Blueshift

Blueshift Chapter Forty Four (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… *hack * I think everyone I know is sick… InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink and the missing Dracena are loverly and wondermous for archiving/hosting. :) ProPhile: Good luck with the subbing. Morgan: *glomp * Readers/Reviewers: Wheee, more ficcage. From here on out, I’m going to try and keep the chapters on the main plot and not swervey…


Jubilee could not sleep. Not that she did not try… She laid in her bed, closed her eyes, relaxed, or tried to… Then promptly pulled her pillow over her head as the outside security lights flooded her room with bright white illumination as Logan triggered them on his late night walk. “Fuck,” she muttered, sliding out of bed and grabbing her bathrobe from the back of her desk chair. A snack, she decided, was definitely in order. She made it to the kitchen without incident even though she heard some of the new students giggling in a room, talking about Scott’s ass and Kurt’s smile and she was sorely tempted to tell them they were all in need of medication.
The kitchen was dark, not even the moonlight breaking the shadows, the high wall of the lanai blocking any light from outside. She yawned and padded over to the light switch to turn on the bulb over the sink so she could at least see what she was doing only to be confronted with Jean, leaning against the counter, her eyes closed and fingers curled loosely into fists. “You look like shit,” Jubilee announced. “Want me to shut the light off?”
“No,” Jean sighed. “I couldn’t sleep and Scott snores.” Jean opened her eyes and found Jubilee’s with her unsteady gaze. “I am so tired,” she sighed.
Jubilee frowned, not sure whether she should ask Jean if she wanted to talk or if she should force her to go lay down. The older girl looked haggard, her skin taking on a grayish cast, her hair hanging in lank ribbons as if she had not showered in some days. Her nails were broken and her cuticles torn as if she had been chewing them nonstop. “Jean,” she said softly, “what is it? Is it more marriage problems?” Jubilee reached out and carefully took her by the elbow, leading her from the kitchen and into the rec room. Jean let her, walking slowly and a bit stiffly. She let Jubilee help her sit down in the dark room and did not speak immediately. “Jean?” she repeated, turning on a table lamp.
“No, it’s not Scott. Scott’s been…very good.” She smiled fleetingly, pushing some hair behind her ears. “The voices…haven’t stopped.” She looked up at Jubilee, still standing, balefully. “They just turned different!”
Jubilee blinked. This did not sound like Jean. She sounded almost childlike. “Let me go get Beast,” Jubilee said hurriedly, starting to move past her friend.
“No! No!” Jean lurched to her feet and grabbed Jubilee’s shoulders. “Don’t leave me alone… they don’t talk to me when you’re with me!” She smiled painfully and added, “Please?”
Jubilee nodded slowly. “Of course…” She sat down next to Jean, the crinkle in her pajama pocket reminding her of the unread note. _Later, _ she told herself, stopping her seeking fingers from reaching for it.
“What’s the problem?”
Jubilee and Jean both startled at the sound of the Professor’s voice in the hall. “Oh,” Jubilee squeaked and shifted so as not to unbalance Jean, who was half leaning against her. “Um, we couldn’t sleep…” She paused, noticing the figure next to him. “I didn’t know we could have sleepover guests.”
Lilandra’s pale brow arched but she did not address the comment. Instead, she murmured something in a language Jubilee could not understand but Jean apparently could. The red head’s eyes grew wide and she lurched to her feet. Lilandra repeated the words, sounding questioning. Jubilee and the Professor exchanged glances and stared at the pair. Jean was nodded, seeming relieved. Lilandra held out her hands and smiled, taking Jean’s shaking fingers in her own steady ones. “I can help her,” she informed Professor Xavier. “I need my companions and a quiet place… There are others, yes? I need the pale lady and the sullen one…”
“Emma and Jono,” Jubilee sighed.
“Yes,” Lilandra agreed. “They will be needed here. There is much to do before the arrival. We cannot let a moment pass.”
Professor Xavier’s brows shot up. “The arrival?”
Lilandra nodded. “We are not the only ones.”
Jubilee found herself left alone after a small flurry of activity, the Professor moving faster than she had ever seen him do before to make Lilandra’s requests a reality. Jean let Lilandra lead her from the room and Jubilee fell back onto the sofa, exhaling noisily. “Freaks,” she muttered. “I live with a bunch of freaks…” The paper in her pocket crinkled as she shifted again, so she dug it out, sighing as she smoothed it flat on her leg. _Remy, of course, _ she grinned to herself. _He would leave me a love note… _ The handwriting was at once familiar and alien, his usually neat, copperplate style made messy with haste. Jubilee scanned the note, her good humor vanishing like smoke in the wind. “That son of a bitch!” With shaking hands, she re-read the brief, almost perfunctory note. _Chere, I’m sorry but I had to go. I cannot leave Belladonna lost. If she is alive, she needs help. If she is dead, she needs vengeance. I love you, ma belle, so do not think I am leaving you. If I am not back in a month, tell the Professor I tried. Logan will understand. Maybe he can explain to you because I know you won’t be able to… Please, ma chere Jubilation, don’t hate me. Solange is with me. I’m taking her to a friend. Adieu, ma belle. _
Jubilee crumpled the note in her hands and bit down on her lip so hard she tasted blood. Her first urge was to run after him but, she thought miserably, she did not know where to go.

“Huh?” Kitty yawned, blinking blearily in the dark. “Jubes? Are you crying?”
Jubilee nodded and knelt on the side of Kitty’s bed. “Sorry I woke you up…”
“No, it’s okay… need to talk?” Kitty struggled to sit up and failed.
“No… I just… I want…” Jubilee broke into sobs, choking on her own words. “I’m sorry… I’ll leave you alone till morning.”
“Lay down,” Kitty ordered softly, pulling her friend down next to her. “It’s okay…”
Jubilee sniffled, letting Kitty hold her close as if she were a child, sobbing into her friend’s shoulder.