CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE

A Mutant On A Mission

XAVIERS SCHOOL FOR GIFTED CHILDREN

AROUNG 5-6 in the MORNING

Now, being a mutant school, the students of Xaviers School for Gifted Children were used to weird happenings. A fellow peer getting stuck on the ceiling? Common place. Sudden attacks by anti-mutant haters? Run of the mill. Still, when the well-known and even idolized group such as the Avengers came storming into the school led by former-villain/enemy Sabretooth, everyone sat up and took notice.

"Is that—"

"CAPTAIN AMERICA!?"

"And the Hulk!"

"WOW!"

"Do you think something's wrong?"

"No, duh, why else would they be here?"

"Do you think he'll give me an autograph?"

"Wow, that Black Widow's hot."

Natasha/Black Widow rolled her eyes at the last statement and continued to storm forward confidently, eyes straight ahead. "Teenagers." She muttered under her breath.

Clint/Hawkeye chuckled quietly and nudged his long-time companion in the side teasingly. "Looks like you've got admirers."

"It's all hormones." Natasha responded, sighing. "Half of them would probably wet themselves if they knew the things I do everyday."

Sabretooth, however, was grinding his very sharp teeth. "What the **** are they all doin' still up!" he demanded of no-one in particular. "I leave for barely a day'n a half and already things are goin' ta crap." Then he raised his voice, using his alpha timbre. "IF EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YA AREN'T IN BED BY THE TIME I COUNT TO TWENTY, YOU'LL GET DETENTION AND A LESSON IN THE DANGER ROOM WITH ME!" And what a threat THAT was. No student in their right mind would want that. "IF YA HAVE TROUBLE SLEEPIN' I'LL SEND HANK AROUND! GET TA BED. NOW! ONE…..TWO…THREE…"

The students all scattered like it was suddenly clean-up time after dinner and it was their turn to do the dishes. (Sometimes this was used as a punishment, and what a punishment it was considering the amount of students there!)

"That's more like it." Victor growled to himself as he continued to stalk down the hall, sniffing the air as he went.

"You have, uh, quite a way with children." Bruce commented in half-amusement half-worry as he watched the students rushing to their rooms.

Victor let out another snarl, pausing in his prowl to steady a younger student who tripped over her own feet in a rush to get to her own dorm room. "Easy, cub. Ya need ta get ta bed, but don't break somethin' gettin' there." He admonished gently, trying to reign in his anger at the ice-brat which still seethed. This cub hadn't done anything wrong, there was no need for her to feel the backlash.

"Right, Sir Victor." The young girl replied, smiling at him before going off at a slower pace.

Sabretooths anger was stopped almost in its tracks as the same warmth that he felt when he was with Roddy filled him. `Sir Victor. . . . .Well how about that…..` The term made him sound like a Knight instead of the shady mutant he was. But the thought of the ice-cub filled his mind again and he growled. If that brat did ANYTHING to jeopardize the other cubs in his pack…..he renewed his stalk; a mutant on a mission.

He never saw the Avengers exchanging glances at the ferals semi-soft treatment of the young girl. The gears almost turning visibly in their minds.

IN ROGUE'S DORM ROOM:

ROGUE/ LOGAN/ JUBILEE/ CLARISSE / RODDY/ JONESY / CASSIE

With her sensitive ears (a great help in learning things others probably didn't want to know) Cassie heard the entire conversation and it definitely peaked her interest.

"Listen up, James. That ice-brat, the one who can control ice,"

"What, Bobby?" was Logans response.

"That's the one."

Cassie couldn't miss the significant looks exchanged between Rogue and the now sleepily awake Jubilee and wondered at it.

"The fool's up ta somethin'." She heard her mate say over Logans phone. "I caught his scent at Furys lab. Do ya know where the kid is now?"

Logan growled and his adamantium claws sprung out of one hand, making Cassie jump. "In his room, if he knows what's good fer him."

"Well, I just got back, Jimmy. That cub's got some questions to answer."

"Do you need help track'n him down?" the Wolverine looked MORE than willing to do so….. and maybe spill some blood along the way.

There was a pause, as if he was thinking, before Victor answered. "No, stay there. Guard our pack."

They heard a click as Victor hung up.

"Uh-oh." Jubilees comment seemed to be shared by all as they exchanged worried looks.

Clarisse sat up groggily in her bed, rubbing at her eyes. "What's going on?"

"Nothin, Clarisse." Logan said, obviously trying to be soothing even though he was even more obviously seething with anger; the hair on his arms and neck had bristled straight up and his claws were still out.

Clarisses blue eyes went wider at the sight of his claws. "It sure doesn't look like nothing. Are we being attacked?"

"No." Logan answered curtly.

"Then why are your claws out?" Jubilee added.

There was a 'snick' sound as his claws went back on. Logan turned casually and locked the dorm-room door.

"What has Bobby done?" Rogue asked in her soft, southern voice, brown eyes wide.

"Not sure yet." Logan answered, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself. "But none of you have ta worry. Yer safe. Now it's time to sleep."

"I'm wide awake now, Wolvie." Jubilee said, and indeed her ebony eyes were wide and alert.

`Ya won't be when I'm done purrin'.` Logan thought he began the patented 'purr'. Immediately, they all began to drowse.

Cassie, however, managed to hit the mattress with her fist even as her body was relaxing. "Now this is just foul play!"

"We'll have ta talk about what defines foul play later, darlin." Logan said softly, going over to briefly kneel by Rogues bed where she and Jonesy were already nodding off. "Fer now, ya sleep."

SABRETOOTH & THE AVENGERS

He was looking for a particular scent; the scent of mint and ice and charcoal. But he was searching for it in a building that had many MANY students, and that made a lot of scents to filter through.

His brothers scent, his mates scent and his cub scent he picked out right away, but that was because they were ingrained in his mind, his instincts, and his heart. But he was looking for a little trouble-making ice-cub.

Sniffing the air like a blood-hound, Victor took another sharp turn left, paused again, then let out a triumphant growl and picked up the pace. He had the scent.

"I thought he was a cat, not a blood hound," Tony whispered to his best friend Bruce/the Hulk as they followed the feral.

"I'd keep my mouth shut if I were you, Tony." Bruce replied even more quietly. "There's no ocean here, but there are plenty of walls."

Victors demand brought their attention back to him. "What's down this hall? Anyone know?"

"I'm not sure, it's been awhile since I've been here." Steve Rogers/Captain America commented. "Why?"

"Because the ice-brat's been up this way." Victor growled, turning another corner. His growl grew in volume when he saw his mates 'onee-san' leaning up casually against an oaken door, arms crossed and a knife visible at her waist.

"Down kitty." The Native American said, unintimidated standing up leisurely. "I was wondering when you'd get back. I, uh, think you'd be interested in what I overheard."

AN: Noticed how I avoided making a math error by saying 'many many students' instead of giving a number. Tee hee.

REVIEW REPLIES:

TO xEricax :

Now that you mentioned it, I am seriously considering a Captain America/ Jubilee pairing. But only maybe. There would be some kinks to work out and Jubilee would have to get older first.

TO: Wolfrunner99-2 and darcie crimson

I'm so glad you like it! Loved the review.

TO: narutonarutolove;

My Victor Creed looks mostly like Live Schrieder (purr) in Origins, though sometimes my mind seems to tweak him a bit.

That's all my dear-hearts.

Oh yeah…Vocabulary;

VOCABULARY:

ADMONISHED: Scolded