Chapter 5: Love

Scott looked up from where he was sitting on the bed reading as Jean walked in. He put the book down and walked over to her, hugging her. She looked like someone had run her through a wringer.

He lay back on the bed. Jean curled up next to him, draping one long leg over his and resting her head on his chest. For a long while there was silence as he held her and she stared into space, tears trickling silently down her cheeks.

"Was it that bad, sweetheart?" he asked finally. Jean shuddered and snuggled closer to him.

"I can't believe the things Bastion did to her," Jean groaned. "He tortured her, Scott. And then he raped her. It was the most horrifying thing I've ever seen in someone's mind, and you know I've seen a lot. It's a miracle that she managed to survive it, and keep herself together for this long without help." She was silent for a moment. "I took Logan into her mind with me. He saw some of the things she endured. I think he'll think long and hard about that before he calls her 'kid' again."

"Good. He needs to learn to think anyway." But there was no ire in Scott's voice. He knew how much Logan cared for Jubilee. He wasn't entirely okay with Jubilee and Logan becoming an item around the mansion, considering the age difference between the two, but they were both adults. Logan had never done what anyone told him to do, and Jubilee was too headstrong. She would do whatever she wanted to do.

* * *

Xavier closed and locked his study door, then pulled up around his mind the strongest shields he could create. Only then did he give vent to the tears of anguish that had filled his eyes since he'd left Jubilee's room.

Why had he sent Jubilee off to the Massachusetts Academy? Knowing that the whole country was hunting mutants, knowing about Bastion's vendetta, he'd still sent her away, instead of keeping her here where she was safe. She had been right when she had lashed out at him that morning. He felt guilt, horror, anguish…but most of all, guilt.

"Jubilee," he whispered into the silence of his study, "Jubilee, child, I'm so sorry. So damn sorry…" but sorrow and regret wouldn't undo what had happened to her. And he knew that. All he could do now was try to help her deal with the aftermath.

When it had first happened, he'd wanted her to come home with the X-Men as much out of a sense of responsibility and remorse as it was for her own good. She had refused, and he remembered his hurt when she had shut them all out, preferring to bury herself in her studies and try to forget what had happened. Now, knowing what she had suffered and seeing in her mind the buried feelings of betrayal, he wondered if she hadn't done the right thing for herself. There was a great deal of anger there, anger that they hadn't been there for her. Or, more accurately, that Logan hadn't been there for her. He wondered how she'd managed to release all that anger to get to the point where she could allow herself to love Logan again. She was an incredibly strong young woman.

* * *

Jubilee wandered down the path to the lake, enjoying the peace and quiet. Ororo must have warned everyone that something was brewing, because everyone was avoiding her. She might have been offended if she didn't need the peace so badly.

She sat down by the edge of the lake, took off her shoes, and dangled her feet in the water. After Professor Xavier and Jean had finished tramping about in her head, she'd felt as though her head had been stuffed with cobwebs. The memories she carried about in her head were pleasantly fuzzy now, and she welcomed the change. In the intervening time she'd examined the other memories she had of her time as one of Bastion's captives, and she'd found the same fuzziness around the entire time. It was the same kind of fuzziness she had around the memory of her parents' death.

"Am I intrudin', darlin'?" Jubilee turned at the sound of Logan's rough, gravelly voice. He stood at the edge of the cleared, clipped grass around the margin of the lake, looking like he wanted to come and sit but fearful of disturbing her solitude if he did.

She shook her head. "'Course not," she said, picking her sneakers up and moving over to make some room on the flat rock she sat on. "You never intrude."

Logan sat on the rock beside her cross-legged, and stared into the water. "I'm so sorry, Jubes," he said quietly. "I'm sorry ya hadda suffer through all that."

She trailed one foot through the water, watching the waves lap at her painted toenails. "I'm going to get Jean," she said grimly. "I never wanted you to know, Log—Wolvie, I didn't want you to feel guilty for not being there. You can't be everywhere all at once."

He captured her chin in his hand. "I'm sorry I wasn't there fer ya. But there's nothin' I can do 'bout that now 'cept be here fer ya. An' I will. If ya need ta talk ta me, 'bout anythin', I'll be here. I love ya, Jubes." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. They sat like that for a long time.

He disengaged his arm when his legs started going numb, and uncrossed them with difficulty. Jubilee giggled. "Come on," she said, grabbing his pant leg and tugging it up on her lap, "Take off your shoes and socks."

He stared at her. "Why?"

She dragged off his sock and his sneaker, then pushed his foot off her lap into the water. He gasped as the water of the lake hit the soles of his feet. Jubilee got up, walked around to his other side, and did the same to that foot as well. Then she sat down against his back, her legs spread out to either side of his own.

"Jubes…" his voice trailed off. He felt ridiculous sitting here with his feet in the lake.

She giggled. "No one's going to see you, Log--Wolvie," she said, leaning against his back, her breath feeling warm against the back of his neck. "Just enjoy it. You love tramping through the woods, but you hardly ever take the time to stop and smell the roses." She giggled again, pressing her chest against his back and resting her cheek against his shoulderblade.

Her full, curvy, perky breasts pressed into his back, and her body, pressed against his warm back and skin. Her hair brushed his biceps, and he smelled the scent of roses in the tumbling dark locks. A warmth stirred deep inside him, and he irritably pushed it down, along with the bulge in his pants. "Stop that," he said, focusing rather desperately on the one thing he could concentrate on at the moment; her use of his name.

Jubilee leaned close to him. 'Stop what, Log—Wolvie?"

"That." He swatted irritably at a fly buzzing around his head. "Ya keep startin' ta say my name, then ya change it ta that silly nickname ya tagged me with all those years ago." He leaned his head back against her forehead, and felt her lips nuzzle through his hair. "Just call me Logan, Jubes."

"It wouldn't be proper," she said primly, and he turned around to see her looking deliberately prissy. Her eyes, though, twinkled mischievously. "You still see me as a child."

"Tease!" he exclaimed, making a grab for her, but she was ready for some movement of the sort, and danced away out of his reach. He made another grab for her, and she turned and skipped away form him, following the banks of the lake. He sped up, the short grass cool under his bare feet, and tackled her. Jubilee shrieked as her legs went out from under her and she fell headfirst into the lake.

Warm the weather might be, but the lake was still cold. She gasped with the cold, losing precious air as she adjusted to the temperature. This end of the lake was deep, and with a sudden smile to herself, she stroked for the bottom and waited.

Logan stood on the bank, waiting for Jubilee to resurface. He became alarmed when she didn't. "Jubes!" He stepped into the water, waded in a short way, scanning the water for any sign of bubbles. "Jubes!"

There was a sudden swirl of water beneath the surface, like an underwater breeze around his ankles, then a hand grabbed the ankle firmly and yanked.

His legs flew out from under him, and he sat hard in the freezing water. He opened his eyes under the water, and saw Jubilee floating under the surface. She grabbed his shirt, pulled herself closer to him, and kissed him briefly, then stroked to the surface and gasped in a lungful of air. Her bare feet found footing on the lake bed, and she walked out of the water, flopped down on the grass, and lay for a while, gasping.

Logan stood up in the water, looking at her. Her wet jeans were plastered to her lean, strong thighs, and her transparent wet T-shirt clung to her curves. He swallowed as he looked at her, and every coherent thought fled his head.

She opened one eye, smiled, and rolled over on her stomach. He swallowed; this was even worse. The wet denim clung to the curves of her backside, and he wanted to reach down and touch…

Jubilee knew what was going through his mind; it was fairly evident. The fabric of his pants clung to the outlines of his legs, and she sucked in a breath as his interest in her became more evident with every passing moment. She got up, walked slowly and (she hoped) seductively up to him. Taking his face in her hands, she kissed him, passionately and at length. He was hesitant at first, then brought his arms up around her shoulders and hugged her close as he kissed her back. She closed his eyes, savoring the kiss and the moment, and thought vaguely about finding a comfortable place to sit. Her hands came up, caressed his back, the waistband of his pants, pushed the hem of his shirt up to feel the warm muscles of his back. And as he gently bore her down backwards to the soft moss under a nearby tree and tugged her wet clothing off, she stopped thinking of anything at all but pleasure as she purred under him.

* * *

Logan peered around the corner of the hall. The coast was clear. He stepped back, grabbed Jubilee's hand, and they made a mad dash for the door to her room. She opened the door and they slipped inside.

She closed the door, breathless with laughter, carrying her wet bra in her hand. She dropped it into the laundry hamper in the corner, then stripped off her wet T-shirt and dropped that into the basket as well. Her wet jeans went next, then her wet panties. Logan's jaw dropped as he saw the smooth, tanned backside disappear into the bathroom.

She came out a moment later, holding a towel and drying herself off with another one. She tossed the towel at him, planted a quick kiss on his lips, then retreated to the other side of the bedroom and dried the remainder of the water off her limbs. Logan determinedly tore his eyes off her and set about undressing and drying himself off. When he straightened up, he discovered he had a problem. "Uh, Jubes," he said. "All my clothes are back in my room."

She looked him up and down, frankly, appreciatively, and said, "From where I'm standing, Logan, that's not a problem."

He blinked. This kind of talk from her was definitely going to take some getting used to. "It will when dinnertime gets here," he growled.

She giggled. He loved that sound; he'd never get tired of listening to that sound. "Don't worry; I wouldn't have suggested we come to my room if I didn't have all that covered." She went to her suitcase and took out a battered pair of jeans and an old T-shirt he had thought long missing.

"So that's where my T-shirt and spare jeans went," he said, taking the clothes from her. "I thought Jean'd stuck 'em in with Scott's blasted stuff and got 'em lost." He dressed in them quickly.

Jubilee shook her head. "No. I swiped them the last time I came home, a year ago. You were gone. I needed them, and I sort of didn't think you'd mind."

"Needed 'em?" he asked. "Why would you need some'a my stuff, Jubes? Especially old clothes?"

She busied herself brushing out her still-damp black hair and didn't look at him as she replied. "I needed something of yours. At night, when the…the dreams…got too bad, I'd dress up in your clothes, and pretend you were with me, holding me. It was the only way I could get to sleep, sometimes."

"Oh, Jubes," he said, hugging her in his arms again. His voice caught in his throat, and he cleared it before he could speak again. "Yer welcome ta take anythin' o' mine that ya need. But I hope ya tell me from now on. 'Stead o' takin' my stuff, take me instead."

She tucked her head under his chin, hugged him. "Thanks, Logan," she said.

There came a polite tap at the door. "Jubilee? Jubilee, are you in there?" It was Ororo.

"Yeah, 'Ro," Jubilee said, pulling hastily away from Logan and picking up her hairbrush. By the time Ororo opened the door, Logan was sitting innocuously on the end of her bed, and Jubilee was brushing her hair. Ororo shrugged. "Jean and Scott and Remy are making dinner downstairs. It should be ready in a few moments--"

Sure enough, there came Jean's voice through their minds. Dinner's ready! Come and get it!

Jubilee turned to Logan. "Are you ready for this?"

He growled. "Do I have a choice?"

She giggled again. "There are too many people living in this place. Even if we avoid meals, everyone's still going to know we're an 'item' by the end of the week, if not sooner."

"Then I'm game if you are."

She kissed his cheek quickly and led the way out of the room.

He sat on her left as she sat down at her usual seat at the huge dinner table. Ororo sat at her right, and Bobby, who usually sat on Jubilee's left, backed off when he heard Logan growl. He meekly took Logan's seat at the far end of the table, beside Remy, who eyed the couple with interest as he ate. The two enjoyed dinner, whispering to each other and talking in low voices as conversation swirled around them.

Xavier sat at the head of the table, watching Logan and Jubilee. She seemed a lot happier, more effervescent, than the day before. Apparently his and Jean's efforts in Jubilee's mind had been helpful. She was much more relaxed than he'd seen in a long time.

When dinner was over, Logan found he was on dish duty again. He didn't mind quite so much when he realized Jubilee was on the list with him. He was a little less than pleased when he found Warren and Betsy were joining them.

They convened in the kitchen and started work on the stack of plates and utensils. Betsy and Jubilee washed, Logan dried, and Warren put away. Jubilee put up with about ten minutes of this, and then put down the soapy sponge she was using. "You know, Betts, Warren, we can handle this ourselves," she said casually, resting her hip against the edge of the counter. "If you've got something else you want to do, you can go ahead…"

Logan stared in disbelief at the huge pile. "Jubes," he said, "Come on…" he trailed off as she winked again, and he sighed, resigned to whatever his darling had in mind. She ushered Betsy and Warren out of the kitchen, reassuring them that they really didn't need their help, and closed the door firmly behind them.

She turned to Logan, and smiled. "Okay. Now the fun begins," she grinned. She picked up a dirty plate and waved her hand over it, using her power to break the particles of food up, then reducing it to its component atoms with a wave of her hand.

Logan stared at the clean plate she handed him, dragged a fingertip across its surface to see if it was really clean, then shrugged and put the dish in the cabinet. 'I didn' know ya could do that with yer power," he said. "Ya learned some stuff while ya were gone."

She grinned cheerfully, and continued waving her hand over the plates. In no time at all, they were clean. Logan put the last plate in the cupboard and wiped his hands on the dishtowel and turned.

Jubilee was standing right behind him. He blinked as she fastened her lips to his again, and suddenly realized what she'd done. She'd manipulated the others into leaving so she could get him alone again, the little minx!

He kissed her back, his five-o'clock stubble rubbing her soft cheek, and grasped her hips in his hands. With one smooth move he lifted her up, setting her down on the counter and leaning into her kiss between her parted knees. She giggled, ignoring the knobs on the upper cupboards digging into her back, and kissed him back. She'd slipped on a short, pretty flowered skirt for dinner, her only pair of jeans being too wet to wear. Her knees parted, and she scooted to the edge of the counter as Logan tugged on the elastic waistband of her panties. She wiggled out of them and hiked the skirt up, groaning in passion as Logan's roaming hands caressed her legs…

Warren and Betsy came into the rec room and flopped down on the couch in front of the TV. Warren immediately began to argue with Bobby over the choice of channels, so it was Betsy Remy turned to and asked, "Aren' you suppose' t'be doing dishes, p'tite?"

Betsy shrugged. "Jubilee and Logan said they didn't need help, so we left," she said.

Remy stood thoughtfully for a moment, then handed his pool stick to Bobby. "Remy be right back, mon ami," he said. He went up to the kitchen, stood outside the kitchen door for a moment. There was no water running, but there was a low murmur of voices, and then a female giggle. Remy grinned to himself, counted to ten, and then placed his hand on the knob and turned it, walked in a few steps.

Jubilee was on the counter. Her skirt up around her waist, a slip of lace was in Logan's hand, and there was a great deal of white thigh exposed under the bright kitchen light. Her hands froze on Logan's belt and her eyes widened as she saw Remy standing in the doorway. Logan also froze. He didn't have to see who was in the door; his sense of smell picked up the scent of the cigarette Remy smoked. "Out, Cajun," he growled.

Remy snickered. "Sorry, mon ami," he said. "Remy didn' know you be busy wit' de p'tite in here."

"Out!" Jubilee and Logan spoke at once, and Remy backed out, closing the door behind him. He waited for a few minutes, heard the giggling, the soft voices start again. He grinned, a sly, secret smile to himself, and went back to the rec room.