Notes from robbie: Scruffy: I hear you. Somebody needs to get Jubes hugs and cookies and her boyfriend back. *nudges Logan*

And griezz… honey… if you look at the top of the story, you will see that this story is rating T. That's because I'm a Good Mormon Girl™ and I'm not going to cross that PG-13 threshold. It's not a blush factor or giggling thing; it's that I've made a solemn covenant to a certain standard of behavior, which I take seriously. If that's your thing, that's great, you do you, but you won't find it here because it ain't my thing. At all.

From CC: ...aaaand Bobby Drake shouting F yeah to anyone repeatedly seems wildly out of character for the Bobby that I have come to know and love over the last 30 some years. I will, on occasion do the over PG-13, but only when it seems to fit. And not when writing in tandem with a friend. That's just not … something I want to do. And … blush factor is not a thing when you're older than dirt like I am. (though … America's thoughts? Who knows. That girl …)

Chapter 16: "Buncha Misfits and Orphans"

It took some time for Jubilee to relax enough to even start to enjoy the party. And while she was slowly starting to have fun, K had been carefully watching the firecracker with a frown and her arms crossed while Logan chatted with Kurt and Kate.

"Do we need to skin a cockroach?" K asked quietly out of nowhere, clueing the three of them in to K's focus. But Logan just shook his head before he led her off somewhere quieter and more private to explain, though Kurt was looking after them like he really wanted in on the big secret.

"Something is happening," Kurt said to Kate at just over a whisper.

"You noticed too?" Kate asked with a little frown. "I thought maybe it was just… drama. But…"

"Logan knows more than he's letting on," Kurt said. "I'm not sure if it's good or bad that he's sharing it with K at this point."

"Teleport over and ask," Kate suggested. "Can't hurt to just… ask," she added with a little smirk. "Communicate."

Kurt gave her a dry look and then tipped his head toward Logan. "They aren't talking anymore — and there is no way I am going to consider interrupting that."

Kate looked over and had to chuckle when she saw that Logan and K were, in fact, no longer talking — instead very much wrapped up in each other in their dark, quiet corner. "You know, they have the right idea," she said, tipping her head back to look up at Kurt.

He grinned down at her and nodded. "A quiet corner and no distractions? Yes, very much the right line of thinking."

Kate was giggling as she stood on her toes to kiss him, but before she could pull him into a corner of their own, she saw the door open out of the corner of her eye and stopped, surprised. "Oh — Noh's back," she said, looking first at the Kree fighter in the doorway and then over to where Jubilee and America were still dancing.

To their surprise, though, Noh didn't go right for Jubilee, instead making his way, hands deep in his pockets, to where K and Logan were getting more acquainted. He looked almost sheepish and clearly hesitated as he tapped K on the shoulder to get her attention.

It took a moment before she pulled back from Logan and turned to look up at Noh. "Hello, sunshine," she said with a little smile. "Your girl's on the dancefloor already."

"Yes, I know," he said. "And she is radiant even without the costume." He looked over his shoulder at Jubilee and for a moment seemed almost pained before he let out a sigh and turned back her way. "Actually, it's you I wanted to talk to."

K frowned and turned around fully, though Logan had a very suspicious look on his face and chose to keep his hands on K's waist as he stood just behind her. "What's on your mind?" K asked.

"Do you mind if we speak in private?" he asked quietly.

She tipped her head to the side ever so slightly and dropped her voice to just barely over a breath. "We can speak privately anywhere. Even with the music. What can I do for you?"

He frowned at her for a long moment. "I… would like you to come with me," he said at last, frankly. "To prevent SHIELD from sending more than just me."

Her smile fell completely, and for a moment she looked torn perfectly between vulnerable and angry. "No. I'm — Scott said you people didn't work for SHIELD." The shock was gone already from her features, and her hands were at fists at her side. She was tensed up and ready to fight, even as Logan tried to ease the situation.

"Who wants her, Noh?" he asked.

"I couldn't tell you," Noh said in a low voice.

"Then who sent you?" Logan asked, his eyes narrowed at Noh's answer. "Because I think you already know that she's not leaving to go anywhere near SHIELD."

"Not without a fight that I had hoped to avoid," Noh agreed with a heavy sigh. "But if I return without her, the mansion…." He shook his head. "Please, come with me," he tried again.

"Noh, why the heck aren't you over there apologizing to Jubes?" Kate asked as she and Kurt made their way over. She was smirking at him until she saw the look on his face, and then she took in the scene more closely — especially the overly concentrated glare K had — and the bruising at her knuckles. "What's going on?" she asked, now decidedly more careful as she reached for the amulet to take it off if there was going to be trouble.

"Kate, please, go and dance with Jubilee," Noh said in a quiet voice. "Dance with your lovely friends and your dashing companion."

"You know, I really do like you, stardust," K told him. "Don't make me hurt you."

"I like you too," Noh said. "Please — accept my apologies." With that, he simply made a rush for her, full speed, to pick her up and just try to get out, running on the walls to get a better drop on her and to keep out of reach of at least some of the X-Men. Once he had her, he ran for the ceiling, but even at full speed, he didn't get very far when an echoing snikt rang out, and in an instant, Noh had two sets of claws in his chest as K dragged her hands down his torso.

He cried out in both surprise and agony and simply let her go, gasping as he wrapped his arms around his chest and looked down at her from the ceiling as the assembled party guests all took in the scene in various states of surprise and downright confusion.

K was glaring up at him as she backed away toward the doors with his blood dripping off her hands. Logan just sort of did a double take between them before he made his way to stand with her.

"Noh — Logan, K!" Scott shouted, clearly bewildered. "What — what is going on here?"

"SHIELD wants K," Logan explained. "And they sent Noh to drag her back there for them." He looked up at Noh. "And they're threatening the school — or Jubes if he doesn't deliver. Did I miss anything?"

"Please, Logan," Noh said in barely a whisper. "I don't want to fight any of you."

"We don't turn people over to SHIELD, Noh," Scott said irritably. "Not unless they're criminals."

As Scott tried to talk to Noh, Logan twitched his little finger, and Kate realized that Kurt was incredibly tense all of a sudden. He very carefully let go of Kate — slowly — just waiting for Noh to turn his head to Scott or Jubilee — who was very clearly coming into the middle of the discussion looking thunderous.

"I don't know that she is a criminal," Noh admitted, taking a deep breath that looked painful. "But I do know SHIELD was… concerned about her being here. They consider her a threat."

"A threat to who? Us?" Scott asked with a frown. "Or are they afraid we'll use her against them?" He sounded angry at the very idea.

Noh turned to face him seriously. "Yes. The answer is yes — to both counts. And more."

As soon as Noh turned his head, Kurt teleported to K, and then both of them disappeared in a swirl of smoke. "Can't have her," Logan told Noh. "And she's not here anymore either." He shrugged, though there wasn't one bit of him that looked relaxed in the least and he had his gaze locked onto Noh. "Too bad."

Noh actually looked downright relieved as he dropped down from the ceiling, still holding his chest with one hand as he landed on his feet. "Don't let her come back here," he said seriously. "SHIELD will send me — or more."

Logan took a step forward. "How are they controlling you?" He narrowed his eyes. "And you might want to cut the crap and just tell me before I help connect the dots on your chest."

Jubilee had made it the rest of the way there and was just gaping at both of them for a moment. "Noh, just — we can help. I know it."

Noh turned to her with a sad sort of smile. "You cannot help if you are all locked away," he said. "Please, don't make this your concern. Be safe, Jubilee."

"It's our concern when you're being sent to pick people up that are just … living here," Jubilee said, shocking Logan at her sudden defense of K. "What happens when they decide to send you after Logan? Or Scott? If they sent you for one, the others aren't a stretch."

Noh faltered and took a step back, shaking his head. "I — would never—"

"What happens if they send someone after me while you're gone hunting down someone else for them?"

"That ... is not the deal I made," Noh said at last, in a rush. "You're safe. All of you."

"And you trust SHIELD not to do that?" Jubilee asked in disbelief, gesturing at him openly. "When they'd force you to do this?"

Noh looked at her with a clearly pleading expression. "At least I can choose not to fight at my best when they send me for things like this," he tried to explain. "I can still return to you — I can still think for myself!"

Jubilee looked near tears, but Logan had stepped back and already had his phone to his ear . "Nick, I think we have a little problem," Logan said very clearly, drawing the attention of all the adults that had been even partway close to him. "I need you to tell me who's been using Noh-Varr." He kept his eyes on a rather shocked-looking Noh as he stepped backward a few more paces, though Noh could hear Fury denying that they'd even talked to Noh on the other end of the line.

The scramble on the other end of the phone continued for some time, and those with advanced hearing could hear Fury shouting to his assistant and the clatter of keyboards typing until it all faded away and, in a very subdued voice, Fury replied finally — and Logan simply thanked him and hung up.

"Noh," Logan said as he let out a long breath. "You can go hunting for K, or you can stay here. Or — whatever. But I'm going to go deal with this. You can tell me yourself — or I can beat it out of Hill — what are they using for a control?"

Noh held his gaze for a long moment before he dropped it, closing his eyes and looking suddenly very tired. "The second band," he said at last.

"Can you take it off?"

He shook his head. "I have tried," he said, the frustration obvious in his tone. "But it doesn't work. And the noise, Logan."

Logan waved him over with one hand. "I heard the noise. Come here." When Noh got close enough, Logan asked which arm it was and he barely gave Noh even a bit of warning before he popped a claw and slid it between his arm and the band. For just an instant, everyone in the room with sensitive hearing could hear the whine that sent purpleish-blue bruises like splintered sidewalk up Noh's entire arm as Noh gasped in obvious pain — before Logan simply cut the band in half so Noh could wrench it off and pitch it across the room, sinking to the floor in both relief and exhaustion.

Logan stuck the claw in Noh's face as soon as he was done. "You tell someone when people do this crap to you," Logan growled out. "So it doesn't end with me having to call Fury in the middle of the damn night."

Noh just held his gaze for a long moment and said in a voice that was soft enough only Logan could hear it, "If this doesn't work ... she's going to come after all of you. After my Jubilee."

Logan took a step closer and spoke just as softly. "This whole thing begins and ends with her," Logan told him seriously. "Fury is pulling her in right now. WE are going to Fury. Everyone in this room is safe from any repercussions when it comes to Miss Maria Hill."

It took Noh a long time to let out a breath. "Alright," he said quietly. "I trust you to keep them safe, at least. Thank you."

Logan nodded, then crossed the room to pick up the wrecked arm band and looked up at Scott. "You wanna change before we storm the Helicarrier or are you okay like that?"

"If you think you can wait that long," Scott said, glancing down at his costume.

"I'll make myself wait," Logan promised. "I don't want to be in tight quarters with you like — that." He gestured to Scott's entire body with a look of distaste. He then glanced over at Noh, who hadn't moved an inch. "If you're not hunting K, then you're coming too."

Noh nodded quietly. "Yes, of course. I remand myself into your custody."

"You're not a prisoner," Logan told him, shaking his head lightly. "You're a witness. And a victim, apparently. Be ready to tell Fury where the mean lady touched you."

Noh wrinkled his brow for a moment. "No — she was careful not to make contact lest she leave a scent for you," he said honestly.

Jubilee let out a breath and let her shoulders drop as she crouched down next to him. "That's not — you know what? Nevermind. Just. You could have told me about this."

He looked mystified as he looked her way. "Why would I endanger you on purpose?"

"Because I could have helped you," Jubilee told him. "This could have been over with before you got sent after Logan's … friend."

He let his gaze fall to the floor. "I'm truly sorry, Jubilee."

She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a tight hug. "What did she do to get Hill looking her way anyhow? I couldn't find anything on her at all."

"I don't know much other than that she was… trained. A weapon of some kind, I believe was the term they used," Noh told her before he gently pushed against her shoulders. "Jubilee, you are getting my blood on your shirt."

"Am I hurting you?" Jubes asked, eyes wide.

"I ... couldn't tell you," he admitted with a rueful smile. "Logan's friend seems to have some surprises up her sleeve. But then — I haven't healed fully in some time. A simple hug is nothing." He leaned into her and very gently kissed her forehead. "But as soon as I am healed, Jubilee — my Jubilee — I swear to you I will not hurt you in this way again."

"That's good — because if you do, I'll take your head off," Logan warned him as Jubilee rolled her eyes at Logan.

"So… are we all going to yell at Hill?" Kate asked, waving her hand to get their attention. "Because some of our number are missing."

"Kurt is busy," Logan told her. "So he's not coming. In fact, he won't be back until this is straightened out a little bit."

Kate sighed and slipped the amulet over her head, and as the change started to set in and she turned back into her normal, not-fuzzy self, she said, "Well, there goes my plan for the rest of the night."

"You're not the only one irritated," Logan told her with a little sigh. "Had some plans shaping up myself."

"I am truly sorry," Noh said again, looking between them. "You ... none of you should suffer even the slightest for this. It was my own folly."

It was just a matter of good timing that Scott reappeared then, dressed ready to fight with decidedly looser-fitting slacks. "Let's get moving. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can get back to our version of normalcy."

"Yes, please," Jubilee agreed.

With that, the little group flew up to the helicarrier, and to Noh's surprise, there wasn't even an escort to take them to Fury's office — only Logan, who led the way and zipped down one shortcut after another until they popped into Fury's office from behind the massive screens that covered one wall.

The meeting with Fury was fairly short. He listened to Noh's story and how it happened from the beginning, occasionally asking clarifying questions but otherwise just letting the former Marvel Boy tell the whole truth for the first time since that meeting with Brand. Hill sat there in silence, glaring out the window, but did not defend or deny her actions until the very end when she insisted that the only reason that they'd started looking into K was because they kept getting hits on their system from the mansion.

"Was this just chasing down old, wild leads, Logan?" Fury asked but he simply shook his head.

"Wasn't me. I didn't bother looking too hard, to be honest," Logan said. "Figured when she didn't want to say much, there was probably a reason for it. When it was clear she wasn't trying to kill anyone and didn't lie to me, I figured I had a pretty good idea what she'd gone through once the whole Sabretooth thing was added to the mix."

"I thought it would be prudent to look into her background," Scott said, more to Fury than Logan, though he had his head tipped Logan's way. "Especially when Sabretooth seemed so determined to come after her, so that was on me."

Fury let out a sigh and went to his safe to remove a rather impressive file that he dropped in front of Scott. "Next time you want to look up secret enemy combatants, come to me first."

"Wait, wait, back up," Kate said, holding her hands in the signal for a time-out. "Are you telling me my boyfriend is who-knows-where alone with a secret enemy combatant? Is she still active?"

"It's not something that she was willing to do to begin with," Fury replied. "And if she was active, which we are certain she is not, your fuzzy blue boyfriend would not likely qualify as one of her targets. Unless they attacked her first, she never once killed anyone she didn't have to," He looked between Logan and Scott for a moment. "She escaped the program by jumping out of a helicopter. She had not been playing nice with Romanoff that night at all before Weapon X dragged her out of there. We tried to track her down at the time — it was a regular race to get to her." He turned back to Kate. "She's been MIA for over ten years."

Kate relaxed substantially. "Well, good. I like her. I didn't want to fight her."

"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear who is hiding her right now, but whenever you find her, I'm going to need to have a word with her," Fury told them. "If it's a sticking point, I'll come to you."

"That would probably be best," Scott said with a frown. "Seeing as my teammates haven't had the best of luck speaking with SHIELD on your bases — and she's skittish."

"Scott and I both will have to be there when you talk, or it's no deal," Logan told him. Fury thought about it for a moment and just nodded his head before Scott pushed the file to Logan, who let out a little sigh and cracked it open, skimming over large sections of it.

"Noh-Varr," Fury said, finally addressing Noh, who looked almost anxious. "What kind of punishment do you think AD Hill should have? Position will be stripped for sure. Misappropriation of resources and attempted mutiny for starters. Did you have any thoughts on where she should be held until trial?"

Noh looked honestly surprised before a sort of glint came into his eyes as he looked over the woman in Fury's custody. "I had intended to raze the Cube to the ground, but I could be persuaded not to," he said, outright glaring Hill's way.

"Little bit of her own medicine, huh?" Fury said with a nod. "Considering she thought it appropriate to do to you recently, I'll go along with that."

"Even where I come from, we do have a sense of poetic justice — though I doubt a Kree trial and punishment would happen here," Noh said.

"What would that look like?" Fury asked with a little frown, purely out of curiosity.

"For someone as high-profile as the former assistant director, likely Ronan and his accusers would be involved," Noh said with a smirk that kept tugging at the corner of his mouth. "It would be public, and if the charges were enough to warrant it, the Supreme Intelligence might even get involved for an execution or banishment."

"I almost wish we had a system like that," Jubilee said quietly with her head on Noh's shoulder. "Even if it sounds a bit drunk with power."

"But if we did that, we would not need to hold the assistant director before her trial. Ronan himself can put those awaiting his judgment into a state like suspended animation." Noh smirked. "It makes escape far more difficult."

She wrapped her arms around his and gave a little squeeze. "And you just went to creepy with that."

"I ... didn't mean to," he said, looking her way with wide eyes as he lost the smirk. "I was speaking honestly and from experience."

"Well, that just makes me want to melt his stupid face off," Jubilee said in a gruff tone.

Noh shrugged. "Director Fury did ask."

"I meant I want to melt Ronan's face off, silly," Jubilee said with a smirk.

"I would not dare stand in the way of any crusade you choose," he replied, grinning outright.

"That's good, because they never see me coming," Jubilee said, shaking one finger at him. "Not until it's too late."

"You are a fearsome warrior indeed," he agreed, smiling wider.

"If that's all," Logan said as he closed the file with a sigh and pushed it back to Fury. "Very little of that is any kind of a surprise, really. And I have plans I'd like to get back to." Scott looked toward Logan with a raised eyebrow, though he kept his comments to himself about all that he'd read in that very thick, very detailed file.

Fury just waved them off, and the group once again rushed to keep up as Logan slipped down a whole different set of shortcuts and secret passages to spit them out right next to the blackbird.

They weren't in the plane more than five minutes before Scott turned to Noh, who was still looking like he was just steeling himself for something else awful.

"You're going to be showing up at team practices now, right?" Scott asked.

Noh stared at him openly, completely disarmed. "What ... yes? If — if that's what you want. I thought…"

"If you want to be on the team, that's what you need to do. I'd like to see you with the team more. Learn how to work alongside us best," Scott said. "It's not always easy to integrate new people. Even when they're as skilled as you are — it takes practice."

Noh was still staring at him. "Yes, I understand that — I just… Surely you can't be serious. Are you certain you want me on your team? What I've done—"

"We've done worse," Scott assured him. "Logan killed my first wife — what? Five? Six times?" Scott gave Logan a look that had no fire to it and Logan was sure most of that was for Noh's benefit, so he just shrugged in response.

"Something like that," Logan replied as he kept his smirk to himself at Jubilee's expression.

Scott nodded. "We clash with SHIELD all the time. We fight each other — get possessed — time travel ... get attacked by time travellers. There is very little you can do to shock us."

A smile started at the corner of Noh's mouth, totally disbelieving and relieved all at once. "Then ... let me do everything in my power to be worthy of your trust — and to regain it."

"Just keep trying to do good," Logan told him.

"And when you're in trouble — tell someone," Scott added. "We can't help unless we know, and we're not going to judge you for it. "

"This… is a far different reaction than I expected or have experienced," Noh said quietly.

"That's because the X-Men are more like a family," Jubilee told him as she punched his shoulder lightly. "Buncha misfits and orphans with superpowers." She looked Kate's way with a smile. "Or most of us are."

"Oh no — misfit and orphan. You got that right," Kate said with a dry smirk.

"Does it count as an orphan if you're a grown up when it happens?" Logan asked her with a frown.

"Depends," Kate said, tipping her head his way with the beginnings of a troublemaking grin. "Does this mean I'm not four and a half?"

He just watched her for a minute with a small appraising look. "You're not four and a half," Logan said finally, though he paused before he continued. "More like five."

"Well, at least he's getting closer," Kate said with a sigh and a smirk Jubilee's way.

"Don't expect much there," Jubilee said before she turned to Logan. "Are you having Kurt bring back your secret assassin viking?"

"Not right away," Logan admitted. "Gotta talk to her myself and see if she even wants to come back."

"If my absence can ease that," Noh said quietly, "I can oblige."

Logan gave him a very open look. "Oh, she's not afraid of you," he clarified. "She wasn't scared one iota that whole time."

"I am both insulted and relieved." Noh shook his head the slightest bit before he tried for a little joking, "And trying very hard not to point out I was not operating at my peak."

"If that file was right that Fury had, and I'm sure at least part of it was, she's not afraid of much." Logan shook his head. "Though if the training reports are right, it might be less a bravery thing and more a stubborn as hell thing."

"Great — she'll fit right in," Kate said dryly.

"I'll go see if she wants to play nice or slip off." He looked up toward Scott. "I'll try to get her to play nice. She might be good to have around for the girls to train with if no one tries to evaluate her."

"Yeah. That's the reason." Kate shot Logan a very smug smile.

"Not sure what you're so smug about. She's got your Elf in her grip right now," Logan said with no hint of a smile. "God only knows where she had him take her, and she's got more of a rep for seductress if that file's on point."

Kate scrunched her face up at him. "No. Just — no."

From there, the rest of the flight back to the mansion was almost as quiet — and just as short — as the flight to the helicarrier had been, though it was a more relaxed silence as opposed to the tense one that had marked their earlier flight, especially with Jubilee and Noh all but tucked into each other the whole way home.

They were met in the hangar by a very serious-looking Kurt, who seemed as though he was ready to fight or disappear again at the drop of a hat. "She staying put?" Logan asked him and Kurt half shrugged his way.

"She said she would?" Kurt replied. "For now she's at her house — not that anyone but me knows where that is." When he saw that there wasn't any reason to jump into a fight, he just started smirking Logan's way. "I think you'll like it there."

"That … does not sound like something I want to hear ever, ever in the history of the world," Jubilee said dryly with her nose tipped up the slightest. "It could go too many ways. Don't do that."

Kurt's smirk simply widened as he looked her way. "Ah, but it's the truth," he teased her.

"Not cool," Jubilee said, as Kurt just started to laugh. "I so totally need a shower now. Rude." She spun to look at Noh. "If you leave the grounds before I get a hold of you … well. You do not want to do that." With that, she ran off for her room with a grin, looking forward to her Halloween evening of scary movies and popcorn for what was left of it.