**Mice's "God...er, Dog" Disclaimer**
Mice is in no way associated with the Marvel Comics Group. The characters of Bobby Drake, Hank McCoy and Jubilee, belong to the Marvel Comics Group. Holland, Jacob, Bert, Cliff, Hollis, Annie, Gary, Gene, Lucy, Peaches, Jentelle, Chad, and Nan are of my own mind. If you want to e-mail her comments or if you'd like to archive this series, do it at mice5k@hotmail.com. You'll get some brownies out of the deal, but it's not really that great of a reward because she can't cook.

This story is currently being archived at:
The Wolverine and Jubilee Page (http://www.wolverineandjubilee.com)
un(frozen) (http://alykat.hispeed.com/unfrozen/)
B.U.C.K.S.H.O.T. (http://bobbysworld.snarkyblue.com/buckshot/)
The X-Zone (http://www.geocities.com/shatter_star15/xzone.html)

God ... er, Dog
by Mice

Chapter 9

Hollis rose to her feet as she saw her daughter coming toward her with red puffy eyes. "Holly, honey, Ah know all of this is sad an'all, but you look horrible."

Holland nodded weakly as she took her seat. She looked for her cousin who gave her support from across the room with a nod and a smile as Jubilee was advancing
towards him.

"Yo ... Bobby. How's it hanging?"

Bobby raised his eyebrows. "What do you know, Jubilee?"

"I know nothing, just that I'm here with my good friend, Bobby Drake!" Jubilee smiled, gave him a hug and a punch on his shoulder. "Buddypal!"

Bobby looked at Jubilee like she had a third arm growing out of her forehead. "Who in the hell says 'buddypal'? Jubilee, you know something, now what is it?"

Jubilee groaned. "I'm sorry, Bobby..."

"For...?"

Jubilee clasped her hands behind her back and began to rock back and forth in her shoes. "I was kinda-sorta-not-really-at-all-inadvertantly eavesdropping in the bathroom when--"

Bobby swallowed hard. "You heard me and Holland talk, didn't you?"

Jubilee nodded slowly.

"It's all right, Jubilee."

"I'm really sorry, Bobby, I didn't mean to, I just--"

"Jubilee," Bobby smiled. "I understand. I know you're not a 24-hour sneak."

Jubilee grinned. "Thanks, Bobby ... and if you want to talk about--"

Bobby shook his head. "Not yet, Jubilee ... I want to get through with all of this, first..."

"Excuse me, but you're Cliff's sister, right?"

Holland nodded as her mother clutched her purse in horror. "Jentelle, right?"

"You got the accent right and everything, right on, girl!" Jentelle snapped her fingers. "Listen, I'm in a bit of a jam..."

"Ah think you're in more than jam, honey," Hollis bit at the drag queen.

Holland gave Jentelle an apologetic look before continuing the conversation. "What do you need?"

"Do you sing?"

Holland made a face. "I can carry a tune..."

Jentelle clapped her hands. "Good enough for me! I need someone to sing Barbara's part in 'Enough is Enough' with me!"

"I love that song!" Holland shrieked as she got up.

"Holly, honey, please don't make a fool out of yourself--"

"Mom, I--!"

"Holly, Ah'm just sayin'--"

Nan approached Holland, pushing Hollis out of her way. "What in the blazing hell--?"

Nan disregarded Hollis and spoke directly at Holland. "What seems to be the problem?"

Holland bit her lip. "Jentelle wants me to sing with her..."

Nan grinned. "That's the first sensible thing you've said all week, Jacqueline!"

Hollis composed herself retook her place beside her daughter. "Now just one minute, here, Hannah Bass! Don't you encourage her and don't call her that name!"

Nan smiled at Hollis's overreaction and remained calm. In fact, she was smiling. "I wouldn't have to call her that if she didn't have such a horrible name to begin with. Who names their child Holland?"

"Ah do, for one!" Hollis fumed. "And calling her that name ... 'Jacqueline' ... after the wife of that Democratic ass--"

"No," Nan sharply interrupted. "After my favorite Charlie's Angel, Jacqueline Smith."

Holland blushed and let a small smile escape. "Really?"

Hollis began to laugh. "My God, Hannah, you are going senile! Her name is Jaclyn Smith!"

Jubilee stormed in and stood by Nan's side. "Listen here you corn shucking, cousin marrying, tobacco chewing nut job, don't you call the lady senile!"

Hollis made a face. "First with the fags, and now with the goddamn Japs..."

Jubilee's went red and was getting ready to step forward when Holland spoke up. "She's Chinese, Mother."

Hollis looked at her daughter in disgust. "Don't talk back ta me, honey--"

"Don't tell me how to talk, you fucking whore!"

Jubilee and Nan's eyes went wide and stepped back.

Hollis's mouth dropped slightly, and said in a soft voice, "Holly...?"

"Hollis," Jacob broke in. "I don't think that you should be here."

Nan took Holland into her arms and motioned to Jubilee to leave to give Jacob and Hollis some privacy.

After they were gone, Hollis finally spoke, never looking at Jacob, being afraid of what she might see and afraid to let him see her so emotional. "He was mah son, Jacob..."

Jacob nodded solemnly. "That may be, Hollis, but you are not his mother, not after what you did." Jacob took a deep breath. "I don't know why you even came here. Were you here when Holland and Cliff graduated high school? When Holland was pregnant?"

Hollis's jaw tightened as she struggled with her words. "Ah'm sorry Ah missed those events--"

Jacob shook his head. "But it's not just that, Hollis! You didn't just miss those events, but you missed everything! What did you expect to find when you got back here, Hollis? Did you think we'd be happy to see you?"

Her lip trembled dangerously. "Holly was--"

Jacob looked at his wife, and with a grave voice replied, "I never told Holland why you left, I made up a story so she and her brother could be proud of you instead of ashamed and hurt."

Hollis closed her eyes to steady herself. "Jacob, Ah am ashamed of what Ah did to you and the kids, but Ah couldn't stand living like that! Ah never wanted ta get married and settled down--"

"Then why did you marry me at all?!" Jacob bellowed, unafraid.

"Ah was scared, Jacob!" Hollis began to sniffle. "Ah think Ah should go, now..."

"No." Jacob grabbed his wife by the arm and spoke sharply. "You are not going to run out on us again."

"Jacob, Ah don't belong here, this is for family..."

"And, damn it, we were a family once!" Jacob took a moment to calm himself down. "You came back to say good-bye to your son, right?"

Hollis nodded.

"Then stay."

"Daddy, how are you feeling?"

Jacob Bass trembled as he began to drink a glass of water. "I'm getting better ... I feel better..."

Holland nodded. "I don't think I've ever seen you that angry..."

Jacob smiled. "Felt good to finally let all that out."

Holland bit her lip. "Dad ... do you think that I--"

Jacob quickly put down his water and kissed his daughter on the forehead, already knowing her fears. "Holland, you'll never be her."

"But I am her daughter--"

"But you're not her. You are doing a great job with Bert and you would never desert any of us, no matter how much we drive you up a wall."

Holland nodded, trying to focus on the positive. "You know what, Dad?"

"What, Pork Chop?"

"I think I heard Nana give me a compliment ... in her own weird way..."

"Mom, is that you?"

Madeline Drake sighed over the telephone. "No, Bobby, it's the maid."

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Hi, Mom."

"What's going on, son?"

"Cliff's wake is about to begin."

"And what are you wearing?"

Bobby blinked. "Wouldn't you rather know how Nan or Jacob or doing?"

"Bobby, don't change the subject on me."

"A blue tux."

"Not my father's powder blue tux, Bobby."

Bobby was temporarily astounded at his mother's low level telepathy. "Nan likes it."

"Oh, so her word is everything now? Who gave birth to you, hmm?"

"You did, Mom..."

"Don't forget that, Bobby. Now, how's Mom, Jacob, the others?"

"Nan is doing good--"

"Her and the girl still fighting?"

"Like cats and dogs."

"Good, good ... Jacob?"

"Uhm..." Bobby looked to his uncle from his perch at the pay phone. "He looks well ... considering."

"Considering what, Bobby, what aren't you telling me?"

Bobby cleared his throat. "Well, Aunt Hollis is--" Bobby tore his ear away from the phone as he heard something break. "Mom?!"

"Sorry, Bobby, you know how I feel about her."

"I know, Mom."

"I can't believe the way she treated Jacob. I warned her that harlot would be nothing but trouble, ever since he met her, but did he listen to me? No. And look at him now, miserable--"

"Actually, he looks quite happy right now, Mom--"

"Don't interrupt me, Bobby!" Maddy took a breath before continuing. "I just don't know how he could have picked a trollop like that. If your father ever did anything like that so-called wife of his did ... oh, I just don't know!"

Bobby swallowed. "I don't think you have to worry about that, Mom."

Maddy laughed over the phone. "Oh, I know that, Bobby! I'm just saying ... oh, nevermind. It's not something I want to bother continuing. Would you like to talk to your father?"

"No, Mom, I've got to get going; this thing is getting ready to begin."

"All right, Bobby. I love you, son."

"Love you, too, Mom." Bobby slowly hung up the phone and stared at it for while before going to sit down.

continued >>

Author's Notes:
Though there's only one chapter yet to go, there will be a continuation. I'm not calling it a sequel, because I consider Eskimo Pie to be the first part of this story. If you are interesting in reading Eskimo Pie, it is on Alyson Hurt's site, (un)frozen (which I'll never get tired of promoting).

-(main) - (biography) - (discussion) - (stories) - (pictures) - (links) - (updates)-