"So, what's the game plan?" Logan asked, turning a chair around so that the back faced the table and straddling it. Jean, Sean, and Emma were already seated at the table in the nearly-deserted hospital cafeteria. Nonetheless, to be on the safe side, the telepaths took precautions to ensure their conversation would not be overheard.

"I'm going to attempt to enter Jubilee's mind again," Jean said, taking a spoonful of the soup Monet had brought her.

"You said that last time you tried it, you found the mindscape highly distorted?" Emma asked, adding some sugar to her tea.

"Yes. Aside from the irregularity of the physical landscape, the memories were twisted, merged; different events in her life were pieced together, along with ones that have never occurred."

"And the scan ended with a traumatic event? Her own death?"

Gravely, Jean nodded.

"And then she flatlined," Logan said. He placed his hand on Jean's, letting her know he did not blame her.

"Do ye think the two events are related?" Sean asked after taking a sip of his coffee. "Dr. Knight did say there was a risk of pressure building in her skull. . . ."

"It seems too much of a coincidence for the events not to be related," Emma said. "But it seems more likely that it was the physical trauma-- the pressure on her brain-- that affected the events being played out in her mind. I highly doubt that Jean's presence triggered the arrest."

Jean looked at Emma, a little surprised. The last thing she expected was for the White Queen to support her. She still did not completely trust Emma Frost. But she knew that Emma truly cared about her students, including Jubilee. Perhaps this common bond among the four of them-- concern over the welfare of Jubilation Lee-- which drew them together here, also made Emma realize that assigning blame would not make the problem go away. Perhaps Emma, too, felt somewhat responsible since the children were accosted by her enemy to get information he could use against her. Whatever the reason, Jean was thankful she did not have to defend herself to Emma; she wanted to conserve her strength for the task at hand.

"What effect do you think a second psi-scan will have?" Sean asked of no one in particular.

Jean sighed. "It's hard to say. I think it has to be done quickly. A prolonged presence may only create more problems, or push her further into a coma. I think it will be necessary for me to become directly involved, to aid Jubilee in battling the evil presences in her mind. I believe that once she is able to conquer them and to get over her fears, the damage from Tessa will have been repaired, and she will be on the road to recovery."

"Sounds good to me," Logan said. "When do we go in?"

"*We* will be doing nothing," Jean said. "I'm going in alone."

"Don't be foolish; I will accompany you," Emma told her.

"Emma, I want to limit the stress on Jubilee's mind. It has already been taxed enough; too many unwelcome presences can only have a negative effect. Besides, from what I've observed already, she has a fear of people she thought she could trust turning on her. Frankly, I don't think having a former enemy of the X-Men present will sit well with her-- especially with the confusion of events."

Even as Emma coolly regarded Jean, the only indication that her mind was at all troubled was the paleness of her knuckles as her fist clenched tightly around the spoon she held. "And you think you can do any better? You tried once already, and nearly killed her." She smiled inwardly as she saw Jean flinch at the remark. "Besides," Emma continued, "*I* am her teacher-- not you. It is my responsibility to--"

"Emma, calm yerself," Sean said, placing a hand on her arm.

"I will not let this go, Sean. Ms. High-and-Mighty-X-Man thinks that she can waltz in here and tell me what to do when it concerns one of my students. I will not stand for it!"

"Where were you when Jubilee was injured, Emma?" Jean spat. "Where was her precious headmistress when she needed her?"

"Ladies, please!" Sean said, preparing to hold Emma back from Jean if necessary. "Bickering amongst ourselves in not going t' do Jubilee a bit of good."

"Irish is right. Fact is, Jeanie's been here from the start," Logan said. "She's been monitoring Jubilee the longest. If she thinks it's best to do this solo, that's how we're gonna do it. But she gets only one shot. If this don't work, then we consider other options. That fly with everybody?"

Crossing her arms, Emma nodded. "Provided the child survives this attempt."

"Emma!" Sean hissed.

"That's all right, Sean," Jean replied, getting to her feet. "I am quite confident in my abilities; I don't need Emma's approval to know that this is the best decision. Would you like to monitor the proceedings, Emma?"

"As if you need to ask," Emma said, also rising.

"Then it's settled," Sean said as the four of them began to walk toward the elevator. "Let's do it."

"You comfortable, Jeanie?"

"Fine, Logan," Jean said, leaning back in her chair at Jubilee's bedside. Emma, Sean, and Logan stood in various spots in the room, watching her. Picking up Jubilee's hand, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'm ready," she told them.

"Good luck, lass," she heard Sean say as she entered Jubilee's mind.

This time she was prepared, knowing what to expect in the landscape, and she did not feel quite so disoriented. Things were still upside-down and twisted, but Jean was able to compensate. This time, the location was not a Beverly Hills residential area, but the Australian Outback, the former headquarters of the X-Men, and the place where Jubilee met Wolverine.

Jean decided to begin by observing, as she had last time. She would have to let Jubilee duke it out for a while by herself. This time, however, if serious trouble reared its ugly head, leaving Jubilee hopelessly outmatched, Jean would become involved, join a fight if necessary, and help Jubilee to conquer her own personal demons. But in order to do this, she must first locate Jubilee.

Shielding her eyes from the brutal sun with her hand, she scanned the barren terrain. The old abandoned buildings appeared to be completely deserted-- there was no sign of any of the X-Men. She was about to go pay them closer inspection when she saw a figure moving in the distance. It was Jubilee, a few years younger than she was now-- the age she was when she joined the X-Men.

*Well, at least her age fits the setting,* Jean thought. *Perhaps the correlation is a sign that her mind is beginning to heal. . . .*

Looking at Jubilee, Jean could not help but smile. She was wearing pieces of the other X-Women's old costumes: Dazzler's body suit, Rogue's boots, Storm's leather vest. It appeared that even back then, Jubilee had atrocious fashion taste when it came to color schemes. That would explain the taxi yellow coat and bright red, blue, and green costume she would later use. Jean vowed that if-- no, *when* she corrected herself-- Jubilee made it out of this, she would take the teenager on a shopping spree and get her some clothing that was not quite so blinding.

Jean could see Jubilee looking around her warily, checking to see if she were being watched, before she entering a hole in the wall of one of the compound's buildings.

*Well, here goes,* Jean thought as she gave chase.

As she entered what she thought would be the X-Men's former Australian compound, Jean realized that, contrary to her first impression, the events and Jubilee's appearance were not in accord. She found herself in the sub-basement of the X-Mansion. She followed Jubilee to the Rec Room, and watched as the girl began to play a video game. This Jubilee corresponded in age and dress to the one who joined the X-Men. Her shades were lowered, and on their surface Jean could see the reflection of colorful blasts of light as the aliens on the video screen were blown to kingdom come.

"Yes! Eat plasma, ya sleazoids!" Jubilee shouted, fingers skillfully flying over half a dozen buttons to control her space ship and its weapons.

Seeing the happiness on the girl's face, Jean felt a lump in her throat. She wondered if Jubilee would ever be able to be this carefree again.

Suddenly, the lights went out in the room and the screen went black.

"Hey, what gives?!" Jubilee shouted. She peered around the room. "Great. Somebody blows a fuse just when I was about to beat my personal record. I'll bet it was ole Gumbo who--" She broke off abruptly, and stood perfectly still, listening. She would have sworn that she had heard something-- the whirring of something mechanical. She looked across the room and nearly screamed. Three pairs of green eyes glowed in the darkness about three feet from the floor. She heard a low rumbling, like a growling, coming from the same general area.

She raised her right arm in the air as though holding a torch and emitted several of her energy plasmoids, momentarily illuminating the room in a pinkish glow. In those few seconds, she could see the owners of those hideous eyes-- they were robotic guard dogs, created by the cybernetic Donald Pierce and his Reavers, used to guard the basements in the Australian compound the X-Men commandeered. The instant Jubilee saw them, she knew she had only seconds to react before the dogs would strike and rend her limb from limb. The only problem was that they stood between her and the only exit.

She had been in the Rec Room dozens of times, and knew its layout like the back of her hand. At least, she hoped she did. Taking mental note of her position, she ran toward the center of the room, where the pool table was located, and leapt above it in order to grab the green shade of the light that hung down on top of the table. As she swung forward, she brought her legs together and straight out in front of her, her feet connecting with the snout of one of the dogs as it leapt toward her. With a whelp, it was knocked to the floor. Using her forward momentum, she grabbed her knees to her chest and did a somersault in midair, landing on the floor about ten feet from the door. She silently thanked her mom for making her take all of those gymnastics lessons when she was a little kid.

She was about to make a run for it when a gut feeling told her not to.

*Behind you!* a voice seemed to say in her head.

She quickly spun around, spreading her hands and letting loose with her fireworks. The dog that had been about to attack her from behind staggered, momentarily blinded. Now was her chance. She poured on the speed and headed for the door. Just as she reached it and began to turn the doorknob, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle as sharp canines dug into the flesh, accompanied by the cracking sound of bones breaking. She screamed in agony as she fell to the floor. She reached back at the dog and cascaded him with fireworks; still, he did not let go. In that moment, however, she saw that there were half a dozen pool sticks scattered on the floor. On her belly, she reached to the side, trying to grab one. It was less than an inch from her extended fingers. She stretched, and her fingers tightened around the wooden stick. She quickly twisted her body and sat up, pounding the dog in the face and chest with the makeshift club until he let her go. Adrenaline rushing into her veins, she shouted as she continued to beat him, and finally gave him a tremendous whack, sending him sprawling across the room and into one of the legs of the pool table.

Dropping the stick, she scurried to her feet and was out the door in an instant, quickly closing it behind her. She used her powers to slag the doorknob, thereby trapping the dogs inside. Going as fast as her injured ankle would allow, she limped down the hallway, in search of the elevator that would take her to the main floor and, she prayed, help.

While Jean expected the path Jubilee took to reveal the ground floor of the X-Men's current headquarters, she found them instead in the living room of the school in Massachusetts. She, along with Jubilee, stared in horror at the carnage that lay before them. Jubilee's fellow students were strewn about the room. There was blood everywhere. Jubilee walked slowly across the room, looking at each body in turn.

Mondo lay in the middle of the room, intestine strewn out of of the gaping hole in his great belly. Paige half-lay on the couch. One hand clutched a shredded patch of skin that was still attached to her cheek; she had evidently been trying to husk into a more powerful form when she met her demise. She, too, was gutted. Seeing a gray hand on the floor, Jubilee followed the extended arm to behind a chair, where Angelo lay in a heap, surrounded by a pool of blood. Her gaze returned to the corner of the room, and she found Monet beneath an overturned bookcase, her hand with its stiffened fingers reaching out vainly from underneath.

As she continued on her trek, Jubilee tripped over something. Looking down at her feet, she gasped. There was a rush of bile to the back of her throat, and she swallowed hard. It was a dismembered arm in the sleeve of a leather jacket. *Jono,* she realized sadly. She did not want to find out what had happened to the rest of him. But something was not right. There was still someone missing. Where was--

She heard a soft moaning coming from somewhere nearby. That was when she noticed the blood stains on the carpet. It looked like someone had managed to drag himself out of the room. She followed the trail to the foyer, where she found him, slumped against the wall. His right hand clung to his abdomen, and she could see from the tissue that escaped from between his blood-soaked fingers that he was holding his viscera in as best he could. She looked at him for a moment from a distance. Then she spoke his name. "Everett."

He looked up at her, and she could see the hope light his face. "Jubilee. . . ?"

She hurried to him and knelt beside him. "Oh, Ev, look at you!"

"I'm a real mess, huh?" He began to cough, and a bloody froth escaped from the corner of his mouth. "The others?"

Closing her eyes, Jubilee shook her head.

"You've gotta get out of here, Jube."

"Not without you, bud."

"No," he said, and another spasm of coughing wracked his body. "I'll slow you down. Besides, I'm not gonna make it anyway."

"Don't talk that way; 'course you are." She tried to smile as the tears spilled onto her cheeks.

"Don't . . . cry, Jubes," he said, his voice growing weaker, as he shakily reached for her. His fingers softly touched her cheek, and she placed her hand over his and closed her eyes. She rested her forehead on his. "I'll miss you. . ."

"Me, too. We had some rockin' times, Ev. You're the best bud I've ever had."

"You, too . . . now, go. Before he--" His voice stopped abruptly. A gasping sound escaped his lips, and then he was silent. His hand fell from her cheek.

"Oh, God, Ev. Don't leave me! Please don't leave me!"

"Yer not alone, kid."

Jubilee cried out at the familiar gruff voice. She turned to make sure it was really him. Seeing it was, she felt relief fill her. Everything would be all right now that he was here. He always made everything all right. He would protect her, keep her safe. And he would find whoever had done this to her friends, and make him pay.

"Oh, Wolvie!" she sobbed, running right into his arms and holding his waist tightly.

"Shh, kiddo. Everything's okay. Yer safe. I'm here."

As she managed to get herself under control, she slowly pulled away and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. "I've never been so glad to see anyone."

"Yeah, well, we've gotta get moving. We're sitting ducks. What's the fastest way out of this place?"

"This way. C'mon." She turned around with her back to him and began to lead the way. Then, suddenly, she heard the familiar *snikt* of his claws being protracted. She stopped suddenly and turned around, hoping against hope that this was not happening. "W-Wolvie. . . ?"

"Sorry, darlin'," he said, raising his claws over her head. "Sayonarah." She could see that his claws were covered with blood-- and she was sure it was more than his own. Too petrified and shocked to run away, she simply fell to her knees. She did not even attempt to use her powers. She could not believe that this man would do anything to harm her. This man, who she trusted with her life. This man, who had been like a father to her. This man, who was about to gut her like a fish.

As Wolverine lunged for Jubilee, he found that his claws instead struck some unforeseen object. The impact put him off-balance and he staggered backwards.

Jean, who had remained in the shadows, biding her time, realized that now was the moment to act. She hurried to Jubilee's side and knelt before her, wrapping her arms protectively around her. Jubilee began to cry again.

"Leave this child alone!" Jean said to Wolverine. Growling, he got to his feet and lunged toward them both. Jubilee winced, and she felt Jean's grip tighten more securely around her. Again, Wolverine met the unforeseen barrier. "Don't worry, Jubilee, I won't let him hurt you," Jean told her.

"W-why?" Jubilee asked. "Why d-did W-Wolvie d-do this?"

"It's not Wolverine," Jean said simply. She glanced at him intently, and suddenly he flew away from them and across the room, slamming against the far wall, several feet off of the floor. Snarling, he tried to break free.

"Don't bother trying to struggle," Jean told him as she got to her feet.

She walked closer, leading Jubilee, her arm still protectively wrapped around the girl's shoulder. "I've got you in a telekinetic choke-hold. Now, would you care to reveal who you really are and why you've slaughtered all of these innocent children?"

"Because I told him to," came a feminine voice from behind them.

Jean could feel Jubilee shudder in her arms. She tightened her hold and reinforced the shield that surrounded them as they turned to face their opponent.

"Tessa," Jean said. "I should have known."

"I see the need for my ruse is up," Tessa said, and gestured toward "Wolverine". The image dissipated, leaving Sabretooth in his stead.

Jean herself repressed a shudder at the sight of the cold-blooded killer. Tessa must have really played hard-ball, she realized. The psychic damage must be severe for Jubilee's mind to have created such a horrific scene. The appearance of Tessa herself could mean the end to all of this. This was a projection of the source of the damage. If Jubilee could face her, and defeat her here, in her own mind, then she would certainly recover from the psychic injury Tessa had incurred.

Jean could feel Jubilee shaking; the girl was terrified. On one side was Sabretooth, snarling and growling. On the other, Tessa, the woman who tortured her mind, revealing untold horrors Jubilee did not know could exist there. Tessa gestured, and the school transformed to the barren desert landscape of the Australian outback. About twenty feet away, she could see a giant wooden X, on which Wolverine was pinned. Pierce and several of his Reavers stood before him. Pierce was taunting him, and, suddenly, he drove a knife into Wolverine's side, drawing blood. Wolverine howled in pain. The same distance away in the opposite direction they could see Omega Red standing with the young Illyana in the grasp of his tendrils.

She screamed as he began to absorb her life energy, and suddenly went limp in his grasp. Sebastian Shaw walked over to Tessa, carrying Everett over his shoulder. He dropped him to the ground, and Everett fell onto his back. He lay there, unmoving.

"No," Jubilee muttered, grabbing her head and closing her eyes. "No more. I can't take any more."

"You've got to fight her, Jubilee," Jean told her.

"N-no . . . I c-can't . . . I'm no telepath."

"I'll be here with you, sweetie. But this is something *you* have to do."

"I . . . I'm scared. What if she hurts me like she did before? This is nothing compared to what she showed me then."

"I won't let her hurt you. Be strong, sweetie. I know you can do this." Jean gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

"O-okay," Jubilee said, summoning up her courage. She set her shoulders resolutely. "This isn't real. None of this is real."

She looked toward Wolverine and the Reavers. "That isn't Wolvie. I saved him from the Reavers, and now they and Pierce are dead."

Logan and the Reavers vanished.

She looked at Omega Red and Illyana's still form. "Yana's dead. Let her rest in peace."

They went away as well.

She moved toward Shaw and looked down at Everett. It looked so much like him. She found her courage beginning to waver. "Oh, God, look what he did to Ev. He wouldn't stop hitting him. . . ."

"Don't give in to her, Jubilee," Jean said. "You can beat her."

Slowly, Jubilee nodded, and looked away from Everett and up at Shaw. "Bite me, creep!" she spat, and bombarded him with fireworks.

Both he and Everett slowly faded away.

Now all that was left was the source. Tessa backed away, looking nervous. She gestured in the distance, and suddenly the ground began to rumble. A large Sentinel began to appear over the horizon. It raised its hand, and a concussive beam flew toward them. Somehow, it managed to get through Jean's shield, and struck her. Crying out, she crumpled to the ground.

"No!" Jubilee screamed. She turned to face Tessa. "You've hurt everyone that's ever meant anything to me," she said, walking closer. "But this is all pretend. This is all just in my mind. It's not real. And neither are you!" Balling her right hand into a fist, she struck Tessa square in the jaw. Tessa fell backward and onto the ground. "Take a hike, bitch!" she screamed, letting lose with her plasma powers.

Tessa seemed to melt away. As she did, the landscape was transformed from the barren desert to the lush grounds of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters on a sunny summer afternoon. Jubilee sighed. Turning around, she saw Jean laying on the ground. She hurried to her side. "Jean. . . ?"

Jean's eyes opened, and she slowly sat up. She looked around and smiled. "You did it, Jubilee! I knew you could."

"I couldn't've done it without your help," Jubilee replied, holding out a hand to help Jean to her feet. "I saw the Sentinel blast you, and then I got so mad at Tessa. . . . She used me, played with my emotions, twisted my memories. And I wanted it to stop." She embraced Jean. "Thank you for your help."

"My pleasure, kiddo," Jean said, holding her close.

"Now what?" Jubilee asked her.

"Now, it's time to go home." Jean held out her hand. "You ready?"

Jubilee grinned. "Am I ever."

Together, they headed for the school.

Jean's eyes snapped open. She was back in her body in Jubilee's hospital room. Sean and Emma were looking at her. Jubilee still lay in bed, unmoving.

"What happened?" Sean asked.

"I- I think it was successful," Jean told him. "She managed to banish Tessa from her mind."

"Then the psychic damage is healed?" Emma asked.

"Yes. I see no reason why she shouldn't regain consciousness." Still holding Jubilee's hand, she gently stroked her cheek.

"I'll go get the doctor," Sean said. Before he left, he stopped and put a hand on Jean's shoulder. "Good job, lass."

Jean smiled and closed her eyes in weariness.

"You okay, Jeanie?"

"Just tired, Logan. I'll be fine."

"Congratulations, Jean. It appears you accomplished what you set out to do." Emma almost sounded disappointed. There was a hint of jealousy in her tone.

"I just want what we all do," Jean told her. "For Jubilee to wake up and be all ri--" She stopped abruptly.

"What is it?" Emma asked, walking closer. "Jean?"

Jean's face broke into an enormous grin. "Jubilee-- she just squeezed my hand. It wasn't very strong, but I felt it!"

At that moment, Sean returned with Dr. Knight.

"She just squeezed my hand," Jean told them happily.

The doctor proceeded to examine his patient. "She's out of the coma," he told them several minutes later. "She appears to be merely sleeping. I suspect she'll be awake by morning."

"Thank the saints!" Sean cried. Smiling, Emma took his hands in her own.

"I'll check back on her later," Dr. Knight said before leaving.

"Can I get ye anything, Jean?" Sean asked. "Ye must be exhausted."

"I am tired," Jean told him. "I think I'll go stretch my legs and give them a call back home," she said, getting to her feet.

"Good idea," Sean said. "I'll go give the kids a call, too."

"Logan, could you and Emma sit with her?" Jean asked. "I think it'd be best if she woke up to a familiar face."

"Of course," she replied, taking a seat.

"Go get some food, Jeanie," Logan said. "You look like you could a hot cup of java."

Sean held open the door and they walked into the hallway. She sighed with relief. These had been some extremely tense several days. She knew Jubilee was not completely out of the woods yet, but this was a major step in the right direction. Hopefully, Jubilee would be awake and speaking with them by the next day.

End of Chapter 7