Sixteen Girls and Counting....
Disclaimer: All characters mentioned in this story, including the ones I made up, are property of Marvel Entertainment. The ones I invented are too because they were based on the ideals of the company, blahblahblah...
Notes: Logan returns to America after ten years, in order to track down a killer and guess who's right in the middle of everything...Jubilee.
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The Present....
"Logan wait, you just can't leave like this, they need you damn it," Jubilee's frantic cries echoed across the lawn as she raced after Wolverine! While turning to face her, his already weary expression turned dark.
"Watch ya mouth there Darlin'," he glanced down at his watch, it was barely two a.m.,"What in the world you doin' up this time o'mornin'?"
"I knew you'd do this," she proclaimed just as she reached him," I knew you'd run away again, you been acting froggy recently." She stood no more than three feet away from him as he sat on his Harley, her hands on her tiny hips, her right foot just slightly ahead of her left, her eyes slowly narrowed, this was Jubilee's best attempt at being angry with him.
"I gotta go Darlin', Amiko needs me, 'side you know I always end up back here," he said somberly.
"Yeah, when? A week, a month, a year....the team is falling apart Wolvie, with Emma turning on us and Scott hurt, and not to mention the whole thing with the U.N., Wolvie WE need ya... or at least let me go with you," her angry toned turned pitiful as the true nature of her protest had slipped out, she lowered her head in shame.
"Darlin'," he said sweetly while taking her face into his rough hands to raise her eyes to his own,"you belong here, they need you more than they need me. 'Side, I dragged you all over Asia once, I won't do it again."
"Not your choice," she mounted his Harley and wrapped her hands around his waist.
"Oh really, and you think you're going with me...to Asia...in an oversized t-shirt and slippers," Logan dismounted his hog then pulled her off while she kicked and screamed her protests?
"You can't go again, I won't let you, not alone, you get hurt when I ain't around, if Amiko needs you fine, just let me help," a pool of tears began to form on the bottom lid of her eyes. It hurt him to his heart to abandon her again, but Amiko did need him, Yukio was missing.
"Darlin', you know if you need me I'll come runnin', but you hav'tuh stay here," he took her into his arms and hugged her as she began to sob. Her wet tears mixed with the soft hairs of his thick sideburns as her cheek brushed against him. Logan exhailed, a rush of longing swept over him. In his arms was the most important person to him in the world; for all his courage and bravery he had never had the 'nads' to let her know just how much he really did care for her.
He only meant to pull away from her, to end their tender embrace, but when his eyes meant her's, his lips demanded he kiss her. His rough, dry lips pressed passionately against her soft, sugary sweet mouth; his tongue wantingly entangled with hers. She immediately fell into the kiss without protest or argument, before she knew it he pulled away. "But..."
"I love ya, Darlin'....," his whole soul sank with the admition, "but...," turning his head way from her without another word, Logan mounted his Harley and sped off down the driveway.
Jubilee just stood there, in complete shock, watching him turn off the property and onto the street. As the gate pulled closed, her mind returned to her; still hearing the put-put of his bike, she barrelled down the driveway as fast as she could run, "WOLVEEEEEEE,NOOOO...!" Grasping the bars of the gate, she turned her head in the direction of the motorcycle's noisy engine, but he was gone. The distant sound of the Harley's motor kept her company for a brief time, then it too vanished.
She held onto the bars, squizzing them tight, she whispered through her tears, "I love you too."
TEN YEARS LATER
RING....RING....RING...click
"Good Evening, Mutant Homocide Task Force, Detective Jae Lee, how can I help you?"
"Well now, that's the best I've heard you say that in a year."
"Hey Paige, what's doin'?"
"Not much, Jean took over the wedding plans, like I didn't see that coming. "
"OHH, we got that far behind?"
"Yeah and you know Jean, she's like Martha Stewart's fancier twin. Anyway, you busy right now?"
"Nope, but if this is about me missing the gown fitting again, I am sorry I had a small...."
"Logan stopped by...."
"Come again?"
"WOLVERRRRINNE, Jae, he came here. He's back."
"....shessh, my day was going so good too. Is he still there?"
"Nope, he oh...WELLL.."
"You didn't tell him where I was, did you?"
"...."
"Oh for Petey's sake Paige, why?"
"He needs help, Jae."
"No Duh, Guthrie, but why'd cha send him to me? I hear there are some nice padded cells at County General, why didn't send him there?"
"No, this has something to do with those murders on the news, you know the sixteen dead girls..."
"Of course I know, it's my case, but how is he involved?"
"I don'kno, said he wanted your help on it."
"Why me, he don't know I'm a..."
"Ah, yeah he does know about you being a cop, claimed Jean wrote him some letters while he was away."
"JEAN, ARG, I asked her just to return the letters, but nnoooooo, she had to write him back."
"Oh c'mon Jae, he seemed to miss you."
"Whatever, bye Doc, cya Friday." CLICK
Jubilation Lee, proped her interlocked fingers on the top of her head and smirked with disgust. She had been having a good day, Angelo had a lead, her cat came home, no more dead girls, for now anyways; now this crap.
Ten years, he had been gone ten years to 'help Amiko', who Jubilee knew now lived in Miami and was a college professor who taught Japanese. Amiko had looked up Jubilee, at Logan's request, a year ago. Amiko hand carried a letter to her, Jubilee thanked her, invited her to stay the weekend, then ripped up the letter that night without even reading it.
Now he was back, and looking for her. She wondered what he wanted, not that she should care, but she did. "ARGGG," she sighed in frustration! She had put him behind her, finished college, became a cop, a detective even and a damn good one too. The X-Men were disbanded, basically, the mansion was just a school now for mutant kids who wanted to learn about their powers, nothing more.
The X-Men were no longer needed, Magneto was dead from old age if you can believe that, Apocalypse vanished as did Sinister, their were a few loonies left like Emma and the Hellfire Club, but that was it. The U.N. Mutant Resolution had granted mutants world wide equal human rights, the dream was fulfilled kinda. There were always those who were going to hate them, that's were she came in.
The U.N. Resolution provide that mutants must be protected and policed under the letter of the law, and if need be, special arangments should be made to see that they were. Hince, every police department in the country now had a mutant taskforce of some kind with New York's being the best and Jubilee was the best of the best.
But over the past few months she was beinging to wonder about her statis as the best, there was a new sicko in the city she'd dubbed the NYC Playboy. He liked pretty girls and according to the few witnesses Jubilee could find, he was a handsome, twentyish man with a smooth line and a nice car. He'd pick up girls at a bar or on the street, next day, they were dead. Raped, beaten and gutted was the usual pattern; the only reason she had this case was the perp was thought to be a mutant. A woman at a club claimed she saw him, 'change' like a werewolf.
Jubilee, pushed the thought of Logan out of her mind and turned her attention to board next to her desk. The pictures of sixteen dead girls sweetly smiling at her was no comfort for the mood she was in. All the girls were blonde or strawberry blondes, blue eyes, and about the same build of 5'6" and 120 pounds. All the victims were intelligent, except for the part about them getting into a car and driving off with a stranger, all were single, all were exceptionally beautiful. She smirked, this guy was killing the same girl; probably a girl he was in love with that dumped or rejected him, he had serious issues with women.
"Good evening Chica," Jubilee's head turned towards the voice of her partner, Detective Angelo Espinosa. His once crisp white shirt now wore a brown coffee stain, his navy blue and red tie was hanging lifelessly around his neck and his baggy black trousers were about to fall off his small thin frame. She laughed at the sad picture he made as he manouved through the maze of decks and chairs that made up the homocide department.
"You still here Ange, Marisol is gonna kill ya," She smiled at the thought of his six month pregnant wife yelling at him, again, for being late for dinner.
"See Chica, that's where you come in, just call her and..."
"Oh no ya don't," Jubilee snickered while lifting her legs up onto her desk," the last time I covered for you she threatened to kill me for letting you work late, if you wanna go out with Bobby again that's on you."
"Oh C'MON, we got tickets for the Nicks, FRONT ROW," he pleaded.
"Front row, now that's impressive, but alas no my grey friend, Marisol will claim only one victim tonight, and I ain't him," Jubilee jumped from behind her desk and gathered her belongings.
"Oh well, I guess 15 years of friendship mean nothing," he said somberly while putting his hands in his pockets and sadly lowering his gaze to the floor, the Angelo version of Jubilee's infamous pout.
"Sorry Espinosa," she said while gently patting him on the back, "that didn't work on me when I was thirteen and it ain't gonna work now. I'm the only pouter around here." Laughing, Jubilee made her way to the door leaving Angelo to worry about the serverity of the tongue lashing he would get from his wife.
An alley near Grand Central Station.....
"Well now, is this your Jag," Susan Peterson asked her newly aquired date?
"Yep, tis mine. Hook, line and payments," he smiled at her seducitively as she laughed at his weak joke. *This is going to be fun,* he told himself. While opening the door for her, he watched as she graceful placed herself on the seat then tugged at her skirt exposing a small amount of leg. He smiled, noting that there were no marks on her legs, he liked them flawless.
The drive to his penthouse was filled with polite chit chat and merciless flirting. He helped her out of the car and lead her to the evelator. Within ten minutes he had her in a rather, interesting position on the bed that involved handcuffs and rope. She was loving every minute of her sexual fantasy come true until he...changed. Right before her blue eyes, dark hairs began to push out of his pours and his well manicured nails became thick and long like claws. His eyes turned a frightful shade of yellow and every inch of his body became twice as big as before, every inch.
She demanded him to stop, to get off of her, but her cries were muffled by the robe he had so playfully put in her mouth earlier. His love making turned violent, blood began to spray from her body and coat the walls as he clawed through the delicate flesh on her stomach and broke into her body cavity exposing her intestinal track. She managed one last scream as he lifted her liver out of her body and consumed it right before her dying eyes.
Later in Queens....
Jubilee passed the same five doors on her right that she'd passed every night for seven years now. She slowly withdrew her keys from her pants' pocket and unlocked her door.
As she entered, the smell of burning cigar tobacco assulted her nose. Rolling her eyes she knew she had an intruder, Logan. Sighing heavily, she flipped on the light and began to scan the livingroom for him, he wasn't there. "Okay LOGAN, where are you," she yelled as loud as she could hoping to hurt his sensitive ears!?!?! From the hall she heard a deep bellowing gruff of dissatisfaction; rolling her eyes towards the sound she impatiently tapped her foot and waited for him to come out.
A second later, he emerged out of her bedroom with a photo album in his hands that was opened to a middle page. For the better part of the day he had 'innocently' gone through her stuff in an attempt to catch up on what she'd done with her life in the last ten years. According to the diaploma proudly hanging on the wall, she graduated from Empire State with a degree in Criminal Justice. According to the photo albums she had travelled the world. He also noted, with a mix of joy and pain, that while there were no pictures of him anywhere, there were no pictures of a possible boyfriend either.
She sneered at the invasion of her privacy and quickly charged over to him to relieve him of the picture book. "Don't you know how to ask, or maybe we should start with knocking on a door? You break into my place...to what...rumage through my things," she shoved a corner of the album into his chest, fearless as ever?
He smiled, happy to see that Jubilee hadn't changed a bit, even if her attitude towards him was a little...bitter right now. "Sorry Darlin', the neighbors were looking at me funny when I was standing in the hallway." He bit down on his cigar trying to mask his admiration of the woman before him. She'd grown an inch, her hair was still short but more seductively cut and she had put on a little weight in ALL the right places. She was the beautiful Lady he always knew she would grow into; even if she was a tough as nails cop.
"Logan, get out," her demand for him to leave caught him off guard.
"Now hold on Darlin'..."
"Don't you dare call me that," She barked while turning on her heels,"I ain't your Darlin', I ain't your Pum'kin, or your Jubilee got it! If you have to call me anything at all pal, Detective Lee will do, or Lee if your in a pinch," she pushed an angry finger in his direction as she yelled! Her eyes burned red, her hands trembled, her nostiles flaired, this was Jubilee angry at him.
He held up his head, trying not to let his hurt feelings show on his proud face, he should have excepted this, but he'd hoped she would not be so angry once she actually saw him. "You're angry at me uh, I am sorry..."
"I don't care about you..." she paused as if to convince herself," ...you being sorry. You said it before and you didn't mean it, so I don't believe you mean it now. Ya been gone ten years Logan, ten, you said you would come back and you didn't, you claimed you went to take care of Amiko, but she's been in Florida five years now. So sorry, Buddy, just don't cut it. You walked out on the team, your resposibility to us and for what...Yukio wasn't missing, she had a problem with a few low lifes. It was handled and you still stayed away." She looked at him, her fury growing by the second. "Now you come back, you been keeping tabs on me through Jean, and now you lie to Paige to find out where I am, why what do want?" There, her mouth got to ask the question her heart wanted the answer to even though her head didn't want her too.
"I ain't lie to Paige," he got up in her face, his own mug turning red from her accusation,"I need help, that boy killin' those women needs to be stopped."
"And he will be, it's my case, I'll crack it...." she turned her eyes to him, her anger flared again,"What do you know?" He was silent, "Answer me damn it, you know something, WHAT !?!"
"He's my Boy Jubes, my flesh..." Logan's admission silenced the room. She backed away from him, exhailing a tired breath. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, "I need ya tuh help me find him."
Her eyes popped open as the full implications of what he was asking her to do sunk into her tired brain,"You must be out of your mellon, if your 'Boy' is the killer, I have to bring him in not turn him over to you. I hate to let you know this but the X-Men are gone, let us handle him Logan. Tell me what you know and let us handle this."
"Sorry Darlin', I can't, he's my Boy, I hav'tuh deal with him myself. His head ain't on straight, ever since his mother died he's been..."
"Killing blondes, raping them, torturing them. Logan why didn't you come forward with a name as soon as you knew, you should have called the police?"
"I was trying to find him on my own, I've been in town for about a month and..."
"A MONTH, you idiot, if you had come forward earlier seven girls might still be alive! I should run you in for obstruction of...."
"Darlin', there ain't no bringing this one in... he ain't like that, he'll kill ya for the hell of it..."
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT! And please Logan, I brought in Creed for crying out loud...."
RING.....RING.....
Jubilee silenced her ranting and yanked the phone from the base, "WHAT!?!"
"SHEEESSH, Lee it's me, Angelo..."
"Not a good time..."
"Well make it one, we got another one," Jubilee knew that 'another one' meant another dead girl.
"Where?"
"Manhattan, the Plaza Belle Apartments."
"On my way," slaming the phone down she gathered her coat and began to head for the door.
"On your way where Darlin'," Logan manhandled her arm almost yanking her to the floor?
"I have business, when I get back I want a statement and an address where I can contact you for the record and then I want you gone," she said ignoring the pain now shotting up her arm. He looked down at her, her face as sweet and innocent as ever, even with the anger and dark circles under eyes from lack of sleep. His eyes focused on her lips and the memory of their one kiss filled his mind.
"We got business too Jubilation," he softly said releasing her arm.
"You expect to waltz back in to my life after what you did to me ten years ago and everything be alright; I was suppose to be here with arms wide open? Maybe when I was eighteen, but not today," she wiggled into her coat and as she yanked on the collar to straighten the wrinkles out, then said," Scott was right, you really are a maniac." She danced away from his new attempt to grab her and bolted out the door with her keys in hand.
As she reached for the door, her statement rang through her mind, she knew that her words had hurt him, but...didn't he deserve to feel at least a small amount of pain for leaving her like he did? And as much as she hated to admit it, it had taken every ounce of her stubborn reserve not to throw her arms around his neck and finish the kiss they had started ten years ago.
She pulled open the door, the painful realization that he had not come home for her, he'd come back to stop his son. He had an agenda, once his task was complete he would only leave again. A rage filled her, as she stepped into the hallway she slammed the door behind herself.
Logan smiled as the door slammed shut, "I love ya too Darlin'." He gathered up his own belongings to go to the apartments, thanking God that his hearing was good enough to have heard what Angelo said to her on the phone.
The Plaza Belle Apartments, Half hour later...
Jubilee ducked under the yellow police crime scene tape on the door and could already smell the carnage. As she moved deeper into the lavish surroundings of the penthouse apartment, she noted that the fireplace was still raging and the lack of any signs of a struggle, just like all the other scenes. She was also sure, just like the other murders, that this place didn't belong to the killer either.
"Hey, Jae, glad you made it," Angelo whispered into her ear from behind.
"Uh ha," she said, her mind a million miles away.
"You okay, Paige called, she said to look out for Wolverine," he contiuned to whisper? Rolling her eyes, she turned to Angelo with a look that clearly stated 'drop it' and proceeded to enter the heart of the crime scene.
Like the other crime scenes, a beautiful blonde laid nude and cuffed to the bed, raped, beaten and gutted. Jubilee widened her eyes, as if that would help her to take in all that she saw around her, by now she thought she'd be used to this kind of gore, but scenes like this always turned her stomach.
"Detective Lee? Hi I'm Detective David Coruthers out of the 182nd, this is your case, right?"
"Yep, same M.O., same type of victim, I say this was our Boy," she almost winced when she said that, our 'Boy'...his 'Boy'. Coruthers introduced her to a handful of people and then turned the scene over to her. For an hour, her people dusted for prints and collected evidence. She knew all the evidence would only connect this murder to the other sixteen.
As the body was being removed, she quickly questioned the building manager, learning that the penthouse belonged to Christopher Tracey, a popular musician, he was out of town on tour in Europe. *Great,* she thought now the heat would really be on to break this case, she could see the headline now...POP STAR'S PAD USED BY SERIAL KILLER, POLICE BAFFLED. She turned to Angelo who had the same look of frustration on his face and motioned for him to go into the kitchen.
"I got a lead," she whispered as not to alert the others.
"Cool, I'll get..."
"No No, this is between me and you...for now."
"What Chica?"
"Logan seems to think his kid did this." They looked at each other for a moment, Jubilee could see the questions forming in his eyes.
"What kid? Logan don't have a kid."
"Apparently he does, a male. Turns out the young man's Mom died and he ain't been right in the head since," she said while circling her finger around her temples, "I didn't ask but I bet she was blonde, blue eyed, and beautiful." Angelo's expression turned into a pitiful mix of joy and angst.
"Well the Kid shouldn't surprise me, Logan ran through woman like a hot knife through..." Angelo quickly shut-up as he noticed Jubilee's face turn dark with jealousy.
"I left Logan at my place, let's go...."
"Great, knowing Logan he wants us to help him find the kid so he can...." Jubilee crossed her arms and sweetly smiled as if to say 'how did you guess?' "Oh c'mon Jubes, we can't do that, we don't do that kind of spandex justice anymore, remember."
"I agree, but that don't mean we can't pump him for information," her smile turned devious at the thought of locking Logan up in a interviewing room for seven or eight hours and drilling him to death. She knew she would never pull it off, but the thought was satisfying.
Outside the building....
Logan listened to the cops from behind the yellow tape, picking up pieces of what happened here and there. Jacob had killed another one and called the crime into the police himself. The body was rolled out of the building and placed into a van. He watched with a heavy heart as the van made it's way down the street. Another one of Joshua Logan's victims.
A smell caught Logan's attention, a familiar animal scent mixed with a hint of aristocratic polish that could only have come from his son. He pushed through the crowd of onlookers until the scent concentrated near a manhole cover. He looked around, most everyone was busy watching the police or running about. SKINKT, he sliced throught the bolts holding the cover in place and quietly lifted it off.
His mind was a swirl of guilt and determination, he had done all he could for the boy, but to be honest he wasn't sure if the boy wanted to get rid of his murderous nature. His mother, Jennifer, claimed that every since he was little he had been obsessed with death and murder, and her constant babying and spoiling of him only made things worse. But the boy had been managable, until his beloved mother died from cancer last year. Joshua snapped and headed to New York, the city of Jennifer's birth, to make his 'mother' pay for leaving him.
Jubilee and Angelo emerged from the building discussing what to do about Logan, when Angelo scanned the crowd of people and to his surprise he saw Logan disappearing down a manhole. "Hey Chica it's that tu hombre?"
She looked towards where Angelo was pointing, only the top of his head was still visible as he lowered himself down into the sewers. She slapped Angelo against his stomach with the back of her hand and bolted across the street, garnishing oh's and ah's from the crowd as she plowed through them.
She, without even thinking about it, took off her coat and disappeared down the manhole. She caught sight of Logan's shadow from around a corner and took off after him. From behind she could hear Angelo's footsteps, "Not this time Espinosa," she stared him down.
"But I'm your..."
"You're my friend, and with Logan AND his lunatic son running around you could get hurt. Now if that happened Marisol would kill me. Go back up, gather the troops and I'll radio position when I get a fix on these two," Jubilee's eyes were daring him to challenge her. He only lowered his head and watched her vanish down the sewerline.
Jubilee could hear Logan's breathing as he gave chase to something, she believed it to be his son. She followed the sound, stopping only to catch the hammering of his boots or the sound of his grunts. She turned a corner and saw a dark shadow at the end of the tunnel, the dead end. Her forehead wrinkled as she made out the form, short, thick and standing...upright?
She backed out of the tunnel, this was not Logan, the shadow turned and looked at her. "Well now beautiful, you aren't my normal fare, but I'm sure Daddy won't mind if I play with my dear sweet Auntie Jubilation." The voice was refined and classy, the last thing she expected. He charged towards her with the speed of lightening. He was a handsome package of fierce blue eyes, long flowing blonde hair and an Armani suit. She reached for her gun and fired a shot towards him prayer that he didn't have a healing factor, her prayer fell on deaf ears.
He howled as the bullet tore into his flesh, but did not stop running. A dark hairy claw emerged from the darkness and slashed at her, she stumbled back just escaping the blow, his right claw followed up immediately with another slash that tore a small bit of flesh from her left arm. She screamed in pain, as he pounced on her.
"Well now, you are probably wondering how I know about you? HMMM, yes my Darling, Daddy did talk about you quit a bit, yes. You ARE as lovely as he claimed, far more in fact. Yes, my Darling, I will love killing you," He pushed her flush against the damp stinking cement floor of the sewer with one hand and reached back preparing to slash her across the face with the other.
"Really, with did your Daddy tell you about this," with both her arms free she reached up and fired two plasma burst directly into his face? He howled out in agony, just as she was about to wiggle from under him he completely recovered and got to his feet.
"Looks like this will be fun, " his holier than thou voice was truly begining to annoy her. He reached down, this time binding both her hands together by the wrist with his left hand and raised her, by the neck, high above his head with his other hand. She struggled, but like Logan his strength was incredible.
She could feel the world going black around herself. Her mind was slowly shutting down as he cut off her brain's supply of blood. Just as she was about to lose conscienceness, out of the corner of her eye she could she a shadow, short, think and slightly hunched over. She looked down at him and weakly smiled as she passed out. Her last thought, *Logan is going to kick your ass, Bub.*
Joshua tossed her to the side, and prepared to have his 'fun' with her. He moved towards her and just as he was about to lower himself on top of her, a vice grip wrapped around his waist and thrusted him into a cement wall while a terrorifying growl rumbled through out the sewer tunnel. Before he could recover to his feet, Jacob heard the familiar SKINKT. His eyes widened as he tried to force his healing factor to work faster. Just as his vision cleared, he felt the pain of six adamantium claws ripping through his vital organs. With the withdrawl of his claws Logan bitch slapped his son knocking him to the ground, leaving three bleeding slash marks across his perfect face.
Jacob, tried to hustle to his feet, his only defense was his out stretched hand. Logan almost cut it off as he slashed straight for the young man's head. Jacob just barely avoided the decapitating blow by dropping to the ground and rolling. The young man began to feel his healing factor kick in, it was far faster than that of his father's, if he could only stay alive long enough for it to work.
Jacob got to his feet and began to run down the tunnel, but tripped over the body of Jubilee that he had forgotton was there, this only enraged Logan more. Logan stood over his son, his flesh and blood, "Boy, you picked the wrong Lady to touch." Logan drew back his hand to slash at Jacob with his claws, but the boy rushed his midsection and carried his father to the floor. The battle was on. Blood sprayed on the walls as the howls of the waring father and son echoed through the musty sewer, this would be a battle to the death.
A final cry of pain arose from the pair and Logan stood over the gutted body of his son, no amout time would heal the wounds Logan inflicted on him. With his task complete, Logan slowly made his way over to Jubilee who laid lifeless on the ground. As he came closer, he could see the rise and fall of her breasts, telling him she was breathing even if he could hardly hear her.
Gathering her up in his arms, he made his way back to the manhole that he had climbed down earlier. Upon climbing up the ladder, with Jubilee craddled in his arms, he slide her body onto the pavement and only peeked his head out. Angelo and a collection of other cops stood nearby.
"Psst, Angelo," Logan knew he'd said it loud enough to get the man's attention when Espinosa turned in his direction and gasped in shock when he saw Jubilee's body laying on the street. Logan slide back down the ladder and ran down the tunnel disappearing into it's depths.
Next day, Our Lady of Grace Memorial Hospital...
"Hey guys she's waking up," the last voice Jubilee wanted to hear when she was suffering with a hang over was that of Robert Drake's. Hang over? The fuzziness in her mind cleared and the image of being strangled by a handsome man came into view. At this point, she wished she was only suffering with a hang over.
"What the hell..." she blurted out as her head shot up off the pillow? Stupid. Bells, whistles and nuclear warheads went off in her mind as the quickness of her movement sent her slaming back down into the pillow. She could hear worried voices, *Jubilee lay still,* Jean's voice rippled through her mind soothing away the last bit of pain her attempt to get up had caused.
Turning her head, she could see Paige, Jono, Jean, Angelo, Marisol, a stone faced Scott, and Bobby with his bimbo girlfriend of the week.
"What happened to perp, Espinosa," she asked rubbing the temples of her head?
"Don't know Chica, when we went through the sewers we only found alot of blood and your radio in the middle of it," both Angelo and Jubilee knew what had most likely happened, Logan had dealt with his son and handled the body. All things considered, they'd let this little bit of 'spandex justice' slide.
There was some chit chat, a few hugs, then Jubilee begged everyone to leave so she could get some sleep. As everyone was leaving Paige hung back with a deep expression of guilt on her face.
"Paige, I promise I'll be outta here by next Saturday for ya wedding, PLEASE I just need some sleep," she said while attempting to fake crying.
"I kno', but...oh here," she reached into the back pocket of her medical scrubs and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"You can send the bill to my Captain, he'll just love that..."
"No Honey, it's from Logan..."
"Burn it," Jubilee flattly said then turned on her side and away from Paige's concerned eyes!
"He stayed here with you all last night and this mornin', til Scott chased him off. Honey he loves you, I know he hurt you, but I think..."
"Paige he came 'home' to deal with his son, not for the team, not for me, he had an agenda... he'll be gone in a week." Paige could hear Jubilee's voice straining to hide her tears.
"Well, I'll just leave it. Read it if ya like, I got rounds to make..." Paige laid the note on Jubilee's dinner table and backed out the room.
Jubilee waited until Paige was good and gone before recovering the note in order to trash it. As Jubilee's hand touched the paper, the memory of a night fifteen years ago broke out of her unconscience. Another note Logan had left to say goodbye to his Lil' Darlin'. She had never truly recovered from that night, or the night ten years ago when he kissed her and finally uttered the words she'd always longed to hear, I love you.
She unfolded the note, and began to read.
Dear Detective Lee,
I know I cause you a world of hurt everytime I come near you, but know that I never meant to. I left you with a broken heart ten years ago, I told you something, something that should have brought you joy, but only made the hurt of my leaving even more unbareable, I told you I loved you and I meant every letter in the those words too.
I still love you, even though you don't believe that. I don't blame you. Well here's the answer to why I was away so long. Amiko did need me, but when I finished with helping her and Yukio, the Hand popped up. Once I dealt with them Jacob and his mother found me in Madripor. He needed me, by that time I was sure you'd moved on with your life. I was sure some handsome man had come and replaced me in your heart. Jean would mention you here and there in her letters, but only the big stuff, like when you graduated. So I stayed with them, Jennifer and I were an item before I joined the X-Men, imagine my surprise when she told me about Jacob.
Jacob had issues, and all his Mother's money couldn't fix them either, when she died, he finally snapped. You know the rest.
I hope that this helps a little, and I hope one day you can forgive me. I hate to dance with someone who can't stand me.
Love,
Logan
Jubilee balled the letter up and pulled it close to her heart, her tears flowed again, damping the sheet. He was gone again, if he hadn't left yet he would be soon, she was sure of that.
Next weekend, Xavier's Mansion, Paige and Jono's wedding...
"Well everything went off without a hitch," Angelo said tugging at his bow tie.
"Yeah, unlike our wedding *ahem* where someone was two hours late..." and they were off. Marisol's comment started another polite round of arguing between her and Angelo. Jubilee shook her head and blocked them out of her hearing. She smoothed out the crinkles in her royal blue bridesmaids dress cursing herself for not going to the fittings because the bustline was far too tight. The dress pushed up her breast making her look like she was a Pamela Anderson double, before the reduction.
She glanced over at the bride's floral arrangment that she had inadvertly caught after the ceremony and sighed. The thought of Logan's hand firmly hold her arm a week ago in her apartment revisited her; how she love to be in his arms right now.
"Well now, those are some right pretty flowers sitting there." Her head slowly pulled up from the table, she could see Angelo and Marisol's mystified faces. A hand came into her line of vision. "It ain't polite to keep a man waitin' for a dance, Detective."
"I thought you didn't want to dance with someone who hates you," she said, finally realizing what that cryptic line in the note meant? A smug look crossed her face as she looked over at Marisol.
A growl rumbled in his chest that caused Angelo to swallow hard. He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her out of the chair, and into his arms, though only the Espinosas seemed to notice. "Well now, I see ya haven't changed, stubborn as ever," he scolded.
"Would you have me any other way," she was giving in? She had forgiven him at the hospital, ten years of TRYING to hate him faded away with the reading of three simple words, I LOVE YOU. Logan lead her to the dance floor and took her up in his arms as the music turned slow and romantic.
"So when you leaving his time," she asked with a hint of cynism in her voice?
"When you kick me out," he returned while looking her dead in her eyes. A slinder onyx eyebrow raised seductivily. She looked into his eyes and discovered that he was serious as a heart attack, "Everywhere I went I took ya with me, I thought I was doing ya a favor by leaving ya here, maybe I did maybe I didn't but I promise, I'll never leave ya again, if you'll have me Darlin'," it was as elegant a marriage proposal as he could muster. To her own surprise a 'yes' was starting to well up in her throat, but her pride pushed it back down. In her eyes, he could clearly see that never-say-die spark he'd seen from the day he meant her. He smirked with the realization that she was going to make him suffer, but in the end she'd be his and he'd be her's. As it should be.
"Ah, Jean," Paige said as she and Jono waltzed their way over to Mr. and Mrs. Summers dancing on the floor," I think we got another wedding to plan," Paige nudged her head over towards Logan and Jubilee who's eyes were locked together lovingly.
*Oh for God's Sake Logan kiss the woman,* Jean shouted in his mind! He didn't even flinch, only lowered his head towards the woman he loved to kiss her. Jubliee's arms wrapped around his neck as his arms tightened around her waist, ten years ago they started this kiss today they would finally finish it. The gathered group of X-Men, having had waited ten years for this day, seemed to exhail their collective sigh of relief.
"I'm seeing a white and pale yellow color scheme, maybe daylillies and silk," Jean said narrowing her eyes in thought, "maybe two or three hundred people."
"Oh, maybe a nice ice sculpture by Bobby....the pond, the ceremony can be at the pond," Paige added with a big grin.
Scott and Jono looked at each other and before the two women could go any further with this line of conversation the men slowly lead their wives apart as they danced. There would be plenty of time ot deal with the arrangements later.
Disclaimer: All characters mentioned in this story, including the ones I made up, are property of Marvel Entertainment. The ones I invented are too because they were based on the ideals of the company, blahblahblah...
Notes: Logan returns to America after ten years, in order to track down a killer and guess who's right in the middle of everything...Jubilee.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
The Present....
"Logan wait, you just can't leave like this, they need you damn it," Jubilee's frantic cries echoed across the lawn as she raced after Wolverine! While turning to face her, his already weary expression turned dark.
"Watch ya mouth there Darlin'," he glanced down at his watch, it was barely two a.m.,"What in the world you doin' up this time o'mornin'?"
"I knew you'd do this," she proclaimed just as she reached him," I knew you'd run away again, you been acting froggy recently." She stood no more than three feet away from him as he sat on his Harley, her hands on her tiny hips, her right foot just slightly ahead of her left, her eyes slowly narrowed, this was Jubilee's best attempt at being angry with him.
"I gotta go Darlin', Amiko needs me, 'side you know I always end up back here," he said somberly.
"Yeah, when? A week, a month, a year....the team is falling apart Wolvie, with Emma turning on us and Scott hurt, and not to mention the whole thing with the U.N., Wolvie WE need ya... or at least let me go with you," her angry toned turned pitiful as the true nature of her protest had slipped out, she lowered her head in shame.
"Darlin'," he said sweetly while taking her face into his rough hands to raise her eyes to his own,"you belong here, they need you more than they need me. 'Side, I dragged you all over Asia once, I won't do it again."
"Not your choice," she mounted his Harley and wrapped her hands around his waist.
"Oh really, and you think you're going with me...to Asia...in an oversized t-shirt and slippers," Logan dismounted his hog then pulled her off while she kicked and screamed her protests?
"You can't go again, I won't let you, not alone, you get hurt when I ain't around, if Amiko needs you fine, just let me help," a pool of tears began to form on the bottom lid of her eyes. It hurt him to his heart to abandon her again, but Amiko did need him, Yukio was missing.
"Darlin', you know if you need me I'll come runnin', but you hav'tuh stay here," he took her into his arms and hugged her as she began to sob. Her wet tears mixed with the soft hairs of his thick sideburns as her cheek brushed against him. Logan exhailed, a rush of longing swept over him. In his arms was the most important person to him in the world; for all his courage and bravery he had never had the 'nads' to let her know just how much he really did care for her.
He only meant to pull away from her, to end their tender embrace, but when his eyes meant her's, his lips demanded he kiss her. His rough, dry lips pressed passionately against her soft, sugary sweet mouth; his tongue wantingly entangled with hers. She immediately fell into the kiss without protest or argument, before she knew it he pulled away. "But..."
"I love ya, Darlin'....," his whole soul sank with the admition, "but...," turning his head way from her without another word, Logan mounted his Harley and sped off down the driveway.
Jubilee just stood there, in complete shock, watching him turn off the property and onto the street. As the gate pulled closed, her mind returned to her; still hearing the put-put of his bike, she barrelled down the driveway as fast as she could run, "WOLVEEEEEEE,NOOOO...!" Grasping the bars of the gate, she turned her head in the direction of the motorcycle's noisy engine, but he was gone. The distant sound of the Harley's motor kept her company for a brief time, then it too vanished.
She held onto the bars, squizzing them tight, she whispered through her tears, "I love you too."
TEN YEARS LATER
RING....RING....RING...click
"Good Evening, Mutant Homocide Task Force, Detective Jae Lee, how can I help you?"
"Well now, that's the best I've heard you say that in a year."
"Hey Paige, what's doin'?"
"Not much, Jean took over the wedding plans, like I didn't see that coming. "
"OHH, we got that far behind?"
"Yeah and you know Jean, she's like Martha Stewart's fancier twin. Anyway, you busy right now?"
"Nope, but if this is about me missing the gown fitting again, I am sorry I had a small...."
"Logan stopped by...."
"Come again?"
"WOLVERRRRINNE, Jae, he came here. He's back."
"....shessh, my day was going so good too. Is he still there?"
"Nope, he oh...WELLL.."
"You didn't tell him where I was, did you?"
"...."
"Oh for Petey's sake Paige, why?"
"He needs help, Jae."
"No Duh, Guthrie, but why'd cha send him to me? I hear there are some nice padded cells at County General, why didn't send him there?"
"No, this has something to do with those murders on the news, you know the sixteen dead girls..."
"Of course I know, it's my case, but how is he involved?"
"I don'kno, said he wanted your help on it."
"Why me, he don't know I'm a..."
"Ah, yeah he does know about you being a cop, claimed Jean wrote him some letters while he was away."
"JEAN, ARG, I asked her just to return the letters, but nnoooooo, she had to write him back."
"Oh c'mon Jae, he seemed to miss you."
"Whatever, bye Doc, cya Friday." CLICK
Jubilation Lee, proped her interlocked fingers on the top of her head and smirked with disgust. She had been having a good day, Angelo had a lead, her cat came home, no more dead girls, for now anyways; now this crap.
Ten years, he had been gone ten years to 'help Amiko', who Jubilee knew now lived in Miami and was a college professor who taught Japanese. Amiko had looked up Jubilee, at Logan's request, a year ago. Amiko hand carried a letter to her, Jubilee thanked her, invited her to stay the weekend, then ripped up the letter that night without even reading it.
Now he was back, and looking for her. She wondered what he wanted, not that she should care, but she did. "ARGGG," she sighed in frustration! She had put him behind her, finished college, became a cop, a detective even and a damn good one too. The X-Men were disbanded, basically, the mansion was just a school now for mutant kids who wanted to learn about their powers, nothing more.
The X-Men were no longer needed, Magneto was dead from old age if you can believe that, Apocalypse vanished as did Sinister, their were a few loonies left like Emma and the Hellfire Club, but that was it. The U.N. Mutant Resolution had granted mutants world wide equal human rights, the dream was fulfilled kinda. There were always those who were going to hate them, that's were she came in.
The U.N. Resolution provide that mutants must be protected and policed under the letter of the law, and if need be, special arangments should be made to see that they were. Hince, every police department in the country now had a mutant taskforce of some kind with New York's being the best and Jubilee was the best of the best.
But over the past few months she was beinging to wonder about her statis as the best, there was a new sicko in the city she'd dubbed the NYC Playboy. He liked pretty girls and according to the few witnesses Jubilee could find, he was a handsome, twentyish man with a smooth line and a nice car. He'd pick up girls at a bar or on the street, next day, they were dead. Raped, beaten and gutted was the usual pattern; the only reason she had this case was the perp was thought to be a mutant. A woman at a club claimed she saw him, 'change' like a werewolf.
Jubilee, pushed the thought of Logan out of her mind and turned her attention to board next to her desk. The pictures of sixteen dead girls sweetly smiling at her was no comfort for the mood she was in. All the girls were blonde or strawberry blondes, blue eyes, and about the same build of 5'6" and 120 pounds. All the victims were intelligent, except for the part about them getting into a car and driving off with a stranger, all were single, all were exceptionally beautiful. She smirked, this guy was killing the same girl; probably a girl he was in love with that dumped or rejected him, he had serious issues with women.
"Good evening Chica," Jubilee's head turned towards the voice of her partner, Detective Angelo Espinosa. His once crisp white shirt now wore a brown coffee stain, his navy blue and red tie was hanging lifelessly around his neck and his baggy black trousers were about to fall off his small thin frame. She laughed at the sad picture he made as he manouved through the maze of decks and chairs that made up the homocide department.
"You still here Ange, Marisol is gonna kill ya," She smiled at the thought of his six month pregnant wife yelling at him, again, for being late for dinner.
"See Chica, that's where you come in, just call her and..."
"Oh no ya don't," Jubilee snickered while lifting her legs up onto her desk," the last time I covered for you she threatened to kill me for letting you work late, if you wanna go out with Bobby again that's on you."
"Oh C'MON, we got tickets for the Nicks, FRONT ROW," he pleaded.
"Front row, now that's impressive, but alas no my grey friend, Marisol will claim only one victim tonight, and I ain't him," Jubilee jumped from behind her desk and gathered her belongings.
"Oh well, I guess 15 years of friendship mean nothing," he said somberly while putting his hands in his pockets and sadly lowering his gaze to the floor, the Angelo version of Jubilee's infamous pout.
"Sorry Espinosa," she said while gently patting him on the back, "that didn't work on me when I was thirteen and it ain't gonna work now. I'm the only pouter around here." Laughing, Jubilee made her way to the door leaving Angelo to worry about the serverity of the tongue lashing he would get from his wife.
An alley near Grand Central Station.....
"Well now, is this your Jag," Susan Peterson asked her newly aquired date?
"Yep, tis mine. Hook, line and payments," he smiled at her seducitively as she laughed at his weak joke. *This is going to be fun,* he told himself. While opening the door for her, he watched as she graceful placed herself on the seat then tugged at her skirt exposing a small amount of leg. He smiled, noting that there were no marks on her legs, he liked them flawless.
The drive to his penthouse was filled with polite chit chat and merciless flirting. He helped her out of the car and lead her to the evelator. Within ten minutes he had her in a rather, interesting position on the bed that involved handcuffs and rope. She was loving every minute of her sexual fantasy come true until he...changed. Right before her blue eyes, dark hairs began to push out of his pours and his well manicured nails became thick and long like claws. His eyes turned a frightful shade of yellow and every inch of his body became twice as big as before, every inch.
She demanded him to stop, to get off of her, but her cries were muffled by the robe he had so playfully put in her mouth earlier. His love making turned violent, blood began to spray from her body and coat the walls as he clawed through the delicate flesh on her stomach and broke into her body cavity exposing her intestinal track. She managed one last scream as he lifted her liver out of her body and consumed it right before her dying eyes.
Later in Queens....
Jubilee passed the same five doors on her right that she'd passed every night for seven years now. She slowly withdrew her keys from her pants' pocket and unlocked her door.
As she entered, the smell of burning cigar tobacco assulted her nose. Rolling her eyes she knew she had an intruder, Logan. Sighing heavily, she flipped on the light and began to scan the livingroom for him, he wasn't there. "Okay LOGAN, where are you," she yelled as loud as she could hoping to hurt his sensitive ears!?!?! From the hall she heard a deep bellowing gruff of dissatisfaction; rolling her eyes towards the sound she impatiently tapped her foot and waited for him to come out.
A second later, he emerged out of her bedroom with a photo album in his hands that was opened to a middle page. For the better part of the day he had 'innocently' gone through her stuff in an attempt to catch up on what she'd done with her life in the last ten years. According to the diaploma proudly hanging on the wall, she graduated from Empire State with a degree in Criminal Justice. According to the photo albums she had travelled the world. He also noted, with a mix of joy and pain, that while there were no pictures of him anywhere, there were no pictures of a possible boyfriend either.
She sneered at the invasion of her privacy and quickly charged over to him to relieve him of the picture book. "Don't you know how to ask, or maybe we should start with knocking on a door? You break into my place...to what...rumage through my things," she shoved a corner of the album into his chest, fearless as ever?
He smiled, happy to see that Jubilee hadn't changed a bit, even if her attitude towards him was a little...bitter right now. "Sorry Darlin', the neighbors were looking at me funny when I was standing in the hallway." He bit down on his cigar trying to mask his admiration of the woman before him. She'd grown an inch, her hair was still short but more seductively cut and she had put on a little weight in ALL the right places. She was the beautiful Lady he always knew she would grow into; even if she was a tough as nails cop.
"Logan, get out," her demand for him to leave caught him off guard.
"Now hold on Darlin'..."
"Don't you dare call me that," She barked while turning on her heels,"I ain't your Darlin', I ain't your Pum'kin, or your Jubilee got it! If you have to call me anything at all pal, Detective Lee will do, or Lee if your in a pinch," she pushed an angry finger in his direction as she yelled! Her eyes burned red, her hands trembled, her nostiles flaired, this was Jubilee angry at him.
He held up his head, trying not to let his hurt feelings show on his proud face, he should have excepted this, but he'd hoped she would not be so angry once she actually saw him. "You're angry at me uh, I am sorry..."
"I don't care about you..." she paused as if to convince herself," ...you being sorry. You said it before and you didn't mean it, so I don't believe you mean it now. Ya been gone ten years Logan, ten, you said you would come back and you didn't, you claimed you went to take care of Amiko, but she's been in Florida five years now. So sorry, Buddy, just don't cut it. You walked out on the team, your resposibility to us and for what...Yukio wasn't missing, she had a problem with a few low lifes. It was handled and you still stayed away." She looked at him, her fury growing by the second. "Now you come back, you been keeping tabs on me through Jean, and now you lie to Paige to find out where I am, why what do want?" There, her mouth got to ask the question her heart wanted the answer to even though her head didn't want her too.
"I ain't lie to Paige," he got up in her face, his own mug turning red from her accusation,"I need help, that boy killin' those women needs to be stopped."
"And he will be, it's my case, I'll crack it...." she turned her eyes to him, her anger flared again,"What do you know?" He was silent, "Answer me damn it, you know something, WHAT !?!"
"He's my Boy Jubes, my flesh..." Logan's admission silenced the room. She backed away from him, exhailing a tired breath. She closed her eyes and counted to ten, "I need ya tuh help me find him."
Her eyes popped open as the full implications of what he was asking her to do sunk into her tired brain,"You must be out of your mellon, if your 'Boy' is the killer, I have to bring him in not turn him over to you. I hate to let you know this but the X-Men are gone, let us handle him Logan. Tell me what you know and let us handle this."
"Sorry Darlin', I can't, he's my Boy, I hav'tuh deal with him myself. His head ain't on straight, ever since his mother died he's been..."
"Killing blondes, raping them, torturing them. Logan why didn't you come forward with a name as soon as you knew, you should have called the police?"
"I was trying to find him on my own, I've been in town for about a month and..."
"A MONTH, you idiot, if you had come forward earlier seven girls might still be alive! I should run you in for obstruction of...."
"Darlin', there ain't no bringing this one in... he ain't like that, he'll kill ya for the hell of it..."
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT! And please Logan, I brought in Creed for crying out loud...."
RING.....RING.....
Jubilee silenced her ranting and yanked the phone from the base, "WHAT!?!"
"SHEEESSH, Lee it's me, Angelo..."
"Not a good time..."
"Well make it one, we got another one," Jubilee knew that 'another one' meant another dead girl.
"Where?"
"Manhattan, the Plaza Belle Apartments."
"On my way," slaming the phone down she gathered her coat and began to head for the door.
"On your way where Darlin'," Logan manhandled her arm almost yanking her to the floor?
"I have business, when I get back I want a statement and an address where I can contact you for the record and then I want you gone," she said ignoring the pain now shotting up her arm. He looked down at her, her face as sweet and innocent as ever, even with the anger and dark circles under eyes from lack of sleep. His eyes focused on her lips and the memory of their one kiss filled his mind.
"We got business too Jubilation," he softly said releasing her arm.
"You expect to waltz back in to my life after what you did to me ten years ago and everything be alright; I was suppose to be here with arms wide open? Maybe when I was eighteen, but not today," she wiggled into her coat and as she yanked on the collar to straighten the wrinkles out, then said," Scott was right, you really are a maniac." She danced away from his new attempt to grab her and bolted out the door with her keys in hand.
As she reached for the door, her statement rang through her mind, she knew that her words had hurt him, but...didn't he deserve to feel at least a small amount of pain for leaving her like he did? And as much as she hated to admit it, it had taken every ounce of her stubborn reserve not to throw her arms around his neck and finish the kiss they had started ten years ago.
She pulled open the door, the painful realization that he had not come home for her, he'd come back to stop his son. He had an agenda, once his task was complete he would only leave again. A rage filled her, as she stepped into the hallway she slammed the door behind herself.
Logan smiled as the door slammed shut, "I love ya too Darlin'." He gathered up his own belongings to go to the apartments, thanking God that his hearing was good enough to have heard what Angelo said to her on the phone.
The Plaza Belle Apartments, Half hour later...
Jubilee ducked under the yellow police crime scene tape on the door and could already smell the carnage. As she moved deeper into the lavish surroundings of the penthouse apartment, she noted that the fireplace was still raging and the lack of any signs of a struggle, just like all the other scenes. She was also sure, just like the other murders, that this place didn't belong to the killer either.
"Hey, Jae, glad you made it," Angelo whispered into her ear from behind.
"Uh ha," she said, her mind a million miles away.
"You okay, Paige called, she said to look out for Wolverine," he contiuned to whisper? Rolling her eyes, she turned to Angelo with a look that clearly stated 'drop it' and proceeded to enter the heart of the crime scene.
Like the other crime scenes, a beautiful blonde laid nude and cuffed to the bed, raped, beaten and gutted. Jubilee widened her eyes, as if that would help her to take in all that she saw around her, by now she thought she'd be used to this kind of gore, but scenes like this always turned her stomach.
"Detective Lee? Hi I'm Detective David Coruthers out of the 182nd, this is your case, right?"
"Yep, same M.O., same type of victim, I say this was our Boy," she almost winced when she said that, our 'Boy'...his 'Boy'. Coruthers introduced her to a handful of people and then turned the scene over to her. For an hour, her people dusted for prints and collected evidence. She knew all the evidence would only connect this murder to the other sixteen.
As the body was being removed, she quickly questioned the building manager, learning that the penthouse belonged to Christopher Tracey, a popular musician, he was out of town on tour in Europe. *Great,* she thought now the heat would really be on to break this case, she could see the headline now...POP STAR'S PAD USED BY SERIAL KILLER, POLICE BAFFLED. She turned to Angelo who had the same look of frustration on his face and motioned for him to go into the kitchen.
"I got a lead," she whispered as not to alert the others.
"Cool, I'll get..."
"No No, this is between me and you...for now."
"What Chica?"
"Logan seems to think his kid did this." They looked at each other for a moment, Jubilee could see the questions forming in his eyes.
"What kid? Logan don't have a kid."
"Apparently he does, a male. Turns out the young man's Mom died and he ain't been right in the head since," she said while circling her finger around her temples, "I didn't ask but I bet she was blonde, blue eyed, and beautiful." Angelo's expression turned into a pitiful mix of joy and angst.
"Well the Kid shouldn't surprise me, Logan ran through woman like a hot knife through..." Angelo quickly shut-up as he noticed Jubilee's face turn dark with jealousy.
"I left Logan at my place, let's go...."
"Great, knowing Logan he wants us to help him find the kid so he can...." Jubilee crossed her arms and sweetly smiled as if to say 'how did you guess?' "Oh c'mon Jubes, we can't do that, we don't do that kind of spandex justice anymore, remember."
"I agree, but that don't mean we can't pump him for information," her smile turned devious at the thought of locking Logan up in a interviewing room for seven or eight hours and drilling him to death. She knew she would never pull it off, but the thought was satisfying.
Outside the building....
Logan listened to the cops from behind the yellow tape, picking up pieces of what happened here and there. Jacob had killed another one and called the crime into the police himself. The body was rolled out of the building and placed into a van. He watched with a heavy heart as the van made it's way down the street. Another one of Joshua Logan's victims.
A smell caught Logan's attention, a familiar animal scent mixed with a hint of aristocratic polish that could only have come from his son. He pushed through the crowd of onlookers until the scent concentrated near a manhole cover. He looked around, most everyone was busy watching the police or running about. SKINKT, he sliced throught the bolts holding the cover in place and quietly lifted it off.
His mind was a swirl of guilt and determination, he had done all he could for the boy, but to be honest he wasn't sure if the boy wanted to get rid of his murderous nature. His mother, Jennifer, claimed that every since he was little he had been obsessed with death and murder, and her constant babying and spoiling of him only made things worse. But the boy had been managable, until his beloved mother died from cancer last year. Joshua snapped and headed to New York, the city of Jennifer's birth, to make his 'mother' pay for leaving him.
Jubilee and Angelo emerged from the building discussing what to do about Logan, when Angelo scanned the crowd of people and to his surprise he saw Logan disappearing down a manhole. "Hey Chica it's that tu hombre?"
She looked towards where Angelo was pointing, only the top of his head was still visible as he lowered himself down into the sewers. She slapped Angelo against his stomach with the back of her hand and bolted across the street, garnishing oh's and ah's from the crowd as she plowed through them.
She, without even thinking about it, took off her coat and disappeared down the manhole. She caught sight of Logan's shadow from around a corner and took off after him. From behind she could hear Angelo's footsteps, "Not this time Espinosa," she stared him down.
"But I'm your..."
"You're my friend, and with Logan AND his lunatic son running around you could get hurt. Now if that happened Marisol would kill me. Go back up, gather the troops and I'll radio position when I get a fix on these two," Jubilee's eyes were daring him to challenge her. He only lowered his head and watched her vanish down the sewerline.
Jubilee could hear Logan's breathing as he gave chase to something, she believed it to be his son. She followed the sound, stopping only to catch the hammering of his boots or the sound of his grunts. She turned a corner and saw a dark shadow at the end of the tunnel, the dead end. Her forehead wrinkled as she made out the form, short, thick and standing...upright?
She backed out of the tunnel, this was not Logan, the shadow turned and looked at her. "Well now beautiful, you aren't my normal fare, but I'm sure Daddy won't mind if I play with my dear sweet Auntie Jubilation." The voice was refined and classy, the last thing she expected. He charged towards her with the speed of lightening. He was a handsome package of fierce blue eyes, long flowing blonde hair and an Armani suit. She reached for her gun and fired a shot towards him prayer that he didn't have a healing factor, her prayer fell on deaf ears.
He howled as the bullet tore into his flesh, but did not stop running. A dark hairy claw emerged from the darkness and slashed at her, she stumbled back just escaping the blow, his right claw followed up immediately with another slash that tore a small bit of flesh from her left arm. She screamed in pain, as he pounced on her.
"Well now, you are probably wondering how I know about you? HMMM, yes my Darling, Daddy did talk about you quit a bit, yes. You ARE as lovely as he claimed, far more in fact. Yes, my Darling, I will love killing you," He pushed her flush against the damp stinking cement floor of the sewer with one hand and reached back preparing to slash her across the face with the other.
"Really, with did your Daddy tell you about this," with both her arms free she reached up and fired two plasma burst directly into his face? He howled out in agony, just as she was about to wiggle from under him he completely recovered and got to his feet.
"Looks like this will be fun, " his holier than thou voice was truly begining to annoy her. He reached down, this time binding both her hands together by the wrist with his left hand and raised her, by the neck, high above his head with his other hand. She struggled, but like Logan his strength was incredible.
She could feel the world going black around herself. Her mind was slowly shutting down as he cut off her brain's supply of blood. Just as she was about to lose conscienceness, out of the corner of her eye she could she a shadow, short, think and slightly hunched over. She looked down at him and weakly smiled as she passed out. Her last thought, *Logan is going to kick your ass, Bub.*
Joshua tossed her to the side, and prepared to have his 'fun' with her. He moved towards her and just as he was about to lower himself on top of her, a vice grip wrapped around his waist and thrusted him into a cement wall while a terrorifying growl rumbled through out the sewer tunnel. Before he could recover to his feet, Jacob heard the familiar SKINKT. His eyes widened as he tried to force his healing factor to work faster. Just as his vision cleared, he felt the pain of six adamantium claws ripping through his vital organs. With the withdrawl of his claws Logan bitch slapped his son knocking him to the ground, leaving three bleeding slash marks across his perfect face.
Jacob, tried to hustle to his feet, his only defense was his out stretched hand. Logan almost cut it off as he slashed straight for the young man's head. Jacob just barely avoided the decapitating blow by dropping to the ground and rolling. The young man began to feel his healing factor kick in, it was far faster than that of his father's, if he could only stay alive long enough for it to work.
Jacob got to his feet and began to run down the tunnel, but tripped over the body of Jubilee that he had forgotton was there, this only enraged Logan more. Logan stood over his son, his flesh and blood, "Boy, you picked the wrong Lady to touch." Logan drew back his hand to slash at Jacob with his claws, but the boy rushed his midsection and carried his father to the floor. The battle was on. Blood sprayed on the walls as the howls of the waring father and son echoed through the musty sewer, this would be a battle to the death.
A final cry of pain arose from the pair and Logan stood over the gutted body of his son, no amout time would heal the wounds Logan inflicted on him. With his task complete, Logan slowly made his way over to Jubilee who laid lifeless on the ground. As he came closer, he could see the rise and fall of her breasts, telling him she was breathing even if he could hardly hear her.
Gathering her up in his arms, he made his way back to the manhole that he had climbed down earlier. Upon climbing up the ladder, with Jubilee craddled in his arms, he slide her body onto the pavement and only peeked his head out. Angelo and a collection of other cops stood nearby.
"Psst, Angelo," Logan knew he'd said it loud enough to get the man's attention when Espinosa turned in his direction and gasped in shock when he saw Jubilee's body laying on the street. Logan slide back down the ladder and ran down the tunnel disappearing into it's depths.
Next day, Our Lady of Grace Memorial Hospital...
"Hey guys she's waking up," the last voice Jubilee wanted to hear when she was suffering with a hang over was that of Robert Drake's. Hang over? The fuzziness in her mind cleared and the image of being strangled by a handsome man came into view. At this point, she wished she was only suffering with a hang over.
"What the hell..." she blurted out as her head shot up off the pillow? Stupid. Bells, whistles and nuclear warheads went off in her mind as the quickness of her movement sent her slaming back down into the pillow. She could hear worried voices, *Jubilee lay still,* Jean's voice rippled through her mind soothing away the last bit of pain her attempt to get up had caused.
Turning her head, she could see Paige, Jono, Jean, Angelo, Marisol, a stone faced Scott, and Bobby with his bimbo girlfriend of the week.
"What happened to perp, Espinosa," she asked rubbing the temples of her head?
"Don't know Chica, when we went through the sewers we only found alot of blood and your radio in the middle of it," both Angelo and Jubilee knew what had most likely happened, Logan had dealt with his son and handled the body. All things considered, they'd let this little bit of 'spandex justice' slide.
There was some chit chat, a few hugs, then Jubilee begged everyone to leave so she could get some sleep. As everyone was leaving Paige hung back with a deep expression of guilt on her face.
"Paige, I promise I'll be outta here by next Saturday for ya wedding, PLEASE I just need some sleep," she said while attempting to fake crying.
"I kno', but...oh here," she reached into the back pocket of her medical scrubs and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"You can send the bill to my Captain, he'll just love that..."
"No Honey, it's from Logan..."
"Burn it," Jubilee flattly said then turned on her side and away from Paige's concerned eyes!
"He stayed here with you all last night and this mornin', til Scott chased him off. Honey he loves you, I know he hurt you, but I think..."
"Paige he came 'home' to deal with his son, not for the team, not for me, he had an agenda... he'll be gone in a week." Paige could hear Jubilee's voice straining to hide her tears.
"Well, I'll just leave it. Read it if ya like, I got rounds to make..." Paige laid the note on Jubilee's dinner table and backed out the room.
Jubilee waited until Paige was good and gone before recovering the note in order to trash it. As Jubilee's hand touched the paper, the memory of a night fifteen years ago broke out of her unconscience. Another note Logan had left to say goodbye to his Lil' Darlin'. She had never truly recovered from that night, or the night ten years ago when he kissed her and finally uttered the words she'd always longed to hear, I love you.
She unfolded the note, and began to read.
Dear Detective Lee,
I know I cause you a world of hurt everytime I come near you, but know that I never meant to. I left you with a broken heart ten years ago, I told you something, something that should have brought you joy, but only made the hurt of my leaving even more unbareable, I told you I loved you and I meant every letter in the those words too.
I still love you, even though you don't believe that. I don't blame you. Well here's the answer to why I was away so long. Amiko did need me, but when I finished with helping her and Yukio, the Hand popped up. Once I dealt with them Jacob and his mother found me in Madripor. He needed me, by that time I was sure you'd moved on with your life. I was sure some handsome man had come and replaced me in your heart. Jean would mention you here and there in her letters, but only the big stuff, like when you graduated. So I stayed with them, Jennifer and I were an item before I joined the X-Men, imagine my surprise when she told me about Jacob.
Jacob had issues, and all his Mother's money couldn't fix them either, when she died, he finally snapped. You know the rest.
I hope that this helps a little, and I hope one day you can forgive me. I hate to dance with someone who can't stand me.
Love,
Logan
Jubilee balled the letter up and pulled it close to her heart, her tears flowed again, damping the sheet. He was gone again, if he hadn't left yet he would be soon, she was sure of that.
Next weekend, Xavier's Mansion, Paige and Jono's wedding...
"Well everything went off without a hitch," Angelo said tugging at his bow tie.
"Yeah, unlike our wedding *ahem* where someone was two hours late..." and they were off. Marisol's comment started another polite round of arguing between her and Angelo. Jubilee shook her head and blocked them out of her hearing. She smoothed out the crinkles in her royal blue bridesmaids dress cursing herself for not going to the fittings because the bustline was far too tight. The dress pushed up her breast making her look like she was a Pamela Anderson double, before the reduction.
She glanced over at the bride's floral arrangment that she had inadvertly caught after the ceremony and sighed. The thought of Logan's hand firmly hold her arm a week ago in her apartment revisited her; how she love to be in his arms right now.
"Well now, those are some right pretty flowers sitting there." Her head slowly pulled up from the table, she could see Angelo and Marisol's mystified faces. A hand came into her line of vision. "It ain't polite to keep a man waitin' for a dance, Detective."
"I thought you didn't want to dance with someone who hates you," she said, finally realizing what that cryptic line in the note meant? A smug look crossed her face as she looked over at Marisol.
A growl rumbled in his chest that caused Angelo to swallow hard. He grabbed her arm and gently pulled her out of the chair, and into his arms, though only the Espinosas seemed to notice. "Well now, I see ya haven't changed, stubborn as ever," he scolded.
"Would you have me any other way," she was giving in? She had forgiven him at the hospital, ten years of TRYING to hate him faded away with the reading of three simple words, I LOVE YOU. Logan lead her to the dance floor and took her up in his arms as the music turned slow and romantic.
"So when you leaving his time," she asked with a hint of cynism in her voice?
"When you kick me out," he returned while looking her dead in her eyes. A slinder onyx eyebrow raised seductivily. She looked into his eyes and discovered that he was serious as a heart attack, "Everywhere I went I took ya with me, I thought I was doing ya a favor by leaving ya here, maybe I did maybe I didn't but I promise, I'll never leave ya again, if you'll have me Darlin'," it was as elegant a marriage proposal as he could muster. To her own surprise a 'yes' was starting to well up in her throat, but her pride pushed it back down. In her eyes, he could clearly see that never-say-die spark he'd seen from the day he meant her. He smirked with the realization that she was going to make him suffer, but in the end she'd be his and he'd be her's. As it should be.
"Ah, Jean," Paige said as she and Jono waltzed their way over to Mr. and Mrs. Summers dancing on the floor," I think we got another wedding to plan," Paige nudged her head over towards Logan and Jubilee who's eyes were locked together lovingly.
*Oh for God's Sake Logan kiss the woman,* Jean shouted in his mind! He didn't even flinch, only lowered his head towards the woman he loved to kiss her. Jubliee's arms wrapped around his neck as his arms tightened around her waist, ten years ago they started this kiss today they would finally finish it. The gathered group of X-Men, having had waited ten years for this day, seemed to exhail their collective sigh of relief.
"I'm seeing a white and pale yellow color scheme, maybe daylillies and silk," Jean said narrowing her eyes in thought, "maybe two or three hundred people."
"Oh, maybe a nice ice sculpture by Bobby....the pond, the ceremony can be at the pond," Paige added with a big grin.
Scott and Jono looked at each other and before the two women could go any further with this line of conversation the men slowly lead their wives apart as they danced. There would be plenty of time ot deal with the arrangements later.