Terri's Peep Hut ~~ Fiction Archive

Pick Your Poison - Chapter Six

Title: Pick Your Poison

E-mail: xgrrl26@yahoo.com

Disclaimer: I don't own any of them. Poo.

Archive: WRFA, Mutual Admiration, Dolphin Haven, Peep Hut - all others, please ask :)

Feedback: Please? Pretty please? Good, bad, and ugly welcome, but I'll warn you - flames may be publicly mocked ;)

Summary: Sequel to chapter five. We find out what the people back at the x-mansion think about all this, Jean gets in touch with her inner bitca, and Jubes and Kitty come up with a bright idea.

Comments: Sorry this was delayed! It was about half-done by the time Thanksgiving craziness took over my life. A last-minute project on the Wed. before the holiday at work didn't help matters. Hopefully, there won't be more than the usual interval between chapters this time ;)

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Jean rubbed at her eyes. She'd spent almost ten hours pouring over the documents faxed and e-mailed to her by Dr. McCoy. She still hadn't come to a conclusion. The research seemed to support McCoy's claims, but it was incomplete. While that was understandable if these really were documents that he'd smuggled out of Phillips' labs, it wasn't helping Jean make a decision about who to believe.

"Honey? You still down there?" Scott's voice wafted to her from the stairwell.

"Mmm-hmmm," she answered, waiting for Scott to come down.

"Any progress?" He'd brought her a cup of coffee, and he extended his arm as he approached her, offering it with a smile.

"Some. I still - I guess I just still can't quite swallow McCoy's story. There have been well- documented success stories with the drug. Sure, that doesn't necessarily mean that there aren't side effects, but - but my gut is telling me to trust the New England Journal of Medicine and dozens of other published studies over the speculation of one blue furry guy claiming to be a doctor."

"Couldn't find anything else out about him?" Jean shook her head. Scott had hoped that Jean's connections in the medical world would've succeeded where their own searches had failed. There was woefully little information about Hank McCoy available in public (and some not-so-public) records. The same went for Logan and Rogue, although that was less of a surprise. Logan certainly had the know-how to make the both of them disappear. Perhaps he had done so for McCoy as well, but it should've been much harder to cover the tracks of someone with his background - he'd attended schools, held regular jobs. The only thing that the x-men had been able to confirm about McCoy was that he did in fact work for Phillips, the producer of mutatol, at one point. Whether it was as a research scientist or as a janitor, they had no idea.

"Maybe Rogue was a special case. Maybe something about her mutation made her have a bad reaction. I don't know," Scott offered, taking a chair next to Jean's.

"You believe him, don't you? You believe McCoy." Jean was a little miffed by that, and by the disapproval of the job she'd done in treating Rogue that it implied. Jean knew Scott always had a special bond with her - he'd saved Rogue's life, after all - but his bond with Jean, his wife, should come first.

"He was very convincing. I believe......well, I believe that he believes it, I guess. No one's saying you did anything wrong, honey."

Jean huffed at that a little. "I didn't say you were."

"Look, Jean," Scott soothed, "we all know you tried very hard to help her. I guess - I guess the best we can do now is to try to figure out what's going on with Rogue and this whole little set-up of Logan's and to watch out for any signs of trouble with anyone else we treat using mutatol. Nobody's blaming you for Rogue's degeneration."

Jean turned to him sharply. "That's not quite true, though, is it? Logan blames me. He blames all of us, sure, but me especially. Rogue blames me. This - this 'doctor' McCoy blames me."

"We had to protect the other children from her, Scott. We *had* to. For God's sake, she's dangerous when she's sane - we couldn't take a risk with the rest of the children after she lost her mind. They're not - they didn't bring the wrath of Sabretooth down on themselves, he came after Rogue. Why should everyone suffer, why should everyone have to live in danger? I don't like the implication that I should've done anything to help Rogue, no matter what the cost to the other children. They're innocent in all this, and they don't deserve to be jeopardized just because Rogue is everyone's darling." Jean was very animated now, and she leaned forward a little as she continued. "She was violent, aggressive, and completely out of her mind. She should be grateful that we didn't just turn her over to some state home. But no, we didn't do that. We tried to do the right thing. We kept her here on the Professor's dime, risking our own lives - risking *my* life - the whole time. Would someone please tell me what's so bad about that? Would someone please explain to me how she was so mistreated?" She finally slumped back in her chair, her anger momentarily spent.

"Jean, where did all that come from?" Scott looked at her quizzically. He'd seen her temper flare before, but he was usually able to predict those outbursts. He hadn't seen this one coming at all. And she seemed somehow resentful of Rogue. Scott had never seen that in her before.

"Never mind." Jean angled her body away from him and Scott could tell she was clamping down on her temper, closing herself off from him. "I've got to finish looking at these. Thanks for the coffee."

Knowing he wouldn't get any further with her now, Scott nodded, then left her to her work. Soon, he thought, I'm going to have to figure out what that was all about, and soon.

"So, dude, if she's not loco en la cabeza anymore, then why can't we go see her?" Jubilee cracked her gum to punctuate her point. The Professor desperately hoped that his antique oak desk was somehow gum-resistant.

"She is apparently at a very delicate juncture. She does not wish to have visitors, and Logan in fact nearly attacked Scott at the suggestion. I am sharing this information because I know she was your roommate and friend. I am expecting you to respect my wishes in this matter," the Professor finished sternly.

"But, sir," Kitty ventured, "I don't think Wolverine - uh, Logan - is angry at us. I mean, sure, he's mad at everybody involved in what happened to Rogue but we didn't have anything to do with that. Even - even when she was here, when she'd have a clear moment or two, she always liked seeing us. I think it might help."

"Yeah," Jubilee chimed in, "and we could totally, like, bring back some info from the visit. If Wolvie'll let us see her, we can come back and give you the low-down on what's going on with her." Jubes exchanged a hopeful look with Kitty.

"That's true," Kitty picked up, "and it sounds like we have a better chance of getting past Wolverine than anyone else. I mean, at least he won't kill us. He knows Rogue likes us. We can help."

"You are not trained for a mission," Xavier temporized. Internally, though, he was already considering the possibilities offered by the girls' idea.

"It's a visit. It's totally not a mission," Jubilee argued. "Besides, it's just, like, talking. And looking. Observing. Who needs training for that? We've totally got it covered."

Especially the talking part, Xavier thought sardonically. He'd made his decision, but decided to let the girls talk him into it a little more. "If you were to go, I would expect you to follow my orders to the letter. I am not sure if you can undertake that kind of discipline, that sort of - "

"We can," Kitty interrupted, "we promise."

Xavier let them hang for a moment, then relented. "All right. All right. You have convinced me. But, ladies, we must plan this visit. We must execute it carefully." Both girls nodded enthusiastically. "Meet me here at six this evening for a briefing. I will have your travel plans made and we will determine your schedule and objectives. Understood?"

"Totally, dude!" Xavier thought that Jubilee might actually implode with happiness at having convinced him as he watched her bounce up and down in her chair. "You won't regret it. Come on, Kit, let's pack!" Kitty nodded her thanks as Jubilee exuberantly dragged her out the office and toward the stairway.

"I hope you are right, Jubilation. I hope this is not a mistake," the Professor mused after they'd gone. "We cannot afford another mistake where Rogue is concerned. Not another."

Storm sat in her garden, unable to focus on her meditations. Her mind kept drifting back to Rogue, Logan, and the children she'd seen at their home. While she was very pleased that Rogue was doing well, Logan's outburst in the barn had scared her. She'd always known he was a volatile person, but his display of savagery toward them was truly frightening. Storm wondered if such a person could coexist with a houseful of rambunctious children, and if he was truly taking good care of Rogue. Just as she was convincing herself that they must take some measures to determine whether Rogue and the children were indeed safe, she heard the soft squeak of Charles' wheelchair approaching.

"Lovely flowers." Storm waited until he had stopped, a few feet behind her, before turning to face him. "But then, you make sure that they always are."

"Thank you." She smiled, thinking to herself and trying to find a way to express her concerns to Charles. He hadn't said much himself about the entire situation since she and Scott had returned.

"Ororo, I have asked Jubilation and Kitty to go to Canada and attempt to speak with Rogue." Storm smiled. She should have guessed the girls would want to see her, and that Charles would make strategic use of that opportunity.

"I am pleased to hear it. I am concerned about Rogue."

"Yes, we all are," Charles mused, in a distant tone. "She was my responsibility, Ororo, and I have failed her greatly. Although I am pleased to hear news of her recovery, it only serves to highlight my failure to help her while in my care. Logan has found some way to assist her that we missed. Even if the drug contributed to her decline - "

"Has Jean said anything about that?"

"She does not find the information sent by Dr. McCoy conclusive, and I tend to agree. She also has not been able to verify his medical credentials."

Storm thought for a moment, and silence filled the garden. "Charles," she said finally, "I find myself not quite knowing exactly whom to believe or what. I can see the visible proof of Rogue's recovery yet I find myself skeptical of Dr. McCoy's role in it, and alarmed by Logan's anger over the situation. I find myself wishing greatly for Rogue's good health and happiness, but concerned that her current situation may not be conducive to that. On the other hand, I worry that by intervening, we may upset what little peace she has found. For the first time in a long time, I do not know what the right thing to do is."

"I wish I had an answer for your concerns, but I find myself feeling much the same way. Perhaps - perhaps the girls may be able to shed some light on the situation." Charles gave Ororo a smile that tried for reassuring, and left her to her thoughts.

"Uh, Dr. Grey? Are you in here?"

Jean huffed in impatience. Jubilee had always irritated her, and now, as she was trying to digest the information on mutatol she'd been reviewing, she was in an especially poor mood to receive the girl. "Yes. I'm in my office, Jubilee." She heard the girl clomp down the stairs and over to her office doorway.

"Hey - the Prof asked me to check in with you and see if you have any questions for the big blue doctor dude. You heard me and Kit are going to Canada, right?" Jubilee pulled a strand of gum out of her mouth and wound it around her finger as she waited for an answer.

"Yes, I heard. And I don't mind saying, I don't agree with the Professor's decision to send you. It's a delicate situation, Jubilee, and 'delicate' isn't your specialty."

Jubes put the gum back in her mouth and settled one hand on her hip. "What crawled up your butt?"

"Seriously, dude, what did I do to piss you off? Me and Kit are headed to Canada and we're trying to do you a favor by seeing if we can ask any questions you want to this doctor guy. What's pissing you off about that, huh?"

Jean shook her head in frustration. "First of all, it's 'Kit and I' not 'me and Kit.' Second of all, I can e-mail any questions I may have. I assure you that I have made a very thorough survey of the information and am taking his allegations, as insulting as they might be to me, very seriously."

"Whoa, whoa, who said anything about you *not* taking them seriously? And - hello? - nobody's insulting you."

"I've had just about enough of your disrespectful attitude, Jubilee." Jean was fuming. She uncrossed her legs, folded her arms across her chest, and stood. "I'm not about to take criticism of my efforts to help Rogue from a child. Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do."

"Yeah, and apparently it's improving your bitchiness. Christ." Jubilee turned to go, thinking that she'd had about enough of Jean's attitude for one day. Jubilee and Jean had never been friends, and she was well aware that she wasn't the doctor's favorite pupil. But she'd never been this difficult to deal with.

"What did you say?!"

"I said no good deed goes unpunished," Jubes called over her shoulder as she continued her progress toward the stairs. "Last time I ever offer to do you a favor."

"Bitch," Jean muttered as Jubilee ascended the stairs.

"Logan? Logan? The phone is for you." A somewhat bewildered Hank held the receiver in one hand as he called out.

"For me?" Logan stuck his head out of his bedroom doorway, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Who is it?"

"It is a woman claiming to be a friend of Rogue's. She said that her name was Jubilee and that she is on her way here. She asked to speak with Rogue, but........" Logan nodded, and Hank relaxed a little.

"I got it. It's one of her little roommates from back in New York. I shoulda figured they'd be on my damn doorstep sometime soon. Shit." Logan yawned and made his way to the phone. Hank handed him the receiver, and took a chair near the phone. He didn't think Logan would mind his listening in a little, and he surmised that Logan would understand his curiosity and need to know what was going on with the x-men now. His fears from their last visit were still front-and-center, especially his concern for the children at the house. Logan nodded gruffly at him before speaking into the phone, indicating his assent to Hank's eavesdropping. "Whaddya want?"

"Hey, Wolvie! Long time, no see, dude. I wanted to talk to Rogue. The Prof. said that you got her and she's doing a lot better. We're on our way to see her now and - "

"You can just turn your ass right back around." Marie was still very unsettled from the last episode with the x-men, and Logan had no desire to shake her up any further. Especially not now, when she was beginning to talk in phrases with him and to say a word or two in front of Hank. "She don't wanna see you right now."

"Then let her tell us that." There was silence on the line for a moment as Logan tried to think of a response that would effectively dissuade Jubilee while keeping Marie's lack of speech confidential. "Come on, dude, you know she misses us. You know she'd like to see us."

"I know you're probably on a little intel mission for Xavier. No dice."

"Yeah, OK, the Prof wants us to see what's what, I won't bullshit you." Logan chuckled a little at that, thinking it was just like Jubilee to admit to it once Logan had called her on it, and to try to use it to her advantage, to show that she was playing straight with him. "But me and Kit just really want to see her, that's all. Look - just put her on the phone, just let us talk to her."

"No can do," Logan insisted. "Go back home, kid."

"No can do," Jubilee echoed. "We're her friends, dude, and we want to see her. We're coming out."

"And I'll turn ya right back around when ya get here." Logan hung up the phone at that, then looked to Hank. "They'll be here soon, I'd guess. Sounded like she was callin' from a sky phone. Probably flyin' inta Vancouver."

"Are they dangerous?"

"Nah, not really. And Marie - she might wanna see 'em. I just don't want 'em pokin' 'round here, puttin' their noses inta our business. I'll talk to Marie. If she don't wanna see 'em - you be ready to help me put 'em out. Jubes - she's not much of a problem. Shoots fireworks from her fingers. Kitty, the other one, she's a little more tricky. She can 'phase' through shit, right through walls and stuff."

"I'll be ready," Hank intoned. "And if Marie does want to see them?"

"Then we'll take 'em somewhere. I don't want 'em in the house or around the kids." Logan rubbed at his chin for a moment, thinking. "If I go meet 'em somewhere with Marie, I wouldn't rule out one of them taggin' along and tryin' to get inta the house while we're gone. You're gonna hafta get some of the kids to help ya keep a lookout on the perimeter. Could be any of 'em, but I'd bet on Scooter or Storm again. Fuckers never learn." Logan shook his head, then continued more seriously, "If they come onta our property after I told 'em to get the hell off, don't pull any punches. Call Bill, the sheriff, and do what ya hafta do to keep 'em out. Gloves are off now - they've been warned."

Hank nodded his agreement and the men parted ways. Logan paused for a moment outside his bedroom door, gathering himself to break this latest news to Marie. He finally opened the door, and climbed into bed with a barely-awake Marie. "Hey darlin'." Marie smiled at him in return and snuggled toward him a little. "Got somethin' to tell ya, and I wantcha to know - we're just gonna play this however you wanna. You just let me know." Marie's eyes narrowed in apprehension, and she nodded. "That was Jubilee on the phone. She's on a plane with that other one, Kitty, headed out here to see ya. Scooter musta said somethin' to 'em 'bout you - where you were, how you were doin'." Logan took her into his embrace and let that sink in a bit.

"Soon. Coupla hours probably." Logan was encouraged that she'd asked a question aloud. "You decide - if you wanna see 'em, we'll grab 'em when they show up and go somewhere - the diner in town or somethin'. You don't wanna see 'em, I'll get rid of 'em as soon as they show up here."

Marie squeezed him tightly and sighed. Logan just held her and waited for her decision. "No. No."

"You don't wanna see 'em?" Logan was actually a little surprised by that.

Marie shook her head against his shoulder. "Don't - don't - hmph."

"It's OK, take your time." Sometimes phrases took longer for her to get out. She usually tried to say what she needed to in the least number of words and as quietly as possible.

"Uh, OK.......I guess they could e-mail ya or somethin' or - "

"No. Don't want them to see me. Not like this." Marie raised her face to him and made an apologetic smile.

"Aw, darlin', you're OK. Nothin' to worry 'bout there. I'll be with ya the whole time. You won't hafta talk, you know, unless you wanna." Marie shook her head no firmly. "Darlin', you're just fine."

"You don't have anythin' to be sorry 'bout, you - "

"They'll feel sorry," Marie interrupted with a whisper and sad eyes. Logan didn't know what to say to that. "Not like you. You just help me." Marie gave another sad smile, and Logan's heart just about melted at it.

"OK, OK, baby. I'm gonna take care of it, don't you worry." Logan kissed the top of her head and held her close, pondering yet again how to keep x-men away from her. Twice in eight days, he thought - that's too damn much. He resolved to find a way to keep them from Marie for good.

Soooo - time to pick your poison:

1) Jubes and Kitty show up, and so does Jean

2) Jubes and Kitty show up, and manage to talk to Marie

3) Jubes and Kitty show up, and so do some of the x-men's enemies