A Torch and a Firecracker

Beany

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters mentioned in this story. They all belong to Marvel.


Prologue

So she'd left the team and was staying here, living here and working here...all in the name of a good education. She knew it wouldn't happen back home, so she'd up and left to start a new life and pursue her dreams...maybe even get lucky. 'Pfft, as if that could happen...' She'd be lucky if she could even make it through the first year with this salary. Ah well, beggar's couldn't be choosers, and Jubilation Lee wasn't going to beg for an education...nor a living, so working at the Daily Grind was her place.

It had been six months since she had left the mansion. It had once been a place she could call home…but not any more. Now her home consisted of a very swanky one bedroom apartment. It wasn't all that swanky; as in it didn't have a Jacuzzi or gold furnishings, but it was definitely an upgrade from the apartment she had shared with Angelo a couple of years ago. She really had Emma to thank though, as she was the one that had provided the accommodations.

Over the years, it had only been the Hell Fire Club's former member and one of the X-Men's former enemies to notice that she needed to get away. After the whole Bastion debacle, she had been the only one there for her; she was the only one that had been able to get through to her. From that moment onwards, she and Emma had formed a bond and relationship resembling that belonging to a mother and daughter.

Of course they continued as normal around others, but behind closed doors their usual personas were pushed aside and their inner selves were shown. It was during one of their talks, after Angelo's death, that Jubilee divulged the news that she wanted to leave the X-Men. Emma understood her decision and the reasons behind it, and helped her in her escape that night.

For three years she had been living, working and studying in New York under the alias of Julie Lee. She had graduated at the top of her high school class and had managed to secure a place at New York University to study Social Care.

Even though she had been working since she was sixteen; education was pricey, and what was worse, she was running out of money. She didn't want to ask Emma, not because she wouldn't be happy to help, but quite the opposite. So she had been forced to take up another job; working five days at the Daily Grind and then at Alexandro's on the weekend. It was tough, but she had to do it. She wanted to prove to others and more importantly herself that she was grown up and could take care of herself.