I don't own anything to do with anything in the X-Men franchise. That sucks majorly, but that's all right. I'll live. I do own Jaklyn Porter, Silence Allerdyce and most of this plot, besides the bits that came from the movie. Mina belongs to my friend. This fic follows along with X2 and is rated for language, violence, drinking, blood, gore, and some bad relationship choices. No explicit sexual content yet. That comes in the sequel, kiddies. And I'm not listing pairings, because they're pretty obvious. Woo. Hope you enjoy this fic.

Illusive Rhapsody
Chapter Eighteen / Catching Up

Jaklyn's throat was dry, and nothing was quenching her thirst. She knew what would, of course – vodka – but she was trying to ignore that thought. She didn't want to start drinking again. It made Piotr angry. And the Professor and Jean. It was probably make her friends mad too, if they found out, but, if her self-control prevailed, they wouldn't have to. She knew somewhere inside her, deep down inside her, she had the self-control to break her drinking problem. She was too young to let alcohol ruin her life. Jaklyn shut her eyes and tilted her head backwards until it was resting on the couch. She was sitting on the floor in the living room, with her back against the bottom of the couch; it was her turn to take a break from the cleaning.

Piotr and Kitty had organized the mutant kids into an effective cleaning team who swept through the hallways collecting the pieces of everything broken and righting what had been knocked over after Piotr removed the bodies to the back porch where he had piled them underneath a tarp. He was walking around covered in metal, using his enhanced strength to lift five or six bodies at the same time. Moving the bodies wasn't what he wanted to be doing – it was actually making him quite nauseous – but he wasn't going to let the kids anywhere near the bodies. That would scar them for life. Kitty was mostly keeping an eye on the hoard of children, making sure they didn't venture outside where the bodies were and they didn't injure themselves on broken glass or splintered wood or anything else dangerous as they cleaned up. Being able to walk through walls came in handy for watching a gaggle of children. In fact, all of the mutations the children possessed were coming in handy – no one could clean a room like a telekinetic, and there were no less than three in the mutant student body.

"How are you feeling Jaklyn?" Piotr asked. He was suddenly standing beside her, a towering difference in height.

She knew he was referring to the alcohol as well as everything she had destroyed. Facing it all wasn't very easy. "I'm… all right," she mumbled, taking his offered hand and pulling herself to her feet. His metal skin was cold, but she didn't mind. She lightly ran her fingers over the twisting organic pattern on his forearm. "Tired, but OK."

"That's good." He embraced her gently with one arm, afraid to squish her while in his metal state. "We're almost finished with the downstairs hallways."

Jaklyn forced herself to smile as she laced her fingers together and pushed her palms up to the sky. "Hopefully the Professor and everyone will be back soon." She started walking towards the stairs and Piotr followed her up, and they started in the direction of where the rest of the carnage lay. "Are you ready to gather the rest of the bodies?" She swallowed the dryness in her throat and tried not to remember that she had caused the stench of death leaking from the hallway in front of them; she swallowed the urge to throw up.

"Are you?"

She grimaced in answer. After Piotr had turned around, Jaklyn swiftly undressed and veered into her wolf form. Piotr followed the gigantic wolf down the hallway, neither making much noise as they walked. At the beginning of the day, they had decided that Jaklyn would take the bodies down to balcony, one by one, out a broken window, hoping that none of the kids will see if they do it that way. Piotr tossed the first one towards her and she caught the back of his uniform in her mouth before leaping elegantly out of the broken window and down to the balcony. The body crunched unceremoniously as she landed on the stone. A few moments later, she ran back up the stairs and grabbed the next body. They repeated that process until all the bodies were under the tarp and away from prying eyes. Piotr started to pick up the rubble strewn across the hardwood and Jaklyn changed back, pulled on her clothes and joined him; her breaths sounded slightly laboured from all the running and jumping back and forth.

"I still can't believe I did all this…" she muttered as she wrestled a chunk of wood from the wall.

"You still don't remember anything?" Piotr watched her out of the corner of his eye, waiting for her to answer. She stiffened momentarily, but didn't say anything. "Jaki… It's OK."

"Oh, I know that." She straightened, dropping the pile of wood she had been holding. Jaklyn huffed and planted her fists on her hips. "Everyone has told me that what I did was OK because I was protecting the mansion and the students and all that, but nobody has told me how to deal with the fact that I killed all those men." She sighed again, folding her arms under her breasts. "It just…" Her cobalt eye filled with sadness and a faint twitching moved her scars. "It makes me feel like an animal, Piotr…"

He tossed his pile of rubble into the middle of the floor where Silence would use a controlled fire and burn it later and stepped towards Jaklyn, the metal on his skin disappearing. Firmly but gently, Piotr pulled her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her. "Jaki, you're not an animal."

She stayed there for a moment, her eye closed and her arms held close to her chest. Subconsciously, she pressed her face into the warmth of Piotr's chest. A faint whirring noise appeared in her ears and she pushed away. "The jet…" she whispered.

The rest of the mutants congregated by the jet hanger as the noise got louder and others besides those with super hearing noticed it. Jaklyn and Silence were standing in front of Piotr when Mina stepped off the jet. Behind her came a blue skinned man no one at the mansion had seen before – they were informed that his name was Kurt Wagner, but in the Munich circus, he was called the Incredible Nightcrawler and that he was a teleporter - and then the Professor, Scott, Storm, Logan, Bobby and Rogue. Jean and Pyro were not amongst the group; the looks on everyone's faces did not speak of good news. Jaklyn could feel the sadness, the depression and the anger and she grimaced. Everyone stiffened as the Professor approached, his telepathic voice, echoing in their heads: John has left us for the Brotherhood and Jean has… Jean has passed on.

Jaklyn and Silence, both incredibly sad about Jean's passing, forced that to the back of their minds as their eyes rested on Mina's face. Her auburn hair covered her eyes until she turned her light blue gaze upwards and smiled softly. The girls enveloped Mina in their arms and held her as the tears she'd choked back came forth and she collapsed against her friends. Mina wasn't one to cry, and obviously, she had been trying very hard not to cry.

"Mina…"

Jaklyn heard the catch in Silence's voice as she tried to consol Mina for something that was hurting her too and she held both her friends a little tighter. She knew what it was like to loose a family member and people you loved. A light, soothing touch in her mind brought her attention over the heads of her friends to where the Professor sat in his chair, watching with tearful eyes as his students, his children, his family grieved. Scott stood like a guard a few steps behind and too the right.

Jaklyn, I need to talk to you. I need to know what happened here.

I'm afraid I won't be the best for that, Professor. I don't remember much. My mind's a bloody mess right now… Subconsciously, she squeezed Mina's shoulder. I don't know how much help I'll be.

It's all right, Jaklyn. I'll have to talk to Silence and Mina and everyone who was here whenever whatever happened, happened. I just need all the pieces of the puzzle I can get.

Jaklyn stood there for a moment longer before she sighed and untangled herself and walked over to the Professor. "You'll have to read my mind, because I can't tell you anything," she informed him. "It won't hurt, will it?"

The Professor nodded. "It'll be a little uncomfortable, but that's all."

Jaklyn followed the Professor out into the subbasement hallway where she knelt in front of him and let him take her head in his hands. She closed her eyes, clenched her teeth. Nothing happened for a moment. Then, suddenly, an invisible snake started winding through her mind and it was extremely uncomfortable. It was like nothing she had ever felt before, but there was no pain, just a squirming that she couldn't shut out, that she couldn't rid herself of. It was like a restlessness that couldn't be shook. She balled her hands into fists and then gasped as images started flying through her mind at a speed like a tape on fast forward. Flying blood, animalistic sounds, glinting knives, moonlight flashing through the windows as she ran down the hallway… Images of her friends' terrified faces and one of Logan, looking more surprised than anything… And then, shining metal as she stumbled down the hallway towards Colossus…

And then… Then it was over.

"The mansion was attacked…" It wasn't a question, more of a realization. The Professor smiled his fatherly smile at Jaklyn and squeezed her shoulder. "Thank you Jaklyn. And I commend you, Piotr, Kitty and Silence on your organization at getting the mansion cleaned up and keeping the children in check."

"Thanks, Professor. Uh, can I go back to Mina now? I think she needs me and Silence…" She looked around the Professor at her friends. Her gaze flickered to Piotr and she smiled a bit, letting him know she was OK.

"Yes, yes, of course."

Jaklyn returned to Mina and Silence as the mutants started heading back upstairs to finish cleaning. "How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm… I'm fine…" Mina pushed herself away from Silence and forced a smile at Jaklyn. "We should head back upstairs and help clean up the mansion…" She stepped into the hallway and headed mindlessly for the elevator. "Cleaning would be good… Keep my mind occupied…" Mina kept mumbling as she climbed into the car and sagged against the wall, Silence and Jaklyn watching her from down the hallway.

"She is not OK."

Jaklyn looked sideways at Silence. "Are you?"

"I'm fine. Pissed off beyond all reason, but fine." Silence planted her hands on her hips and huffed, blowing some of her hair out of her face. "I can't believe that bastard… If I ever see him again… I'll… I'll break every bone in his Goddamned body and then burn him from the inside out." She groaned in frustration and the sighed heavily. "Whatever. That's not the point. Where are those piles of broken things you want me to burn? I need some destruction to make me feel better."

"What I think you need is whoever you left in New York."

Silence cuffed Jaklyn on the back of the head and tried to look angry as she stormed to the elevator. She was terrible at hiding her smile. "You just shut your damn mouth. Are you coming or not?"

"I'll follow you up."

The doors slid shut and Jaklyn stepped back into the hanger where Logan was still standing. She knew she should be going upstairs to help clean and she knew she needed to talk to Piotr about them as a couple, but that was something she was going to put off for as long as she could. The idea made her rather uncomfortable. But right then, from across the distance, Jaklyn could sense Logan's pain – something to do with her growing animalistic intuition – and she couldn't ignore it; she had sensed Scott's sadness, but it wasn't as pronounced – probably because Jaklyn and Logan had some sort of bizarre animal connection – and since Scott and Jean had been together, Jaklyn wasn't comfortable approaching Scott. To be honest, Scott kinda of intimidated Jaklyn, which was weird because Logan didn't at all. She was perfectly comfortable around Logan. Well, besides the raging blood and completely feral attraction, of course.

"Are you OK?" she asked, folding her arms loosely, ignoring the increased temperature throughout her body. Her sessions in the Danger Room had really helped her control. Now she only thought about going all psycho.

He just looked at her, one eyebrow slightly raised. "And you care Half-Pint?"

"I was just wondering. Your…" She waved her hands in a wide gesture at nothing in particular. "Emotions. They're heavy. Oppressive. And I care because I can feel them. Something about this whole thing we have. I'm just wondering if you're OK, because I know how much you're hurting."

"Well… Don't worry about me Half-Pint. I heal quickly, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Jaklyn, Piotr and Silence were left to watch the children while the Professor and the others went to visit the President of the United States for some reason. Silence was having a great time taking her anger out on the piles of rubbish scattered on the stones around the pool while Piotr and Jaklyn were managing the children. Piotr had barbequed hamburgers for everyone and the kids were sitting in the living room, eating and watching television and completely oblivious to what was going on outside. Well, oblivious as they could be with bright flashes of flames leaping into the dark afternoon sky and the faint sound of maniacal laughter drifting through the air.

"How are you feeling Jaki?" Piotr asked, sitting down on the widow seat beside her. He took a bite of his third hamburger and watched her as she looked out the window, the scarred side of her face pressed up against the cool glass. When she didn't answer, he set his plate behind him and shifted closer to her. "Can I ask you something?" She nodded. She is not making this easy. Not at all. "Well… Do you have an answer for me Jaklyn?" It may not have been the most appropriate moment, but Piotr wanted to know what she was thinking. He wanted the answer to be yes.

For a long while, she didn't answer. She turned her eye out the window and just stared at the trees. "Piotr," she said finally, "I really, really like you. And I don't know if it's the you saving my life thing or what it is, but I do like you. But… there's just something… Some bloody thing that's telling me not to do this. And that could just be the you were dating Kitty thing and the she dumped you and told you to go out with me thing, I don't know, but…" She turned and looked at him. "I'm a little scared and a lot nervous, Piotr. I've never had a real relationship before. I've never felt like this about anyone before. For most of my life, I was just the freak." Jaklyn sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't know if I'm ready so soon after being thrust into this new life."

He hugged her. That was all he could think to do. What do you say to someone who spent their whole life sheltered from normality? What could you say? Nothing really. So, he just held her, stroked her hair. "Jaki, I'm going to ask you one more thing, and I want you to answer truthfully."

"Uh… OK."

"Are you actually all right? You've been in and out of fits about what… what happened. Are you going to be OK? You're not suffering any mental damage or anything?"

Jaklyn raised a skeptical eyebrow at him, trying to judge if he was playing around or not. He let a small smile pull at the corner of his mouth and she laughed. She smacked his shoulder and laughed, falling against him, hugging him again. For the first time in two days, she actually smiled, and she pressed her scarred cheek into the soft fabric of the t-shirt he was wearing. "I'm fine, Piotr… I mean, it's going to take some time for me to fully get over it, but… I think there might be something in my mutation that helps me deal with… with death." She put her hands on his chest and pushed back so she could look at him in the eye again. "I'm not under any serious mental stress, really."

Piotr brushed some stray strands of hair out of her face and cupped her unscarred cheek in his hand. "I believe you, Jaki," he whispered. And then, wrapped up in the moment, he kissed her, gently, on the lips.

Jaklyn's body jolted and she pulled away, blushing furiously and breathing quickly.

"I'm sorry," he breathed. That was stupid.

"No, no… Don't be sorry…" Jaklyn gave him a small smile and shifted a bit closer to him. "I… You just caught me… off guard." She smiled again and hugged him again, pressing her face into his neck. "I really didn't mind. That was my first real kiss, and… Well, this doesn't change what I said a minute ago, I'm still scared as hell and nothing's official yet, but that… No, don't be sorry… I really didn't mind." When she pushed back to look him in the eye again, she was smiling wildly and her eye was alight with happiness; it impressed Piotr that amidst all the sadness and death, he and Jaklyn could find this moment.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really what?" Silence was suddenly there, standing in her usual slightly slouched posture with hands planted on her hips, except unlike normal, there was an angry twist to her lips; the only sign that she was angry with her brother for leaving. Silence wasn't usually one to show her emotions outright, so that little twist in her mouth was all the inhabitants of the mansion were going to get as a warning to stay as far away as possible.

"Really nothing."

"Whatever." Silence wedged herself in between Piotr and Jaklyn and crossed her arms under her breasts. "Does anyone know when Mina and the others are coming back? I kinda have to talk to Mina." She looked at Jaklyn. "And you. I have to tell you guys about the mutant I met in New York. It's not really something that can wait. And, fine, I can wait until after we have our funeral-type thing for Jean, but I have to tell someone!" She huffed and fell backwards against the window.

"Uh, Si, calm down?"

They did indeed have a funeral-type thing for Jean. Since they had no body, and it had started to rain outside, the mutants of the mansion gathered in the downstairs living room, the largest room in the mansion, around a large picture of Jean. Scott was standing to the side of the Professor and he was actually crying, something not many of the mansion's inhabitants had ever seen, and Logan was standing off in a corner, arms crossed over his chest, and shadows covering his face. His expression was obviously sad, and the oppressive emotions were still there; Jaklyn smiled sadly at him when she entered the room, but he didn't respond at all. The Professor was seated in front of the large glass doors leading into the backyard, saying kind, loving words about Jean in a smooth but powerful voice without shedding a tear, although it was obvious how sad he was. Some of the younger students were huddled together on the carpet in front of the picture, sobbing as quietly as they could. Jean had been like a mother to them, and now, she was gone. Jaklyn, Silence and Mina were standing behind the couch where Piotr was sitting with Fly, the young blond-haired boy who looked up to Piotr like a brother. The rest of the students were scattered around the living room, everyone's attention completely on the Professor.

"Can you believe she's gone?" Mina asked, her voice subdued. She shifted and leaned on the couch. "I mean… Jean was like, a part of this place. She was important… She was… So important. What are we going to do without her?" A couple tears ran down her cheeks, but she didn't sob.

Jaklyn and Silence shrugged. Silence had been at the mansion the longest of the three girls and she had grown rather close to Jean, who had been like a mother or older sister and had helped Silence learn how to control her powers. Before her one on one sessions with Jean, Silence had had problems with things and people around her spontaneously catching on fire when she got angry or frustrated, which had happened a lot; it still happened a lot, but now, she could control it, and it was all thanks to Jean. Jean understood what it was to be afraid of your powers and she had helped Silence get over that. And two years after Silence came to the mansion, Jean taught Mina control and helped her overcome the mental block she had subconsciously put in place after killing her family. She helped Mina expand her mutation. Most recently, she had helped Jaklyn with her own mental block and her control over her mutation and she had done it countless times before. The fact was, Jean, with her medical talents, her telepathic abilities and her warming personality, had been a very, very important part of Xavier's Institute and she would be sorely missed.

When the Professor had finished speaking, he opened the floor to anyone who wanted to say a few things about Jean. Jaklyn, after a minute of deliberation, stepped around the couch and went to stand beside the Professor. She stood completely still for a moment and then sighed. "I haven't been here that long," she began. "But I know how important Jean was and is to all of you." A lump rose in Jaklyn's throat, but she swallowed hard, pushing it back. Her voice warbled a bit as she continued: "Jean was one of the first people I met, and from that first moment, I saw what a kind and loving person she was. Like many of you, she helped me get over the fear I had of my powers, and she was a friend as well as a teacher and I… I looked up to her." Jaklyn felt a tear roll down her good cheek. "I wasn't there at Alkali Lake, but I know she thought what she did was best for everyone, even if it meant giving up her own life." Her voice cracked and she sobbed once, more tears falling. "I didn't know her as well as some of you, but I will miss her terribly."

"Thank you Jaklyn," the Professor whispered from beside her. He placed a hand on her arm and gave it a gentle squeeze before turning his attention back to the population of his school. "Please everyone, get some rest."

As the living room began to empty, Jaklyn drifted back to her friends. Kitty had joined the small group and she gave Jaklyn a hug, standing on her tiptoes to wrap her arms around the taller girl's neck. Silence and Mina joined in and the four girls laughed in spite of themselves, their cheeks glistening with tears and their eyes sad. When they untangled themselves from each other, Silence and Mina fell onto a nearby couch and Silence wrapped one arm around her friend's shoulders, holding her close. Kitty sat on the arm of the couch. Jaklyn walked over to Piotr and wrapped her arms around his chest, which was the easiest part of him to reach when they were both standing.

"I think Silence wants to talk. I'll see you later?" When Piotr nodded, Jaklyn smiled and wiped the remaining tears from her cheek. She joined Silence, Mina and Kitty on the couch. "So, what's the first topic?"

Mina turned to Silence. "What the hell happened to you when the mansion was attacked?"

"You're not going to believe this – I was tackled out a window after I was knocked unconscious from a grenade."

"How the hell did you survive?"

"She's got a secret mutant-lover in New York," Jaklyn jibed, a smirk on her face.

"Why are you so happy?" Silence snapped.

"It's not my turn. It's your turn. Tell us about your secret mutant-lover."

A slight, playful growl issued from Mina's throat. "You'd better."

"Yeah," Kitty said, speaking for the first time. "What does he have to do with you surviving from a second story fall?"

"His name is Warren. And he has wings. He caught me when I fell. That's all I'm going to tell you. You'll find out more when he comes to the mansion. Because he's going to come visit me at some point and he might even end up living here." Silence smiled smugly and sat back in the corner of the couch. "Now it's your turn Jaki – why the hell are you so happy?"

Jaklyn grinned, which was a rather savage gesture, as, unlike her closed-lip smile which was very pleasant, her teeth-baring grin showed off her fangs and made her resemble a wolf looking at its next meal. But none of the other girls balked. Before she spoke, Jaklyn cast a glance at Kitty, who nodded. She obviously knew it was going to have something to do with Piotr, and she was urging Jaklyn on. Briefly Jaklyn wondered how much pain it caused Kitty to know that her ex-boyfriend, who she obviously still have feelings for, and her friend were courting each other. "Piotr kissed me," she said. As Silence as Mina reacted with little squeals of jubilation, and Kitty smiled, Jaklyn realized how much she enjoyed the girl talk and how it had the ability to lighten even the heaviest moments; Pyro's abandonment of the X-Men and Jean's death definitely constituted heavy moments.

"So are you two official?" Mina asked. She had settled back in the couch, her legs folded beneath her.

"No… I'm kinda scared."

Silence guffawed and reached across Mina to cuff Jaklyn's head. "Stupid girl. What is keeping you from making it official? You're so in love with him, it's sickening, and he is so obviously in love with you, it's painful."

Jaklyn shrugged, rubbing her head and leaning farther into the corner where Silence couldn't reach her. "I don't bloody now. I'm just scared. I lived in the confines of my house in England. I was home-schooled. I've never had a relationship before. Is it so wrong to be scared?" She laughed when Silence's lip twitched in distaste. "Just because I'm not as outgoing as you are…"

"That would be scary," Mina interjected.

And the four girls burst into laughter. Kitty fell off the arm of the couch, landing in Silence's lap and falling across Mina's, which only resulted in more laughter. Across the room, Bobby and Rogue were sitting on a couch talking, and the sudden bursts of laughter brought their attention to the girls. Bobby smiled and laughed a bit himself, but Rogue just scowled. There was a moment of tension in the room as the laughing girls fell silent, and then they all collapsed once again, laughing and clutching at their sides.

It was good to catch up.

It was good to be with friends again.

It was good to finally have a real home where she was comfortable.

She was happy.

Author's Note… Guess what? That's the end. When I said three to five chapters in the last chapter, I was seriously guessing. I don't remember what I was going to write – like what the hell was I thinking when I said that? So I lied. I'm sorry. But, I think I'm going to start the sequel right away. (Yes Shauna, I'm going to take you're idea and abandon the middle fic and just put it inthe sequel.) So please don't be mad at me. I'm sorry that this is a rather abrupt ending, but it follows the movie and I honestly don't remember what I was going to put in here anymore. So, look forward to the sequel, which I'm not sure if I'm still going to call Intoxication. If I can think of a better name, I'll pick that one. Although, Intoxication works for a few reasons in the third X-Men movie… Hm… I guess you're have to see. So, once again, sorry for the abrupt ending, please don't be mad at me. The sequel will be up soon! Thank you to all who read and enjoyed and reviewed this fic, it meant a lot. Now I have to hope that when I go back to the dorm that Shauna doesn't shoot me. See you all in the sequel!