Lullaby

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9:58am est

"What's the matter, sweetie?" An Lee asked as she felt her daughter begin to shake in her arms.

"I'm sorry I broke your vase." She held onto her mother tightly, afraid to let go. "I didn't mean to."

When she watched the vase fall and shatter into what looked like a thousand pieces, she felt that the moon, sky, and stars would shatter along with it - her entire world - because it was her mother's favorite vase. It would make her mother angry, sad, and disappointed, which was a thought that Jubilation couldn't handle. So she had hid the evidence and hoped her mother wouldn't find out. But things ended up so much worse for her after she did. Her mother found the vase, and Jubilation lied about it, making it even worse for herself.

Things would have been so much easier for her and her mother if she had fessed up the moment the vase shattered. But wisdom such as this is rarely recognized in children. And in some adults, too.

An sighed - the child was way too sensitive sometimes. "It was an accident. I forgive you." She sat on the Panda chair with Jubilation in her arms. "Just be careful with things next time. Can you do that?" She whispered in her daughter's ear. "Can you not hurt things? Can you be gentle?"

Jubilee's eyes snapped open. There - she dreamed of her mother again, only this time she wasn't even sleeping! But Jubilee knew there was more to the dream, and she felt the need to answer her mother's question again. "I promise, mom."

She looked down at her bump. Now she was going to be in the mom role. "I promise." She remembered her mother had sung her a lullaby after that, lulling her to sleep with her angelic voice. What was the name of it again? She couldn't seem to remember.

She took another look around the sanitized room. God in heaven, what was she doing here?

---

10:00am est

Angelo crept out the back, pulling a cigarette out of his back pocket. It was bent from his sitting on it, but it was the last one he had, so he couldn't afford to throw it out.

He lit the cigarette and inhaled, squinting his eyes. The snow reflected off the sun, making the outdoors too bright for the unshaded eye.

He sucked in the sweet tobacco, then exhaled, smoke and steam rising from his mouth. He watched random people walk across the slick parking lot, careful not to slip. He took notice of two men crossing by, legs large as tree trunks, boots thick and made for rough terrain.

He raised an eyebrow at the sight. They looked terribly out of place - and what the hell were they doing at an abortion clinic?

They looked rushed, walking briskly, the tip of a gun poking from under their ankle-length coats. Angelo could hear them whisper as they entered the building. The hair on the back of his neck rose. He flung the cigarette and ran back into the clinic.

---

Just as he ran in, Jubilee ran out. "Ang, I can't-" She began to say as the two men turned the corner.

"Duck!" He shouted. Angelo could hear men and women screaming, ducking for cover. Jubilee turned to look, catching sight of a man she recognized as the guard who sat on her back in the prison. She screamed, falling on her rump.

Incu cocked his gun and aimed at Angelo. "You are violating Lady Yvanka's interest. Back away or we'll fire!"

"Chupa mi pito!" Angelo spat.

"RUN!" Jubilee shrieked. "You can't hurt them!" She was back on her feet, running for the exit. She slammed her body against the exit door, smacking someone with it on accident as she did.

She was hyperventalating, barely able to breathe with fear. She ran across the parking lot to Angelo's car. When she didn't hear him behind her, she turned to see he was only two feet out of the clinic, facing off the guards. He was outgunned. Outmanned.

"No, Angelo!" She screamed, and ran back.

"You'll leave her alone!" Angelo's skin stretched, one hand wrapping around Incu's gun, the other hand wrapping around Tank's. Both guns went off, blasting the cieling and making the electricty go out.

They yanked with all their might, forcing Angelo to let go lest he rip his skin. Jubilee ran next to Angelo, fists clenched.

"Tank!" She shouted, catching one of the guard's attention. Tank was the one who shot the guard back in the quarry. She also recognized him as her personal guard. She pointed with her finger and felt her fireworks respond on her command, surging through her and out her finger. It landed point-blank between his eyes, exploding on impact.

"Augh!" He screamed at the burning sensation in his eyes and nose. Then his face went numb and slick with blood. "My nose! She - she - NO!" He fell to the ground just as Incu shot his gun at Angelo. The bullet whizzed past Angelo, scratching him on the shoulder, too close to Jubilee for comfort. He grabbed Incu by the jacket. "You could hurt the p - th' p - " He struggled to speak, then collapsed, his sentence unfinished.

Jubilee paffed the ground beneath them, making Incu trip on top of her injured guard. Angelo and Jubilee ran through the parking lot.

"We have to get out of here fast!" Jubilee said, pointing through the window. "They have healing factors! They won't stop unless you kill them!"

The tires squealed as they sped off.

"Where do we go?" Angelo asked, licking his lips nervously, looking through the rearview mirror to see if they were following. All he could see was the lingering smoke of Jubilee's explosion.

"Back to the Academy... They'd be stupid to attack us there, there are too many mutants." She too watched the rearview mirror to see if they were following. So far, there was no sign of them. She slumped back into the seat, only slightly relieved. It would take Tank some time to heal from the damage, she knew that, and also knew that it took a much stronger paff to kill men like him. But she wasn't trying to kill anyone.

"At least I left with something to speak of."

He glanced over at her questioningly.

"I never knew why Yvanka fed us that Lichen. Now I know."

"Why?"

"She wanted a baby." She looked to Angelo, whose eyebrows reached his hairline. "She needed a surrogate. It makes sense, doesn't it? If you can't have your own, find someone who could do it for you."

"She could have adopted." He said more to himself than anyone else, shifting into fourth gear.

"She didn't, though. She probably sent those guys out to bring me back."

"If they heal that well, why didn't you kill them? Now they will hunt you." He said as a concerned mother or father would, words full of worry and regret.

Her exhausted voice betrayed her young appearance, and Angelo realized that she had matured since he had last taken a good look at her.

"I'm tired of killing, Angelo. I'm tired of everthing. The secrets, the hiding, the death ... the constant need to look over my shoulder." She framed her stomach with her hands. "And I can't kill this baby. I'm keeping it."

"What made you change your mind?"

"My mom did." She said, buttoning up her yellow trenchcoat again. It was actually a replacement - her original was left in the cell back in the prison. She had been lucky enough to get another one just like it.

"What will you do then?"

She huffed her bangs out of her eyes. "Tell Wolverine. Then disappear."

---

Massechusetts Academy
5:59pm

Angelo dialed the phone for Jubilee, who eas too nervous to remember the number. When he heard it ring, he handed it to her. She put it to her ear, then shifted her feet.

They had agreed that she would tell Wolverine over the phone - that way it would be easier for her, and he could work out any anger that may rise from it before they had to go to the mansion and be evaluated in a Danger Room exercise.

She would probably get Jean or Betsy to answer. Then she would ask to speak to Wolverine, and she would tell him.

She heard the other end pick up. She hadn't epected Wolverine to answer. "Hello?" Came a familiar rough voice. Her heart stopped. "Hello?" He repeated, a little louder. She forgot what she was going to tell him. Why did she call him again? She looked to Angelo, who looked back at her, mouthing 'Say something.' She bit her lower lip and slammed the phone back on its cradle.

"I can't!" She shouted. "I can't tell him over the phone!" She calmed down as Angelo rubbed her arms. "I have to do it in person."

"Have it your way, Jubecita."

---
Massechusetts Academy
December 17th,
11:00pm

The Academy was extremely quiet, the residents having all gone to sleep, with the exception of Monet St. Croix. She had been rudely awakened by another dream that didn't belong to her. She had only recently found out that the dreams were coming from Jubilee. She was unknowingly projecting them to the nearest telepath.

Monet creeped out of her bed. She crept her way through the halls until she reached Paige's door, tapping on it quietly. Paige opened the door a moment later, eyes blurry with sleep. "What do you want?" She whispered.

"Shh!" She put her fingers to her lips. "I'm going to show you a trick I learned recently." She led Paige to Jubilee's room. She could tell the dream had a root in reality - it was too vivid to be made up by the mind.

"Why are we here?" Paige asked as Monet shushed her again.

"Jubilee is broadcasting her memories through dreams. I've been listening to them off and on." She knelt by Jubilee's door and closed her eyes. "It's called dreamwalking. Only the more powerful telepaths can do it, and I want to know if I can carry a passenger with me."

"Isn't that like stealing?" Paige asked, not wanting to invade Jubilee's privacy but too intrigued to refuse the offer.

"Not if she's broadcasting."

"Unintentionally." Paige added.

"Open your mind to me. Let me in." She closed her eyes, and Paige let Monet enter.

Monet's eyes narrowed. "Strange." She said, and Paige looked at her questioningly.

"I don't understand. I thought we were going to watch her dreams as if we were there."

"That was my intention. All I'm getting is sensations and no visualization." It was her first try at dreamwalking, so she figured she wouldn't be able to do it successfully, but she had been so curious to learn more about the content of Jubilee's mind that not being able to see the object of Jubilee's dream left her frustrated.

"Mmm!" Paige said, putting a finger to her mouth. "Honey! I can taste honey!" Monet smiled. Yes, she tasted honey, too, a product of Jubilee's dream.

A mouth on her chin, a rough stubble sliding across her face. A kiss.

Both girls put their hands to their mouths. Had they just walked into an erotic dream - one that had a basis in reality? Were they going to experience her sexual intercourse now? The two were only slightly disgusted at the idea, and they were far more fascinated. They wanted more.

Sudden weight of a body on top of her. Out of breath, dizzy with lust. his kisses trailing down her neck. Her hand running across his body, exploring every inch of flesh and muscle. Her hand reaching lower, lower...

Monet ran a hand over her own body, delighting in the experience. Paige did the same, her hands reaching between her legs. She inhaled. She felt hot - or was that Jubilee's memory? - so incredibly hot, like a demoness. Her lover was hot as well, flesh on fire, the scent and taste of honey still lingering.

Licking honey off large hands. Those same hands cupping her breasts.

"I'll have to..." Monet said breathlessly, revelling in the experience, "...try honey with Everett."

Sudden penetration, rough and intense. Quick and full of need, blood in her mouth, her own shoulder tingling. The increasing rush of blood, the pulsing in her ears. Her body's demand for more, more more.

"Oh!" Monet whispered as Jubilee met her climax.

Euphoria. Complete. Satisfaction. A gentle whisper. "You're beautiful."

"Ah!" Paige echoed, relaxing as the dream faded away, leaving her satisfied.

They both heard Jubilee roll over, then get out of bed.

"She's awake! Hurry!" Monet grabbed Paige's hand and ran into her room and shut the door.

Jubilee walked across the hall and into the bathroom, mumbling. "Stupid nightmares. Why do you have to haunt me?" She whispered so quietly that no one could hear.

Paige, in the security of Monet's room, covered her mouth with her hands and twirled around to face her telepathic friend. "Wow!" She whispered loudly, excited. "I didn't know she had a lover!"

"Apparently so. That was definately not a product of an overactive imagination."

"I wonder who he is! Could it be Brett?"

Monet snorted. "No. And I don't care who her lover is."

"He's really good," She commented, running her hands down her body in memory. She thought Everett and Monet were amazing when it came to sexual encounters, but since Monet had only shared one memory, and she had none of her own to compare, she didn't realize how much better it could be. Now Paige could tell the difference between first time and well-experienced. "Did you feel his hands?"

"I did feel them, yes. They're not that amazing," She said, a tinge of frustration and jealousy lingering within. Damn it, she already had a long list of things she was in direct competition with. She didn't want to add lovemaking to it.

Yes, the dream was good. Good enough that she still felt the heat of it in her skin.

Paige continued to describe and praise the dream to her chagrin. She wanted to change the subject. She turned to look at Paige, who she noticed was as equally aroused still. She wondered if she could...? She sent a telepathic suggestion.

"You want to try?" Paige responded, interested, whispering like a little girl about to do something naughty.

Monet reached for her, running her hand through her blond locks. "What about Jono?"

"I can't lose my virginity. You're a girl," she explained, and Monet closed her mouth over hers in a kiss.

They broke the kiss. "What about Everett?"

"He doesn't have to know."

Paige stuttered at this. Was that cheating if Monet slept with another girl?

"He doesn't have to know." She repeated, ending the converstaion wih a single tug of Paige's nightgown, her super strength tearing it off of her as if it were paper. She did the same with her own.

Monet kissed Paige on her collarbone, still drunk on Jubilee's dream. She fell on her bed, spreading her legs.

Two fingers entered her, stroking. Monet smirked, using her thumb to massage her clitoris. "Do you like this?" She asked, telepathically probing her mind for sensations. "No? How about this?" She stroked deeper.

"Uuh," Paige moaned and closed her mouth over Monet's breast.

"I thought so," She said victoriously, enjoying the feel of Paige's tongue over her nipple. "Girls are better at this."

They struggled to keep their voiced down, breathing heavy, Monet stroking Paige, and Paige sucking the full-shaped breast of Monet. They both orgasmed, Paige physically and Monet feeding off the sensation through her powers. Through Monet's telepathy they shared each other's sensations, learning what each other liked and didn't like, temporarily losing themselves in euphoria, losing their identities, becoming one mind with two interacting bodies. Who was who? Identities were irrelivant, only satisfying desire mattered. They both collapsed, as if spineless, satisfied.

A few moments later, Paige giggled. "That was so much fun," it felt naughty - Monet was cheating, and Paige was doing it with a girl - she wasn't homosexual, but she did consider herself bisexual - even if she was interested in Jono. She was curious by nature, and what was this meeting between herself and Monet but satisfying the most common curiosity?

"We'll have to do that again." Monet mumbled, and Paige mumbled in response, sleepy, the both of them dozing off into blissful sleep.

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