Thanks to my reviewers so far! Just when you thought things were a-ok, a little trouble starts just to make life interesting...

please keep those questions/comments/suggestions coming!


"Wolverine… I hate to bother you; luv, but Scott and Jean are wondering where you've run off to… Jubilee's gone missing and they're worried…" echoed Psilocke's voice behind their temples.

"Not now," Jubilee mumbled against his lips. "Busted…"

"Cripes, Betts, can't ya wait a minute or two? What's got them so worried? Don't they know she's with me?"

"Psilocke, sheesh can't ya turn down the volume! You're making my head hurt!" Jubilee moaned.

"Jubilee… you ARE there… for a minute I couldn't sense you…"

"Are you kidding me?" Jubilee asked.

"That's what was worrying Jean. She was trying to sense where the other X men were. Scott wants everyone to meet back at the Mansion… and you two are the only ones who didn't report in… the holiday's over…"

"I thought ya knew Jubes was with me… an' she's fine," Logan mumbled. "What's the big flamin' deal?"

"The deal is, dearie, that I can hardly sense her… you I mean…"

"I'm right here," Jubilee said.

"I can only sense your thoughts if you're transmitting. Apparently they forgot to tell me about your talents…"

"I'm no psi," Jubilee shook her head.

"Really? You seem QUITE adept at blocking it out…"

"Emma Frost taught us how to shield ourselves, maybe that's why you can't 'see' me with that third eye 'a yours?" Jubilee said. "She said I always had good natural resistance t' telepathic probing."

"Strange Jean or the Professor never knew…"

"Professor X was working on me with that… he had started to train me… but then…" she trailed off. "I guess he never got around to letting anyone else know… it was just in the last year or so, my ability to block psi probes n' pick up telepaths seems to have grown huge…"

"I'm surprised the other X men didn't know… but then again, I am to understand Professor X was careful about what he shared with the others… till he was sure…"

"Beast was supposed to run some tests or something, but then Frosty… something happened to her, and I was called back. Then the stuff with the professor went down… and by the time we tried getting back in touch, she'd closed down the school an' moved everyone to Genosha…"

"But not you…"

"Are you kidding? I was brought back here. Prof. X thought Emma had changed for the better but looks like he wasn't so wrong. That might be why he never knew. In all the fuss I didn't think…"

"That's all very interesting, ladies, but what has that got t' do with Scott n' Jean being so flamin' worried?" Wolverine mumbled, head aching.

"I told them that I'd scan and find the others. My telepathic abilities are somewhat stronger naturally than Jean's, although she's by far the more powerful telekinetic, and I figured my RCX training could locate you better, through Cerebro. I had known that you said you were going somewhere, but then I couldn't sense EITHER of you till…"

"Betts, is this a joke?" Logan asked.

"Jubilee are you aware that your powers MIGHT be blocking both your trace and wolverine's from me and Jean?" Betsy asked. "Because I was only able to sense Wolverine a few minutes ago…"

"This makes no sense," Jubilee shook her head. "Maybe Cerebro's busted…"

"Or perhaps you have abilities that must be further explored. Either way, this will have to wait till later.

Come back to the mansion in any case, because the holiday's apparently up," Betsy Braddock sighed. "I'm sorry, but you should make all haste…"

"Let 'em know we're alive an we'll get there ASAP," Logan mumbled as he tossed the blankets aside. Jubilee sighed and began to repack their items in the cooler.

"Will do. And I'll make sure to update them, and perhaps Dr. McCoy and Dr. MacTaggert will be wanting to run tests on your powers…"

"Great, that's a load of fun," Jubilee mumbled. She climbed back into the front seat, and clipped her belt into place. Logan fired up the engine, and backed out of the clearing. In silence they drove back on the winding road to the mansion.


Wolverine kept his eyes glued to the road, yet his eyes glanced sidelong momentarily at Jubilee's pensive expression. Her gaze was focussed miles beyond the trees streaking by, and he smelled the equivalent of nerves and disappointment from her. She switched on the radio, and hit the button for the local classic rock station. The song Hotel California by the Eagles was halfway on, and he didn't bother to fight over the choice. How well he knew that Jubilee filled silence with noise, to drown out uncomfortable thoughts. Her shapely leg was drawn up under her folded knee, and she peered out the side view mirror, resting her chin on her hand. Having long ceased to wear the pink shades and old raincoat, the one she did wear with her uniform was a pale yellow one that resembled Gambit's duster.

"Darlin, ya never mentioned you could block mental powers," Logan said quietly.

"I never knew it was a big deal," Jubilee shrugged. "I assumed that it was just the Gen X training… it was never an issue cause Professor X was able to…"

"But maybe ya DO have some new angle t' your powers," Logan mumbled. "And it's just weird that it's such a big deal, unless it's somethin' simple…"

"Like what?"

"Well maybe we're spoiled. I mean Betsy and Jean ain't Prof. X. Nobody was nearly as powerful a telepath as he was. Jean on her best day with Cerebro wasn't up to his level. Only when she was Phoenix did she equal him. It damn near took BOTH of them to knock Shadow King out, remember?"

"I remember," Jubilee shivered. "But I figured that she was able to keep in touch, and that they knew I was okay and safe with you…"

"Slim's getting anal cause he's feelin' the full load a' leadership," said wolverine quietly. "You remember what happened last time. An' he's not takin' any chances."

"So I guess that means the Slim we saw riding around on that scoot of his was just temporary insanity…" Jubilee asked.

"Yeah, like a caged animal. Ya let someone wrapped as tight as him lose, and he goes slaphappy. But when the vacation's over, it's back to the old grind."

"It's just screwy," said Jubilee. "I mean forty eight hours of letting us run around and do whatever we want, and then it's boot camp… what's up with that?"

"He knew we needed to get our breath. And maybe something's gone down that he knew about, but didn't wanna tell us…"

"Why would he hide anything from us, Wol… Logan it's not making sense?"

"Only thing making sense to me is that Slim's just as messed up as we are. Face it. We all didn't know what t' think… I mean we were half relieved Chuck's alive, and that Maggy wasn't gonna have every mutant on the planet go ape, so we celebrated being alive. Then the glow kinda faded and we realized we really HAD to get serious and pick up… we've gotta talk about what happened darlin…"

"Oh great… Then why even bother? Why only two days, not a week, or one day…" Jubilee blurted out, tears blurring her vision. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was she stupid to think that he would even take her seriously? Was he that dumb to think that she'd be content with a few kisses and then be able to somehow face the world and simply go back to being a partner or a teammate when they returned? Anger filled her stomach, and she wanted to deny the possibility with everything inside her. Had he just unleashed some animal passions and then changed his mind because he knew that she would only ever be a teenager? Or a recreational distraction, because they all went temporarily crazy, reeling with the shock of the Professor's departure, unable to get their bearings till they came to their senses?

"Scott's a control freak, that's why," mumbled Logan. "Forty eight hours was how long a weekend technically is to Slim. An it's only gonna get more crazy as time goes on… unless Red can keep a reign on him."

"Does that mean… what happened with everyone going all romantic an' stuff was just cause we had nothing better to do? That we were trying to live for today for just two days, because we weren't gonna be able to afterwards?" Jubilee asked, voice breaking.

"We might not get another chance t' relax an' just cut loose, that's what I'm saying… sooner or later he realized, like all of us that life hasta go on, and we gotta job to do…"

Inside her stomach the anger twisted knots, and boiled up. On the verge of wanting to throw up, she wrestled words to her lips and spat them at him, "Is this like some sick weekend that he's comin' up with, and that everyone's gonna have to ignore what they discovered… I know that Prof. X almost bought it, and he's alive, and all, and that makes us all wanna enjoy what we have, but that doesn't mean that was only just some casual thing… cause if it is…"

"Jubes yer not making sense…" Logan trailed off.

"I don't want to just go back to normal… I thought… I mean was it all just some GAME because we could get away with forgetting we were X men and just be like normal people for two stinking days… and that we can't be…"

"Jubes… that ain't what I meant… I just meant that… well last time this happened… two days was all Scott gave any of us to catch our breath… after what happened to Morph. I didn't wanna just up an' give up. But Storm had to do some serious talking t' convince me that we needed to lick our wounds. An' he's only doing that cause Jean told him to. What I'm sayin' is that we might not have this time again for a while…and that all of us needed to have memories to get us through what's comin' next… cause it's only the calm before the storm…"

"So this was just some kinda feel good thingy," she asked, looking out the window. "Cause it's so not funny…"

"Jubes, we gotta to back to bein' X men. We can't escape what we are. Magneto or some other goon's gonna try and pull somethin' and we gotta get back to trainin' and being ready for whatever they throw at us… ya know it's gonna happen…"

"All the things I thought everyone felt… they mean nothing… I guess Jean and Scott are lucky cause they got married before all this went down," Jubilee mumbled, turning away and staring out the window. "Cause now nobody's gonna want to waste time on something like romance an' dating cause they're gonna be obsessed totally with saving the world… an stuff. That's what you mean, right?"

"I think we gotta talk… what's all this about? I ain't sayin' THAT at all. What I was sayin' was that we were being given leave time so we could appreciate what we had… an catch our breath. Gave us ALL the chance to say and do whatever we could before we let it slip away from us… and bein' X men stopped us from doing those things…cause there was always anotehr flamin' mission to go on, or the world needed savin'."

"I knew it! A chance to appreciate what we've got, I got the message, okay?" she threw up her hand. "So now it's all over and we just go on like nothing ever happened, right? We've gotta be partners an' teammates and people just forget their real feelings?"

"Now what makes ya say that?" he asked gruffly. "That wasn't it at all… it was just leave time, down time, plain an' simple… not some game, Jubes…"

"Thought so," she mumbled. "Guess it was all too good to last. Stupid me, huh? I must be a major weenie thinking that anything was real…"

"What's this all about, darlin?"

"Don't you darlin' me," she mumbled.

"Wait a damn minute… what ARE you talking about?"

"What do you THINK, you dork? I'm talking about what happened or isn't gonna happen cause I was stupid enough to think that you'd actually want to… oh forget it… I shoulda KNOWN… cause it's the talk all right… an' I'm sick of it…"

He pulled to a stop, and his hand grasped hers. "Jubilee, listen to me, and listen real good… cause it's frankly killin' me t' see ya sitting there an not knowing why you're so upset… and that it's something that I did… or said, tell me NOW if there's any way I mislead ya, and you make it REAL clear cause I'm NOT seein' WHY you're so pissed at me…"

"What else is there to talk about? I mean it's obvious to me that you just think I'm some kid, and that you were just being nice and all… and that we're gonna have to go back to real life… HELLO… what am I supposed to think?"

"Spell it out for me, cause I'm totally lost now. An' don't pull any punches. What the hell did I say that's got you so upset?" Logan asked. "What pushed yer buttons, cause I ain't seein' it… and you KNOW I'd never wanna do anything to hurt ya…"

"Really? Because all those things you said… what we shared… if it was just cause we had free time, and you were all worried about the world ending and stuff, and you just thought you could make the kid feel better because you felt SORRY For her being there all alone…"

"Flamin' hell… that wasn't what I was talking about at all! What I mean was that we had the time to say what we never had the chance to before…"

"You said we had to talk an' stuff… so what was I supposed to think?" she shouted back.

Damn, words were not an easy thing for him, he thought. She was totally misinterpreting the gist of his intentions. Then he wanted to slap himself when he realized what his phrase meant. Among teenagers, the phrase had a negative connotation as far as romantic relationships were concerned. When the phrase was uttered, it spelled impending doom for any couple. Damn Logan, you really screwed THAT up, he scolded himself.

"I forgot that little phrase is what people are sayin' when they're gonna END a relationship and that AIN'T what I meant. What I mean was that we got to get some things straight if we're gonna move ahead in any way… and you know what I'm talking about…"

"The kiss, huh?" she asked. "Is that what you mean… are you gonna tell me that it was some animal thingy that got outta hand."

"Cripes Jubilee, that's NOT what I'm saying… what I mean is that if you an' me are gonna be… well not together in the ol platonic let's be friends way… that we're gonna have to set some rules an' stick by em… on account of my ol' fashioned crapola…"

"You mean because I'm 18 and you're clueless about your age?" she asked, blinking. "What rules, cause I'm not getting this… you got to break it down for me, because I don't like this whole rules thing cause it makes me think you were bullshitting me when you said age didn't' matter. Last night it didn't seem to matter…"

"I mean that. But age DOES matter when it comes to how I work. An' I'm talking about what two consenting adults do when things get REALLY heated up… and what I mean is that I wanna take things slow, and you gotta bear with me cause I'm not the kinda man that's gonna make you look like I'm not respecting you… and I thought ya got that message last night, but I figured since you were all confused like we should say it out loud an' be clear about it…"

"You mean no sex till I'm 21?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Or the we don't do that till we're married kinda rule? DUH! Like I totally got that last night… is that what you were talking about?"

"Yeah, I guess THAT's what I'm getting' at…" he murmured, and she saw a rare tinting of red on his cheeks.

"Jeez Louise, Wolverine, why didn't you SAY so?" Jubilee shook her head. "Is THAT all?"

"I just want ya to know what yer getting into with me," Logan said. "An it ain't just cause you're 18 or whatever. I respect ya way too much to just scratch a seven-year itch and bail. Yer not somebody I pick up at Austers an'…"

"Thank God for that. So you're saying you're gonna be a gentleman, an' play the whole courting and dating game?" she chuckled.

"Yeah that's about the size of it," Logan said. "We haven't been on many dates except last night, an' ya deserve t' get to know me in THAT kinda way. We've been friends for a long time, an when two people who are friends suddenly get to bein' more than friends, they need to get used to the change… see?"

"That's incredibly old fashioned and incredibly SWEET of you, and I totally DIG it…" Jubilee smiled, folding her arms across her chest. "So where are we gonna go for our first date, huh? Or should you take me back home and let me throw on some makeup and stuff and ask Jean and Scott for permission…"

"I won't go THAT far… but if ya like."

"Why don't we just hang together… go for that walk in the woods and take it from there. That's what I'd do with my friends at school… and just talk and stuff…" said Jubilee.

"I figured some of you young people hook up, and go steady. Rules don't change THAT much I hope…"

"You know what they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same… and you know that I actually LISTENED in history class and I so went for the ol' black n' white movies. Were on the same page, okay?" Jubilee nodded. "So don't go stressing out… cause I'm like SOO relieved that's what you meant. But we have to get ONE thing straight though."

"Name it."

"You meet me halfway, okay?" Jubilee said. "I'm not gonna be totally Victorian or medieval. I wanna at least do the things that are leading up to the big deed… and that means we go out like we did last night, no matter HOW much work gets in the way we take time… no MAKE time…"

"Of course! Well I ain't talking THAT far back. More like G or PG first…" Logan winked. "Or should I say K or E?"

"E," Jubilee chuckled. Logan leaned over and gently kissed her cheek, and she felt his hand linger on her face, caressing it.

"Kinda work up from there… but we gotta keep a lid on it, and not go nuts. You're worth it…"

"That's so worth it," she corrected him, and kissed his cheek in return. "Now… let's go into that meeting before Cyke flips!"


"Where were you?" Scott demanded as Jubilee walked in tot he war room, followed by Logan. All the other X men gathered around the table, sitting in various chairs or leaning against the wall.

"Don't blow a fuse, she was out with me," Logan mumbled.

"Didn't you two know that we had a deadline?" Scott asked. "and why couldn't Jean sense you? Why didn't you tell us that you had some ability to block out her probes, Jubilee…"

"Scott, you being a little harsh on da petit!" Remy snapped. "She didn't know why you so upset… why don't you explain?"

"I didn't KNOW okay?" she shot back.

"You have to understand that we were worried SICK!" Scott said angrily.

"I thought Betsy was keeping TRACK OF us," Jubilee shouted back. "Excuse the heck me if I didn't know till NOW that you didn't know where I was... and that you didn't THINK to remember that I might be with Wolverine here? DUH you could have called us on the RADIO!"

"Communication was blacked out for a REASON… Professor X always relied on telepathic contact…"

"She's right. We weren't aware the rules had changed…" said Storm. "You failed to mention to ME that we were keeping radio silence…"

"Then you SHOULD have called," said Scott angrily.

"We did, bub," Logan snapped. "And you coulda asked instead of yelling at Jubilee here…"

"Both of you should know better than to stay out without telling us!" Scott snapped. "And if she was with you, you should know better than to…"

"Betsy was in contact with me the whole flamin time, Cyke," said Logan. "What's this all about?"

"I was. I sensed him at regular intervals, so if you should be angry with anyone, be so at me. I sensed Jubilee till then, but I was trying to afford them privacy… because we WERE on down time, and there was no official alert… you gave a specific timeline, and they only surpassed it by one hour," said Betsy firmly.

"But during that time, we couldn't sense Jubilee, and you couldn't either!" said Jean. "You know that it's within Scott's rights as leader to make the call that something is wrong… and he has every RIGHT to be concerned…"

"Professor X was working on some stuff that I learned with Gen X… and I thought you knew about it!" Jubilee snapped. "So I don't totally see WHY you're blowing up at me!"

"You should have TOLD us you had training at Gen X… is there anything ELSE you haven't told us, Jubilation?" Scott demanded.

"SOMEONE was supposed to tell you! Why didn't you let him know, Betsy?" Jubilee asked.

"In all the fuss, I must have forgotten… I simply informed him that you two were all right, and that you had some ability to block psi powers we had not accounted for…" Betsy apologized.

"So you were in on this too, Betsy?" Scott snapped, wheeling on her. "Were you deliberately covering up where she was? You said you were giving them PRIVACY… is THAT what you were doing?"

"I NEVER," Betsy retorted. "Logan asked me to butt out, but he kept contacting me at regular intervals… I simply was following orders… and then when you suddenly got bloody ballistic because Jean and I…"

"How many other people were in on this conspiracy, Jubilee? Now I'm hearing that you convinced Wolverine to play along with your little game?"

"Scott, now is NOT the flamin' time to give us the third degree, cause up till NOW I was in a pretty good mood, an' I don't wanna let it sour any more, so will ya BACK OFF or am I gonna have to MAKE you?" Logan snarled as he moved between Jubilee and Scott.

"That only proves you three deliberately neglected your responsibilities!" Scott answered, folding his arms across his chest.

"That was SO not true! What's the big DEAL? You gave us 48 stinking HOURS to run around and play? And now you're all GUNG HO?" Jubilee asked. "How DARE you think I would be so stupid? I was out JUST like you were and now you're yelling at ME like I'm some stupid KID?"

"You're acting like one," Scott said.

"Back off, bub, I'm warnin' ya…" snarled Logan, his claws unsheathing only inches from Cyclops's face. "You're outta line. You got no RIGHT to speak to her like that… an no right to go around pointing fingers at us."

"Now wait a minute, Wolverine!" Cyclops said as he backed away. "Put those away! Why are you so pissed off? You know that she's…"

"She's WHAT?" asked Logan, voice dangerously low.

"She's still new to the X men… and if I didn't know better, I'd think you were the one overreacting… you know she's still…"

"I'm 18 years old Scott. I guess like everyone FORGOT I graduated, and had a birthday not a WEEK ago? But did I flip out cause it went unnoticed? No… I sucked it up. Because I knew that Professor X's health was WAY more important than crying and whining because I was selfish…" Jubilee said, voice cracking with anger.

"That may be true, but if you want to wear that uniform and be counted as an X man… you need to abide by the rules and stay safe… and YOU Wolverine, need to set a good example… and not get roped into stupid stunts and drag new members with you! You had NO right to ask Psilocke to play whatever little game you two were…"

"It isn't a GAME, bub… she an' I needed time alone, and we weren't whining when YOU an' the missus took it…" Logan growled, stepping forwards. "So why are the rules different for you?"

"Time alone? To do WHAT?" Scott demanded. "We ALL needed time alone and we got it! All I ask for in return is for you to follow orders like everyone ELSE… and now I'm hearing you dragged Psilocke into this… how do I know she wasn't blocking Jean and making up this whole thing!"

"Scott, you really shouldn't have said that… it was uncalled for," Jean said.

"You actin' paranoid, Scott, dat's not like you! Da Wolverine would never let nothing bad happen to da petite…" Gambit interrupted.

"Now wait a minute… I didn't mean to…" Scott trailed off, stepping back. "I was only CONCERNED because I couldn't keep track of two teammates! It's my job as leader to keep everyone safe! Can you blame me?"

Till now, Bobby and Morph had remained silent, as had the others. Yet Morph opened his mouth and said, "Look, I know I haven't said anything much, but don't you think you're going a little nuts here? If Jubilee was with Logan here, she couldn't be safer, like Gambit said. And you were the one who suggested we get some down time… so why are YOU so suddenly coming down on her? Is it because you couldn't control what was going on?"

"Morph, I didn't ASK for you opinion! If you think this is about me being ANAL… say so!"

"May I interject?" Beast snapped. "This is NOT the time for angry words! It seems a simple misunderstanding, so might you both take deep breaths and kindly explain to the REST of us what created this emotional outburst?"

"Oh nothing, just that CYKE here flipped out cause Betsy and Red here couldn't sense me or Logan, and they're all like thinking I was DELIBERATELY doing it? And I have NO freakin' CLUE what or how I…"

"Wait… let me get this straight… Jean was unable to sense you, and that was the cause for alarm?" Hank asked.

"Yes… we couldn't sense you or Logan… so I assumed that something terrible had happened, and I investigated… and Jubilee you ARE acting pretty defensive… so what was Scott to assume…" Jean trailed off.

"Excuse me, Jean, but you're forgetting that neither of us is Professor X, and maybe that Jubilee has some latent psychic resistance that has only recently developed," Betsy interrupted. "Didn't THAT ever occur to you?"

"Is this true?" Scott asked.

"Apparently yes, but we never bothered to check," Jean flushed in embarrassment.

"An' that makes it all hearts an' flowers, don't it?" Logan growled, showing a considerable amount of teeth at Jean, something that he had never previously done.

"IF YOU DON'T mind!" Hank snapped. "I think we ALL need to stop being intransigent and CALM DOWN!"

Thunder crashed, and caught everyone's attention. Storm's hand was upraised, and her hair crackled on end with energy. All eyes turned to her, and her blue eyes flared white hot with anger and disappointment. "NOW that I have your attention, I DEMAND that you all settle down, and we will discuss this in a mature manner. PROFESSOR X would not TOLERATE us squabbling like children. I will not STAND for any of you tearing one another apart, or all that he fought for would be for NOTHING."

"Amen to that, Ororo," said Logan, backing down. For a second she turned into the stern Goddess, radiating authority in every inch of her tall imposing figure. Faces grew hot with blood, while hands were thrust into pockets and lips were bitten in collective shame for letting emotions boil over.

"Thank you. Now Cyclops, would you sit down, and you TOO Wolverine, and let us start from the top," Storm said firmly, in a low tone that would not be denied. "The entire purpose of this meeting was NOT to discuss private business, but to formulate a PLAN for carrying on the X men. Which you seem to have overlooked ENTIRELY…"

"Maybe she should be the leader," muttered Betsy to Warren. He nodded.

"I'm trying to keep us together and alive," said Scott quietly as he met his gaze with hers. "And now's not the time to lose that purpose…"

"Can you achieve that by singling out individuals? We are not children anymore, and you aren't the Professor any more than I am," Storm responded. "He chose both you and I to be leaders should something happen, and so far you have taken the whole burden on yourself…"

"I'm sorry I lost it," Scott murmured, lowering his head. "I just… I don't want to lose another X man… he's counting on us…"

"You can't carry the load alone," said Rogue. "WE all gotta bear it together. An' ya can't control us livin' or dyin' anymore than yuh can the Professor leavin'…"

"Listen to da Cherie, Scott," Remy nodded. "She right. If you needed help, jus' say so. No need t' yell at da petit. Just get Hank to run some tests an' find out why she don't know why she can block out da telepathic probes. Maybe a new power we don't know about…"

"That sounds reasonable, does it not?" Storm asked.

"Yes," Scott nodded. "I will speak to anyone I've offended in private after the meeting. You know who you are… Hank… why don't you take Jubilee to the medical ward and run those tests, and call Dr. MacTaggert. I'm sure that we'll bring her up to speed… if that's all right with you…"

"Fine by me," she muttered. Slowly she got up along with Hank, and both of them exited the room amidst the shamed silence. When they were gone, Scott exhaled.

"So, what ELSE, leader man?" asked Morph slowly.

"Morph, there's no need to be smug," said Jean slowly.

"Just trying to lighten the mood, what's a guy gotta do to…"

"Hey, take it easy…" Bobby urged. "Look, we're all still high strung here, Cyke. I suggest you just lay it all out on the table, the game plan, and we'll all give our input. That was the idea, right?"

"Yes, Bobby," Cyclops sighed, chest heaving in and out as he took labored breaths to center himself. Jean slid her hand over his, squeezing it.

"So, we will continue to operate in the same manner as we would have, the last time this happened…" asked Storm. "Is that not what you and I discussed? You as first in command, and I as second?"

"Yes Storm," he nodded. "But we'll need someone else below you now…"

"Question is who, y'all," Rogue put in.

"Any bright ideas?" Logan mumbled, folding his arms across his chest.

"I suggest Hank," said Jean quietly. "And Logan…"

"More people telling us what to do, just what we need," Bobby shook his head. "Maybe we need a little more democracy around here?"

"Always were three people callin' the shots. But I ain't gonna be stuck with the job permanently, an' if I do it, it's cause people asked me to, not cause someone just decided to throw it at me," Logan muttered.

"You always did boss people around before, what's the difference?" asked Warren.

"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," Logan muttered.

"Gentlemen PLEASE," Storm barked. "We are forgetting that Jean is also a senior member of the X men…"

"She's his wife, wouldn't that be conflict of interest?" asked Rogue.

"She's right," said Jean. "I won't be put in that position. Unless asked to… or chosen to… out of all of us, Hank's level headedness would bring equilibrium, but Logan IS the most experienced aside from Scott and myself…"

"Maybe so, but we need someone who's not gonna lose his cool…" started Bobby, and then shut up when Morph slammed him in the ribs.

"He's right. I might decide to shake things up a little too much for ya, Cyke… an we can't have THAT can we?" Logan said sarcastically.

"I rest my case," Bobby said.

"Seniority isn't always the best way to determine a leader, some people come by it naturally," said Warren. "Maybe we should put it to the test, and see who the most likely X man would be…"

"Fine. Storm, you'll have Logan backing you up, in an advisory capacity. And as for Hank, he's got enough going on with his scientific responsibilities. So that leaves us with an open slot for deputy leader…"

"Who's your choice, bub?" Logan asked quietly.

"I'm going out on a limb. Psilocke, you're new to this, but I want to make it up to you. Would you be willing to train as a squad leader? You seemed to generate quite a following amongst the mutants in England… and you were an RCX agent…"

"She's a new X man all right, why she get da chance?" Remy asked.

"Unless YOU'd like to give it a shot, Gambit," said Scott sharply.

"Fine, let's see how she do," Gambit said quietly.

"Any other objections?" asked Cyclops. Everyone exchanged glances and nodded slowly.

"How do you feel about that, Betsy?" asked Jean.

"I'll give it a go, I suppose," she shrugged. "Provided I don't step on anyone's toes in the process."

"Breath of fresh air, Scott?" asked Rogue.

"It seems reasonable to me," said Storm.

"I got no problems," Wolverine grunted. "Not yet."

"It's cool with me," said Morph. Bobby nodded.

"Ah think it'll work. She's got some new ideas maybe," said Rogue. "An' we'll see how it goes…"

"Then that settles it. Psilocke, I hope this will help ease tensions, somewhat," Scott coughed.

"Oh, we'll see about that. But it sounds an interesting challenge," Psilocke said wish a mischievous grin.

"Then you're with me. Jean, use Cerebro to scan for any mutant presence not accounted for. Storm, you'll be in charge here at the mansion with Wolverine. The rest of us will be divided into two sub teams for easier command. Right now, while I brief Psilocke, the rest of you keep to the usual duty roster… dismissed…"

There came a rustling of chairs and mutter from the group. Like pigeons vacating a statue, they all flurried away from the War Room table and exited the chamber. Wolverine was one of the last to leave, and stopped when he heard Cyclops's cough, "Wolverine… can I speak to you privately for a moment?"