Chapter 1

The buzzer rang.

Xavier started at the sound. It was early in the morning at the mansion, and breakfast had just ended. That particular sound meant that someone with an old set of the mansion's gate codes had arrived at the gates, punched in the code, and not been admitted. Very few people had the codes that would open the gates, let alone an old code. An old code meant that the person trying to gain entry was or had been, at one time, an ally or friend of theirs. Since Xavier made sure that each time he changed the codes he made sure that everyone who needed to know them got the new version, this person had obviously not been here for some time. He couldn't imagine who that might be. He hit the switch on the flat panel set into his desk. "Xavier residence," he said. "Identify yourself, please."

"Hey, Professor! Didn't know you changed the codes!" came a cheerful, definitely feminine voice. Xavier switched on the monitor.

There was a young woman standing at the gates. She was dressed in a conservative yet subtly attractive navy blue skirt suit, had thick black hair that fell in waves down to the middle of her back, and wore dark sunglasses against the glare of the early morning June sun. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but he couldn't place her. He reached out with a tentative mental tendril and touched the young woman's mind.

Jubilee!

He stared at the screen in shock for a moment. She was so different!

He chided himself. She wasn't thirteen any longer, she was twenty-four, and a rising star in the field of Applied Physics. Upon her graduation form the Massachusetts Academy, she had surprised everyone by insisting on pursuing a degree in college. He had whole-heartedly supported her interest, and had been gratified when she earned her degree a year earlier than the others who had entered college at the same time. Once out, she'd quickly earned recognition for her approach to atomic physics. She had launched herself on a tour of universities around the world, attending scientific summits with members of other scientific communities around the world. Xavier had followed, with pride, her accomplishments and dissertations as she traveled. He'd read just the previous day that she'd be in a summit in Vienna. What was she now doing here?

Outside the gates, Jubilee pulled off the sunglasses and squinted at the camera hanging over the brick post of the gate. "Hey, Professor?" she said. "It's me, Jubilee! Have I changed that much?"

Xavier found his mental voice. You have indeed, he said. I didn't recognize you for a moment! Come in! And the gate swung wide.

Jubilee hopped back in the cab she'd taken from the airport and directed the driver to approach the front door via the drive. As the yellow cab pulled up, the front door flew open and she saw Storm and Jean standing there. "Hey!" she waved cheerfully.

Both women nearly flew down the steps, flung their arms around her, and kissed her cheek. Jean finally stepped back and held her at arm's length. "Jubilee. You've certainly grown since we last saw you," she marveled. "Where have you been? Why did you call a cab? Why didn't you call us? We would have picked you up!"

Jubilee hugged Storm as she answered the torrent of questions. "I was in Vienna attending the Atomic Energy Summit. I was planning on going to Milan from there, but I got an offer from Professor Cohen on the Columbia University Applied Physics staff to speak at the graduation. I couldn't turn it down, since it meant I could come home. So I caught the red-eye from Vienna last night and arrived at the airport this morning around six. I didn't want to call here and wake everybody, so I just hopped into a cab, took my lecture notes to the college, and then came here from there."

"Regardless of how you got here, it is good to see you back," Storm said, hugging her again. "How long can you stay?"

"As long as I want," Jubilee said, shrugging out of her suit jacket and opening the trunk of the cab. She dragged out an overnight case and set it down on the ground, folding the jacket neatly and putting it in the case. "I just have the speech to give later this afternoon to the graduating class, then I'm free! I've been homesick for a while, but I'd been so busy on my lecture tour that I didn't really pay attention to it. Then I saw Professor Cohen and it all came back to me. I decided it was time to come home." She looked up at the front of the sprawling mansion, and her eyes looked misty. "I really didn't realize how I missed this place," she said softly, more to herself than to the two women.

The cabbie cleared his throat. "Uh, Ma'am?" he said, setting her last bag on the pavement of the front drive.

Jubilee snapped out of her reverie. "Oh, yes. How much do I owe you?" she said. As she settled things with the cab driver, Storm took one of Jubilee's bags and Jean took the other two, balancing them on air telekinetically, freeing up her hands to carry Jubilee's relatively light overnight case. When Jubilee turned around, she found all she had to carry was her purse.

"Charles didn't tell anyone else you were here," Jean said as they went in the front door and up the winding front stairs to the second floor. "It's going to be a surprise to everyone."

Jubilee grinned, and led the way up to her old room. When she opened it, she saw, to her surprise, that everything was the exact way she'd left it. Posters of rock band members decorated the walls. Her boombox still sat on the dresser where she'd left it when she left, though it was now a bit dustier than she remembered. The bed was still neatly made with the same loud fluorescent pink bedspread she'd liked as a teenager.

She looked around, slightly amused and appalled at the same time. At twenty-four, now, the things she'd liked and preferred at fourteen seemed juvenile and a little silly. Jean and Storm put her bags down on her bed as she giggled. "God, I had some awful taste," she said, reaching up to pull a poster of some long-forgotten boy band off the wall. "Look at this!" she went around, looking at all the posters, pulling most of them down. She reached up to pull the last one down, and then reconsidered. "No, think I'll leave that one up. He's cute." Jean giggled, and Storm looked amused. Some things really never changed.

Jubilee opened her bag. "Jean, look, I got this for you. It's real Chinese silk, from when I was at the Chang-An Institute doing a series of lectures. I saw that in a shop window, and I thought you'd like it. It matches your eyes." She dug further into her bag. "This is for you," she said as she handed a shawl to Storm. It was made of patches of varying shades of earthy brown and clear amber, and Storm was plainly delighted. "I got gifts for everybody," she said. "Where is…oh, no, oh dear, I have to hurry if I want to make the graduation," she mumbled after a quick glance at her watch. "I'll have to wait till later. I've got just enough time to unpack." And she hurriedly opened her dressers and began to toss things out, replacing them with the contents of her bags.

"Ick…" she murmured to herself, tossing a bright pink shirt out of a drawer. "How could I have ever worn this… or this…ugh, this is awful… yuck…Storm," she said suddenly, turning to face the woman, "These are obnoxious. Why didn't anyone ever tell me they were awful?"

"You would not have listened," Storm said. "And part of growing up is to find your own sense of style. If we had told you what to wear, you would never have been able to find yours."

"Still," Jubilee sniffed in distaste as she held up a brightly tie-dyed shirt, "Yuck!"

She gathered all the clothes she'd just tossed out of the drawers and packed them into a plastic bag. "I'll drop these off at the thrift store downtown when I go," she declared. "Right now I'd better shower and change." She plucked a white lacy blouse from her drawer, then chose a jade-green suit jacket and matching skirt to complete the outfit, and hurried from the room.

Jean and Storm were about to leave when she poked her head back in the door. "Don't tell anyone I'm here," she said, her summer-sky blue eyes sparkling mischievously. "I'll be back from the speech around three, and I want to surprise everyone. Especially," and Jean felt a surge of excitement and anticipation from her, "Wolvie."

Storm laughed quietly as the bathroom door closed behind the girl. "He was always the first person she looked for when she came to visit. Some things never change, Jean."

Jean's eyes were warm as she folded the delicate green silk scarf in her lap. "No, they really never do," she said, chuckling a little.

* * * Jubilee hid a yawn behind her hand as the Dean of the university droned on. Although it was only June, the weather was unseasonably warm, and she could see some of the students drowsing under the midafternoon heat. She was getting a little sticky herself under the linen of her jacket. Lifting a finger, she stirred the atoms of the air around her and got them moving, which provided a welcome breeze that cooled her off a bit. She thought of her friends at the mansion longingly, wondering what they were doing to beat the ninety-five degree heat. Probably in the pool, or boating on the lake. She wished she were there, instead of here. With difficulty, she forced her wandering attention back to the Dean.

"And as you all know, our tradition has always been to invite a guest speaker to speak at graduations. This year, we were lucky enough to be able to engage, as our special guest speaker, Dr. Jubilation Lee, the author of that brilliant paper you were all supposed to read for your exams on subatomic particle theory. Please come on up, Dr. Lee."

Jubilee rose and ascended the platform gracefully, feeling what seemed like a thousand eyes on her. At one time, she would have gotten tongue-tied and self conscious, but time and maturity had taken that awkwardness away. What the graduating class saw was a graceful, self-possessed young woman who happened to be the new expert in their chosen field.

"Thank you, Dean Miller," she said quietly, acknowledging the older man's courteous bow with a charming smile. Funny how, when she was first introduced to people, they saw the Asian cast to her features and automatically bowed. She suppressed the urge to shout, I'm an American, dude! and instead went to her place behind the podium. "Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Dean Miller," she said, the microphone picking up and amplifying her voice. She turned, looked at the students sitting in the chairs in front of her, no doubt dying from the heat under their dark graduation robes. She wished she dared to generate that breeze here, large enough to cool them as well, but she couldn't do that without creating an unnecessary spectacle. And she wasn't sure how they'd react to finding out she was a mutant; Dean Miller was one of those who didn't like mutantkind. So she ignored their discomfort as best she could, and turned to her notes.

She had prepared a speech all about the challenges they faced entering the field, all about how they would be an asset to the college, and impart some her own experiences upon her graduation. Another quick look at the students sweltering under the stifling heat, and she tossed the speech out the window. She'd make this short and quick, then they could all get on with their day. "I guess you're expecting a long speech about the rigors of becoming someone in your field," she said. "Well, for those who might be disappointed, feel free to see me after the ceremonies are over and I'll give you the long version." A ripple of laughter went through the audience, and the students sat up straighter. "For now, though, before you all spontaneously combust from the internal temperatures under your robes, I'll give you the quick version.

"You've all come a long way from the time four years ago when you entered the Columbia University campus. It's been a long hard road, and I'm sure you think that's all behind you now. Speaking from experience, though, the hard part's just beginning. Now you have to apply what you know to the world in front of you. There will be setbacks, there will be hardships. A lot of the ideas you have may never bear fruit; some of you might be tempted to quit.

"Let me tell you something; this isn't for quitters. The field of Physics, whether you're seeking a position in theoretical physics or applied physics, is an extremely competitive and challenging one. But if you are determined, and you stick with it and persevere, you will eventually get to where you want to go.

"So, keeping that in mind, I also want to tell you something else. Play. All work and no play makes Jack a very dull boy, as I'm sure you've all heard at some point or another in your lives. Take some time out to stop and enjoy life; it's too short for you to be able to spend all your time in the lab. Some of you are going to go off to positions in various companies and research centers in the fall. I'll probably meet many of you later in the field. But until you all go your respective ways, enjoy your graduation, enjoy your summer, and welcome to the rest of your life!"

The applause as she stepped down was thunderous, and heartfelt, though Jubilee rather suspected that part of the reason was the brevity of the speech rather than its content. She took her seat in the front row with the rest of the college's faculty and watched the rest of the graduation ceremonies, applauding politely at the proper times while all the time wishing she could leave. She could make an excuse of a prior engagement, but that would hardly be fair to Professor Cohen. So she got up and mingled with the crowd as the students went off to greet their families, then headed off to the refreshment table to pick herself up a glass of champagne. She was sipping it, and leaning against the table, when there was a soft voice at her elbow. "Excuse me, Dr. Lee?"

She turned, to see a boy standing at her elbow, holding out his hand. One of the recent graduates, she surmised, and took his hand in a strong grip. "Yes, what can I do for you?" she asked briskly, smiling at his wide-eyed expression.

"Uh, I, uh…" she looked down at his other hand as he fiddled nervously with something, and she saw his graduation program in his hand, along with a pen. "Um, I was wondering…um, could you…" and he stopped, blushing to the roots of his sandy blond hair.

"Come on, young man, I won't bite," she said kindly, resisting the urge to ruffle his hair. He seemed so young, so unsure of himself, though from the way he looked, he couldn't have been more than a couple of years younger than herself.

"Oh, for gosh sakes, Frank," said another boy, shouldering past the first boy. "Look, all she can say is no. Dr. Lee, we were wondering if you would sign our programs for us. It's not every day we get to meet such a distinguished professor as yourself."

The flattery was a little too obvious, and she had to cover her embarrassment and dislike of the other boy. He was too arrogant, too sure of himself. She reflected that he really should drop the king of the world attitude before he took a job anywhere, or he was in for a huge reality check. She reached for Frank's paper and pen first, smiling gently at the flustered young man. "Your name is Frank?" she said gently.

"Yes," stammered the first boy. She wrote in his program, All my best for a bright future, Frank! and signed it, Dr. Jubilation Lee. The other boy shoved his program at her and she took it, signed it briefly, Best wishes, Dr. Lee and handed it back. The two boys promptly disappeared into the crowd and she watched them go, shaking her head bemusedly as she picked up her champagne glass.

"You didn't like him either?" came a dry, amused voice at her elbow, and she turned, surprised, to see Professor Matthew Cohen.

"Who? The boys?" she said, trying to spot their backs.

"Frank is all right. Needs some work on his self-esteem, but he's a nice boy, and bright. He'll do well." Cohen took a sip from his own glass, coming up to stand beside her. "His companion was Bruce Garrett. Arrogant boy; needs to be put down a peg or two. His father's Patrick Garrett, the Wall Street broker. Rich, spoiled, and arrogant. Intelligent, but spoiled. He needs an attitude fix."

"Who, Bruce?" said a pretty woman, coming up on Cohen's other side and linking her arm in his. "Yeah, he's spoiled, and that gets in the way of his intelligence. Hello, Dr. Lee," she said, holding a hand out to Jubilee and peering at her over silver wire-rimmed glasses. "I'm Dr. Claudia LeBlanc, Matthew's fiancee. I teach Literature here at the college."

Jubilee took her hand and shook it warmly. "Congratulations, Matt! I didn't know you were engaged."

"It's a recent event," Matt said, draping one arm over Claudia's shoulder. "We're planning a wedding in the fall. We've just bought a lovely vacation house upstate, near Buffalo, and we're going to have our wedding there. We'd be honored if you'd join us, Dr. Lee."

Jubilee was flabbergasted. "I'm terribly flattered, Matthew! Are you sure you want to mix business with pleasure, though?"

He smiled warmly and patted her shoulder. "Jubilation, you are more than business," he said. 'I've followed your work with great interest since you published your first paper. I felt as if I knew you even before I met you the first time, at that conference in Helsinki."

"He's talked so much about your work, I feel as if I know you too," Claudia said. "Really, we'd be pleased if you came. And you're welcome to bring a date with you, if you'd like"

Jubilee blushed, and Matt chuckled. "Come, Dr. Lee, don't tell me, after what you said earlier about the necessity of play, that you don't have some nice young man waiting for you somewhere. Surely you have someone you think about waiting for you at home."

Jubilee blushed. Sure there was someone; the same someone she'd always looked forward to coming home to since her days at the Massachusetts Academy. Wolverine had always been on her mind, someone she'd always looked forward to seeing on her infrequent visits back to the mansion. Lately, those thoughts had become a bit warmer and more personal, but there was no way she'd ever tell anyone.

Matt saw the blush that colored her cheeks. "Ah, so there is! Come, Jubilation, we're all human. We all need someone to love. Feel free to bring him with you, if you'd like; I'd love to meet him. Now, if you'll excuse me, I see someone over there I need to speak to. Please give Claudia your address, so we can send you an invitation." And he walked off across the crowded room, leaving Claudia with Jubilee.

Jubilee looked around, noted the crowd was thinning. She could leave now. She scrabbled around in her purse and found a pen and a piece of paper, scribbled the mansion's address on it, and gave it to Claudia. The woman took it, thanked her, and after a few more pleasantries she moved off through the crowd to find Matthew. Jubilee left her empty glass sitting on the edge of a table, and took the keys to Jean's Miata out of her purse. Jean had offered her the use of the little blue car to her for the afternoon. Jubilee appreciated the gesture.

She drove back to the mansion as fast as she dared, thinking of the special gift she'd bought Wolverine. He would like it, she was sure. She'd bought him a matched set of saddlebags for his bike in Italy, the leather butter-soft and perfectly made. She'd caressed those bags a few times as she carried them with her from place to place, thinking of him. She couldn't wait to see him again.

What would he think of her now, all grown up? She knew how she felt; she wanted him. At first she'd thought of him as a substitute father figure, a friend, a mentor, a sidekick. As she'd grown, though, and reached adulthood, she'd begun seeing him as more than that. And her last visit home, a year ago, had cemented the resolution in her mind. She wanted him, she loved him. More than she'd ever wanted anything. But how was she going to get him to stop seeing her as the kid he called her, and see her as a woman?

She parked the car in the detached garage, wandered around the side of the building. As she'd guessed, the X-Men were out there passing the hot summer day in the pool. Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for the one person she wanted to see most, and found him, sitting at one of the tables, drinking a beer with Remy and Bobby. Her heart gave a queer jump when she saw him. Oh, how she'd missed him!

Jean turned, saw her, and flicked a thought tendril to her. Jubilee, why don't you get changed and join us? she said.

You don't have to ask me twice, she thought, and heard Jean's silvery mental laugh as the redhead returned to her conversation with Scott.

She hurried up to her room, tossed her bags thoroughly for her swimsuit. It was a blue two piece affair, a thong top and a boy-cut short underneath that matched her eyes. She'd bought it in France when she was there, and had gotten to the conference a couple of days early just so she could go tanning on the French Riviera. She still had traces of that tan, and as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror, she smiled. Wolverine would definitely find her appealing. She grabbed her towel and ran off to join her friends outside.