with a gray alien.
"SKIN!" She shrieked, realizing who it really was. She glared as Angelo let his gray skin relax from around his face and head, so his hair and ears returned from where they'd been hidden in the extra folds of skin. "Look what ya'll made me do." Sugar was all over the floor at their feet. *Sigh* "Now I have ta sweep this up." Angelo realized she was frustrated because the southern accent she tried so hard to hide, was creeping back into her voice and her I's sounding like ah's, so he put his hand on her arm.
"It was my fault country mouse; I'll get the broom and clean it up." He smiled sheepishly, "But I did look 'good' didn't I? He asked pulling open the door to the broom closet.
"Well judgin' from the way I screamed, I don't think you need me to tell ya that."
"Um… Page where is the broom?" The cupboard was broomless.
**
Attic:
Griffin dressed in his jogging pants rested his leg on the 'bar' he'd created by placing a broom across two tall wooden stools, he then bent from the waist to catch his foot, elongating his spine and warming up his muscles… they were slightly tight, fighting practice and dance it seems uses different muscle groups after all. Once he felt ready, Griffin stepped to the center of the living room, that had become with all it's furniture pushed close to the wall, a fairly large dance floor, with plenty of room for him to move. Some of his favorite dance music was playing, the sound tracks from 'Fame' mixed with songs from 'Dance with me' soon had him leaping and executing moves that demanded all his concentration and precision to land them perfectly. From outside his door Talica listened to the familiar music happily.
'Finally.' She thought as she walked away, "He needed to get back to his 'normal' activities, just because one of his dads would bust his hydraulics if he knew his son was a ballet dancer isn't a reason to stop doing something you love. 'I'd bet his three other parents would be thrilled to see how talented he is.' Talica heard running footsteps coming up the stairs, so she become liquid metal and hid under the hallway carpet.
"Hey Griffin ya seen the broom anywhere?" Page called through the locked door, a second later the door opened and the broom floated out, "Oh thank you… what were ya doin' with it? She asked.
#Shusssh… I was hunting dwst wabits.# Came Griffins disembodied reply, sounding like an unusually happy Elmer Fudd.
**
Next class, for the ride into town Griffin said he wanted to go watch Jubilee having her lesson again and he carried her bag, that looked fuller now, to the van… he'd put his dance things in with hers to smuggle them out of the mansion.
"Not just going for the lasses who smiled at ye lad?" Sean teased him.
#Gosh no, Jubes would 'paff' them if they tried anything, she'll protect me sir.# Sean watched the young man walk off and he started wondering if it was a wise thing to let relationships develop between fellow teammates to the point that it could lead to 'puppy love'… he cringed thinking of Gambit and Rogue, then considered Scott and Jean. With a shrug he decided to let fate decide on this one.
**
Once in class Griffin slipped into the boy's locker room and using a bathroom stall, to keep the other boys from seeing his four foot long tail wrapped around his right leg, he change into his jogging pants, black dance slippers and green legwarmers. Stepping out of the locker-room he went right to the bar and started warming up, waiting for Jubilee to join him.
**
Girl's locker-room
"Hey what's the hold up? Stop blockin' the door already." Jubilee tried to push her way through and finally succeeded in moving past most of the blockage till she was standing next to Prunella. She paused to see what had caused the jam and saw… right in front of her, across the room, "Griffin." She whispered when she saw her teammate and new dance partner stretching at the bar. Sure she'd seen him dressed casually and in his loose Gen-X uniform but in nothing but baggy gray pants synched in at the waist, with a long green sash around his narrow hips. Shirtless she could see the muscles flexing in his solid shoulders and smooth chest with every move he made. The 'Tiger-Hawk' mark standing out on his white skin, as did his small, dark, masculine nipples.
#Come on J-Lee, start get warmed up or you'll pull something.# Jubilee almost told him she was feeing warmed up already just watching him, but she picked her jaw up off the floor and took a step towards him. She stumbled over her own feet and pitched forward into someone. With her bad luck that someone was Prunella Prellpit *CRASH* both she and Jubes landed on the floor like a ton of bricks.
"Get. Off. Me. You. Klutz!" Prunella hissed every word like a wet cat. Griffin hurried over, grabbed her around the waist and easily lifted Jubilee up, way up into the air and off the other angry dancer, he then spun away with her in his arms as easily as if they always done this together. Jubilee's hands came down to rest on his wrists and she did a split in mid air before lowering a leg and pointing her toe. As Griffin put her down he, expertly, found her point of balance and looking into each other's eyes they froze there, so it looked like they'd practiced the move for ages. Clapping reached their ears from the office door, Madame Jeanmaire stood there beaming at them… well at Griffin anyway. Prunella flounced past dragging Porter behind her as he looked at Griffin slack jawed.
"Show offs." Prunella sniffed, but comments of, 'wow', 'cool' and a gasped,
"Totally amazing!" From Porter Epson, ruined his partner's act of indifference. Jubilee herself didn't say anything, because her stomach was fluttering so much she was sure if she opened her mouth just then butterflies would have flown out.
**
The dance class went by too fast for Griffin and he was surprised when Madame Jeanmaire called a halt for the day. It had started out kind of stressfully for him because Madame had asked if he'd dance a piece for them, just so she could judge his skill level for herself 'of course', but he had agreed and put his heart into the music he'd chosen from the teacher's collection, Moonlight sonata. Round de jambe, Jété, Arabesque, and arm movements that flowed like water as he leapt so high into the air that the girls gasping in awe and the boys casting envious glances at him. Madame sang his praises to a point he became embarrassed and he was thankful that she'd stop to tell them all the theme of the recital… Fairytales. Jubilee had cast one look at him, darted a glance down tilting her head back, pretending to look behind him and collapsed laughing on the floor. Prunella's hand had shot up before Griffin could ask Jubilee what was so funny.
"Yes, Miss Prellpit?"
"Porter and I will do 'Sleeping Beauty' Madame." Prunella smiled at the disappointed looks on some of her fellow classmates faces, Porter looked, for lack of a better word, miffed and Madame asked him,
"What is the matter Mr. Epson?"
"Well it would have been nice to be asked what I wanted to do Pru I… I am dancing with you after all." Madame Jeanmaire looked at him closely and he shifted, "but 'Sleeping Beauty' is okay I guess." He added grudgingly. The other students broke up into their pairs to discuss ideas, as Prunella continued arguing with Porter about how to arrange the dance they'd do. Griffin looked at Jubilee and saw the light of triumph burning in her eyes,
#From the look on your face I take it you know what fairytale you want us to do?# Jubes smiled and shrugged.
"Well, considering you do after all 'have' a tail of your own, I'm kinda thinking we might try for…" Jubilee leaned in to whisper into his ear, "'Beauty and the Beast' you could dance it wearing a mask, with your tail out." Griffin thought about it for all of three seconds and smiling he shot his hand up into the air in a perfect imitation of Prunella. Madame looked over and saw him.
"Yes Mr. Darkholm?"
#Miss. Lee and I will be doing a scene from 'Beauty and the Beast' and we'd prefer to dance last if we may.# Smiling at JUbilee again he whispered, #You could ask Hank to come and see you dance it, he'd enjoy that.# After that they started going over which part of the story they'd do. #After all we only have ten minutes.# Griffin reminded Jubilee who was close to getting carried away with ideas.
"I really like the ending where the Beast is mad that Belle isn't back, he gets sad and starts to die, all that time she is rushing to get to him. We could split the stage, on one side you dance the Beast going thought all his emotions as I rush around on my side like I'm trying to get to you. Then I'll arrive just as you collapse, I'll cry on you as you die-"
#I'm touched that you care.# He joked.
"Then you come back to life and we dance together till we pretend to kiss and the mask falls off, we could have the lights go off then or you can cast an illusion of someone else's face over yours or just stop with your back to the audience or something since you don't want anyone to know that you, you… well that you can dance." Griffin was amazed by how quickly his friend's mind worked; it just went to show why just about everyone in the Gen looked to her for battle plans, even M sometimes.
#Sounds like a plan partner. Did I tell you I set up the crash pad as a practice aria, my room is now off limits in the evenings till we've practiced, we'll tell everyone you're rehearsing in privet for the recital.# Just then Madame held up her hands for silence, the class hushed.
"I have another surprise for you, I have word that my friend Julian L'Art, who dances with the New York City Ballet Company has agreed to perform a number at the beginning of our recital." Mummers broke out all over the room, many had heard of L'Art, Griffin didn't really care more or less and he was happy to see Jubilee wasn't impressed either. Prunella and Porter on the other hand looked like Madame had just announced Christmas would come twice this year. "Now the recital will be in one month's time and I'd like you all to remember to ask your families how many plan on attending so they can purchase tickets and reserve places before I open sales to the public. This year we will be reserving a much larger hall, so feel free to offer tickets to your friends too, only 13$ each 20$ if they buy tickets at the public price." Griffin had sudden visions of the book 'The Chocolate War' and shuddered as he went over to Madame.
#Would it be possible for you to address me only as Tiger-Hawk in everything to do the performance? I want to surprise some friends and my family later on in the evening.# Madame looked doubtful then shrugged,
"Very well, it would add a bit of drama to the event, having a mystery dancer as our final performance. Are you sure you will not reconsider being Prunella's partner?" Griffin looked over at where Porter was being shoved around by Prunella and shook his head.
#I'm positive Madame.#
"You could become a professional dancer anytime you wanted, Menard said you dance for fun, you could reconsider… and announce your decision at the end of our recital." Griffin shook his head, dancing was fun and…
#I'm in a new school and I've only just found my family. I want to spend my time just now getting to know my parents-# 'all four of them.' Griffin thought before finishing, #...and I need to concentrate on my studies.# By the time Sean arrived to get them Griffin was back in his street cloths and looked like he hadn't done anything other then watch his best friend take a dance lesson.
"So how was your class Lass?" Their headmaster asked once they were in the car.
"Amazing, I was chosen to dance with the mystery dancer, but we have to get family and friends to buy tickets to the recital." Sean saw the look of dislike on her face.
"Ye'll be sellin' more tickets with a smile than with that frown on yer face Lass, put me down fer one and I'll buy one for whoever wants to go at school." Jubilee light up. "That's more like it."
"Thanks Irish."
#I'll go too Jubes.# Griffin said winking behind Sean. Once back at the school Emma, Page, Jono, Talica, Artie, Leach, M and Angelo, after a pointed glair from Griffin, the twins Loric and Navar, all asked to be put down for a ticket to see Jubilee's ballet recital. A quick phone call to Logan in Westchester soon had him calling back to reserve eight more tickets for himself and most of the X-Men, who were more then happy to attend the recital to too.
**
Westchester:
Logan was on the phone in the rec-room, talking with Jubilee when he turned to the assembled X-Men and asked,
"Hey guys Jubes is goin' to be in a dance recital in a month, who wants to go and see her?" The room was quiet as the X-Men looked at each other… Logan covered the phone with his hand. "Look I ain't goin' ta be sittin' there alone like some old pervert." He popped his claws, everyone stopped breathing till Jean turned and smiled at Scott, who sighed and held up two fingers. Storm raised a hand as Hank still looked undecided. "Kid chose to dance to 'Beauty and the Beast' she would really like you to go Hank."
"Then indeed tell her I shall happily attend," Henry McCoy smiled but mumbled under his breath, "and pray to 'God' Jubilee dances first so I can leave early." Remy and Bobby shook their heads no and stood united; Bobby didn't want to go because he was still kinda in the process of coming out of the closet, and he thought being seen at a ballet yelled 'I'm Gay!' with only going to a gay bar and opening a florist shop screaming it louder. Remy on the other hand, who liked ballet, didn't want to go because he didn't want to watch a bunch of armatures ruining it. Logan added a fanged scowl to the six adamantium claws already displayed and both men decided to change their minds.
"Two more tickets here Wolverine." Bobby said, he could hear the closet door closing a little more behind him. Logan smiled as his claws slid out of sight, then he took a moment to call out to Xavier and 'ask' the wheelchair bound man if he wanted to join them. Rarely did Logan call out to Charles mentally, he preferred to 'Walk up and talk to your face, not your brain Chuck.' As he'd say, so Xavier found that to get Logan out of his head as quickly as possible he had to say 'yes'. Logan uncovered the receiver, finished his call then said to everyone in the room. "Kid's really happy you'll all be there."
"Who is she dancing with anyway? Last I heard about her lessons the name of some young kid named Epsonsalts or some-whosit came up." Bobby asked as Logan bristled, the thought of his kid dancing with some guy in tights made him uncomfortable.
"She said the teach' put her with a new student, some kind of amazing, 'mystery' dancer. Probably some skinny, tight assed, little-" Logan broke off as Remy raised his eyebrow at him, daring him to continue along his line of thinking. "Um… whiner." Bobby stood and left the room via the French doors to the tetras and stood by the railing. Remy followed a moment later and wrapped his arms around Bobby's waist.
"Dat Logan, he hurt you feelin's Cher?" Bobby shook his head, sighed and turned to look at Remy.
"No, Logan would never do anything to hurt us; he was just being protective of Jubes."
"Den what' wrong, you been quiet all mornin'." Bobby looked Remy straight in the eye.
"I want to tell my folks about 'Us', I want to walk into my parent's house and say 'Mom, Dad this is Remy LeBeau the most amazing man I've ever met and he'd my lover." Remy beamed with joy. "I'm sick of 'Hiding' behind words like 'Teammate' and 'Fellow X-Man' I want to stand up and tell the world even if they never speak to me again I'll know I did the right thing… because I love you."
"Cher, oh cher… Remy he be so proud to stand der wit' you when you do dat, love you too." He tightened his hold on Bobby and kissed him, but when Bobby pulled back Remy saw he wasn't smiling, that there was actually an odd look on Bobby's face. "What is it mon amour?"
"You've been smoking."
"So?"
""Your mouth tastes um… well, it tastes… nasty." Remy was shocked, him taste 'nasty'. Bobby tried to take it back, "Look its just that I'm not all that use to the taste I guess, maybe if I started smoking too I… um might not notice it." Remy was even more stunned, Bobby was willing to start something like smoking to try and please him.
"Non, Bobby dis smokin' is a 'nasty' thin' Remy he shouldn't be doin' it either, should've stopped long ago." The Cajun took the soft pack from the fold in his T-shirt sleeve and crushed it in front of Bobby. "I quit, no more will der be another time when I kiss you dat you ever have to make dat face again."
"Unless you have liver and onions." Bobby joked, then threw his arms around the taller man, "Remy you really mean it? Thank you so much." Remy hugged him back as he hoped Hank had some of those patch things for him, and maybe some gum… lots of gum.
"Come on, Remy let you choose an interestin' place to stick a patch on him." Bobby grabbed his hand and they went off to see the X-Men's resident blue physician.
"Hey we could stick it in the middle of your forehead, like Sinister dose." Bobby crowed before he ran off to hide behind Hank
**