A/N: Sorry for the major delay in updating, I totally lost focus on almost all my fics in progress and getting on back on track has been difficult. Hopefully this chapter will get me back in the swing of things, but be warned further updates may be a while.

This story from here on out is taken from the suggestion of Desert-Rose6 to have all the X-Grrls testing the theory. Thanks so much for that suggestion and I hope y'all enjoy.

WARNING: This chapter contains a for comedic purposes only girl/girl kiss.

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The Plot Thickens

"Whoo hoo, Kitty," Tabitha jumps up from where she's sitting on the edge of my desk to give me an unexpected high five. "Macking on the Badger! I didn't know you had it in ya, girl."

"I so was not macking on him," I defend myself, incredulous at the very idea.

"But you kissed him?" Amara asks as Jean and Rogue continue to just stare at me.

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't a kiss kiss," I try to clarify. "I was testing a theory."

"What theory?" Rogue asks skeptically from the chair she's sitting in.

"What was it like?" Tabitha asks at the same time while moving to sit next to me on my bed. "I bet he's a great kisser. Just looking at him and all you know he's one of those passionate animalistic like lovers. Did he get all masterful with you or was he showing that softer side of his and being all slow and gentle?"

"He didn't do anything," I roll my eyes at her. "I did everything. He just kinda stood there for a minute then stopped me and walked away."

"You didn't answer the first question," Amara squeezes between me and Jean to sit herself on the bed. "What was it like?"

I shoulda known they'd hound me for that info, I close my eyes with a sigh.

"Oooooh, look at that blush!" I hear Tabitha crowing beside me and groan. "Kitty, you ho, you liked it!"

"I did not," I lie automatically.

"Oh, yes you did," the blonde argues. "That is a very very telling blush and what it's telling us is you made out with the Badger and liked it!"

"His codename is Wolverine not Badger and if you have trouble remembering that then just call him Logan," I stand up and inform the other girl. "And there was no making out."

"Awww," BoomBoom smiles and moves to playfully hug Amara while wiping theatrically at a non-existent tear, "isn't that adorable! The Kitty-cat's showing her claws in defense of her man."

"Hardy har har," I sigh and cross my arms over my chest as the two girls laugh at that.

"Kitty and Logan sitting in a tree - " they begin singing after a moment.

"Oh puh-lease," Rogue rolls her eyes at their antics.

"K-I-S-S-I-N - "

"That's enough," Jean and I say in sync.

"But we're not to the best part yet," the singing duo protests. "First comes love, then comes - " they begin again.

"Shut up," I snap at their immaturity.

"Or what?" Tabitha stops singing to ask with a wicked grin. "You'll kiss us?"

"If it comes to that," I bite my lip to keep from laughing at her expression when I say that so seriously.

"Let's get back on topic," Rogue rises to stand before me. "Exactly what kinda theory is there that requires yer kissin' Logan to test it?"

"Oooh, Rogue your eyes are looking sooo green right now," Tabby teases and gets a murderous glare from the goth girl. "I knew you had the hots for him."

"Ah don't have tha hots fer him," she states just as unconvincingly as I stated my not liking my Logan kiss.

"We're venturing off topic again," Jean breaks in before the two really get into an argument. "Kitty, why did you call this meeting?"

"Because I got an idea," I begin excitedly.

"From kissin' Logan?" Rogue interrupts and rolls her eyes impatiently when I glare at her for not letting me finish before asking questions I totally plan on answering in my explanation.

"Can we get past the whole kissing thing?" I groan. "The only reason I kissed him was to test a theory."

"And again, Ah wanna know what theory ya could possibly have been testin' that called fer ya ta kiss mah man," I blink in surprise at her possessive words and tone then bite back a smile as Rogue realizes what she's said and blushes beneath her heavy makeup. "Ah mean - "

"Oh, we heard you, honey, and we knoooow what you meant," Tabby picks back up on her teasing. "You're finally staking your claim on the big guy."

"Ah am not," the goth girl argues heatedly. "Oh, Ah give up on all y'all," she groans when even I'm having to bite my lip to keep from laughing at just how unconvincing her denials are. "Can we get this ovah with?"

"Yes, let's do that," Jean seconds. "I've got a date with Scott that I really need to start getting ready for."

Yes, ma'am, I think with a mental sigh at her tone.

"Ok, like, here's my idea. In science you have you perform like tons of tests and experiments to prove a single theory or the effectiveness of a particular method. It's best to have multiple studies going at the same time to provide a variety of results and really put things to the test, so I want you all to help me prove this theory," I begin excitedly.

"Fer tha last tahme, what is this damned theory you keep yammerin' about?" Rogue interrupts impatiently.

"I'm getting to that if you'd like give me five more seconds," I reply with a silencing glare at which she just rolls her eyes. "Now, as I was saying before being totally interrupted," she gives me a 'just get on with it' glare of her own when I glance pointedly in her direction as I speak those words. "You've all had situations where you're being lectured or have someone talking on and on about something you like don't care about and you just want the conversation to end, right?" As expected they all nod and I continue, "Well, that's what happened today for me with Logan. He was letting me practice driving around the block - "

"Oh my God," Amara interrupts this time with a wicked gleam in her eyes that indicates she's been spending way too much time with Tabitha. "What did you run over?"

"I am a totally good driver and I'll have you know I didn't run over anything," I state with a bit of a pout at this reputation I've gotten as a bad driver. "I just kinda grazed a mailbox," I admit quietly. "But that's beside the point," I inform them all firmly as they begin laughing at my latest experience behind the wheel of a vehicle. "As I was saying before I was once again interrupted," Amara shrugs sheepishly in response to my glare in her direction, "Logan was letting me drive and after the mailbox thing he made me bring the van home and when we got back he started on this lecture about driving safety and junk. I really didn't need to hear all that, but he was in total speech mode and I had to get him to shut up before he like revoked my driving privileges. So I started trying to think of a way to shut him up - "

"What's wrong with just telling him to shut up? That's my method," Tabitha interrupts.

"That," the blonde is on the receiving end of my increasingly impatient and angry glare, "much like interrupting a person, is just plain rude. Plus, it never works," I tell her. "I mean, how many times have you told Logan to shut up and had him actually do it?"

"None, but every time I do it this vein in his forehead starts pulsing and he growls all sexy before starting on that 'respecting your elders' speech he seems to have perfected just for me," BoomBoom says casually while shifting to recline back on my bed.

"Right," I roll my eyes at her response and the way Rogue goes back to glaring daggers at the blonde. "So like I said, that method doesn't work. Neither does arguing with whatever lecture they're giving, which only leads to yelling and major bad moods for all involved or just storming off in a huff which only puts the lecture off until another time. With those options all ruled out I was left with just one way to shut Logan up today and stop his speech cold. I kissed him and it totally worked. He stood there, like, in shock then just left, lecture and bad driving experience forgotten," I smile triumphantly at my success.

"Yeah, we all got tha kissin' Logan part already," Rogue says as I take a moment to bask in my glory. "What's that got ta do with us?"

"I think we should all put the theory to the test. Whenever you find yourself in a situation where someone is just talking non-stop and you want them to stop, it could be a lecture or just a conversation that's boring you, lay a totally surprising and unexpected wet one on them and just see how well it works to shut them up."

"So you're saying that the next time Logan's lecturing me on the dangers of putting one of my lil firecrackers down Bobby's pants when I get bored during a training session, I should just kiss him?" Tabitha sits upright and leans forward with an eager grin. "I can do that."

"You are not kissing Logan," Rogue says in a cool, firm tone without any trace of her Southern accent.

"Why not?" the blonde tilts her head to the side with an expression that indicates she wants to cause even more trouble with the goth girl. "Kitty did," I glare at her for dragging me into this brewing battle. "It's only fair we all get a taste of those Logan lips."

"You," the redhead steps forward to stand over the sitting new recruit, "are not kissing Logan."

"Girls," Jean jumps to her feet and moves between the pair when Tabitha rises to stand toe to toe with the older X-Woman, "relax. Rogue," the telepath turns to address her teammate calmly, "she's only acting this way to get a reaction from you. Tabitha," she turns to the blonde, "tell Rogue you're not really interested in Logan."

"Fine," BoomBoom sighs and looks around the human barrier between her and her verbal sparring partner. "Rogue," I groan at the mischievous gleam still evident in the blonde's eyes, "I have no interest in Logan," she says in compliance to Jean's order. "I'm only interested in that big muscled body of his. Preferably shirtless with that torso all slicked up with oil."

I move forward to help Jean restrain Rogue at that taunt and Amara hops up to pull Tabitha back before the two come to blows.

"If you two can behave for five minutes," I grind out while using all my strength to keep a hold of my teammate and keep her from ripping the blonde's hair out like she's threatening to do as she struggles to break free of our restraining hands, "I'll wrap this meeting up and you can go duke this out elsewhere."

Blue eyes widening at the idea that we'd actually allow a fight, Tabitha instantly lost all traces of mischief and sat down on the bed again with a weary look at Rogue. Smiling at the obviously intimated girl, Rogue relaxes and returns to where she'd been sitting at my desk the second Jean and I let her go.

"Good," I exchange a smile with Jean then get back to business. "Here's what I've got in mind. For the next two weeks we'll all test the various methods of shutting a person up, with an emphasis on using kisses to silence them."

"When you say 'person,'" Amara begins curiously, "do you mean we can perform the tests on male or female subjects?"

"Yes. There are no restrictions on who you can test on, they just have to be talking and you have to genuinely want them to stop talking. Remember that it is not about kissing like 'I like you' kissing, it's just kissing to silence the person."

"Can it be both?" Tabitha asks. "I mean, I could like someone but still want them to shut up if they just keep on talking about something."

"Sure, it can be both, but making out is not the goal of the experiments. You can enjoy the kiss and all, but you have to end it and make sure you've silenced your subject," I lay down that rule.

"There's a little problem with me participatin' in this li'l idea of yours," Rogue says a bit bitterly behind me, "Ah already know how effective this method is."

"You do?" Jean and I ask in sync.

"Yeah, Ah do," she rises and assumes a defensive stance with her arms crossed over her chest. "People are always speechless after I kiss or touch them. It's hard ta talk when you're knocked unconscious," she uncrosses her arms and removes a glove to wave her bare hand around. "Mah skin, remember?"

"Oh," I blink and realize I really haven't thought this thing through as well as I should have. "Well, you can focus on testing the other methods. Tell the person to shut up, leave the room things like that," I suggest.

"Fahne, Ah can do that," she smiles and moves toward me. "Shut up," she tells me when she's right in front of me.

"Hey," I gasp in offense at the order.

"Well, that method failed," she slides her glove back on and tucks a stray lock of white hair back behind her ear. "Yer still talkin' so Ah'll test that othah method ya mentioned," she stalks from the room and slams the door behind her.

"Let me see that I've got this straight," Amara says as if all that just hadn't happened. "Our mission, if we chose to accept it," she and Tabitha snicker at that, "is to shut someone up by any means necessary?"

"I wouldn't say 'by any means necessary,'" I cringe inwardly at the thought of Tabitha getting angry and shoving one of her firecrackers somewhere it didn't belong to shut a person up then blaming me when she gets in trouble for it.

"Ok, just telling them to shut up, arguing with them, leaving the room or kissing them?" Magma asks for clarification.

"Yes," I smile, "lets keep it to just those methods and - "

I really should have seen it coming from the way she'd been questioning me and that gleam in her eyes that she'd picked up from Tabitha, but I guess I just wasn't paying all that much attention. One second I'm calmly going over the details of my bright idea and then the next I've got a Nova Roman princess wrapped around me with her lips pressing hard against mine and cutting off the flow of words I'd been speaking.

My eyes widen in surprise as she mouth moves over mine and my hands fly upward to push her away. When my palms press against breasts instead of shoulders I blush the reddest shade of embarrassment humanly possible then push back so hard I end up falling hard onto my butt on the floor. With a sinking suspicion that this is exactly how Logan felt after my kiss, I gape up at Amara in disbelief and she doubles over laughing when she sees my expression. Tabitha jumps up from the bed and gives her friend a high five then joins the younger girl in laughing at my expense. My disbelief quickly turns to a bit of anger, but I'm still unable to put together a coherent verbal retaliation to the kiss.

"I'd say that test was successful," Magma says delightedly, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes.

"I'll say," BoomBoom seconds with a glance to her right where Jean was, "you even shocked Red here speechless."

Cringing inwardly I look over and see that my teammate is indeed shocked by what she's just witnessed.

"I do believe this meeting's over," I hear Amara remark as I bury my face in my hands. "Let's go find some more test subjects."

Groaning I hear them walking away then the door to my room opens and shuts as they leave it.

"This cannot be a good idea," Jean finds her voice to say and with an even louder groan I have to agree that she's probably right.