Au Note: Sorry it's been so long! There haven't been many responses, so
keep 'em coming if you want to read more! Oh, I wanted to clear something
up: Liatt is NOT Jared and Moira's daughter; she is their next door
neighbor, but she's so close to everyone that they are practically family.
Sorry about that! Also, I want to thank Parodys again for that lovely fic
that inspired all of this (THE HUNGER)!!! Thanks a million, hon!
"First thing we gotta do today is get your car changed," C.J. greeted Jubilee the next morning, giving her a kiss and passing her to J.C. who agreed and kissed her also. Jubilee stared at the gay couple, perplexed.
"Why?" she asked, screwing up her face in sleepy bewilderment. C.J. waved his hand in front of his face.
"Ugh, morning breath... uh, well, we're making you disappear, so you need to change the car's look. We can't be broadcasting the fact that you're with us—this place is too much of a target." Jubes nodded, yawning hugely but trying to cover her mouth this time.
"You're right," she sighed, getting kisses from Vanessa and Frenchman, "I'll get ready after breakfast and we'll go right away. Mmm... breakfast _first_, then bath, then we can go. Hi, Moira." The older woman greeted her with a kiss and handed her a plate of pancakes, bacon, toast with eggs and cheese, strawberries, and a glass of milk. Jubilee's eyes bugged as she inspected the food.
"You know we always eat big around here!" Moira said chiding, "Keeps our energy up... and besides, you're eating for two now." She laughed, delighted to have someone else to cook for... and to have one-upped Jubilee for once. The front door was heard to be closed, and Tori appeared looking rumpled and groggy. She sported a bruised eye.
"Hey you guys," Gwenevere called out, her mouth full, "Oh my gosh, Tori, what happened?"
"I'd like to rip Mike's testicles off and shove them up his butt," she said, referring to her boss, "He opened up the car door right in my face while escorting a fugitive we caught." There were many loud protests, offers to help with the testicle removal, and several cheerful suggestions on what _else_ she could do. Tori allowed herself to be passed around for kisses, and Jubilee planted one on her cheek as Moira handed her a plate similar to her own.
"Oh," Tori said pathetically, "I want that." She took the proffered meal, and a space was hurriedly made for her at the kitchen table, which was even smaller than the dining room's. Finnigan and Janelle trooped in then, and were promptly showered with more kisses. Janelle was Moira's cousin, and she had introduced her to Finnigan six years ago. Jubilee had been the first one to see the sparks between them, and had been the one to predict their marriage.
Jaxom, Jonathan, Jared, Maxamillian, Joshua, and Abigail all left for work amongst the traditional sharing of affection. Lennier and Bambi walked in as they were walking out, holding hands and grinning like idiots.
"It's a little past dawn," Moira remarked casually, her back to them and hands immersed in dishwater. Lennier shrugged, grinning.
"The club closed at six. We went for a walk, until we smelled your glorious cooking calling us home," he said mischievously, winking at Jubilee. Moira turned and gave him "the look" over her shoulder, and Lennier ducked laughing behind Bambi to try and hide himself. The kitchen erupted into laughter.
"Hey," said Jubilee, interrupting what could possibly become an all-day affair (it had before, it could again) and swallowing a large mouthful of pancake and strawberry, "Where are Rory and Rain?"
"They're on a trip to Cazumal," Sarah answered her, walking in from the front foyer. She looked tired and pale, but beautiful as the sun shimmered in her hair, "They should be back any time today. And don't ask me what time I went to bed last night, Mara!"
"Damn; you read my mind again! Alright then, where were you this morning?" Mara demanded with concern, kissing her mentally-gifted sister on the cheek. Sarah's sisters—also telepathic and/or telekinetic—Jade, Adrienne, and Sherry followed suit before she answered.
"Never; you know I don't like using my talent that way—I merely _predicted_ your question. The answer is that I was out early walking, and then I had to drive to the pharmacy for Kaitlyn," Sarah said, kissing her said sister on the cheek, "And then to the grocery store when I realized that we'd be out of milk and tampons." She placed the bags on the kitchen counter, getting kissed by Gwenevere who was leaving and Moira as well. Moira offered a plate of food, her brown eyes pleading with her to eat it. Sarah tucked stray hair behind her ears.
"Ah," she said, "Food. I want that... but I don't have time for it." She turned away from Moira with a quick peck on Jubilee's cheek, "I have too much work to do," she said over her shoulder as she picked up an enormous black tote bag and headed out the door. "See ya'll later!" she called out, bending her arm to wave at them without looking back. Sherry finished her coffee in a huge gulp, hurriedly rising from her chair and passing her dirty dishes to Moira.
"Wait!" she called, "Take me with you and drop me off at work?"
"If you can get to the car same time as I do."
Sherry grabbed her briefcase, hopping along trying to get her shoes on at the same time. The front door banged shut, and Sarah's Thunderbird pealed out of the parking lot with both women in it, breaking many speed records in the process. Mara chuckled, rising lazily and placing her dirty dishes in the sink while Moira sat down with her own breakfast.
"Jason will sleep for a couple more hours," Mara said looking out the window briefly, then turning to the rest of the kitchen's occupants, "And I'd better be on my way too. I'll be home around six," she said, kissing everyone goodbye. She walked out, and minutes later her Jeep started up and faded away as she left. Bambi sighed, brushing her waist-length black hair aside and leaning into Lennier.
"Well, Lance," she said in her whiskey-and-cigarette voice, "I'm for bed right now. I got work tonight, and Mercy don't like it when I'm dead on my feet." She kissed him, and headed upstairs. Lennier grinned into this coffee cup before draining it in one gulp. He reached for the pot, filling his mug again.
"Caffeine addict," Moira accused him. He grinned at her before draining his mug and refilling it yet again.
"Look who's talking," he said in a chiding way, "How many cups have _you_ had?" Moira blushed and stared her own mug. Lance raised his eyebrows, "Fourth? Fifth?"
"Sixth, actually; but who's really counting these days?" C.J. answered, popping vitamins in his mouth and ducking to avoid the fork Moira threw at him. "Temper, temper!" he scolded her playfully, "Well, Jubes; if we're gonna do the car thing today you better get a'eatin'."
"Gmph... mmm," Jubilee swallowed quickly, "I am. But _Moira_ insists that I eat all this food, and I'm not even showing yet!" C.J., J.C., and Vanessa both burst into laughter. Only Frenchman managed to stay straight- faced long enough to answer her:
"Well," he said, shoveling egg and cheese into his talented mouth (hence his nickname, "Frenchman"), "Moira's always like that. You should know that by now: Moira, the Mother Hen."
"Well," she countered around a mouthful of bacon and eggs, "I hardly ever got a chance to visit once I joined the X-Men! I was too busy working my ass of to save the world every day! _You_ try getting vacation time in when super villains and crazy mutants keep trying to play God!" Frenchman just laughed, saluting her.
"Okay, okay; you win, babes."
"Good." He laughed harder, his whole face animated and glowing, his warm tenor filling the room with sunshine. Jade, Sarah's youngest sister by ten minutes, came stumbling in from the back staircase and cringed away from the noise and sunlight. She looked, for lack of better terms, like she'd gone through hell and a keyhole: she huge bags under her eyes, her eyes were bloodshot; there was a fine sheen of sweat across her brow. Her hands shook as she attempted to avoid running into walls and furniture by holding them out in front of her. Everyone jumped up at once: helping her to a chair, starting a pot of soup, holding a mug of Sarah's cure-all secret tea to her lips so she could drink. The room was quiet; not even the chair could be heard to scrape the floor.
She nodded to C.J. when she'd drunk enough of the tea to manage a request:
"Call me in sick from work, will ya?" she asked in a whisper. She looked at him blearily, her eyes swollen and droopy with sickness and sleep. C.J. nodded, and he and J.C. each took an arm and helped her to the couch in the main living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. Jubilee had already gone and fetched clean sheets from the main hall's closet and draped them over the couch. She sprinted silently down the back spiral staircase with a comforter, quilt, and electric blanket.
C.J. and J.C. helped her onto the couch while Jubilee covered her up. They could hear Lennier's truck pull swiftly out of the driveway, heading for the nearest pharmacy. Moira waddled in with another mug of Sarah's tea. Its fragrance was unique: it smelled like wood, berries, herbs, and honey. Nobody but Sarah and Jade knew its secret recipe, but it cured everything from headaches to nervous breakdowns to stomach infections. It even soothed Sarah's damaged lungs and Kaitlyn's nightmares. Jade, with the help of Vanessa, managed a few more sips of the dark wine-colored liquid before she drifted back to sleep. Vanessa shifted her head more comfortably on the big pillows, and brushed the hair away from her lover's face. She sighed.
"Well," she said, "I'm not going into work today." Moira patted her shoulder, then went to brew more tea and finish making the soup. J.C. rubbed her shoulders while Jubilee and C.J. trudged upstairs to Jade and Vanessa's bedroom to strip the bed. They would soak the bedding overnight in bleach before washing it. Then they'd run it through an incinerator to make sure that nobody else would get sick from the contaminated sheets.
Lennier returned with medicine, crackers, dried cranberries, bleach, rubbing alcohol, and Lysol. He had also grabbed hard candy. Jubilee looked at him curiously when he pulled that out of the bag.
"In case she can't keep anything down, she can just suck on these and still get some sugar into her system and help prevent dehydration," he explained in a whisper. Jubilee's mouth formed a silent "O", and she tip-toed back to the kitchen to help Moira.
Inside the kitchen, Moira was bustling about stirring various pots on the stove and mixing up stuff that would go in the oven. Jubilee grabbed the portable phone off the hook, and dialed Sarah's cell phone. She took over the stove for Moira while it rang.
"What's wrong, babe?"
"Hey, Sass; Jade's sick on the couch. She's spiking a fever at about one- oh-two or oh-three; sweating, bloodshot eyes, cold feet, shaking, and sleeping like the dead. Her lips aren't cracked yet, but I'm beginning to see them dry out."
"Have you given her tea yet?"
"Yup; she managed a mug and a half of your special stuff, and Moira's making her chicken soup and more tea. Lenny brought crackers, dried cranberries, and hard candy, but its too soon to see if the meds are gonna work."
"Keep giving her tea, and when she wakes up next try to get her to eat something. Preferably the soup or cranberries, because the cranberries will help flush whatever it is that's making her sick out of her system. Use the crackers as a last resort: _only_ if she can't keep anything down."
"Then give her the crackers?"
"Yeah," Jubilee could hear the squeal of tires, "And more tea. Always the tea."
"Got it."
"Great; I'll be home before lunch, but I can only stay for a few minutes. Half hour at the most."
"Got it, thanks, Sarah."
"No sweat; see ya, Sweets." The connection died, and Jubilee dialed Jared's number.
She eventually got through to everyone on the list except Rory and Rain. As promised, Sarah breezed through about lunchtime. She stopped long enough to shovel some sticky rice and peanut butter, take a quick shower, and talk with Vanessa. Jade's fever was down, and Sarah ran out the door about one-thirty with some additional instructions thrown over her shoulder. Nobody asked what Sarah had been up to; what she did for a living was HER business. She only involved them when there was absolutely no other way to avoid them getting hurt... or worse.
At about five-thirty, the troops returned to the fort, with the exception of Sarah. Rain and Rory had yet to make their appearance, and Vanessa hadn't left Jade's side all day. Moira had intended her soup to be for Jade, but she hadn't awakened yet, so everyone had it for dinner. Liatt came to the window again, looking for help with homework. Jared sat outside with her, and Moira helped Vanessa make Jade drink another mug of Sarah's tea. It was an evening quietly spent; nobody wanted to disturb either Jade's rest nor the silence that had pervaded the gigantic Victorian painted lady since that morning. Liatt went home early, Tori left for work, and the rest of the household gathered in the secondary living room.
The secondary living room was smaller than the main one. It was done up in warm apricots, golds, and soft browns. The walls were lined with paintings; the floor was carpeted in a thick cream-colored weave. The furniture was a big over-stuffed armchair in burgundy, a matching papasan, four-seater couch, and footrest; a long coffee table, entertainment center, and CD and video racks. There was a side door to the porch, and an enclosed walkway to the greenhouse and art studio.
There wasn't enough furniture to seat everyone, so most wound up sitting on the floor. Jason, who had gotten up at noon, went to the closet and took out his acoustic guitar. He ran through a series of warm-ups, and then his fingers began to expertly caress the strings of his baby. Jubilee quickly recognized it as his band's newest, as-yet-unfinished song.
There was something missing from it, though. *Now, I ain't no expert in music, but I _do_ sing passably well. And I _did_ take lessons for a few years,* she thought, *I learned a few things then.* She listened to Jason's strumming, and started to mentally hum along to it.
Jason caught her concentrating on his music. He was frustrated—he knew there was something missing from his new piece, but he didn't know what. Well, he figured, maybe Jubes will figure it out. He knew that she had an amazing voice, and since Sarah wasn't around to bounce ideas off of, Jubes was the next best thing. Both Sarah and Jubilee had musical talent, he mused privately; in fact, Sarah made extra money moonlighting as a multi- talented entertainer when she didn't have a job.
Fascinated, Jubilee began to hum along. Suddenly, it clicked. The two of them locked eyes: Jason stepped up the tempo an extra beat, and Jubilee improvised the harmonic string he'd been missing. It was so simple; how could he have missed it before?
Before anyone knew what was happening, Jason slipped into his version of Roxette's "Before You Go To Sleep". Jubilee started to sing along. She faltered once—the song made her think of Logan—but Gwenevere and Moira backed her up with their incredibly clear and sweet voices, and she was able to continue. As Jason slid easily into a song that everyone had helped him with, they all started to sing.
One song led into another, and they continued singing as Jason put his guitar away at midnight and they all headed up to bed. Voices dropped away as people entered into their own bedrooms, and soon Jubilee was the only one left.
She continued singing softly to herself as she dressed for sleep, and fell into Sarah's big bed. She stopped then, thinking of how much she didn't get done that day: her own room, her car, research... She turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. She rubbed her stomach, thinking about Logan Jr. Her last conscious thoughts were that she missed Logan... and that Sarah hadn't come home yet.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry again for taking so long, but since nobody's been reviewing, I haven't been writing much. That's why it took me so long to get this new chapter up! So, if you want more, you have to tell me—you can review, or you can even email me!
NEway, make sure that you check out Parodys's THE HUNGER if you haven't already. And guys... make sure that you _thank her_ as well? ThanX!!!!!!!!! See everybody soon...
"First thing we gotta do today is get your car changed," C.J. greeted Jubilee the next morning, giving her a kiss and passing her to J.C. who agreed and kissed her also. Jubilee stared at the gay couple, perplexed.
"Why?" she asked, screwing up her face in sleepy bewilderment. C.J. waved his hand in front of his face.
"Ugh, morning breath... uh, well, we're making you disappear, so you need to change the car's look. We can't be broadcasting the fact that you're with us—this place is too much of a target." Jubes nodded, yawning hugely but trying to cover her mouth this time.
"You're right," she sighed, getting kisses from Vanessa and Frenchman, "I'll get ready after breakfast and we'll go right away. Mmm... breakfast _first_, then bath, then we can go. Hi, Moira." The older woman greeted her with a kiss and handed her a plate of pancakes, bacon, toast with eggs and cheese, strawberries, and a glass of milk. Jubilee's eyes bugged as she inspected the food.
"You know we always eat big around here!" Moira said chiding, "Keeps our energy up... and besides, you're eating for two now." She laughed, delighted to have someone else to cook for... and to have one-upped Jubilee for once. The front door was heard to be closed, and Tori appeared looking rumpled and groggy. She sported a bruised eye.
"Hey you guys," Gwenevere called out, her mouth full, "Oh my gosh, Tori, what happened?"
"I'd like to rip Mike's testicles off and shove them up his butt," she said, referring to her boss, "He opened up the car door right in my face while escorting a fugitive we caught." There were many loud protests, offers to help with the testicle removal, and several cheerful suggestions on what _else_ she could do. Tori allowed herself to be passed around for kisses, and Jubilee planted one on her cheek as Moira handed her a plate similar to her own.
"Oh," Tori said pathetically, "I want that." She took the proffered meal, and a space was hurriedly made for her at the kitchen table, which was even smaller than the dining room's. Finnigan and Janelle trooped in then, and were promptly showered with more kisses. Janelle was Moira's cousin, and she had introduced her to Finnigan six years ago. Jubilee had been the first one to see the sparks between them, and had been the one to predict their marriage.
Jaxom, Jonathan, Jared, Maxamillian, Joshua, and Abigail all left for work amongst the traditional sharing of affection. Lennier and Bambi walked in as they were walking out, holding hands and grinning like idiots.
"It's a little past dawn," Moira remarked casually, her back to them and hands immersed in dishwater. Lennier shrugged, grinning.
"The club closed at six. We went for a walk, until we smelled your glorious cooking calling us home," he said mischievously, winking at Jubilee. Moira turned and gave him "the look" over her shoulder, and Lennier ducked laughing behind Bambi to try and hide himself. The kitchen erupted into laughter.
"Hey," said Jubilee, interrupting what could possibly become an all-day affair (it had before, it could again) and swallowing a large mouthful of pancake and strawberry, "Where are Rory and Rain?"
"They're on a trip to Cazumal," Sarah answered her, walking in from the front foyer. She looked tired and pale, but beautiful as the sun shimmered in her hair, "They should be back any time today. And don't ask me what time I went to bed last night, Mara!"
"Damn; you read my mind again! Alright then, where were you this morning?" Mara demanded with concern, kissing her mentally-gifted sister on the cheek. Sarah's sisters—also telepathic and/or telekinetic—Jade, Adrienne, and Sherry followed suit before she answered.
"Never; you know I don't like using my talent that way—I merely _predicted_ your question. The answer is that I was out early walking, and then I had to drive to the pharmacy for Kaitlyn," Sarah said, kissing her said sister on the cheek, "And then to the grocery store when I realized that we'd be out of milk and tampons." She placed the bags on the kitchen counter, getting kissed by Gwenevere who was leaving and Moira as well. Moira offered a plate of food, her brown eyes pleading with her to eat it. Sarah tucked stray hair behind her ears.
"Ah," she said, "Food. I want that... but I don't have time for it." She turned away from Moira with a quick peck on Jubilee's cheek, "I have too much work to do," she said over her shoulder as she picked up an enormous black tote bag and headed out the door. "See ya'll later!" she called out, bending her arm to wave at them without looking back. Sherry finished her coffee in a huge gulp, hurriedly rising from her chair and passing her dirty dishes to Moira.
"Wait!" she called, "Take me with you and drop me off at work?"
"If you can get to the car same time as I do."
Sherry grabbed her briefcase, hopping along trying to get her shoes on at the same time. The front door banged shut, and Sarah's Thunderbird pealed out of the parking lot with both women in it, breaking many speed records in the process. Mara chuckled, rising lazily and placing her dirty dishes in the sink while Moira sat down with her own breakfast.
"Jason will sleep for a couple more hours," Mara said looking out the window briefly, then turning to the rest of the kitchen's occupants, "And I'd better be on my way too. I'll be home around six," she said, kissing everyone goodbye. She walked out, and minutes later her Jeep started up and faded away as she left. Bambi sighed, brushing her waist-length black hair aside and leaning into Lennier.
"Well, Lance," she said in her whiskey-and-cigarette voice, "I'm for bed right now. I got work tonight, and Mercy don't like it when I'm dead on my feet." She kissed him, and headed upstairs. Lennier grinned into this coffee cup before draining it in one gulp. He reached for the pot, filling his mug again.
"Caffeine addict," Moira accused him. He grinned at her before draining his mug and refilling it yet again.
"Look who's talking," he said in a chiding way, "How many cups have _you_ had?" Moira blushed and stared her own mug. Lance raised his eyebrows, "Fourth? Fifth?"
"Sixth, actually; but who's really counting these days?" C.J. answered, popping vitamins in his mouth and ducking to avoid the fork Moira threw at him. "Temper, temper!" he scolded her playfully, "Well, Jubes; if we're gonna do the car thing today you better get a'eatin'."
"Gmph... mmm," Jubilee swallowed quickly, "I am. But _Moira_ insists that I eat all this food, and I'm not even showing yet!" C.J., J.C., and Vanessa both burst into laughter. Only Frenchman managed to stay straight- faced long enough to answer her:
"Well," he said, shoveling egg and cheese into his talented mouth (hence his nickname, "Frenchman"), "Moira's always like that. You should know that by now: Moira, the Mother Hen."
"Well," she countered around a mouthful of bacon and eggs, "I hardly ever got a chance to visit once I joined the X-Men! I was too busy working my ass of to save the world every day! _You_ try getting vacation time in when super villains and crazy mutants keep trying to play God!" Frenchman just laughed, saluting her.
"Okay, okay; you win, babes."
"Good." He laughed harder, his whole face animated and glowing, his warm tenor filling the room with sunshine. Jade, Sarah's youngest sister by ten minutes, came stumbling in from the back staircase and cringed away from the noise and sunlight. She looked, for lack of better terms, like she'd gone through hell and a keyhole: she huge bags under her eyes, her eyes were bloodshot; there was a fine sheen of sweat across her brow. Her hands shook as she attempted to avoid running into walls and furniture by holding them out in front of her. Everyone jumped up at once: helping her to a chair, starting a pot of soup, holding a mug of Sarah's cure-all secret tea to her lips so she could drink. The room was quiet; not even the chair could be heard to scrape the floor.
She nodded to C.J. when she'd drunk enough of the tea to manage a request:
"Call me in sick from work, will ya?" she asked in a whisper. She looked at him blearily, her eyes swollen and droopy with sickness and sleep. C.J. nodded, and he and J.C. each took an arm and helped her to the couch in the main living room, which was adjacent to the kitchen. Jubilee had already gone and fetched clean sheets from the main hall's closet and draped them over the couch. She sprinted silently down the back spiral staircase with a comforter, quilt, and electric blanket.
C.J. and J.C. helped her onto the couch while Jubilee covered her up. They could hear Lennier's truck pull swiftly out of the driveway, heading for the nearest pharmacy. Moira waddled in with another mug of Sarah's tea. Its fragrance was unique: it smelled like wood, berries, herbs, and honey. Nobody but Sarah and Jade knew its secret recipe, but it cured everything from headaches to nervous breakdowns to stomach infections. It even soothed Sarah's damaged lungs and Kaitlyn's nightmares. Jade, with the help of Vanessa, managed a few more sips of the dark wine-colored liquid before she drifted back to sleep. Vanessa shifted her head more comfortably on the big pillows, and brushed the hair away from her lover's face. She sighed.
"Well," she said, "I'm not going into work today." Moira patted her shoulder, then went to brew more tea and finish making the soup. J.C. rubbed her shoulders while Jubilee and C.J. trudged upstairs to Jade and Vanessa's bedroom to strip the bed. They would soak the bedding overnight in bleach before washing it. Then they'd run it through an incinerator to make sure that nobody else would get sick from the contaminated sheets.
Lennier returned with medicine, crackers, dried cranberries, bleach, rubbing alcohol, and Lysol. He had also grabbed hard candy. Jubilee looked at him curiously when he pulled that out of the bag.
"In case she can't keep anything down, she can just suck on these and still get some sugar into her system and help prevent dehydration," he explained in a whisper. Jubilee's mouth formed a silent "O", and she tip-toed back to the kitchen to help Moira.
Inside the kitchen, Moira was bustling about stirring various pots on the stove and mixing up stuff that would go in the oven. Jubilee grabbed the portable phone off the hook, and dialed Sarah's cell phone. She took over the stove for Moira while it rang.
"What's wrong, babe?"
"Hey, Sass; Jade's sick on the couch. She's spiking a fever at about one- oh-two or oh-three; sweating, bloodshot eyes, cold feet, shaking, and sleeping like the dead. Her lips aren't cracked yet, but I'm beginning to see them dry out."
"Have you given her tea yet?"
"Yup; she managed a mug and a half of your special stuff, and Moira's making her chicken soup and more tea. Lenny brought crackers, dried cranberries, and hard candy, but its too soon to see if the meds are gonna work."
"Keep giving her tea, and when she wakes up next try to get her to eat something. Preferably the soup or cranberries, because the cranberries will help flush whatever it is that's making her sick out of her system. Use the crackers as a last resort: _only_ if she can't keep anything down."
"Then give her the crackers?"
"Yeah," Jubilee could hear the squeal of tires, "And more tea. Always the tea."
"Got it."
"Great; I'll be home before lunch, but I can only stay for a few minutes. Half hour at the most."
"Got it, thanks, Sarah."
"No sweat; see ya, Sweets." The connection died, and Jubilee dialed Jared's number.
She eventually got through to everyone on the list except Rory and Rain. As promised, Sarah breezed through about lunchtime. She stopped long enough to shovel some sticky rice and peanut butter, take a quick shower, and talk with Vanessa. Jade's fever was down, and Sarah ran out the door about one-thirty with some additional instructions thrown over her shoulder. Nobody asked what Sarah had been up to; what she did for a living was HER business. She only involved them when there was absolutely no other way to avoid them getting hurt... or worse.
At about five-thirty, the troops returned to the fort, with the exception of Sarah. Rain and Rory had yet to make their appearance, and Vanessa hadn't left Jade's side all day. Moira had intended her soup to be for Jade, but she hadn't awakened yet, so everyone had it for dinner. Liatt came to the window again, looking for help with homework. Jared sat outside with her, and Moira helped Vanessa make Jade drink another mug of Sarah's tea. It was an evening quietly spent; nobody wanted to disturb either Jade's rest nor the silence that had pervaded the gigantic Victorian painted lady since that morning. Liatt went home early, Tori left for work, and the rest of the household gathered in the secondary living room.
The secondary living room was smaller than the main one. It was done up in warm apricots, golds, and soft browns. The walls were lined with paintings; the floor was carpeted in a thick cream-colored weave. The furniture was a big over-stuffed armchair in burgundy, a matching papasan, four-seater couch, and footrest; a long coffee table, entertainment center, and CD and video racks. There was a side door to the porch, and an enclosed walkway to the greenhouse and art studio.
There wasn't enough furniture to seat everyone, so most wound up sitting on the floor. Jason, who had gotten up at noon, went to the closet and took out his acoustic guitar. He ran through a series of warm-ups, and then his fingers began to expertly caress the strings of his baby. Jubilee quickly recognized it as his band's newest, as-yet-unfinished song.
There was something missing from it, though. *Now, I ain't no expert in music, but I _do_ sing passably well. And I _did_ take lessons for a few years,* she thought, *I learned a few things then.* She listened to Jason's strumming, and started to mentally hum along to it.
Jason caught her concentrating on his music. He was frustrated—he knew there was something missing from his new piece, but he didn't know what. Well, he figured, maybe Jubes will figure it out. He knew that she had an amazing voice, and since Sarah wasn't around to bounce ideas off of, Jubes was the next best thing. Both Sarah and Jubilee had musical talent, he mused privately; in fact, Sarah made extra money moonlighting as a multi- talented entertainer when she didn't have a job.
Fascinated, Jubilee began to hum along. Suddenly, it clicked. The two of them locked eyes: Jason stepped up the tempo an extra beat, and Jubilee improvised the harmonic string he'd been missing. It was so simple; how could he have missed it before?
Before anyone knew what was happening, Jason slipped into his version of Roxette's "Before You Go To Sleep". Jubilee started to sing along. She faltered once—the song made her think of Logan—but Gwenevere and Moira backed her up with their incredibly clear and sweet voices, and she was able to continue. As Jason slid easily into a song that everyone had helped him with, they all started to sing.
One song led into another, and they continued singing as Jason put his guitar away at midnight and they all headed up to bed. Voices dropped away as people entered into their own bedrooms, and soon Jubilee was the only one left.
She continued singing softly to herself as she dressed for sleep, and fell into Sarah's big bed. She stopped then, thinking of how much she didn't get done that day: her own room, her car, research... She turned off the lamp, plunging the room into darkness. She rubbed her stomach, thinking about Logan Jr. Her last conscious thoughts were that she missed Logan... and that Sarah hadn't come home yet.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry again for taking so long, but since nobody's been reviewing, I haven't been writing much. That's why it took me so long to get this new chapter up! So, if you want more, you have to tell me—you can review, or you can even email me!
NEway, make sure that you check out Parodys's THE HUNGER if you haven't already. And guys... make sure that you _thank her_ as well? ThanX!!!!!!!!! See everybody soon...