A/N: This is the final chapter I'm going to write for this. I'm fairly confident in saying that I'm done with it now. This story went further than I ever envisioned, and I'm quite happy with the results.
Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, or any other Marvel characters. The only thing that is mine it the plot.
Boy-Scout or Rebel
In the end, Jubilation and Scott had dated for a little less than four years before they broke it off. It hadn't been a fight, or another person that came between them, it was simply growing up that drove them apart.
As he got older, Scott got more serious about his role with the X-Men, and the lines between Scott and Cyclops started to get blurred; causing some tension between them.
Jubilation, on the other hand, got more serious too, but about her future. She had dreams that didn't involve being an X-Man forever, and she was going to work towards those dreams.
It was during her freshman year at University that they broke up; the strain of their individual paths, as well as the fact that she was living in New York City, away from him, being too much to handle.
They broke up on Easter weekend, 1988; when she had come back to the Institute for the long weekend. It wasn't loud, and no one even knew it had happened until they noticed that something seemed wrong with Scott after Jubilation had returned to school.
They would remain friends; although, during the first couple of years, things sometimes got a little awkward between them.
It hadn't taken long for Jean to sink her claws into Scott; as Jubilation found out from Ororo during one of their weekly phone calls. While it would take some time before she would eventually convince him to ask her out, she made it clear to any woman that showed any interest in Scott that she had claims on him.
At first, the news had upset Jubilation; thinking about Scott with anyone did that to her. But she eventually came to accept that Scott was going to move on, and she wanted him too; even if it was with Jean. It's not like she hadn't tried to move on from him herself; she had dated a couple of guys after they broke up, but nothing serious. Once she was able to accept that Scott and Jean were dating, she felt more free to pursue an actual relationship.
The problem there was that she found herself comparing every guy she dated, too Scott; and none of them even came close. It wasn't something she did consciously; she would just notice things about them that didn't measure up to Scott. She felt like she could hardly be blamed for it, though; Scott was an important part of her life. He was her first real boyfriend, her first love, and her first lover.
It was something that she denied doing, until Peter had proved it to her by making her explain why her recent relationship hadn't worked out. The realization was enough to make her decide she needed even more distance between herself and Scott; so after graduation, she moved to San Francisco to try her hand at running her own fashion line. She limited her visits to once a year; unless something big happened.
It seemed to be working, as she soon found herself in a semi-serious relationship with a screenwriter. It would be her longest relationship since Scott, but would ultimately end like all the others.
While that was going on, Ororo told her about a new arrival at the Institute, some guy named Logan. The way Ororo described him, he was a cross between a lumberjack and a trucker; a muscle-bound hairy guy, who was also a bit of a foul-mouthed chauvinistic pig. She explained that he had instantly taken a liking to Jean, and Jean didn't seem to mind the attention. Scott, on the other hand, was having a hard time dealing with this sudden competition for Jean's attention. Jubilation's heart went out to him, but she made sure that she didn't try to contact him; for fear that she might make things awkward between them again.
About a year after Logan's appearance, something big happened back at the Institute; but she was told not to come, by Ororo. Apparently, Jean had some kind of breakdown, and just snapped. She took on a whole new persona, and nearly killed everyone there; she had killed some other people, though, before she was eventually stopped. Unfortunately, stopped meant that she had to be killed. It took some convincing, but Ororo ended up telling her that the Professor had had to do it; but only after using Scott to distract her. Ororo said that Scott was not taking it well, and she was afraid that things might never be the same between him and the Professor ever again; she was afraid that Scott might follow in Peter's footsteps, and join Magneto.
Jubilation had wanted to go even more after hearing that, but Ororo convinced her that Scott was not in a good place right then, and her appearance might just confuse him even more; so she stayed away until the funeral. And even then, she flew in the day of, stayed as far from him as possible, and left that night. She felt horrible for ignoring him, but she knew that if she spent too much time around him, while he was so obviously broken, she might do something that she would eventually regret.
That next week, when she called Ororo, she found out that Scott had disappeared the day after the funeral; but not before having a heating argument with the Professor. Ororo said that they still hadn't heard anything from Scott, and had no idea where he might have gone. He had just packed a bag, taken his brother's motorcycle, and drove off.
It wouldn't be until a month later that Ororo told her that she had finally been contacted by Scott. He was alive and well, but said he wouldn't be back anytime soon; if ever. Apparently, he had driven down to Florida, and gotten hired as a deck hand on a fishing trawler named the Acadia. It was a far cry from the image Jubilation had of Scott in her head, but she figured that if he was as broken as he had seemed, than anything was possible; she had never thought he would ever quit the X-Men, and he had already done that.
Ororo kept her up to date on Scott, although his contact with Ororo was sparse; so she often went weeks with no news.
Then, about a year later, the updates stopped. Scott had told Ororo that he was leaving Florida, but wouldn't tell her where he was heading; just that it wasn't back to Westchester. He swore that he would keep in touch, but he had lied; something else that had changed about him since Jean died.
Weeks turned into months, and she would ask, every time she talked to Ororo, if she had any news, but the answer was always no. She even called the Professor and begged him to use Cerebro to find Scott. He told her that he didn't want to invade Scott's privacy, especially after the way he had left things between them, but he would look into it for her. He got back to her later that day, but would only tell her that Scott was alive and well, somewhere in Alaska.
It put her mind a ease a little to know he was okay, but she still hated not knowing what he was up too. So she did something she hoped wouldn't come back to bite her in the ass; she hired a private investigator to track down Scott, and find out what he was doing. It cost quite a bit, but her fashion line had been doing well recently, and she decided that she could spare the money.
When she got his report, she was relieved. Scott hadn't gone up to Alaska to be alone, but was apparently living in his grandparents guesthouse; flying planes for their charter flight company. She still wasn't happy with the lack of contact she had with him, but she could at least rest easier now that she knew what she did.
Ororo was also relieved when Jubilation told her what she had found out, and she had quickly passed on the news to everyone else.
But that was not the end of the story.
About a month later, while Jubilation was busily working on some new designs for her fall line, her assistant buzzed her phone. She sighed at the interruption, and walked over to her desk to press the button. "Yeah, Kimmy; I'm kind of busy here." She said, a little more angrily than she intended too.
"Um, there's someone here to see you." Kimmy replied.
"Do they have an appointment?" Jubilation asked, knowing that she sometimes got so focused on her work that she forgot what time it was.
"No." Kimmy replied. "But he says that he needs to see you."
"No appointment, no meeting." Jubilation replied. "I'm sorry, but I'm really behind on the fall line, and if I don't get these designs done by Monday, the shit is going to really hit the fan." She pressed the button, cutting off the conversation, and returned to her workbench.
But before she could even pick up her pencil, her phone buzzed again.
She groaned, and walked back over to press the button. "What now?" She asked, irritation seeping into her voice.
"Um, he's insisting that he has to see you." Kimmy replied. "I told him that he'll just need to make an appointment, but he said that he can't wait."
Jubilation sighed. "Did he give you a name?" She asked.
"Yes; he said his name is Mr Daniels." Kimmy replied.
Jubilation recognized the name of the P.I she had hired, and was curious why he was here; he had already sent her his report. "Send him in." She said, pressing the button and moving around her desk to greet him.
But the man who walked in was not the P.I she had hired. He was too tall, and had a full head of long brown hair; where the P.I had been mostly bald. He also had a neatly trimmed beard, and a pair of red sunglasses; sunglasses that triggered her memories.
It took her a moment, but the shock wore off eventually, and she realized just who it was standing inside her studio. "Scott?" She asked.
"Jubes." He replied, with a nod.
She didn't hesitate, and rushed towards him; wrapping her arms around him. "What are you doing here? How did you even find me?" She asked.
"You're not the only person who can hire a private investigator." He replied.
She pulled away, immediately going on the defensive. "Hey, it's not my fault." She said, angrily. "You're the one that stopped checking in with Ororo; what was I supposed to think? We had no idea where you had gone, or if you were even alive; so I asked the Professor to look for you." She saw his cheek twitch at the mention of the Professor, but didn't let up. "He didn't want too, but I begged him; he would only tell me that you were in Anchorage, Alaska. So I hired a P.I, and had him look into it."
"Yeah, I met him." Scott replied. "Not the greatest use of your money; the guy wasn't even sneaky at all. He came right up to me, introduced himself, and told me that you had hired him to find out about me."
"He did what?" She asked. "What a total hack. I thought he had actually found out the info with actual...work; if I had known he just going to talk to you directly, I would never had hired him."
Scott tilted his head to the side, and she could see his eyebrows lift above the rim of his glasses.
"Okay, I still would have hired him; but I wouldn't have been happy about it." She replied. Then she punched him in the chest as hard as she could several times. "Months, Scott; almost a whole fucking year with no contact. I thought we were your friends; you asshole."
"You're right; I'm an asshole." He replied, grabbed her wrists to stop the onslaught of punches.
"I'm right?" She asked, smiling.
"God, you're not even in school anymore, and you still perk up at being right about anything." He said, shaking his head. "Yes, little miss top of her class, you're right. When I saw just how far you went to find out about me, I realized that I had been neglecting my friends; people I care about. So I paid him to give me your contact information, and made plans to come down here and surprise you. It took a little longer than I would have liked, since we don't get many charters going this far south; so I had to wait for our monthly supply run to Seattle ."
She smiled, and hugged him again.
"Oh, and don't bother calling 'Ro; I called her from my hotel, before coming here." He said, returning the hug. "Man, you let me off easy compared to the tongue lashing I got from her; I had to promise to go visit soon."
"She was worried too." She said, releasing him and stepping back.
"Do you really need to work, or do you want to head out for a bite to eat?" He asked.
"I really need to work." She said, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "But I don't want you to go; I want you to tell me all about what you've been up to."
"I could meet you later, and we could talk?" He suggested.
"Absolutely not." She replied. "I'm not letting you out of my sight until I get the whole story." Suddenly, she had an idea. "Oh, I know; I'll have Kimmy go grab us some food, and we can eat here. Then we can talk while I work. Unless, you don't want too?"
"Well if my options are that, or sit around hungry; I guess I'll go with that." He said, shaking his head. "What do you feel like eating?"
"Well, I know Chinese food is out of the question." She said, with a knowing smile.
"Hey, that's entirely your fault." He said, pointing a finger at her. "If you hadn't brought me home to meet your parents that one summer, and I didn't get to taste how good authentic Chinese food is, I might be okay with restaurant made Chinese food."
"We could do pizza; but the grease could really mess with my work." She said.
"Then pizza's out." He replied.
"I got it." She said, walking over to her desk. "There's this amazing Indian place just down the block; their butter chicken is to die for. And it isn't greasy, so no mess."
"Sounds good to me." He replied. "I haven't had Indian food since New York."
She pressed the button on her phone, and waited for Kimmy to answer.
"Yes, Miss Lee?" Kimmy asked. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine, Kimmy." Jubilation replied. "Mr Daniels turned out to be an old friend from New York."
"Okay; good." Kimmy said. Jubilation knew that the girl had probably been ready to call security at a moments notice, if she felt like Scott had been a threat. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Actually, we're kind of hungry, but I can't leave until I finish these designs; so I was wondering if you wouldn't mind stepping out to pick us up something to eat?"
"Sure thing, Miss Lee." Kimmy replied. "What do you want?"
"Head to the Indian place down the street, and get two number fives; extra naan bread." Jubilation replied.
"Okay; anything else?" Kimmy asked.
"Actually yeah." Jubilation replied with a smile. "You know that thing that I keep telling you not to get me, but I keep sending you to get anyways? Grab one on the way back."
"Okay." Kimmy replied. "I should be back in about thirty minutes. Will you be okay to answer the phones yourself, or should I see if Sandra next door can spare someone to cover for me?"
"I think I can handle it for thirty minutes." Jubilation replied. "Besides, I don't want to bother Sandra this late; it's almost closing time for her."
"Then I'll be right back, Miss Lee." Kimmy said.
Jubilation pressed the button again, and looked at Scott. "What?" She asked.
"What's this 'thing' that she's getting?" Scott asked.
"Only the most amazing cheesecake in the world." She replied. "The bakery downstairs makes them, and they taste like I imagine heaven would taste like. It's like my crack; I can't stop myself from eating them. Even though I know I'll regret it the moment I step on the scale the next time."
Scott looked at her carefully. "Really?" He asked. "You look like you barely weigh a hundred pounds; and you're worried about cheesecake?"
"For your information, I weigh a hundred and twelve pounds." She replied, giving him a look. "What? It's the heaviest I've ever been. I'm really short, so a hundred and twelve is a lot more on me."
"I'll take your word for it." He said, shaking his head.
"Just sit down over there, and wait for the food." She said, pointing to a couch near the window; one that she could see from her workbench. "And start talking; I want to hear everything that happened since you left the institute, from you."
"Alright." Scott said, as he sat down on the couch and looked around the office. "I guess I owe you that much."
"Damn right, you do." She said, picking up her pencil and continuing her work.
"Okay, well I guess, after everything that happened, I needed a fresh start; so I took my bike and headed south." He said, leaning back. "I'm not even sure why I went south; it just felt like the right way to go. A couple of times, I thought about turning west, and heading back to see my parents; but I figured that would make it easy to find me, and I wanted to be left alone."
"We were only trying to look out for you; I hope you know that." She said. "We didn't want to interfere with your grieving; we just wanted to know you were okay. We could understand you wanting time away after Jean died."
"The thing is, it wasn't even really about Jean." He replied. "Well, maybe a little. It was more about how it happened; the betrayal. I think if it had happened any other way, I could have stayed and grieved there; but after the way it went down, I had to go."
She looked up from her work. "Was it that bad?" She asked. "I mean, Ororo told me what happened, but she was kind of vague on the details."
"Let's just say that, even after all this time away, I don't see the Professor and I exchanging Christmas cards anytime soon." He replied. "That being said, I think I could possibly be civil around him if I had too; but let's not try that just to be safe."
"I see." She said, returning to her work.
"So, anyways, back to my story." He said. "I ended up in Florida. I was driving down that coast, hustling suckers at pool."
"Oh, God; I forgot how good you are at that." She said. "No one ever wanted to play you, so I always got stuck getting my ass handed to me."
"Yeah, well, there were enough dive bars with sorry suckers just waiting to lose to me in Florida." He replied. "I was able to keep myself fed, and pay for motels for a little while; but it got boring quick. So I started asking around for any odd jobs. That's when I met Lee Forrester."
"Who's that?" She asked.
"The captain of the ship that I ended up working on for almost a year." He replied.
"Nice guy?" She asked.
"Actually, Lee is a woman; but yeah, she's really nice." He replied. "She hired me on as a deck hand. Of course, being a greenhorn, I had to endure all the hazing that comes with the job, but it's nothing I couldn't handle. It was therapeutic, working with my hands all day until I was so exhausted I would fall asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow."
"Not my idea of therapeutic; but to each his own." She said.
"It works for me." He replied. "When I have time to think, all I do is relive the past, over and over; trying to think of how I could have done things differently, or prevented things from happening the way they did. By keeping myself occupied, it was like my mind was able to come to terms with what happened subconsciously. One day, I just realized that I couldn't change the past, and just needed to move on. The problem there, was that I now needed to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. I knew being a deck hand on a fishing trolley wasn't what I wanted, but I had signed on for the season; so I wasn't going anywhere until that was done. And there was Lee..."
"Oh." She said, looking up at him. "So, you and her..?"
"Yeah; kind of." He replied, looking ashamed. "It started just before the end of my first season on the boat. We had both lost someone we cared about, and felt like we had been betrayed; we just kind of...connected. We both knew it wasn't healthy; I mean we weren't stupid. But we both needed something to make us feel alive, and we found it in each other."
"Are you two still together?" She asked, looking back at her work, but her hands not actually moving the pencil across the paper.
"No." He replied, sighing. "The problem with a relationship based on grief and comfort, is that once the grieving is over, it doesn't have a solid foundation to stand on. We both knew it, and when the season was over, we parted ways amicably. In fact, we still keep in touch."
"Wait." She said, looking at him again. "You keep in touch with her, but not us?" She threw her pencil at him, and narrowly missed his legs.
"I know; I'm an asshole. I thought we already established that." He replied, picking up the pencil and twirling it between his fingers. "It's something I'm trying hard to correct."
"You better correct it." She said, taking another pencil and returning to her work. "Or I'm going to come up to Anchorage, with Ororo, and kick your ass."
"I will; I promise." He said. "Back to my story. So I was in Florida, with my bike and all the money I had made working for Lee. I also had no clue what I wanted to do with myself at that point; so I called my dad. If there was one person who I could count on to give me helpful life advice, it would be him. After a couple of hours talking, he suggested I give his parents a call; they ran a charter flight company out of Anchorage, and were thinking of retiring. He told me that they didn't want to shut the company down, since they had a pretty regular clientele, and they didn't want to sell it; they had been trying to convince him to move up and take over. I had my pilot's license, and I knew, after the Blackbird, I could fly anything they had; so I did just that."
Just then, the door opened, and Kimmy walked in carrying a couple of bags. "Foods here." She said, walking over to the table in front of Scott and placing the bags down. "Will there be anything else?"
"I think that's all for today, Kimmy." Jubilation replied. "It's getting late, and I don't want to keep you too late again. I doubt anyone will call, and there's no reason anyone should be showing up; so why don't you head home, and lock up behind you. I'll let us out when I'm done here."
"Are you sure?" Kimmy asked. "I'm okay with staying if you want me too."
"No, it's fine; thanks." Jubilation replied. "Go home to your girlfriend, and enjoy the weekend."
"Okay; I will." Kimmy said. "Thank you. If you need anything at all, don't hesitate to page me."
"I'll remember that." Jubilation replied. "Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Miss Lee." Kimmy said, leaving the two of them alone.
Jubilation turned her attention back to Scott, to find him already opening the bags and removing the contents. "What?" He asked, when he saw her watching him. "I haven't eaten since this morning; I'm starving."
She laughed, and walked over to sit next to him on the couch. "Move over." She said, bumping him with her hips as she tried to squeeze between him and the armrest.
He moved over to allow her to sit, and opened the Styrofoam container containing his meal. "Smells good." He said.
"It tastes even better." She replied, breaking off a piece of naan bread and dunking it in the butter chicken sauce.
Scott copied her, and dunked a piece of his own naan bread into the sauce. "Mmm; it is good." He said.
"I know my food." She replied. "I may not look like it, but I do." She ate a piece of chicken, and glanced over at Scott. "So, what happened between Florida and Alaska? You didn't ride your bike all the way there; do you?"
"Most of the way." He replied. "When I called my grandfather, he was excited at the possibility of me heading up there and working for them. He told me that he owned a hanger in Seattle, because they made monthly supply trips there, and told me that if I headed there, he would arrange to pick me up. So I rode across country; stopping in random towns along the way. When I got to Seattle, I had to wait a week before he was scheduled to make his trip; so I booked a hotel, and did the whole sight-seeing thing."
"I can't really see you as a tourist." She said. "You were never the type to stand around looking at monuments and stuff."
"It wasn't easy." He replied, with a laugh. "I felt like blasting some of the other tourists when they kept getting in my way, and slowing me down; but I kept it in check."
"So, what did you do with your bike? Did you cram it on the plane, and take it with you to Anchorage?" She asked.
"No." He replied. "I wouldn't have been able to ride it very often; so I stored it in my grandfather's Seattle hanger. Whenever I flew down, I made sure to check in on it before heading back."
"Man, I loved that bike." She said, leaning back. "I remember the first time you gave me a ride on it."
"Yeah. Seating was a little tighter than that beast we 'borrowed' from the Professor, but we made it work." He replied.
"I really miss that car, though." She said, with a smile. "Now those were fun times."
"Yeah." He replied, lost in memories.
Jubilation started to feel a little awkward at the direction she had led the conversation too, and changed the subject. "So, how about a slice of cheesecake?" She asked. "I'm going to have a small piece, and then I need to get back to work."
"Sure." He replied.
She cut two pieces, and handed Scott his, before digging into her own.
"This is really good." He said, as he took a bite.
"I told you; I know my food." She replied. "So, what happened after you got to Anchorage?"
"Well, my grandfather actually tested me out right away, and had me fly us back." He replied. "He seemed satisfied that I could take over most of the flights, and offered me the job. I took it, and immediately started apprenticing with him, until I got used to the area."
"And now?" She asked.
"And now, I fly solo." He replied. "My grandfather only flies when he feels up for it, and I'm always with him when he does; he's getting up there in years, and I worry about him flying solo."
She finished her piece, and looked at the cake longingly, before getting up and walking over to her desk to work. "Have another piece if you want; the more you eat, the less there will be for me to finish." She said.
"I'm good." He replied. "I wouldn't want to come between you and heaven."
"Ha ha, Scott; if you're not going to have another piece, then talk." She said.
"Sure, why not; it's not like I'm curious about what you've been up to anyways." He replied, with a smile.
"I'll tell you after." She said, giving him a dirty look. "If I feel like you deserve it."
"Okay." He said, putting the cheesecake away. "I wasn't sure if I was actually going to stay at first; there was something...odd, that happened."
"What?" She asked.
"Actually, I should have said 'someone'; Madelyne to be exact." He replied. "My grandparents had hired her a few months before I contacted them, and she was supposed to be the regular pilot; but I was a better pilot, and she was better at running the business. The problem was that the moment I saw her, I thought she was Jean. I mean she looked like they might be twins. I thought I was having a breakdown of some sort, and nearly got the hell out of there; but my grandparents assured me that she wasn't Jean, and that they had known her and her family for years. So I stayed, although it was a little awkward between us at first."
"I'll bet." She said, looking at him carefully; so as not to let him know she was looking. "How are things now?"
"Good now." He replied. "Now that I know she's not Jean's twin, or an evil clone. The more time I spend with her, the more differences I notice; like how Madelyne's hair is more auburn. I can only tell because it's darker to me."
"So, the two of you get along good?" She asked.
"If you're trying to be subtle, and ask if we're together; then the answer is no." He replied. "She may not be Jean, but she's too similar to her for me to go down that road."
"I was just curious." She said. "Is there anyone special, waiting for you back in Anchorage?"
"Actually, there is." He replied. "A gorgeous little blond, named Emma."
"Really?" She asked, confused by her sudden disappointment. "What's she like?"
"Oh, you'd either love her, or hate her." He replied. "She's sweet, and affectionate; but pretty high maintenance, and she can be a little bitch sometimes. Want to see a picture?" He reached into his pocket, and pulled out his wallet.
She didn't really want to see this mystery girl, but didn't want Scott to know that; so she nodded and waited patiently for him to retrieve the picture.
He pulled a picture out of his wallet, and walked over to her workbench; where he handed her the photo.
"This is a dog, Scott." She said, when she saw the picture of Scott with a golden retriever puppy that was happily licking his face.
"Yes she is." He replied. "And she's my special girl; rescued her a couple of months ago."
"I thought you were talking about a woman, not a dog." She said, laughing as she handed him back the photo.
"Well, she's all I got." He replied, looking at the picture before putting it away. "For now." He walked over to the window, and looked outside. "How about you? Got anyone special that's going to be wondering why you're working late tonight?"
"Nope." She replied. "Just an empty condo; not even a dog, for me."
"I find that hard to believe." He said. "A beautiful, famous fashion designer, and no boyfriend?"
She felt herself blushing, so she pretended to be looking for something in one of her drawers so he wouldn't see. "No boyfriend." She replied. "Just little old me."
When she looked back up, Scott was standing right next to her. She hadn't even heard him move. She flinched a little, having forgotten how much taller than her he was, and he had filled out his frame in the last few years; he was quite an imposing figure.
"So, I guess I won't have to worry about anyone wanting to punch me after I do this, then." He said, as he leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss.
She whimpered, as his lips touched hers; hating herself for showing any kind of reaction. It had been more than eight years since they had broken up, and with one kiss, she discovered that she was still not over him.
He pulled back, and looked down at her.
She couldn't stop herself from licking her lips, and blushing. "What was that about?" She asked, surprised that her voice was steady.
"I would think it was obvious." He replied, with a crooked smile. "When a man kisses a woman..."
"I know that, jackass." She said with a small laugh. "I mean, why? It's been eight years, Scott; why now?"
"Because if I didn't do it now, I know that I would regret it for the rest of my life." He replied. "I guess I never really got over you, Jubes. From the moment I walked through that door, all I've wanted to do was to take you into my arms, and kiss you senseless."
"But, Jean..." She said, unable to bring herself to ask the question.
"I did love Jean." He replied, having been able to understand what she had meant. "She had that fiery side, like you, that drew me to her. But we were more similar than anything else; Logan showed me that. I could see how she was drawn to his wild nature, and intense passion. He would have been a better balance for her than me; something I came to realize was lacking in my life too."
"Scott, we can't..." She said, turning away so she didn't have to look at him. "I can't."
"Then tell me." He said. "Tell me that you still don't have feelings for me; look at me, and say it to my face. Do that, and I'll leave you alone. I'll hop back on my bike, head up to Seattle, and fly back to Anchorage. I'll keep in touch this time, but I'll never bring this up again."
She looked at him, a smile forming on her lips. "You have your bike here?" She asked, as she bit her lip.
"There are two helmets sitting on your assistants desk; one's yours." He replied, returning her smile.
Two sweaty, naked bodies collapsed onto the bed. Jubilation grabbed the covers and pulled them up, before curling into Scott's side, and resting her head on his chest. She lazily ran her fingers through his chest hair, and listened to his heart, which was still pounding.
"Well, that was even better than I remembered." She said, with a little laugh. "You've kept in shape since leaving the team."
"You're one to talk." He replied, kissing the top of her head. "I'm drained; couldn't move a muscle, even if Magneto showed his face right now."
"Yoga class really does wonders for the body." She said.
"I can tell." He said, squeezing her shoulder.
"Man, I always did love that bike." She said.
"I know." He replied, pulling her tightly against his side. "I should buy you a pink jacket to wear when we ride, and start calling you Stephanie; you could be my Michelle Pfieffer."
"Oh course, you would be a fan of Grease." She said, with a laugh.
"Actually, the motorcycles were in Grease 2." He replied.
"Maybe, instead of a pink jacket, I should look into a leather cat suit?" She asked, stifling a laugh. "Meow."
He started laughing, making her head bounce.
She sighed, as she melted into his side. "This is probably some kind of faux pas, bringing this up right after having sex; but what does this all mean, Scott?" She asked. "I mean, you have a life in Alaska, and my life is here. Was this just a one time thing, or are you hoping for the whole 'long distance relationship' kind of deal?"
"Would it surprise you, if I said that I wasn't thinking that far ahead?" He asked.
"The old Scott, the one I dated; no." She replied, tilting her head so that she could see his face. "But the new Scott, the one that dated Jean; yes."
"Well, truthfully, it's a little of both." He said, his laugh causing her head to bounce again. "I'm actually on a little bit of an extended leave, right now. I have until the next Seattle supply run to get back. But if I don't get back to Seattle; that's okay too."
"What do you mean?" She asked, lifting herself up on her elbow so she could see his face better.
"I mean, that my grandparents know that I might not be returning." He replied. "I'd still have to go back eventually to collect all my stuff, and get Emma; my grandparents love her, but I could never leave her behind for too long."
"So..?" She asked, her heart feeling like it wasn't going to beat until he answered.
"I wasn't lying when I said that I'd go away if you told me." He replied. "I'll still leave, if you want me too. But if you don't, than I won't. I'll find a place in the city, and get myself a job." He lifted his head enough that she knew he was looking her directly in the eye. "And I'll never let you go again."
"You don't need to find a place in the city." She said, leaning in to kiss him. "You can stay here with me."
He pulled her close, and kissed her deeply. "I love you, Jubes." He said, when they broke apart.
"I love you too, Scott." She replied, resting her head back on his chest, with a huge smile. "Especially, with this new badass look you're rocking." She reached up, and ran her fingers through his beard. "Incredibly sexy."
"You think so?" He asked.
"Totally." She replied, resting her chin on his chest, and smiling at him. "You've got, like, a Brad Pitt in Legends of the Fall kind of thing going; so hot. I almost feel like I'm in bed with an actor."
"If anyone's in bed with an actor; it's me." He replied, with a smirk. "I remember that commercial you did for the Institute; you were so cute in it."
"You did not just bring that up." She said, slapping his chest, before resting her head on it to hide her blush. "You are so bad."
"I never said I was a boy-scout; that was you." He replied, laughing so hard her head bounced.
THE END