Author's note: if you want to know where the Mandarin knows Jubilation from, see my earlier story "Ten Unexpected Kisses".
FIVE FIRST KISSES
Bobby and Jean
Jean had only been attending the school for a few days, but she was already wildly enthusiastic about the mansion's pool. In fact, she was getting into the habit of doing twenty laps every morning - and she had just finished when Bobby wandered out of the mansion. It promised to be a hot day and Bobby had decided to spend it in the water.
Bobby saw Jean and froze (no pun intended). The sight of a bikini-clad Jean Grey rising out of the mansion's pool was something of a vision. It seemed to Bobby as if Jean was some auburn, youthful, goddess from ancient myth, rising from the sea in a glorious cascade of rainbow-speckled water.
Yes, that's actually the thought that went through Bobby's mind. Underneath the jokes and the deliberately exaggerated poise of immaturity and cluelessness, Bobby was an avid reader. He could even string together a verse or two of a boy's painful, yet heart-felt, poetry when he tried. However, Bobby didn't see the point to letting anyone else know about that side of his personality. Like many a young man before him, Bobby thought it was more fun - and less scary - to just be the class clown.
Unfortunately, Jean was still unskilled with her telepathic abilities. And Bobby didn't even try to conceal what he was thinking. His innocent, boyish, longing slammed right through Jean's psychic defenses. She hadn't been expecting it from Bobby and she simply wasn't able to handle the surprise.
Jean reacted. It wasn't her fault.
Bobby reacted. It wasn't his fault.
It just was.
Together, they slid into a telepathically-enhanced world of shared desire. Within seconds, they were caught up in each other. Jean's kiss was all hunger and heat. She was a good head taller than Bobby and her strong hands grappled Bobby's brown hair as Jean actually bent him backwards with the intensity of her passion.
At first, Bobby was in complete shocked, but testosterone always finds a way. He recovered his balance and adapted very, very quickly. Jean's bikini top fell to the ground as Jean's hands began sliding down Bobby's smooth body and...
And then Jean snapped out of the psychic mindscape in which they had both been trapped. With a gasp, she jerked away from Bobby.
"Oh, God..." Jean gasped. Bobby just stared, not knowing what to think, but not wanting it to stop. When he noticed how upset Jean was, he automatically reached for her. He wanted to comfort her.
Jean panicked.
Bobby's eyes went blank. He dropped his hand and stepped back. Then he wordlessly turned on his heel and walked back inside the mansion.
Behind Bobby, Jean shook her head and then ran her hands through her wet hair.
"Oh, no," she sighed, close to tears as she bent to retrieve her bikini top.
She'd been at the school less than a week and she had already broken one of the primary rules that Professor Xavier was trying to drill into her - she had erased another person's memory.
Jean will always remember her first kiss, but Bobby doesn't remember his.
Logan and Ororo and Yukio
This was new. Of course, they had all been with each other before. This was just the first time they were together all at once.
Logan and Yukio were already intertwined on the thread-bare futon that was spread out on the floor of Yukio's run-down apartment. Then Ororo stepped out of the bathroom - naked, freshly showered, and gorgeous beyond words. And while she was doing her best to hide it, she was nervous.
She had forgotten that Logan could smell that.
Yukio tensed up in Logan's arms. It was a tiny thing that almost nobody else would have noticed. Of course, Logan was one of those who could notice.
Both women wanted this, but it was a new thing. So the weather goddess and the ninja were... well...
They were scared. Logan somehow managed to hide a smile. Two of the bravest and toughest women that he had ever known - women quite willing fight against any odds and win - were scared.
Ororo took a deep breath and knelt next to Logan and Yukio. She ran a hand through Yukio's short hair and then leaned over and kissed Yukio on the top of her head. Then she kissed Logan between his shoulder-blades.
And Ororo gasped in surprise as Logan and Yukio simultaneously pulled her into the warmth of their tangled bodies.
"I really don't have a clue what to do next," Yukio admitted. She was smiling broadly and had an arm around both of her lovers.
"I am... a little lost as well," Ororo chuckled.
"Let's start here," Logan suggested. He gently tugged and pulled until both women were next to each other. Then he tilted their faces until they were cheek-to-cheek.
Ororo and Yukio figured out what Logan was doing. They both grabbed him by the back of the head and eagerly pulled him towards them.
Their lips met.
Danni and Roberto
Roberto was in the shower when he got an unexpected visitor.
Without a word, Danni stepped inside. Then she smiled as she took the wet soap from Roberto's nerveless hands and put it on the edge of the tub.
"You should see the expression on your face," Danni said with a wide grin as water droplets ran down her face.
They had just joined the school and this was their third night in the mansion. The night before, Roberto and Danni had wandered down to Salem Center and spent a few quiet hours in a coffeeshop. It had been an enjoyable first date and Roberto had been both charming and well-mannered. And that was enough for Danni to decide it was time to jump to the more enjoyable part of a relationship.
Roberto didn't respond to Danni's sudden appearance. He didn't move. He didn't even reach out to touch Danni's nude body.
Danni blinked in surprise. Normally, Roberto was all smooth machismo and suggestive smiles, but now he seemed frozen and uncertain.
That's when Danni suddenly figured it out.
"First time?" she asked slowly.
Roberto hesitated - then nodded.
"I... I'm sorry, Roberto," Danni said, suddenly flustered - which was very unlike her. "I didn't know. I didn't mean to..."
Roberto took Danni's face in his hands, leaned forward, and then there was no more time for words.
Raven and Sam
After his brief stint with the Hellfire Club, Sam signed up with Professor Xavier essentially because there was nowhere else for him to go. He certainly couldn't go home - too many people knew what he was back in Cumberland county, and that might rebound onto his family. So the school looked like a reasonable refuge. However, as the days passed, Sam became increasingly unsure if he really belonged in the school. He liked the other students. In fact, he like them a lot, but...
But Danni was full of anger and resentment and quick to pick a fight with any white male within swinging distance. Roberto was a rich kid who, deep down inside, didn't quite understand that not everyone got a Ferrari for their seventeenth birthday. Rahne was a little too eager to spend time with a boy five years older than herself. And as for Xi'an... well, there was something frightened that flickered through her eyes whenever a man strayed too close.
Sam was in a situation that called for quiet reflection. The kind of thinking was best done with a glass in your hand. So Sam asked a few quiet questions of the locals in Salem Center and quickly found what he was looking for. There was a backroad country bar located a few miles from the mansion. It didn't check ID's too closely and was an easy hike for someone who was accustomed to walking.
That night, after chores and homework, Sam went for a walk.
"Chancey's" was all it was cracked up to be - a quiet place full of local farmhands, small-town working-stiffs, and a few bikers. Nobody gave eighteen-year-old Sam Guthrie a second look as he sat at the bar and ordered a drink that fit his budget better than his taste.
Since Sam had been born and bred in Kentucky, he could drink whiskey with the best of the local rednecks. He was three shots down and well on his way to deciding that maybe he should see if the U.S. Army or Air Force might be interested in a guy who could fly without the benefit of an aircraft, when a pretty girl sat down next to him.
"Hi," she said. She was wearing a mixture of leather and denim that said "biker wench". And she was more than a little good looking - with short dark hair, intense eyes, and a pixieish face that featured a bright and easy smile. Sam had the nagging feeling that he'd seen her before.
Sam was willing to admit that what he knew about women would fit in a thimble with room to spare. But even he understood that a woman who was being this forward was looking for company.
"Hello," Sam replied - barely managing to stop himself from saying, "Hello, ma'am."
"What's your name?" the girl asked.
"Sam. Sam Guthrie. What's yours?"
"I'm Alicia. With that accent, I'd say you're not from around here."
"Born and raised in Kentucky. Are you from Salem Center? I think I've seen you somewhere before."
The girl shook her head, "No. I'm from out of state."
Sam nodded, frantically trying to think of something else to say. But the hesitation that afflicted men who weren't natural talkers was beginning to overtake him.
Alicia gave him and understanding grin. "Sam, the next step is to ask me if I want a drink. If I order something expensive, you should assume I'm just trying to cadge drinks from you. The smart thing to do would be to buy me the one drink and then make your excuses and leave. But if I order something reasonable, then things just might be going your way."
Sam processed that for a long moment, as she stared into Alicia's eyes.
"Would you like a drink?" he finally asked.
Alicia glanced at the definitely amused bartender and said, "Give me a Miller."
Sam had told Alicia everything. Well... everything other than the fact that he was a mutant. He'd talked about the growing up in Cumberland county. About his family and his dead father. About how the darkness of the local coal mine had called to him - and then spat him out. And about the school and his doubts about his place there. Alicia listened politely and carefully, prompting Sam whenever he looked like he was running out of words.
The conversation was cathartic. It was what Sam needed.
When Sam was finally done, Alicia said she had to leave. Sam was disappointed, but he did remember what his father had taught him about walking a woman to safety.
Outside, crickets were calling for mates, while frogs in a nearby pond were also sounding for attention. Alicia's motorcyle was a lean and vicious-looking Harley. As a truck rumbled past on the road, Alicia easily straddled her bike and pulled a helmet loose from a rack on the back of her seat.
"It's been fun," she told Sam.
"Sorry if I bent your ear," Sam said.
Alicia shook her head. "No problem. You obviously needed to talk. Although, come to think of it, you do owe me something for being such a good listener."
Then Alicia reached up, grabbed Sam by the collar, and pulled him in for a long, hot, kiss.
When Sam finally came up from air, Alicia was gone. And Mystique was in her place.
Raven cocked her head at Sam. "You don't seem surprised."
Sam shrugged. "I knew something was up when I finally figured out I was having a drink with Audrey Hepburn."
Raven chuckled. "I'm impressed you figured that out. I thought you would be too young to recognize her."
Sam smiled. "My dad was a big fan."
"So why didn't you run? Or call in your X-buddies to save you from my evil clutches?"
"We were just having a drink. No need for a fight."
Raven sighed and shook her head. "You men are all alike. Hopeless romantics and damned fools."
Sam just laughed. "Raven, I think it's easy for a man to make a fool of himself when he's around you."
Raven blinked in pleased surprise. "Why, Sam... that was really quite charming."
Then she kissed him again.
When they were done, Raven leaned back onto her bike. And her voice turned more business-like. "Sam, you might want to consider the possibility that the other kids in your school are just as uncertain about being there as you are. And in the future, be careful about giving away too much information when you're talking to someone you don't know. And you have some lipstick on your face. Clean it off before you go home."
Then Raven put on her helmet, kicked her bike to life, and roared off.
Behind her, Sam wryly noted the symbolism of how he had been left behind in a cloud of dust.
Still in all, it had been an interesting first kiss.
Jubilation and Some Poor Loser
Three people were waiting in the stone chamber. None of them were happy.
One of the three was Jubilation Lee. She was dressed like a young Manchu noblewoman in attendance at the Chinese Imperial Court. She also had on what felt like a quarter-ton of expensive makeup. It made her look like a porcelain doll. That definitely wasn't how Jubes usually dressed, but it wasn't the first time she'd found herself outfitted like that.
Jubes was scared, but she was also pretty mad. The anger was overriding the fear.
The second person was a young and rather pretty Chinese assassin. She was wearing the subdued uniform of a guardswoman for a high-noble house. Her garb was modest and had a martial air, but was somehow still feminine.
The assassin was terrified, but trying her best to hide it.
The third person was a handsome young man of mixed Asian and European descent. He was naked, bound and gagged, and suspended upside-down from the ceiling by his ankles.
The young man was also terrified, but he wasn't even trying to hide it.
And then the Mandarin entered the room. He sternly eyed its three occupants.
Jubes gulped and wavered a bit, but held her ground and defiantly met the Mandarin's eyes.
The assassin immediately fell to her hands and knees and put her forehead to the stone floor.
The young man who was chained upside-down lost control of his bladder. Given his situation, that was both unfortunate and messy.
"Hello, Jubilation," the Mandarin said calmly.
Jubes took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. After her last encounter with the Mandarin, Logan had felt it necessary to have a long talk with her. He'd rather bluntly and graphically explained to her the sort of things that the Mandarin was capable of doing. He had even shown her some photos. Jubes had problems sleeping for a week afterwards.
"Hi," Jubes said weakly.
The Mandarin didn't immediately respond.
"What is going on?" he finally asked.
Still on her hands and knees, the girl-assassin quivered slightly.
The Mandarin looked at the assassin and said, "Explain."
"Oh wondrous Lord of Heaven and Sea and Earth," the assassin began in an unsteady voice, "this humble and unworthy servant begs to be given the privilege to..."
"Summarize," sighed the Mandarin.
"My lord, Lady Jubilation was in danger and I thought it necessary to intervene to defend her. However, the station chief felt I acted in violation of standing surveillance orders. We were sent here for your judgement."
Jubes glanced thoughtfully at the assassin. From that angle, all she could see was an upthrust bottom and the soles of the girl's boots. She was obviously shaking in fear.
"Lady Jubilation?" Jubes said slowly.
The Mandarin contemplated the terrified assassin.
"What kind of danger was Lady Jubilation facing?" he asked curiously.
"When did I become Lady Jubilation?" Jubes asked, but nobody seemed to be paying attention.
The girl-assassin raised her head and gestured to the unfortunate young man with a trembling hand. "My Lord, this man is known to us at the Manila station. He is a criminal who insults the honor of young and unwise women."
The Mandarin raised an eyebrow.
The assassin continued hurriedly. "He is a thief who uses his charms to... to... become acquainted with young and inexperienced tourist girls. He makes use of them, and then he robs them and leaves them with nothing."
Jubes blinked in surprise and looked at the upside-down man.
"When I saw him approach Lady Jubilation, I feared the worst," continued the assassin. "I... I... thought I must do something. I understood we aren't supposed to make contact with Lady Jubilation, but... but..."
The Mandarin held up a hand. The assassin ground to a stuttering halt.
"Mai," the Mandarin said slowly. "You have been in my service since you were twelve years old. You have killed seventeen men and two women in my name. You have been an excellent servant in every way. And you disobeyed my orders?"
Mai quickly put her head back down to the floor. "My lord, I beg that you make my death a quick and easy one."
"The situation does not call for your death," said the Mandarin coldly. "However, you will be punished."
Mai gratefully crawled forward and kissed the floor at the Mandarin's feet. She didn't have enough seniority to have the privilege of actually kissing his slippered feet.
Jubes tore her eyes away from the upside-down man. "Uhm," she said hesitantly. "If Mai actually helped me..."
"Silence, Jubilation. Mai, you will be whipped at a time and place of my choosing. Get out."
"Yes, my lord. Thank you, my lord." Mai said shakily. Then she rapidly and silently crawled out of the room.
"You can't do that to her!" Jubes said angrily.
The Mandarin held up a hand. "Mai's punishment is at my convenience, Jubilation. And I certainly do not find it convenient to seriously injure one of my best and brightest young agents. In fact, I think I will make her the assistant chief of the Manila station. I need more people who can think for themselves."
"Oh. Uh, thanks," Jubes said in a small voice.
The Mandarin waved away her thanks and then gestured towards the upside-down man. "Jubilation, please tell me you didn't grant this creature even a second of your time."
"He... well... uh, we kissed," Jubes said disjointedly. "It was the first time I kissed a boy. It was nice."
The Mandarin's eyes narrowed. "It went no further?"
"Um..."
"Jubilation, I can have Mai back in here in a second. She will tell me truth."
"Second base," Jubes said resignedly.
The Mandarin seemed to consider what Jubes had said. "I do not understand. What base? And why is it second?"
Jubes sighed and explained.
The Mandarin completely flipped out. Storming to the chamber door, he jerked it open and roared out an order. After a shocked moment, the sound of people scrambling to obey came from the other side.
"What are you going to do!?" Jubes asked with wide eyes.
The Mandarin gave the upside-down prisoner a furious look. "I will begin with having live scorpions inserted into his bodily orifices."
The upside-down man made a gurgling sound and fainted.
"You don't have to do that!" Jubes protested.
"That is where we must disagree."
"I'm at fault, too!"
"You are a child! He is a grown man!"
"I'm not a child!"
"Yes, you are!" the Mandarin shouted. "You are seventeen! And this low-born scoundrel will pay for his base attempt to exploit your innocence!"
Jubes looked into the Mandarin's eyes. Then she licked her lips nervously.
She only had one card left to play.
Putting her hands together and bowing low, Jubes said in rough, but passable Chinese, "My lord Mandarin, I beg that you show this man mercy. He is not worthy of your wrath."
The Mandarin stared at Jubes for several long seconds - seemingly frozen.
"When we last met, you told me you couldn't speak Chinese," he finally said.
"I didn't, my lord, but since then I have tried to learn," Jubes said, keeping her eyes properly down.
The Mandarin shook his head. "You have an accent. And some of your pronunciation is off."
"I am sorry, my lord." Jubes said humbly. "I will try to do better."
"You are obviously attempting to manipulate me," the Mandarin accused.
"Yes, my lord. Am I succeeding?"
The Mandarin took a deep breath and then let it out with a sigh. "Yes. Yes, you are."
Then the Mandarin pinched the bridge of his nose and said - mostly to himself, "This is why civilized people don't let women leave the house until they are at least thirty."
Jubes tried not to smile. She failed.
"I will, of course, have to tell Logan about this," the Mandarin told her sternly. "And also about this thing called 'second base'".
Jubes stopped smiling.