Regina: I post this, just having received the most terrible of news. Bryan Singer will not return as director of X3, in favour of filming the Superman movie. Because of this, I have very little to say, except that this chapter is for you, Phoebe Holly, as I had nearly completed this chapter when I received your review.
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Countdown Begins
"Wow. Seven days. Wow. That's soon. Did I say wow?"
"Perhaps once or twice, Kitty."
"Well, I still can't believe that the wedding is in seven days. That's, like, a week!"
"Really?" asked Hank. "I did not know that."
Jennifer swatted him. "Don't be mean. She's excited. If she wasn't excited enough for the two of us, I don't know what I would be like." She looked at her watch. "They're late."
"Who's late?" asked Kitty.
"Oh, the. . .um . . . the dressmakers. They said that the bridesmaids dresses would be here half an hour ago."
The decision as to who would be the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had been settled two days after Xavier's offer of an apartment to Hank and Jennifer. Hank had gone first and asked Xavier to be the best man, but he respectfully declined, suggesting the students might be better, and would love to be involved. Hank had then asked Logan - that was a no, straight out. And then everyone was surprised when Hank asked Bobby to be his best man. Scott and Kurt had been named the other groomsmen.
Jennifer had had it easier, in a way. Having seen that Kitty was an efficient bridesmaid - and she had, of course, been instrumental in getting Hank and Jennifer together - Jennifer had named Kitty chief bridesmaid. Jean and Rogue were later named the other two bridesmaids. Jennifer had would have liked to have had all of the girls as bridesmaids, but, as Hank and Jennifer herself had pointed out, there would be hardly anyone else to invite.
The ring of the doorbell caused Hank and Jennifer to jump up. "What?" asked Kitty. "What is it?"
Hank and Jennifer looked at each other. "Come with us, and you'll find out."
X X X
Sam was the poor soul who flung over the door, and was immediately bowled over by the group of people who entered the mansion excitedly. True to form, his power kicked in, and he went flying, nearly taking out Bobby and Roberto, who had just entered the foyer, in the process.
"Oh, hey Mr McCoy, Ms Reed," Sam called as he went flying into the next room.
"Such a polite boy," Jennifer commented as she, Hank and Kitty entered the foyer as well.
The first thing the three of them saw was Bobby and Roberto, standing like statues in the entrance, staring at the new arrivals. Although they were lost for words, Kitty wasn't.
"Rahne?!" she squealed. "Jubilee?! Is it you?!" But they did not get the chance to respond, as Kitty let out another scream of excitement and raced forward, knocking down Bobby and Roberto in the process. In her excitement, she had not bothered to phase through the two, and instead had barrelled them down.
Reaching the two, she hugged them both, and started bouncing up and down with excitement. Rahne and Jubilee looked at each other, confused, then shrugged their shoulders and joined in the bouncing.
All of the noise had brought the other students out. Amara and Tabitha immediately joined in with the bouncing, while Ray looked at them all, wondering what all the girls were on. Jean and Scott watched them all with slight smiles on their faces, and Jamie raced forward and joined the girls in the group, doing his own strange dance, which the girls quickly noticed, and all copied.
"Whose idea was it to bring them in for the wedding?" asked Rogue, who had taken Kitty's place next to Hank and Jennifer.
"Mine," said Hank, "although it was Professor Xavier who made it all possible. He got in contact with all of the people we wished to invite, but had no real means of contacting."
"Like who?" asked Kurt, who had teleported at Hank's elbow in time to hear the beginning of the conversation. "Anyone we'd know?"
Hank chuckled. "Yes, you know them. But it's going to be a surprise. But I think Rahne and Jubilee arriving now is enough for now."
"Rahne and -" Kurt had not noticed what was going on at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh!" he said, then disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing where the group of girls and Jamie were still jumping about and squealing with excitement.
"Do you think we should go and say something to the boys?" Jennifer asked Hank, her voice a whisper, as she gestured to Bobby and Roberto, who were still standing there like statues. Although it seemed that Roberto was coming out of his state of shock at seeing Rahne and Jubilee.
"No," Hank said with a smile. "Leave them be. Let them get used to the idea."
"I think it's cute," Jennifer replied. She was about to reply to the look that Hank gave her, when the clock chimed. It was dinner time, and all of the students, even the recent arrivals, knew it. They all raced to the dining room, leaving the adults to get there at their own pace.
Several minutes later, Bobby, blinked twice, and looked around. Then he shook his head. "Where'd everyone go? I swear Jubilee was here." Then he shrugged his shoulders, looked at his watch, and joined the others for dinner.
X X X
Kitty smoothed out her bridesmaid's dress for the fifteenth time.
"Would you stop doing that?" asked Rogue, who had hung hers up without any fuss whatsoever. "If you keep doing that, it will fall apart at the wedding if you're not careful."
"I'm sorry," said Kitty. "It's just - I wish I was getting married." She sighed.
"To who?" asked Rogue wickedly. "Lance?" She narrowly dodged the show that was thrown at her. "Well then, who?"
Kitty shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just think this is all so exciting!" She got up, and taking Rogue's advice, hung the dress up in her closet.
"I don't think the designer of that dress ever imagined it hanging next to a combat uniform," a laughing voice said.
"Hey, Ms Reed," said Rogue. "Thanks again for the dress."
"And the shoes," added Kitty.
"And everything else," Rogue finished.
"You're my bridesmaids, aren't you?" Jennifer asked, smiling. "Think of it as being my way of paying you back for everything."
"Okay." Kitty sat back down on her bed. Then she remembered something she had been meaning to ask for a while, but for some reason hadn't. "Ms Reed?"
"Yes?"
"Are you going to have a party?"
"A party?" Jennifer echoed.
"A bachelorette party!" Kitty explained excitedly.
"No," Jennifer replied. "Hank and I agreed that we weren't going to do anything like that."
Kitty looked at Rogue. "But the boys are having a party for him, right?" Rogue nodded. "See?!"
"They are, are they?" Jennifer asked thoughtfully. "Well, it's not like they can take him out to a club somewhere, can they? Even if they were old enough."
"But what are we going to do about you?"
"Isn't it the bridesmaid's job to organise something like that?" Kitty nodded. "Then I leave it in your capable hands. Just remember, Kitty, I will be spending my last night as a free woman in my own home, due to that tradition of not being able to see the bride before the wedding. And that is where we are going to get ready. Although as the wedding is going to be held here, it would be easier if we just got ready here. . ." Jennifer began to trail off with that thought.
Kitty jumped up. "No, you are not staying here! Do you, like, want to jinx the wedding or something?"
"Of course not. But I think Hank and I have had enough bad luck to last three marriages."
"Well," said Kitty, "you're still having a party, luck or no."
"Thanks, Kitty," Jennifer replied. "I knew I could count on you." With that, she left.
Rogue watched as Kitty picked up the phone, to begin making the preparations.
"Just don't do anything that I wouldn't approve of!" called a voice.
Kitty put down the phone. "Shoot!"
Beauty and the Beast
Chapter Twenty-Six: The Countdown Begins
"Wow. Seven days. Wow. That's soon. Did I say wow?"
"Perhaps once or twice, Kitty."
"Well, I still can't believe that the wedding is in seven days. That's, like, a week!"
"Really?" asked Hank. "I did not know that."
Jennifer swatted him. "Don't be mean. She's excited. If she wasn't excited enough for the two of us, I don't know what I would be like." She looked at her watch. "They're late."
"Who's late?" asked Kitty.
"Oh, the. . .um . . . the dressmakers. They said that the bridesmaids dresses would be here half an hour ago."
The decision as to who would be the bridesmaids and the groomsmen had been settled two days after Xavier's offer of an apartment to Hank and Jennifer. Hank had gone first and asked Xavier to be the best man, but he respectfully declined, suggesting the students might be better, and would love to be involved. Hank had then asked Logan - that was a no, straight out. And then everyone was surprised when Hank asked Bobby to be his best man. Scott and Kurt had been named the other groomsmen.
Jennifer had had it easier, in a way. Having seen that Kitty was an efficient bridesmaid - and she had, of course, been instrumental in getting Hank and Jennifer together - Jennifer had named Kitty chief bridesmaid. Jean and Rogue were later named the other two bridesmaids. Jennifer had would have liked to have had all of the girls as bridesmaids, but, as Hank and Jennifer herself had pointed out, there would be hardly anyone else to invite.
The ring of the doorbell caused Hank and Jennifer to jump up. "What?" asked Kitty. "What is it?"
Hank and Jennifer looked at each other. "Come with us, and you'll find out."
X X X
Sam was the poor soul who flung over the door, and was immediately bowled over by the group of people who entered the mansion excitedly. True to form, his power kicked in, and he went flying, nearly taking out Bobby and Roberto, who had just entered the foyer, in the process.
"Oh, hey Mr McCoy, Ms Reed," Sam called as he went flying into the next room.
"Such a polite boy," Jennifer commented as she, Hank and Kitty entered the foyer as well.
The first thing the three of them saw was Bobby and Roberto, standing like statues in the entrance, staring at the new arrivals. Although they were lost for words, Kitty wasn't.
"Rahne?!" she squealed. "Jubilee?! Is it you?!" But they did not get the chance to respond, as Kitty let out another scream of excitement and raced forward, knocking down Bobby and Roberto in the process. In her excitement, she had not bothered to phase through the two, and instead had barrelled them down.
Reaching the two, she hugged them both, and started bouncing up and down with excitement. Rahne and Jubilee looked at each other, confused, then shrugged their shoulders and joined in the bouncing.
All of the noise had brought the other students out. Amara and Tabitha immediately joined in with the bouncing, while Ray looked at them all, wondering what all the girls were on. Jean and Scott watched them all with slight smiles on their faces, and Jamie raced forward and joined the girls in the group, doing his own strange dance, which the girls quickly noticed, and all copied.
"Whose idea was it to bring them in for the wedding?" asked Rogue, who had taken Kitty's place next to Hank and Jennifer.
"Mine," said Hank, "although it was Professor Xavier who made it all possible. He got in contact with all of the people we wished to invite, but had no real means of contacting."
"Like who?" asked Kurt, who had teleported at Hank's elbow in time to hear the beginning of the conversation. "Anyone we'd know?"
Hank chuckled. "Yes, you know them. But it's going to be a surprise. But I think Rahne and Jubilee arriving now is enough for now."
"Rahne and -" Kurt had not noticed what was going on at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh!" he said, then disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing where the group of girls and Jamie were still jumping about and squealing with excitement.
"Do you think we should go and say something to the boys?" Jennifer asked Hank, her voice a whisper, as she gestured to Bobby and Roberto, who were still standing there like statues. Although it seemed that Roberto was coming out of his state of shock at seeing Rahne and Jubilee.
"No," Hank said with a smile. "Leave them be. Let them get used to the idea."
"I think it's cute," Jennifer replied. She was about to reply to the look that Hank gave her, when the clock chimed. It was dinner time, and all of the students, even the recent arrivals, knew it. They all raced to the dining room, leaving the adults to get there at their own pace.
Several minutes later, Bobby, blinked twice, and looked around. Then he shook his head. "Where'd everyone go? I swear Jubilee was here." Then he shrugged his shoulders, looked at his watch, and joined the others for dinner.
X X X
Kitty smoothed out her bridesmaid's dress for the fifteenth time.
"Would you stop doing that?" asked Rogue, who had hung hers up without any fuss whatsoever. "If you keep doing that, it will fall apart at the wedding if you're not careful."
"I'm sorry," said Kitty. "It's just - I wish I was getting married." She sighed.
"To who?" asked Rogue wickedly. "Lance?" She narrowly dodged the show that was thrown at her. "Well then, who?"
Kitty shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I just think this is all so exciting!" She got up, and taking Rogue's advice, hung the dress up in her closet.
"I don't think the designer of that dress ever imagined it hanging next to a combat uniform," a laughing voice said.
"Hey, Ms Reed," said Rogue. "Thanks again for the dress."
"And the shoes," added Kitty.
"And everything else," Rogue finished.
"You're my bridesmaids, aren't you?" Jennifer asked, smiling. "Think of it as being my way of paying you back for everything."
"Okay." Kitty sat back down on her bed. Then she remembered something she had been meaning to ask for a while, but for some reason hadn't. "Ms Reed?"
"Yes?"
"Are you going to have a party?"
"A party?" Jennifer echoed.
"A bachelorette party!" Kitty explained excitedly.
"No," Jennifer replied. "Hank and I agreed that we weren't going to do anything like that."
Kitty looked at Rogue. "But the boys are having a party for him, right?" Rogue nodded. "See?!"
"They are, are they?" Jennifer asked thoughtfully. "Well, it's not like they can take him out to a club somewhere, can they? Even if they were old enough."
"But what are we going to do about you?"
"Isn't it the bridesmaid's job to organise something like that?" Kitty nodded. "Then I leave it in your capable hands. Just remember, Kitty, I will be spending my last night as a free woman in my own home, due to that tradition of not being able to see the bride before the wedding. And that is where we are going to get ready. Although as the wedding is going to be held here, it would be easier if we just got ready here. . ." Jennifer began to trail off with that thought.
Kitty jumped up. "No, you are not staying here! Do you, like, want to jinx the wedding or something?"
"Of course not. But I think Hank and I have had enough bad luck to last three marriages."
"Well," said Kitty, "you're still having a party, luck or no."
"Thanks, Kitty," Jennifer replied. "I knew I could count on you." With that, she left.
Rogue watched as Kitty picked up the phone, to begin making the preparations.
"Just don't do anything that I wouldn't approve of!" called a voice.
Kitty put down the phone. "Shoot!"