1. Bright Beginnings

Y'know…I thought I had something to put here, but for once, I at a loss for words…

DISCLAIMER: Mine! Mine! Minemine! MINE!!!

"Y'sure 'bout this Chuck?" Logan growled as the rented vehicle pulled up to the cookie cutter house. Charles Xavier gave him a look.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"It could be Mystique."

"And it could actually be a mutant who may need our help. I checked with Cerebro before we left. There is a mutant with emerging powers residing here. I'll take the chance." Logan grunted in response. Xavier rolled up to the door, and rang the doorbell. The door opened a crack, and a man peeked out.

"Yes?"

"Professor Charles Xavier. Are you Martin Hadyn?" The man opened the door fully.

"Yes, of course, c'mon in, please!"

"When you called me earlier, you sounded very concerned about your daughter."

"Yeah…I think she's a mutant…"

"What makes you so sure?" Xavier asked. Martin rubbed the back of his neck.

"Well…Just today…she had this rash, see? And well…I took her to the clinic about it…I mean, it seems kinda silly I guess…getting that worried about a rash and whatnot…but I mean…y' had to see this thing! It was…well…it looked real bad…"

"Get on with the story bub." Logan, still not entirely trusting, was losing his patience.

"Right…well…I take her to the doctor's, and he runs some tests, and they all come up negative…so I mean…well…the thing was…while he was off doing that…well…the rash? It kinda spread…it went from a little spot on the side of 'er arm, to cover her shoulder and most of 'er forearm…not many rashes do that. The doctor…he looked real surprised, ,and asked me if I remembered that deal with the sentinel and whatnot…said he might think that Jess was one of them…"

"Mutant." Xavier supplied. Martin nodded nervously.

"Yeah…he gave me your number…said you'd be more help than he would…and so…well…here you are!" Martin finished in a rush, after catching Logan's eye.

"Where is Jess?" Xavier asked calmly.

"Probably in 'er room…She's not exactly a people person…"

"Neither am I." Logan mumbled under his breath.

"Jess!" Martin shouted down a short hallway. The young girl came out slowly, and stopped when she spotted Logan and the Professor. She began to try and go back the way she came, without taking her eyes off of either the two mutants. She ran straight into her father.

"I'm not showing it to them…" She directed the statement to Martin, never taking her eyes off of Xavier or Logan.

"Jess…" Xavier began, but Martin cut him off.

"They only wan' t' help, just like Dr. Greene, they're not gonna hurt y'." Jess didn't reply, she just continued to try and back away.

"Jess, are you aware of what is happening?" Jess looked back at the Professor, not with fear, not with curiosity, and not with hostility. Just…blankness.

"I'm a mutant." she finally answered, breaking eye contact. She moved her eyes down toward the ground. In the moment of silence that followed, Jess bolted back down the hallway. Stumbling along, she dashed back into a room, closing the door behind her.

Martin stared into the hallway. "She's never acted like this before…"

"So yer kid ain't as happy-go-lucky as she was before. Guess what bub, it's called _hormones_."

"Logan, please, Martin, I can appreciate your situation, but-"

"You run a school…right? Can I enroll Jess there? I mean…I don't want to get rid of her…I just want her to get some help…and if you guys can do that…then…"

"Mr. Hadyn! Slow down, please, yes, I do run a school for young mutants, to help them to learn to control their abilities and use them properly, but, if Jess can hardly talk to us, then we can hardly be expected to…"

"You want to send me away?" Jess poked her head around a corner. There was another moment of silence.

"Your father wants to help you." Professor Xavier offered, seeing Martin once again stumbling for words. Jess turned again, walking slowly this time.

"At least that's better than mom…" she murmured.

"Will you take her?" Martin asked, looking rather shaken.

"If she wants to go…"

"Y' want t' send yer kid away…" Logan began, but Martin seemed to have a habit of interrupting people.

"I don' **want to send her away…I just think it'll be for the best…it's so hard to explain…"**

"I'm ready." Jess reappeared, hefting an old hockey bag on one shoulder.

"This ain't exactly an overnight kid…shouldn't it have taken a leetle longer to pack?"

"Throw stuff in, close it up, not much to it." Jess said in an offhand manner.

Xavier examined Jess closely, the sudden switch from frightened and scared to carefree and apathetic…

"Are we leavin' yet? Y' know, motion, one foot in front of the other…keep things going…"

"Ain'tcha gonna say good-bye?" Logan growled.

"Why bother? I'll just be sayin' hello to him again later…"

"Jess…" Martin began. She darted out of the door.

"Mr. Hadyn, I assure you, we will do our best to keep Jess safe, and teach her."

"That's why she's goin', isn't it?"

First chapter done…and I'm away!!! If this is  found, and never posted…it's because that $%#^@& fire%#^^wall won't let me post it. (Yes, I am ready to dismantle the system to get it out!)


	2. Wanderings

Dum de dum dum. Thanks fur the reviews, and if I'm not lazy later…I may respond…but, Cheesy, you did get the first! ^_^

"Can you hear anything? What do you hear?"

"What's the news?" The younger mutants were all grouped around the door to the professor's study.

"Quiet! All o' ye! I canna hear if ye' all yellin' in me ear!" Rahne shushed the group, and returned to her were-form, pressing her ear up against the door.

"Well?" Bobby whispered.

"Either the Prof wants Jubes t' stay, so she can learn how to control her powers better…or…he wants her parents t' stuff themselves with peppers." Rahne whispered back.

"Well, which is it?" Jamie asked. Ray whacked him over the head, and with Jubilee inside the study with her parents, the multiplying Jamies knocked Amara over.

"So this is where y' all are." The mass of mutants all jumped at Logan's words. "Did y' ferget about the training session you have with me?"

"Uhhh…Mahbe…" Sam stumbled over the words.

"Loosen up Badger! We're waitin' to find out with Jubilation is bein' pulled out, or if she gets to hang for a bit longer."

"It's Wolverine…and you'll find out when you find out. In the mean time…training, outside, now." The group groaned and began to trudge away, more than a few looking back at the locked door.

"And this will be your room." Ororo gestured to the half empty room. "That half belongs to your roommate, Rahne Sinclair." Jess walked in, and threw her bag on the floor and jumped onto the bed.

"Nice bed. Big room. Who's Rahne?"

"Rahne Sinclair, one of the younger mutants. I think she's around your age, her parents recently agreed to allow her to continue to attend the school. They were going to pull her out."

"The Sentinel junk?"

"That incident scared a lot of people Jess, it was understandable that her parents would rather have her close to home than an ocean away."

"Wouldn't she be safer here, than somewhere where she's the only mutant around?" Jess asked, still bouncing slightly on the bed. Ororo didn't reply. She turned and began to leave. Jess jumped up to follow her. "So, what's left to see?" In response, Ororo opened a door. Jess stared. It's one thing to see things on television, but something entirely different to meet a furry blue ape in person.

"Jess, this is Henry McCoy." Jess just stared, speechless. "Hank, Jess Hadyn."

"Nice to meet you, I'm sure, but if you'll excuse me, I'm still involved in a training session." Jess edged toward the circular window. Looking down, her eyes widened even further. The older mutants were heavily involved in a Danger Room session. Kitty was shorting out the machinery, while Scott and Evan covered her. As Kitty deactivated the final drone, the small group began to celebrate. Hank smiled slightly, and toggled a few switches. A brand new threat appeared. As did another blue guy. Jess stared, riveted to the action below her.

"Jess? Come along." Jess dragged herself away from the window. She ran to catch up to Ororo. Once Jess caught up, she was bursting with queries.

"What the hell was that?!?"

"Language. That, was the Danger Room. It is where the students train. One of the places."

"Train?"

"To learn how to control their abilities. Which reminds me, what is your's?"

"My what?"

"Your mutant power. Your talent that makes you different."

"Ummm…I can stare at someone for ten minutes without blinking…" Ororo stared at Jess. "Not what you meant?"

"No."

"I dunno…last night…really late, Chrome Dome and Mr Mean showed up. They said I was a mutant, and here I am today."

"You must have some sort of ability that makes you 'special'."

"I dunno…maybe my ability is to cause a rash on other people. If that's the case, I've already caused one on myself." Jess proffered her forearm, pulling up the sleeve on her sweater.

"It looks like you just need a good moisturizer."

"That's what the doctor said…until it spread over half my arm when he stepped out to answer a phone call. Nice park." Jess said, suddenly realizing that during the conversation, Ororo had lead her outside.

"These are the other training areas. Within the walls, you can use your abilities with less restraint. Outside…"

"Lid on the can?"

"Right. Right now the younger mutants are in the middle of a training session. Watch yourself. They aren't exactly known for their ability to be careful. I've shown you everything you'll need to know right now, so I'll be leaving you here, at some point, when your mutant abilities are clearer, you'll be expected to join in these training sessions." Jess watched as Ororo walked away. Jess turned back towards the training. The same group who had earlier been huddled around the door to Xavier's study were now engaging in a series of drills designed to hone their control over their abilities. Although that's what the drills were meant to do, their minds were elsewhere, and therefore, the accidents that were commonplace wherever the younger students happened to be where doubled.

"Boom Boom! You nearly took Amara's head with that one! Be careful!" Logan was bellowing at all of the students. "Icepick! Quit with the frozen flora! Last thing we need is iced fronds! Sunny! How many times do you need to be told that lifting the stone benches is not an acceptable method of training? All right everyone…get over here." The newbies gathered round. "Look, will help you to focus on training if I said you could throw a party for Jubes if she can stay?" There was a rousing chorus of yes. "Alright then. Obstacle course, and no mistakes. Hayseed, yer up first."

Jess watched as a tall guy with blond hair stepped up to the beginning of a path. He began to run, and stuff began to fly at him. Just as it looked like a ball was about to hit him, he lifted up off the ground and went flying. In a straight line. Towards Jess. She ducked, and Cannonball hit the tree behind her.

"I'm getting' outta here before anyone else runs into me!" Jess began to run, stumbling slightly. Once out of sight of the newbies training, she reached into on of her sweater sleeves, and pulled out a small reptile. "Hey Saundr, how's been your day? Probably better'n mine." The gecko crawled over her fingers until Jess finally lifted him onto her shoulder, where he sat very content. "Let's go find the kitchen." Walking into the mansion, Jess was confronted with the sight of six kids walking and collapsing onto various furniture. 'Are they wearing spandex?' was Jess's first thought, and her second was along the lines of hide. She slowly inched her way towards the staircase, and made good her escape. Once in the hallway, she let out a small sigh of relief. Until one of the said spandex wearing teens rose up through the floor in front of Jess.

"Whoa! Hey! Who are you?" Kitty asked, slightly surprised. She became even more surprised when Jess turned tail and ran the other way. "Hey! Wait up! I don't want to, like, hurt you or anything!" Jess kept running. She ran until she found herself cornered. Kitty caught up easily. "What are you doing here? Are you the kid the Prof and Mr Logan went to get last night? Why are you running?" Jess couldn't answer any of Kitty's questions. She was too busy looking round trying to find an escape route. Kitty took a step forward, and Jess panicked. Darting forward, meaning to tackle Kitty, Jess hit the ground and rolled. Kitty had seen Jess dive and instinctively phased. Turning, Jess was already getting up and running again. Skidding around a corner, Jess ran until she hit the door she was looking for. Diving in, Jess shut it behind her and sat down on the floor with her back against one of the beds.

'What is with me? Why was I so scared?' Jess looked to Saundr, in the hopes he might have an answer for her. All Saundr did was lick his eyes. Jess laughed. "Hungry? Let's see what kind of food I have for you guys. Jess crawled over to her bag, and rummaged around a bit. "Here we are. C'mon Rattler, no one's around."

Jess just finished when the door banged open. Rahne Sinclair came running in, and almost didn't notice the other girl. Jess on the other hand did notice Rahne. Grabbing the small gecko on her shoulder and pushing him up the sleeve of her sweater, Jess looked towards Rahne. Rahne turned around, and saw the other girl sitting on the floor.

"Who are ye?"

"Jess Hadyn." Jess shot back, looking at Rahne levelly.

"What are ye doin' in here then?"

"Sitting." Jess replied.

"Sitting."

"Sitting."

"Why in here?"

"I was told this was gonna be my room…you must be Rahne Sinclair."

"What happened to yer hair?" Jess reached up and rubbed her scalp.

"I shaved it off."

"Why?" Rahne couldn't quite help but stare. It was one thing to see the Professor bald…but a young girl?

"Cuz I felt I needed some shock value." Jess shrugged.

"Rahne!! Hurry up already!! We gotta set up the rec room!!" Jess looked out towards the hall, from which the guy's voice had come from.

"Keep yer shorts on!! I'll be out in a second!" Rahne shouted back. "Are ye comin'?" She asked Jess.

"Comin' for what?"

"A party. Jubes' parents are lettin' her stay." Jess thought about it.

"Maybe." Rahne grabbed her arm and dragged Jess down with her.

Chapter End!

STOP!! Yes!! You can stop reading now!!


	3. Lack of Direction

Ugh…it's been ages since I last updated this…stupid CALM and other homework…and distracting comics…innocent innocence look aaanyway…Reviews! Make me so happy!! starts humming Beatles tune quarter after two in the morning, what more can you expect?

Cheesy – I got Coco Puffs, and you were the first, think I mentioned that last chapter…

Risty – Cats hiccup? Heh, I think I actually stole the reason that they remained from you…or was it Andivari? It t'was thieved off some poor unsuspecting writer…

Freakish Fangirl – Heh…If I raise enough funds I'll be sporting the skin look too…first time I'll have ever been bald in my life…It's true, but Evo altered storylines so that the characters would seem more…errm…well, they did it for some reason!! And I'd like to take this quarter moment to mention Dani and Amara look NOTHING alike in the comics…Amara's blonde!!

Dragonic and MetalDragon – You're both right on a related tangent…one upside to all these months without updating, I've refined Jess's mutation down some…heh.

And everyone else who I did not respond, thank ye fur thine wondrous reviews!!

DISCLAIMER: Hey! Fryboy! Sit Down!

Jess fumbled her way through the seemingly endless maze of corridors.

"Ermmm…anybody here?" she called out softly. Rahne had loosened her grip on Jess's arm for a quarter of a moment, and that was it. Jess was utterly lost. Opening doors, poking her head in, she searched for anyone who might have an idea as to where the heck she was. Some were locked. Others weren't. Like the one where she popped her head in and saw a kid trying to do his business in the bathroom. Jess quickly shut the door and scuttled away before the kid opened it and decided to begin a headhunt. It was only afterwards Jess thought that he might have been possibly able to lead her to…wherever it was she was supposed to go.

Groaning at her stupidity, Jess sat down and leaned back against a wall. And was promptly tripped over.

"Hey! Who the hell are you?" The guy asked.

"New kid Evan." said a girl coming up from behind him. "She showed up for a few minutes at our training…until Sam nearly pinned her to a tree."

"Oh, well, you coming to the party?"

"Errm…Ummm…" Jess stumbled for words. "I got lost…" she finally mumbled in a barely audible tone. The pair began to roar with laughter.

"C'mon! It's not that hard to get lost…but once you figure it out you'll be fine. My name's Amara by the way. And the klutz who tripped over you is Evan."

"Jess." She replied in a clearer voice. The sound of music was becoming more and more audible as they walked, and even though Jess thought she wouldn't be getting lost again, Amara kept a firm grip on her arm. "Let go of my arm please." Jess asked quietly.

"Hrrm? Pardon?" Amara asked absently, already being drawn into the pulsing beat of the music.

"Let go of my arm." Jess repeated, a tad more forcefully. Amara still walked on, oblivious. "I said LET GO!" Jess wrenched her arm from Amara's grasp.

"Whoa! Take it easy!" Evan took a step back, while Amara stared in a state of semi-shock.

"Sorry…" Jess mumbled and ducked into the hall from which the music was originating.

For such very short notice, the mutants had done well for their celebratory party. There was plenty of snack food all around, drinks, and Hank had set up a sound system, the students took turns playing DJ and dancing. Jess glanced around the room once or twice. She could see her new roommate having a blast with the tall kid who had nearly mowed her down earlier that day. There was a girl who seemed to be the focus of attention, Jess attributed it to the large yellow raincoat she was wearing. Moving near the food tables, Jess picked up some snacks, and continued to observe the teenagers. There were mostly in groups of three or four, some were dancing, and the others were just talking.

Jess was trying to fit each person with the type of personality they'd probably have when a bomb went off. Quite literally. Tabitha and Jubilee had been arguing over something and Tabitha had thrown down one of her 'boomers', and forgot it as she continued her arguing. Slight pandemonium followed, as the other mutants took it as a sign that a new power-friendly game had begun. Bobby froze Roberto's hair, while Rahne transformed and leaped forward to land on Scott, knocking Jean over in the process. Jean retaliated by lifting up a jug of Coke, and tried to levitate and dump it on Rahne. Scott ruined Jean's concentration in the middle of the act and the jug landed on Jamie's head, knocking the original down, and leaving five others to spring up.

Emotions were running high as the teens continued the party in a mutant fashion, however, Jess managed to draw attention to herself when she ran up to Kurt, right in the center of the room and gave him a huge kiss. Taking a minute to process what had happened, Jess promptly turned and exited the room as quickly as two legs could carry you. The room fell silent for a minute. Jamie was the one who finally asked the question.

"Was that the professor?"

AN: ARRRGH!! Short chapter!! But this will be going somewhere, this I swear, and no, it does not lead towards a relationship with Kurt!


	4. Shelf Life

Hey!! Me back…again…ought to be studying for my math final…yes, even at 1 30 in the morning…but nyeh. Anyway, I keep ignoring my fics, but having caught up with most of the fics I've been reading last night, or…yesterday morning…or…my head hurts now…

DISCLAIMER: Mu? Like the pokemon?

"Who the hell was zat?!?" Kurt asked, slightly panicky. "It'd better be a girl!!"

"Aren't they the new kid?"

"He…she…it was hanging round during our training…"

"Ah nearly killed…whatever it is!"

"It's a she, an' her name be Jess." Rahne said as she emerged from her lupine form. Kurt breathed a deep sigh of relief. He wanted the chicks to dig the fuzzy dude, not the dudes.

Rahne's simple statement opened up a slew of other questions, and Jubilee began o feel a tad grumpy, from being the center of attention, to a spectator in less than a minute. Flat.

"Is there a problem here?" Xavier asked, rolling in. Everybody looked at Scott, who looked rather sheepish.

"I mentally called when Rahne jumped me." He explained.

"Jess has gone missing." Evan stated.

"Why?"

"What, who, where, when and how?" Mumbled Logan as he came in, grumpy from being disrupted in the midst of his Monty Python Beer-a-thon.

"Kurt kissed her."

"Did not!"

"Yeah, you did!" The professor wanted a moment before mentally calling his students to order.

"Please, students, I've already found her. She's in the library. And don't all go at once." The massed student body stopped. Rahne kept going, and Kitty followed, phasing through three Jamies who happened to be in her way. "That should be enough. Now, I understand there is a party currently taking place here." He smiled and the mutants returned to the hall, where someone rushed to change the CD which had returned once more to the Chicken Dance…for the third straight run.

* * *

"Jess?" Kitty called, poking her head through _Chronicle: The 20th Century_. Rahne snuffled about, semi-wolf. 

"I found 'er." She whispered.

"Why are you whispering?"

"Don't you have any respect for the library?" Jess asked, poking her head out from the bottom shelf.

"What are you doing down there?" Kitty asked, lowering her voice and crouching down. Jess shrugged her shoulders. Or tried to, which wasn't easy due to the limited space the shelf offered.

"Why were you running from me earlier?" Kitty asked, looking for a slightly more vocal answer.

"Dunno, felt scared." Jess toyed with an old copy of _Little Men_.

"Why didja kiss Kurt?" Rahne asked.

"Who's Kurt?"

"The fuzzy boyo."

"Amanda won't like it if you're trying to move in on her turf." Kitty warned.

"Amanda? The funny girl with the weird accent? Who becomes Queen of Lava?"

"No, that's Ama-**ra**. And how do you know her?"

"She grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go." Jess tossed the book aside and reached up for another.

"You did nae answer muh question." Rahne pointed out.

"I really don't know, okay? One minute I'm standin' there, watchin' ye have a great time an' all, the next, something blows up, I'm like ducking from all these snowballs, fireballs, an' whatever ye like t' call 'em, and find myself standin' next to short, blue and fuzzy." Kitty snorted. "What?"

"You're one to talk about being short."

"Whatever. The point I'm trying to make is, I do nae know."

"Jess, is that you?" Xavier rolled in, and bent down to see the bottom shelf. "Whay are you there?"

"It's comfortable." Jess winced.

"Cramped?" Kitty grinned.

"No, headache."

"Jess, are you sure you do not know what your 'special gift' is?"

"Crawling into shelf space?"

"Would you come to the med lab? Mr McCoy would like to examine you." Jess pulled herself out of the shelf, and began to follow Rahne, who was following Kitty, who was walking beside Xavier.

"Simon Sez ye be a mutant, go directly to a strange country, and a new home where people fly, turn into wolves, and a blue and furry." Jess mumbled.

"Och, where are ye from?" Rahne fell back a step. "I've been trying t' place yer accent."

"Uzbekistan." Jess replied promptly.

"Really?"

"No."

"Where?"

"Guess."

"What's with the monosyllabic conversation?" Kitty asked turning slightly.

"Will ye tell me if I be close?" Rahne asked, ignoring Kitty.

"Maybe."

"England?"

"No."

"New Zealand?"

"No."

"France?" A weird look.

"Alaska?"

"Alaska's part of the US." Kitty pointed out.

"But it seems like an entirely different country."

"But it's not."

"Why does he want to examine me?" Jess asked, stepping up and leaving Kitty and Rahne to argue over whether Alaska 'felt' like it was part of the US.

"I mean, there be an whole other country 'tween the United States an' Alaska!"

"Hank would like to see what exactly your mutation is…beyond a rash that is."

"Is it gonna hurt?"

"I would think not."

"Is he gonna want my bodily fluids?" This time it was Xavier's turn to give Jess a slightly odd look.

* * *

Three odd looks and a burst ego later, the quartet arrived at the med lab, where Hank McCoy was poring over some files.

"Ah, Jess, we meet again. This time, I'm a tad more conversationally inclined. Please, sit." He gestured, and taking one last look at his file, he sauntered over to Jess. "I understand your mutation is only just emerging, in the form of a nasty rash according to your doctor. May I see?" Jess wordlessly removed the sweater she'd been wearing since her arrival, slipping something from the sleeve into her pocket. The back of her head was beginning to feel as itchy as her arm did. As did most of her, but on the bright side, the itching on her arm had ceased to be. The rough lumps of the rash had smoothed out. Flattened into a new skin pattern. A scaly pattern.

"That wasn't there before…" She murmured.

"Ah, um, yes…" Hank continued to make small slight noises as he examined her arm. Kitty could plainly see the scales, and looked slightly disturbed. "You understand, Jess, that this apparent alteration in appearance that you are undergoing may indicate that your mutation is in some way, reptilian." Jess brightened up.

"Ye mean, she may turn intae a frog?"

"Frog's are amphibious. Their skin is slimy, not scaly." Jess said in a cold scientific manner. At this point in time, the small creature Jess had stuck in her pocket decided it was uncomfortable and made a break for it. "Saundr!! Cease and desist ye midget of a herp!!" Jess dove after the gecko, and caught it in her hands.

"A lizard?" Xavier's eyebrows lifted only slightly. Rahne stared at it, while Kitty froze. After a moment, she backed out, through the wall.

"My friend." Jess explained defensively.

'Charles, you may want to probe her mind. From what you and Logan told me, I think she may have a slight psychological disorder.'

'Without her assent?'

'Yes, it may not be anything major, but enough that it seem to affect her mood, and personality. Storm painted yet a different picture than the emotional teen you told me about. In any case if it's something small, she may have a degree of control over it, and may hide it from a mental probe she's aware of.'

'You understand I-'

'Don't read the minds of your students, yes, but otherwise it could take me several weeks to find it. I'm no psychiatrist.'

This mental exchange occurred within a few seconds, and within a minute, Professor Charles Xavier began to gently open his mutant mind.

Jess began to wince, as she was stroking the head of her gecko Saundr.

Xavier prepared for the natural barriers that occur within people's minds, and began to enter Jess. Too fast!! There was no barrier!! Just a twisting shifting mindscape! He could sense bits of himself, Hank and-

Jess fell unconscious.

Yup. Ends there. I may get another update out by the weekend. Gonna go visit my old junior high tomorrow. Ah well. Thnx for reading and REVIEW!!


	5. A Lengthy Tail

Back again. Sorry for the lack of update…had some problems with personal interests which have left me somewhat worse for the wear…ah well. Life goes on.

DISCLAIMER: The milkshake makes me happy…it's a never-ending milkshake! It seriously doesn't end!

Kitty phased backwards through three corridors and Logan before finally stopping. Kurt stood with a slice of his leftover pizza that no one else would touch due to the wide array of toppings that included, among other things, peanut butter.

"EEEWW!" Kitty finally shrieked. Kurt jumped onto the overhead chandelier, gripping pizza in his mouth.

"Ew ew ew ew EW!" Kitty continued as Kurt dropped.

"Vas?" He asked as she stopped for a breath.

"It's a lizard!" Kitty replied, only slightly hysterical. Kurt looked at his pizza questioningly. "She keeps lizards in her pockets!"

"Baldie?"

"Yes! Jess! It escaped and she chased after it!" Kurt said nothing and munched on his pizza. "Well? Don't you think that's totally disgusting?" Kitty demanded.

"Umm…well," Kurt mumbled around half a mouthful of pizza. "I used to keep small animals in mein pockets too…" He said, swallowing. Kitty stared. "I stopped when I was about seven though…" he added quickly.

"Ew!" Kitty replied, throwing her hands up and phasing through the door, in search of someone who agreed with her on the issue of keeping reptiles in ones pockets.

"Wha' happened?" Rahne asked after Jess slumped over into a small heap on the floor.

"Her mind seems to be extremely susceptible to mental probes." Xavier said, dealing with a minor headache of his own but concerned over the newest recruit.

"It's okay, she seems to have just fainted." Hank said, after having tested for vital signs. "Did you find anything?"

"Just an incredible lack of resistance." The Professor said, steepling his hands, beginning to think about what had just occurred now that he knew his young charge was not suffering any adverse effects.. "I'll be in my study if I am needed Hank." Xavier turned, and left Hank to continue his examination of Jess.

"She's gonna be okay?" Rahne asked. Hank reached down and gently picked Jess up and placed her on the table.

"Yes, once she wakes up she'll be fine." And as if by magic, Jess's head flew up, eyes wide open.

"Wha' happened?" She began to writhe, and nearly fell of the table.

"Jess! Calm down, please! Can you explain the reasoning behind your sudden bout of unconsciousness?"

"Wha? Wha' d'ye mean sir?" Jess asked, only slightly dazed.

"Ye mean ye dinnae remember bein' unconscious?"

"Seein' as I was unconscious at th' time, nae, I dinnae remember bein' unconscious." Jess retorted. "All I remember is chasin' after Saundr, and then pain. Which reminds me, where did tha' gecko run to?"

"I have your small herp right here." Hank said, revealing the gecko hidden in his hand. Jess picked Saundr up, and he crawled up the sleeve of her sweater. "Jess,"

"Aye?"

"Where did you pick up the particular idioms of Scottish speech? I'd say you were attempting to mock your most esteemed roommate, except that it is near identical to her own." Rahne cocked her head at the statement made by the most observant Dr. McCoy, not having noticed before.

"I dinnea ken, are ye daft? I have nae accent! Waitaminnit…"

"I would say that you most certainly do. And I'd like a small sampling of your epidermal layer that appears to be deviating from natural development."

"My wha?"

"Skin sample from your rash. Blood samples as well."

"Wha' for?"

"Testing purposes, we can assume that your rash is related in some manner to your mutation, and having observed the company you seem to enjoy, I have a thought…"

Jess shrugged, and allowed the samples to be taken. Hank immediately became absorbed in his work, so Rahne and Jess wandered off.

"So…ye dinnae ken y' mutation?"

"Nae, if I did, would he still 'ave taken those sample fer testin'?"

"Aye, probably, Dr McCoy likes his lab, an' anything of interest he likes t'check out fer himself."

"Umm…where's our room?"

"Follow me, ye dinnae snore, do ye?"

"I dinnae think so…"

"Ye ken, hearing me accent like that could get annoying after a time."

"Aye, 'cept I nae tryin' t' imitate ye…"

"Can ye jus' talk normal?"

"I am…"

"Are ye sure?"

"Aye, an' I think I best be quiet naow…" Jess trailed off.

"Aww, c'mon, I said twas annoyin', nae unbearable, mebbe ye'd like t'tell me somethin'…like why'd ye kiss Kurt?" Jess raised her head, Rahne opened the door to let the pair of them into the room.

"I dinnae know, one minute I was standin' t' the side, watchin' ye all enjoyin' the party, then somethin' exploded, and I found m'self kissin' him. And I lit outta there."

"Ye have nae reason?"

"Nay."

"Nae even a crush?" Jess shook her head. "So…ye have nae reason whatsoever to kiss Kurt, and ye did?"

"Pretty much." Rahne shook her head, and curled up underneath her covers, leaving Jess almost alone in the dark to ponder.

Saundr crawled up and down Jess's arm, and finally settled on her shoulder.

"What's going on with me Saundr?" Jess whispered to the little lizard. "I mean…I've never felt so confused in my life…not even when mom and dad split…I just don't know what to think anymore…" Saundr responded by crawling on top of Jess's head. "Maybe some sleep will help me…" Jess put her head on the pillow, and drifted off.

"She won't wake up!" Jess grumbled and pulled the pillow over her head.

"She seems to be movin' now." A large amount of murmurings managed to reach Jess's shielded ears. She sat up and threw the pillow in the direction they were coming from. A short _snikt_ later, the air was filled with the innards of the pillow.

"Yeah, I'd say she's definitely not dead." Logan withdrew his claws and stalked off. "And by the way, most of you have a training session with me right now." He called over his shoulder.

"Jess! Your alive!"

"Aye, why wouldn't I be?" Jess looked quizzically at the large number of mutants staring at her.

As the large group of mutants continued to stare, Jess jumped up and started batting away at the pillow fluff that now filled the air.

"EWWW! See what happens when you keep lizards in your pockets?" Kitty shouted and phased away. Jess didn't give her a moments notice. What she did notice was the fairly lengthy tail that kept getting in her way. For a quarter of a moment, she thought that maybe she might pay some attention to it. Then she returned to her amusement.

"Alright, you all have places to be right now, and I need to talk to Jess alone. All of you, begone now before Logan comes looking for you." The gathering of mutants dispersed, leaving Jess to wonder why pillow fluff was so engrossing, and Hank to observe and confirm what he had observed earlier. "Ah, Jess, I believe I have discovered your power." Jess stood up, fell over, and caught a glimpse of herself in Rahne's mirror. She stared. Her skin was entirely scaly, and had turned black of all colours. Strangest of all was the long whippy tail that was now flicking by her feet as if it had a mind of it's own.

"Please tell me that I am dreaming a very weird dream…" Jess murmured.

"Ah, no, I'm afraid not. Jess, your mutation is one of imitation, on a genetic level. When your cells, any cells of your body, come in contact with foreign cells, they begin to alter themselves. They take on the DNA of the foreign cells and imitate to a degree, well, you could become a clone of just about anyone."

"I'm a mimic…then what am I mimicking?" Jess continued to stare as she slowly gained command over her new tail.

"I believe that should be obvious enough. Your small reptilian friend on your head is responsible for you appearance. Once the mimicking genes hit an major artery or vein, the transformation speeded up. The cells could be carried almost everywhere in your body in a much shorter time."

"Umm…so why do I have a tail then? And why am I not an exact clone of Saundr?"

"I believe that may be because reptilian DNA and mammalian genetics are not a perfect match. You're still retaining a number of your traits, plus decreasing your mass significantly enough to make an exact duplicate of Saundr is, unrealistic."

"Said the blue gorilla to the giant lizard lady." Jess murmured. "So, what? Now I'm going to be an overgrown gecko?"

"You can probably refine your control over your genes with some time and experience. Your original DNA still exists inside you, you just can't quite recognize it."

"Oookay. So, that's it?"

"I believe your mimicry extends beyond physical, and possibly even into mental."

"And why does the scientist believe that?"

"Your personality shifts. Everyone who has spoken to you has picked up a different impression. And you keep picking up the manner of speaking of the people around you." Hank grinned.

"Maybe I am just trying to be an annoyance."

"I think I'll entertain the Professor with my explanation first." Hank turned and left, leaving Jess even more confused then she had been first.

Oh jeez…I have been out of this WAAAAAY too long. I may have to write another humor fic just to get back into the groove of things…this is what? A year and some months since an update? I've been baaad. Aw well, I'm restarting again, but I think I may create another short humor…and I have just the plot…Muah ha ha…mutant torture ensues…Anway, R&R! No, not the store, and no, not rest and relaxation, READ and REVIEW! floats away to the Land of the Happy Lava Lamp As a side note, I hate how fanfic seems to be posting this stuff, so if it's tough to read, apologies, fixing in the next chapter.

Chaotic Boredom


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