A/N *telepathic thought*

Chapter 5

One year later

Gambit turned on the television, flipping channels randomly as he munched on some popcorn that Bobby had made the mistake of leaving alone for more than three minutes. Donald duck? Oprah? Montel? MST? The remote clicked rapidly as he dismissed channel after channel. Bored, he finally stopped on a news report of a rally where Senator Roberts was promoting his new anti-mutant campaign. About the change the channel, he caught a glimpse of white and his mouth dropped in shock as he saw Emma standing behind Roberts.

"Mon Dieu, what're you up to Emma?"

-in-

"Thank you so much Jae, are you planning to take the night off?" Jubilee smiled, as Julianna Quincy finished up the bill she was about to propose. The two, after a year of working together, had become close friends and Jubilee had become one of her most trusted advisors after some pointed suggestions had won her a large section of the votes.

"That's the plan. All I want to do is eat dinner, and go to bed early."

Sarah snorted from her position at the door. "Remind me not to join you when you actually cut loose and take a vacation. The excitement could kill me."

Chuckling, Julianna ushered Jubilee out. "We'll be fine. Trust me, one night of you taking it easy will not bring about the end of the world. It'll do you some good, relax you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine, I can take a hint." Allowing herself to be led out, Jubilee gave one last glance at Sarah who nodded slightly. Satisfied that the senator would be protected, she walked down the hall, taking the elevator down the seven floors to her waiting limo. Her chauffeur, Simon, opened the door for her with a smile, closing the door lightly after she sank into the warm interior gratefully. Closing her eyes, she watched the city slide by in the early afternoon, kids laughing as the hurried home from school, a person biking in the park. Her year with the senator had not made her younger but older. Any person looking at her now wouldn't recognize the once gum-smacking rollerblading teenager with a cheeky grin. Today, all they would have seen was a young, self possessed woman, who (although she wore very attractive suits and was regarded as extremely beautiful by all who met her) was still very much single, as many of the men in the surrounding offices could attest to, when they had been politely but firmly rebuffed.

The limo stopped in front of her apartment building, and she got out stopping a moment to close her eyes and breathe in the fresh air. "Mmmm." she smiled. When she opened her eyes, she found Simon holding out a rose, with a red ribbon tied around the stem. "What's this?"

He blushed slightly, his pale skin flushing beet red, Jubilee had always been kind to him, giving gifts during holidays, always respectful that she didn't have the right to treat him like a servant, and he appreciated that. What he also realized that while Jubilee had a very busy business life, she had no social one, and it pained him to see her go home alone night after night. "I know you don't want no one to know it's your birthday Miss Lee, but I wanted to get you something."

Jubilee took the rose, sniffing the soft bloom. "And how on earth did you find out my birthday?"

"You left your license with me, remember? In case you ever needed to drive yourself you didn't want to have to search everywhere for it. I hope you don't mind."

"No, not at all, although I would appreciate it if no one else found about this. This is beautiful Simon, thank you." Her face lit up into a smile, something very rare in the past few months. Leaning over, she kissed him gently on the cheek before asking. "Is this weekend that you're taking your daughter to Disneyland?"

"Yeah, it is. Katie is real excited about it. She calls me every night make sure that I haven't changed my mind."

Jubilee laughed. "Six years olds do tend to have a one track mind. I know that she'll enjoy it though. I got you these." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out an envelope. He tore it open, looking slightly shocked at the contents.

"I can't accept this, it's too much."

"It's fine. Go spend the weekend with her, I never really got the chance with my father, so I want you to relish the time and not worry about details. These will just bump you to the front of the line that's all."

"Thank you, and I know Katie will be pleased."

"Good, have a good weekend Simon."

"You too, Miss Lee."

Nodding distractedly she took the elevator up to her apartment, unlocked the door, and walked into the dark apartment. It had a beautiful view of the city, and the sunlight was bright and warm as she walked out onto the deck, relishing the cool breeze. "Happy birthday to me." she said sadly. Staring out into the vast expanse of building and people, her only thought was of one man, and she didn't even know where he was anymore. "Oh Wolvie."

-in-

The Harley's roar dulled to silence as Logan shut off the engine. He had been gone for over a year, traveling the world aimlessly. He had spent the time more often than not, thinking, and in moments of complete honesty he would admit to himself that Jubilee's rejection of his help had hurt him more than he thought. "We're partners, dammit!" he voiced suddenly, breaking his train of thought.

"Logan?"

Logan turned around to see Storm smiling at him, her hands covered with mud and weeds. "Hey 'Ro, how ya been?"

"I'm well, as are the rest of the team. Come on in, and you can tell me about your travels."

Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he shook his head. "I'd love to, but I need to see Jubilee first. Is she in her room?"

Storm looked slightly confused. "She hasn't lived with us since she left for the Academy. I believe right now she is an apprentice at Emma's company in England."

"What?"

"I thought you knew." Storm watched as a myriad of expression flickered across his face. "You've been gone a long time Logan, and she is growing up." Swearing, he ran inside the house to his room, leaving Storm standing at the entrance. "I think I better go tell Charles you're back." she said softly to his retreating figure.

Grabbing the cordless phone off the hook, he started to dial the number when he realized that he had no idea where to call or what number she was at. Thundering down the stairs, he stormed by Remy, Beast and a new mutant he had never seen before and into Charles' office.

"Hello, Logan." Xavier didn't seem surprised to see the mutant in front of him.

"Where is she?"

"Right now Jubilee has told us that she needs some space from the X-men. I have to respect that."

"You don't understand, she was..." against his better judgment he refrained from telling Xavier about Emma and Jubilee's rendezvous. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin something she had been working on. "Do you at least have Emma's phone number?"

"Yes," he quickly scrawled a few numbers on a slip of paper. He held it out not making any comment as Logan almost frantically took it.

Logan looked slightly incredulous at Xavier's seemingly complacence. "You haven't heard from Jubilee in a year and you're not worried?"

Regret flickered across his face for an instant. "She's had a hard life, and her last year at school was especially tragic, mostly due to the fact that she's been associated with the X-men." Xavier suddenly looked old, worn and tired from too many battle fought and lost. "No, I'm not worried. I just wish that we had been better for her life so that she didn't have to totally disassociate herself from us."

Torn between staying with Charles and calling Jubilee, the latter won out and Logan patted him on the shoulder. "Jubilee is strong, Chuck. I'm pretty sure that whatever she's doing, she's doing it for your dream." He was almost out the door when Xavier's voice stopped him.

"Logan?"

"Yes?"

"When you find her, tell her that I'm sorry."

Nodding he walked out the door to the porch, where he dialed the number. Which, as it turned out was the most productive thing he was to do all day.

After twenty different calls, Logan was frustrated, two chairs, one couch and a table lamp frustrated. No matter who he had talked to, he had been told time and time again that he didn't have the clearance to get through, he didn't have an appointment, and when he did try to make an appointment he was firmly instructed to call back in several months when Emma's schedule was clear. Finally, after blowing up at the secretary, she must have talked to someone because he was eventually connected to Emma who answered exasperated.

"Yes, Logan?"

"Cut the crap Frost. Where the hell is Jubilee?"

"Charming as ever. I fail to see what Jubilee's whereabouts have anything to do with you."

"I have every right to know where she is." he growled.

"Hardly, if she wanted to contact you she would have. Judging from your call I would say that she hasn't."

Ignoring the bitter logic of her words he pressed on. "I don't know what the hell you've got mixed her up in..."

"Logan, anything that she's in, she thought up on her own." Emma sighed, and he could see her sit down heavily in the chair. "Those two years you were gone, a lot of things happened."

"Yeah, I know. Her psi-talents showed up."

"More happened then just that. When Artie died, she was with him on the psychic plane. In essence she felt his death as if it was her own. Jubilee spent a month coping, no one was able to talk to her, no one could get through. She wasn't even able to go to the funeral, she made it as far as the front door and then collapsed. It was Artie and Leech's death that was the last straw so to speak. All I can tell you is that what she's doing now is so that it never happens again."

Logan sat down, his breathe escaping from him a huge sigh. "Have you at least talked to her?"

"Not in over a year. She said she would contact me if there was a need."

"Do you have her number?"

"Yes, and no I can't give it to you. Goodbye Logan." he thought she had hung up the phone when she added something. "I was serious that if she wanted you to know where she was, she would have let you know."

"She didn't" Logan spat angrily.

"Perhaps in less obvious ways." was her cryptic reply as she hung up, leaving Logan swearing about secretive white queens and their need for drama.

-in-

Bubbles spilled over the edge of the tub as Jubilee slid into the hot water, scented with lavender and jasmine. "Mmmm." she smiled as she sunk down, until the bubbles tickled her eyebrows. Wriggling her toes happily, she hummed to herself as she poured some more bath salts in. Once she was satisfied with her bath, she leaned back and closed her eyes, allowing her mind to clear.

She had almost dozed off when the shrill ring of the telephone interrupted the quiet. Wrapping a towel around her still dripping body, she picked up the phone in her bedroom.

"Hello?"

"Jae?"

"Sarah, what's wrong?"

"I don't know, something just doesn't feel right. I didn't want to bother you but..."Sarah searched for the words to describe the sense of unease she felt. "Can you come here?"

"Yes, definitely. Where are you?"

"At Senator Pearson's home."

"I'll be there as soon as possible. Seal off the ground and don't leave her side no matter what you hear."

Jubilee shut off the phone and quickly pulled on some jeans and a shirt. Grabbing her purse, she ran from her room making sure to lock the door behind her. Just three months ago, she had decided to get a car in the off chance that she might need to use it one day. A false license had been made up with her age as 25, thanks to some of her less reputable contacts that she seemed to have. The VW Bug squealed out of the parking lot, as she sped towards the senator's mansion. Ten minutes later she pulled up in the circle driveway and walked up to the darkened house, taking care to walk softly on the marble floor. The entire house was darkened, and Jubilee could sense several minds in the building, but she was wary of openly searching in case someone was a minor empath and could feel the invasion. Once she was past the entrance hall, she walked into the large parlor/dining room...

"SURPRISE!!!"

A shower of confetti rained down on her astonished head, as the lights came up and she was surrounded by people, presents, streamers and balloons. Julianna was grinning widely as she gave Jubilee a hug.

"I hope you'll forgive Sarah the little white lie. We wanted this to be surprise."

"Remind me to thank her." Jubilee said darkly.

"Oh, tosh. I insisted on this party. Turning 26 is a big deal, and cake, champagne and presents are all required. The last thing you should do is mope around in your apartment which was what I know you were going to do." the telltale blush on Jubilee cheek's confirmed her suspicions. "I knew it! Oh there's Sarah."

Sarah walked in with a sheepish smile and shrugged apologetically at Jubilee who was torn between chewing the woman out, and the obvious good intention from what it came. Giving in with a good natured smile, Jubilee waved to the rest of the room in formal wear. "And me wearing jeans for the first time in years."

Gesturing to her own outfit, a sleek black silk dress with a long slit up the side for maneuverability, Sarah motioned for Jubilee to follow her. "I took the liberty of obtaining a dress I thought you might like. It's upstairs in the first bedroom on the right, the blue room."

The two women walked up the grand staircase to the second floor, and once they were alone Sarah stopped and looked intently at Jubilee. "I'm sorry about this, but Julianna got curious about your birthday and wanted to surprise you."

"So why didn't you tell me?" Jubilee asked, opening the door to the blue room, where a dark blue dress was lying on the four-poster bed.

"Because I thought you needed to. Jae," Sarah reached over and put her hand on the younger woman's shoulder. "We both know that you've been going non-stop for over a year. Even you need a break sometimes."

Hugging each other for a second, Jubilee shooed the woman out so that she could change, her mind lingering for a moment on the fact that she hadn't been able to pick up the surprise party from their minds. "I better check on that later." Mentally filing away the information for later, she quickly dressed, did her hair, and put on some makeup that Sarah had provided for her.

The deep blue, dress clung to her figure, and she had let her hair loose so that it fell in soft waves around her face. As she descended the staircase, the room paused in their conversations to look at the solo figure gracefully walking down the stairs, her beauty striking so that every man in the room enjoyed the view. Jubilee smiled, her blue eyes lighting up, and was welcomed into the crowd with laughter, applause and warm smiles.

-in-

It was almost midnight in New York, and Gary Roberts was on the phone with his advisor, Emma Frost.

"Senator Williams has agreed to support the anti-mutant bill. We only need twelve more vote and we can pass this thing. Emma, I couldn't have done this without you."

"I can hardly take credit for your hard work." Emma could barely keep the loathing out of her voice. The sheer idiocy of the man made her blood boil, but she had promised to keep an eye on him. Slowly but surely, she was planting tiny subconscious messages in his mind, that would appear as insights on his part. It was the only reason he was not going as fast on the bill as he normally would have.

"Nonsense, your support has meant more to me than I can describe." He voice was warm, and she could hear the longing in his voice. "Perhaps we could meet for dinner? There's a little Cantonese place that just opened up that I think you might like."

"That would be nice. Give me a half and hour and you can come and pick me up." Emma put down the phone, distaste on her face. Roberts had been married for over twelve years, had three children, and that night his wife had just left to attend a political rally for the Republican Women's Organization. Ever since he had first laid eyes on Emma, she had seen the thoughts floating at the top of his mind, but had never acted on them. Until tonight.

Emma Frost had spent most of her life going through and over anyone to get what she wanted. People, companies, even families had been acquired and abandoned as soon she was finished dealing with them. One thing she had never done though, was compromise her body to achieve her goals. She had remained a virgin until she was twenty-nine years old and fell in love with a man. Sighing, she slipped on some black lingerie that she knew Roberts preferred. This was the last barrier she needed to cross before she would have him trust her completely and if this was what she needed to do, then so be it. Only in the deepest part of her mind, did she allow herself to think about the consequences of her actions on the one man that she had fallen in love with.

-in-

"Hey sugah! I didn't see ya come in." Rogue breezed into the living room with a grin that died on her face at the site of Logan. "What's wrong?"

"I can't find out where Jubilee is. Got any ideas?"

"Sorry, the last time we heard from her was when she UPS'd all of her stuff here."

Wolverine looked up from the six-pack of beer that he was methodically working through. "What?"

"Well, yeah. Jubes sent a few boxes over until she got settled at her new place. That was almost a year ago." Rogue settled down in the overstuffed armchair and snagged a beer.

"Did she ever call to tell where to send it?" He asked hopefully.

"No, all of it's still here. Is something wrong?" Pausing midswig, Rogue looked at Logan in concern.

"I don't know, I hope not. All I know is that the girl is as slippery to get a hold of as a damn eel." Finishing off his drink, he stared at the glass contemplatively for a few minutes before an idea managed to work itself in his brain. "Um, so where are those boxes anyway?"

Ten minutes later, Logan had located the boxes up in the attic buried under several dozen books and a foot or so of dust which was probably why he couldn't seem to stop sneezing. After throwing open the attic windows, he plopped down next to the three boxes, and looked at them lovingly. Popping out a claw, he ignored the slight niggle of guilt at invading her privacy, and slit the tape on the box. As it opened, he was suddenly washed in Jubilee's scent, and his breath hitched in his chest for a second.

Pawing through the personal items, he pulled out various CD's surprised to find that she had seemed to have acquired a liking for Beethoven, some books, and a few stuffed animals. Not seeing anything useful, he carefully piled the stuff back in the box and opened the next one. He grinned as he pulled out his old hat, and put it to one side, and at the very bottom he found her diary. It was a simple, leather bound book with a silver monogram on the corner, most likely a gift from Emma.

"Sorry Darlin." he winced as he pulled the ribbons loose that held the book closed. The first entry read:

Dec 26 1999

Hey Diary...Journal...let's just call you Bob kay?

Emma got you for me..she said that I could write in you and that it would help me sort out my feelings. Yeeha...all I wanted was a new CD player and the woman gets me a book. I swear that woman only listens to herself. Life is weird huh?

-J

Smiling to himself, he flipped through the next few months, the pages filled with doodles of her teammates, complaints about school and homework, entries made on a pretty regular basis. Around the end of the year, in August the entries became drastically different.

8/1/00

Bob,

Oh god. Artie and Leech are dead. DEAD. I tried. We tried. God.

-J

8/2/00

B,

I can feel him rattling around in my brain. Emma says that he isn't there, it's just echoes of him left behind. I don't care -I can hear him screaming in there. ARTIE LEECH ARTIE LEECH ARTIE LEECH ARTIE LEECH. Artie liked cotton candy- I never knew that.

-J

8/13/00

B,

I had the nightmares again. Leech is screaming in pain and I'm holding him, trying to stop the blood but it keeps spurting up between my fingers no matter how hard I keep pressing. Artie is standing beside me looking at what's going on and he tells me that...that Leech turned his inducer off on purpose. Best friends no matter what I guess. GOD DAMMIT !!!! It isn't fair. It's so dark in here and no matter what I do it stays that way.

-J

8/17/00

god it hurts

8/27/oo

I tried my new powers today. I opened my curtains for the first time in weeks, and I joined Jono's mind as he walked around campus. He didn't know I was there but I could feel everything that he was thinking and doing. Then I said hi- scared the crap out of him . I laughed at that- funny I didn't think that it was possible.

-J

"Oh Jubilee." Tears burned at the back of his eyes, as he read the tortured writing of the teenager. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to keep reading.

9/01/00

Saw the graves today. It doesn't matter that they're safe now. It doesn't matter anymore that I couldn't protect them. All that matters now is that it doesn't happen again. Never again. The Prof tries his best, but how long has been trying? 10 years? 20 years? And all that's happened is that people hate us even more than ever. My genes make my fate, and everyone does nothing to stop it.

I think it's time it changed.

-J

There were no more entries past that last date, the rest of the pages filled with random numbers and little facts about the government. Shutting the diary closed, his face contorted as emotions ran through him. Putting the book back in the box, he noticed an envelope in the far corner. Holding his breath, he took the envelope and turned it over, and in the free, loose handwriting that was Jubilee's it was addressed to "Wolvie." He ripped it open and read the letter, the smell of jasmine wafting around him like a ghost.

Logan...my Wolvie,

I'm guessing that you're pretty desperate to find me and have read diary by now. It's okay, I kind of wrote it for you anyway. Guess that Emma actually had a good idea every once in a while huh? Anyway I have to make this short and sweet because...well I don't want to get into all the details. No matter what happens, remember that I was trying to be the good guy.

-Jubilee

Call me 555-555-5555

Heaving a sigh of relief he punched in the numbers, only for it to ring without anyone picking it up. Logan frowned, and dialed another number, this time with an international code.

"Hey Kitty?"

"Logan! Hi, how are you?"

"Good, kid. I'm sorry talk long but I need a favor."

He could hear the disappointment in her voice which she tried to mask. "Sure, what you do you need?"

"I need an address on this phone number 555-555-5555."

"I'm on it." He could hear keys clicking rapidly for a few minutes. "Yes! Okay, here's the address...."

-in-

Life was good as Jubilee walked outside to wait for a driver to come and pick her up. She was giddy from all of the champagne she had drunk and the corny presents that had flown far and fast during the night. Smiling to herself, she watched as the limo pulled around and the got in to find someone else already in the vehicle. Jubilee frowned. "What are you..." A heavy object hit her in the back of the skull and before Jubilee could do anything she slipped into the wet blackness.

-fin-