Institutionalized

INSTITUTIONALIZED CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies and BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Joaquin is offering to help Pepe...Though I don't trust him. He's holding a socket wrench and swearing it's a screwdriver. *sigh * InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are superloverly for archiving. :) Readers/Reviewers: Getting a migraine so I'll just say thank you thank you thank you thank you and send loads of armadillo kisses for reviewing and reading. :) Be careful. They tend to try and slip in some tongue.

"So I'm thinking green and black streamers," Jubilee said without preamble, sitting down next to Scott on the rec room sofa.
Scott turned down the volume on CNN and gave Jubilee a patented Fearless Leader "Are you insane?" look. "For what, might I ask?"
"Duh! Rogue's surprise party!"
Scott had nearly forgotten about the ruse used to deflect Jubilee's intrusive questions the other day. "Um, that's off now."
"No fucking way, Cyke. We're doing this thing. Just because you and Jeannie are afraid of her temper is no reason to deprive Rogue of a birthday shindig!" For added emphasis, she popped a large pink bubble in his face. "I ain't afraid of tall, pale and gothy. I'll put this thing together...you guys just smile and be pretty and make sure she don't find out about it!"
Scott felt the ache begin between his eyes and spread. "Jubilee, I don't think you understand here...the whole surprise party thing...so not going to happen."
"Geez, you are such a fuddy duddy. Look, Amara already said she'd help me..."
"She did?" he asked archly.
"Well, it was more like she said she'd do whatever I asked if I left her the hell alone for ten minutes..." Jubilee grinned. "Being bratty has its advantages sometimes."
Scott sighed and glanced at the television to make sure the world was not coming to an end as he spoke to his friend. "Jubes, Rogue does not like parties. She does not like birthdays. She made sure not one of us knew when her birthday was until this year...And even that was an accident!"
"Scott, dude, trust me here. Speaking as a girl, I can tell you all girls love parties, especially where they get stuff!"1 She let that settle for a moment and chewed her gum furiously. "Now, her birthday is Monday...I can throw together something super fast if you guys leave me alone with Amara and maybe Kitty. No, definitely Kitty. That girl knows how to throw a party..."
"How would you know?"
"My spidey senses tell me so. Now, you and Jean just figure out a way to get Rogue out of the house for most of Monday and have her back here at...well, let's say seven p.m. We'll surprise the Hell outta her!" Jubilee gave Scott a beneficient pat on the head and hopped to her feet. "I need to find somewhere that sells industrial sized bags of balloons in this town..." She blew another bubble, popping it loudly as she headed towards the stairs.
"She gone, homme?" Remy asked from the direction of the kitchen.
Scott startled slightly and finally picked the thief out of the shadows in the dark eating area. "What do you think?"
"Dat gal been talkin' my ear off all day 'bout dis." Remy sighed and stepped fully into the rec room. "I couldn't even shut her up de usual way."
"The usual...oh." Scott cleared his throat slightly and fiddled with the remote, ignoring Remy's chuckle. "So, you think Rogue's going to kill us all for this?"
"Non, jus' Jubilation. Wanna tell me why you make up dis plan idea?"
"You just cut right to the chase, don't you?" Scott sighed and turned off the television, propping his feet on the table before him. "Jean and I were having a private conversation and Jubilee burst in on us. She wanted to know what we were talking about and it just sort of fell out of my mouth about a surprise party for Rogue."
"You were talkin' bout getting' married, den?" Remy asked, pulling a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and tapping one out into his hand, putting it between his lips but not lighting it.
"Uh...what?"
Remy pulled a thin envelope out of his pocket and unfolded it. "Dis come today for y'all. I were on mail duty an got it 'fore de Professor or Logan see it."
Scott took the envelope and stared at the return address: State of Connecticut, Official Business, Penalty for Private Use, County Clerk Office, Official Copy of Marriage License Within. "Fuck me hard..."
'No thanks, mon ami...de address on bottom be a bad ting, too, if you tryin' to keep dis a secret."
"Mr and Mrs Scott Summers... I guess that would've been a dead giveaway." Scott sighed, fingering the envelope. "You didn't...I mean..."
Remy tapped the side of his nose in an antiquated gesture and smiled. "Dis ol'Cajun know a secret when he see one, eh? When you do it?"
"Last month...Kurt and Kitty were our witnesses," he said quietly, folding the envelope again and hiding it in his pocket. "We don't want anyone to know yet, not until we're out of school and maybe can have a ceremony and everything...but it was just right, you know?"
Remy nodded. "I been through dis 'fore wid Belladonna long time 'go and sometime, I tink dat I wanna do dat wid Jubilee, mais..." He sighed and shrugged. "Why rush?"
"To each there own," Scott said, standing. "Think you can control your girlfriend with this party thing?"
"Non...anyting I say taken as a suggestion an' den ignore..."
"I know the feeling," Scott said dryly. Changing the subject, he said "Mister Worthington said that they're going to start adding onto the house next week. It's weird, isn't it? This place being a real school."
"I dunno...I can see dat happenin'...mais all dese new kids...dat be what's weird."
Scott nodded. "Especially that Empath kid, staring at the girls all the time."
Remy followed him towards the foyer. "Can't blame him, eh? You seen de gals roun' here?" A shuffling noise at the end of the hall made them both draw up short. "De hell?"
Bobby, St John, Rahne and Lance were trying to sneak out of the door at the far end of the narrow hallway leading from the foyer to the back of the house. Remy started to say something, but Scott held up his hand to silence him. "They don't know we're here..." As they watched, Empath and Roberto joined them, sneaking from the phone alcove and half bath, respectively. There was some quiet murmuring before the door was finally opened and they all disappeared into the night.
Remy stared at the creeping teenagers. "What the fuck dey up to?"
"I don't know...want to find out?" Scott did not even wait for Remy's response.

"Liebes," Kurt murmured sleepily, "where are you going?"
"Drink," she said quietly, sliding from under his arm and out of the bed. "I'll be back soon. Promise."
"Kay...don't be long..." Even as he spoke, Kurt was drifting back to sleep. Kitty smiled and padded from the room, not even bothering to open the door.
The kitchen was dark, this late at night. She got a glass of ice water and whistled softly for Baby but did not hear the tell tale pad of puppy paws in response. _Weird...I wonder where he got to... _ Still clutching her glass, she checked every room downstairs and found no dog. _Maybes ous outside with Logan or something... _ Glad it was summer and still warm even though it was nearly midnight, she walked out barefoot onto the expanse of concrete that could be considered a front porch and whistled loudly for Baby, even going so far as to call his name. "Come on, boy! I want to go back to bed!" _Warm boyfriend is about to trump obstinate dog here... _ "Baby!" Venturing off the porch and onto the lawn itself, Kitty made a face when she encountered something squishy and cold and a little slimy. _Oh, that had better not have been a slug! I will scream like a girl if that was a slug... _ Kitty chanced a peek at the bottom of her bare foot and sighed in relief when she saw it was only a piece of gum. _Okay, amend that. Won't scream like a girl, just gripe at Jubilee. Which brings me to... _ "Ew, gross! ABC gum!"2 Scraping the offending gum off onto the grass and feeling scummy, Kitty whistled again for the dog and received no response, not even a whimper.
"Looking for something?"
"Yeah, my...um...hello?" Kitty turned a full circle and blinked when she did not see anyone. "Um..."
"Look up..." Warren could not help it. He did rather enjoy startling people sometimes. He stood on the edge of the porte cochere roof, grinning down at Kitty, his wings fully extended. "Hi there."
"Please tell me that you're not a Jungian archetype."
"Pardon?" he asked with a hint of amusement, stepping off the roof and coming to land a yard or so in front of Kitty.
"Never mind..." She eyed him intently for a moment before saying, "I'm Kitty...you must be the Professor's friend Mister Worthington."
"Call me Warren...Mister Worthington is my father," he smiled at her, extending his hand.
"You're blue," she blurted as she shook his hand.3 "Kurt's blue. So is Beast."
Warren raised his eyebrows. "Seems to be a popular color for mutants..." He dropped his hand to his side and looked around the front lawn. "So who are you looking for?"
"My puppy...his name is Baby. I can't find him anywhere!"
"Maybe a dingo got your baby4," he said in an unidentifiable accent.
"A what?"
"Never mind," he sighed, still smiling. "I'm punchy from lack of sleep. The Professor and I just flew in from Toronto and boy are my wings tired."
"He'll be here all week folks...tip your waitress," Kitty said with a slight grin.
"What does this puppy look like? I'll see if I can find him from above, as it were..."
"He's pudgy and brown with a white spot on his leg and floppy ears."
"Be back in a minute," he assured her, taking easily to the air, his wings cutting silently through the night.
Kitty stared after him for a minute, then sighed. "That is one cool mutation," she sighed. "Beats phasing any day of the week." She picked her way through the grass towards the garage, whistling again and calling for the dog.
"He's not in here," Jubilee said from the shadows near the garage. "Just you and me and the Devil makes three."
"What're you doing out here?" Kitty asked, her heart skipping a beat at finding out she was not as alone as she had believed. "And stop spitting your gum onto the grass. Birds will choke on it."
Jubilee popped a bubble in the dark. "Weren't me, chicita. I'm just waiting for Remy."
"Why out here?" Kitty asked, shuffling her feet in the grass in an attempt to stave off the noseeums biting her toes.
"Wanted to do it in the car," she grinned.
"I swear, you two are the most oversexed people on the planet!" Kitty snickered at Jubilee's expression and asked, "Have you seen Baby? I can't find him anywhere."
"Not seen hide nor hair of the critter since right after dinner. Warren going to look for him? I saw him fly over."
"You knew he was out here?"
"Oh, yeah...he scared the hell out of me about ten minutes ago, just sort of dropping out of the sky. Between him and Logan, I'm going to die of a surprise before I'm twenty."
Kitty shook her head ruefully. "I know what you mean...But it worries me the dog isn't coming when I call him."
"He's male. They never come when you want them to."
"Ew."
"Oh, you're just a pervert for even thinking that! Speaking of perverted, what are you and Kurt doing for the official day?"
"No idea...we already celebrated the, um, well, the first time...you know..."
"Whooooo! Dirty girl!"
"Oh, shut up! And don't tell him I told you that. We haven't really discussed plans yet. Probably just go out somewhere. You know, get away."
"Mmmm... Or get laid."
"Jubilee, you are way too invested in my sex life."
"Take it where ya find it, sweetie. Hey, here's Warren..."
"Find him?" Kitty called as the man landed in the shadows at the end of the garage.
"No," he said, sounding slightly out of breath, walking forward with a large bundle in his arms. "But I found her..."
"Her?" Kitty and Jubilee asked as one, moving towards Warren as he came into the light. A girl with unnaturally red hair lay in his arms, looking battered and worn. "What the..."
"I found her near the lake. She says her name is Tarot."


1 Speaking as a female here, I can refute that... Not all girls like parties, esp, when they are the cause of it. *shudder *
2 Already Been Chewed...what, no one else ever called it that?
3 He's blue in the comics. I can't remember what color he was on XME.
4 Line's from a Meryl Streep movie called something like "A Cry in the Night" or somesuch. It's supposed to be a true story about a couple camping in the Australian Outback (like there's another Outback) and their baby vanishes. Someone says "Maybe a dingo got your baby..." And it did turn out that a dingo did indeed get their baby. I think. It's been years since I've seen it.