Everyone retired to his or her rooms, Scott lie on his bed just staring at the ceiling, there was no way he could sleep knowing he'd roll over and feel her empty space in the bed. Wolverine thumbed through a magazine as a cigar puffed in his mouth. Storm looked out the window. A cirrus cloud covered the moon, she blew softly and the cloud moved slowly aside, it sat there lone and isolated from the world, like a scratch in the sky—like the mutant race. They lived in their own isolated little worlds all over the planet. It was so far, if the anything ever were to happen to earth, that is where everyone would go. Evolution was apart of life—that they couldn't deny, they just couldn't accept that they might become us. She told her self.
Storm! The Professor called telepathically. She could hear the urgency in his voice.
Wolverine, Scott and Storm sat in the Professor's office. Emma sat all in tears. Nightcrawler hid in the shadows listening to Emma tell the others that Jubilee had run off, the door was cracked and Nightcrawler could barely hear. Students whispered amongst themselves as they poked their heads out the doors. Peter Rasputin urged them all to go back to bed that there was nothing for them to worry about.
"It will be alright Emma, go on back to sleep, we'll find her," Xavier said as he patted her gently on her back.
"You promise?"
"Yes, go on, you have school in the morning you need your rest." He said comfort slathered on his words. Emma sniffed and went back to her room. Xavier rubbed the area between his nose, and exhaled.
"Are you alright, Professor?" Scott asked.
"I am fine. She couldn't have gotten far, Storm, Logan search the outside of the mansion see if you find her and talk to her.
"Professor, she is out of control, this morning she almost electrocuted me." Storm said
"That's why we've got to find her, before she hurts anyone else or hurts herself. Her powers are evolving" The Professor replied.
"I'm just saying, she might not be in any mood to talk" Storm said.
Bamf
"She'd talk to me." Kurt said his voice startled Scott and Logan. He could read it on their faces.
"Entschuldigung, I didn't mean to scare you," Kurt said.
"No offense, but what makes you think she'd talk to you?" Scott asked
"Because she already has," Xavier said.
Scott turned back to Kurt.
"She spoke to you?"
"Yes"
"Why didn't you say something at dinner?"
"I didn't see reason to"
"Kurt you go with Storm, Logan you go with Scott to drive around the neighborhood or any place you think she might go" Xavier said, as he rolled toward the door, "keep in contact at all times. Oh and be as quiet as possible, we don't want to alarm the students." He said as he went to cerebro.
"I've got my cell do you got yours?" Storm asked, Scott nodded, "Yeah, it's in my car." Scott said flatly, as he shuffled his feet.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Kurt?" She said as she and he left first to her room to pick up her cell and then out one of the side doors. Scott looked at Logan, pursed his lips and left out the door expecting him to follow which he did, making sure there was a good ten feet between them.
Storm and Kurt got outside. Kurt looked at the size of the Mansion.
"We should probably stick together, since we only have one phone." Storm said. Kurt looked at her and then nodded at the roof of the mansion.
"We could probably see more from up there," he said, looking back at Storm. She had an uneasy look on her face.
"Trust me?" He asked,
Scott and Logan got in the car. Darn you Professor, of all people you had to pair me with Wolverine, you know I don't like him, I would have even been fine with the blue guy, anybody but Logan. . . .Scott thought.
"So where do you think she would go?" Logan asked, breaking the silence.
"I figured we'd start by circling the neighborhood." Scott replied bluntly.
They sat up on the roof of the mansion.
"Do you see any thing yet?" Storm asked,
"No," he said, then he heard a ruffle in the trees, "Wait, there!" he pointed as he hugged her and bamfed to the sound. It was just a cat.
"Sorry, false alarm" Kurt said as he looked at Storm.
"It's all right, it might not have been."
"Do you want to go back up?"
"Uh, no I think, maybe we should walk a while; I am getting a little woozy"
He forgot that his bamfing didn't always take well with others.
"Do you want to sit down for a while?" he offered.
"No, I'll be fine just walking" She said.
They walked around the mansion calling out her name. Then, Storm stopped.
"I can't help but wonder why she came to you?"
"I guess she just needed some one to talk to. I think she is starting to realize that she cannot exactly fit in as normal any more, that she is different. She is scared and alone. We've all been there."
"But why didn't she just talk to the Professor?"
Kurt shrugged, "Maybe she thought I would be able to relate with the transition more so than the others." He replied.
"Because of--"
"Yes," Nightcrawler said as he started to walk some more, sensing the awkwardness.
"Does it still bother you?" Storm asked, "How others treat you," she elaborated.
Kurt thought for a moment, then he nodded and turned to face her, "There are moments, when I catch myself wondering what things would be like if I looked like everyone else," Kurt admitted.
"If you could, would you change it?"
He looked into her eyes and shook his head.
"No." he said softly.
She walked closer to him.
"Good," she said softly, "Because I like you just the way you are," she said. Kurt looked at her filled with tenderness. He looked at her lips and then her eyes. She leaned in to kiss him. And, he kissed back. Their kiss was light, sweet, and perfect. They looked at each other afterwards. She could look into those eyes forever.
"Schöne Frau" he said as he stroked her hair. She leaned into the palm of his hand. Contrary to its rough appearance, it was soft and somewhat fuzzy, like a teddy bear.
Suddenly the phone rang. They snapped out of their little moment and Storm answered the phone.
"Anything?" Scott's voice asked over the phone
"No, we haven't seen her yet? You?" Storm replied.
"No, she's not in the neighborhood. Do you know if she hangs out any place, any where she might run to?"
"N-No, not that I can think of," Storm answered, "Kurt, when you spoke to her did she say anything that might give us a hint to where she might be?" Kurt shook his head no.
"Sorry Scott."
"Well, if you were a teenage girl where would you run to?" Scott asked.
Storm thought for a moment.
"I guess you can try the park, if she wanted to be alone she might have went there"
"Okay, thanks."
They hung up.
"I guess we should keep looking" Storm said as she lead the way. Kurt nodded and followed.
The Professor was still working up the courage to go inside cerebro, the last two times he used it, it led to danger, first to his health and then to the students. Should he really risk going in there again? But what about Jubilee? He chided himself, you have to Charles, you have to!
He rolled up to it and let it examine his eye.
"Welcome, Professor" the voice said as he went inside.
Scott and Logan got out of the car and started to look for Jubilee. Logan sniffed.
"What? What is it?"
"I'm not sure," Logan said as he continued to sniff and follow his nose. Scott followed, within minutes they had reached a fountain and a park bench cut off from the rest of the park by hedges of bushes. They heard crying. They looked at each other. Logan put his fingers to his lips. As they peered their heads along side the bush. And, sure enough, there stood Jubilee her back to them, staring at the fountain. They quietly walked up.
"Jubilee?"
"Don't come any closer." She warned. Her hands buzzed.
"We just want to help you," Wolverine said.
"You came to take me back," She said through her tears.
"Xavier can help you, we all can; you won't find any answers here." Scott said calmly as they continued to walk closer. She raised her hands her anger made them charge.
"I said don't come any closer!"
They stopped."
"Jubilee, just come with us we can help you" Scott said
She was silent for a while, and just stared at the water spurting out of the fish's mouth and into the bowl of the fountain.
"I wonder what would happen if I jumped in" she said rubbing her hands,
"Would I die? Would it even affect me at all? Would it make me normal?" She asked. Sure, nothing happened when she took showers in the past, but this was different.
You need to remain stationery; you don't know what your powers could do. The professor's voice resonated in her head. She stepped closer to the fountain. Scott became nervous.
"Jubilee, you don't want to do this, we can help you," Logan said as calmly as possible. Ignoring their pleas, she just had to find out, had to see if it would end her misery. She stepped into the water. Nothing happened. Disappointed, she heaved out a sigh and convulsed into tears as she fell to her knees. Sensing she was safe, they gingerly approached.
"Come on, it'll be okay, we'll take you back to the school" Scott said. She sniffed and wiped her tears and went with them.
"Storm, we got'er, she was in the park, we are heading back now"
Wolverine said into the cell phone, as Scott drove as quickly and as safely back to the mansion.
Seeing this in cerebro, Professor Xavier smiled and exited the cerebro. He went back to his office, where Storm and Kurt were there to meet him.
"They've found her," Storm said
"I know." He replied, "You both may retire to your rooms I'll wait up for her"
Storm looked at Kurt. She did have a class to teach, but then again so did he.
"Are you sure?"
"I am sure, you need your rest" Storm nodded and left to her room
"Good night" she said.
"Gute Nacht," Kurt said, as he walked up to his room,
Seconds, later, Scott and Logan came in with Jubilee.
"Where are the others?" I sent them to bed. Are you alright?" Xavier said directing his last question to Jubilee. She nodded slightly.
"I'm sorry I ran off." She said softly.
"Well, you are back now and you are safe that is what is important. Why don't you all get back to bed and get some rest," he said they nodded and went to their bed quarters.
"Cyclops," She said, Cyclops turned and looked at her, "I am sorry I dripped all over your car." Scott brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it, get some sleep" Scott said
When Jubilee got to her room, Emma was pacing. She looked up as Jubilee came in,
"Jub'!" She exclaimed in a whisper and rushed in to hug her.
"Don't, I don't want to hurt you," She said.
Emma's face went serious.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She scolded as she pointed her finger. Jubilee looked down; Emma put her hands on her hips.
"Do you have any idea how hard it would be to break in another roommate?"
Jubilee smiled.
"I'm glad you're back Jub'"
The next day Jubilation woke up and went to go see Nightcrawler. He was tidying up his room. She knocked on the open door. He turned around.
"Guten morgen" he greeted with a smile.
"Hi, Kurt Right?" She said,
"Yes," Kurt said with a smile, as he went and sat on his bed.
"Do you mind if I talk to you again today?" she asked.
"You can talk to me anytime you want to. I'm not going any where."
"So are you gonna become a teacher here too?"
"I don't know, maybe," he said as she went over and sat in the chair placed across from the bed a few feet away and sat down.
"So what's it like to have a tail?" She asked curiosity painted all over her voice and a glint of happiness and self-acceptance. Nightcrawler laughed as his tail swayed behind him.