By: Didi
Disclaimer: Marvel and the great Stan Lee owns all recognized characters. I'm not making any money off of this story… heck, I'm not making any money period. (sigh) Such is life. Don't sue me; you'll only end up with a collection of overly leafed through comic books.
Summary: Two X-Men bond over a little thing like silence and maybe form an unlikely friendship.
Author's Note: This idea came to me while taking a shower; don't ask why. It's been rattling around in my head since the reappearance of Jubilee in Uncanny X-Men after a long absence. I seriously thought the writers of Marvel had all but forgotten the ole' firecracker except for the occasional mention in Wolverine. Anyways… on with the story.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
It was so quiet in the house. For a mansion converted to school full of people, the silence was eerie.
The sneakers didn't make much noise as she entered the room, one hand running through the raven locks that have grown longer than her usual preference. She hesitated for a second's thought near the entranceway, her uncertainty betrayed only by the faltering of her steps. But with the headstrongness that's gotten her through more jams that she cared to remember, Jubilation Lee squared her shoulders and crossed the room to sit down next the stoically unsmiling new member of the X-family.
"Hi," her cheerful voice shattering the stillness of the room.
Jean Paul Beaubier, the mutant entrepreneur more widely know as Northstar, didn't even look up from the sixty page financial report from his accounting department. "Can I help you?" and flipped to the next section of biochemical stocks currently on the market.
Smiling gamely, she struck out her hand. "Jubilation Lee."
Jean-Paul's icy pale eyes slanted down to the slender tiny hand held out at him. Lifting his glaze to meet startling sapphire blue eyes on the pretty Asian face, "I know who you are. I'm not a complete novice to this hero thing," he drawled out in his heavily accent voice, and then turned back to the report.
"Of course not," came the stubbornly high-spirited reply, the hand still held out. "You and I met when the X-Men butted heads with Alpha Flight a couple of years ago. Since we didn't get a proper introduction then, seeing as you were trying your best to kick my ass into the next Thursday, I thought I'd come over and do it now."
The French Canadian looked down at the outstretched hand again as if it was some foreign object. "Is that necessary?"
Jubilee sighed and finally dropped the offered hand. "Are you going to be another Monet? Am I really going to have to put up with months of upturn nose arrogance before we become friends?"
One brow rose slowly. He had not been expecting the challenging comeback from someone that appeared to be made of rice paper and glass. But then again, he should know better by now to judge by appearances. X-Men, no matter what age or gender, were notoriously strong in all the ways that counted. "Maybe."
Her lips curved into a reluctant smile. "Well, at least you're honest about it." Shrugging her shoulders with a resilience that amazed those around her more often than not, she smiled and said, "All right then. Want to go see a movie with me?"
Level six alarms went off in Jean-Paul's head. He was afraid of this. There was only one way to deal with such matters. The arrogant snob came back with a vengeance. Looking down his sculptured nose, an easy thing to do give Jubilation's diminutive size, "I don't date enfants."
"Well good cause I don't think Scott would put up with that. Heck, I doubt even someone as liberal as Emma Frost would put up with that," she replied cheerfully.
He frowned at her. "I don't date girls."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"Yes," through clinched teeth as he made a valiant effort to turn back to the financial report. He hated confrontations like this. It only pointed out his outsider's status more than ever, no matter where he was. "I'm gay. I'm not attracted to females."
Jubilee sat there and stared for a moment. Crossing her arms over her chest, she sat back in her seat. "A simple 'no' would have sufficed."
"Don't flatter yourself, Enfant." He put down the file and turned to give her a contemptuous look. "It's not an excuse; it's a fact."
Because he was looking at her with such a look of exasperation, all she could say was, "Oh," since there really wasn't much else she could say to that. "Okay then. You don't date girls." She nodded her head with perfect understanding. "Do you want to see a movie with me tonight?"
Jean-Paul reminded himself that the Professor, not to mention the hot-tempered Logan, would undoubtedly be less than happy with him if he were to make this young thing cry. "Did you not hear what I said? I'm gay. I swing the other way. I don't have sex with women. I'm not attracted to you, besides the fact that you're what Americans call 'jailbait.' I don't even like you."
She rolled her eyes, not even the least bit offended. "Well there's no need to be mean about it. I heard you. I understood you. Message received loud and clear. Your sexual orientation, your business." She held up her hand in submission. A long pause followed before she asked, "Want to go get coffee or something?"
He closed his eyes and counted to ten. "I'm not trying to cry off by telling you that I'm gay you know."
"I know," she answered brightly.
"Then why do you persist on…"
"Cause I think we should get to know each other better if we're going to be on the same team, fighting side by side, watching each other's back."
He couldn't think of a worse fate than having to rely on this slight thing to watch his back. "We will work together because that is what the Professor has deemed fit. But we do not have to friends to do so."
"I think we do."
"You're logic is skewed."
"Why?" she asked with all the innocence of a child.
"Because…" his teeth snapped together audibly. All he wanted tonight was a few hours alone in quiet environment so that he may see to his finances, which as been sorely neglected since his joining the institution. But instead, he's currently having a ridiculous argument with a child half his age about something he can't even justify without looking like a cold-hearted ass. Though why he should even care what this tiny thing thinks is beyond him. "I'm not remotely interested in…"
Jubilee was saved from a blistering put down by the sudden and silent appearance of one Bobby Drakes, a.k.a. Iceman. The boyishly charming smile was firmly in place as he swaggered in full of life and good cheer. "Hello happy campers. How's it hanging?"
"Someone's in a good mood," Jubilee hazarded a guess as she grin right back at him. No one can cheer her up faster than Bobby can, with one very large and hairy exception.
"Life is beautiful," Bobby replied with a wink. "What are you two up to?"
Seeing Bobby so happy was having a decisively opposite effect on Jean-Paul. "I was attempting to read when I was accosted by this enfant."
Bobby raised a brow at Jean-Paul's surly answer before turning to the still cheerfully happy Jubilee.
She shrugged her narrow shoulders. "I'm bored. I wanted to see if Jean-Paul wanted to go to the movies with me."
Jean-Paul glared at her from over the file he had reopened. "And I have thoughtfully informed her that I do not date females."
"You are way too hung up on this being gay thing," Jubilee replied mildly. "So Bobby, since Jean-Paul is being so pigheaded, want to go to the movies with me?"
"Sorry kiddo, no can do," he gave her a half apologetic smile. "I've got a date."
Ignoring the twisting sensation in her stomach, Jubilee forced herself to smile coyly at him. "Someone you met at the bar?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Her name is Claris. Blonde, blue eyed and all legs," he sighed dreamily then realized whom he was talking to. "Damn, shouldn't be saying that in front of you."
"Why?" she asked teasingly.
"Cause… never mind," Bobby flushed a delicate red. Scott would have his head on a silver platter if the moralistic leader ever found out he corrupted their sweet innocent little Jubilee. "Jean-Paul, why don't you go the movies with her?"
He stared blankly at him for a moment. "And why would I want to do that?"
"I don't need your help to find someone to go to the movies with," Jubilee grumbled, pouting and throwing herself into the cushions of the seats. "Go on, get outta here, go on your stupid date," waving him away.
Feeling a tad guilty for abandoning her, especially since Jean-Paul didn't look the least bit inclined to entertain her, Bobby sat down on the armrest for a moment. "Where's Paige?"
"Upstairs trying to talk Warren's head out of his ass."
Bobby winced. She was definitely not in a good mood now. "Logan?"
"Went to see Storm? Something about Sam joining the new team down South."
"Kurt?"
"Church."
"Beast?"
"Barricaded himself in the lab. He's beginning to smell like mildew."
"What about Jono?" latching onto another name.
"Boston with his new friend from the university," she slanted him a look of extreme irritation. She hated pity above every other emotion in the world. And what was worse, it was coming from Bobby Drakes. No, she was not going to allow that to happen. "Bobby, go!" pointing to the door.
"But…"
"I'm not some kid that needs a sitter," she muttered and gave him a shove. "Get out of here, go enjoy your life. Someone around here should."
Bobby glanced at Jean-Paul, who was doing his best to steadily avoid eye contact. Glancing at the angry young woman, "Look if you really want to…"
"I'm not desperate, Bobby," she said with a huff. "Just go. I'll be fine."
"Well…" he didn't like seeing her unhappy like this, especially given the circumstances of her recent return. But it has been so long sense he's been out and about. "If you need me…"
"I won't," she replied with a wave, hiding behind her usual careless manners. "Have fun and don't do anything I'd be embarrassed to find out about."
He gave her one last uncertain look before leaving.
Silence descended heavily into the room.
Five minutes and three pages of dry calculations of the coming business year later, Jubilee sighed loudly and crossed her hand over her chest. "I'm bored." Jean-Paul prayed that simply ignoring her would do the trick.
"You sure you don't want to see a movie with me?"
Next page.
"I'm very good company."
Still nothing.
"I heard the new American Pie movie is supposed to be really funny."
The silent treatment was obviously not working. "I'm busy."
The hush fell again as Jean-Paul flipped to the next page on technology stocks.
Jubilee stared at the blank screen of the television. Normally, she'd be flipping though the channels but she didn't feel the urge tonight.
Three minutes of deafening silence later. "It's so quiet."
"It's a Friday night." He replied, making a quick note to himself about pulling out of several computer startup companies. There was simply too many of them and he knew from experience a third were going to go belly up within the first three years.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Most people are out."
Blissful silence managed to remain for a full four minutes this time. "It's too quiet around here and I'm bored."
"Why don't you read a book?" he suggested with mild irritation. If he were smart, he'd pick up his papers and work in his room. But he'll be damned if he allowed a child to chase him from the perfectly comfortable spot he's managed to find for himself.
"I don't have any," and failed to mention that most of her books had been burnt to a crisp some months back… along with all of her other worldly possessions.
"This is a school. There is a library big enough to send most academics into euphoria. Go pick one."
"There's nothing I like there. It's all dry and educational stuff."
The silence only lasted a full minute this time.
"It's so quiet here."
Strangling was too good for her. "Ms. Lee…"
"Don't call me that," she snapped sharply.
Surprised by the sudden and violent reaction, "What?"
"I said: don't call me that," she repeated tensely. Her face was no longer a mask of ennui; it was sharp and tense. "Everett is the only one, only one, who gets to call me that. Don't ever do it again."
The emotion behind the words brought Jean-Paul to attention, all the financial papers in his hands forgotten. "I didn't…"
Getting up, she hid her face from him, clearly upset now, "It's so quiet around here. Why aren't there any noises? This is supposed to be a boarding school for freaking sakes, where's all the noise?" she made small movements with her hand, sending out sparks of light unconsciously. Shades of red, yellow, greens and blues decorated the air for a moment before fizzing out.
Distracted by that tiny light display, "There is a strict policy on…"
"I hate this silence," she said suddenly, her eyes at the dimming light in the window. She looked so amazingly young in the glow of the fading day. "I hate it when it's so quiet here. It's only silent in the aftermath."
Confused, "The what?" he's never had to deal with the rapidly shifting mind of a teenage girl. Something tells him that he's way over his head.
"It's only quiet in the aftermath, after bad thing," she murmured softly more to herself than to him, rubbing her arms to ward off the sudden chill down her spine. She was so morbidly calm now that it was frightening. "Ever notice how silent it is after bad things happen? You always know something horrible happened when everyone becomes quiet, like no one knows what to do, what to say." She blinked and saw nothing in the room. "I hate it when it's quiet."
Jean-Paul felt his heart go still for a moment. He knew what she was talking about, knew it all too well. It had been silent and black after Peter, the child he had been trying to save, died in his arms. Of course, he had been unconscious after the last blast but… it had been silent. So painfully silent. "Enfant…"
"It got so quiet after Everett was gone. And you could hear a pin drop when Angelo died."
The silence in the room now was horrible.
Jubilee continued to stare out the window. "I sang happy birthday to him today."
He was almost afraid to ask. "To who?" She looked like a lost child standing there by the window, her eyes reflecting so much sorrow she's seen already in the short span of life she's been allowed so far.
"Everett," she answered softly. "He would have been twenty today." She had sung it to a picture she brought with her to his gravestone. The cemetery had been silent. "Angelo would be twenty-two this year." She could see his grin, lopsided and dopey as he made watery oatmeal and reading something stupid from a magazine about health and diets. She could see him holding off the priests as he begged her to run knowing that they were going to be overwhelmed. She didn't remember much after that, until she woke up into the silence. "I hate it when it's so quiet."
He understood.
He wished he didn't.
But he understood.
Setting his papers aside, Jean-Paul reluctantly got up. "I hear that they're re-showing 'The Matrix' at the Rio Theater tonight, a rather apparent attempt to drum up more audience for the new movie to be released."
Turning around, she stared at him for a full minute not seeing him at all. She blinked and some recognition came back. "I didn't mean to dump that on you like that. Sorry. I try not to think about things like that, it always gets me down." She smiled apologetically at him, sad and beautiful. "I'm sorry I was disturbing you."
"You weren't," he lied with all the arrogance of someone who was use to getting things his own way. "Besides, how can one turn down Keanu Reeves in tight black leather?" he smirked. "But you're buying the popcorn."
She stared at him some more, a watery smile coming slowly. Nodding her head slowly in thanks for his unspoken understanding, "But you have to get the sodas. I only drink diet coke."
"Fine," he muttered mockingly disagreeable. "And I only have mocha cappuccinos. We have to stop at Starbucks first."
"Can I get a chocolate chip scone while we're there?"
"Your sugar intake leaves much to be desired." He picked up his keys and glanced down to make sure he wasn't still in his uniform as he was wont to do sometimes. "Should I be informing someone of your absence? I don't want to be accused of…"
"You're gay, remember?" Jubilee pointed out with a smile, her appreciation for his thoughtfulness in her eyes. "I don't think anyone has to worry about me being with you."
"True," turning off the light and making a mental note to speak to his accountants about investments soon…tomorrow…when it wasn't so quiet around here. "No flirting with guys in my presence. I would have to report you to the stuffy Mr. Summers."
"Ditto," she replied cheerfully as she linked an arm with his. "And Jean-Paul?"
"What is it now, Enfant?"
She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thank you."
Fin~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Author's Note: Had a difficult time writing the ending without completely going out of character. Hope you've enjoyed it!