Disclaimer: I don't own them...I want too, but I don't

A/N: Scott is dead, Jubes is 18...it's all legal folks!

Chapter 2


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Wolverine had been cutting trees for over an hour and needless to say; several trees had met their end as he worked through some issues. Issues that involved one partner/now adult girl currently taking a bath in his cabin. He wasn't stupid, he knew that people grew up, had children, matured (he shuddered slightly and another tree fell to it's doom), but hadn't really applied the whole growing up principle to Jubilee. Although he couldn't quite put his finger on it, he felt slightly cheated...as if she had grown breasts on purpose.

"You know I've also had my period for quite some time, should I go get something else to be punished?" Jubilee said lightly, as she leaned in the doorway looking at him with a slight smile on her face.

Wolverine shrugged, a red flush creeping up his neck. "I just thought we could use some firewood. Ya know, in case it storms or something." He hastily put back on his flannel shirt that had been discarded to the side, shaking out leaves and the occasional bug. Jubilee raised an eyebrow at the pile of logs leaning against the house. "Good thing to be prepared for in the summer I guess." Wolverine peered at her suspiciously, convinced that she was secretly laughing at him. Her wet hair was hanging around her shoulders, and had changed into shorts and a Bart Simpson t-shirt. He caught a faint whiff of lavender and jasmine, as she turned and went back inside.

Grabbing a couple of logs, he followed her inside the house, placing them beside the fireplace in the living room. Jubilee didn't say anything as he sat on the couch next to her, and continued brushing her hair, separating the wet strands and then braiding it into a long braid.

"Darlin," Logan started, staring into the crackling fire that Jubilee made. "I'm sorry fer acting like a jerk. It's just that I'm not used to seeing my girl all grown up. Ya have ta give me little time to get used to it that all."

Deftly finishing off the braid, she tied it with a rubber band before looking at him. Giving him a grin, she hugged him. "It's okay, you should have seen Sean when he first realized that I had..." she paused suddenly, giving him a calculating look. "...grown up. Being the baby of the team has its disadvantages."

Logan sighed, feeling more comfortable and while he had a suspicion what "grown up" meant, he decided he was happier not knowing. "So what's happened to ya these past two years?" He walked over to the fridge and got out a beer, and tossed a soda to her.

Her blue eyes, changed to a myriad of colors as she thought back. "Ev was killed just after you left, right after Scott came back in fact." She winced suddenly at her blunder, and looked at him sadly. "I never did get to tell you how sorry I was about that. I know you loved her."

Pain flashed across his face as he remembered that brief, painful week that he had finally had Jean and lost her all at once. "Yeah." he said softly.

"Anyway, afterwards everything went back to normal, as normal as life can ever get. We did the usual; fighting the bad guys, saving the good guys, working for a better life so that humans and mutants can live in coexistence in peace." The last words were bitter, and Wolverine looked at her in surprise. She shrugged, "I've spent six years of my life for a cause that the Prof believes in, others have spent most of their lives fighting for it, and what has it gotten us?"

"Tell me."

"Nothing, we're still treated like pariahs where ever we go, we have no rights, no freedoms and if the new law passes like everyone hopes, mutants will be tagged and controlled like animals."

Logan frowned. "I didn't hear anything about it, who's doing it?"

"Presidential elections are only two years away and if Roberts can win by eliminating us, then he'll do it."

"Chuck hasn't said anything about it."

Jubilee shook her head sadly. "He still believes that Juliana Pearson will win. It's a fool's dream; no one will elect her as long as she keeps up a pro-mutant stance. Word on the street is that she's going to change her viewpoints to keep in the running."

Logan reached over and held Jubilee's face in his hand, raising it up so he could look in her eyes. "What happened to make you lose hope, Darlin?"

Her eyes shone with unshed tears. "Did you ever wonder what happened to Leech and Artie? M's father had sent them back to live with us since they missed us, and they took the plane because we figured that since they had their image inducers on, it wouldn't matter. Paige and I went to pick them up, and just as they were getting off the gate Artie's malfunctions and dies. An FOH rally was being held at the next gate because some hot shot was going to be landing there and they attacked him. Somehow Leech's got turned off too, and Paige and I tried to protect them but it was no use. They killed them, two little boys just because they were mutants. Emma came just in time to stop them from getting us."

Wolverine leaned over and drew her next to him, and held her. "I'm so sorry."

"That isn't the worst part." Jubilee looked at him sadly. "We took them to court and the men that killed Leech and Artie were found innocent because they were mutants. They said it was self -defense. What could Leech have done to them?"

"Oh Darlin." Wolverine stroked her back gently, smoothing the soft cotton under her fingers.

"That's why." Jubilee didn't tell him that Artie's death had shocked her latent psi-talents into play. She had been with him on the psi-plane as he died, something that had scarred her forever, and that had made her resolve to achieve what everyone else had failed: peace. Emma had been right about her powers, and once manifested had been quite powerful as a telepath. The girl had spent four weeks after Artie and Leech's death alone, her mind tumbling over and over again over those last few minutes of life. It had only been the fierce determination to see right done, that she had ever recovered.

"I heard you tell Emma that it was time for you to decide what to do." Logan questioned gently.

"Yeah, but let's not worry about that now. Right now I want to hear everything about you and what happened those two years. How about I make some popcorn, and you can tell me all of your adventures." Jubilee jumped up from her warm haven determined not to answer any questions, and proceed to pop the corn while Logan regaled her with the battles he had fought, and the sights he had seen while he was away, well into the early hours of the morning.

Logan's night was troubled with dreams of falling trees and Bart Simpson grinning at him, and he had spent the entire night tossing and turning on the couch where he had insisted that he sleep. Finally, around 6am, he got up grumbling and poured himself a cup of coffee from the kettle that was warming on the stove. A note was leaning against the mugs that said, "Gone out, don't worry." Sipping the bitter brew, he poured another cup, added sugar and milk and followed the lingering scent of jasmine through the woods to where he found Jubilee meditating, overlooking the edge.

Jubilee breathed in the sharp, crisp scent of the morning, her mind tagging Logan's presence and then going back into itself. It had become a morning ritual once her psi-talents had manifested. The meditation helped her set and keep her shields in place during the day, especially when she was in school and was forced to deal with the overwhelming onslaught of minds that her telepathy brought. A few minutes later she stood up and stretched, turning to Logan with a warm smile.
"Morning."

He handed her the coffee and nodded towards the view. "Nice view you have there. Sleep well?"

She took a sip from the mug. "Yeah, although you didn't do so well. I told you that we didn't have to sleep separately."

"I've slept in worse places, Darlin, I just had some weird dreams that's all." Jubilee looked at him curiously, but he didn't elaborate. "How about we do some fishing today?"

An odd smile quirked across her face, as she got a glimpse of falling trees from Logan. Sighing she gave him an apologetic grin. "Wolvie, I think you should know that I'm also a telepath now. You might want to keep your shields up."

"I figured that you had." He said, drinking the last of his coffee. At her surprised face, he continued. "Frost has been harping on for ages that you have latent powers. Something like that kid's death doesn't leave you with nothing, and believe it or not, I actually pay attention to when Hank talked."

"Amazing." Jubilee murmured, sipping her coffee. Ducking a playful swat at her head, the two walked back to the cabin where Logan cooked them some breakfast. Afterwards, they gathered up their fishing gear and headed down the hill to where the river lay. Jubilee hefted her bag on her shoulder to a more comfortable spot as Logan searched for the best fishing hole, his nostrils flared as he listened and smelt for the fish. Twenty minutes later Wolverine found the place for 'optimum fishing', and let Jubilee dump the bags she was carrying. Within seconds he had set up the site, kicked off his shoes and popped open a beer. Sighing comfortably, he leaned back against the tree and dropped his line in the water and started to doze off.

"This is fishing?" Jubilee asked skeptically.

"Yep." came from somewhere beneath his hat.

"I thought you threw the line out and pulled it back in all the time."

"That's fly fishing, we're just fishing."

"Hollywood fails me again." She muttered and walked off to explore the area around the river. She had taken precautions before she left and had dressed in baggy khaki pants that protected her legs from the twigs and thorns in the path. Ambling downstream, she found a clear pool that was set aside from the bubbling water. Grinning to herself, she took off her tank top and pants, until she was just left in her bikini and dove into the cool water.

-fin..for now-