EMOTIONS, INSIDE AND OUT
written by
Echo
At 5:16 AM the last of Jubilee's bags came down the stairs. For this special field trip they were driving two vehicles. Sean had gladly voulenteered to drive the van with all the luggage in it. Artie and Leech rode with him. Emma had all the other kids with her. Penance sat in the front passanger seat with Emma. Jubilee, Paige and Clarice sat in the seat behind them. In the last seat was Monet, Everett, and Jono. In the area usually reserved for luggage sat Angelo declaring "I think if I wrap my skin around something it'll make up for a seat belt!"
At 5:30 they pulled out of the driveway. At 5:35 everyone in Emma's car was asleep but Emma and Penance.
"How wonderful," Emma mused looking at Penance, "a completely silent car ride."
In the car behind them things were anything but quiet. "Leech and Artie have a tape. Can we listen to it please?"
"Sure lad, put it in. What is it?"
Artie flashed a picture of the Disney logo. Four hours later Sean still had 'I can go the distance' in his head from Hercules. He pulled into the driveway behind Emma and was out before her van came to a stop.
"How did it go with the kids?" He asked her smuggly. If two kids had nearly caused him to drive the car off the side of the road then having eight teenagers would surely drive her insane.
"Just great. They slept the whole way. Perfect Angels." She turned, not before she noticed his shocked and hurt expression, and opened the doors for her still sleeping students. "Were here! Everyone out!"
They climbed slowly out and stared at the house in front of them in silence. It was shattered by a screech from Jubilee as she went racing up the path and into the arms of the man standing there.
"Wolvie!"
"Hello Darlin'. Didn't think I'd see you up this early."
"Just for you Big Kahuna!"
He laughed and gave her another hug. Then he walked over and shook hands with Sean. "Good to see you again Irish. Looks like you've been doin' OK since I last saw you." He nodded at Emma as she joined them. "Nice to see you again Emma."
"Likewise. Were are the rest of the X-Men?"
"Oh, um, well... Storm is up at the house with Rogue making sure there's stuff in each room." He grabbed a few of the bags and began walking up towards the mansion. "Were having some of the rooms fixed. We aren't quite done with all of them so a few of you will have to share a room."
Emma stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. "Excuse me?!"
"Don't blow a gasget Emma. Just the students have to share rooms. Not the royalty." He stopped at the threshhold to hold the door open. "C'mon in folks."
Paige stopped at the door way. She looked up and took a deep breath. Just a few more days, she thought, and i'll be walking through these doors to stay.
Clarice had stopped sooner than that. She was staring up at the brick walls and fighting the nausea and memories that were trying to bring her to her knees.
"It's not the same house," she whispered to herself. But her feet wouldn't move.
Angelo came out to grab some more bags but forgot about that idea as he saw the look on her face. He walked towards her slowly but she didn't even see him, she was still staring at the house.
"Clarice? Clarice?" He snapped his fingers in front of her face and then shook her when she didn't respond. "Clarice? Can you hear me?" She still didn't acknowledge him. He was about to yell for one of his teachers when he she fell forward into his arms.
"Angelo, I can't do this, it's too hard. It was fine in Snow Valley but this is to hard."
He stared at her a long time before talking. "You aren't going to face this alone ya'know. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time. Were going to do this together."
She seemed to draw strength from him and by the time they got inside she was walking under her own power. Banshee noticed their late arival and was about to ask about it but Emma shook her head at him and mouthed the word 'Later.'
"See that wasn't so hard." Angelo whispered in her ear.
"Ya right. If that wasn't the hardest thing i've ever done, I don't know what is." She looked at Angelo questioningly but he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Just think about what could be worse. Nothing, right?"

Wrong. An hour later, after the X-Men had gotten everyone situated Storm, Wolverine, and Nightcrawler wanted to have a special interview with her. So here she was sitting in Professor Xavier's old office infront of the desk that Storm now sat at.
After an hour of questioning by the three senior X-Men she was tired. She had answered all the questioons as best she could with Emma standing behind her nodding or shaking her head depending on the answers Clarice gave. So far they had all been nods which led Clarice to the conclusion it was a signal on whether she was telling the truth or not.
"Alright Clarice," Storm smiled at her kindly, "we only have a few more questions to ask you and then you can go."
"That's fine Ma'am. I understand why your asking them. Go right ahead."
Emma nodded her head.
"Alright. What do you plan to do now?"
"Excuse me?"
"With the rest of your life? You've seen plenty of fighting for one lifetime. What do you want to do now?"
She wanted to say 'go to Disneyland' but felt the humor would be lost on the teachers. She'd save that joke and tell Angelo after the meeting. He'd apreciate it. But they were all still staring at her, waiting for her answer. So she said the one thing that was in her heart.
"I want to stay with Generation X. I haven't known anything but fighting in my life. I'd like to continue my training and learn how to fight in this world."
"Perhaps you feel you HAVE to stay, but you really don't. Clarice, the Clarice of our time had family. Perhaps you want to see them...?"
"No, I don't." She looked Storm directly in the eye. "My family died when I was a child. I don't have any family."
"I'm sorry. We know you were raised by Mr. Creed. Sadly in out time Graydon was not a known mutant. He was also killed a few months ago."
"Graydon?"
"Yes.." Storm glanced at Emma and then continued on. "You did say you were raised by Graydon Creed didn't you?"
Before Emma could stop her she blurted out her answer. "No, I didn't. I don't know who Graydon Creed is. My mentor was Victor Creed." All three X-Men stiffened visibly but none so much as Wolverine.
"Victor Creed? Ya mean Sabertooth? He raised you?"
"Yes sir. He found me on a transport. You were with him. I would have died if he hadn't found me. He took care of me after that." She looked hopefull at them. "Is Mr. Creed still alive? Do you know where he is?"
Wolverine stared at her and then at everyone else. His gaze finally rested on Emma. His thought was as clear on his face as if he had shouted it.
//What's a matta, Frost? You decided not to tell her anything?//
//Don't you DARE judge me! I didn't think she was ready to be told the truth yet.//
"Well she's ready now." He spoke out loud. "Why don't you guys go. I'll tell the kid." Everyone filled out quickly. Nightcrawler looked at Storm worriedly.
"Perhaps Herr Logan is not the best person to tell her."
"Actually," Storm looked into the office behind her "I think he's the perfect person to tell her. You forget he isn't a heartless beast. He has cared for both Shadowcat and Jubilee. He knows how much this will hurt Blink but she has to know if only to make a decision about what her future holds."
Emma stared at Clarice and then at Wolverine. "I'll be right outside if you need any help."
"Thanks Frost, I'll be fine."
"I wasn't talking to you." She turned and walked out of the room.
"Great teacher you've got there." He leaned against the desk and took out a cigar. "You don't mind if I smoke do you?"
"No."
"Good." Once he had it lit he walked around the desk and sat down. "Why don't you tell me everything you know about your Victor Creed."
So she told him. She told him about Victor being a horseman of Apocolapse, about his choosing to fight with Magneto and his dream instead. About finding her and becoming a father figure to her. About several of their missions up until the one with Holocaust when he'd sacrificed himself so that they could have extra time and about seeing him dead and then alive again. She finished with how he had told her to 'blink' herself into the crystal so that she wouldn't die.
When she finished Wolverine began telling her about the Victor Creed he knew. The Evil Creed. He told her first about the single people that S abertooth had killed. He told her about the Mutant Massacre and up until his amnesia that he had faked and then had tried to kill Psylock. He told her about his time with X-Factor and how he had tried to kill all of them. He then told her about Creed's personal vendeta against him and all of the people he had loved.
When he was finished Clarice didn't look up. She just sat with her head down staring at her hands. "Can you call Miss Frost in please."
He walked out and jerked his finger in the direction of the office at Emma. She ran in and hugged Clarice as she started crying. Through the screams that came from her and the angry pounding and finally, when she cried herself dry Emma helped her to her room. She was sharing it with Jubilee, probably the best person for her at the moment. Clarice fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
It was alot for a girl to take at her age. At any age actually. As Emma flipped off the light's she had only one thought. It would have been better if she had assumed that Victor Creed was dead, in any timeline. Instead of still out there, killing innocents.

While Clarice was being questioned Banshee was giving the tour of the mansion and the surrounding grounds. As he was pointing out the 'danger-room' Jubilee decided it gave her and Everett a chance to talk.
"Hey dude, what's up?"
Everett just stared at his feet. "Nothing."
"Oh." Jubilee matched her step with his as they continued along in silence.
"It's just..well-um..nevermind!" Everett started walking faster and Jubilee had to jog to keep up.
"C'mon Ev, spit it out." The group walked outside towards the trees that surrounded the estate. The pair continued on in silence until Jubilee couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed his arm and physically stoped him. He didn't look up as she turned him to face her.
"I'd tell you anything that was bothering me. So why can't you tell me?" She placed her hands on her hips and tried to meet his eyes. He purposely avoided hers. She didn't.
"Spit it out Thomas or I'll make you talk!" She was able to meet his eyes and gasped at what she saw there. Fear. But fear of what?
"I can't tell you here. Not now."
"Jubilee? Everett?" Banshee had stopped the small group and stared disaproving at them. "Will you be joining us?"
"Sure Cassidy, just give us a minute." Jubilee grabbed Everett and hauled him directly into the grouping of trees before Banshee could protest.
"That girl's goin' to drive me off a cliff one a' these days." Sean muttered under his breath, but he let the twosome have some time alone. He didn't need Emma to tell him that.
Jubilee stopped pulling Everett along when their classmates were out of site. "Alright Ev, it's later and were someplace else, now spill it!"
He stayed silent but buckled under the pressure of her glare. "It's us!" He blurted out. "You and me. How do we become an 'us'?"
"What?" Jubilee was completely confused.
"That kiss yesterday. You haven't said anything about it. Then this morning you seemed really mad."
Realization set in. "Oh...the kiss."
"Yes, oh the kiss." Everett began pacing in the small clearing. He said what was on his mind and the explanations came easyer. "I wanted to say something to you this morning but I didn't want to put any pressure on you." He stopped his pacing and just stared at her. "I like you Jubes. I know your younger than me and that were friends, but I want to be more."
She stared at the ground for awhile but then looked up at him and smiled. "OK."
"What?"
"I said...OK." She walked up to him and stared him right in the eye. She smiled up at him and grinned. Then she kissed him. It was an intentioned quick kiss but he helped her make it longer.
"*Achem*" They probably would have ignored the cough but it came louder. "*Achem!*"
They broke apert and looked at the individual who had interupted them. They instantly regretted not breaking apart sooner. Jubilee was imberased but Everett feared for his very life.
After his discusion with Clarice about Sabertooth, Wolverine felt unnerved and decided to take a walk to clear his head and get back to nature. He had been so wrapped up in the sounds of the forest and the throbbing in his head that he had only just barely been able to hide from the two teenagers. Although he hadn't heard their entire conversation he'd heard and seen enough to guess at the feelings the two kids had for each other. He hadn't meant to intrude but felt that he needed to.
"Wolvie!" Jubilee wanted to say something but she had no idea what. So she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and shot quick glances at Everett and Wolverine.
Wolverine pointed in the direction they had come from. "I think the rest of the group went that way."
"Thank you sir." Everett started walking in that direction and Jubilee was about to follow but Wolverine shook his head at her.
"Not you. We need to talk." Everett stopped but she waved him on and with a deep breath followed Wolverine through the trees away from her classmates.

Generation X and all other comic book characters featured on this page are (C) & TM MARVEL COMICS. This is a non profit page and I hope it does respect to these characters in the way that Marvel wrote them. This is my own story. Please don't steal it. Thanks!

clm@nbnet.nb.ca
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