Ahh! This is a quicker update than I was expecting! xP Anyways, not much action in this chapter. Most people were really anti- Warren/Jubes, so don't worry, I don't think I have Warren show up ever again in this entire story. He was kinda a one time screw to prove Jubilee's badassness...
Anyways, new chapter. We get to meet someone... interesting who we all love! Excited? Read on!
Half an hour, and two confrontations with the highway patrol (both occasions she had miraculously been able to sweet talk her way out of, the phone numbers in the glove department evidence of this) later, Jubilee walked into the apartment she shared with Tammy.
"Hey, chica!" She crowed, tossing her keys on the counter.
The strawberry blonde raised an eyebrow, "Are ya mockin' us Cali-girls?"
Oops. Jubilee had somehow forgotten for a minute that she was supposed to be British, "Strangely accurate, am I right, Tamara?"
She rolled her eyes, "I do not talk like that."
"Say what you like… The truth hurts."
Tammy glared at her for a minute before changing the subject, "Where're your bags, Alice? I thought you went shoppin'."
"Oh, I just assumed that since I have a flight today, it would be awfully inconvenient to have to repack." She lied, a smile uncontrollably popping on her face. What was she supposed to say? Oh, yeah, I got abducted by these crazy evil bitches who tortured me, but luckily, my amazing, kick-ass mutant powers popped up, but I fainted, and Warren, this super-cool X-man saved me and we had crazy sex but I parachuted out his jet and now he's in Mexico… Some things were better left unsaid.
"Well, I'm glad yer back. I just finished watchin' the news and they said somethin' about this crazy mutant who blew up like half the mall!" Her eyes were wide with horror.
Jubilee forced her mouth to fall open, "Seriously? When was this?"
"A couple hours ago! I was worried about you. You-" a frown suddenly appeared on her roommate's face, "Are your eyes a different color?"
Shit. Her contacts had fallen out, hadn't they? Jubilee instantly lowered her gaze to the ground, "Oh, I tried on some blue contacts at the mall, cool, eh?"
"Really? They have that there?"
"Yeah, new addition. I'm supposing it has been destroyed by the blast you were talking about." Wow, I'm a good actress! First seducing Warren, now this! If only the casting directors would've seen all this five years ago…
"That sucks, I guess… Anyways, your flight for Madrid leaves in an hour! Why didn't you pick up your cell phone?"
"I was… busy." Jubilee had to resist the urge to snicker.
"Alright, but hurry, Alice!"
"Tamara, thanks for everything," Jubilee said, going over to engulf the blonde in a hug.
Her face softened, "Yeah, yeah. I know. You better not forget to write!"
"Never," Jubilee smiled before going to get her bags…
***
Her flight was either in half an hour… or three minutes ago… or tomorrow… Hmm. She frowned as she stared at the ever changing screen. It would be too late to chase a plane if it left three minutes ago, and she obviously did not want to wait until tomorrow. What did her ticket say again? Jubilee dug through her pockets for the little piece of paper, ignoring the impatient people waiting for her to move past the screen, but couldn't seem to find it…
I could've sworn I put it in my front pocket… She thought, digging through her tight jeans, But maybe it's in my purse. She put down her large traveling bag to rake through her purse. Pens, price receipts, make-up and candy bars sorted through her fingers, but no plane ticket. This was going to be a problem. Ok, just retrace your steps…
Jubilee stepped away from the crowd of people to let them see the screen and more importantly, think. Let's see… It was in my pocket this morning when I set out to go to the mall… Was it there when I was raped in the bathroom, blew up the mall, had sex with Warren, skydived out of his jet, or drove a stolen truck back home? Damn it! I can't retrace my steps!
Frowning to herself, Jubilee reached in her back pocket for her cell phone that she always kept there and was surprised when she found a piece of paper attached to the phone. Aha! I forgot that I put the ticket in my phone to help me remember it!
Relieved, she glanced down at the flight time and saw that it was for the half an hour one after all. Smiling to herself at her own luck, Jubilee skipped over to Customs. She was just waiting in line when a familiar voice caught her attention.
"Miss Lee?"
Jubilee snapped her head around in bewilderment (hell, her passport even said Alice Ayers!) to find an attractive man with white and black, almost skunk-like, hair. She frowned at him, her eyes narrowing to slits, "Do I know you?" She tried to make her voice polite, but it was seething with danger.
He smiled wryly, "I suppose we were never friends, but I'm rather offended, enfant."
She blinked. The voice was so familiar! But she couldn't quite grasp where she'd met this guy before, "What do you want from me?" She hissed.
"Relax, Jubilation. You're making a scene. Why don't we find somewhere… quieter to speak?"
"No," she jerked her arm out of his light grip, "Tell me right now who you are and what the hell you want from me."
The handsome man sighed, the exasperated sound all too familiar, "Keep your voice down, Jubilation."
"Who are you?" Her voice was so loud several people looked over.
He winced, "I hate the fact that we are desperate enough to come here, but Miss Lee, we, unfortunately, are in dire need of your help."
She sniffed loudly. So that was what this was about. "I suppose news of my little… outburst travels quickly… However, I have no desire to help with your little mutant gangs, and now if you'll excuse me, I have a plane to catch."
She turned, but he caught her arm, "Miss Lee," his gray eyes were hard now, "Just give me the chance to explain myself."
"No," she sharply said, wrenching her arm away, "Here, I'll tell you what'll happen; you're gonna leave me alone and go back to the bat cave and not tell your fellow X-geeks of my existence, am I clear? I'm dead."
He raised an eyebrow at her, "Who said anything about the X-men?"
She blinked at him, "Wait- you're not one of them?"
"No. Hellions."
"I thought those were a teenage mutant ninja turtle gang… minus the ninja turtle."
"A lot of things have changed since you've… been alive, Miss Lee. Now, let's not be so… rash. Let me explain myself."
Jubilee bit her lip before sighing and slipping under the security tape and away from Customs… Spain's gonna have to wait. "Go on." She said, crossing her arms over her chest expectantly.
"I've read your file, Miss Ayers, hopping all over the world, never staying in one place for very long. If you do a favor for us, enfant, I will offer you a position on the team. Deal?"
Where had she heard someone call her that before? Who else had such a haughty tone with a slight twinge of a French accent in their voice? And the black and white streaked hair… There was only one- "Northstar!" Jubilee gasped, her eyes wide.
He cocked an amused eyebrow at her, "Who else?"
She stared at him, jaw slack for a whole three seconds. Suddenly, her entire face lit up like it was Christmas and she… pounced him, dropping her bag on the ground. "JP!" She happily crowed, planting a wet kiss on his nose, "I haven't seen you since… well, since your funeral, but I suppose you were dead and that didn't count, but you were revived after I died, so we never really got to meet in the middle, eh?"
"Er…" He awkwardly pulled the too-affectionate girl away from him. This is why I'm gay… "Nice to see you, too… So are you up for the job?" And since when was he "JP"?
Jubilee frowned for a moment, thinking hard and attacking her thumbnail with her teeth, "Who else is on the team? I mean, I gotta like the people right? And if Paige's on, sorry dude, but I am so out."
"Psylocke, Cannonball, Pixie, and Iceman are also on the team."
"Psylocke…" she thoughtfully said, "Is she a telepath again?"
"Yes. And she returned to her original body… Again."
"For sure this time? A human body's not like clean underwear, you know, you can't just keep changing them and throwing it out once it's dirty."
"Great images." Northstar winced.
Jubilee grinned cheekily in response, "So that's how you guys found me."
"Correct."
"Because you need my help."
"Correct."
"Why? You haven't explained anything yet."
A muscle in his cheek visibly twitched, "There is an experimental facility in North Dakota by the Church of Humanity where they are testing their new anti-mutant weapons on the few mutants they can get their hands on. We need you to blow the place up."
Something didn't fit. This seemed to menial a job to go through all this effort getting Jubilee's help… "I thought there were only like 150 mutants still alive in the world…?"
"That's right…"
"And they're all powerful enough to escape some evil monks, so how-"
"Didn't you get caught, Miss Lee?"
Her face darkened at the memory of her crucifixion, "That's not the point."
Northstar shifted nervously, well as nervous as the always suave Canadian can seem, and glanced at his watch, "Miss Lee, I must remind you that we are in desperate need of your services, and as fun as our little chat is, the others are waiting, so I must know now if you're going to help us or not."
She inspected a nail, deliberately slow, "What's the rush, Sonic? We can blow up a facility any time! Why don't we just-"
"They've got Bobby."
Her arm dropped back to her side, "What?!"
He winced and began pacing, "Yesterday, we tried storming the building, but unfortunately, they captured Bobby and put him in impenetrable wards. Before we could attempt rescue, Pixie panicked and teleported us back to home base. Psylocke and I then calculated the strength of his bonds, and only heat up to 10,000 degrees can sufficiently heat the metal hot enough to break," he turned to look her in the eye, his gray eyes fierce, "Your plasmoids can reach temperatures of 30,000 degrees."
She bit her lip, "So I'm your only hope of saving Bobby…"
"Yes," he bluntly said, stopping his brisk walk in front of her. His face softened, "I know you've been enjoying your freedom, Jubilation, but this is of the utmost importance to-"
"You think I don't care about Bobby?" She harshly cut him off.
He blinked, "No, I never said-"
"Well, news flash, Speedy, I may not be in love with him, like some people here, but he's my friend, so who says I won't help him? I may have faked my own death but I'm not crazy… or heartless. And besides, who says I don't want to join your little groupie? Maybe I do want to go all superhero and save the world once in a while. In fact, I will join! I'll save Icecube, then get me a little superhero name, like the Marvelous Maverick or something equally nerdy. Then I'll wear spandex and be a goody goody nerd!" She proudly held her chin up, "Let's do this!"
The corners of his mouth lifted up, against his will, "The others are waiting in the jet a mile or so away," he finally said, "We're going directly to North Dakota."
"Coolness…" She hesitated for a minute, "We're gonna have to walk for a mile?" She half whined. The best thing about being MIA and away from the X-men for so long was no grueling sessions in the Danger Room.
He raised an eyebrow, "I hope you aren't out of shape."
"Don't call me fat, you Canadian bacon."
"I guess I can carry you, enfant." He said with a roll of his eyes, though that was he was planning on doing the entire time.
"Yay! All aboard the Canadian choo choo!"
The rest of the team in the next chapter and the amazing saving Bobby adventure. Excited? Then review! ;)