Life According to Jubilee
Chapter 4
"Jubilation, I will ask you again. Tell me what you know of the X-men and I will let you go."
"Yeah right, Bastion! I'll tell ya this much." Jubilee spit on the floor of her cell.
"You little bitch." He took a fistful of hair in his hand and slapped her in the face. "Tell me!"
"You can slap me all ya want. I ain't tellin' ya nothin'!!"
"Then you will DIE!"
Bastion grabbed Jubilee and shoved her into a room filled with torturous devices. She shoved her toward a device that looked like an electric chair. He strapped her into the device and tightened her restraints. For a pleasure all his own, Bastion smacked her in the face once more.
"If you don't stop doin' that..."
"You'll what?" Bastion turned toward a wall and proceeded to speak into a hidden microphone. "Daria, let's make this a...shocking experience for the LAST X-man."
Jubilee struggled against her restraints. "Get a sense of humor, Bastion."
The android named Daria switched on the machine with much uncertainty. Within a few moments Jubilee's screams filled the entire complex. Every part of her body was being torn apart by the electricity. As the voltage increased, the pitch of her screams increased. Jubilee was losing consciousness slowly and could no longer feel the rest of her body. In defeat, she closed her eyes and allowed herself a chance meeting with death itself. Suddenly, she felt someone tearing and slashing her restraints.
Jubilee's eyes were sore and damaged. She struggled to open her them and much to her surprise she discovered that she was not blind. Swirls of color overwhelmed her vision and make her nauseous. A blob of yellow danced in front of her. Jubilee rubbed her eyes gingerly to adjust her vision.
"Who in the...?" She squinted her eyes. "Wolvie... I knew you'd come..."
"Hey darlin'. Gettin' inta trouble again?" Wolverine hugged her.
"Yeah. Hey...where's everyone...else?"
"They did not come for you, child."
"Wha...?" Jubilee did a double take. She discovered that Wolverine was no longer holding her. "Viper?! How?!" she jumped back in surprise.
"Where are your friends? Did they notice you were gone?"
Jubilee looked at her surroundings. She discovered that she was no longer in Bastion's base but was now on the grounds of the academy.
"Look around well, little one." Viper gestured towards a giant tree where Generation X sat. They were talking excitedly and they didn't seem to notice that Jubilee was not amongst them. "They do not miss you."
"Sure they do. I bet they're worried 'bout me right now." Jubilee defended hastily and assertively although her voice betrayed her fa?de.
Jubilee glanced at her "family" once more. Paige was reliving a date she once had with Tristan Brawn. Brawn. His grandfather was the reason why Jubilee's parents were killed. It just so happened that her father was bullied into laundering Brawn's money through his bank. When her father decided to expose Brawn, Jubilee's parents were whisked away from her in an instant. Because of that fateful day, the burden she bore was her nightmares of what she could've had with her parents. Paige never considered that by dating Tristan she was slowly killing Jubilee inside. Of course Jubilee never faulted her for that. She wanted the best for Paige even if it did involve dating a member of the very family that killed her own.
"Face it, they do not notice that you are gone and they will not notice if I kill you now." Viper laughed. She immediately drew a long katana and rushed toward Jubilee. Viper stabbed her directly in the heart and pinned her to a tree. Jubilee screamed in surprise and wiggled violently trying to free herself from between the tree and the blade. "That is what you feel all the time, is it not? What a pity, you lived alone and now you will in the same manner!"
Jubilee struggled to speak failing miserably. Her breathing was ragged and forced. Making one last attempt to free herself, she unleashed her powers. She temporarily blinded Viper but it did not last for more than a few seconds. Viper pressed the blade further into her heart.
"A-aaaaahh!!"
"It hurts so bad, doesn't it?" Viper cooed. "You can end this by giving in. Give up on them. They already gave up on you."
"N-no...even so, I can't..." Jubilee shuddered under the sword. The pain was becoming too much to handle.
"Think of your mother and father. No one will love you as they did." Viper shoved the blade in her chest completely and smiled when Jubilee didn't scream. "You have an amazing amount of endurance. That will be your downfall someday."
"My parents... Mom, Dad..." Jubilee, to her credit, remained conscious through this painful ordeal. "the X-men...I have...a family..."
"You do not." Viper ripped the sword out of her chest. "And you never will."
"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!"
Jubilee began to thrash wildly and wailing as the pain in her mind worsened. Wolverine reached out to her and was met with a punch in the face. He scrunched up his nose and shook the blow off. He desperately looked around the room for other options.
"Jeanie! Get over here! Kid's thrashin'!"
Jean rushed towards the bed. She sat by Jubilee's side and immediately placed a hand on her head. Jean used a mind sedative to subdue her. Slowly, Jubilee ceased thrashing and her wails turned into quiet sobs. Soon after, she feel asleep once more. After a few hours, Jubilee opened her eyes and sat up in the bed. She stared at Jean, eyes full of fear.
"Honey, are you alright?" Jean gently stroked Jubilee's hair. She then turned to Wolverine. "It's a good thing Emma brought her here when she did." She whispered.
Jubilee took a few moments to gain awareness of her surroundings. She shook her head to scatter the images of her nightmares. Her sapphire eyes had lost their child-like eminence now revealing a darker more adult quality. She stared Jean still slightly unsure of where she was. Slowly it came upon her that she was no longer in Massachusetts but in West Chester County, New York. Jubilee looked toward Jean seeking an answer as to why she had taken a sudden "field trip".
"Jean, why...am I here?"
"Viper poisoned you and you needed to be treated as soon as possible."
"Viper..."
"Viper?!" Wolverine suddenly jumped up full of rage. "She WHAT?! I got six reasons why she shouldn'ta poisoned ya!!" He unsheathed his claws.
"Logan..." Jean tried. "Think it over..."
He turned and faced Jean. " I thought about it! Nobody fucks with MY kid!!" Jean sat in a chair and rubbed her temples. There was no reasoning with this man.
"Uh, Wolvie, chill is good." Jubilee smiled weakly. Wolverine decided to take his seat again.
"How do you feel, Jubilee?" Jean swiftly changed the current topic.
"Fine. Never better." She lied.
"Try to be careful today. Your arm is slightly injured."
"Right, okay."
"Alright. I'll tell Emma you're up and about." Jean kissed the top of Jubilee's head.
"Go do that..." Jubilee buried herself further under the covers.
Wolverine stood up and began pacing wildly around the room. He was anxious to tear Viper apart. The more he paced the more he began to doubt slicing her into chicken cutlets was enough. Maybe diced chicken. Wife or not, Viper sealed her fate and had an appointment with death.
"Chill, Wolvie. You're gonna wear a hole in the floor." After watching him tear a new path into the floor, Jubilee carefully got out of bed and walked behind him following his every move. As he was pacing, he sensed Jubilee behind him and turned around. She copied his pace, facial expression and all. Upon seeing how ridiculous they both looked, he stopped pacing and chose to sit in a chair.
"Aw, c'mon, Grumpy! It's okay!" Jubilee walked behind the chair and grabbed Wolverine in a hug. She squeezed him tightly and rocked him back and forth. He chuckled slightly.
"Yeah, yeah."
"I'm hungry."
"Shouldn't ya be in bed?"
"Ah, I feel FINE. Really! 'Cept fer one thing: I'm hungry."
He ruffled Jubilee's hair. "Aright, what do ya wanna eat?"
"Sugar Bombs."
"Perhaps you shouldn't eat those just yet, Jubilation." Intruded a female voice.
Jubilee turned and faced the doorway. "Huh? Oh, hey Ms. Frost."
"Hello." Emma closed the door behind her. "Glad to see you're feeling better."
"Yeah. I'm HUNGRY, Frosty."
"Take 'er to get somethin' ta eat, Emma. I got somethin' ta do." Wolverine walked toward the door. He paused. " An' kid, don't try ta talk me out o' it." He continued his trek.
"I didn't say a word." After watching Wolverine trudge out of the door, Jubilee dressed in her street clothes.
Emma watched her carefully to make sure she didn't reinjure herself. She was surprised to see Jubilee moving around as if she didn't get attacked hours ago. Even though she claimed to feel well, Emma wanted to be certain that she was capable of getting around without aid.
"Alright, Jubilation. let's get you something to eat." Feeling like an overprotective parent, Emma took Jubilee by the hand and began to head for the kitchen.
The young girl seemed content with this even if she would be too embarrassed to admit it. Suddenly, Jubilee paused causing Emma to stop as well.
"Ah, YOU'RE gonna cook? Um, I don't wanna put ya through too much trouble."
"Are you saying my cooking's terrible?" Emma feigned sadness.
"No, I'm just sayin' it's not too good either...no offense or anything." Before Emma could react Jubilee ran downstairs.
"That little devil..." Emma put her hands on her hips and shook her head. She looked into the infirmary briefly before shutting the door.
Jubilee waited for Emma at the bottom of the stairs. She looked at her mentor innocently trying to take advantage of the soft side Emma tries to hide. Her mentor's face softens up slightly.
"I'll have you to know that I have some of the greatest culinary skills in the world." Emma folded her arms indignantly.
"Uh, yeah. Can I still have some Sugar Bombs?"
"No."
"C'mon..."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"I'll be your best friend."
"NO."
"Tch. Fine."
Emma walked past Jubilee and continued her walk toward the kitchen. Knowing that she wouldn't have the advantage, Jubilee followed Emma and conceded defeat. Upon entering the kitchen, Jubilee was greeted with the familiar aroma of Remy's cooking. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply and immediately began to cough.
"Ugh, Cajun, whatcha cookin'? It smells spicy!"
"Some dish dat Rouge wanted me ta cook. Gambit wanted to cook his own meal but chere said 'no'."
"Kewl. Where are the Sugar Bombs?"
"Didn't I say..."Emma started.
"No Sugar Bombs for you, petite." Gambit cut in. "Emma's gonna cook sometin'." He bent down and whispered in Jubilee's ear, "Gambit says good luck. I heard dat some need stomach pumpin' after eatin' her cookin'."
"Yeah. I know."
"I can hear both of you Jubilation. Here's something constructive: why don't you locate the others?"
"Alright, later!" Jubilee grabbed a pair of roller blades sitting by the kitchen door. She's always had her original pair at the X-mansion for when she visited.
"Jubilee, no skating!" Emma's warning fell upon deaf ears.
After donning her favorite skates, she skated out of the door and around to the front of the grounds. Her nose caught the smell of something burning. Cigarettes. She looked around and spotted Angelo sitting on the front steps. She skated over to him.
"Hey, Angelo."
"Oh hey, Jubecita." He took a long drag. He suddenly sat up as if someone pinched him in the butt. "Whoa! Jubilee! How ya doin?"
"I'm cooler than ever." She plucked the cigarette out of his hand. "Ya know, that's a bad habit."
"I'm tryin' to quit."
"And it seems to be working." Jubilee replied sarcastically. She crushed the cigarette in hand. "Hey, where's everyone else?"
" I wasn't done with that. As for everyone else, they're around."
"Okay." Jubilee decided she wanted to try her hand at skating. "Hey Ange, watch this." She skated down the driveway. Once at the gates, she turned around and began skating toward Angelo. She pumped her arms harder and harder with each stride until she gained the momentum she desired. In her path was Cyclops's car.
"Uh, Jubes. The car."
"Yeah I know. I'm gonna jump it." At the last possible second Jubilee jumped into the air and grabbed her feet and arched her body. With one arm extended over her head, she spun 540 degrees before landing on the ground skating backwards.
"Damn, tha's X-games material..." Angelo whispered in awe. He smirked as Jubilee came toward him. She skated around him, twirling in small circles. After skating around him three times she stopped and faced him.
"Didn't know I could do that, didja?"
"That was, um, damn. How'd ya get that much air?"
"Practice, practice and practice!" Jubilee performed a handstand and looked at Angelo. "Wanna try? You know, not jumpin' over cars but takin' slow." She stood up tired of the blood rushing to her head.
"Ah, well I dunno..."
"C'mon, ya chicken."
"Okay, okay, chica. Got some skates in my size?"
"Yeah, you can borrow Drake's. I'll be right back." She was halfway up the driveway when she remembered she had to do "mail call". "Oh, I forgot somethin'..." Jubilee skated back to the front gate to pick up the mail. After collecting it, she went into the house.
"Mail call!! Hey Drake, ya got a new issue of Playboy!"
"GIVE ME THAT!!" Drake snatched the mail out of her hands. "I'll take care of the mail. You go do something else!"
"Sheesh! Hey, can I borrow your skates for Angelo?"
"Yeah. Go 'head." He waved her off. He opened to the newest centerfold and whistled in delight.
Jubilee ran upstairs with the greatest of ease despite the skates on her feet. She darted with lightning speed down the hallway. She rounded a blind corner and ran into Everett.
"Oops! Busted!" Jubilee winced. She then took a second look. "Oh! It's just you Ev." She wiped her brow. "Hey, how ya doin?"
"I should be asking you. You're okay I take it." He looked down at her skates.
"Yeah, I'm tough."
"Look, it's all my fault. I should have done something when Angelo told me you were missing." Everett looked out of the hall window. "I'm sorry, J. For everything."
Jubilee waved her hands. "Hey, don't get all introspective on me. It's not your fault. I'm the one that didn't ask you guys for help."
"But-"
"Hey," she put her hand over Everett's mouth. "No 'buts'. Repeat after me: it-is-not-my-fault."
"Okay, Jubilee. I get you." He continued to look out of the window. "You know, I'm glad to have a friend like you. Even when I don't deserve it, you're still there for me. I really did forget that you're important too."
"Dude, this is getting' so mushy. I just do what I hope people to do for me." Jubilee began to skate up the hall. "Being a true friend ain't an easy job but I think you deserve one."
Everett watched her for a moment. "Now who's being mushy?"
"Ahh, shaddup."
"Thanks, Jubes."
"Yeah, yeah, yer welcome."
"Okay Angelo do you know anything about skating?"
"Not really."
"Alright, take my hand." Jubilee extended her hand. "Don't worry, I won't letcha get hurt or nuthin'."
"Um, I can't. You're too far away."
"Oh right." Jubilee took his hand in hers. "Ya gotta skate one foot in front of the other."
Angelo linked his fingers through hers. Her hand was soft and smooth much like the texture of a rose petal. He always thought that her hands were callous and damaged from her powers. A gentle breeze picks up and Jubilee's hair dances with it. For some reason, she looked more mature than her years. He quickly returns his focus to skating before he loses his balance.
"Eh, I think I got it...whoops! Ohshit!" Angelo ran over a stray pebble in the driveway.
"Gotcha!" With strength that surprised Angelo, Jubilee pulled him up before he could hit the ground. "You're too nervous. Chill out. Here, give me your other hand." Angelo eagerly took her hand happy that his chances of falling would be decreased. There was also the secret benefit of holding the hand of a pretty girl.
They skated together for about an hour before Jubilee let him try it on his own. Much to his credit, he learned quickly. Granted, he wasn't as good as Jubilee but he could hold his own.
"Hoo-ha! I'm good!" Angelo pumped his fist into the air. "An-gel-o! An-gel- o!"
"Shyeah, but can ya do this?" Jubilee performed three consecutive back flips on her skates. Her landing proved that this was a trick she performed many times. Angelo stared at her completely mystified. "I used to be a gymnast." She explained.
"I can do dat but not now 'cause I have a cold..."
"Gimme a break!"
"Really!"
"Three words. Yeah and right." Jubilee suddenly grabbed her arm and winced in pain.
"Your arm is injured?"
"Ah...yeah. Guess I overdone it."
"You shouldn't skate with a bad arm, girl." Angelo shook his head. "Know what? Let's see what the hell Emma burned up."
"Oh boy."
"So this is where you guys are hidin'. Whatcha watchin'?" Jubilee said eating a bottle of Tums.
- Some dumb chick flick. -Jonothan rolled his eyes.
"It was Paige's idea." Monet ejected the disk from the DVD player.
"Well, ah fo' one liked it."
"Your Hayseed is showing, Paige." Jubilee teased.
"We forgive you, Paige." Everett chortled.
-How ya feelin', gel? -
"Feelin' good, Jono."
Jubilee took a seat between Monet and Jonothan. She grabbed the remote control and repeatedly pressed the 'channel' button. Nothing of interest was on television but they all decided on Real TV. Three hours of it was enough to drive each of them out of the room. Little by little everyone began to filter out of the room leaving Jubilee and Monet.
"Looks like it's you an' me, M. Wanna play some pool or somethin'?"
"What? Why not Everett and Angelo?"
"Because they ain't here. Besides, I asked YOU. Want to or not?"
Monet looked at Jubilee skeptically. She was not on the best terms with the former X-man and wondered why Jubilee was extending an invite. At first Monet thought she was playing some sort of game.
'No, Jubilee would never play games. What could she be up to?'
"Yo," Jubilee snapped her fingers in front of Monet. "Are you playing or what?"
"Ah, no." She was slightly unnerved by Jubilee's kindness. No matter what Monet does, Jubilee comes right back to her with the same peace offering. "I'll just turn in for the night." Monet rose from the couch and left the room in silence.
"Monet."
She stopped and turned toward the couch. Jubilee was lying on the couch although she couldn't see her. "What?"
"Good night."
Monet nodded silently.
Jubilee sat in the darkness of the den staring out of the window in quiet contemplation of her life. The bay window was padded with pillows providing a comfortable and secure area to spend many hours in thought. Today she realized that she didn't feel as though her teammates were truly concerned about her health. It seemed as though they acted concerned because that a normal reaction to someone's absence. After Operation: Zero Tolerance they welcomed her with open arms but immediately forgot about her once the moment was over. No one bothered to ask her if she how she was treated or what kind of torture she was forced to endure.
With shaky fingers Jubilee reached into her pocket. She pulled out a photograph of her parents. The precious treasure was faded with time and flimsy to the touch. She silently stared at it trying to travel back to the time in which it was taken. Finding no peace within it, Jubilee tucked the picture away once more. Frustrated, she leaned back onto the pillows and looked up at the ceiling, tears finding their way to her eyes. Her privacy was soon invaded upon hearing someone approaching the den.
"Jubilee, why are you still in here?" Monet immediately spotted her sitting by the window.
Silence was her response.
"Listen, Paige wanted me to look for you. She's worried for some ridiculous reason."
Jubilee sniffed. "Well, ya found me. Mission complete."
"I suppose you plan on sleeping down here."
"What do you care?"
"Frankly, I don't. You can sleep down here all you like."
"If ya don't care, why are you still here?"
It was Monet's turn to be silent. Jubilee turned to face the window.
"Get some sleep, M. See ya tomorrow."
"Very well, Lee. Stay down here all night."
"Good NIGHT, Monet." Jubilee said with a bit of finality.
Monet stormed out of the den surprised with Jubilee's tone. Never once has she seen her teammate so serious. Before Paige had awakened her, she had heard and felt Jubilee's thoughts. Jubilee would never admit that she was weary of her teammates feelings toward her but Monet had the benefit of knowing better. However, Monet had no idea how strongly Jubilee felt about it. She also had no idea how much Jubilee wanted to feel apart of a real family. For some reason unknown to herself, Monet felt partly responsible for Jubilee's dilemma.
"Jubilee, wake up."
"Wha...?" Jubilee's response was swallowed by a yawn.
"You slept in da den all night, chica. Everything okay?"
Jubilee sat up and stretched. "Yeah, just peachy."
"I ain't dumb. Nobody sleeps in the den all night 'cause they wanna. What's up?"
"Don't worry 'bout it." She stood and made her way to the door. "I stink. I need to wash."
"Fine. But I wanna talk when you're done."
"I'm tellin' ya Jono, somethin's wrong with her. She's actin' all strange and stuff."
- Lissen, mate. Jubilee's just being Jubilee. She's fine. -
"Shit, man!!" Angelo punched the wall with a resounding thud. "Can you for ONCE think that maybe she's NOT fine??"
- Hey...I know what this is about...you like 'er don't you? -
"Yeah I like her..." Jonothan's eyes sparkled. "Aw, no man. NO NO NO!! That's not what I meant!! I meant she's my friend!!"
- Sure, Angelo. - Jonothan replied suspiciously but then turned serious. - But if you're bent out of shape something must be wrong. -
"Yeah. I remember Emma sayin' somethin' about Jubes feelin' detached. Maybe she doesn't feel like one of the posse. Vato, she slept in tha den all night."
- Talk to 'er. If anything, she will listen to you. As sappy as it sounds, she needs you. -
"Yeah. Look, we never had this conversation, okay? I'm gonna see if I can find her." Angelo walked out of the room.
- Good luck, mate. -Jonothan picked up his guitar and attempted to tune it.
Running out of things to keep himself occupied, Angelo decided take a trip to the kitchen. With any luck, Jubilee would be finished preparing herself for the day and maybe he can somehow get her to talk to him. He absently rubbed at his stubble as he walked into the kitchen. He was greeted by the sound of an all too familiar cereal being poured into a bowl. His face lighting up substancially, he made a beeline toward the source of the noise.
"Hey, Jubecita." Angelo joined her at the counter in the kitchen and helped himself to a bowl of Sugar Bombs.
"'Sup Ange."
"Why do you kids like that cereal?" Scott spoke looking up from his newpaper.
"It's good stuff, se?r."
"Yeah, we eat what we like." Jubilee quipped.
"It's bad for your teeth." Jean said while stirring a bowl of pancake mix. "Scott, how many should I make?"
"Four for me please. Oh, Jean, I can make my own if you want, honey."
"Oh, I figured since I was up here I would make some for you too."
With a loud clatter, Jubilee washed her bowl and spoon and left the kitchen. All eyes turned toward her and followed her into the foyer.
"What's wrong with Jubilee?" Scott asked worriedly.
"Uh, don't worry about it, se?r. I'm gonna go see."
Jubilee skated around the grounds of the mansion, performing stunts that were worthy of the X-games. Resident weather goddess Ororo Munroe watched in appreciation and awe as the girl performed the stunts with ease. She simultaneously worried for Jubilee's safety but soon squashed the fear knowing all too well that the child could have worse things happen. Deciding she would entertain Ororo with a grand finale, Jubilee performed one last stunt on a homemade ramp Wolverine built for her. Unfortunately, Jubilee's concentration wasn't as strong as it should have been for didn't get enough air and wound up landing on her back, hitting her head in the process. Ororo gasped and went to her aid.
"Jubes, that was some spill." Angelo announced, making his presence known.
"I'm fine, Ange." Jubilee tried to stand up but immediately fell back down. "Hey world, stop spinnin'."
"Perhaps you should go to the infirmary, child." Ororo said while steadingly Jubilee.
"I'm cool, 'roro, I'm using the helmet like you told me to."
"I wanna talk to you, chica. I mean, if tha's okay Ms. Munroe."
"Certainly. I was just watching young Jubilation perform." She turned to Jubilee. "I am surprised by your abilities. You have improved." Ororo smiled and took her leave.
"Thanks for watching me, I'll show you some other stuff later." Jubilee called after Ororo. Then she clapped Angelo on the shoulder. "Alright, let's talk. What's up?" Jubilee took off her skates and safety equipment.
"I'm supposed to ask you that. C'mon Jubilee, I know you ain't your usual self."
Jubilee glared at Angelo. "So, I've been out of it. Man, I don't wanna talk about it."
"You can tell me anything--you know that, right?"
"Yeah." She began pacing and swinging her arms. "Okay, it's just that I don't feel apart of the group. You guys treat me like I'm in the way. Then, everybody assumes that I forget about everything that happens. I'm not invincible, Ange. I only try to move on so the rest o' ya can have your damn pity-parties when you're down and then ask me for help later."
"Damn, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like dat."
"No, Ange. It's not you. Out of everyone, you've been the most helpful." Jubilee sat on the ground. "Do you remember Operation: Zero Tolerance?"
"Yeah, that was when Bastion had sentinel thing going on...and when he kidnapped you."
Jubilee put her head down trying to hide the tears the slowly found their way to her eyes. "Where were you, Ange?"
" Well, we were floatin' in the middle of nowhere and then some nutjob was messin' with our dreams. Then we got stuck in California and ran into Tores and some sentinels. Thought we were dead too. I guess our situation wasn't as bad as yours though."
"Nah, I know you guys had it rough too. No need to downplay it."
"Yeah but...at least we had each other. You were all alone." Angelo said quietly.
"Ange...that fuckin' bastard tortured me in ways you would never understand." Her voice wavered. "Were you guys concerned at all 'bout me? I worried for all of you. Thought about everyone everyday I was there."
Angelo grabbed her hand. "Yeah, I was. Every night I wondered where you were and how you were bein' treated. At first I thought you mighta been safe but I knew better." He absently traced the lines on her hands. "While everyone else was having fun I would sit off to myself and think of you. I worried everyday, thinkin' you could be dead somewhere."
"I knew you did, Ange. It's just everyone else. Nobody but you even seem to care." Jubilee suddenly stood shot off some of her powers. "God DAMMIT!! I know I'm a pain but...C'MON!! All the caring I fucking do..."
"Jubilee...you're not a pain." Angelo rose as well and hugged her. "C'mon, you'll get through this. You always do."
"I don't know if I can. As long I keep having these damn nightmares it'll never stop." She tried to pull away but he wouldn't let her. "Now you know, Ange. Tell the others if ya want to. I don't care anymore. I don't want to care about anyone anymore."
"Don't give up, Jubes. An' don't stop carin'. THAT'S not like you." Angelo titled her chin upward. "Hey, if you quit, who else am I gonna cause trouble with?" he said softly.
"There's always the guys." Jubilee looked down.
Angelo shook his head sadly. "The guys got nothing on you, Jubes. Nobody's like you...if you stop being who you are then...there no more celebration, chica."
"Thanks, Ange." Jubilee smiled lovingly at Angelo.
"De nada. You embody happiness, that's your name." he blushed.
Angelo and Jubilee stood staring both eternally grateful for the other. Their painful pasts brought them closer on levels that the rest of their teammates would never understand. Their feelings toward each other were platonic and for the first time ever they understood that those feelings run deep. The moment was perfect. He slowly leaned closer to her.
"Oh, there y'all are!"
Jubilee and Angelo all but shoved each other away.
"What were y'all doing?" Paige narrowed her eyes teasingly.
"Nothin'." Jubilee defended.
"It didn't look like 'nothin''. Ah didn't mean to interrupt." Paige said slyly.
"Chica, it was nothin' like dat!! You got heatstroke or somethin'??" Angelo waved his hands wildly.
"Whateva you say. Ah know what ah saw."
"Your accent is showing again." He folded his arms.
Paige ignored his comment and conspiratorially leaned closer to his ear. "Oh, wait til everyone gets a load of this." Angelo jumped back in shock. Paige grinned mischievously "Ah'm just joshin' ya."
"Geez, Paige! Get lost!" Jubilee said through gritted teeth.
"Fine. Ah'll leave y'all ALONE." Paige giggled as she walked away. Jubilee and Angelo watched her like hawks until they were sure she was gone.
"Uh, well...ahem! See ya later, Jubes."
Jubilee scratched her head. " Um. Yeah. See ya."
Both strided briskly in completely different directions.