Epilogue
Victor peeked into the room. It had been hours since Jubilee had said anything, since she'd pulled the black curtain to the living room of the apartment the two shared and told him she needed some time to think. She sat against the couch, looking into the falling snow.
"Precious?" He stepped into the room, a coat drapped over his arm.
"Oh. Hey Vic." She smiled weakly. "What's goin' on?"
"That's what I'm wondering." He sat down behind her. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah." She leaned back against him, propping her elbows on his knees. "Peachier then Keen, Big Man."
"That was convincing."
"Shut up." She crawled onto the couch, snuggling into his arms. "I'm just in a funk, that's all. It's gunna even out soon-I can feel it."
"Well come on, let's help it, huh?" He smiled, kissing her temple and leaving her on the couch as he stood up. He took the coat from the back of the chair, holding it out to her.
"Vic, this is your favourite coat." She accepted the jacket, holding it close to her. It was her favorite, too- the tawny long coat that came nearly to the floor on her was warm and cozy, covered in his smell.
"And now it's yours." He smiled, cradling her head. "Now come on."
"'Come on' where?"
"Just trust me." He reached out, taking her hand as she climbed over the back of the couch to follow him.
(Later)
"Vic, this is really annoying." Jubilee ran her fingers over the soft black cloth for what had to be the millionth time, her voice a little tired.
"I know, Precious. Just last it out a little longer, okay?"
She grumbled halfheartedly, settling back into the seat. The cold leaked in around her-his coat, despite the way it engulfed her in such a familar warmth. She let her eyes ease closed under the cloth, her hand blindly touching for his arm and settling on his wrist.
"Vic?"
"Relax. We're almost there. I promise."
"No. I...Thank you." She smiled lightly, her flush face deepening in colour.
"What for?" Victor glanced over at her-she looked amazing in the coat, and the colour in her face only made her look more innocent.
"For staying..." She wriggled a little closer to him. "When I know I wasn't much more then an emotional nuisance."
"No." He pulled into his destination, parking the car and taking her hands. "You were never anything close to a 'nuisance'."
"Don't pretend. I know it wasn't easy to deal with me when I was....broken." She couldn't search out the right words to describe the entire month and half that had passed them-Vic watching over a emotionally unstable...child it almost seemed. She'd spent a week of her life wide awake, drowning in her own tears.
"Jubilee, more than anything, it hurt to watch you go through it and know that there was nothing I could do to stop it." He took her face in his hands, her fingers sightlessly moving to his own fingers. "I would have taken all of it if it meant you didn't have to feel it."
He felt his heart tighten as she pressed into his arms. Her heart beat had shifted irregularly and her smell had changed to something just a little more tart.
"I'm sorry that any of it had to happen at all, but I was never burdened by you-not once." He whispered, feeling her tears as they seeped into the blindfold under his hand. "I love you."
"Do you really mean it?" She whimpered, her voice uneven between shame and insecurity. "Is it still the same feeling you said it was so long ago?"
"The same feeling and so much more. Don't ever doubt that what I tell you is an understatement of that feeling. I couldn't even come close to telling you."
"I love you, Vic. Please, don't leave me." She was filled with more relief than pain then, more assurance than anything.
"I couldn't. You're mine, Precious. I couldn't ever let that change. I'd die a thousand bloody deaths, a hundred times over, before I'd let you go."
Jubilee sat up, pulling the cloth off her face to look at him. Her eyes were more alive to him than they'd been in months; more fervent, full of the same passion and innocence that he'd seen that night when she'd thrown away his gun. She was stronger, more amazing than he would have known without that night.
She couldn't have guessed that there was ever a moment of rage in his life-his eyes were soft, drinking her into the deep amber irises with a burning intensity. The way he looked at her made her feel like there was nothing more important in the world than right there and then, in that very moment.
"I love you, Jubilee." He kissed her forehead, brushing her shaggy black hair out of her swollen eyes. "More than you can imagine."
She smiled weakly, finally lighter. The pressure on her chest was completely gone-he had let her breathe again. She rocked gently in his arms, sighing in small, joyful sounds.
"Look around." Victor whispered, murmering against her temple.
Jubilee looked up, the happiness surging. That same amazing beach, covered in a light frosting of snow. She looked out over the frothing ocean, pulling herself closer to him.
"You're amazing." She giggled, burying her face in his new coat; a downy black monster, smelling freshly of synthetics and department store. Soon it would be his, and it would smell marvelous.
"You are my treasure. You mean the world to me." He murmured, holding her tightly.
She felt more tears sliding down her cheeks, the falling snow blurring into fine white lines around them. She closed her eyes, letting him surround her in his smell and warmth and protection.
Well? Let me know what you thought-I love to get your reactions. And go to my other stories! They need you.
There MAY be a sequel-I'm working it out with my muse.
Victor peeked into the room. It had been hours since Jubilee had said anything, since she'd pulled the black curtain to the living room of the apartment the two shared and told him she needed some time to think. She sat against the couch, looking into the falling snow.
"Precious?" He stepped into the room, a coat drapped over his arm.
"Oh. Hey Vic." She smiled weakly. "What's goin' on?"
"That's what I'm wondering." He sat down behind her. "Are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah." She leaned back against him, propping her elbows on his knees. "Peachier then Keen, Big Man."
"That was convincing."
"Shut up." She crawled onto the couch, snuggling into his arms. "I'm just in a funk, that's all. It's gunna even out soon-I can feel it."
"Well come on, let's help it, huh?" He smiled, kissing her temple and leaving her on the couch as he stood up. He took the coat from the back of the chair, holding it out to her.
"Vic, this is your favourite coat." She accepted the jacket, holding it close to her. It was her favorite, too- the tawny long coat that came nearly to the floor on her was warm and cozy, covered in his smell.
"And now it's yours." He smiled, cradling her head. "Now come on."
"'Come on' where?"
"Just trust me." He reached out, taking her hand as she climbed over the back of the couch to follow him.
(Later)
"Vic, this is really annoying." Jubilee ran her fingers over the soft black cloth for what had to be the millionth time, her voice a little tired.
"I know, Precious. Just last it out a little longer, okay?"
She grumbled halfheartedly, settling back into the seat. The cold leaked in around her-his coat, despite the way it engulfed her in such a familar warmth. She let her eyes ease closed under the cloth, her hand blindly touching for his arm and settling on his wrist.
"Vic?"
"Relax. We're almost there. I promise."
"No. I...Thank you." She smiled lightly, her flush face deepening in colour.
"What for?" Victor glanced over at her-she looked amazing in the coat, and the colour in her face only made her look more innocent.
"For staying..." She wriggled a little closer to him. "When I know I wasn't much more then an emotional nuisance."
"No." He pulled into his destination, parking the car and taking her hands. "You were never anything close to a 'nuisance'."
"Don't pretend. I know it wasn't easy to deal with me when I was....broken." She couldn't search out the right words to describe the entire month and half that had passed them-Vic watching over a emotionally unstable...child it almost seemed. She'd spent a week of her life wide awake, drowning in her own tears.
"Jubilee, more than anything, it hurt to watch you go through it and know that there was nothing I could do to stop it." He took her face in his hands, her fingers sightlessly moving to his own fingers. "I would have taken all of it if it meant you didn't have to feel it."
He felt his heart tighten as she pressed into his arms. Her heart beat had shifted irregularly and her smell had changed to something just a little more tart.
"I'm sorry that any of it had to happen at all, but I was never burdened by you-not once." He whispered, feeling her tears as they seeped into the blindfold under his hand. "I love you."
"Do you really mean it?" She whimpered, her voice uneven between shame and insecurity. "Is it still the same feeling you said it was so long ago?"
"The same feeling and so much more. Don't ever doubt that what I tell you is an understatement of that feeling. I couldn't even come close to telling you."
"I love you, Vic. Please, don't leave me." She was filled with more relief than pain then, more assurance than anything.
"I couldn't. You're mine, Precious. I couldn't ever let that change. I'd die a thousand bloody deaths, a hundred times over, before I'd let you go."
Jubilee sat up, pulling the cloth off her face to look at him. Her eyes were more alive to him than they'd been in months; more fervent, full of the same passion and innocence that he'd seen that night when she'd thrown away his gun. She was stronger, more amazing than he would have known without that night.
She couldn't have guessed that there was ever a moment of rage in his life-his eyes were soft, drinking her into the deep amber irises with a burning intensity. The way he looked at her made her feel like there was nothing more important in the world than right there and then, in that very moment.
"I love you, Jubilee." He kissed her forehead, brushing her shaggy black hair out of her swollen eyes. "More than you can imagine."
She smiled weakly, finally lighter. The pressure on her chest was completely gone-he had let her breathe again. She rocked gently in his arms, sighing in small, joyful sounds.
"Look around." Victor whispered, murmering against her temple.
Jubilee looked up, the happiness surging. That same amazing beach, covered in a light frosting of snow. She looked out over the frothing ocean, pulling herself closer to him.
"You're amazing." She giggled, burying her face in his new coat; a downy black monster, smelling freshly of synthetics and department store. Soon it would be his, and it would smell marvelous.
"You are my treasure. You mean the world to me." He murmured, holding her tightly.
She felt more tears sliding down her cheeks, the falling snow blurring into fine white lines around them. She closed her eyes, letting him surround her in his smell and warmth and protection.
Well? Let me know what you thought-I love to get your reactions. And go to my other stories! They need you.
There MAY be a sequel-I'm working it out with my muse.