Disclaimer: I don't own the X-Men.  This is a not-for-profit work for entertainment purposes only (which begs the question: for what other purpose could you use fanfic for?  Answers on a postcard…)

A/N: Mega AU, but you might have guessed that already.

{} is German, [] is Romani.

Jimaine was by his side the instant he appeared; taking the girl easily (she really weighed nothing, as tiny and fever-skinny as she was).  Some of her supplies were already spread out around her, and as she took the child she began to glow with that gentle white light that was the beginnings of a very powerful spell indeed.  Intending to finish his dinner (he'd only be in the way if Jimaine was healing), Kurt headed back towards the kitchen.

[Kurti, where are you going?]

And stopped mid-track, to sigh, then turn around.  Jimaine knew all his tricks, and didn't let him get away with much.

[A little wait will not hurt them, my love.]

She just gave him the look, one which he had become infinitely familiar with since they'd fled their homes at the mere age of twelve, and one that hadn't lost any potency over time.

He grabbed a leg of roast chicken (hey, if he was to be teleporting back and forth all night, he'd need some sustenance, wouldn't he?), and concentrated on remembering the area from which he'd taken the girl. 

Jean sat cross-legged on the ground,  telepathically scrying for any sign of Jubilee, or their 'demon'.  Logan paced, trying to keep the furious energy building up inside him at bay, the one that screamed 'maim! kill!' inside his head.

He had a feeling that tearing up the forest wasn't going to help, this time.  Pryde was releasing her pent-up energy by fuming, swearing, and glaring at Logan as if it was all his fault.

Okay, so he had handed over Jubilee.  But he remembered the face of Kurt Wagner quite clearly, and within the golden eyes and fanged grin there had been a hint of something very familiar – familiar, that is, to anyone who had known Robert Drake for any length of time.  Logan was getting the feeling that the demon thought of this as some giant joke; and they were just the entertainment for the evening.  That was annoying.

But there was also confidence there.  'Jimaine can heal her', he had said, and the thought that this strange new mutant had such confidence in the healers abilities was comforting.  Logan had an instinct about these kind of things, and right now his instincts were telling him that, as irritating as Kurt was, he could be trusted.

Although he wouldn't mind putting the boy in his place.  Nothing permanent, you understand, just a few bruises to make him understand that no-one, but no-one, mocked Wolverine.

There was a 'bamf', and the aforementioned boy appeared, hanging from a branch of a tree, flashing them an upside-down fanged grin, and eating what looked like a chicken drumstick.  Logan drew in a breath.  Yep, chicken drumstick. 

Smelled damn good, too. 

Katherine Pryde launched herself at Kurt with an unmatched speed and fury – only to crash to the ground as he easily avoided her, swinging and somersaulting across the tree-tops – and managing to hold onto the drumstick.

He'd obviously decided to stay right-side up for once, and crouched on a low branch, finishing off the drumstick.  Kitty picked herself up off the ground with a snarl and leapt for him once more – but before she was halfway towards him he'd swung up, with a grace that belied his fearful appearance, and rested comfortably above them.

A chicken bone, gnawed clean of flesh, was thrown down and landed neatly on Kitty's head.

{You know, Liebling, this is all getting a little tiresome.} came the lilting voice from above.  {You're not going to catch me, so you might as well listen to me.}

"What is he saying?" asked Scott.  When shushed, he turned to Jean, and soon after Logan felt a familiar presence settle in his mind.

~Don't go poking around, darling.~

~I wouldn't dream of it.~

With Jean perched in his head, translating, he approached Nightcrawler – as much as it was possible to approach someone who was a couple dozen feet over your head.

{Where is she?}

Kurt cautiously picked his way down to a slightly lower branch, keeping one eye on Shadowcat, and tilted his head to one side.

{Where is who?}

Logan growled, under his breath.  Through the link with Jean he could feel the irritation over the others as this answer was translated and relayed to them.

{Where is Jubilee, you idiot?}

Another pause, another branch down, another grin and tilt of the head.

"Ju…bi…lee..?" He sounded the name out.  {I am sorry, I do not understand this Jubilee.}

{The girl you took!}  Deep breaths, deep breaths, do not skewer the nice demon with your claws.

{You named her Jubilee?  Do all Americans give their children such strange names?}

Deep breaths.  {Just answer the question.}

{Why do you ask questions to which you already have the answers?  I took her to Jimaine, as should be obvious to anyone.}

{And where is that?}

There was a deep pause.  Kurt leapt down from the tree in one smooth motion, coming up close to Logan.

{And why should I tell you this?  You have not exactly shown yourselves to be people of peace.}  A smirk, and a nod towards Shadowcat, who was barely managing to hold herself back.  {Why should I trust you with the safety of my wife?}

Shadowcat just snorted, even as the shock of that statement was barely registering with the rest of the X-Men.

{Your wife, demon?  Somebody actually consented to marry you?}

His reply was rapid, and scathing.  {I see no ring on _your_ finger, Liebling.  Although as lovely and gentle a lady as you are, I can think of no reason why that should be.}

She threw a knife at him, then, but it passed only through smoke.  Behind them, he reappeared in the shadows, barely visible apart from his glowing eyes.

{I think I have wasted enough time here.  The child will be returned to you when she is healed.}

He turned his back, and disappeared once more.

Logan was about to scold Kitty – she'd done nothing but insult and attack the one who might have helped them.  His wife, and all of a sudden a lot of little pieces of this puzzle fell into place.

Kitty was swearing, but there were tears at the corners of her eyes.  She glared at Logan and stomped away into the forest, but for one brief moment he'd seen true sorrow and feeling in her eyes.  Sometimes they forgot how young Katherine Pryde was, even now, and how much she'd lost in her short life.

He watched her go.  "Get out of my head, Jeannie." he snapped.  "No need to translate now."