"All right, is everyone present?"

Professor X asked as he entered the room.

"No Professor, it seems Wolverine is missing"

Scott sounded like a whiney child. Jean stared at the table in front of her, humiliated by her husband's immature behavior since Logan had returned from Japan. Was he still afraid of Logan "stealing" her from him? As if she were even an object to steal! She tried not to gag. This was getting to be too much for her…

Gambit looked around in shock, realizing suddenly that Logan was in fact, missing. He felt slightly uneasy, but shook it off. It was Logan; he was always late, non? Just his little way of making it look like he didn't really care.

"Has anyone seen Logan this morning?"

Remy felt Scott's gaze burning into him as strongly as if their leader had not been wearing his protective glasses.

"Uhh… oui, mon prof, Gambit see him dis morning. Gambit was, uh… talkin ta Logan when ya called."

Gambit felt everyone's gaze resting heavy upon him. What had Remy and Logan been doing together at 5 in the morning that would make the wily Cajun blush? Just then the door burst open and Wolverine casually strolled in, seating himself across from Gambit in the only remaining chair. The Cajun sighed with relief; happy to no longer have the burning gaze of his teammates focussed on him.

"Hey, Wolverine, where's your yellow spandex?"

Scott voiced the question on everyone's lips with a little more mockery, however, than everyone felt was needed. Logan mumbled, avoiding everyone's gaze

"It didn't…uh… fit right today."

Scott laughed insanely, and Jean elbowed him hard in the ribs. Scott coughed and choked for a minute before he managed to sputter.

"Getting too flabby around the middle for the old team suit?"

"Somethin like that"

Logan shifted uncomfortably in his chair, praying his jeans hid what the yellow spandex had only made painfully obvious. Just in case, he made an attempt to cross his legs, casually taking the folder in front of him on the table and leafing through it; hoping no one would notice the bulge in his jeans that was obviously not caused by eating too many Twinkies. Suddenly he froze, his eyes catching on Rogue's name as he had flipped through the pages.

"Chuck, why'd you call us here?"

Logan slammed the folder shut immediately, cobalt blue eyes burning.

"Now that you are all here, I will tell you just that."

The professor moved to the center of the room, where a large monitor occupied most of the wall.

"You see, with the help of Doctor McCoy, we have been able to determine how Rogue became infected with the virus that led to her untimely death, and ultimately, the source of this virus."

Remy bit his lip and took a deep, shaky breath. Suddenly, he felt someone's hand slide into his own. He looked over to see Jubilee had moved next to him and now held his hand. He smiled, squeezing her hand lightly, whispering

"Thank you, Petite,"

From across the table, Logan couldn't help but watch Jubilee and Remy. The ache in his bones seemed to intensify as he noticed the two still held hands, but he pushed it aside, turning his attention to the professor, who had turned on the huge screen.

"Thanks to the countless hours of study and research of Doctor McCoy, we have been able to isolate the particular strain of the virus that killed Rogue. This is a previously unrecognized virus and for now will simply be called virus X. It originates in the Savage Lands, in Antarctica. From what we can gather, this virus has thrived there for centuries, proving harmless to the inhabitants of the Savage Lands, both human and mutate alike. We have concluded that, having lived along side this virus their entire lives, the people of the Savage Land have become immune. When we entered the Savage Land, all of our powers were neutralized for a short time. It was during this brief state of vulnerability that Rogue contracted virus X."

Professor X paused.

"Oui, mais. if dat be so mon prof, den how come only she be dead now and not de rest of us. We all loose our powers in de Savage Land."

Remy stood, his eyes brimming with tears, voice only a few notches below yelling and barely containing his rage.

"Please, Remy, I know this is hard for all of us, especially you, but let me explain."

Jubilee gently tugged Remy back into his seat, hugging him to her tightly. He deftly slipped an arm around her shoulders in return. However, his eyes had locked onto Logan's, and the two men shared a brief gaze of mutual pain and understanding.

"Gambit is right, it could have been any, or even all of us who contracted the virus. However, the true course of the virus is not as we saw it in Rogue's case. The original virus X found in the Savage Land is thought to be harmful only to humans. You see, the human immune system is very weak compared to that of mutants. Virus X is able to enter the human body as easily as the common cold might. However, while a cold attacks the respiratory tract, virus X goes directly into the blood stream. While there is no known cure for virus X, there are repressive treatments. If not treated immediately, virus X is deadly to 99.9% of humans who contract it. This is because virus X attacks and eliminates all of the body's white blood cells, leaving it utterly defenseless. With no defenses left at all, the patient cannot fend off something so slight as the common cold, and usually dies within 48 hours of having come in contact with virus X. Now, as I have already said, virus X is allegedly harmless to us as mutants because of our advanced immune systems. However, perhaps you may recall the machine with which Sinister attempted to transfer the powers of one mutant into the body of another, thereby increasing the original powers of the second mutant. Out of all of us, only Rogue was placed within this machine. Doctor McCoy and myself have reason to believe that this machine, for a short while, completely stole her mutant powers, but actually negated her mutant genes temporarily. We believe this to be the reason that Rogue contracted, and later died from virus X, and none of us became ill."

Scott opened his mouth to interrupt, but Professor X hastily continued.

"However, because she quickly regained her mutant powers there after, her invulnerable immune system was able to fight the virus. However, because of the nature of virus X, it is incapable to ever completely remove from the blood stream. In this state, virus X lived in her blood stream for nearly a month before it began to mutate within her, reacting with her DNA to become a super virus."

A computer-generated diagram of Rogue's body appeared on the screen, showing a sequence depicting a strand of Rogue's DNA before, during, and after the mutation of virus X.

"You see, virus X accelerated the mutation process within Rogue's body at an unhealthy rate, ultimately breaking down her own DNA. However, at the same time, it inhibited her ability to control the powers of mutants she has previously absorbed throughout her life, and her own body began to tap into the powers she had been previously unable to use, and used them against herself."

Throughout the final minutes of his speech, the screen behind Professor X continued to run the computerized sequence of the virus' course within her body. The image now faded, and the room became silent.

"Professor…"

Scott broke the silence.

"Rogue was the only X-man who underwent the process of Sinister's machine, but Magneto did as well! Wouldn't that mean he's dead too?"

Scott barely attempted to hide a smug grin.

"You are right that it is very likely Magneto contracted virus X, however, I know for a fact that he is not dead. This is why I have called you here today, X-men, for I have an important mission for you. However, seeing as how Rogue's death is still fresh on many of our hearts, this mission is completely optional, and it will not only be understood, but honored and respected if any of you should choose to stay behind."

The screen came on once more, this time with a map of Magneto's underground base, located in the Canadian wilderness.

"X-men, I believe that Magneto did, in fact, contract virus X. He discovered this fact quickly, and took repressive measures. However, not before he extracted a sample of the virus from his own blood stream. I believe Magneto intends to isolate this sample of virus X and introduce it into humanity with the intention of killing the entire human population of earth. However, I fear that, as in Rogue's case, the virus may have mutated into a super virus, and that perhaps he would be introducing a stronger, more powerful strain of virus X that may prove just as lethal to mutants as it is to humans."

Scott stood before the last word was even out of Xavier's mouth.

"I'm ready Professor, we'll be waiting in the Black Bird."

Scott was out the door before Xavier could protest. However, everyone was staring at Jean, who was still sitting in her chair, arms crossed over her chest, eyes closed to hide the anger behind them. She remained firmly seated, showing no sign of following her husband, despite his announcement that "we" would be in the Black Bird. Several minutes of silence ensued before Professor X continued, acting as if Scott had not left.

"I know everyone was caught off guard by this announcement,"

He looked over at Logan, clad inconspicuously in jeans and a tee shirt.

"So I would like all of those who wish to go on this mission to leave promptly at 5 tomorrow morning. For the remainder of the day, I advise you perhaps run a session in the Danger Room and rest up. Even I don't know what this mission will bring…"

Professor Xavier's voice trailed off as he exited the room, leaving the X-men in silent contemplation.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

After several minutes of stunned silence, Storm stood, silently walking around the circular table at which they sat. She paused to give Remy's shoulder a comforting squeeze and a soft kiss to his ruffled auburn hair, both of which could only have been described as goddess worthy. She then disappeared out the sliding metal doors. Jubilee looked around restlessly, anxious to go but not wanting to leave Remy. Ice Man and Beast left next, the latter swinging from the ceiling beams casually until the sound of a Twinkie wrapper being rustled in his friend's pocket caused a chase to ensue. The departure of the "bestest buds" left only four X-men to sit in the awkward silence that still hung heavy in the room. Logan's growl of frustration sliced through the remaining oppressive tension that had bound them all after the Professor left, and with that he stormed out of the room. For several minutes Gambit stared out the door, wondering what had made Wolverine growl, and where he had gone. Jubilee's gentle but insistent tug on his sleeve broke his revere, and he smiled at her, standing and herding her out of the room, leaving only Jean, who still sat, eyes closed, arms crossed, fighting back tears.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan stomped up to his room, throwing open the doors and collapsing onto his bed. What the hell was happening to him? He was disgusted with himself; not only had he been filled with jealousy by the way Jubilee held Remy's hand through the whole meeting, but even worse, he had actually gotten hard when he had been holding Remy earlier! Heartbroken Remy who needed him as a friend, as a lifeline to cling to. He curled up into a ball, forcing himself to admit that what he felt for Remy was nothing like what he felt for Jubilee and Kitty. Nothing like it, for this was wrong. He branded the words in his mind, forced himself to believe it. He rolled onto his stomach, hiding his face in the pillow. Groaning, Logan pulled the pillow closer, breathing in Remy's scent, which still clung to it from the previous night. He just wanted to wrap himself up in that smell, pull it around him like a blanket.

"Damnit!"

He threw the pillow away in disgust, fighting back the urge to go and find the source of the scent; the longing to wrap himself up in Remy… not just a blanket. Suddenly he sat bolt upright, a quiet knock on the door breaking his thoughts. He tried to stand, but found his legs had become awkward and useless beneath him. Steadying himself, he hurried over to the door, taking a deep breath before he opened it. At first, it appeared no one was there, until he lowered his gaze from where he had expected to find Remy, instead finding Jean, on the brink of tears.

He opened his mouth to ask if she wanted to talk, but before he could speak he found his mouth covered by hers, her tongue pressing inside. Logan's eyes flew wide in shock and he stood, absolutely stunned for nearly a minute before he realized Jean was pushing him towards the bed. He started to fight and found he suddenly couldn't move.

"Jean, what the fuck is going on?!"

Logan bellowed, struggling harder to regain his ability to move.

"Shhhh…"

Jean covered his lips with the tips of her fingers.

"I know why you didn't wear your spandex today Logan, you need this as much as I do…"

Her voice trailed off as she pushed him gently onto his back on the bed, climbing on top of him.

"Jean, get off me. Your making a big mistake…"

She ignored his words, straddling his hips as she bent to kiss him once more. Suddenly, there was a second knock on the door, followed by a soft creak as Remy entered.

"Cher, I…"

Time seemed to freeze as Remy's gaze locked onto Logan's, leaving Jean staring back and forth between the two.

"Gambit sorry.. Didn't mean ta intrude…"

His voice was laced with tears as he turned and ran out the door. The psychic restraints now broken, Logan pushed Jean away, reaching the door just as it shut in his face. Logan let his head fall against it in disappear, punching the heavy wood so hard it groaned in protest. Meanwhile, Jean just stared at Logan, eyes wide, jaw hanging open. Jean's mouth moved silently for several minutes before she could manage to find her voice.

"You…. And Remy?!?!"

With a sigh, Logan sunk to the floor.

"No chance of that now."

There was no trace of the usual anger Logan would have shown in such a situation, only a despairing sadness.

"But… but.. you… and…. REMY??? But I thought…"

Jean started to cry, her body wracked with sobs. With much effort, Logan stood, taking Jean in his arms.

"Now hush, none of that. You had no idea. To tell you the truth, I barely did myself. You're just goin through a tough time with Scotty right now. That wouldn't have been the best way ta solve it anyway. I can't really give ya the support you need right now, Jeannie, and I'm sorry for that. But I'm having too many problems of ma own to think straight, and now I've gotta try and set things straight with Gumbo."

Jean nodded.

"I'm sorry,"

She whispered, kissing Logan's cheek before she left. Logan sank down onto the bed with a sigh, reaching for the pillow he had earlier thrown from him. He nuzzled it now, smelling once more the sweet scent that was already beginning to fade.

"Oh Remy…"

Logan whispered, forever staining the pillow with shining crimson drops of pain.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Tensions in the Danger Room were dangerously high. Initially, the occupants had included Beast, Iceman, and Storm, running a typical trial sequence. However, several minutes later, Jubilee had entered looking for Gambit. Finding he wasn't there, the emotionally exhausted teen had planned to leave, until Iceman "accidentally" froze her feet to the floor. At this point, the trial sequence quickly became nothing more than an obstacle course through which Jubilee chased Bobby, taking off her now sopping wet shoes and socks and throwing them at him. Storm couldn't help but chuckle to herself, though she rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, making a rather weak attempt to reprimand the two youngest X-men. She was just about to leave when Cyclops came in, his anger barely contained.

"Angel!"

He called to the man in the control booth.

"Change the setting to Level 10 holographic, Magneto's Lair,"

He paused for a moment.

"And Jubilee, put your shoes on right now!"

He screamed at her, sending everyone into stunned silence. Suddenly the metal doors slid open and closed once more.

"Gambit tink dat yellin at de petite aint necessary, mon ami. Your anger t'aint at her,"

Picking up a dripping wet sock in front of him, and two equally wet shoes, Gambit walked over to Jubilee. His face was stony as he rung out the sock, then charged his hands, using the heat to quickly dry Jubilee's shoes and socks, the other of which she had still been holding in her hand, ready to throw. Once these were dry, Gambit turned to face Scott once more, who had reached his boiling point, face red with anger, the veins of his neck bulging.

"Start the simulation!"

Scott bellowed, leaving Jubilee to hastily put her shoes back on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan stared his reflection in the mirror for a long time. Since his encounter with Jean, Logan had been completely on edge, fearing that in Gambit's current emotional state, he might do something to hurt himself. However, also since Jean's departure, he found the yellow spandex to be fitting properly again. That fact unnerved him worst of all. He sighed, not knowing what to think, deciding some time in the Danger Room was what he needed to get his mind off of the conflicting emotions raging inside him.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Inside the Danger Room, Beast took the rising anxiety as his cue to leave, deciding that if this session ended how he feared it would, it would be best he be in the infirmary as a doctor, not a patient. Especially since Jean had not been seen since the end of the meeting. As the doors shut behind him, Hank heard the first blasts of what he supposed were Scott's optic beams. With a sigh, he hurried off to the infirmary to prepare the sick bay.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gambit dove towards Jubilee, knocking her out of the way just as Scott's optic blast hit dangerously close to where she'd been standing, a shower of rock and debris falling, releasing a huge cloud of dust. He quickly pulled her behind a pile of crates before Scott could see them, not trusting the rage he could feel emanating from his teammate. Remy didn't realize he was still holding on to Jubilee until he felt that her whole body was trembling. He pulled her close, stroking her hair in an attempt to calm her.

"Petite, I want you ta stay here, a'right? Scott real mad right now and Gambit don't trust him not take dat anger out on anyone he can. You just stay hidden for now and watch out fer yo'self,"

He whispered, kissing the top of her head before darting out from behind the stack of crates, leaving Jubilee staring after him.

Logan cracked his neck, first to the right, then to the left, shaking himself all over before entering the Danger Room to find a session already in progress.

"Looks like Magneto's place,"

Logan thought to himself, his guess proven correct as a holographic representation of Sabertooth lunged at him. Several quick swipes of Logan's claws proved the program was hardly accurate, as the hologram version of Sabertooth was destroyed. Logan crept into another room of the holographic world as he attempted to get his bearings. Several quick sniffs told him Storm was nearby, but so was another hologram. A flash of lighting proved both theories correct as well, and with a grin, Logan moved into another room. Empty. Another. Empty. Logan continued along the corridor, staying as far into the shadows as possible. Eventually he reached the main chamber, where a fight between the X-men and Magneto should have been occurring. However, to Logan's surprise the hologram of Magneto was nowhere to be seen. The room, in fact, appeared to be empty. However, his keen sense of smell told him otherwise, and cautiously he entered the room. Staying in the shadows, Logan darted behind a pile of crates.

"I've been waiting for you, Logan,"

Scott's voice broke the silence of the room. Logan stepped out to face his opponent, who appeared to be Mystique, disguised as Scott. An optic blast shot towards Logan, but he had been expecting it and dodged it easily. He rolled away from the flying debris the blast had caused, coming to a halt as a boot clad foot connected with his ribs. Logan grunted as he looked up to find that his attacker was not a holographic Mystique posing as Scott, but the real Scott Summers, standing above him. Logan stared in disbelief, sniffing the air only to find the smell of human flesh and blood… and hatred. Scott's boot pinned him to the floor, and his hand was poised against the side of his visor, ready to release his mutant power against his own teammate.

"You should have stayed in Japan, Wolverine…"

Scott's voice was laced with rage, and a touch of insanity, leaving Logan to stare up at him, helpless for the first time he could remember.

Suddenly, there was another explosion, and more debris flew. Before he could dodge, a large chunk of wood hit Scott, knocking him to the ground several feet away from Logan.

"Logan may deserve whatev'a revenge you got planned for him, mon ami, but Gambit fraid it gonna have ta wait 'til another time"

Both men looked up to see Gambit, demon eyes aglow, a second card already charged in his hand. For several agonizingly long moments, he stood, chest heaving with emotion, still poised to throw the card at either of them, until he felt Jubilee's hand slide into his free hand. Slowly, the glowing card dimmed, and he crumpled it, dropping it to the ground. Heavy lids dropped over tear filled eyes as he looked away. With a sigh he turned, putting his arm around Jubilee.

"Come on, Petite, I t'ink it best we be goin now."

They walked back down the corridor of the holographic tunnel and out the metal doors, the simulation fading behind them. Logan stared after them, dumbfounded.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Back in the infirmary, Doctor McCoy had prepared a medical supply kit, and several beds.

"Better safe than sorry, I suppose,"

The furry doctor mused to himself.

"Oh, I don't know, Hank, sometimes a little something unexpected is just what the doctor ordered."

Turning to face the speaker, his witty reply died in his throat. Standing before him was Jean, clad in, what appeared at first, to be only her white medical coat. However, as she unbuttoned the three small white buttons that ran down the front, the flaps fell apart, revealing a black lacey bra and a matching thong. It took Hank several minutes to recover his voice, but at last he found it.

"Jean, I believe you're very upset right now because of marital problems you're currently having with Scott. Because of these problems your not thinking clearly…"

At this point Jean shrugged off the white coat, walking towards Hank, who began talking faster.

"And… and because of this, you're looking to meaningless sex with others as an outlet for your emotional pain…"

Hank began backing up as she continued towards him, reaching behind her back.

"And Jean.. th..this will only hurt your relationship with Scott further. This isn't…"

By now he had backed himself up against one of the beds he had prepared. The room fell silent, and a soft "click" could be heard, followed by the smooth slither of lace falling to the floor.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee looked over at Gambit as they sped past the school gates. A thin layer of snow still clung to the grass and trees, but the road had since been cleared of the powder. It was absolutely freezing out, yet Gambit seemed not to notice; just as he seemed not to notice her presence beside him. The red and black eyes were glazed over, which should have scared her. Instead, she couldn't help but think how beautiful those demon eyes were. She sighed as she watched him; he was so beautiful. Everything about him was beautiful; those eyes of course, but his smile, the long mass of auburn hair that the wind blew back from his face, the full lips currently set in a pout. Even his pain was beautiful. She barely even registered she had slowly begun inching closer to him…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Logan, what happened?"

Storm asked again, trying to wake Logan from the trance he seemed to be in. He blinked up at her, then looked over at Scott, who had lapsed into an unconscious state. Brushing himself off, Logan stood. He then tried to lift Scott, motioning for Storm to help him carry the limp man.

"Better take him to the infirmary, least there he won't hurt himself,"

Logan sighed at the sickening turn of events.

"Or anyone else…"

He couldn't help adding to himself as they each supported Scott with an arm around his back.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Gambit closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in the icy winter air as he sped down the road in his convertible, top down. It was freezing, he had to admit, even with his duster, but he didn't care anymore. He didn't care about anything. For a while after Rogue's death, he'd cared about supporting his teammates, helping them through the loss. It had taken nearly a week to do that. Then he had focused on avenging his beloved Rogue, but no one knew how she had even gotten the damn virus, so what could he do? Then he was just beginning to care about Logan. He mentally cursed himself. He should have known better! If any of the X-men exhibited pure, unbridled masculinity, it was Logan, there was no doubt there. He sighed. It took a tangible effort, but Remy managed to push all thoughts from his mind for several minutes. Until, that is, he felt a soft flutter against his inner thigh, just above the knee. It was only years of training that kept him from swerving at the shockingly sudden touch, especially considering how intimate it was. Who…? Jubilee… Jubes. Until that moment, he'd forgotten she was even in the car with him. He quickly glanced sideways, thinking that perhaps he was hallucinating. A scan of the road ahead and he did a double take; shocked when he didn't see the same cheerful kid he'd hugged that morning. No… beside him was definitely a woman, full grown breasts pressed against his arm, shorts exposing an expanse of smooth, tanned thighs. But it was her eyes.. Her eyes sparkling up at him with a woman's needs. Remy swallowed hard as that small hand fluttered higher, and this time he did swerve a little…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Halfway towards the infirmary Scott woke up, breaking away from Ororo and Logan with strength neither had expected. Wide eyed, the two watched as Scott tried to run down the hall the rest of the way to the infirmary, first hitting a wall, then a table, before he fell to the floor. Storm approached the fallen man, dropping and rolling as he fired an optic blast in her direction before he stood once more, breaking into an unstable run.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A growl echoed down the corridor, followed by a crash as something hit the floor.

"Oh Hank… you really are a beast!"

Jean moaned, followed by the sound of metal instruments hitting the floor. Pushing Hank aside, Jean straddled him, her girlish giggle quite unbefitting to the devilish movement of her hips grinding against his.

"My dear, I had no idea…"

Hank moaned in response to her sudden show of dominance, one large hand seeking out her exposed breasts. Suddenly, the door to the infirmary crashed open, sending the lovers into a scramble for something to cover themselves with; stopping as they realized no material on earth could shield them from the burning gaze of the man in the doorway.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee gazed up into Remy's eyes, watching his face as she stroked his thigh higher and higher. Even when the car swerved on the icy road, she barely noticed, except as a sign she was doing well. Her fingers skittered slowly up the remaining length of denim clad thigh, nearly reaching her destination before Remy's soft warm hand caught hers. Bringing that hand to his lips, Remy kissed it, rubbing his face against it, eyes still on the road.

"Gambit t'ink it better you don't do dat, petite,"

His voice was cold and broken as he returned her hand to her own lap. Tears began to build in Jubilee's eyes, until she felt his arm wrap around her in a gentle, yet protective embrace. Laying her head on his shoulder, Jubilee snuggled closer to the older man, a smile on her lips as the car turned off into a parking lot.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Jean, I always knew you were a tramp, but with Beast?!?"

Scott's voice held more than a hint of insanity by now as he raised his hand to his visor, firing his optic beam directly at the two lovers…