Author's Note and Disclaimer: "The Birthday Wish" is the beginning of an
extended story known simply as 'The Venus Factor'. Events within this part
of the tale take place in a niche that I have carved out between 'X-Men
Unlimited' #34 and 'Uncanny X-Men' #402, about 3.5 years after the
disbanding of the Generation X team. Cut me a little slack and just run
with the time line. As always, these characters are not mine, nor is any
profit made off of using their likenesses. If anyone from Marvel ever
reads this, this true believer would love to write for you. And stop
dismissing Jubilee; she's a great character. Until that day, MMM!
***
"Now, since I have your attention, why don't you try listening to me?"
Her voice rang hollowly in his ears. It was all he could do to keep himself in check and not lash out blindly. "Jube..." he groaned, one hand reaching out slowly towards her still face.
Mystique took another step away from him. "If you behave, she will live. If you don't," Mystique paused, shrugging, "she won't. It's really quite simple."
Logan's arms dropped to his side and he hung his head. After a moment, he looked up again, meeting Mystique's cautious glare. His eyes were tinged with pain. "What do you want? I'll... I'll do anything. Just let her go."
He hated it, but he knew he didn't have a choice. The beast in his head told him not to worry, however. As soon as Jubilee was safely away, he could take matters back into his own hands.
As though reading his mind, Mystique replied. "She won't be going anywhere just yet. Someone wants to see you, and they don't want all of your pesky X-Men along for the ride. We'll be keeping Jubilee as an insurance policy. You'll do what you're told." She paused and then sneered openly at him. "You're pathetic, you know. He's got your balls in a vise grip, and there's not a damn thing you will let yourself do about it."
Logan bristled, and Mystique began backing away. "You'll stay right there for five minutes. Don't think she won't be dead in less time than it takes to blink if you don't. I will kill her." Ten feet away. Twenty. "We'll be in touch, Wolverine. Be a good cub, and stick around here where we can find you. Wouldn't want anything to happen to our little girl, would we?" Thirty feet. Forty. And then they were gone around the corner.
Logan surged forward, but then made himself stop. He had no way of knowing whether Mystique wasn't standing right there, waiting to kill his Jubilee if he followed.
***
"Shh! Shh! Somebody's here!"
Monet looked up from the cake that she was putting candles in. Finally, Jubilee was home. Monet crossed her fingers, hoping her roommate wouldn't freak out about the party.
Someone dimmed the lights, and Monet lit the candles.
KNOCK-KNOCK!
Sighing, Monet blew out the candles and hit the light switch closest to her. Whoever it was, it wasn't Jubilee since they were knocking. They definitely had horrible timing... Jubes should have been back at least an hour ago; she was likely to show up any minute.
She crossed the room to the door and peaked through the peephole. Wolverine! She started back, surprised. Maybe this afternoon wouldn't be so bad after all.
Opening the door, Monet looked at the X-Man. He seemed... ragged. A hundred things came to mind, but she didn't vocalize any of them. Instead, she gave him a tight smile. "Ah, the uninvited party guest."
He looked at her curiously, and then she saw his eyes flash behind her, taking in the situation. "Monet, we need to talk," he said, his face blank.
"I'm not sure that I'm the one that you need to be talking to, mister," she replied, motioning for him to come in. "In any case, you need to get out of the doorway. We're trying to have a surprise party here, and Jubilee should be back any minute."
"That's kinda what we need to talk about. I don't think Jubes is coming back today. Why don't you send these folks home?" he said, gesturing to the room full of guests.
"Wolverine, what the hell did you do this time?"
***
"So let me get this straight... Jubilee was taken by Mystique. You don't know where. You don't know to whom. You don't even know why yet, except that someone was trying to get to you." Monet sat in a chair across from Logan, shaking her head.
"That's pretty much the sum of it," he admitted. His head was still hung. Emotions crowded his head, shame first and foremost. He was never able to protect those that he loved. He always put them in danger. He always failed them. He closed his eyes trying to block out the pain. This was why he avoided people. This is why he was always brusque. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized this was selfish; it was more to protect him than to protect anyone else. But Jubilee... Never in a million years would he have intentionally endangered her. She was his... Well, he didn't know what she was anymore, or even what his feelings were for her, but he sure as hell wouldn't have wished this on her.
"So what do we do now?" the girl across him asked. No admonishments, no rebukes. Just a levelheaded response. He grudgingly admitted to himself that she was one hell of a woman.
"Well, I will wait until I hear from them, whoever they are. And call Chuck," he added, remembering that he never had found his watch. "You," he added, "will continue on with whatever it is you do." He withdrew the emotion from his face and looked up to meet her eyes. "This doesn't concern you."
"This doesn't concern me?" she screamed, any sign of 'levelheadedness' fading away as her voice rose. "How the hell can you sit in my house, talking about my roommate -who, when I last checked, you haven't even talked to in almost three years- and have the nerve to tell me that it doesn't concern me? What do you have, balls of steel? You obviously think with them. It seems to me that this whole damn thing is your fault! You obviously couldn't prevent it, so what makes you think you'll be able to fix it by yourself?"
Logan looked at her blankly. He turned to the kitchen, where the keg that had been brought for the party was still on ice. Pouring himself a beer, he gave Monet a grim smile. "Adamantium, babe, not steel. Now, if I can use your phone to call Xavier?"
***
"Now, since I have your attention, why don't you try listening to me?"
Her voice rang hollowly in his ears. It was all he could do to keep himself in check and not lash out blindly. "Jube..." he groaned, one hand reaching out slowly towards her still face.
Mystique took another step away from him. "If you behave, she will live. If you don't," Mystique paused, shrugging, "she won't. It's really quite simple."
Logan's arms dropped to his side and he hung his head. After a moment, he looked up again, meeting Mystique's cautious glare. His eyes were tinged with pain. "What do you want? I'll... I'll do anything. Just let her go."
He hated it, but he knew he didn't have a choice. The beast in his head told him not to worry, however. As soon as Jubilee was safely away, he could take matters back into his own hands.
As though reading his mind, Mystique replied. "She won't be going anywhere just yet. Someone wants to see you, and they don't want all of your pesky X-Men along for the ride. We'll be keeping Jubilee as an insurance policy. You'll do what you're told." She paused and then sneered openly at him. "You're pathetic, you know. He's got your balls in a vise grip, and there's not a damn thing you will let yourself do about it."
Logan bristled, and Mystique began backing away. "You'll stay right there for five minutes. Don't think she won't be dead in less time than it takes to blink if you don't. I will kill her." Ten feet away. Twenty. "We'll be in touch, Wolverine. Be a good cub, and stick around here where we can find you. Wouldn't want anything to happen to our little girl, would we?" Thirty feet. Forty. And then they were gone around the corner.
Logan surged forward, but then made himself stop. He had no way of knowing whether Mystique wasn't standing right there, waiting to kill his Jubilee if he followed.
***
"Shh! Shh! Somebody's here!"
Monet looked up from the cake that she was putting candles in. Finally, Jubilee was home. Monet crossed her fingers, hoping her roommate wouldn't freak out about the party.
Someone dimmed the lights, and Monet lit the candles.
KNOCK-KNOCK!
Sighing, Monet blew out the candles and hit the light switch closest to her. Whoever it was, it wasn't Jubilee since they were knocking. They definitely had horrible timing... Jubes should have been back at least an hour ago; she was likely to show up any minute.
She crossed the room to the door and peaked through the peephole. Wolverine! She started back, surprised. Maybe this afternoon wouldn't be so bad after all.
Opening the door, Monet looked at the X-Man. He seemed... ragged. A hundred things came to mind, but she didn't vocalize any of them. Instead, she gave him a tight smile. "Ah, the uninvited party guest."
He looked at her curiously, and then she saw his eyes flash behind her, taking in the situation. "Monet, we need to talk," he said, his face blank.
"I'm not sure that I'm the one that you need to be talking to, mister," she replied, motioning for him to come in. "In any case, you need to get out of the doorway. We're trying to have a surprise party here, and Jubilee should be back any minute."
"That's kinda what we need to talk about. I don't think Jubes is coming back today. Why don't you send these folks home?" he said, gesturing to the room full of guests.
"Wolverine, what the hell did you do this time?"
***
"So let me get this straight... Jubilee was taken by Mystique. You don't know where. You don't know to whom. You don't even know why yet, except that someone was trying to get to you." Monet sat in a chair across from Logan, shaking her head.
"That's pretty much the sum of it," he admitted. His head was still hung. Emotions crowded his head, shame first and foremost. He was never able to protect those that he loved. He always put them in danger. He always failed them. He closed his eyes trying to block out the pain. This was why he avoided people. This is why he was always brusque. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized this was selfish; it was more to protect him than to protect anyone else. But Jubilee... Never in a million years would he have intentionally endangered her. She was his... Well, he didn't know what she was anymore, or even what his feelings were for her, but he sure as hell wouldn't have wished this on her.
"So what do we do now?" the girl across him asked. No admonishments, no rebukes. Just a levelheaded response. He grudgingly admitted to himself that she was one hell of a woman.
"Well, I will wait until I hear from them, whoever they are. And call Chuck," he added, remembering that he never had found his watch. "You," he added, "will continue on with whatever it is you do." He withdrew the emotion from his face and looked up to meet her eyes. "This doesn't concern you."
"This doesn't concern me?" she screamed, any sign of 'levelheadedness' fading away as her voice rose. "How the hell can you sit in my house, talking about my roommate -who, when I last checked, you haven't even talked to in almost three years- and have the nerve to tell me that it doesn't concern me? What do you have, balls of steel? You obviously think with them. It seems to me that this whole damn thing is your fault! You obviously couldn't prevent it, so what makes you think you'll be able to fix it by yourself?"
Logan looked at her blankly. He turned to the kitchen, where the keg that had been brought for the party was still on ice. Pouring himself a beer, he gave Monet a grim smile. "Adamantium, babe, not steel. Now, if I can use your phone to call Xavier?"