YOU PEOPLE ROCK SO HARD! Okay, so reviews make me a bit excitable-that's why I got pegged as a Jubilee-like person. But aside from that, everyone who review, I send out uber-lovin' vibes and happy smiles and many cupcakes. All of you Melt my candle wax!
Now, please enjoy.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jubilee sat in the corner of the room, her face streaked with grime and blood, cut by tears. She shook uncontrollably, her hands gripping her bare arms with more force then she would have wanted, but she had lost command of her hands. She couldn't even use her advantage over them.
"Well, who wants to take the next swing?" A graveled voice asked from another room, laughing in a tired, lazy way.
Jubilee felt the tears stinging her face with the sound of the voice. She had never been more scared in her life. She put her face down in her arms and prayed that the two of them were bored with her, or had found a shred of shame inside them. Her muscles moved without her; her hands tightening even more around her arms, her nails digging into her skin. Her chest was on fire from screaming in vain.
"Come on, Mutie. This is fun, isn't it?"
Jubilee couldn't force herself to look up. She knew the faces, the sound of their voices. She knew about the bats, and the chains. She was paralyzed; frozen in a hot panic.
"Please, no..." She buried her face in her hands, listening to the links of metal clacking in the palm of the hand. "No. Please don't hurt me."
She felt the chain bite into her head as she collapsed on her side. She screamed in final defiance for help.
~*~*~
Victor pushed himself to his feet, Jubilee's screaming driving him. His head pounded in the after-effects of the metal bat that had introduced itself to his skull as the three man group had become a two man group. He started off into the woods, racing forward as Jubilee's screams became more frantic and less consistent.
He cursed himself, tearing through the woods toward her scent, her sound.
'Never should've left her outside the bar.' he metally beat himself. 'Never even should've stopped for directions. We were fine for days; we should've kept driving. Pennsylvania ain't so bad. Would've been a nice drive through here.'
Jubilee screamed again, making Victor drop even his thoughts and push himself to run faster.
The third man had been left to 'dispose' of Victor; scared but determined to take care of the big man lumbering toward him, he'd swung in uncontrolled, wide arcs at his head. The only swing to even make contact was the last; unexpected strength had found itself as his insides poured out of the gaping hole in his front.
Victor hadn't even felt the kill; Jubilee was petrified.
He came to a clearing, with a shifty cabin in it's middle. The screaming had stopped, but her scent was stronger here; radiating off the little shack.
Tearing into the cabin, he found the first man, lounging at a table with a bottle in his hand. He took off, through the backroom. Following, Victor found Jubilee, fighting to right herself as the second man stood over her with a chain in hand. She winced as the chain hit the floor, the hand that held it grabbing for the shirt of his accomplice.
"Holy Christ!" The second man pulled the first back, pushing him behind him to get to the door.
Jubilee found her wits and blasted the first man, knocking him against the wall. Victor was already out the backdoor and after the second.
He was furious. Everything was coated in a thick, enraged red colour. He followed the man, feeling the last of the human in him fade out behind the rage.
~*~*~
Rogue shook, letting out whines of pain. She sat in the middle of the floor, pulled into a tight ball, tears streaming down her face.
"What's wrong with her?" Kitty sat against the wall in Logan's room, her face half buried in Bobby's side. "What's happening?"
"Psychic Link." Jean stood in the doorway, unsure of a course to take. "She touched them too close. Him, and then Jubilee directly after. She couldn't have known what it would do."
"How do we stop it?" Logan was stuck in his place, as close as he could be to Rogue without her panicking. He watched her, angry with himself that he couldn't help her.
"We don't. There's nothing we can do." Jean shook her head sadly. "It has to die away on it's own. More then likely once the trauma's over, she'll be fine."
"Lots of help, Jean." Bobby held Kitty close as Rogue let out a moan. "That's like saying that once your mouth closes, the authority disappears."
"Robert, I do not appreciate-" She stepped fully into the room as Rogue gave a piercing cry.
"No, No no." She whimpered, dropping her face in her lap. "No. Don't-No. Don't hurt me." She looked up suddenly, her eyes blank and shaking. "No! NO!" She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
~*~*~
Jubilee sat against the wall, crying bitterly. She held out her hands, plasma striking the man's still body. With every whimper she let out, Victor felt the rage break, until all he felt was the guilt of letting Jubilee be hurt.
"Jubilee." He was careful to stay out of her path, kneeling next to her. "Jubilee, please."
She dropped her hands, the blasts stopping. She looked up at him, her fear gently pulling back.
"Vic?"
She had never looked smaller to him, more vulnerable. Her clothes were ripped from the beating and she was covered in bruises and dirt, blood trails drying from cuts on her stomach, neck, face and legs. He knew the bruises were worse under her clothes.
"Precious..." Victor watched her carefully raise her hand to touch his face; her palms were singed with minor burns. He couldn't even guess how long she'd been in the room at the hands of the three of them, so he had no way of knowing the intensity of the blasts that poured from her hands.
"Thank you." She said in a small, weak voice. Tears broke over her cheeks as she crawling into his arms.
Victor held her gently, feeling her tiny body shake.
~*~*~
Rogue looked up to Logan, her eyes soft and her face wet.
"Oh, god.." She fell into his arms, clinging to him. "She's hurt. She's hurt so bad." She pressed her face against his chest. "We gotta help her."
Logan rocked her, trying to soothe her.
"We're goin' to, Darlin'. I promise."
Now, please enjoy.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jubilee sat in the corner of the room, her face streaked with grime and blood, cut by tears. She shook uncontrollably, her hands gripping her bare arms with more force then she would have wanted, but she had lost command of her hands. She couldn't even use her advantage over them.
"Well, who wants to take the next swing?" A graveled voice asked from another room, laughing in a tired, lazy way.
Jubilee felt the tears stinging her face with the sound of the voice. She had never been more scared in her life. She put her face down in her arms and prayed that the two of them were bored with her, or had found a shred of shame inside them. Her muscles moved without her; her hands tightening even more around her arms, her nails digging into her skin. Her chest was on fire from screaming in vain.
"Come on, Mutie. This is fun, isn't it?"
Jubilee couldn't force herself to look up. She knew the faces, the sound of their voices. She knew about the bats, and the chains. She was paralyzed; frozen in a hot panic.
"Please, no..." She buried her face in her hands, listening to the links of metal clacking in the palm of the hand. "No. Please don't hurt me."
She felt the chain bite into her head as she collapsed on her side. She screamed in final defiance for help.
~*~*~
Victor pushed himself to his feet, Jubilee's screaming driving him. His head pounded in the after-effects of the metal bat that had introduced itself to his skull as the three man group had become a two man group. He started off into the woods, racing forward as Jubilee's screams became more frantic and less consistent.
He cursed himself, tearing through the woods toward her scent, her sound.
'Never should've left her outside the bar.' he metally beat himself. 'Never even should've stopped for directions. We were fine for days; we should've kept driving. Pennsylvania ain't so bad. Would've been a nice drive through here.'
Jubilee screamed again, making Victor drop even his thoughts and push himself to run faster.
The third man had been left to 'dispose' of Victor; scared but determined to take care of the big man lumbering toward him, he'd swung in uncontrolled, wide arcs at his head. The only swing to even make contact was the last; unexpected strength had found itself as his insides poured out of the gaping hole in his front.
Victor hadn't even felt the kill; Jubilee was petrified.
He came to a clearing, with a shifty cabin in it's middle. The screaming had stopped, but her scent was stronger here; radiating off the little shack.
Tearing into the cabin, he found the first man, lounging at a table with a bottle in his hand. He took off, through the backroom. Following, Victor found Jubilee, fighting to right herself as the second man stood over her with a chain in hand. She winced as the chain hit the floor, the hand that held it grabbing for the shirt of his accomplice.
"Holy Christ!" The second man pulled the first back, pushing him behind him to get to the door.
Jubilee found her wits and blasted the first man, knocking him against the wall. Victor was already out the backdoor and after the second.
He was furious. Everything was coated in a thick, enraged red colour. He followed the man, feeling the last of the human in him fade out behind the rage.
~*~*~
Rogue shook, letting out whines of pain. She sat in the middle of the floor, pulled into a tight ball, tears streaming down her face.
"What's wrong with her?" Kitty sat against the wall in Logan's room, her face half buried in Bobby's side. "What's happening?"
"Psychic Link." Jean stood in the doorway, unsure of a course to take. "She touched them too close. Him, and then Jubilee directly after. She couldn't have known what it would do."
"How do we stop it?" Logan was stuck in his place, as close as he could be to Rogue without her panicking. He watched her, angry with himself that he couldn't help her.
"We don't. There's nothing we can do." Jean shook her head sadly. "It has to die away on it's own. More then likely once the trauma's over, she'll be fine."
"Lots of help, Jean." Bobby held Kitty close as Rogue let out a moan. "That's like saying that once your mouth closes, the authority disappears."
"Robert, I do not appreciate-" She stepped fully into the room as Rogue gave a piercing cry.
"No, No no." She whimpered, dropping her face in her lap. "No. Don't-No. Don't hurt me." She looked up suddenly, her eyes blank and shaking. "No! NO!" She buried her face in her hands, sobbing.
~*~*~
Jubilee sat against the wall, crying bitterly. She held out her hands, plasma striking the man's still body. With every whimper she let out, Victor felt the rage break, until all he felt was the guilt of letting Jubilee be hurt.
"Jubilee." He was careful to stay out of her path, kneeling next to her. "Jubilee, please."
She dropped her hands, the blasts stopping. She looked up at him, her fear gently pulling back.
"Vic?"
She had never looked smaller to him, more vulnerable. Her clothes were ripped from the beating and she was covered in bruises and dirt, blood trails drying from cuts on her stomach, neck, face and legs. He knew the bruises were worse under her clothes.
"Precious..." Victor watched her carefully raise her hand to touch his face; her palms were singed with minor burns. He couldn't even guess how long she'd been in the room at the hands of the three of them, so he had no way of knowing the intensity of the blasts that poured from her hands.
"Thank you." She said in a small, weak voice. Tears broke over her cheeks as she crawling into his arms.
Victor held her gently, feeling her tiny body shake.
~*~*~
Rogue looked up to Logan, her eyes soft and her face wet.
"Oh, god.." She fell into his arms, clinging to him. "She's hurt. She's hurt so bad." She pressed her face against his chest. "We gotta help her."
Logan rocked her, trying to soothe her.
"We're goin' to, Darlin'. I promise."