Backdated to last Saturday afternoon, during the spackling

[x-juggernaut.livejournal.com]

"Miles helps Mister Marko find the furniture?" The green-skinned boy was practically jumping up and down with anticipation. Cain rolled his eyes and handed the kid his coat.

"Fine," he sighed, "but if you catch cold, your mom's going to have my head."

Miles giggled as he zipped up his parka and allowed Cain to wrap him in a layer of scarves and mittens. Looking out the window, Cain could still see the boathouse, visible through the trees even though the brick path was covered in white.

Inside the boathouse, Jubilee pulled the ringpull on the can of baked beans and looked at the contents. It seemed okay enough to eat, wasn't black and mouldy anyhow. Shrugging she dipped her spoon into the contents of the can and took a bite. 'Cold baked beans, such memories.' she thought in disgust.

She'd been hiding here in the boathouse for at least two days that she could figure, the fact that no one had coming looking for her in that time had started to worry her. 'Maybe I should have stayed' she thought, guilt knawing at her insides. She could have warned someone, maybe.

She lent back against the wall behind her and stared up at the dust motes swirling in the thick beam of sunshine that came through the crack in the curtains above her. She'd have to leave here soon, if someone had taken over the mansion, they might search the grounds.

It was at that stage that she heard the door creaking open, and a footstep on wood.

"And then Miles was helping Miss Marie-Ange with the work and Artie stuck out Artie's tongue and Miles stuck out Miles' tongue and Miss Marie-Ange laughed because Artie is pink and Artie's tongue is green but Miles is green and Miles' tongue is--" Miles' rambling was cut off as Cain clapped a hand over the child's mouth and gently pushed him into an
alcove under the stairs meant for hanging coats.

"Miles, I need you to be very quiet for me, can you do that?" Under Cain's hand, Miles nodded. Cain removed his jacket and covered Miles with it, hiding him in the alcove. "If you hear me yell your name, you run for the mansion and get your mom, okay?" Miles nodded, blue eyes blinking out from under the jacket.

Cain turned towards the stairs that led to the open second floor of the boathouse. Upon walking in the door, he'd noticed that the lock on the refrigerator that was meant to keep it safe from raccoons had been... shot off? The busted chain and the scorch marks were evidence enough of that. Without any clue as to how long ago the intruder had been here,
Cain was taking no precautions. A creaking floorboard from the second floor caught his attention, as Cain made his way for the stairs.

Jubilee stalked as silently as she could towards the door to the stairs. She winced at the creak as her foot hit a bad floorboard, it'd been so long since she'd had to sneak around, she was fairly rusty at the whole procedure.

'Gonna get yourself killed being clumsy, Lee.' she thought.

She raised a hand, reaching for her power only to feel nothing. Looking down at her hands she noticed they were completely normal, none of the small arcing lights that usually jumped between her fingers were there. Something was wrong, where the hell were her sparks?

'Shit.' she cursed, and then cursed herself silently for having said it outloud.

Well, it would have to be the old fashioned way then. Trying to remember everything Logan had taught her in the lessons in self Defense she'd taken last year, she got ready to kick whoever appeared in that door back down the stairs.


Cain stepped in front of the door, making sure that his bulk blocked the stairway in case whoever was hiding out had a weapon. While Miles was right under his feet, the concept of someone shooting into the floor - no, better to make it quick. With a speed seemingly
incongruous with his size, Marko stepped forward into the door, knocking it off its hinges and flat against the floor. With a shriek, Jubilee skittered backwards on the floor, narrowly missing being turned into a pancake by the door.

"Shitshitshit!" Jubilation panicked, crawling for anywhere she could find cover. Two days, two days of hiding and eating tins of cold vienna sausages and saltine crackers, all in the hopes she wouldn't be found but here they were /Oh god oh god they're going to kill me kill me dead/

Cain stalled, fist cocked for a bone-pulping smash when he saw the young Asian clad in an oversized "Xavier's" t-shirt and yellow leather coat curling into the fetal position. "What the fuck?" he announced. He searched his brain for a name to associate with the face. "Jubilee?"

Jubilation refused to open her eyes. /They know my name oh god they know my name I'm so dead bullet in the brain god make it quick oh shit not again/... then a familiar voice called up the stairs.

"Mister Marko is being a pottymouth!"

/Miles?/, Jubilee's eyes sprung open at the sound of the child's voice. She looked up. "Marko?"

Cain growled briefly. "MISTER Marko," he corrected, before looking down the stairs at Miles' upturned face. "I told you to stay hidden, dammit! It could have been one of those bad men up here!"

Miles shook his scarf-covered head from side to side and pointed to the foot of the stairs. "Bad men not wear Tweety Bird slippers, Mister Marko." Miles lifted the yellow fluffy bits of evidence in his mittened hands. "Jubilee wears Tweety Bird slippers. Jubilee is not
dangerous, Mister Marko."

Cain wiped a hand over his face, then looked down at the shivering girl. "Shit, there ain't been any heat in here - we'd better get you to the doc." As he lifted Jubilee into his arms, she made no effort to resist, curling herself tightly into his grasp. "Miles!" Cain called
down, "You stick by me, we're going to take her down to Doc MacTaggart."

She hadn't been killed, this was the first thought that crossed her mind as she was lifted gently. She curled closer, it'd been so cold in the boathouse and the heat coming off Marko's body was welcome. They were going back to the mansion, that thought sunk into her head and she whimpered slightly. "Marko, we can't go back there...the
soldiers."

Cain shook his head as they stepped out into the snow. "It's been two days, kid. Ain't no one here but us chickens."

"It's safe?" Jubilee mumbled, finally letting herself drift into sleep.

Cain nodded. "It's safe, girl."

Entering the mansion, Miles took off his coat and scampered off to his room. Cain gingerly carried Jubilee down the stairs to the basement, and Doctor MacTaggart's office. Finding it empty, Cain set Jubilee down on the couch and looked for something to write Moira a note with.

/Figure she's fixing up those other kids,/ Cain thought to himself. Rummaging around on Moira's desk, Cain's eye was caught by a faded photograph. Bending over, he took a closer look.

The photograph was simple, a candid shot of a woman who was obviously Doctor Moira MacTaggart, about ten or twelve years younger - holding a child in her arms. A freckled, dark-haired boy who looked to be about six or seven, mouth wide in a gap-toothed child's smile. Curious, Cain flipped it over.

/Kevin Joseph MacTaggart. 1/27/86 - 1/23/93

"Holy shit." Cain reverently replaced the photograph on the desk. It suddenly made sense, Moira's absence from the journals, her silence in the halls and at meals. Finding a post-it note, Cain scribbled a quick "Found Jubilee. She's in her room. Seems to be okay, might be down to see you later when she's well."

With that, he picked up the young girl in his arms again and took her upstairs, making sure to close the door to Moira's office as he went.