"Oooh, Look Vic!" Jubilee pointed into the sky. "A shooting star."
"What do you wish for?" He asked.
"I have no need for wishes." She giggled. "I have everything I'll ever need; right here, right now."
Victor gave her a squeeze. They sat in the backseat of his jeep, staring up at the stars on the side of an out of the way dirt road. He leaned against the side, his legs stretched across the seat and Jubilee's head on his chest.
"And what about you? Quick, before it's gone." Jubilee rested her hands on his wrists.
"Who said I needed *anything*?" He asked.
Jubilee smiled, sitting up. "Can we sleep out here? Under the Stars?" She asked, her eyes hopeful.
"Whatever your heart desires." He nodded.
"Well, what my heart desires has NOTHING to do with where we sleep tonight." she giggled, snuggling close to him. "I want more nights like my birthday. I want my happily ever after."
"And I'm going to try my best to give it to you." He said softly, kissing her forehead.
"Promise, Vic?" she asked in a small, sleepy voice.
"I promise it to you, Precious."
~*~*~
Rogue tossed in her bed, bombarded but barely disturbed by her dreams. Jubilee's memories and feelings flooded her, just as she's expected them to.
Jubilee was curled against a wall, doubled over and wailing in pain, calling out for help. Sabretooth approached the wounded sound carefully, watching all around him for a sneak attack.
"Please! Just Leave me Alone! Don't Hurt me!" She moaned, looking up at him with marred eyes, tears surging over her cheeks. "I'm only 17, I don't want to die!"
"Are you alone?" Victor asked, examining her.
"Please, don't hurt me." She fell forward, crashing to her knees and pushing at the ground with the hand that didn't hold her stomach. "Please." She moaned softly, finally falling to the dirt, unconscious.
He walked towards her slowly, still on alert. He scooped her up off the ground, bounding through the dark night.
Then Jubilee stood outside an apartment door, glancing back at Scott.
"Are you sure this is it?" She asked.
"This is it. Jubilee, are you positive about this?" He looked from her to the door.
"He could've left me out there, but he didn't. I would have died if he had. I want to thank him for risking himself and taking me back to the blackbird." She nodded. She put a hand up as Scott began to speak. "And DON'T say that this is naive, foolish, or childish. I'm nearly 18, and I can make this decision on my own."
"Alright Jubilee. But I'm coming in with-"
"Like hell. Wait out here. I'll be out in a few." She rolled her eyes. "God, you'd think I was still 14..." she muttered, knocking.
The memory went dark, and snippets of picture and sound burst through dark recesses of silence. Remote memories of her finding him alone in the mostly empty apartment, looking bitter and closed off, a gun on a nearby unsteady table. Familiar memories of Jubilee sneaking through a window and jumping down into Victor Creed's arms, talking to him in the middle of the night, being held and kissed in the rain. Jubilee darting into the bathroom as people peeked into her room after she'd snuck back in, blowing blotched kisses out of an open window, dreaming of him.
Then one picture became clear and vivid, soaked in distant emotions. The beach glittered in the moonlight, the waves reflecting the stars.
"Vic, what are you doing?" Jubilee stumbled barefoot across the grass, holding tight to Victor. She wore a pair of shorts and a tank top, her hair held down by a red blindfold that was wrapped around her head. Her yellow hoodie lay strewn in Victor's car.
"You can't walk?" He asked.
"I can't see anything!" She giggled. "What's going on?"
"You'll love it." he laughed, scooping her into his arms. "Happy Birthday." He said softly, moving down to the water's edge.
"Victor!"
"Trust me." He whispered, holding her close as he lowered her onto the sand.
Jubilee's heart swelled as she wrapped her arms around him. She gasped happily as the cold water washed over her feet.
"Oh, Vic!" She laughed, tearing off the blindfold. She danced away from him, kicking through the water. "Oh god, this is fantastic!" She reached out to him as the waves crashed up her legs and around her waist.
Victor walked out into the waves toward her, lifting her up and turning her in a circle with him. He lowered her against him, looking into her eyes.
Somewhere far off, Rogue felt the romance and passion radiating off the memory.
Jubilee wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead against his. She ran her hands through his hair, hardly breaking her gaze.
"I love you, Jubilee." He whispered.
Jubilee Kissed him gently as the waves soaked them.
"I love you too, Victor." She murmured, brushing her hand over his cheek.
Victor twisted as a particularly strong wave knocked him off his feet, falling into the sand with Jubilee in his arms.
"Are you okay?" He asked, laughing. Jubilee shoved her dripping hair over her shoulder.
"Perfect." She smiled, leaning in and kissing him.
The picture flickered and flashed, snippets of emotion and sight breaking into her sleep.
Jubilee smiled blissfully as the moonlight reflected off their wet bodies. Rogue could feel the rapture that shimmered off the feeling of his hands on her body, and the joy that had engulfed her in the dark on the sand. They screamed laughter and desire and love.
Jubilee lay on the wet sand, sighing contently. She smiled as waves crashed over her, looking up into the dark sky.
"Are you happy, Jubilee?" Victor propped himself up on an elbow, laying next to her. He was covered in sand, his once blue jeans now the same tan colour as his jeep.
"Are you kidding?" She laughed, jumping to her feet. "It's midnight, I'm naked on the beach, and I'll never get all the sand out of my hair. I'm finally 18 years old," She twirled around, her hands out, producing celebration pafs into the air. "And I've never been happier in my life!"
She shrieked laughter as he jumped up after her, lifting her into his arms and running her into the crashing waves. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the water engulfed them. She clung to him as they broke the surface of the wave, feeling kisses drop on her skin. They twisted through the water, finally settling where the waves would wash over their legs.
"I love you. I never want this to end." She breathed airy sighs.
"Leave with me, then." He said softly. "Let me take you away."
"What, Sir Calgon? You plan to carry me off into the sunset?" She asked playfully.
"Something like that, Precious." He laughed, kissing her lovingly. "Are you ready to get back home?"
"I'm ready to go wherever you're going, Victor." She accepted his hand as he rose, being gently pulled up.
"Does that mean you're going with me?" He asked, watching her scramble over the beach to pull on her shorts and tank top, following her.
"Of course." She smiled. She slid an arm around his waist as they walked back up to the jeep.
Rogue bolted up in her bed, overwhelmed by coinciding emotions from both Victor and Jubilee. The unbounded, pure devotion that flooded from Victor left her in awe.
"I feel like I just watched 'Someone like you' 20 times in a row." She thought aloud, looking around in the dark. She was alone in the room she usually shared with Jubilee and Kitty, and the silence was too dark, a heartbreaking contrast to the tenderness she'd just awoken from. She clammered of out bed, yanking her long gloves on and sneaking down the hallway and into Logan's room.
"What do you wish for?" He asked.
"I have no need for wishes." She giggled. "I have everything I'll ever need; right here, right now."
Victor gave her a squeeze. They sat in the backseat of his jeep, staring up at the stars on the side of an out of the way dirt road. He leaned against the side, his legs stretched across the seat and Jubilee's head on his chest.
"And what about you? Quick, before it's gone." Jubilee rested her hands on his wrists.
"Who said I needed *anything*?" He asked.
Jubilee smiled, sitting up. "Can we sleep out here? Under the Stars?" She asked, her eyes hopeful.
"Whatever your heart desires." He nodded.
"Well, what my heart desires has NOTHING to do with where we sleep tonight." she giggled, snuggling close to him. "I want more nights like my birthday. I want my happily ever after."
"And I'm going to try my best to give it to you." He said softly, kissing her forehead.
"Promise, Vic?" she asked in a small, sleepy voice.
"I promise it to you, Precious."
~*~*~
Rogue tossed in her bed, bombarded but barely disturbed by her dreams. Jubilee's memories and feelings flooded her, just as she's expected them to.
Jubilee was curled against a wall, doubled over and wailing in pain, calling out for help. Sabretooth approached the wounded sound carefully, watching all around him for a sneak attack.
"Please! Just Leave me Alone! Don't Hurt me!" She moaned, looking up at him with marred eyes, tears surging over her cheeks. "I'm only 17, I don't want to die!"
"Are you alone?" Victor asked, examining her.
"Please, don't hurt me." She fell forward, crashing to her knees and pushing at the ground with the hand that didn't hold her stomach. "Please." She moaned softly, finally falling to the dirt, unconscious.
He walked towards her slowly, still on alert. He scooped her up off the ground, bounding through the dark night.
Then Jubilee stood outside an apartment door, glancing back at Scott.
"Are you sure this is it?" She asked.
"This is it. Jubilee, are you positive about this?" He looked from her to the door.
"He could've left me out there, but he didn't. I would have died if he had. I want to thank him for risking himself and taking me back to the blackbird." She nodded. She put a hand up as Scott began to speak. "And DON'T say that this is naive, foolish, or childish. I'm nearly 18, and I can make this decision on my own."
"Alright Jubilee. But I'm coming in with-"
"Like hell. Wait out here. I'll be out in a few." She rolled her eyes. "God, you'd think I was still 14..." she muttered, knocking.
The memory went dark, and snippets of picture and sound burst through dark recesses of silence. Remote memories of her finding him alone in the mostly empty apartment, looking bitter and closed off, a gun on a nearby unsteady table. Familiar memories of Jubilee sneaking through a window and jumping down into Victor Creed's arms, talking to him in the middle of the night, being held and kissed in the rain. Jubilee darting into the bathroom as people peeked into her room after she'd snuck back in, blowing blotched kisses out of an open window, dreaming of him.
Then one picture became clear and vivid, soaked in distant emotions. The beach glittered in the moonlight, the waves reflecting the stars.
"Vic, what are you doing?" Jubilee stumbled barefoot across the grass, holding tight to Victor. She wore a pair of shorts and a tank top, her hair held down by a red blindfold that was wrapped around her head. Her yellow hoodie lay strewn in Victor's car.
"You can't walk?" He asked.
"I can't see anything!" She giggled. "What's going on?"
"You'll love it." he laughed, scooping her into his arms. "Happy Birthday." He said softly, moving down to the water's edge.
"Victor!"
"Trust me." He whispered, holding her close as he lowered her onto the sand.
Jubilee's heart swelled as she wrapped her arms around him. She gasped happily as the cold water washed over her feet.
"Oh, Vic!" She laughed, tearing off the blindfold. She danced away from him, kicking through the water. "Oh god, this is fantastic!" She reached out to him as the waves crashed up her legs and around her waist.
Victor walked out into the waves toward her, lifting her up and turning her in a circle with him. He lowered her against him, looking into her eyes.
Somewhere far off, Rogue felt the romance and passion radiating off the memory.
Jubilee wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead against his. She ran her hands through his hair, hardly breaking her gaze.
"I love you, Jubilee." He whispered.
Jubilee Kissed him gently as the waves soaked them.
"I love you too, Victor." She murmured, brushing her hand over his cheek.
Victor twisted as a particularly strong wave knocked him off his feet, falling into the sand with Jubilee in his arms.
"Are you okay?" He asked, laughing. Jubilee shoved her dripping hair over her shoulder.
"Perfect." She smiled, leaning in and kissing him.
The picture flickered and flashed, snippets of emotion and sight breaking into her sleep.
Jubilee smiled blissfully as the moonlight reflected off their wet bodies. Rogue could feel the rapture that shimmered off the feeling of his hands on her body, and the joy that had engulfed her in the dark on the sand. They screamed laughter and desire and love.
Jubilee lay on the wet sand, sighing contently. She smiled as waves crashed over her, looking up into the dark sky.
"Are you happy, Jubilee?" Victor propped himself up on an elbow, laying next to her. He was covered in sand, his once blue jeans now the same tan colour as his jeep.
"Are you kidding?" She laughed, jumping to her feet. "It's midnight, I'm naked on the beach, and I'll never get all the sand out of my hair. I'm finally 18 years old," She twirled around, her hands out, producing celebration pafs into the air. "And I've never been happier in my life!"
She shrieked laughter as he jumped up after her, lifting her into his arms and running her into the crashing waves. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as the water engulfed them. She clung to him as they broke the surface of the wave, feeling kisses drop on her skin. They twisted through the water, finally settling where the waves would wash over their legs.
"I love you. I never want this to end." She breathed airy sighs.
"Leave with me, then." He said softly. "Let me take you away."
"What, Sir Calgon? You plan to carry me off into the sunset?" She asked playfully.
"Something like that, Precious." He laughed, kissing her lovingly. "Are you ready to get back home?"
"I'm ready to go wherever you're going, Victor." She accepted his hand as he rose, being gently pulled up.
"Does that mean you're going with me?" He asked, watching her scramble over the beach to pull on her shorts and tank top, following her.
"Of course." She smiled. She slid an arm around his waist as they walked back up to the jeep.
Rogue bolted up in her bed, overwhelmed by coinciding emotions from both Victor and Jubilee. The unbounded, pure devotion that flooded from Victor left her in awe.
"I feel like I just watched 'Someone like you' 20 times in a row." She thought aloud, looking around in the dark. She was alone in the room she usually shared with Jubilee and Kitty, and the silence was too dark, a heartbreaking contrast to the tenderness she'd just awoken from. She clammered of out bed, yanking her long gloves on and sneaking down the hallway and into Logan's room.