A Good Man Is Hard to Find

Disclaimer: X-men are not on my list of assets, I don't own them. The title is from a song by Sufjan Stevens. I've posted two chapters because it might be a while before I get back on the net, busy with graduating and moving right now, sorry.

One hour later Paige came looking for Sam, who was currently lounging in his bed. "Sam," Paige said, "Jubilee's on the phone for ya. What's goin' on?"

"Ah don't know, let me see the phone," Sam said before taking it from his sister's hand. "Jubilee, what's wrong girl?"

"Oh hey Sam," Jubilee said haltingly, as if she'd been crying, "Um nothing's really wrong I just kinda got left by Charlie for another girl."

"What?!"

"Yeah it sucks, listen could you do me a really big favor?"

"Course, whatcha need? Are ya alright?" He could hear the sob in her voice that she kept trying to hold back.

"Yeah I'm alright, but listen, could you come here and be my date? I don't want to leave, but I don't want to look stupid either. I just need to have a good time and I don't want Logan to come down here and crush his skull or anything so that leaves you, ok?"

"Yeah sure, Ah mean Ah gotta change, but Ah'll be there in the next forty minutes or so, ok?"

"Alright, yeah I can wait."

"Alright, you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"OK, talk to you later."

"Bye"

Sam was up and running the minute the phone clicked off. He ran and picked up an image inducer from his shelf and programmed it the way Sage had shown him. "Sam what happened," Paige asked as threw on a pair of shoes. "Charlie left Jubilee at the dance."

"That jerk, Ah can't believe he'd do something like that!"

"Yeah Ah owe the boy a punch in the jaw."

"Well if you see him, give him one for meh."

"Can do," and with that Sam was on his way out of the mansion. He arrived at the school twenty five minutes later and called Jubilee on his cell phone. "Country, what's up?"

"Ah'm here to take you to the ball," Sam said as he turned the inducer on, casting the illusion of a tuxedo over his normal clothes.

"You're here already," Jubilee said excitedly.

"Yeah Ah'm actually at the front door now."

"Sweet, I'll be out there to meet you in a minute."

A minute later Jubilee appeared at the front doors of the building, her face a bit puffy from crying, but still as beautiful as she had been earlier. 'Beautiful,' he questioned himself. "You're looking good tonight Jubilee."

Jubilee blushed a little, "Thanks Country, you're looking pretty sharp tonight too."

"So Jubilee where's Charlie at right now anyways? Ah kinda made a promise to Paige I'd punch him in the jaw if I saw him."

"He flew the coop with the skank he met earlier so I guess you don't need to worry about him. What you do need to worry about is how we're going to get through this."

"Well I figure we'll walk in there and just charm the pants off all them college kids in there. Why a beautiful young woman and a dashing young man such as us should have no problem doing just that. So shall we go in," he asked with a gallant smile.

"After you sir," Jubilee said with curtsy and a smile. "No, no after you ma'am," Sam said with a bow and then opened the door for her. She smiled and walked inside, Sam followed after her. They emerged five hours later, both sweating, but happy. "Woooo," Jubilee yelled. Sam smiled and echoed the sentiment. "That was great Country," Jubilee said excitedly, "I mean we rocked the place. So what's next? Clubbing? Dinner? I'm up for anything."

"Well seein' as how we've got training at seven in the morning with Scott and the rest of the team…"

"Seven in the morning! On a Saturday!"

"Yeah I know, but that's when we gotta be there."

"Jubilee," a voice behind them yelled. Jubilee turned to see who had called her name.

"Charlie," she said with a poisonous tone. The boy didn't seem to notice, much to his later regret.

"Hey, where'd ya go," Charlie asked, "I mean I thought we were having a good time, but then you just leave me back there and you're with this guy? Well thanks for telling me."

Sam had felt his blood begin to heat up when he'd heard the boy's name and now it was positively boiling. "Whoa, Charlie," Jubilee said angrily, "I think you've got it backwards. You left me for some skank in the middle of the dance and now you're trying to get mad at me?!"

"What? That girl," Charlie answered, pointing a brunette who had been standing at the door during the conversation, "she means nothing to me. It was just flirting and we went out for a few hours, it wasn't a big deal. Besides you're going off with this guy and now we're even, OK?"

Sam had had it, he picked up the boy and said, "Jubilee I'm gonna throw him in the trashcan over here, but I won't if you don't want me to."

Jubilee was shocked by Sam's reaction to the boy and then by his question. "Um no that's cool hayseed, just put him down and let's go home. Charlie I don't want to talk to you again."

Charlie quickly nodded in ascent to Jubilee's statement, hoping this would get him down to the ground quicker. "Listen boy," Sam said while shaking the boy to get his attention, "cuz Ahm only gonna tell you once and that's it. Jubilee is one of mah friends and the only reason she an' Ah are leavin' together tonight is because we're friends and because you left her at the dance. If Ah hear about you spreadin' rumors about her or disrespectin' her in anyway Ah can promise you you're gonna have three problems. One goes by the name of Logan, another one's name is Paige, and the last one is gonna be meh. This is fair warning and Ah hope you take it." Sam set the boy down to his feet and turned away from the kid. "You ready to go Jubilee?"

"Yeah Sam…and thanks," Jubilee said with a smile. The two walked to Sam's car as Charlie began to contemplate his choice of school's in the fall. "So where'd ya learn to intimidate Country," Jubilee asked, settling back into her usual laid-back demeanor after the shock had worn off. "Hangin' around Wolverine you pick up some things every now and then. 'Sides way I figure it I was just keepin' you from havin' to beat the tar out of him."

"Yeah, what he said pissed me off so much. I can't believe I was so infatuated with that jerk. I mean he just left-" her voice cracked. "What's wrong with me Sam? I mean I'm not beautiful like Monet, but why can't I just keep a guy? Am I not good enough," Jubilee said before she started to cry. Sam pulled the car over on the interstate and turned to her. "I told ya Jubilee you're fine," Sam said in a falsetto, making Jubilee giggle a little bit.

"I'm not joking either. You're a good looking gal who's just been havin' bad luck with your relationships, alright? You're gonna find a guy and he's gonna beat himself stupid just trying to get your name and he'll make you happy or at least he better if he doesn't want Logan and me on him." Jubilee laughed again and said, "Thanks for cheering me up Sam and I know you're right. It's just…it gets old sometimes, but I'm gonna be ok. After all we're partners right?"

"Raht."

"Good cuz as long as we're partners then I'm gonna be ok, let's go home."

"You said it, girlfriend," Sam said in the falsetto, making Jubilee laugh again. The two made it home half an hour later and their beds ten minutes after that. Five hours later they reported for a Danger Room session, only to find that the time had been changed to noon. Jubilee groused at this news and decided she'd go back to bed. Sam couldn't fall back asleep so he simply went down to the kitchen and began to make breakfast for himself.

"Ladies and Gentlemen Sam Guthrie has returned to the building," Bobby yelled as he entered the kitchen. "So how was the date Sam," Bobby asked, a large grin plastered on his face. A minute later Bobby left with an egg drooling down his face. "That wasn't funny," he muttered to himself. Sam began to whistle.