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Wolverine drove up to the mansion. He cut the engine and parked the bike. He sat there, letting the snowflakes fall on him. He'd been gone for about a month or so. But when he went out for a beer, he found himself driving back to the X-men. Wolverine smirked at how Jubilee would be celebrating when she found he had come back. Maybe celebrating is a little much, but he knew she would be happy to find that he was back; and he couldn't wait to see her smile.
Logan entered the mansion, and threw his gear in a nearby corner. Jean looked up as she heard the door slam. "Logan, your back." she said with a smile.
"Hey Red." Logan replied.
"How long you staying this time?" she asked.
"I don't know. Kinda' missed Jubes, so I thought I'd stop by."
Red hugged Logan. When she pulled back she said, "You know Logan, you're starting to visit your home instead of living in it."
"Yeah, I know. Where's everybody?"
"They should be coming down the stairs right about . . .now." As soon as she said it, all of his comrades came down the stairs with smiles on their faces. The friendly mob of mutants was led by the 19 year-old Jubilee.
"Logan, you're back!"
Logan picked her up and swung her around. "How ya' doin' kiddo?" he asked.
He never did get an answer since everyone was saying their greetings and asking him questions. Even Scott greeted him with a smile on his face.
After everyone had cleared out, Jubilee kissed him on his cheek, said, "Glad your back Wolvie," and ran upstairs. Logan then went to his own room.
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A while later, Logan heard a knock on his door. "What do ya' want?" he growled, knowing it was Scott.
Scott opened the door, walked in the room, and closed it. He sat in a chair across from Logan. "Are you going to be leaving soon?" he asked bluntly.
"Well, thanks for telling me I'm not welcome." Logan replied sarcastically.
"Are you?"
"It's none of your business." he said. Truthfully, Logan didn't know when or if he was leaving.
"Logan," Scott said, folding his hands. "I know Jubilation is 19 now, but she's still a kid at heart and . . ."
"Get to the point Scott." Logan said impatiently.
"My point is, is that even though Jubilee is 19, she would still be devastated if you left again."
"She never wants me to go. So I don't know what your getting at One Eye."
"Logan, the last time you left, Jubilee took a week or two 'off work.' She shut herself up in her room. The girls talked to her, and they told me that she thought you were gone for good. I don't know why she thought that, seeing as you always return, but she did. I can't afford to have Jubilee stop being an X-man while we still have a job to do."
Logan looked out the window. "Did she cry?" he asked, hoping Scott would say no.
"Yeah."
"Damn!"
"Logan, you can't keep going like this forever. Your body'll . . .nevermind." There was a pause before Scott said, "When are you going to settle down? You're like a father to Jubilee, and you need to be there for her. You missed most of her life already, but it's not too late."
"Don't you think I know that?!" he asked angrily, facing him. Scott stood up. "But you don't know why I leave or what I do." Scott started to walk out of the room. "You're not me."
"Thank God." he said, and left.
For some reason, what Scott said had bothered him. Ol' One Eye's words still rang in his ears. She's still a kid at heart . . . . devastated if you left again . . . . shut herself in her room . . . . thought you were gone for good . . . . thank God.
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The next morning, Jubilee came down the stairs. "Mornin' Wolvie." she said after seeing him getting some breakfast.
"Mornin' Jubes." he replied, looking up. She came over to the counter to where he was at and poured herself a bowl of cereal.
Then, the phone rang. "Wolvie, can you get that?" Jubilee asked.
Logan sighed, went over to the phone and picked it up. In an annoyed tone he said, "Hello." Logan listened for a minute, then his face grew dark. "Yeah, I'll be there." he replied to the person on the phone. He put the phone back on the receiver hurriedly and got his coat.
"Where're you going?" asked Jubilee.
"Canada. Sabretooth just wiped out a village."
"You're leaving?" she said, dropping the jug of milk. Luckily, the cap was still on.
"Yeah." Logan looked at Jubilee and saw tears forming in her eyes. He walked over to her, and cradled her face in his hands. He wiped away the tears that started to roll down her cheeks with his thumbs. "I'll be back. Soon." he added. "But I got to go."
"No you don't." she replied. Logan could tell she was trying not to cry by the sound of her voice. "You said Sabretooth's in Canada."
"He thought I was in Canada. He'll come here looking for me next." He dropped his hands away.
"When are you leaving?" she asked.
"Dark."
"I thought you would want to get there as soon as you could." she said, half questioning.
"I don't like the travel during the day." That was a lame excuse. Indeed, he didn't like to travel during the day, but normally he would want to get there as soon as possible. Secretly, he wanted to delay his trip so he could spend a little more time with Jubilee before leaving again. After all, he just got back.
Jubilee went to her room, and Logan began to gather his stuff he had left in the corner last night. The jug of milk and both breakfasts lay forgotten.
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When everyone heard Logan was taking off again, the tension level went up. Knowing how Jubilee felt, everyone trying their best not to say or do something that might upset her. Although Logan's trips were frequent, nobody was used to it. His personality was a pain in the ass to deal with, but when it was taken away, they almost seemed bored. He brung excitement to the mansion; negative excitement, but it was still excitement. Everyone spent at least a little time with Logan before he went to Canada; everyone except Jubilee. She stayed in her room and only went out to get food.
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That night, Logan pulled on his coat, slung his bag over his shoulder, and went downstairs. He headed toward the door, but saw Charles Xaivier sitting in front of it. "Hey Chuck." said Logan.
"Hi Logan."
"You here to stop me?" Logan doubted it, but the question had come to his mind.
"No, I only wished to say good-bye and to ask you to come back as soon as you can. I wouldn't want Jubilation gone for a long time."
"Where's . . ."
"She's upstairs in her room." and Xaivier rolled away.
Thanks Chuck. Wolverine thought.
Your welcome.