We Can Explain...

We Can Explain...Chapter Thirty Five (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE (tm), Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta...That's it. You're going to PNO when you come down, lol. InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and Dracena get glomps for archiving/hosting. ProPhile: Check your inbox tonight. ;) Readers/Reviewers: A moment of silence for the Outside Killer Kitties (tm) And *glomp * Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I promise this is ALLLLLLL leading up to something, lol.


Professor Xavier hated migraines. He saw his guest out through the back entrance, reactivated the security systems, and retreated to his study. He was planning on a nice snifter of brandy, a quick recitation of the high points of the visit into his pocket tape recorder and then a long, pain free nap, but he was to be disappointed. "Emma," he sighed as he entered his study. "Why are you plaguing me this afternoon?"
She unfolded herself from the chair and strolled towards him, her smooth gait part of an icy façade completed by her white pantsuit and cool expression. "Charles, we have a problem."
"If it's about my visitor..."
"I could care less about him," she said evenly, though her eyes pooled with curiosity. "I...overheard...something and..."
"Emma," he snapped, "are you violating their privacy?"
"I heard something that might complete Beast's part of the puzzle." She raised a blonde brow and challenged him to deny her. "Interested?"
"Now is not the time for games, Emma. Tell me." He gave up on the idea of a nap but felt he could still salvage the brandy. Rolling past her purposefully, he headed straight for the liquor cabinet set into the bookcase. "Brandy?"
"Scotch, if you don't mind..." She followed him, mildly surprised that he did not put up of of a fight. She felt he had his shield up, not a shock, but he was probing her thoughts, which itself made her stumble slightly. "Why, Charles...hypocrisy much?"
He sighed softly. "Pre emptive strike. I am not in the mood for surprises." He poured their drinks in silence, speaking again only after their mutual first sip. "Is this going to create even more confusion?"
"God, I hope not," she muttered dryly. "Four of yours were in the gazebo. Still are, in fact. I...overheard...some things during a brief sojourn to the back patio."
"In the rainstorm?"
"I said it was brief." She took another sip and smiled. "This one is a doozy."
He groaned to himself. "Go on." He closed his eyes as Emma begin, relating the story from the students' point of view and wondering to himself if it was too late to chuck it all in and start an art commune in Wisconsin.

"Wowywowow..." Jubilee forgot about her sore muscles as the dark haired woman led them into the massive bed chamber. Two beds, larger than anything any of them had ever seen, stood at opposite ends of the room, decorated in silver filigree and what seemed to be jeweled flowers. The sheets shimmered with silken sheen thanks to the candles in the crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the ceiling. On the bed, what looked to be highly formal clothes were laid out. "Are those for us?" Jubilee was already on her way to the farthest bed, spread with a yellow dress the color of fresh cream.
"Yes," the woman purred, watching them with catlike intensity. "You're sharing this suite with some friends of yours..." As she spoke, a door set into the ornately papered wall opened, revealing a lithe figure that could have been male or female. "This is Demos, my brother. He will be attending to your needs while you're here. My name is Phobos anam tam the mistress of this manor..." She frowned briefly. "If you will excuse me, I must return to my other guests. Demos, please take care of the rest of the introduction."
Demos smiled thinly as his sister sailed from the room in a swish of thick satin skirts and heady perfume. "Your friends will join you shortly. Except," he said as if surprised, "for you. Mister LeBeau, I must ask that you come with me as soon as we are done here."
"Vrai? An' why dat?" Remy drawled, sitting on the be where Jubilee seemed torn between fingering the fabric of the dress or paying attention. "Need a tie ta get in here or some'?'?" He was disoriented, to be sure, and did not like how easily Jubilee was falling into the atmosphere of the place. Phobos's perfume tickled his nose and made him nauseated, almost sleepy, but he fought it. "I ain't goin' no where widdout a damned good reason, homme."
Demos became a study in neutral. "It's a simple matter. Phobos has heard of your former association with the Thieves' Guild and as a question to ask you in private."
Lance raised a dark brow. "How'd she hear that? Not like they post a list or something."
Amara sat on the opposite bed from Jubilee, frowning at the pale golden dress spread out, the bodice in the style of a Roman toga. "I would like to see our friends now, please," she demanded before Demos could answer Lance's question. "And I would like for you to answer a question yourself. What is this place?"
Demos giggled insanely, a sudden and sharp noise that made them all jump. His face crinkled in child like amusement and he wrung his hands briefly. "It's Neverland, children. Never never land!"
"Duuuuuuuuuude," Lance breathed. "Fucked up..."
Demos ignored him and dove towards the partially opened door, calling, "Your friends are here, children!"
There was dead silence in the chamber as Demos vanished into the next room, then a collective rush of relief as Kitty, followed by Rogue, entered the room. They were dressed to the teeth in old fashioned ball gowns, Kitty in deep rose and Rogue in a green so dark is was almost black. Kitty gasped and swayed on her feet for a moment then rushed forward, lunging at Jubilee before she could even rise. "Ohmygodthankgodyou'rehear!" she cried in a rush. "I'm freaking out in there!"
"What's going on?" Lance demanded of Rogue, striding forwards. "What the fuck is this place? Who the fuck are those guys? What the fuck is going on here?"1
Rogue held up one gloved hand and made a face begging for silence. "Bugs," she mouthed, rolling her eyes upwards. "Kurt and Todd are still changing," she said aloud. "We're all going down to the party."
At Rogue's false brightness, Kitty nodded. Her face still a mask of fear, she bubbled, "We get to dress up and we're even going to get to dance."
Remy rose to his feet as Demos re-entered with Kurt and Todd in tow. "Dance, eh?" he drawled. "Like in waltz? Or somethin' faster?" Quick as a cobra strike, he flipped his wrist, sending a charged card procured from the pack in his pocket flying with dead on accuracy towards Demos' feet. The effeminate man did not move but rather smiled like a plaster saint. The card landed harmlessly at his feet, barely a pop marking the power discharged from it. "Merde..."
"Nice trick," Demoggleggled. "All I can do is make a card house."
Kurt looked positively ill. His holo had been turned off to save the power cell and it was obvious he was shedding. He did not even react to the failed card but headed right for Kitty's side, grasping her hand when he got there and swaying a little. "We've been waiting for you all," he muttered thickly as if drugged. "Waiting for a while now..."
Todd was peeling. Badly. His skin looked powdery in places and flaked off in others. His eyes were sunken as if he were dehydrated and his feet shuffled in a slow drag. "Took you all long 'nough."
Demos clapped his hands once, seemingly a signal to come to order. "Monsieur LeBeau, come with me please and let these fine children dress!"
Rogue made a beseeching face at the still stunned Cajun. "Please?" she murmured. "Please..."
Remy nodded, struck at once by the absolute fear running through his friend. "D'accord. Seems like I'm gonna be makin' a fashion'bly late entry..."
Jubilee got to her feet and rushed to his side for a fast, hard embrace. "Be careful!" She looked like she was about to cry. "Don't...don't die or something."
"Chere, how many time I gotta tell you, I got de mos' amazin' luck?" He winked at her, his fear dissipating in the face of irritation and anger and in anticipation of a fight. "Be back soon."
"You'd better be," Kitty breathed. She did not look at him as he left, focusing instead on helping Kurt to a chair. "Fuzzy, you're hands are still shaking..." His blood sugar was all off, she knew, and he was on the verge of collapse. "I don't have anymore candy to give you." Her dress itched and the spot she had found on her ribs was starting to burn. Is lis like a hard mosquito bite, but it moved when she would push it. There was one on Kurt, too, she noticed and had a sudden flare of panic that it was some kind of disease and they were both falling ill with it. In fact, she thought, she hadn't felt quite right since before seeing Michael at the fair... "Just lay down," she soothed with a shaking voice. "We'll get out of this soon..."

A/N all downhill from here... things are going to move pretty fast from here on out so stay with me, lol.

1 Jay-esque rant, lol. See Dogma for details.