Chapter 7
The scream was frightening enough and loud enough wake the dead. Wolverine was up with claws extended before he even realized. Reflexes went into attack mode before the rest of him caught up. He made a quick scan of the room for any danger before moving toward the bed.
Jubilee's eyes were wide and blank. Her mind was not there in the present, it was lost in a time that she can't remember and perhaps didn't really want to remember. But her subconscious remembers and knows, and it lives in her nightmares.
She flinched when he touched her gently. "It's okay, it's me Logan."
"Wolvie?" only her lips moved as the rest of her slowly came back into the darkened room. "Where are you?"
"I'm right here," Logan took her arms slowly, trying not to frighten her any more than necessary. "I'm right here with you. You're safe."
"You didn't come." Her voice was pathetically soft and so filled with fear that it tore at his heart. "Why didn't you come?"
"I'm here, kid." He pulled into his arms now, desperate to calm her to being her back. "I'm here now."
"I'm scared, Wolverine." Jubilee's mind cleared slowly. "I was so afraid."
"I know."
"You came though." Jubilee murmured into his shirt. "You came."
"Do you remember what happened?"
A small, frightened part of her wanted to say yes. "No, I don't remember."
"Then it's just a nightmare." He smoothed her hair back and looked at the open door. The girls were crowded in the doorway, looking in at the badly frightened girl. They backed out slowly when they realized that Wolverine had everything under control.
"Nightmare."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everett Thomas looked in at the two, wrapped in each others' arms, seeking and giving comfort, and could feel all the anger and tension rise. Who or what he was angry at, he wasn't too sure, but sure the hell know that he didn't like the fact that Logan was in Jubie's room. His Jubilee's room.
Yet he knew that she needed Logan. She needed him to give her comfort, a sense of safety, a sense of peace. Her scream in the middle of the night was nothing uncommon. He knew she was having nightmares, knew that she would not allow him to comfort her though he tried in the past, but he always came running no matter the time of night. He needed to know that she was still in her room, still with them. The very thought of not finding her spurred his feet on through the halls. He always needed to see her before returning to his room, knowing he could nothing.
Standing here, watching her take comfort from another, it was hard. He enjoyed the easy friendship and mild flirtations before. Now, he could not get near her with out seeing the fear. He could only be in her presence, not in her mind or heart.
The green haze he sees through every time Logan touched her was not helping him any. Sleep would elude him tonight; he knew it. But he could at least take comfort in knowing she was still safe and with them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eight Months Ago: X-Men Mansion
"Isn't she awake yet?" Everett asked yet again as he paced the length of the living room. He wanted to see her. Wanted to look into those big blue eyes. He needed it.
"Ev lad, sit down." Sean said as the others waited for Moria and Hank. "They'll come get us when they're done."
"But..."
"Everett." Emma murmured. "Don't make me get up. It won't be good for you."
"Leave the poor boy alone, Emma." Bobby Drake said as he leaned against the mantel. "He's just worried like the rest of us."
"Well, he..."
"Logan." Hank's voice cut through the other's impatient. Everyone came alive at the same time. Generation X were on their feet and came running at the sound of Hank McCoy's voice. "We have a problem."
"What?" The others crowded around as Hank moved further in. "What happened? What's wrong?"
"Jubilee can't seem to remember the happens of the past six months."
"What?"
"That's not possible."
"She's been gone for five weeks."
"How did that..."
"Why would...."
"He won't...."
"Guys, guys," Beast bounded up and away from the crowd of concerned people. "I don't know how or why. I just know that it is. As far as Jubilee is concerned, the past six months didn't happened. She asked me if she fainted." He sighed. "I don't know what to tell her. Logan, she's asking for you."
No had ever seen Wolverine move so fast. One moment he was in the chair, the next moment he was through the door. His flight slowed as he near the medical room. He didn't know what to expect. The sight of her in that tank filled with green gel will forever haunt him.
"Hey Wolvie!" Jubilee's smiled was bright and careless. She shifted on the medical bed and pushed the blanket away to get up. She got as far as standing before she was pitching forward with her mouth side in surprise; too surprise to even try to break her fall with her hands. Logan got there just in time to keep her from smashing her nose into the ground.
"Easy kid, I gotcha." Logan lifted her up and deposited her back into the bed.
"Boy, that was embarrassing." She smiled and blushed as Logan tucked the blanket around her again. "So how long have I been in the netherworld?"
He was startled. "What?"
She grinned at the blank look on his face. "How long was I unconscious? And how the heck did I end up back in the X-Mansion? Hank looked at me like I've lost my mind so I thought I would just as soon ask someone that's likely to give me some straight answers. Though I did think that you were in Africa with Storm right about now. You did say you would be last week when you called. And I thought...."
"Jubilee," Logan interrupted, as it seemed that she wasn't going to stop talking. "The conversation and trip you are referring to happened six months ago."
"Six months?" her brows wrinkled in incomprehension. "Wait that's not right. It was last Thursday. How could it be....." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait, you mean to tell me I've been in a coma for six months and not even know it?"
Logan frowned. This conversation was not going well. "No kid, you haven't." He had never lied to her, and for some reason he thought that would last. Yet sitting here, seeing her so full of life again, he wanted to. No, that would change their relationship and he didn't want that. He had once promised her that he would always be completely honest no matter how much the truth hurts. That was one promise he intended to keep to the best of his abilities.
Jubilee sat in silence as Wolverine recounted the events of the last month, beginning from the phone call to the Beast's revelation only minutes before. He went through every detail from how they found her body to the rescue mission. Her mind tried to wrap itself around the truth, around the events that he was saying yet her brain refused to allow her a glimpse of the happenings. She was coming up against a blank wall when she thought of her time in Mr. Sinister's Fortress, if indeed she had been there. But this was Wolverine, her Wolvie, he would have no reason to lie to her. He always told it as it is, no embellishments, not exaggerations, no lies.
"What did he do to me?" the whispered question was not one of curiosity, just a need for the truth.
"Hank's trying to figure that out now."
"Is there any ways to retrieve the memory?"
"We don't know yet."
"What could have cause it?"
"Hank thinks that Sinister may have used a mind wipe, same one used on Madeline."
"So there is a chance that I can get my memories back?"
"We don't know yet."
She nodded at this and accepted it on his word. "Okay, what the next step?"
"Jubilee, you need to rest." Logan said getting up and looking down at her with concern at her easy understanding. "The rest of the gang is waiting on word. We ain't going anywhere without clearing this up."
She looked at him with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm a scrapper, I'll live."
"I know it."
The scream was frightening enough and loud enough wake the dead. Wolverine was up with claws extended before he even realized. Reflexes went into attack mode before the rest of him caught up. He made a quick scan of the room for any danger before moving toward the bed.
Jubilee's eyes were wide and blank. Her mind was not there in the present, it was lost in a time that she can't remember and perhaps didn't really want to remember. But her subconscious remembers and knows, and it lives in her nightmares.
She flinched when he touched her gently. "It's okay, it's me Logan."
"Wolvie?" only her lips moved as the rest of her slowly came back into the darkened room. "Where are you?"
"I'm right here," Logan took her arms slowly, trying not to frighten her any more than necessary. "I'm right here with you. You're safe."
"You didn't come." Her voice was pathetically soft and so filled with fear that it tore at his heart. "Why didn't you come?"
"I'm here, kid." He pulled into his arms now, desperate to calm her to being her back. "I'm here now."
"I'm scared, Wolverine." Jubilee's mind cleared slowly. "I was so afraid."
"I know."
"You came though." Jubilee murmured into his shirt. "You came."
"Do you remember what happened?"
A small, frightened part of her wanted to say yes. "No, I don't remember."
"Then it's just a nightmare." He smoothed her hair back and looked at the open door. The girls were crowded in the doorway, looking in at the badly frightened girl. They backed out slowly when they realized that Wolverine had everything under control.
"Nightmare."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Everett Thomas looked in at the two, wrapped in each others' arms, seeking and giving comfort, and could feel all the anger and tension rise. Who or what he was angry at, he wasn't too sure, but sure the hell know that he didn't like the fact that Logan was in Jubie's room. His Jubilee's room.
Yet he knew that she needed Logan. She needed him to give her comfort, a sense of safety, a sense of peace. Her scream in the middle of the night was nothing uncommon. He knew she was having nightmares, knew that she would not allow him to comfort her though he tried in the past, but he always came running no matter the time of night. He needed to know that she was still in her room, still with them. The very thought of not finding her spurred his feet on through the halls. He always needed to see her before returning to his room, knowing he could nothing.
Standing here, watching her take comfort from another, it was hard. He enjoyed the easy friendship and mild flirtations before. Now, he could not get near her with out seeing the fear. He could only be in her presence, not in her mind or heart.
The green haze he sees through every time Logan touched her was not helping him any. Sleep would elude him tonight; he knew it. But he could at least take comfort in knowing she was still safe and with them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Eight Months Ago: X-Men Mansion
"Isn't she awake yet?" Everett asked yet again as he paced the length of the living room. He wanted to see her. Wanted to look into those big blue eyes. He needed it.
"Ev lad, sit down." Sean said as the others waited for Moria and Hank. "They'll come get us when they're done."
"But..."
"Everett." Emma murmured. "Don't make me get up. It won't be good for you."
"Leave the poor boy alone, Emma." Bobby Drake said as he leaned against the mantel. "He's just worried like the rest of us."
"Well, he..."
"Logan." Hank's voice cut through the other's impatient. Everyone came alive at the same time. Generation X were on their feet and came running at the sound of Hank McCoy's voice. "We have a problem."
"What?" The others crowded around as Hank moved further in. "What happened? What's wrong?"
"Jubilee can't seem to remember the happens of the past six months."
"What?"
"That's not possible."
"She's been gone for five weeks."
"How did that..."
"Why would...."
"He won't...."
"Guys, guys," Beast bounded up and away from the crowd of concerned people. "I don't know how or why. I just know that it is. As far as Jubilee is concerned, the past six months didn't happened. She asked me if she fainted." He sighed. "I don't know what to tell her. Logan, she's asking for you."
No had ever seen Wolverine move so fast. One moment he was in the chair, the next moment he was through the door. His flight slowed as he near the medical room. He didn't know what to expect. The sight of her in that tank filled with green gel will forever haunt him.
"Hey Wolvie!" Jubilee's smiled was bright and careless. She shifted on the medical bed and pushed the blanket away to get up. She got as far as standing before she was pitching forward with her mouth side in surprise; too surprise to even try to break her fall with her hands. Logan got there just in time to keep her from smashing her nose into the ground.
"Easy kid, I gotcha." Logan lifted her up and deposited her back into the bed.
"Boy, that was embarrassing." She smiled and blushed as Logan tucked the blanket around her again. "So how long have I been in the netherworld?"
He was startled. "What?"
She grinned at the blank look on his face. "How long was I unconscious? And how the heck did I end up back in the X-Mansion? Hank looked at me like I've lost my mind so I thought I would just as soon ask someone that's likely to give me some straight answers. Though I did think that you were in Africa with Storm right about now. You did say you would be last week when you called. And I thought...."
"Jubilee," Logan interrupted, as it seemed that she wasn't going to stop talking. "The conversation and trip you are referring to happened six months ago."
"Six months?" her brows wrinkled in incomprehension. "Wait that's not right. It was last Thursday. How could it be....." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Wait, you mean to tell me I've been in a coma for six months and not even know it?"
Logan frowned. This conversation was not going well. "No kid, you haven't." He had never lied to her, and for some reason he thought that would last. Yet sitting here, seeing her so full of life again, he wanted to. No, that would change their relationship and he didn't want that. He had once promised her that he would always be completely honest no matter how much the truth hurts. That was one promise he intended to keep to the best of his abilities.
Jubilee sat in silence as Wolverine recounted the events of the last month, beginning from the phone call to the Beast's revelation only minutes before. He went through every detail from how they found her body to the rescue mission. Her mind tried to wrap itself around the truth, around the events that he was saying yet her brain refused to allow her a glimpse of the happenings. She was coming up against a blank wall when she thought of her time in Mr. Sinister's Fortress, if indeed she had been there. But this was Wolverine, her Wolvie, he would have no reason to lie to her. He always told it as it is, no embellishments, not exaggerations, no lies.
"What did he do to me?" the whispered question was not one of curiosity, just a need for the truth.
"Hank's trying to figure that out now."
"Is there any ways to retrieve the memory?"
"We don't know yet."
"What could have cause it?"
"Hank thinks that Sinister may have used a mind wipe, same one used on Madeline."
"So there is a chance that I can get my memories back?"
"We don't know yet."
She nodded at this and accepted it on his word. "Okay, what the next step?"
"Jubilee, you need to rest." Logan said getting up and looking down at her with concern at her easy understanding. "The rest of the gang is waiting on word. We ain't going anywhere without clearing this up."
She looked at him with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me. I'm a scrapper, I'll live."
"I know it."