"Welcome back to the land of the living." She reached out and smoothed a wayward lock of Jubilee's hair. "We were worried."

"Why?'' Jubilee struggled with the word. "Why do ya care?" Emma understood. Sometimes it seemed that she went out of her way to punish the girl.

"I care. We may not have ever seen eye to eye, especially with the memories me trying to kill your friends, but I respect you. Out of all the students and most of the X-Men, you have never backed down from me. Besides you remind me of a disobedient youth I used to know." Emma laughed at the grin on Jubilee's face.

"You like me. Kewl. So, Frosty, how long I been asleep?" Jubilee sat up carefully; mindful of the sleeping Penance and her own bruised body.

"Four days. Hank wanted you in the infirmary but I know how much you hate that place. Probably about as much as I do." Emma ran a well-manicured hand through her hair.

"Four days?" Jubilee shuddered. "What happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me. Why did you go to the Danger Room?"

"I was restless. I needed to let go of some things. Guess I let go to much." A nervous laugh.

"An understatement if I ever heard one. You demolished the room. And I want to know what frightened you so much." Emma sat forward and grabbed Jubilee's hand. "First, the files, then a suicide attempt, and now this. What is going on?" Emma's grip tightened. "Talk to me, please." Jubilee strengthened her mental shields.

"What do ya want me to say? I have issues. I'm dealing with them. Let it go."

"So you admit to going through my files. Why change the data? You had to know I would have back-ups. Why?"

"Let it go. I have my reasons. Trust me."

Elsewhere in the mansion

Everett wanted to talk to Jean. He feared for his friends and was seeking guidance. What he found did not put his mind at ease. Just as he raised his arms to knock on the study door, the voices drifted to him.

"What are we going to do about Jubilee?"

"Help her anyway we can."

"How?"

"Cerebro?"

"What?"

"Professor, couldn't we use Cerebro to scan her mind? Find out what's happening to her? Then we can help her overcome whatever is bothering her."

"Scott, have you considered the ramifications of such an action? The psychological damage not to mention the destruction of trust?"

"I would rather have her untrusting and alive than dead."

"Scott's right. We have to try."

"All right. But how do we get past Emma and the children?"

"Jean can go in to relieve Emma and the rest of us can distract Generation X."

"Let's give it an hour and try."

Everett was furious. After what Paige had told him about the phone call Jubilee had received and the danger she was in, they wanted to go into her head and yank her secrets out. He would not allow it. First, he had to go tell Emma.

As expected Emma was furious. And at the fearful look on Jubilee's face she was ready to do battle against the X-Men.

"Please don't let them do that! I can't be held responsible for the consequences." Jubilee grabbed her clothes and pulled them over her nightshirt. "I won't play their guinea pig! I'm not a puppet for them to pull my strings!" Jubilee, overcome by weariness, fell back on the bed. "Don't let them pick my brain." She closed her eyes. "Help me."

Emma touched her cheek in reassurance as she rushed out of the room ordering Penance and Everett to protect Jubilee and not let anyone else in the room. Everett quickly synched with Emma and called the other members of the team.

Emma stormed into the Study before anyone could get up. Her mental shields were up and ready to do battle. "If you think for one moment that I will let you anywhere near that child, you are more warped than I thought!"

"Emma, calm . . . "

"Do not speak to me as if I am a child, Charles! I know about your little plan and if I have to tear this building down to stop you I will." As she was talking Generation X, led by Paige filed into the room and flanked her sides. "And it would seem as if I won't be alone." Suddenly the room erupted in bickering and snide comments. As the fight became heated and ready to break out in war, a heart-wrenching scream erupted through the followed by a loud boom.

Emma was the first to reach her room. Inside she found Everett unconscious in the corner and a frantic Penance ripping the mattress apart as if looking for something. Jubilee was no where in sight. She ran over to Everett and revived him.

"Jubilee! Something opened up under her and these . . . these tentacles grabbed her. She screamed and I tried to help her but they threw me. We have to find her, Miss Frost." Everett was almost in tears. Emma turned and showed her coldest glare to the X-Men.

"If she is harmed, I hold you responsible. Come children, we must find Jubilee." She pushed her way past Scott and Bishop. "Help if you want, but don't get in our way."

Suddenly, alarms went off.

"Someone is in the attic. It could be Jubilee. We . . ."

Before Hank could finish his sentence, Emma and Generation X were already pounding up the stairs. Emma reached the door first and found it locked.

"Where's the key?" She looked back at the trailing X-Men.

"I have it." Cyclops held it up. "Now if you'll move, this is X-Men business. Emma, let us handle this." His voice became soothing but fell on stunned ears.

"What? I don't have time for this territorial macho man crap. Penance, will you please open the door?" Penny understood instantly and proceeded to rip the oak door to splinters. "Jubilee?" As Emma stepped into the room she heard a soft murmur. In the back of her mind she noticed that the X-Men had not followed the Generation kids, but before she could comment she saw the girl. She was huddled in the corner hugging her knees and rocking. As Emma approached her, she noticed splotches on her face, hands, and clothes, which quickly turned into bloodstains. She quickly ran over and enveloped Jubilee in her arms. Unmindful of the blood that now stained her clothes, she held the child she wished was hers. "Jubilee, it'll be alright. We'll take care of you."

Suddenly Jubilee stiffened and looked into Emma's face.

"Too late. A lesson I learned long again. When they have their minds set on something, never ever turn your back on the X-Men."

Emma realized that a soft hissing noise was filling the room. As the gas filled the room and she began to feel sleepy, she attempted to throw up a shield but was unable to concentrate.

"Miss Frost, it's alright. You can sleep now. What will be, will be."

When Xavier and Jean lowered the shield around the door, and the X-Men picked their way around the children, they found Emma clutching Jubilee to her chest. Even as they pried her fingers away she resisted. But for all attempts, she had failed. With that thought Emma slipped into a troubled sleep.

Jubilee looked around at her so called friends. At the moment they had her tied to a chair and the professor was about to invade her mind. They had no idea she was prepared for their betrayal. Even knowin it was useless, she tried to reason with them.

"You don't know what you're doing." Her eyes pleaded but to no avail.

"You left us with no choice. This is out of our hands now." Professor Xavier fatherly patted her arm. He was momentary shocked when she shook him off like a vile insect.

"Bullshit. You choose to take what I won't give freely. Is this part of your great dream of peace? What I won't hand over, you forcibly pillage. Right now you're no better than the freaks we fight or a rapist." She noticed the stunned looks around the room and continued. "What worries you most? That I tried to kill myself or that I can't be controlled as easily as others? Or maybe this is how you get you kicks lately. Grab some kid a take a look inside their heads. See what juicy tidbits you can find." Jean tried to calm her down as she struggled against her bonds.

"Jubilee, you know it's not like that. We care about you."

"People who care don't rape your mind. They don't put your friends under with sleeping gas so they can kidnap you and perform weird experiments! Now let me go." She was not surprised when no one answered or rushed to help her. "Where's Wolvie? I can't believe he'd let you do this to me."

"Wolverine is in agreement with us and awaits the results." Storm looked away and wondered at their plan.

"Let's begin now. Jubilee, open your mind to me. Let me see that which hurts you." Xavier began with gentle probe hoping she would open to him. The pictures flew by at amazing speeds and just as he was beginning to understand, a sound bellowed in her mind.

"Go ta hell!" Jubilee screamed in her mind forcing him out and sent a strong current of energy down her arms instantly disintegrating her bonds. Before anyone could react to the moaning Professor she showered them with sparks and ran. She made for the stairs and ran to the attic. She wanted to stop a find Emma and the others but she could not afford to be caught. She ran for the far window that led to the roof and stepped out.

Downstairs, Emma was breaking out of the room they had placed them in and was headed for the noise followed by Synch, Husk, and Penance. The others were to detain the marauding X-Men using whatever means necessary.

Emma's heart almost stopped when she saw Jubilee on the roof walking along the top. So far the X-Men were busy fighting Monet, Jono, and Angelo. With orders for Penny and Synch to help the others, she stepped out onto the roof. Looking down she noticed the fight between teams was being held outside. She focused on reaching Jubilee quickly.

Jubilee stood looking down and thought how easy it would be to jump but she dismissed the idea. "Too late." Her words were caught by the wind and carried off. Below she heard Storm scream in agony.

"The Heavens are in torment! I can't hear beyond the pain!" She clutched her head and both teams looked to the sky. During the battle no one had noticed the darkening of the skies. Emma saw Jubilee look up and scream.

"No!" Jubilee backed up as she saw the swirling vortex open.

With no thought but escape, she ran at the edge and jumped. During her free fall she hoped no one reacted in time, but her savior came from an unlikely source. With lightening speed, six tentacles flew from the vortex and descended on her falling form. She was grabbed about the waist and legs and pulled upward.

"Jubilee!" Emma saw the arms and reacted on pure instinct. She ran and jumped. Just as she thought she had missed she felt the rubbery tentacle and grabbed. She slid down until she was within touching distance of the struggling child and caught her hand. She looked up and was terrified of the darkness that awaited them but could do nothing but what.

Suddenly she realized that more tentacles were descending and yanking up X-Men and Generation X and pulling them in. She feared for herself and her students and wondered what would be waiting for them. She squeezed Jubilee's hand and sent out a silent prayer for a divine intervention that was not to come.