Chapter 4
My thanks to everyone who reviewed! Glad you like this! So here we go with the next chapter!
While Wolverine and Jubilee had occupied themselves, other events transpired. Betsy and Warren had made the necessary preparations, and everyone found their places that they'd hide and jump out of. They'd been drawing straws to figure out who'd be the best lookout. As more and more of them returned, the false starts increased.
"All right, we've got it set," Warren said as Betsy got excited. A car was pulling around, and it was then that they realized Bobby and Lori hadn't gotten back yet.
"Where's bobby?" asked Jean.
"Probably running late. We'll have to do this without them," Scott muttered looking at his watch. "Places everyone… I'm sure that they'll get here any minute…
"It nearly 7 PM," Gambit commented as he glanced at his watch. "Where's the petit…"
"Wolverine's chopper's gone," Rogue whispered, straightening a party had on her head.
"Good," Scott nodded. "At least we know he actually took his role seriously. Now we just have to count on him returning at the right time… give or take a few minutes…"
"Sure he'll be here?" asked Storm. "Jubilee looked rather upset when we left…"
"She'll forget her worries when we see the look on her face," said Betsy as she glanced anxiously around. Dressed in the pale lilac gown she passed out the bag of party favors.
"You've got to be kidding," Bishop muttered. "I'm NOT wearing this stupid thing on my head!"
"Well, maybe you could be content with another hat…"
"Forget it, I draw the line at that," Bishop mumbled as Storm chose a tiara with plastic jewels. Gambit and Rogue and others had chosen the conical party hats, while others were picking up the party horns.
"Bobby's gonna be sorry he missed this…" said Warren with a conspiratorial grin.
"I see a car!" Rogue pointed.
"Hurry, places everyone! "Scott summers shouted. The lights went dim, and everyone ducked behind sofas, up the stairs and hid in places.
The light increased in brightness, stopped, and everyone waited for the door to click open. However, the lights receded, and the vehicle pulled away. "Too soft to be a chopper anyway," Scott said.
"Wrong mental signature," Jean said as she narrowed her eyes.
"False alarm," Betsy Braddock sighed. "All right… I'm SURE it will be any minute now…"
There came the characteristic sound of a motorcycle, and they all tensed. Jean frowned for a moment, and was about to say something when footsteps traced up to the door, accompanied by laughing. The latch clicked and Gambit ran to flip the lights on.
"Wait a minute…" Jean hissed.
The door swung wide, admitting a male and female silhouette. Then the lights blared on, and everyone screamed, "Surprise!"
Bobby and Lori were showered with streamers and had party horns blaring in their ears. "What the heck?" Bobby got out.
"That's not them," Jean groaned.
"Whoops," Scott groaned.
"Go with it," Warren said. "We'll just bring them in on the joke…"
"How thoughtful! An engagement party!" Lori pressed her hands together.
"Well it was going to be a…" Warren got out before Betsy stepped on his toe and sighed.
"I guess I'd better get another cake fast," she telepathed to Bishop who shrugged and walked into the kitchen to pull the backup out of the box and squirt icing on it.
"Actually we're ALSO waiting for Wolverine to get back with Jubilee… where WERE you?" asked Warren.
"Um, I got… caught up," said Bobby innocently. "I thought they'd be HERE by now… didn't you get my message?"
"No," Scott said. "Do you mind if we try this again… according to the plan… it's seven thirty…"
"All right, what the hey," Bobby said. Betsy passed them a pair of party hats and other paraphernalia. Gambit gathered up the confetti, and managed to find some other stuff to recharge. Rogue rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to her head. This was getting to be downright silly.
"Is it me, Remy or is Scott bein' a bit too serious about this surprise party?" she asked. "An what's up with Bobby comin' late? I thought he was in on it!"
"Remy t'ink dat he's got other things on his mind," Gambit whispered. "An' maybe the Wolverine and petit might not be comin' back till late… if they do…"
"You can't be serious… can you?" asked Rogue. Remy whispered in her ear as he took her hand and led her behind the sofa.
"She was pretty upset… don' tell anyone yet, but I seen her room, and it's all tore up inside…"
"What?" Rogue exclaimed, resulting in a chorus of 'shhs' from the darkened room. "Oh for crying out loud!"
Beast and Carly were stationed upstairs, on the first landing. Bobby joined them, and they felt cold chill wafting nearby.
"I might enquire what your plan of action is that involves this sudden change in temperature… but I surmise it involves condensation…" Beast whispered as he draped his jacket around Carly's shoulders.
"I'm gonna dump the biggest snowball on the Jubester and the Wolvester… and run the other way," Bobby whispered.
"My knees are aching," Bishop complained. "I'm going to go wait in the kitchen. Bring me out when the action happens…"
"I'm sure it will be a little while," Betsy stopped him with an aura of purple energy.
"Lay off lady," he snorted. "I'm not in the mood. This is getting to be ridiculous…"
"Let him go," Storm sighed. "He's not used to this frivolity…"
"Well, we can wait, cant' we…" said Warren hopefully as people continued to sit in the dark. Whispers and cell phone lights went on and off as the time drew longer and longer. Jean sighed and swept with invisible psi probes, along with Betsy for miles. No sign of any familiar mutant mind traces.
At half past eight, Storm got up from behind the easy chair and walked into the kitchen, where a small light was turned on, beaming through the creak of a door. Betsy heard a soft muffled sigh and gasp, and swept out.
"Do you mind you two!" she sent a mental query to Gambit.
"Gambit just passin' the time…" he said innocently.
"Lay off us, it's getting good," Rogue complained. "After all, this is NOT what we expected. Are ya sure ya told Wolverine the right time to get here?"
"I specifically said seven!" Scott snorted. "How difficult is it for him to…"
"Remy wonders why you of all people ask that," Gambit muttered, and Rogue giggled as cloth rustled. Betsy snorted with impatience as Warren inhaled and managed to stand up. His wingers were getting cramped from his position by the weeping Benjamin fig tree.
At half past nine, it was getting old. "Where ARE they?" Scott tapped his foot.
"Gambit's goin' t' pack it in. Wolverine n' the petit might not be comin' back tonight…" he said. "Maybe it's better t' t'row the party for the engaged couple…"
"Remy's right. Ah'm bored. If Jubilee's not here by NOW, she's made other plans. So why not call it a night, or use all this food for Bobby and Lori… since they're the only ones HERE…"
"But we can't just…" Betsy Bradsock stammered. "The caterers... the food… the wine…"
"Stuff the wine," Bishop said as he stepped out, and switched on the lights. Everyone yelled and cursed as their eyes became flooded and the rhodopsin for night vision disintegrated.
"Do you mind?" Beast complained.
"Does she know about this?" asked Carly.
"Of course not, it was a surprise," Bobby said as he saw his snowball melting for the fifth time.
"Maybe the surprise is they aren't coming?" joked Lori, and everyone groaned.
"C'mon Rogue, let's open a bottle of champagne, and celebrate the happy couple…" Remy said as he grabbed the bottle and began to charge it with his power.
"Now Remy… you'd better take care with that…" Rogue started to say. A huge pop and explosion resulted as the cork sizzled into the air. A fountain of champagne exploded, and doused Scott who was glaring impatiently out of the window.
"Hey!" he protested. "What was THAT for?"
"Remy's sorry," Gambit apologized as Rogue thrust a glass under the bottle.
"C'mon ya'll drink up! Here's to Bobby n' Lori! Congrats!" she shouted loudly.
"Thanks everyone!" Bobby laughed as he grabbed Lori and generated a spiral ice ramp. She squealed as he put her on his lap and slid down it.
"No ice in the HOUSE!" Scott shouted as he dabbed at his jacket. "You KNOW that bobby…"
"Should I… or shouldn't I?" Beast asked as he winked at Carly. Scott desperately needed to lighten up, and he nodded to the forgotten snowball.
"Scott, calm down!" Jean said as she grabbed paper towels and dabbed at him. Gambit passed glasses of champagne around, and Bobby grabbed two and handed one to Lori. Rogue filled the remaining glasses, waving people to come over and imbibe. Storm walked out of the kitchen to hear Scott yelling at Bobby, who was ignoring him.
"Lighten up, man…" Bobby said angrily. "You really need to take the stick outta your butt, Scott… you always WERE a square…"
"Drake, back off!" Scott yelled.
"Look out below!" Carly laughed. Scott glanced up to see something white and precipitous inches above him. Too late to react, the snowball hit him and Jean right in the faces.
"Hey!" Jean cried. "Hank… you…"
"I suggest we enjoy the festivities," Beast said. Jean glanced up, and sensing the tense mood of Scott and the others, she knew what Beast was up to. Grinning wickedly, she stared at Bobby. He winked and the temperature dropped. A snowball formed in midair, levitated by Jean. It flew upwards at ninety degrees and Beast just managed to dodge it before it flew after him, following him around.
"Snowball fight!" Bobby yelled. Scott spluttered, opening his mouth as he shivered at the snow.
"Oh crumbs, what is going on!" Betsy asked as she rushed out of the kitchen. "There's SNOW in the house! The hardwood floors!"
Storm and Bishop exchanged glances. "Shall I?" Storm whispered. Bishop nodded as she generated her own cloud indoors, and suddenly the entire party was doused in a mini snowfall.
"Not in the house!" Betsy cried.
"Look sharp!" Bishop shouted, gathering a snowball that Storm generated. He hurled it towards Bobby, who had his back turned; making snowballs that Jean was throwing every direction with her mind. Gambit ducked behind the sofa, and suddenly a sizzling hot snowball fizzled past Bishop. The second hit and Bishop grinned as he absorbed the energy, and sent a beam of it straight into Gambit's posterior, which was protruding behind the sofa.
"Zut alors!" Gambit shouted, and that was the weakest of the string of French expletives.
"Y'all are crazy!" Rogue laughed as she slipped in the snow, and then levitated. A snowball hit her in the back, and she saw Storm looking innocent.
"Ah'll getcha, 'Roro!" Rogue laughed as she flew towards her friend. Storm extended her arms and hurled an arctic blast of ice at Rogue. She squealed with laughter and tackled Storm. Both women landed in a pile of snow, and Storm yelled as Rogue began to mush snow in her hair.
"Rogue, desist!" Storm gasped in the cold.
"Now you're going to get it!" Bishop laughed as he leapt on Rouge, drenching her with snow. She yelped as he pulled her off Storm, and began to tickle her. She shrieked and Remy shot out from behind the sofa.
"That's Gambit's job, mes ami!" he waggled his finger. "Storm be getting jealous…"
"Hold this for a minute," Bishop said as he picked up Rogue, who was still shrieking with laughter, because being unable to touch, being tickled was almost unbearable, and dropped her in Remy's outstretched arms. A snowball paffed his hair and he snorted, seeing Warren Worthington fluttering above.
"Now you did it," Bishop snorted, leaning over and helping Storm up.
"KNOCK IT OFF EVERYONE!" Scot bellowed. "On the double!"
"Sheesh," Bobby muttered. "Party pooper…"
"Scott, don't be a wet blanket," Jean said as everyone glanced at him, either in the process of making snowballs or pushing their friends into it. "We're having FUN. You should TRY it sometime…"
"But the house… if the Professor sees this… he'll…"
Another snowball landed in the back of his neck, and he tripped, slipping on the snow. "Who threw that!" he yelled.
"Hi professor," Bobby Drake said as he glanced over Scott's shoulder, where Professor X and Dr. Mactaggert were standing, with amused looks on their faces.
"Storm, I'm sure you have a good explanation for this, but I'd appreciate it if you'd clear the snow out with your unique abilities… and perhaps move this activity outside?" the Professor suggested, chuckling.
"Professor… I'm sorry… I didn't' see you there…"
"Quite Scott, I'm rather surprised…" Professor Xavier glanced around, as Storm spanned her arms wide, and Bobby helped her to dispel the snow they'd both generated.
"Where's the birthday girl?" asked Moira. "Id' be seeing she's not here."
"Yeah, who started the party without us?" Kitty Pryde asked as she glanced around. "And where the HECK is Wolverine?"
"That's what I want to know!" Betsy snorted. "We went to ALL the trouble of getting you all here… and look what happens…"
"It was Bobby!" Scott sputtered, as Jean telekinetically pulled the water off his clothes. He was soaking wet till the droplets rose off in small globules.
"Hey don't yell at ME, fearless leader. I wasn't the one who planned this, and got a fly up his…"
"Enough all of you. IT seemed to me that we were having fun, which I think that was sorely lacking lately," the Professor chided. "And I'm to understand that this was all planned for the benefit of Jubilation, and she didn't show up…"
"Pretty much," said Rogue, glancing around. Storm and Kitty embraced, rocking each other.
"What's going on?" Kitty Pryde asked as she pulled back from storm. "Where's…"
"We don't' know, Kitten," Storm whispered. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Well, what was Wolvie doing? Was he in on this?" Kitty asked.
"No, not really," Storm whispered.
"Oh boy, big mistake," Kitty shook her head. "You know he HATES this kinda thing… and if I'm not mistaken, Jubilee doesn't strike me as someone who'd care for it. That's why I'm surprised they went with this at all. I figured Wolvie had…"
"He only just found out today. He seemed rather resentful of it," Storm said softly as Scot continued to argue with the Professor. Warren began to explain just how things had escalated, while Bishop snorted and walked over to Storm.
"Why don't we continue this in the kitchen while they hash it out?" he said.
"Sounds good…"
The shouts were still coming from the living room, and more people were trickling into the kitchen to escape the heat. Bishop and Storm passed out cups of hot coffee, while Gambit and Rogue sat by each other, their gloved hands clasped. Kitty looked up at Storm, who sat by her, and the three X women picked up their mugs.
"Hi Kitty," said Rogue. "How's school?"
"Pretty good. I was hoping to run into Jubilee… but she's not here… did she tell you…" asked Kitty.
"Tell us what?" Rogue asked.
"About her bad breakup?" asked Kitty.
"Breakup, when?" asked Rogue.
"We thought she was engaged," Remy said, his red eyes widening.
"Boy are YOU out of it," Kitty said as she dumped two spoonfuls of sugar into her coffee. "I got an email two weeks ago telling me to meet her. She was crying her eyes out when I came into her dorm room, and was packing to come here…"
"She said nothing of the sort, except that it was her business, not ours," said Storm. "Or rather she told Warren and Betsy."
"Betsy needs to get a clue," Kitty snorted impatiently. "Jeez."
"What happened, Kitten?" Storm asked.
"I figured the best one to tell you is Jubilee," Kitty said. "But I guess you'll find out. She was engaged to Dmitry Ravina, and she broke it off…"
"Ah thought so," Rogue said. "From what ah'd heard he was a bit stuck up…"
"Dmitry?" asked Gambit. "Gambit didn't know the petit was engaged till now, and then…"
"She kept it to herself. Let's just say she was hurting pretty badly when Sabertooth came and trashed the Academy looking for her. When he didn't' find her there, he tracked her to NYU. Luckily I saw what was going down and got to her room before he did."
"Sabertooth… I heard NOTHING of this…" said Storm, eyes widening.
"She didn't want me to tell anyone. Only Wolverine and I knew, and Miss Frost. This was two years ago. Dmitri was there at the time, and he rescued her by singeing Creed's fur, and I managed to kick his butt using what Wolvie taught me… and a few dirty tricks of my own…" Kitty said, a dark look in her face. "He didn't expect me, and that was his mistake."
"What happened to Jubilee?" asked Gambit.
"She was shaken up pretty badly. Luckily Dmitri had come over to stop him. He'd knocked her around a bit, and she'd tried to fight him off, but he'd managed to knock her out… and that's when everything went FOOM… and I came out of the wall and kicked the sucker in the back…" Kitty said, biting her lip.
"Kitten… such language," Storm said.
"Gimme a break Ororo," Kitty rolled her eyes. "I think I know why Jubilee didn't come back… anyway…"
"Where's the monster now?" Rogue asked, her eyes dark with anger. Her connection with Creed was through her foster mother and brother, and she hated him even more for what had happened to Kurt, or almost happened to him.
"He went to a holding place… Dmitri used his connections and he was gone. Incarcerated and sent to Genosha of all places. Jubilee was swept off her feet. Course the fact he made sure she had the best doctors in the best hospitals helped…" said Kitty. "And then Wolverine visited her a few times. And then he had to come back here. Apparently Jubilee didn't want him to know that she had a thing for Dmitri. She didn't know it till when she was released, and he promised he'd protect her. So he got an apartment and they moved in together…"
"Good lord," Rogue sighed. "We didn't' know any of this…"
"Dmitry was a good boy, and he wasn't there much. I stayed over a few times while Jubilee was there, over the semesters. She made a lot of new friends through me, and we hung out. She seemed like a totally different person when she was around Dmitri, because he had all these friends who were mutants like us, but they had dedicated their powers to be used in his dad's corporation…"
"Of course," said Gambit. "The t'ieves guild knows about him. Gambit shoulda guessed… small world, non?"
"Tiny," Kitty said as she glanced at their concerned faces. "Anyway, Jubilee and he finally got engaged last year, and he took her on a cruise during the summer. She said he was a perfect gentleman. Made her forget all about what happened. Although Emma had part to do with that. She used her powers to block Jubilee's traumatic memories for a while. Big mistake…"
"She was having nightmares ever since she got here," Rogue said softly. "Got so that Wolverine or Gambit here or me was sleeping by her bed to make sure she didn't' hurt herself…"
"Those must've started when she and Dmitri broke up…"
"The conditioning didn't hold," said Storm slowly. "Emma shouldn't have done that…"
"IT was the only way for her body to heal so she could concentrate on school. She wanted to graduate in four years. That's what helped her hold it together for so long. But it was like she started becoming someone else. I went along with it fine, and didn't' tell Wolvie what was going on. All he or you guys knew was that life was normal. Everyone in Gen X knew though…" said Kitty slowly. "IT was her choice. When the graduation was over, Emma slowly was easing her off… but there were some side effects. Dmitri told us all she'd be in the best of care… and then next thing we knew, she was coming here…"
"Does the Professor know all this?" Storm asked.
"He does. He wanted to keep it from all of you till she was ready to tell… but I think she didn't get the chance… did she?" Kitty asked.
"No," Bishop said.
"Bright lady, we should have…" Storm trailed off. "But we were too busy thinking she was just sulking because…"
"Oh Storm," Kitty sighed. "Don't you learn anything?"
"Kitten…" she trailed off.
"Kitty cat's right," Remy said. "Gambit agrees. All of the X men should've paid more attention t' what was goin' on. Remy did, but there were t'ings she kept even from Rogue n' me…"
"Ah think she might've confided in Wolverine," said Rogue. "He's the one person that'd…"
"OF course," said Gambit. "It's all clear now. Don't you all see? The wolverine and petit aren't comin' back. Maybe they decide to stay away so she can get her head straight..."
"That makes sense with how he operates," Kitty said. "When I… had problems in Japan… he came all the way to help me… and he took me to a place and helped me work it out… without anyone else. I think he might be doing the same for Jubilee…"
"This is different though," Rogue said. "Ah think he likes Jubilee. An' maybe he's also seein' if she feels the same…"
"Wolverine? Rogue, you can't be serious!" Storm laughed.
"She's got something, 'Roro," Bishop said as he took Storm's hand. "I don't tell everyone much about the future… my future, but there's a big connection between the old man and the kid…"
"Like what?" Rogue asked. "You mean they're…"
"Let's just say they get real close… and not in the way you're describing, Kitty," said Bishop as he looked at Shadowcat.
"Huh…" Kitty said as she trailed off. "Figures. Took him long enough darn it…"
Now it was everyone's turn to look at Kitty, his or her mouths wide. "Kitten…" Storm trailed off.
"C'mon, you guys must be pretty blind not to notice," Kitty said. "But then again…"
"This is crazy…" Storm shook her head. "He thinks of her as a daughter…"
"He thought of ME as a daughter," Kitty corrected her. "Jubilee was already pretty much on her own like me. But unlike me, she was a lot tougher. I wasn't living in a shopping mall for most of my pre-teen years, then schlepping from one foster family to another. My parents were alive till I was 13, remember? By the time Jubilee was MY age she already was looking out for herself… I did a lot of growing up under you and Wolverine, Storm. But I grew up and realized you guys were more like older brothers and sisters. Not a replacement for my parents…"
"I don't see how that's any different from you and Wolverine," said Storm.
"Well, I had a crush on Peter, remember, not Wolverine," Kitty smiled sadly. "Jubilee's had a crush on Wolverine most of the time she's known him. Big difference."
They reached the border, and Jubilee inhaled deeply of the chilling air. Off the lake Ontario, the winds quickened and whistled against her leather jacket. She clung to Wolverine, her arms around his waist as he rolled up to the boarder patrol and stopped the chopper with his booted feet planted on either side. The guard strode up, and Jubilee reached into the saddlebags to pull out her driver's license. Wolverine grabbed his cards, and there was a slow whisper between them. The man motioned for him to step off, and Jubilee flinched.
"Easy, just stay here with the 'scoot and I'll be back in a few," he reassured her. Jubilee shifted up on the motorcycle, and walked it over to the side. She saw Wolverine speaking to the guard just inside but couldn't hear. Her stomach twisted in knots and she wondered if there was some problem.
Finally he emerged, a neutral look on his gruff face. He nodded to the man, who also saluted and Wolverine climbed on the cycle behind Jubilee.
"It's okay, darlin'," he reassured her. "We're good ta go."
"What was THAT all about?" she asked, glancing over her shoulder at him.
"The usual stuff. Anything to declare and all that. He was pretty annoyed about the carton of Marlborough I was gonna bring in, so I left 'em at customs. Ya can't get that brand o' smokes. But he left the stogies alone…"
"Great, you bribed him?" Jubilee chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist and she pressed down on the start.
"Have a good stay," the man nodded, waving them through easily. Jubilee released her breath and they crossed over into Canada.
Highways seemed pretty much the same north of the border and Jubilee knew it was arbitrary. However to be the one driving the cycle instead of the native behind her was weird, and she felt her stomach crawling with the unknown. She'd been on missions before with him, but never had met anyone really from his past in this manner. He'd muttered something about the 'Alpha Bits' that he'd almost ended up leading in his Weapon X days, and some stories about the couple that had taken him in, Mac and Heather Hudson, but skirted around what the 'Alpha Bits' did as he called them.
She knew it was a moniker for something else, but she never knew just WHAT the moniker referred to. Logan sensed her tension and knew he'd have to come clean with everything sooner or later. Would she go along with what he'd had in mind? Stand by him as she had so devoutly in the past? He hoped so. His grip tightened slightly on her, and she leaned back to feel his strong broad chest blocking the wind from behind them.
He told her directions onto the backroads, and she admired the scenery. Vast stretches of land spread out, and she realized that this was where they filmed a lot of the movies lately to save money in Hollywood.
Way past sunset they pulled up to a small town. She guided the cycle into the small gravel parking lot of a multistory Victorian style house where other vehicles were parked. All she could make out in the light of the headlight was the sign, "Wayfarer's Inn." Probably a place to crash for the nigh she figured. Wolverine got of the cycle after she put the kickstand down, and held out his hand. She let him help her down, and then they walked around and stretched their legs.
"Nice place," she said, smelling hickory, tobacco, and only a small fraction of the spectrum of smells Logan was inhaling. He pulled off his helmet, and stowed it on the cycle.
"Let's go in and see if they can give us a place to rest up a few hours…" he said.
"What if…" she trailed off.
"Don't worry. Leave this to me," he reassured her as she walked in after him. She stowed her helmet, and they left the cycle to step into the warmth of the small living quarters and entry.
Inside, a fire flickered, and she saw the front desk, painted in weathered green. Someone had his or her back to them, wearing a flannel shirt much like she'd seen Wolverine wear. The innkeeper turned, and glanced at Wolverine.
"Been a while since I've seen you around here," he said. "You want the usual room?"
He glanced over Wolverine's shoulder at Jubilee, who was examining the furniture. Turn of the century, rugged pieces were mixed with older hardwood and mission style pieces. A few people sat here and there, some reading books, two people playing chess while the other couple talked quietly in two easy chairs by the fire. A small hallway led to what looked like a bar/tavern, and she heard music from inside. It almost made her think of that place in Four Weddings and a Funeral where the two main characters had first gotten together.
Wolverine signed the guest register, and Jubilee wandered back to peer over his shoulder. She chuckled at what he'd written, "Mr. and Mrs. Jack Logan."
"Congratulations you two," the innkeeper smiled. "I hope you have a nice stay…"
She arched an eyebrow, and glanced at him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly, taking her in his arms for a brief hug. Jubilee played along, wondering what left field this had come out of, and if it was going to get more interesting.
"I'll get someone to help you with your luggage… and you can park in the garage around back with the other guests," the innkeeper said, ringing a bell for someone to help them.
Between the three of them, one of them being the innkeeper's son, about Jubilee's age, they lugged the bags up two flights of steep stairs.
Before a wooden door, the younger man handed them an old fashioned key. "Bathroom's that way, but you have a water closet in the room. Schedule's on the door… if you want breakfast brought up, just put out the sign… have a pleasant evening you two…"
"G'nite," Logan said as he handed the keys to Jubilee, and she gave a perplexed smile.
"Interesting," she said as she unlocked the door, and pushed in. The door stuck, and he reached around her to push it with his hand open. Grabbing the bags, he hefted them easily, and nodded that she should go in first.
It smelled the same to him, and he hoped that she'd feel at home and relaxed as he did when he stayed here. Jubilee turned to face him after she switched the light on. "Seems a bit nicer than I'd expect you to stay in… no offense, Wolvie…"
"This is where I come when I wanna stay in style. Just some nice place where nobody bothers ya, and everyone minds their own flamin' business…" he explained as he closed the door behind them and locked it. Jubilee crossed the hardwood floor and saw the four poster bed, draped with a sheer canopy of lace, and a crocheted bedspread to match it. Lacey and delicate like those lace doilies she'd seen in her gramma's house long ago. An easy chair and a sofa were positioned to one side, and there was another white painted door that led presumably to the bathroom. Her boots tapped on the floor, till she stepped onto the carpet, and then opened the bathroom door to see only a sink and a toilet, but no shower or bathtub.
"Everything but the tub, cute," she chuckled. "That's those European standards for ya!"
A small television was set across from them, where they could easily see it from the bed, and there was a phone. Other than those small concessions, there were little other modern touches. Rather it looked like it had been trapped in the mid forties or even earlier. Like a farmhouse. Very cozy, and Jubilee felt her mind settling down. Something about the place grounded her, and she guessed most of it was because of whom she was with.
Logan put the bags on a foldout luggage stand, and turned to her. "If ya want to turn in, I'll just step into the hall…"
"No worries, I'll just use the water closet," she chuckled as she grabbed her bag and unzipped it. Pulling out her T-shirt and sweats, she carried them into the bathroom, and closed the door. Logan glanced around, and sat on the sofa. It was quiet, eerily quiet. Why hadn't Chuck or Jean said anything telepathically? Had they gotten the hint?
Jubilee emerged in her nightclothes, seeing Wolverine setting a pillow on the head of the sofa, and tucking a blanket on it. "Dibs on the sofa. I'm smaller," she joked.
"Don't be silly k… Jubester," he said, his back to her.
"You can turn around, I'm decent, 'k?" she said. Wolverine turned and saw her in a comfortable ensemble that left much to the imagination, and she saw a bit of relief on his face. No real temptation unless a 2x-t shirt turned you on and loose baggy sweat pants that said NYU down one leg.
Jubilee walked over and sat down on the bed. She pulled her hairbrush and started to drag it through her tangled hair. Wolverine got up and said, "My turn darlin'. If ya want to, you can go ahead an' get settled… I don't need the light, remember…"
"Okay, but are you SURE you don't want the bed?" Jubilee asked. "That sofa looks narrow. You should've brought a sleeping bag…"
"Only so much room in the scoot darlin," he said as she pulled back the covers, and slid between the sheets. Jubilee lay down on the bed, sighing as she felt the firm mattress yielding under her tired back. The weight of the blankets cocooned her, and she felt embraced by the flannel sheets. Something about the contrast of the chilly arctic air and the warmth of the sheets was cozy. Unlike the mansion which seemed so far away. "Man, oh man am I sore from that ride. I feel like I don't' wanna move for a week!"
"Maybe you'll sleep better tonight, darlin," wolverine said as she leaned over and switched off the lamp. The light from the VCR clock blared a comfortable green across the room. Orange light from the streetlamp outside to illuminate the small lot filtered through the curtains that Wolverine drew over the windows. She saw his dark shape moving around and the rustling of cloth.
His head and shoulders moved closer as she heard the creak of the floor under his weight. Then the shift of the mattress indicated he was sitting on the bed next to her. She turned over and faced him, propping herself up on one elbow. "You all settled in, darlin?" he rumbled, his voice low.
"Yes, all comfy and cozy. I thought I'd go nuts without any noises, but it's so quiet…"
"Like it?" he whispered, and she felt his arms around her to give her a firm hug. She rested her chin in the groove of his shoulder and pulled him to her for a squeeze. Wolverine smelled lilacs and the adult version of the scent he attributed as Jubilee's. A sobering though made him choke a bit, and he reluctantly let go after depositing a kiss on her temple.
Jubilee meant to kiss his cheek, but she found her lips met another target. Instead she brushed the corner of his mouth, and lingered when she shifted to touch his lips in a brief kiss. Scared that she'd spooked him and crossed the line, she pulled back.
"Good night," she said nervously, not sure of which of the pet names to call him.
"G'nite Jubilee I'll be right here if ya need me," he grunted as he backed away. Not calling her kid or Jubester.
There came a creak as she guessed he was lying down, and the shuffling of something as she guessed he was settling in. Jubilee succumbed to the embrace of her comfort zone, and let the flatness of the bed support her. Before she knew it, she was out like a light.
