Somewhat Amazing
By Didi
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Marvel. I am not making any money off of this story. This is purely for enjoyment purposes. If anyone from Marvel care for the idea, they are more than welcome to it, I won't even think about making a fuss. It's useless to me anyways.
Timeline: X-Men Issue 157, where the Marvel world decided that Bobby Drake should now be completely solid ice without any means of turning back to a normal state. It really pisses me off when they make decisions like this and decide not to tell the loyal fans how and why. Last I knew, Bobby had a patch on his chest and couldn't turn it back; but that was as far as the problem went. When did he go all-ice and can't revert back? Did I miss an issue or two?
Author's Note: Okay, this will be part four of my "Somewhat" series dedicated to Bobby/Jubilee fics. This particular idea rattled in my head for a while since we first learned of Bobby's secondary mutation. I wasn't really thinking about writing a story until this past month when the whole thing came to head again. I've only read as far as X-Men 157 so I don't actually know what the current rooster is and where each team is stationed so bear with me and forgive my mistakes. And, if there are certain things that feel a little off, I apologize in advance. I would also like to apologize in advance for the age problem… I don't know what the age is of the current players in the comic books… let's face it, the writers mess with the ages almost as often as fan fiction writers do. So you'll just have to use your imagination and not get too bad at me for playing god with the age thing. And any booing must be saved until the end of the story. Thank you.
Oh, and all the stuff from my previous "Somewhat" fics apply here; there aren't much because I tend to like to do stand-alones for my X-Men stuff rather than the long novels my other stories tend to get.
Summary: Bobby Drake is now official a living ice sculpture. So how do you reach in and touch the man within? Jubilee is about to find a way, even if it means freezing her tailbone off.
Rating: PG 13 for the sake of plot flexibility.
Key: "Spoken," Thought
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
She stood at the edge of the veranda, motionless. She's been there for fifteen minutes now, completely ignoring the fact that her toes were froze and her nose was turning into an unbecoming shade of red. It was July and the weatherman said that it was going to high of 103 and low of 92 with 140% humidity. It should be hot, it should be unbearably hot, and she should be sweating like a pig. But instead, she was freezing, wearing three layers of clothes and in eminent danger of becoming frost bitten.
The last half hour had been wasted trying to convince Scott Summer that she should be on the new team based right out of the school. She was sure that it had been Scott's very best intentions to give her a sense of purpose and to renew her life by sending her Genosha to help with the reconstruction of the island country. But she wasn't needed there, not the way she was needed here. She had use all kinds of reasons, pretty ingenious ones she's say, including the usual need for a need for stability, this was her home, Paige was her best friend, Wolvie was going to be here, she needed to feel wanted, she wanted to be here, etc. But in truth, none of that really mattered and weren't the reasons Jubilee thought she needed to be on the X-Men Blue Team. The reason for it was standing ten feet away, in the center of the unnatural snowstorm that's hit the west wing of the Xavier School for the Gifted: Robert "Bobby" Drake, a.k.a. Iceman.
At the ripe old age of twelve, Jubilee had had a mad crash on the boyishly cute X-Man. He had been a worldly twenty-one with all the maturity of a thirteen-year-old. An instant bond had been formed as only two children in the world of adult problems could; and Jubilee had pushed aside her girlish romantic fantasies for something more solid, more real: a lasting friendship. They had laughed, joked, pulled pranks on one another and on the various members of the X-Men in resident. They had leaned on one another through the bad times, shared the good times and competed to see who could consume more sugar in one sitting in between the good and the bad.
She knew without a doubt in her mind that like Wolverine, if she was ever in trouble, she could count on Bobby Drake to ride to her rescue. And she would do the same for him.
Only today, she knew she couldn't.
Today, Bobby was caught in a nightmare of Nature's doing. And today was the beginning of many such days.
Trapped in a body that was in a constant state of ice, Bobby could not longer return to the life he once knew. Sure, he could use an image inducer to make him look normal, to give him the appearance of the handsome boyish All-American charm that he possessed not three weeks ago. But that would only bring to even more stark reality what he could no longer have, what he no longer was: normal (though she was still trying to define the term 'normal.')
Since his transformation, Bobby had become another person, someone she no longer knew. He wasn't just cold physically, he had become cold emotionally. The seething anger in him always seemed just below the surface and he didn't bother hiding it with a grin and a joke as he prone to do in the past. No, in this form, he's given himself leave to allow his emotions to run free… and that included lashing out at everything that bothered him. He didn't laugh or smile anymore, a permanent scowl seemed to have been etched onto his still handsome face.
And it broke Jubilee's heart to see him so changed.
"How long have you been standing here?" Bobby asked having turned his face toward her while she was lost in her reverie.
Shrugging her shoulders, she didn't come closer as she would have once done, she wasn't sure of her welcome anymore. "Awhile."
His icy blue eyes watched her for a moment, studying her as if she was some fascinating creature in the zoo. "Get inside before you freeze you butt off," he remarked before turning his head again so he was watching the lush green lawn of the school once more.
It shouldn't have made her so giddily happy to hear him be so curt with her, without any of their old bantering fun, but it made her heart soar. If he cared enough for her welfare, there must be something left of his heart in the chilly form. "Now that was a silly thing to do," finally coming closer to plant that frozen butt of hers on the seat next to him. "You know I never reacted well to orders, not even from Stick-up-his-ass Summer."
Once upon a time, that would have illicit a hooting laugh. Now, he didn't even react. "Don't blame me if you end up with pneumonia."
"No worries, Hank will know exactly who to blame," she replied easily and watched the school grounds as he had been doing. She knew he expected her to say more, to make more than just that cheerily dreadful comment, but she didn't. She knew better now. Besides, there was no better sure fire way to get a person's attention to act to the contrary of what they expect.
There was a silence that seemed to stretch out to forever.
"Jubilee…"
"Yes?" she answered expectedly.
"What the hell are you doing out here?" he all but growled at her, irritation evident in more than just his tone.
"Catching some rays," lifting her face to the warm sun. "Same as you."
He didn't out right call her a liar but his eyes came as close to as humanly possible. They both knew he was out there wallowing in self-pity, too many people have been stopping by his room to give their sympathies. Giving her his best scowl, "I'm sure you can find another patch of ground around here that's considerably warmer," and dropped the air around them a couple of degrees to prove the point.
Resisting the need to shiver, she gave him a smile that was completely genuine, completely unlike her and completely conveyed her message that she knew exactly what he was doing and wasn't going to let him get to her with it. "I like it cold; it makes me appreciate the sun all that much more."
"Won't know," he said bitterly. "Can't feel it."
"Well, that's a lie if I ever heard one," she muttered with annoyance. If nothing else, she expected him not to treat her as the others do more often than not, like she was still the child they once knew and couldn't possibly understand what was being said.
He glared at her.
"If you can't feel the varying degrees of warmth/chill, how do you know to drop the temperature?"
Bobby did nothing but stare for a moment, his blue eyes unblinking as he process her last comment. Then the frown appeared; lines that shifted and bunched the solid ice stretched across his icy face. There was muttering under his breath and she could only guess that she was better off not knowing what unkind things were said about her. "Go away, Jubilee. I was here first."
"So? I don't see your named scratched anywhere," she shot back, feeling even better now that Bobby was making an effort to talk, even if it was to just snap at her. His uncommon silence had been unnerving of late.
In response, Bobby held out his hand; the ice cross the patio grew another inch and the words 'Robert Drake' appeared in bold scrolling letters that was quite pretty to behold. He gave her a look.
Jubilee frowned. "Well, ask a stupid question…" she muttered and stuck her tongue out at him because it was simply reflex to do so. "Well, I'm not leaving," and then proceeded to vaporize the icy signature with a flick of her wrist and a shower of color sparks. Crossing her arms over her chest and wiggling her bottom into a more comfortable position on the icy cold law chair, she regarded him with a stubborn jut of her chin. "If you want some peace, go find a place that isn't a common area."
He glared at her but didn't get up. They sat there for another moment, in complete and utter silence, something that's never happened between the two of them before. Someone always has something to say.
Bobby felt a discomfort. It wasn't physical, it wasn't even mental, it was… emotional. He felt distant, cold. And this was Jubilee. There should be laughter, banter, sweet teasing fun and carefree twinkling of the eyes. She was the one person he had hoped, prayed that won't have changed simply because he has. Apparently, wishful thinking on his part; then again, nothing ever goes his way.
So lost was he in his own depressing thoughts that Jubilee had to ask her question twice before he even heard it.
"So, movie night?"
"What?" startled from his thoughts.
"Movie night," she repeated yet again. When he simply stared back at her with a complete blankness, she sighed. "You promised the kids a movie night on the lawn if they all completed their essays with a B or higher."
He made a disagreeable face, one that wasn't so handsome and stared up at the clear blue sky for a moment. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was spend three hours in the company of a bunch of happy children that have yet to learn the hash realities of life.
"Will that answers that," giving him a cross look. "If you don't want to do it, just say so, but those kids deserve a reward. I'll set it up. They worked real hard on those essays. I won't have them disappointed because you want to do the pouting thing."
Ignoring the jab at him, "Some of those 'kids' are older than you."
"No," she said quietly and with a look that was much too serious for one of her tender years. "No, they're not. Not where it counts."
Bobby didn't ask what that meant, he knew all too well already. How many times has Jubilee been force to be an adult, to grow up before her time because the world was unforgiving and there were people out there that didn't give a damn if you were a monster or an innocent child? Unable to meet her eyes, he looked away, stared across the vast span of greens. "I can put an ice-screen and get the old projector out from the attic. That should be good enough to do an outdoor movie night."
"Okay, that sounds good," she said forcing the cheery tone. But her heart just wasn't in it and her voice fell flat. "I'll go talk to Cook about maybe setting up some kind of a snack table for the kids. Might even keep them quiet through the movie," she joked weakly.
Feeling like a slug for having dug up memories she probably wanted to bury, he regretted visiting his own dark mood upon her. "What did you pick for them to watch?" he asked hoping to get her mind off the depressing subject of her lost childhood.
Shaking herself loose of thoughts she knew would only make her join Bobby in his self-pity-fest, Jubilee gave a mental nod and move on with her plan of action to get Bobby back into the human race. "I was thinking something violent but romantic, dramatic but funny, over the top but totally absorbing."
Icy lashes shuddered for a moment as he blinked blankly at her. "Is there such a movie?"
"Of course!" she gave him a cheeky grin. "Give you three guesses?"
Gamed because he had nothing better to do, "The Terminator?"
Jubilee made a face. "How is The Terminator funny?"
Bobby gave her a look. "Governor of California?"
That produced a smile. "Okay, I'll give you that. And no, it's not The Terminator."
He considered it for another long moment, running down the list of movies he had watched with Jubilee while she had been in resident. Jube was a movie buff, having grown up in sunny southern California where movie stars were a dime a dozen, and the number of movies Bobby had to sit through with her was numinous. She was always a little bit more alive when she talked of a movie, of another reality where she didn't have to worry about her own safety. It was strange; Bobby hadn't considered that until now. The movies were entertainment to him but an escape for Jubilee, an escape from this harsh world where fact was oftentimes stranger than fiction.
Jubilee would have given half her wardrobe – she'd give her whole wardrobe but she's just brought new jeans – to know what was going through Bobby's mind. A tiny frown had appeared between his icy brows, forming a crack in the otherwise smooth surface. "Give up?" she asked tentatively, not sure she wanted to come between him and his thoughts.
"Never," he muttered and looked at her again. "Adventurous but romantic, dramatic but funny, over the top but believable… hum…." His mind went through the categories of DVD that lined one wall of the library on the second floor. He'd bet his next pay check it was one of the movies the school already possessed.
"You're never going to get it," she taunted with a grin that positively dared him to give up. She wiggled her bottom, trying to get some circulating going there and waited for him to respond. She laughed at him when he frowned at her. "Want a hint?"
Reluctant but at a lost, he growled, "It better not a bad one."
Lips curling into a sassy smile that made her look a little too grown up for his peace of mind, "Think lots of special effects, hero and heroine are in denial, denial, denial," she sang each word and waved her hand dramatically. "And there are moments that make you go 'eww…'"
There was a moment of silence as Bobby fought the urge to laugh. She was adorably pixyish as she made a face with that last word, like she had smelled something terrible. "Major 'ew' factor?" she tried to recall which movies he had shared with her at involved her making that face. "Silence of the Lamb? No, there isn't any romance in that one."
"Oh I don't know," she mused rubbing her hands together to wear off some of the chill at her fingertips. "Hannibal cared a great deal about Clarice in his own sick twisted way."
"Hannibal was obsessed," Bobby corrected, warming the air slowly around her. There was no need for her to suffer. Just because he was permanently cold doesn't mean that she had to be. "There was a great difference."
"Many men have been obsessive about the women in their lives," she sighed and wrinkled her nose. "And there lies the problem with relationships that go from infatuation to murder/suicides."
"Wow that was morbid," he said giving her a cautious look.
She answered with a cheerful, "Thanks." For a moment there, it was almost the old Bobby back.
"Okay, movie, movie, movie…" he made a face, warming the temperature a notch or two because he wasn't paying enough attention to maintain the extreme cold. "Another clue?"
"Hot leading man," she replied proudly.
"That's a clue?"
"Yes," nodding her head.
"Isn't that a given?" noticing that she was rubbing the soles of her shoes together. Her toes were probably frozen by now. With a frown, he dissolved the ice around her sneakers with a slight thought then decided that it would be better to evaporate the moisture instead of allowing her to sit in a puddle of icy water.
"Not necessarily," she stated defiantly, ignoring the fact that water just steeped into her shoes and then had suppress gasp of surprise as a cold flash passed through her and the wetness went away.
"Name one movie where the lead actor wasn't hot," came the challenge.
Her eyes narrowed for a moment as she searched her memories. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Jack Nicholson may be a phenomenal actor but hot he is not."
Nodding his head in consensus, "Okay, I'll give you that one."
"Bridges of Madison County; sorry but sixty-year-old men just don't do it for me." She gave him a wicked smile. "Though Harrison Ford…."
"Don't finish that sentence."
She laughed. "Robin Williams in Patch Adams."
Bobby began to have the feeling that he just dropped himself into a bad thing.
"Samuel L. Jackson, The Negotiator," she held up her hand to stop him as he opened his mouth to argue. "He was cool but he was not hot." She gave him a grin when he rolled his eyes at her point. "Robert Carlyle in The Full Monty. He was adorable but he was so not hot. Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter; way too wrong. Leonard DiCaprio, Gangs of New York; what a dork. Jack Black, The School of Rock; so no way. Adam Sandler, Happy Gilmore; I'm not even going to touch that one. Jim Carry, whatever movie he is currently in…"
Holding up his hands in surrender, "Okay, okay, you've made your point."
She stood up because really she needed to, and took her bows. "Thank you, thank you."
Rolling his eyes, "Fine, it's a legitimate clue."
She attempted not to look smug… she attempted. "Period piece," she offered with a grin as she planted her bottom back on the cold bench. He was smiling, really smiling now because he was amused by this game. And she wouldn't for the life of her end it now. "Full costumes."
"Lord of the Ring," he guessed, not really sure because it didn't quite…
Her face scrunched up into an I-can't-believe-you-just-said-that look. "How is Lord of the Ring a period piece?"
"Costumes galore," was the firm reply.
"It's not even set in this world."
"And Harry Potter is?"
"I didn't say it was Harry Potter," she countered.
"Fine, fine, but it does fit all the clues."
"Harry Potter?"
"No, Lord of the Rings." He leaned forward and started to tick off the clues on his hand. "Romantic: Aragon and Arwen's torturous love story. Adventurous: Frodo's quest to destroy the ring, battle for Middle-Earth; lots of 'eww…' factor there not to mention the massive amounts of special effects. Funny: Legolas and Gimli. Dramatic: potential death of all that is good. Over the top: It's Tolkien. Believable: It's Tolkien."
She threw her head back and laughed. "Okay, okay, Lord of the Ring fits, kind of," then slanted him a look that was purely evil. "But it's not the one I picked."
He was momentarily distracted but that dark, almost sensual look in her eyes as she grinned wickedly at him. Her sapphire blue orbs twinkled with mischief, promising sweet adoration and trusting fun and something else. There was no pity in her eyes, no pretend understanding of his pains, no attempt at disguised discomfort, no falsehood of any sort. She was an open book and every page was something wonderful. "It's not?" because he mind had gone blank.
"Nope," shaking her head and sending slightly overlong locks touching her chin. "And you missed a clue."
He blinked. "I did?" rubbing his chin slightly. He went over the list of things she gave him. "No I didn't."
"Yes you did," she said with a mocking look. "A huge one, I might add."
"What?" when she just continued to mockingly sad at him and shake her head. "What?"
"I said the movie had special effects, the hero and heroine were in denial, and there were major 'eww…' moments," she looked at him expectedly.
There was a long silence as Bobby turned it over in his head. "So what did I miss?"
Rolling her eyes, she rubbed her hands together; it was considerably warmer but not enough to take the numbness out of her fingers. "The 'denial' part of it."
"Huh?" reaching over and brushing his hand away so that he could warm the air around her.
"Denial!" making an exasperated gesture.
"Isn't that a given?"
Now it was her turn, "Huh?"
"The hero and heroine," he explained resting his elbow on his knees. "They are always in denial of their feeling toward one another. They don't get together until the end, after the dramatic rescue/climax scene. It's a given."
"No it isn't," she argued.
"Yes it is," he said emphatically. "Look at Gone with the Wind."
"You watched Gone with the Wind?" a look of incredulous crossed her face.
Annoyed with at her, "I'm not all Jim Carry and Adam Sandler, you know. I do watch classic films."
"Are you sure it's not because you didn't want to read the book?" giving him a dubious look.
Bobby had to grace to blush. "Well, it was a really long book," he grumbled and omitted the fact that he had also been reeling from the transformation Hank McCoy had put himself through. She sent up a twinkling laugh to sheer delight, a glorious sound that reverberated with something deep inside Bobby. "Well, it was," he said defensively just to see if he could elicit another laugh from her. It did. There was something magical in the way it seemed to relax him.
Shaking her head, "I don't think Gone with the Wind counts. Rhett Butler was never in denial. He wanted Scarlet and everyone in the audience knew it."
He reflected upon that for a moment, "Fine. Good Will Hunting."
"No way, Minnie Driver's character gave him her phone number at first meeting. No denial there." There was a long pause to which Jubilee interjected; "Go ahead," in that teasing tone of hers that got her a scowl for interrupting his thoughts.
"Titanic."
"Two words for you: Nude Portrait. Nothing was hidden there."
He laughed; a genuine laugh that softened his face.
And Jubilee held her breath.
His laugher faded when he saw her eyes, shining with unshed tears as she bit her lip. "What is it, Jube?" for she looked like she was in pain. "What's wrong?"
Taking halting breath, she sniffled softly and offered him a tentative smile, almost shyly. "I missed you."
Bobby stared at her for a moment. There was wistfulness about the way she said it that twisted his guts. "What do you mean?"
Never having felt she needed to lie to Bobby, she chose not to do so now. "It's been so long that I almost thought you weren't ever coming back."
It would have been insulting to pretend he didn't know what she was talking about, so he didn't. "Have I been gone long?"
Nodding, "Yeah, a few weeks now."
"Weeks?"
She nodded again. "Since before the non-wedding."
There wasn't any mistaken idea as to what she was talking about; it was since his secondary mutation kicked in, since he began to permanently turn into ice. For a moment, his whole body froze up, an extreme cold permeating through every molecule around him as he began to retreat into his icy existence where nothing can hurt him. But then he saw her eyes, steady and sad on his, and felt himself letting go. "Jubilee?" asking her silently for what it was that she wanted from him - anything not to see that kicked-puppy look.
"Don't go away," came the barely audio-able request. Her face was so youthfully beautiful yet with there was a tired old quality about her that made his chest tighten painfully. "You once asked me to stay; you even made me promise because you said you'd 'miss me' if I left." Her lips twisted in an ironic smile. "But then… you went away. And I was left here missing you." Her searching eyes asked for answers. "How fair is that?"
Wolverine's triple bladed fist slammed into Bobby's gut and drew blood. He sat there, staring at her staring back at him with eyes that cut him deep and made him ashamed. And the shame made him turn away. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry," she replied softly but firmly, bringing Bobby's attention back to her stern face. "You don't have to be sorry; I don't want you to be sorry. I just want to know that you're not going to go away forever. I've lost one too many friends to give another one up without one hell of a fight."
For a moment, Bobby saw the quiet dignity of Storm and the firry determination of Jean in her eyes. Jubilee had grown up under the teachings of some of best and it showed. It shook him to see her as such, as the strong and beautiful woman she was obviously becoming. This wasn't his little buddy anymore. This was a friend; a good friend that he's hurt badly.
Reaching out, she took his hand in hers and Bobby instinctively warmed the air around them. "I know that you needed to go away, I really did; we've all done it at one point or other in our lives in our own ways. Wolvie goes hunting whenever he's hurt. Storm hides in her garden. Scott just gets all professional on us when he needs to distance himself. I've done it by running to L.A. If you need to 'leave,' if you need some time just to be yourself; do it. Only please let me know that you're going to come home." Her fingers tightened around his. "Let me that that I'm not going to lose you forever because that scares me worse than death itself."
The lump in his throat grown a fraction more, "I didn't realize I had gone that far."
Her smile was painful to behold but here eyes were gentle, full of understanding that only made him more ashamed. "I know. And I was afraid for a while there that you had gone away forever." She gave his hand another squeeze gently to let him know that she was serious - not that he thought otherwise. "I missed you."
It was on the tip of his tongue to reciprocate the sentiment when it hit him; he meant it. He truly meant it.
With all the boiling anger and frustration, all the annoying false sympathies and placating words, all the testing and prodding, all the hell that this mutation was putting him through, the most he missed was that easy non-pressuring friendships that have been strained by all the other emotions that threatened to drown him. And what he missed the most was Jubilee's easy banter, free flowing smiles, her gentle teasing and careless hugs. He missed the midnight snack attacks, the long pointless conversations, the elaborate plans of pranking the students just to prove they still can. With her, he was at his most ease. He missed being simply Bobby. He stopped being simply Bobby. In everyone eyes, including his own, he had become for better or worse – and he now free admit that it was mostly worse – the Iceman. And he hadn't thought for a moment that anyone would miss Bobby.
But as usual, he was wrong.
"Stay?" she asked softly, obviously not wanting to intrude on whatever battles he was engaged in within himself.
There was a thousand and one proper ways to answer her but he knew only one that would matter. He gripped her small delicate hand between his own. "I," in his most grave tone, "Robert Drake, solemnly swear that I will do my utmost best" taking a deep and resigned breath, "Never to leave behind Jubilation Lee," indicating to her with his hand, "To the tender mercies of Scott Summer's stick-in-the-mud humors, Alex Summer's controlling ways, Logan's smelly exercise programs, Jonothan Starmore's dark-and-broody moods and Paige's all too early Sunday morning jogs."
It was like watching the sun come out after a long week of thunderstorms. Everything was a washed in bright happiness. With a squeal, she launched herself into his arms, toppling him over on the bench. He laughed as his arms came around her, cushioning her fall. "Welcome home," she announced and pressing a kiss on his grinning mouth.
It should have been cute jubilation kiss. A happy bussing that was might to sooth a bruised soul.
It should have been teasing and friendly, like dozens of other gentle kisses that she's given and received.
It should have left them rolling on the ground laughing. As they have done in the past.
The operative word there was 'should.'
Instead, it was lingering and sweet, hesitant but curious. And in it was something neither one recognized but felt; like nothing they had experienced before. A little more love and a little less friendship. It was somewhat amazing that he should find himself int his bemusing place.
Jubilee swallowed as she pulled away, not quite sure what had just happened. Removing herself, she tucked a lock of loose hair behind her ear and searched for something, anything, to ease the uncertainty in the air. "Denial."
"What?" all the thoughts of everything else having been knocked completely sideways and down the Grand Canyon.
Clearing her throat, she tried again pushing aside the lingering memories of his lips imprinted upon hers. "The clue, you missed it."
Deciding that she had the right idea, Bobby jumped eagerly back into their previous discussion – anything to avoid feeling like a fool for feeling… something. "I did not miss it."
She rolled her eyes, straightening her jacket and stood up. When one was of certain height, one learns early on to stay standing when arguing a point. "Yes you did. I said that the hero and heroine were in denial. And you missed it completely."
"I'm telling you that I didn't…" he paused, his head cocked to one said as he frowned at her, trying not be to distracted but the slightly puffy lips that she was licking. "Denial?" His eyes narrowed slightly. "Or Thee Nile?"
Jubilee made a very bad attempt at hiding her grin.
He groaned and leaned his head back to stare at the sky. "The river Nile in Egypt," and then all the clues clicked together neatly. "The Mummy."
"Told you you missed it the first time around," she pointed out smugly.
Because she looked so adorably proud of herself, he grinned at her. "Okay, I admit defeat, happy?"
"Ecstatic," she replied, feeling their air around them settle. "You set up the ice screen and I'll get the movie and projector?"
"Yeah," he said nodding his head as he continued to watch her, not sure if he really should or not and feeling just slightly confused.
"Okay then," feeling suddenly shy with no idea why. "I'll go talk to Cook about the snack bar thing too."
When she turned to go, he called out to her. "Jube?"
"Yeah?" her head twisting around to look at him over her shoulder.
"Did you really miss me?" he wanted to know.
"Didn't you?" she asked in reply before taking off.
He stood there, staring after her, rolling the question through his mind over and over again. Yes, he did. He did miss being just Bobby Drake. It was strange that he hadn't even notice that until she came along with her big bright eyes and guilt him into paying attention to what's happening. It was also somewhat amazing that she, of all the people that professed to know him so well, would be the one to reach out and drag his sorry ass back into the human race.
Grinning, he was just about to head into the house to find that old projection Scott used to show lousy scrimmage films before the invention of the great VHS cameras, when he noticed something peculiar. His hand, blocks of jointed ice cube blue only that morning, was a sheer color. Bringing his hand up, the one that Jubilee held, up to his face and rotated it at the waist. The near translucent shade wasn't so… icy looking. In fact, besides that coloring, it looked almost skin-like.
Pulling up his sleeve, he stared at his arm. It was the most normal he's looks in weeks now. Not quite human but not so icy.
"Bobby?"
Looking up, he watched as Jubilee watched him. "I'm not sure what happened," he whispered, watching his own body as it glistened in the afternoon sun, not quite so cold and yet not reaching the state where he was human looking once more.
She reached out to him, touching his arm, letting him feel the warmth of her palm. "Give it time," she advised, using her free to tug his sleeve down slowly, covering the translucent skin once more. Her smile was encouraging and her eyes full of understanding that has nothing to do pity. "You want popcorn or candy corn?"
It wasn't that she knew what she was saying, it was the say she said it. It wasn't that he trusted that her faith alone would make a difference, but he did trust her. It wasn't that he was so desperate to believe that he listened but he did. For the first time since he was reduced to this permanent state of solid H2O, he chose not to dwell upon it. Taking her hand, he gave it a squeeze, silently letting her know that he was grateful. "Surprise me."
One corner of her lovely mouth turned up. "That's an answer you may live to regret." Standing on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips against his once more for the briefest of seconds – which only left Bobby wanting more – as if testing them both. She touched his cheek and smiled before leaving once more.
He took a deep breath, committing the memory of her lips to his mind and let out his breath slowly. For the first time in what seemed like a lifetime, his breath did not come out in a stream of vapors; he didn't feel quite a cold.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Fin