It is kinda easy meeting Jean...

"Dark Phoenix?" asked Jessica. "I don't think I know that name."

"Don't worry," said the woman who called herself both Jean Grey and Dark Phoenix. "You will. In any event, were you really hanging out with the White Queen by choice?"

"Not by choice, really," said Jessica. "But she's made us the best offer I've had tonight. We have **** but to take her offer for our son's sake."

"Why do you keep talking about yourself in the plural," said Jean Grey. "It's almost as if you have two -- Oh, I get it. You're like Charly over there."

"Actually, apart from having an alter -- as you normals choose to call it -- I am nothing like Charly," said Jessica.

"Heh," said Jean Grey. "You called me 'normal.' I'm tempted to hug you just for saying that."

Jessica started to reply when suddenly a loud voice screamed in her head. "For fuck's sake, Jessica! Stop chatting with my enemy and KILL THE SKANK!"

The voice was Emma's but for some reason, Jessica chose to ignore it.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME, JESSICA?!" screamed Emma in Jessica's mind. "STOP MESSING AROUND AND KILL THE BITCH!"

No, thought Jessica.

"NO?!" replied Emma in Jessica's mind. "WHAT DO YOU THINK WE'RE PAYING YOU FOR? LAP DANCES? Stop fooling around and kill her already! That's why we hired you!"

I have no interest in killing her, thought Jessica. So far she's been nicer to me than almost everyone else I've met this evening.

"THAT WASN'T A REQUEST, YOU MORON!" screamed Emma. "IT WAS A DEMAND. NOW KILL THE BITCH RIGHT NOW OR ELSE I'LL SEND SOMEONE TO KILL MICAH!"

If you value your life, Emma, you'd better be kidding about that last comment, thought Jessica. Because if you try to seriously threaten our son again, I'm going to take out your cell phone and ram it down your throat!

"You idiot!!" screamed Emma. "I'm a telepath. I only use a cell phone for appearance's sake. I don't really need it to communicate long-distance. I can contact my people at any time and have them kill your son if you're not going to follow orders."

That's what you think, thought Jessica.

And before Emma knew it, Jessica was upon her and grabbing her by the throat.

Jessica expected to see fear in Emma's eyes but to her surprise, she saw... contempt.

"You imbecile," said Emma in Jessica's mind. "You really think you're the first person who tried to strangle me? Good thing I'm good at multitasking."

"What does that mean?" asked Jessica out loud. "Is that your way of saying you're going to try to burn out my brain?"

"Oh, why do it that way when it would be more fun to do this?" asked Emma.

Then suddenly everything in Jessica's head blurred and then just as suddenly Niki was awake again -- and in Jessica's place.

Almost automatically Niki let go of Emma and started screaming, "Wait a minute! Where am I? Who are you? Why do I have such a headache?"

"Who am I?" asked Emma with a smile. "Why, I'm you. And as of now, you're me."

"What does that mean?" asked Niki.

But before Emma could reply, a voice from behind her cried out, "So there you are, Emma! You thought you could get away with your little practical joke but as usual, you were wrong."

Niki turned to see an angry-looking brunette glaring at her. Even though the woman was obviously naked, she wasn't even trying to cover herself and for some reason, that worried Niki.

Then Niki felt a sudden burning sensation in her left foot and she jumped up and screamed.

The brunette just smiled. "Not so nice to be on the receiving end of a joke for a change, is it, Emma? Now for my next trick, I'm going to make you go up in smoke!"