Disclaimer: Marvel characters are mine...ahem...Marvel's. Mine belong to
me. At least until I get a multi-million dollar deal from the big-wigs.
A/N: If you don't already know, Jubilee's power has progressed far beyond her paffs, to being able to turn into an elemental and fly as a result of it. Her fabled telepathy is also very much present in this story.
Chapter 2
The next day
Rays of pink and orange light shot over the horizon, coloring the world with hues of gold. Up in her balcony, Jubilee sat deep in mediation, her thoughts slow and deep as she let herself sink into her unconscious. It had become a daily ritual with her; the forced isolation helped her center herself for the upcoming day and the onslaught of people's thoughts that would barrage her. In and out, each breath let her go deeper and deeper until she felt herself submerge into the murky depths of...
Jubilee awoke with a start, instantly aware that she was somewhere else, a cave from the looks of it. Mentally searching for another presence, she found nothing and stood up. The walls of the cave were high, and came to a point over her head where there was a hole letting in a ray of sunlight. Unwilling to move from her position to the darkness, she looked around uncertainly.
[Kyln...] The name echoed across the cave.
"Who is it?"
[Kyln...]
Jubilee unconsciously felt for her knife that she kept constantly on her, only to find that she was garbed in a silky robe. A soft footfall made her turn and a tall figure emerged from the shadows. The creature was about 7ft tall, a dark blue with golden eyes, and small protruding knobs on its forehead. Jubilee looked at in disbelief.
[Ciele?] Jubilee grinned and gave her a hug, looking at her fondly.
[It is I. How have you been, Kyln?] The alien gave a small bow in deference to her. Its mouth twisted into a smile, something unfamiliar to its people, but did out of respect for the woman before her.
[Good, what are you doing here?]
[As you asked, I have come with news of your people. Disappearances have been reported throughout our system, beings have gone missing in the thousands. It appears that the Ji'in have not adhered to the treaty as you had hoped.] Only someone familiar with Ciele could detect the faint hint of chiding in her voice.
[Fine, don't say that you told me so. I know what you said about them, but genocide of a nation is a drastic measure.]
[Were not the billions of lost slave lives drastic enough for you?]
[Enough, we have had this conversation many times, and it seems that I was wrong. Where are you?]
[We will arrive in about two days of you time. Will you be ready?]
[I will be. Where you will you land?]
A series of images flashed in front of her eyes and Jubilee nodded. [Sounds good. I have to go and get prepared. One questions though...]
[Yes?]
"[This is what you meant when you said you would get in touch with me?]"
"[Yes. Unfortunately your body is being adversely affected by the communication device that was implanted, so we must make this quick.]"
"[You know, when you put it in I had more of a beeper thing in mind.]"
"[Bee-per thing?]"
Jubilee projected an image of a small box that beeped, indicating a need to talk. "[But this is good too, so how do I wake up?]" The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she felt someone shaking her violently.
"Jubes!!"
"Nahzat!" Swearing as she drew in a ragged breath, Jubilee opened her eyes to see Angelo looking at her worriedly. He was still wearing his boxers and his hair was rumpled. Over his shoulder, Monet and Paige were peering at her with expressions of fear.
"What? What's wrong?"
"I couldn't wake you up from your meditation. And then you stopped breathing, I called to them for help and then you woke up. We better go see Cecelia."
Her mind still distracted, "Cecelia?" she repeated slowly.
"She's here to give a guest lecture in biology and microbiology for the children?" Monet spoke up from behind Angelo.
"Oh..." Jubilee stood up with the help from Angelo and looked at him for a second, her blue eyes fathomless. "We need to talk."
"After you see Cecelia. Then we talk as long as you want." Angelo gently led her to their bedroom and helped her to the bed. All of a sudden Jubilee felt totally and utterly lost, swept up in something beyond her control and her body sagged slightly on the bed. Angelo had just enough time to catch her before she fainted.
-in-
The medical labs of Generation X were one of the finest in the world. In the small facility, they had the ability to do everything from perform major surgery to fix scraped knee. It had been one of the requirements Emma had insisted on when the mansion was built for them, "Too many people have died because we haven't had the time to get them too the hospital." She told Forge who was in charge of the project. He had argued and complained about it during the time, but Cecelia was grateful for it now as she examined Jubilee on the bed.
The girl was ashen and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her body, but her pulse was strong as Cecelia felt for the light throb in the girl's wrist.
"She seems to be strong, but I'm going to run some blood tests to be sure. I don't want her teaching today or tomorrow so cancel her classes, or send someone to fill in for them." She said brusquely to M who had joined Angelo down in the med lab.
"I'll take care of it." M said, and walked off, the door closing with a slight hiss as she left.
"When will she wake up?" Angelo paced the room, oblivious to the fact that he was till in his underwear.
"I honestly don't know, but you'll have to give me some room so I can find out. Why don't you go get dressed and I'll see you when Jubilee and I are through." Pushing him slightly towards the door, Cecelia waited pointedly till he left the room. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, she turned back to her patient was. "Now, let's see what's going on here."
Ten minutes later Cecelia looked at the results of the blood test in surprise, and smiled at the woman lying on the bed. "Well, well, well Jubilee." Preparing a syringe, she injected the girl who woke up a few moments later.
"Cecelia?"
"Rise and shine, you've given us quite a scare. How are you feeling?"
Jubilee rubbed her hand over her eyes tiredly. "Not that great, but I'll live."
"Well I have some good news for you, it looks like you're pregnant."
"Excuse me?!?" Jubilee's mouth dropped open and her hand fled to her stomach. "How long?"
"Only about four or five weeks. Didn't you notice your period missing?"
"No," Jubilee shrugged. "I haven't had my period ever since I was kidnapped. I just kind of assumed that I couldn't have kids."
"Well, congratulations you're about to become a mom! Is Angelo the father?"
"Yes, of course. But..." Her tired face looked at the doctor in dead seriousness. "He can't know that I'm pregnant. Certain things are going to happen soon and I can't afford for him to be distracted by me or the baby."
Emotions flickered across Cecelia's face as she looked at Jubilee, "Fine, I won't tell anyone. But at least let me make sure that everything is fine, and you'll need to take certain vitamins etc to be certain that he or she stays healthy. I'll go let Angelo know that he should give us a few more minutes."
Jubilee waited while she went to the intercom and talked to Angelo. Suddenly a thought came to mind, "Will I be able to transform with the baby?"
"I don't know." Cecelia replied honestly, she pulled up some files on the computer. "Have you changed at all during the past month?"
"Once, I flew out to Xavier's to talk to Wolvie but it was at the very beginning of last month so I can't be sure."
"Well Jubilee, there aren't any reported cases of a mutant being able to mutate between both forms while carrying a child. I wouldn't recommend it."
"We sacrifice what we must for justice..." Jubilee caressed her stomach, pushing down her feelings of longing for the tiny life growing inside. She had always wanted a child, but had thought that of the many things the slavers took from her, her ability to have children had been one of them. Paige's pregnancy had stirred up feelings she had long thought dead, and she had watched Paige blossom month after month. Now she had it in her grasp and the chances of the baby...Jubilee shook her head, getting the thought out of her mind. She would take what life gave her, after all, hadn't she taken everything else that had been dished out?
"We sacrifice what we must for justice." Cecelia repeated. "I can't say that I ever heard that before."
Jubilee slowly got up and started getting dressed. "It's an ancient saying in the some of the older galaxy systems. Life was hard for them not so long ago; they're very protective of their freedom."
"I'll say, you think it's really worth it?" Helping the younger girl into her sweater, Cecelia shivered a sense of unease coming over her. "Justice at any cost?"
"Yes." Jubilee said simply and gave Cecelia a hug. "Thank you, take care doc."
She walked out the door, and went upstairs to find Angelo. Cecelia watched her leave, and suddenly felt the urge to call her husband. Automatically dialing the numbers, it was only a few seconds before Hank's face appeared on the screen.
"Yes, dear?"
"Just wanted to let you know that I love you."
-in-
Upstairs Jubilee had sat Angelo down in their living room, told him what that Ciele had contacted her, that she was leaving in a day and that she didn't want him to come. Needless to say they were in the middle of slight argument.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I have a duty to these beings. I have to go."
"A little over a half an hour ago, you were unconscious. Now you want to travel millions of light-years away from Earth, in a totally unsafe situation? Stop me when I'm off track here."
"I am not a child anymore. I love you Ange, but don't even start pulling that 'You're a girl and you're helpless' routine on me."
"So now I'm chauvinistic because I want to protect you from getting hurt? Dammit, Jubes this isn't a game."
"Don't you think that I know that? Hundreds of thousands will die if I don't do something. I am going no matter what you say."
"Fine, go. But I'm coming with you, there is no way that I'm letting you go into that kind of situation without someone to watch your back." Angelo had gotten almost purple in the face and he and Jubilee were standing three feet from each other screaming their heads off. Ah, the joys of a committed relationship.
"You aren't going to let me??" Jubilee screeched. "Excuse me, but since when did you get a say over what happens to me?"
"We've been going out for three years and you ask me if I have a say in what happens to us? I care about you Jubes, I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Her eyes softened slightly. "I don't want you to get hurt either. Please, when I go out there I can't worry about whether or not you're safe. You'll also be target. If the Ji'in see an opportunity to hurt you to get to me, or distract me they will do it."
"I can take of myself, Joo. You got taken away from me once, I'm not letting that happen again. I am not going to be left behind again." He peered into her eyes and stroked her face. Sighing she held on to him, her only secure anchor in the world.
"Fine. Ciele is meeting me, us just outside of Ladybrand, South Africa tomorrow at around 3pm their time. That gives us about 27 hours to get ready." Jubilee breathed in the singular scent that was Angelo and then pulled herself together. "We need to brief the team, and I need to go and fly out to see Wolvie. Will you be okay?"
"Sure." Angelo looked at her suspiciously for a moment. "You aren't going to leave without me are you?"
She turned around and grinned at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "Hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm going to see the Wolvster in an hour, so I'll see ya in a few." With that she skipped out the door, a grin on her face. She touched her stomach softly, life may have given her some crappy things, but this time she was going to take what she wanted. *I love ya Angie.*
He smiled as he received the thought and sent her light psionic kiss in return. *I love you too, Joo.*
-in-
Later (courtesy of a borrowed X-wing)
Xavier's mansion
The dappled sunlight trailed up Jubilee's face to dance around her eyes, as she looked at her friend fondly. Lying back on the warm grass, she chewed a green twig while her counterpart chewed his cigars. No comment had been made about the plane, although Wolverine had taken an intrigued sniff and refrained from lighting his cigars. For over an hour nothing was said, just the understanding silence of two friends who know each other like no one else. Putting her head on his lap, he gently ran a hand over her hair while committing every smile, every gesture she had to memory. To the casual observer, the two looked far more intimate than friends, but for those that knew them, it was innocent. Their companionship founded on their total trust of each other. Finally she got up and gave him one last hug. He held her close for a second and then pulled out a package he had managed to conceal.
"Figgered you'd need this someday." Dropping it into her hands, he watched as she opened the two-foot long box. Nestled inside the satin bed was an elegantly crafted curved knife, just slightly longer than a dagger. Carved onto the handle was a Chinese dragon, and Jubilee picked it up, her fingers fitting perfectly into the grooves the dragon created. She sliced the air with it a few times, and it was perfectly balanced.
"It's beautiful." she whispered. "I've never seen anything like it." It glinted in the sun and she traced the flat of the blade with a finger.
"The blade's made from adamantium, and I carved it myself. The dragon on it is called Ki-Lin, caretaker of the weak and so gentle that it would not harm an ant. Yer alien friends they called you that...uh..."
"Kyln."
"Yeah, it reminded me of this when you told me. It seemed appropriate." He handed her a leather sheath with a belt. "So you can keep it handy." Jubilee secured the belt around her waist and slipped the knife in.
"Thank you, Logan." She touched his face for a moment. "How did you know?"
"It's in yer eyes, Darlin. Those blue eyes tell me you're getting ready for war. What I what I want to know is, do you need me there to watch yer back?"
"You and me kicking butt across the galaxy, very cool. But, no thanks. Ange is already planning to tag along and I need you here for something to come back to. I better go, so, uh, take care Wolvie. I love ya."
The expression in his eyes said more than words could ever express, and he wrapped her in his arms. Sniffling, she grinned against the warm fabric. "You know I never understood until now why you would drop everything for someone you hardly knew. It was never easy was it?"
"Far from it Darlin." His voice was gruff. "Far from it."
Before the tears fell, she ran to the plane and lifted off. The X-wing quietly lifted off and shot into the sky. Wolverine looked at the trail of white smoke left behind and said a quick prayer to the heavens. "Just be sure ya watch yer back, kid."
-in-
The night was crisp and clear, the star brilliant under the moonless sky. A lone figure strolled across the grounds, her small figure almost dwarfed by the huge trees surrounding her. In the quiet of the night, she was treasuring these last few moments of silence before...Jubilee couldn't bring herself to think of what might happen. Pulling the clip from her hair, she shook her hair loose letting the wind pick up and toy with the long strands.
Jubilee barely had time to register the blast before she was hurled to the ground. Shaken, she tried to get up but found that she was too weak to even stand. The shot seemed to have some power-draining device and she could barely find the strength to keep her eyes open. Within seconds she had dropped into unconsciousness, with the words whispered in her ear. "[Not this time pet.]"
Rough hands grabbed her while an inhibitor collar was put around her neck, her body then dragged onto a ship that sped off into the night. No evidence, no witnesses, and nothing was cried out except for one telepathic cry, that shook Angelo out of his sleep with a sense of terror he had felt only once before.
-in-
A/N: I thought that I would give you guys the second chapter because this weekend will be very very wild for me. Finals are less than two weeks away and many many papers are due. The next chapter will be up by the end of this weekend.
A/N: If you don't already know, Jubilee's power has progressed far beyond her paffs, to being able to turn into an elemental and fly as a result of it. Her fabled telepathy is also very much present in this story.
Chapter 2
The next day
Rays of pink and orange light shot over the horizon, coloring the world with hues of gold. Up in her balcony, Jubilee sat deep in mediation, her thoughts slow and deep as she let herself sink into her unconscious. It had become a daily ritual with her; the forced isolation helped her center herself for the upcoming day and the onslaught of people's thoughts that would barrage her. In and out, each breath let her go deeper and deeper until she felt herself submerge into the murky depths of...
Jubilee awoke with a start, instantly aware that she was somewhere else, a cave from the looks of it. Mentally searching for another presence, she found nothing and stood up. The walls of the cave were high, and came to a point over her head where there was a hole letting in a ray of sunlight. Unwilling to move from her position to the darkness, she looked around uncertainly.
[Kyln...] The name echoed across the cave.
"Who is it?"
[Kyln...]
Jubilee unconsciously felt for her knife that she kept constantly on her, only to find that she was garbed in a silky robe. A soft footfall made her turn and a tall figure emerged from the shadows. The creature was about 7ft tall, a dark blue with golden eyes, and small protruding knobs on its forehead. Jubilee looked at in disbelief.
[Ciele?] Jubilee grinned and gave her a hug, looking at her fondly.
[It is I. How have you been, Kyln?] The alien gave a small bow in deference to her. Its mouth twisted into a smile, something unfamiliar to its people, but did out of respect for the woman before her.
[Good, what are you doing here?]
[As you asked, I have come with news of your people. Disappearances have been reported throughout our system, beings have gone missing in the thousands. It appears that the Ji'in have not adhered to the treaty as you had hoped.] Only someone familiar with Ciele could detect the faint hint of chiding in her voice.
[Fine, don't say that you told me so. I know what you said about them, but genocide of a nation is a drastic measure.]
[Were not the billions of lost slave lives drastic enough for you?]
[Enough, we have had this conversation many times, and it seems that I was wrong. Where are you?]
[We will arrive in about two days of you time. Will you be ready?]
[I will be. Where you will you land?]
A series of images flashed in front of her eyes and Jubilee nodded. [Sounds good. I have to go and get prepared. One questions though...]
[Yes?]
"[This is what you meant when you said you would get in touch with me?]"
"[Yes. Unfortunately your body is being adversely affected by the communication device that was implanted, so we must make this quick.]"
"[You know, when you put it in I had more of a beeper thing in mind.]"
"[Bee-per thing?]"
Jubilee projected an image of a small box that beeped, indicating a need to talk. "[But this is good too, so how do I wake up?]" The words were no sooner out of her mouth when she felt someone shaking her violently.
"Jubes!!"
"Nahzat!" Swearing as she drew in a ragged breath, Jubilee opened her eyes to see Angelo looking at her worriedly. He was still wearing his boxers and his hair was rumpled. Over his shoulder, Monet and Paige were peering at her with expressions of fear.
"What? What's wrong?"
"I couldn't wake you up from your meditation. And then you stopped breathing, I called to them for help and then you woke up. We better go see Cecelia."
Her mind still distracted, "Cecelia?" she repeated slowly.
"She's here to give a guest lecture in biology and microbiology for the children?" Monet spoke up from behind Angelo.
"Oh..." Jubilee stood up with the help from Angelo and looked at him for a second, her blue eyes fathomless. "We need to talk."
"After you see Cecelia. Then we talk as long as you want." Angelo gently led her to their bedroom and helped her to the bed. All of a sudden Jubilee felt totally and utterly lost, swept up in something beyond her control and her body sagged slightly on the bed. Angelo had just enough time to catch her before she fainted.
-in-
The medical labs of Generation X were one of the finest in the world. In the small facility, they had the ability to do everything from perform major surgery to fix scraped knee. It had been one of the requirements Emma had insisted on when the mansion was built for them, "Too many people have died because we haven't had the time to get them too the hospital." She told Forge who was in charge of the project. He had argued and complained about it during the time, but Cecelia was grateful for it now as she examined Jubilee on the bed.
The girl was ashen and there was a thin sheen of sweat on her body, but her pulse was strong as Cecelia felt for the light throb in the girl's wrist.
"She seems to be strong, but I'm going to run some blood tests to be sure. I don't want her teaching today or tomorrow so cancel her classes, or send someone to fill in for them." She said brusquely to M who had joined Angelo down in the med lab.
"I'll take care of it." M said, and walked off, the door closing with a slight hiss as she left.
"When will she wake up?" Angelo paced the room, oblivious to the fact that he was till in his underwear.
"I honestly don't know, but you'll have to give me some room so I can find out. Why don't you go get dressed and I'll see you when Jubilee and I are through." Pushing him slightly towards the door, Cecelia waited pointedly till he left the room. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, she turned back to her patient was. "Now, let's see what's going on here."
Ten minutes later Cecelia looked at the results of the blood test in surprise, and smiled at the woman lying on the bed. "Well, well, well Jubilee." Preparing a syringe, she injected the girl who woke up a few moments later.
"Cecelia?"
"Rise and shine, you've given us quite a scare. How are you feeling?"
Jubilee rubbed her hand over her eyes tiredly. "Not that great, but I'll live."
"Well I have some good news for you, it looks like you're pregnant."
"Excuse me?!?" Jubilee's mouth dropped open and her hand fled to her stomach. "How long?"
"Only about four or five weeks. Didn't you notice your period missing?"
"No," Jubilee shrugged. "I haven't had my period ever since I was kidnapped. I just kind of assumed that I couldn't have kids."
"Well, congratulations you're about to become a mom! Is Angelo the father?"
"Yes, of course. But..." Her tired face looked at the doctor in dead seriousness. "He can't know that I'm pregnant. Certain things are going to happen soon and I can't afford for him to be distracted by me or the baby."
Emotions flickered across Cecelia's face as she looked at Jubilee, "Fine, I won't tell anyone. But at least let me make sure that everything is fine, and you'll need to take certain vitamins etc to be certain that he or she stays healthy. I'll go let Angelo know that he should give us a few more minutes."
Jubilee waited while she went to the intercom and talked to Angelo. Suddenly a thought came to mind, "Will I be able to transform with the baby?"
"I don't know." Cecelia replied honestly, she pulled up some files on the computer. "Have you changed at all during the past month?"
"Once, I flew out to Xavier's to talk to Wolvie but it was at the very beginning of last month so I can't be sure."
"Well Jubilee, there aren't any reported cases of a mutant being able to mutate between both forms while carrying a child. I wouldn't recommend it."
"We sacrifice what we must for justice..." Jubilee caressed her stomach, pushing down her feelings of longing for the tiny life growing inside. She had always wanted a child, but had thought that of the many things the slavers took from her, her ability to have children had been one of them. Paige's pregnancy had stirred up feelings she had long thought dead, and she had watched Paige blossom month after month. Now she had it in her grasp and the chances of the baby...Jubilee shook her head, getting the thought out of her mind. She would take what life gave her, after all, hadn't she taken everything else that had been dished out?
"We sacrifice what we must for justice." Cecelia repeated. "I can't say that I ever heard that before."
Jubilee slowly got up and started getting dressed. "It's an ancient saying in the some of the older galaxy systems. Life was hard for them not so long ago; they're very protective of their freedom."
"I'll say, you think it's really worth it?" Helping the younger girl into her sweater, Cecelia shivered a sense of unease coming over her. "Justice at any cost?"
"Yes." Jubilee said simply and gave Cecelia a hug. "Thank you, take care doc."
She walked out the door, and went upstairs to find Angelo. Cecelia watched her leave, and suddenly felt the urge to call her husband. Automatically dialing the numbers, it was only a few seconds before Hank's face appeared on the screen.
"Yes, dear?"
"Just wanted to let you know that I love you."
-in-
Upstairs Jubilee had sat Angelo down in their living room, told him what that Ciele had contacted her, that she was leaving in a day and that she didn't want him to come. Needless to say they were in the middle of slight argument.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I have a duty to these beings. I have to go."
"A little over a half an hour ago, you were unconscious. Now you want to travel millions of light-years away from Earth, in a totally unsafe situation? Stop me when I'm off track here."
"I am not a child anymore. I love you Ange, but don't even start pulling that 'You're a girl and you're helpless' routine on me."
"So now I'm chauvinistic because I want to protect you from getting hurt? Dammit, Jubes this isn't a game."
"Don't you think that I know that? Hundreds of thousands will die if I don't do something. I am going no matter what you say."
"Fine, go. But I'm coming with you, there is no way that I'm letting you go into that kind of situation without someone to watch your back." Angelo had gotten almost purple in the face and he and Jubilee were standing three feet from each other screaming their heads off. Ah, the joys of a committed relationship.
"You aren't going to let me??" Jubilee screeched. "Excuse me, but since when did you get a say over what happens to me?"
"We've been going out for three years and you ask me if I have a say in what happens to us? I care about you Jubes, I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Her eyes softened slightly. "I don't want you to get hurt either. Please, when I go out there I can't worry about whether or not you're safe. You'll also be target. If the Ji'in see an opportunity to hurt you to get to me, or distract me they will do it."
"I can take of myself, Joo. You got taken away from me once, I'm not letting that happen again. I am not going to be left behind again." He peered into her eyes and stroked her face. Sighing she held on to him, her only secure anchor in the world.
"Fine. Ciele is meeting me, us just outside of Ladybrand, South Africa tomorrow at around 3pm their time. That gives us about 27 hours to get ready." Jubilee breathed in the singular scent that was Angelo and then pulled herself together. "We need to brief the team, and I need to go and fly out to see Wolvie. Will you be okay?"
"Sure." Angelo looked at her suspiciously for a moment. "You aren't going to leave without me are you?"
She turned around and grinned at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "Hadn't even crossed my mind. I'm going to see the Wolvster in an hour, so I'll see ya in a few." With that she skipped out the door, a grin on her face. She touched her stomach softly, life may have given her some crappy things, but this time she was going to take what she wanted. *I love ya Angie.*
He smiled as he received the thought and sent her light psionic kiss in return. *I love you too, Joo.*
-in-
Later (courtesy of a borrowed X-wing)
Xavier's mansion
The dappled sunlight trailed up Jubilee's face to dance around her eyes, as she looked at her friend fondly. Lying back on the warm grass, she chewed a green twig while her counterpart chewed his cigars. No comment had been made about the plane, although Wolverine had taken an intrigued sniff and refrained from lighting his cigars. For over an hour nothing was said, just the understanding silence of two friends who know each other like no one else. Putting her head on his lap, he gently ran a hand over her hair while committing every smile, every gesture she had to memory. To the casual observer, the two looked far more intimate than friends, but for those that knew them, it was innocent. Their companionship founded on their total trust of each other. Finally she got up and gave him one last hug. He held her close for a second and then pulled out a package he had managed to conceal.
"Figgered you'd need this someday." Dropping it into her hands, he watched as she opened the two-foot long box. Nestled inside the satin bed was an elegantly crafted curved knife, just slightly longer than a dagger. Carved onto the handle was a Chinese dragon, and Jubilee picked it up, her fingers fitting perfectly into the grooves the dragon created. She sliced the air with it a few times, and it was perfectly balanced.
"It's beautiful." she whispered. "I've never seen anything like it." It glinted in the sun and she traced the flat of the blade with a finger.
"The blade's made from adamantium, and I carved it myself. The dragon on it is called Ki-Lin, caretaker of the weak and so gentle that it would not harm an ant. Yer alien friends they called you that...uh..."
"Kyln."
"Yeah, it reminded me of this when you told me. It seemed appropriate." He handed her a leather sheath with a belt. "So you can keep it handy." Jubilee secured the belt around her waist and slipped the knife in.
"Thank you, Logan." She touched his face for a moment. "How did you know?"
"It's in yer eyes, Darlin. Those blue eyes tell me you're getting ready for war. What I what I want to know is, do you need me there to watch yer back?"
"You and me kicking butt across the galaxy, very cool. But, no thanks. Ange is already planning to tag along and I need you here for something to come back to. I better go, so, uh, take care Wolvie. I love ya."
The expression in his eyes said more than words could ever express, and he wrapped her in his arms. Sniffling, she grinned against the warm fabric. "You know I never understood until now why you would drop everything for someone you hardly knew. It was never easy was it?"
"Far from it Darlin." His voice was gruff. "Far from it."
Before the tears fell, she ran to the plane and lifted off. The X-wing quietly lifted off and shot into the sky. Wolverine looked at the trail of white smoke left behind and said a quick prayer to the heavens. "Just be sure ya watch yer back, kid."
-in-
The night was crisp and clear, the star brilliant under the moonless sky. A lone figure strolled across the grounds, her small figure almost dwarfed by the huge trees surrounding her. In the quiet of the night, she was treasuring these last few moments of silence before...Jubilee couldn't bring herself to think of what might happen. Pulling the clip from her hair, she shook her hair loose letting the wind pick up and toy with the long strands.
Jubilee barely had time to register the blast before she was hurled to the ground. Shaken, she tried to get up but found that she was too weak to even stand. The shot seemed to have some power-draining device and she could barely find the strength to keep her eyes open. Within seconds she had dropped into unconsciousness, with the words whispered in her ear. "[Not this time pet.]"
Rough hands grabbed her while an inhibitor collar was put around her neck, her body then dragged onto a ship that sped off into the night. No evidence, no witnesses, and nothing was cried out except for one telepathic cry, that shook Angelo out of his sleep with a sense of terror he had felt only once before.
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A/N: I thought that I would give you guys the second chapter because this weekend will be very very wild for me. Finals are less than two weeks away and many many papers are due. The next chapter will be up by the end of this weekend.