Chapter 3: Rejection

Jubilee peeked out the window toward the pool. It was a hot afternoon, everyone was likely to be out there, and sure enough there seemed to be a great deal of activity. Even Charles was there, sitting in a lounge chair wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Her eyes scanned the pool area until she found the person she wanted: Logan. He was sitting at the nearby picnic table, sharing a beer with Remy and obviously having a good time.

She growled to herself as she started rummaging around in her drawers for her swimsuit. She took out her one-piece, then thought better of it and tossed it on the bed. Reaching back into her drawer, she found her blue bikini, a deep, vibrant pool blue that brought out the color of her eyes. It had a pair of boy-cut bottoms to it, instead of the skimpy thongs Emma and Rogue and Ororo wore. She wished she'd bought the thong bottom, instead of the short bottom; she'd definitely catch Logan's eye in the thong bottoms. As it was, well…

She looked at herself in the mirror as she picked up her beach towel. She'd never have the eye-popping rack that Ororo, and Rogue had, or the decent chest Paige and Annie had, nor would she ever be able to afford ones like Emma's (as if she would want to!)…but they were nicely-sized for her petite frame, and the bikini top had a supporting underwire that pushed her chest out a little more. It should catch Logan's attention.

She wrapped her towel around her waist, sarong-style, and took her black hair out of the ponytail she wore it in, letting it run down her back. Logan was a sucker for long hair; it was one of the reasons she'd grown it out from her usual boyish crop. Slipping her feet into her blue flip-flops, she headed out to the pool.

The others were busy splashing around in the pool as she approached from behind Logan. He didn't see her as she walked up, but Remy, facing Logan, certainly did. "Hey, p'tite," he said genially, waving a hand toward her. "Come sit wit' us."

Logan spun around. He'd been sitting upwind, and he hadn't smelled her coming. His jaw dropped as he saw the slender, black-haired nymph coming up to him with a woman's curves and Jubilee's face. I'll never get used to seeing how grown-up she's become, he thought to himself, shaking his head. It seemed like only yesterday she was a skinny, loudmouthed kid rollerblading around the mansion, inside and out, and getting in trouble with everyone for doing so. And she hadn't cared a bit. She did what she wanted to do with little thought to what others would think. As long as it wasn't hurting anybody she didn't see why she couldn't do it. Now she was a slim, curvy, beautiful young woman who…was drinking beer?

Jubilee reached over into the cooler and looked at the beer available. "Let me guess, you're drinking the Miller?" she said to Remy, and wrinkled her nose. "Wolvie, I only see Millers here. Is there any of that Molson's left?"

"Nope."

"You drank it all? And you didn't save any for me? Wolvie!" She sounded disappointed.

"Ya shouldn't be drinkin' anyway," Logan growled.

"Neither should you. Even with the healing factor, alcohol is still not good for you." She shot back. "And what's wrong with me drinking? In case you haven't noticed, I'm several years past legal." She plucked a Corona out of the cooler and held it out to him. "Open it for me, please?" Logan ignored her, and in the end Remy was the one who reached out with the bottle opener and popped the cap. She gave him a sweet smile, and shot Logan a poisonous glance before sitting down, pointedly, on Remy's side of the table. Remy, seemingly oblivious to Logan's increasingly cloudy countenance, put his arm across her back.

She feigned casualness as she tossed back her first mouthful. She liked Logan's Molson better than Corona, but hey, if it pissed Logan off, so much the better. At least she had his attention. And she had gotten him to speak to her, which was a victory for her after the silence of the last couple of days.

Rogue came over and sat on Remy's other side, reaching for a beer also, and the three of them got into an animated conversation about which alcoholic beverages they liked best. Remy liked Miller; Rogue liked Bud, and Jubilee liked Molson. Logan stayed silent, responding to Jubilee's attempts to draw him into the conversation with monosyllabic replies. She talked with the others while keeping an eye on him, and he found himself getting uncomfortable. He finally got up from the table abruptly, pulling his tank top off and dropping it on the bench. He bent to take off his shoes, and as he did, his dog tags swung free from around his neck.

Jubilee stopped talking abruptly as she saw them. There were only two on the chain…which meant the little silver one she had given him with her initial on it was gone. She tried to keep her voice casual as she asked him, "Wolvie? If my charm's broken, I can fix it."

Logan's face flushed, and he floundered for something to say before finally settling for the truth. "Ain't broke. I took it off."

Jubilee's eyes filled with hurt, but her voice was level as she asked, "Why?"

He sighed, standing up and looking straight at her. "I don't like bein' tied down, kid."

That caught her off guard. "But…I…Logan…" She took a deep breath. "It wasn't supposed to tie you down, Wolvie, it was supposed to remind you that we're friends, and I'm always gonna be your friend, no matter what happens. That's why it's called a friendship charm." She held her chain, with its charm, and showed him the L dog tag she wore. "Wear it for me? Please?"

He hesitated, torn by the pleading look in her blue eyes and his own desire to keep her safe. Her safety won out. With no further word, he drained his beer and tossed it in the trash bag, then headed for the pool.

Jubilee stared at his retreating back for a minute, and then unclasped the necklace. Rising from the table, she grabbed his arm, spun him around, and slapped the necklace in his hand. "Fine," she said tightly. "Be a loner. Ignore the people who want to be friends. You'll become an old, bitter man, and it'll be your own damn fault!" She spun quickly around and ran off…but not so quickly that Logan missed the sight and smell of tears of hurt on her cheek.

All the activity around the pool had stopped at Jubilee sudden outburst, and most of the others stared at her retreating back with no comprehension at all. But when Logan looked squarely at them, there was accusation in Emma and Scott's eyes; Scott blamed Logan for Jubilee's outburst. And he saw the same blame in everyone else's eyes. He clenched his fist around the little silver charm and stumped back to the table, yanked his shirt back over his head, jammed his feet in his shoes, and headed off. Not to the house; Jubilee would be there; but to the woods by the lake, where he could cool his temper off.

His mind churned as he walked. It wasn't that he didn't want to be friends with her; it was that he did, very, very much; wanted to get back that easy partnership they'd had before she left for the Massachusetts Academy. He wanted to be the one she chatted with, wanted to get back that easy familiarity they'd had. The problem was that people who got close to him eventually wound up dead. It had happened many times before; but he'd never regretted many of those…not much…until the day she had come so close to dying, and he had come so close to giving up on her. Warren had saved her, Warren and Annie. He still remembered the incredible leap his heart gave when he saw her eyes open again; heard her crack a joke with a ghost of a smile, and he knew she was going to be all right. He'd clung to that during the days of her recovery; Warren's healing thing might heal surface wounds, but the memory of the pain, the dehydration and the exhaustion, was something only time could cure. And of course, there had been her friend, Angelo. He remembered turning away as she bowed her head over the body of her friend, remembered the picture on her dresser. His death had broken her heart. And he knew, better than anyone else, what a broken heart felt like.

"Logan?" a quiet feminine voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned and saw Jubilee's friend Paige standing there, looking worried. "Logan?" she repeated. "What's wrong with Jubes?"

"Yer such good friends with her, ask her," he said gruffly. She drew back, looking hurt, and he sighed and stared at the sky. "We had a fight over some silly piece o' jewelry," he said, opening his fist and looking at the L on the smooth silver surface. "She wants me to wear it, and I don't."

"Jewelry?" Paige frowned at it for a moment before she said, "Oh, yeah, those. She worked on them the whole semester, whenever she could steal time from the projects she was assigned. So she gave one to you, huh? Why aren't you wearing it? It seems a simple enough request."

"Cause I don't wanna be tied down ta a woman," Logan said. "And I don't want her ta feel tied down to me."

Paige snorted, walking up to him and inspecting the silver charm. "You'll never be tied down," she said. "Jubilee's one of the freest spirits I know. She'd no more tie you down than tie herself down." Paige looked up at him, serious. "Look. This isn't about Jubes, is it? It's about you. You don't want to feel like she's close to you. It was okay when she was younger, but not now that she's older."

Logan nodded numbly. Page had hit the nail on the head. When Jubilee was younger, she could only do what she was allowed to do. And going out with the X-Men wasn't high on the list of things she could do. So being friends with her then was okay, because she'd never be in a position where her life could be used against him. Now it was different; he had to keep her at arm's length, because that was what was best for her safety.

Paige snorted when she heard his reasoning. "Come on, Logan. If Jubilee wanted safe she would have gone to grad school. She likes being here, and she likes you. So don't throw away something so precious to both of you because it's what you think is best for her. She's the only one who can decide what is best for her, and if you think she'll just meekly do what you tell her to, the way it was before the Massachusetts Academy opened, you've got another think coming." She turned away from him and sprinted back across the lawn to the house. Logan turned to watch her go…and saw Xavier in his hoverchair heading straight for him.

I believe you've hurt Jubilee's feelings, Xavier said telepathically to Logan.

"Yeah," Logan sat down on the large rock by the lake, staring morosely out over the water. "I know I did…but it's for her own good." He had to keep telling himself that, or he would start feeling so bad he'd give in and put the silly little piece of jewelry on just to please Jubilee.

Xavier was quiet for a moment. "Logan, sometimes the things other people think are best for us aren't really what is best. You keeping her away from you…who is that best for? Her or you?"

Logan looked up, startled. Xavier looked back at him soberly. "You might think you're keeping her safe by keeping her away from you…but Jubilee's heart is breaking because she'd under the impression you don't like her anymore. She's confused. You really shouldn't do that to her, Logan."