'Here comes Bold Slasher,
All dark hair, eyes and wide smile,
Here to steal the maiden,
From her fair George.'

**********************************************************

Exactly why the assignment was dropped on the last week of term she had no idea, maybe it was a test of willpower. They'd studied 'The Once and Future King' and The Professor had given them a unique report to do. They had to find something that was revelvant to the book they had just studied and write a report on it.

Jubilee had lucked out and had been found watching an armload of old 20th Century Fox movies, the one she'd seen as she'd walked in had been 'Ivanhoe'. Kitty had been with her as they'd both watched Jubilee taking copious notes on what she was seeing. Kitty had then excused herself to the computer suite, she was going to research 'the real history' as she put it.

That left Marie with the last option, the library.

Inside she'd wandered through the shelves, finally finding herself at a dead end as the history section seemed devoid of the books she'd thought she'd need. So instead she found herself wandering the poetry section, the old plays and poetry were lined up in a mixed symmetry. Her eyes noticed the small amounts of dust that were still there on the shelves that didn't get much traffic. English majors tended to go for the American authors they knew, leaving the rest of the library quiet and filled with an older dust.

Hands wandering along shelves that hadn't been used for a while, her finger snagged on a dustjacket pulling the small slim volume out of it's home.

Plucking the small thin volume out she read the front of the obviously handmade book. 'Mummer's Plays of the Middle Ages,' the authors name wasn't on the front but a group of men dressed in all sorts of costumes were. A smile went across her lips as she innocently replaced the faces on the front with those she knew.

A physician, a knight in armour, a dark skinned man, a young woman stood alone, a fool, a chorus of three women stood at the back of the men and what looked like an announcer. Taking the book with her she went to her room to study, hopefully she'd get something out of it to write about.

**********************************************************

Logan was back, the summer was just beginning where he'd just come from but here it was in full swing. The roses of the drive were a huge blanket of perfume to him, it never ceased to amaze his senses that no one actually crashed from the welter it gave out. But then not everyone had senses like him, his eyes went to the quiet kids who were either reading or playing touch football on the lawn.
New faces mixed in among the ones he knew but the one he was hoping to see wasn't there, Marie.

Her smell was still in the house of that he was certain but she hadn't heard his arrival, if she had she'd have come to greet him. Pushing his jacket off his aching shoulders he went to see Xavier. There were things he had to report this time, outside was changing and not all for the better. It gave him hope though, there was some forward movement in the right direction, only it wouldn't be this generation or the one after it that felt the benefits. Sighing he went to find Xavier.

**********************************************************

Marie was lost in her little thin volume, the words of the plays seemed to be the same story, done in different ways. In one version the Hero (St George) is called to fight over the woman he is bethrothed to by Bold Slasher (a Turk). The woman they fight over is an untouched virgin, her purity is in no question. The chorus are her handmaidens, the doctor is called when George kills Slasher, whom the doctor touches once and brings him back to life. Defeated Slasher tells George he'll return in a year to fight again, they agree and the maid is left in limbo.

The several versions that were in the book made Marie mad, the woman never got closure, she never knew just who wanted her more. There were other notes in the back of the book and Marie decided to go and do a bit of digging.

Meeting Kitty in the computer suite, her report just printing on the machine next to her screen. This time Kitty's punctuality didn't annoy her, she needed her skills.
"Kitty, do you think you could help me research somethin'?" Kitty smiled at her friend, seeing the small thin volume in her hands Kitty pulled out the seat next to her own.
"Sure, doing the report?" Marie nodded and handed over the slim volume, the references on the last page being typed into the machine.

As the information came up, Marie reached out a gloved hand to Kitty who squeezed it back in return. They'd become quite a close unit her and Jubes, a terrible threesome who were always at the edge of some trouble of some sort. Never the instigators but they usually had a hand in it somewhere.

Kitty cleared her throat as they began looking through the pages that appeared on screen, the text was dry, old, mainly about the practices of early medieval cultures. That was until they hit the folklore section, then everything changed, their searching came up with plenty of information about the subject of the Mummers Plays and what they represented. It even gave a breakdown of the characters and a modern reference to look at, when that page opened up Marie had a flush of ice run down her back at the images she was seeing. Even Kitty turned to look at her and reading the text quickly printed it out.

It looked like fate had just handed Marie another clue to her life and how to live it.

**********************************************************

The report had been done, the relevant facts written down but the 'other' bits had been left out for a night like this one.

Piles of papers lay on her bed, references, pictures, everything she'd need to get her freinds to agree with her. That the one thing she'd always thought wasn't just true, it was even part of the worlds folklore.

Jubes was interested in what was going on but her head was already moving onto the thoughts of summer and the things she could get away with calling 'clothing'. Kitty was setting out the munchies while Marie got her arguement ready. The news had spread that Logan was back and he was currently asleep after driving two days straight. So it was the perfect time to get this out and then they could all watch and see if her conclusions were correct.

"Right, Jubes have a look at this," Marie handed over a picture of a dark eyed man, dressed in black, his eyes burning out of the small picture. Jubilee looked at the figure, his stance, the way he held the curved swords in his hands.
Looking back at Marie she just shrugged, "Yeah, so?"
Kitty cut in, "Who does he remind you of?"

Jubes eyes dropped back to the picture, searching for the clue she was supposed to find. It finally dawned on her when she looked at the twin swords, a smile wrapping around her face as she said his name. "Logan! It's Logan, even down to the crappy mood." Marie nodded and then handed over the picture of St George in his helm and armour.
"And this?"
Jubes gave this picture the same curious gaze and again it was the way he held himself, the way his head was held and the air of 'right' around him.
"OH MY GOD! It's Fearless Leader!!" Her smile was now bordering on laughter as she imagined Scott in armour. He'd look just like this, proud, haughty, stick up his ass.

It wasn't over yet as Marie handed the final picture over, a maiden dressed in white, her hair coloured from auburn to fire red, dressed head to toe. Her hands crossed demurely over her stomach, eyes lowered to the ground. Whomever she was she had no clue how to dress her self, it was Marie who broke her thoughts."Thats the maiden, the one they fight over in the plays. Thing is they fight over her every year and nothin' ever changes. In one play St George wins, then The Slasher wins."
"The Slasher?!" Jube's nearly choked on her laughter as she heard the words come out.

When it was clear that neither of them were laughing Jubes stopped, Kitty made a suggestion. "Maybe we should use their other names?" Jubes jumped on that immediately.
"OOh what else are they called, tin man and rust boy? No no let me guess....the Incredible Fearless Leader and The Man Animal Wolverine!" Jubes didn't notice the look of hurt that burnt itself into Maries eyes but she did hear the door slamming shut after her.

Kitty just looked at Jubes who was now coming down from her laughter and looked round for her friend. Kitty just took the picture of the maiden out of her unresisting hand. "What did *I* do?"
Kitty just sighed and put the picture under her nose, "If those two are Scott and Logan then who do you think she thinks this is?"
The sudden weight of her actions hit her and Kitty saw it cross her friends face. "That's right, she thinks it's Jean. Thing is I think she's wrong."
Jubilee was all ears now, she had to find out a way of making this better, Rogue had always felt inferior to Jean, even though Logan had never ceased chasing Jean he never acted on the chances he'd got with her. Telling Jubes that he really wasn't interested in nailing her, because if he had been it'd be done by now.

Bringing her attention back to the picture Kitty spoke again, her voice small and quiet in the room. "An *untouched* maiden, one who's purity is *without* question? There's not many that can do that here, we've all seen how Logan acts around her when he comes home."
Jubilee agreed, "Yeah he drives off every decent male around when he sits with her..."

The light finally went on in Jubes head and she felt even a worse heel than she already did as Kitty slumped on her own bed. "That's the kicker Jubes, she just won't see it that way, that's why I needed you." A wicked smile erupted across Jubes face, pulling her friend back up she plucked the pictures from her and pulled her out of the room.
"Come on your goin to get me upto speed on this one, I need information." Kitty nodded as they went to the computer suite, their purpose in hand. As they walked down to the now quiet room Jubes asked, "What *were* their other names?"
To which Kitty replied, "Oak and Holly, the two opposites of man." Jubes nodded, she could see how that would work, one was as straight as they came and the other was short dark and prickly.
"Well it fits, all we've got to do is get her to see it," her grin glittered in the evening sunlight. "And someone else for that matter."

**********************************************************

Breakfast was slow today, Marie was nowhere to be found and he was feeling more grumpy than usual, even more so when Jubilee waltzed over. Plonking her self at his small table she snatched a small piece of his bacon to which he growled menacingly at her.
It didn't work.
"What do you want yella?" It was her nickname and he knew it bugged the hell out of her.
"Just being friendly, I see your missing your breakfast partner today." He was about to give her a mouthful when she continued, "She's out in the greenhouse if you want to see her, she's been feeling a little down lately. Seems to think your interested in chasing something you don't want."

Those words were the only things from stopping him from giving her a good hiding right there and then.
"What did you say?" Jubilee took a bigger peice of bacn this time and quickly stuffed it in her mouth.
"I *said* Rogue thinks you want Dr Summers, hell I did till I actually thought about it." Her small frame got closer and Logan actually moved back a little, something he'd never do if he was still actually there in the room. "You see, we had to do a report on some old Arthurian legend stuff, and do an extra report. You see Roguey found a legend she thought backed up her entire existance. Two opposing men fighting over the same woman for eternity." Jubilee's eyes flashed dangerously, "Thing is she got it wrong didn't she? You don't fight over Mrs 'I'm so perfect I get out of bed this good' Summers, you both fight over Rogue."

Jubes let that little piece of information slide into his mind before letting him have the final coup de grace. "I mean whenever your back Scott is always on her case, making sure she does her work, checking up on her at night. Arguing with you when you take her out on the bike, he *never* does that for any other student Logan, only Rogue. Ever wondered why?"
With that thought dropped into his metal lined skull she left him alone, she didn't need to see his face but if she had seen his hands, she'd have seen him snap his cutlery in two.

**********************************************************

Life stank.

Just when she was hoping that life couldn't be as bad as she thought it could be, here she got a lesson from history itself. That no matter what the men around her would always go for the one they couldn't have. She was about to come out of the greenhouse her empty breakfast plate in her hand when the smashing of glass had her running out onto the lawn.

Logan and Scott were fighting, her heart went into her mouth as she saw Logan take a blow to the head that had to hurt. Shaking it off he threw Scott at least ten feet with one blow, landing smack on his back in front of the small crowd that had gathered. Panting he looked round, caught her stare and just marched off into the grounds. His body twitching with unsupressed rage, Jean was tending to Scott, sending children to get a stretcher from the cupboard. When she got there she could see the damage that Logan had wrought on his face. Shocked she reached out toward Jean who just turned her face toward Marie and pulled back from her. "Don't you think you've done enough?" Her snappy comment made Marie's head spin, what did she mean by that? Surprised Marie stood there as Jean carried her husband back inside, Jubilee and Kitty were soon at her side and she looked to them for the answer.

Kitty spoke first, "He was arguing with Logan about you going out with him on the bike, then he just started punching him." Marie's eyes widened as she let the words sink in.
"But why would he...."
Jubes interrupted, "Because Roguey, the maiden they both fight over *isn't* Jean." Jubes left her friend shellshocked on the lawn, taking Kitty's arm she led her away from Marie. Her face torn between sorting out what had happened with Scott and going after Logan.

When Jubes and Kitty got to the house Kitty turned back and saw the empty lawn with a smashed breakfast plate on it. "She went to Logan didn't she?"
"Uh-huh."
Jubes smiled, "One nil to Holly then."