Fireworks and Claws

Standard Disclaimer:

All Marvel characters are © Marvel, I make no money off of them, please don't sue, I have no money.

The story itself and any characters I make up, however, is © Me, please don't use or copy without permission

Continuity and stuff:

First, right off the bat

GO OUT AND RENT X-Men 3, or buy it

This is because the scene that forms the basis for this story is easily missed if you aren't watching for it. (I missed it in the theater myself) Also I'll refer to some of the alternate endings found on the DVD so go get it.

The scene:

On the Golden gate bridge, before magneto shows up there is a 5-10 second scene showing a young girl with black hair playing a video game in the back of an SUV. When magneto shows they become trapped in the SUV

Whether this is anyone specific or not in the eyes of the directors, writers, or Marvel I don't care

For this story that little girl is Jubilation Lee and that night on that island her family dies at the hands of Magneto and Pyro when they use their SUV as a flaming missile. Only the manifestation of her powers saves her. (What happens to the girl and her family isn't shown in the movie. You don't actually see Mags pick up the car with the family in it, I added it.)

Jean, Xavier and Scott are all dead and will stay that way

Rogue does NOT take the cure (as shown in one of the alternate endings found in the deleted scenes)

Hank doesn't become an ambassador to the UN but rather becomes a teacher at the Xavier school (again Alt. Ending)

Logan takes off for Canada (Alt. Ending)

Summary: After her family died on Alcatraz Island at the hands of Magneto Jubilation Lee latches onto Logan as her new father figure. Despite his chagrin and attempts to loose her she manages to keep up. Eventually he takes her under his wing as they travel together.

So then, let's get started

Prologue: On the Run

He didn't know how she did it. Really he didn't. He had found her shivering and weeping in the burnt out remains of an SUV after the battle of Alcatraz. Her powers had manifested in the instant that Pyro had incinerated the vehicle launched as a weapon by Magneto. Her powers had saved her, but not her family. He had told her that his name was Logan even as she had clung to him like a lifeline. He had then left her at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters and took off for Canada. He had gone to the bar that he had found Rogue at and had a few beers and upon leaving had found her, sitting on his motorcycle, with a small napsack, eating beef jerky.

He had told her to go back to the school and had ridden off leaving her behind, but the next bar he stopped at, she was there, waiting for him when he came out.

And the next one

And the one after that

And at the hotel

And the next bar

And the truck stop

The bar after that

The motel

The grocery store

The next bar

The gas station

The diner

His camp site

The next bar

The rest stop

The bed and breakfast

The next bar

The hardware store

Another camp site

The diner he had eaten at this morning

And now he was here

Logan looked down into his beer and sighed. Tossing the rest of it back he dropped a couple twenties on the counter and got up to leave. She had been following him for a little over a week now, if you included the trip to Alberta from New York and she had never appeared while he watched, only when he was out of sight of his cycle. Two days ago he had started going out of his way to loose her, traveling in random directions, taking strange routs to get places, taking the long way. He was almost having fun. He almost forgot why he was on the move. He had killed Jean, his love. He knew it had been necessary, that doing so had saved the world. That didn't stop the pain.

Walking out of the truck stop, Logan looked over at the motorcycle that had been Scott's, it had a trailer now that held and extra gas can and his camping supplies, tent, blankets, propane cooking stove, a skillet, pot, percolator, coffee, spices, a fifth of whiskey and a cooler with ice, steaks, bacon, eggs and butter.

What it didn't have was Jubilee waiting for him.

She HAD been there; he could smell her scent, still fresh, Ozone and cinnamon bubblegum. It left a trail around the back of the truck stop.

His enhanced hearing picked up a couple of pops in that direction and he started running. There were two trucks parked side by side right where her scent lead him. He smelled fear in her scent now.

Rounding the first truck he saw her. She was going through the pockets of a big burley trucker. He was sprawled out on the ground where he had fallen; his buddy was next to him. Their pants were down around their ankles and their ears were bleeding.

She found his wallet and went through it taking about $60 from it. Standing she glanced over at Logan. He noticed that her eyes glowed red as she dropped the wallet next the man's head. And moved to the next guy and finding a money clip took it and the $40 she found there.

Logan stood at the front of the trucks and watched as the little 13 year old girl casually stripped the two would be rapists of cash, then rolled one over and pulled off his leather flight jacket and put it on. It was way too big for her and the arms were too long but it was warmer than the light wind breaker that was now lying, torn on the ground.

Her knapsack was also torn. Seeing this she walked over to the man on the right and kicked him viciously in the side.

Logan heard a rib break.

She then went to one of the trucks and Logan heard a pop and the lock burst with a flash. She climbed in and after a bit climbed out with a nice leather duffle. Dumping the stuff out she grabbed a couple things she apparently wanted from the pile and shoved that stuff and her torn knapsack into the duffle. Repeating the exploding lock trick she went into the second truck and came out with a few more items which went in the bag. Zipping it closed she picked it up and passed Logan headed for the truck stop.

Logan flinched as a ripple of bangs as every tire, on both semis, suddenly had holes blown in them.

Following her Logan watched her pull out credit cards and do cash advances on all of them, Extracting about $800 before the machine wouldn't let her take any more. She left most of the cards on the ATM machine and turned to him.

"Need gas?" she asked holding up a card.

"Sure, kid." He drove his cycle over to a tank and she filled up his bike and the gas can. The bike's overdrive needed premium and the bike had a bigger tank than most. She left the card sticking out of the reader.

She was watching him, holding the duffle, waiting for him to drive away.

"Hop on kid." He said taking her duffle and strapping it to the front of the trailer.

Her eyes lit up, flashing yellow and blue and she climbed onto the back of the bike and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Off they drove into the sunset.

Author's notes

Well there we go. Jubilee is a bit more hardcore than she is in the comic, and she doesn't talk as much but then she just recently had her parents and brother killed right in front of her. Constructive Criticism is welcome, Read and Review.