Chapter 4 The Last X Man?
Jubilee swallowed as she saw Hank and Storm wander out past them. Emptiness crept over her that had started when Professor X was lying there on his deathbed. That same fear of the future filled her, and she shivered. Someone draped her coat around her. Jubilee flinched, gripping the ends of her old battered coat around her body, shivering from a cold that chilled her to the marrow.
"You gonna be okay?"
"Do I look like I'm gonna be okay?" she shivered. "God… I don't see why I should be so worked up, since Professor X is like NEVER coming back…"
"Jube, I'm sorry…. I know this is tough for ya… but…"
"Is this where you tell me that I'm gonna get over it…"
"Nope, just gonna say that it's gonna be hard for a LONG time… but yer not alone…"
"I know, but it's never gonna be the same… is it? How can any of us go on without him…? I mean like we did when he was in the Savage Land…"
"But you didn't know as much about the world, and what could go wrong, is that it," Logan asked her. She shivered and lay her head on his shoulder, fighting back tears.
"God Wolverine what are we gonna do?"
"Survive, as we always did, Jube," he said, patting her back and hugging her tightly. She sniffled and let him hold her, crying silently there against him.
"Easy for you, you're like the expert on it… you'll be running with the roaches when I'm pushing up daisies…"
"I might go before you, ya never know…"
"Don't say things like that, Wolvie!" she said plaintively.
"Aww hell darlin', I wasn't trying t' make ya cry more," he muttered, rocking her. "Listen t' me…"
Pulling back from him, she rubbed at her eyes, and he grabbed one of the paper napkins to hand it to her. With one hand on her shoulder he stroked her cheek with the other. Firmly he guided her to look him straight in his clear bright eyes. "No matter what happens to any of us, we're X men an' we stand together. It's not whether Chuck's here or not, but what we take away from it. Nobody can take that away from you or me. An us X men, ya know we're gonna be around at least till Bishop's time cause he mentioned we were…"
"He said to me one of the times, that I was going to be the last…"
"What was that? What did he tell you… when?" Wolverine asked, his sharp canine teeth bared slightly in a frown.
"Back when he showed up that latest time… um… it was when I was taking that semester at the Massachusetts Academy… a year ago…" she said. "Before Hank and me went to dig up ruins in South America…"
"Oh… so he showed up THEN? Ya forgot ta tell me about that…"
"I didn't want you to worry. Some goon from the future was trying to get rid of the Gen X'ers… that's what I call Emma's bunch of kids… and we all had to hang together to stop her. At first she claimed she was Paige and Jono's kid… and Bishop arrived and convinced Angelo n' me and Monet that she was really another sentinel… a shape changer…"
"Nimrod," growled Wolverine, canine teeth all the more visible the more Jubilee revealed.
"How did you know?"
"Cause the Professor shared a little bit of what he sensed from reading Bishop's mind. When he n' Jeannie were stuck in that temporal place with the other psychics, he says he sensed parallel dimensions… and in one of 'em, Storm and I were married… go figure!"
"Wow, but that isn't TOO far off, I figured you two would kinda get along, I mean she's all Goddess and Nature, and you, well you're nature… n' all," Jubilee said as she felt his hand brush away a bit of hair. Overtop his hand she lay hers, rubbing the back of his hand with her palm lightly. It rested innocently enough on her knee, weighing her hand down.
"Yeah, pretty amazin'. Storm n' I are old friends. We DID at one time sorta come close, but then we decided since we were working together… and some other stuff I won't get into now… that we'd be better off being friends…"
"Bummer," Jubilee sighed. "Another friend huh?"
"Yeah, you could say that… but she and me, n' bishop and his sister Shard…"
"We met her too… at Jean n' Scott's wedding, remember…" Jubilee nodded.
"Well the other Storm n' me, along with those two ended up having to tangle with Nimrod…" Wolverine nodded.
"He was a pain in the butt," Jubilee shivered. "It took Monet, me, and Jono to take him out, and that was with Angelo holding him… and he nailed Page, but she has that skin thingy where she just rips off her old skin and anyway…"
"Wished ya told me," Logan said softly. "Dammit kid if anything were ta happen…"
"That's why I didn't Wolvie, because I knew you'd be worried SICK about me… and the last thing you needed was another thing to worry about…" Jubilee said, momentarily drawing her hand out of his. She turned to grab her soda and down part of it to hide the quavering in her voice.
"Won't stop worryin' about ya," he said meaningfully, and she turned slightly towards the husky heaviness present in his already deep voice.
"I'm not asking you to… I just… I can't even THINK of anything happening to any of us now…" Jubilee blurted out, turning slightly towards him. Her chin wobbled slightly, and she bit her lip to stop from losing control.
"Hey, Jube, ya don't have to, I was just sayin… that ya don't have to worry about me worryin' about ya. Ya can't stop me from protecting ya, no more than I can you, or Scott can Jean… or Ororo protecting you… ya can't turn off someone carin' about ya just cause you're scared of 'em getting hurt or killed…" Logan rumbled, his fingers squeezing into her shoulder.
"It's just that he had this whole shtick about me being the future… and seeing hope. But I can't live up to that when I'm sick of even thinking about another bad thing happening… I don't know how much more of this I can take…"
"Can't help it. Yer stuck with me, like it or not."
"Uh huh," she said, wondering what that meant, but not wanting to question it. He released her face, and kissed her gently on the forehead. A tear rolled down her cheek, and she buried her head in her hands. Logan slid his arm around her shoulders and she cried a fresh crop of tears. He didn't question her need to cry, simply stroked her back and shushed her as she let it all out.
"Cripes, I didn't mean ta make ya more upset sayin' that…"
"No, it's not YOU," she trailed off. "But if something happened to you… I don't know WHAT I'd do…"
"Hey, nothing IS gonna happen to me if I can help it. And if anything DOES, feeling doesn't go away. Cause everything I've taught ya, lives on inside of here…" he said, pointing to her forehead, and then her heart. "And the feelings don't stop just cause someone dies and goes onto th' next life… take it from a guy who's lost a few…"
"That's just cause you're trying to make me feel better," she sniffled, and he turned her to face him, hands on her shoulders.
"Yeah, an' it's true. Just cause some of my old buddies died don't mean they're dead as long as I remember 'em. Got a lot of memories that are pretty damn screwy up here, not sure which ones are real or not, but sometimes I don't bother tryin' to figure out which ones are… cause I'm afraid I'll find more that aren't…" he trailed off.
"I'm sorry that you and Fox…"
"Forget about that. Not talking about that… what I'm tryin' t' say is, that if anything happens to either ONE of us, an' I'm not saying it will anytime soon, that we each got memories of the other that will survive here…" Logan said as he took her hand and put it over his chest. "And there…"
Jubilee grasped his hand and pressed it to just above her heart, which was pounding. Impulsively she slid her arm around his neck and kissed his cheek. However his arm around her waist made her want to let her lips linger there on that cheek rough like sandpaper. A contrast against softness. Logan felt the split second of his lips pressed to hers, and the taste of an adult woman's mouth invaded his nostrils like a shot of whisky before his healing factor wiped it out. Against the corner of her lips she felt his gently pursed, returning the sincere kiss, and she felt herself floating.
Shakily she raised both hands and framed his rugged face. "I don't wanna be the last X man…I can't… it just freaks me out thinking about it… it's too much wolverine… I don't wanna even go there! I don't wanna be sitting here watching all of you saying last words like he said to me… and being the only one left behind!"
"Hey, Jubilee, don't even think about that now, cause we're far from bein' dead… so no more about it, okay?" Logan scolded, furrowing his brows over bright predatory eyes that burned right into her soul. Fluidly his arm had slid around her waist and pulled her leg alongside his, while his eyes burned intently into hers. On his face was a look of sincerity, concern, and something she could not interpret. Then the next thing she felt was Wolverine's lips pressing a firm kiss to her mouth that lingered. Memories of that kiss he had given Khesara so long ago popped into her mind.
It was partly the kind of kiss that she had seen him give Storm. But so much more the sort of kiss that a man gives a woman as a sincere thank-you for reaching something deep inside. Jubilee's head was reeling with dizziness, and she hung onto him, not wanting whatever was happening to end.
She gasped for breath when the kiss broke, and glanced up at him blinking. His chest heaved in and out, blue eyes sparkling like wildfire, filling with a hunger that couldn't be denied. He didn't speak, but the wariness on his face resembled that of a wildcat watching for the next move, which could spell fight or flight. Then and there she felt she had to say SOMETHING, so she panted, "Whoa… jeez Louise Wolverine… I dunno what THAT was for, but… it was totally awesome…"
"Jube I dunno what came over me but I sure as hell felt like ya needed, like I needed t'…" he panted.
"Do I look like I minded… please don't freak on me…" Jubilee pleaded, grasping the back of his neck.
Powerful hands grabbed her possessively, pulling her tightly against his body. With a low growl his mouth claimed hers, lips open slightly and she could not escape his crushing embrace even if she wanted to. Her taste was intoxicating and it had been a long time since Logan had tasted and sensed a female, that his instincts were overruling his common sense. What the hell are ya doin' there bub! He yelled at himself.
Yet Jubilee was not pushing him away. Rather her arms had looped around his neck and she was hanging onto him, keeping her lips pressed to his. Moving her mouth against his with her lips about to yield to his demanding hunger. His astonishment as they parted and the movement of his tongue moving to taste the female in his arms was equaled by her body pressing tightly to his.
Surfacing for another breath, Jubilee was still reeling against the counter, inhaling deeply and feeling the marks where his fingers had sized her back. Logan held her at arm's length, concern wrinkling his brow that he had done something wrong. "Dammit… I'm sorry I just went an lost it…"
"Wolverine… please don't run away… I…"
"Whaaa?" he growled in surprise as she caught her breath.
"Hello, I liked it…" she rolled her eyes. "I mean DUH, like do I look like I'm flippin out here? When someone comes and gives you a kiss like that out of nowhere it's not a BAD thing… unless you didn't mean it… cause it sure felt like you did…"
"I'm guessing I did, darlin," he murmured. "But I don't want ya to think I'm some dirty ol' man who was just waitin' for the right moment to… um… hell… and it's not just cause I feel sorry for ya or anything like that… I just… damn…"
"It's okay… really…" she said, tears filling her eyes as he wiped them away. "I so wanted it for so long… don't start it if you're not gonna finish it… I don't care how old or young you are… cause if that mattered I woulda paffed you the second you grabbed me and kissed me…"
"Just don't wanna get carried away and screw it up…" Logan murmured, stroking her cheek. "But I think we both know what the other needs… but we're too chicken t' do anything about it cause o' the risk… and I normally don't back down from a fight… but I don't wanna end up havin' ya as another casualty… so we gotta be SURE that it's soemthing we both want… cause ya deserve to be treated right…"
"Can't we at least try, and see if it flies or not?" Jubilee said. "Give it a chance, because I never though you'd want to so badly as I did…"
Logan cupped her cheeks in his hand. "Yer worth getting' it right, Jube. Ya got enough disappointment in yer life without a relationship complicatin' it. And I wouldn't start anything I couldn't finish… but I want ya to want this, and be absolutely sure of what this means before we go any further. Cause it's gonna be hard as hell to stop…"
"Even if it's a colossal flop, who cares? I'd never stop… feeling for you… you mean way too much to me to just…" she trailed of. "God I suck at this mushy stuff."
"Makes two of us," he laughed awkwardly, pressing his forehead to hers. "Damn… what a pair we are…"
"Yeah… well… I guess we'd better clean this stuff up before someone starts complanin about our mess…" Jubilee chuckled. "You know how Cyclops hates food in the parlor."
Feeling flushed and annoyed, Wolverine crumpled the papers into a ball and threw them into the garbage can in the kitchen closet. Jubilee threw the cans into the recycle in the meantime. "Guess people are kinda heading off to bed, like…"
"Ya sure you're gonna be okay?" Wolverine asked.
"Hey, don't worry about it…" Jubilee chuckled. "I guess we both needed something to take our minds off this crazy stuff… and to tell you the truth, I kinda sorta liked it. I mean REALLY… liked it…"
"I hope ya did, darlin," he trailed off.
"Well I guess we'd better think about getting some sleep or something before Cyke puts us through hell tomorrow…" Jubilee said, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. "Sleeping in my uniform's not what I wanna end up doing… I'm afraid if I stay down here… I'll crash on the sofa…"
"Look, I'll give you a hand, cause I'm guessing we could all use some rest… before we take up things in the morning," Logan nodded meaningfully. He got up first, and then extended his hand to her. Jubilee hesitated then saw the promise in his eyes. He pulled her to her feet, and they started to pick up the dirty paper plates and cans of their meal.
"Yeah really," Jubilee chuckled, still afraid this was all some dream and that she would wake up to rude reality so soon.
"If ya need me, just holler," Logan said. "You know I'm just the hall from ya… if ya need to talk or something…"
"Thanks, Wolverine… and don't stress about um what happened earlier… cause… I wouldn't mind if um… your instinct got the better of you again…" she nodded. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, before breaking away and walking towards the stairs.
"Nite darlin," he said, reaching out to grab her but realizing it was better to cherish what had happened.
Wolverine watched her leave, fingering his sideburns violently and feeling the blood rushing through his face. Dammit, this was just driving him nuts, and he wasn't sure how to express to her how he felt. His gut told him she had similar things to express to him, yet was it out of desperation she had them, or were they genuine? He knew all too well how stress drove two lonely people together. That's what was going on with Hank and Storm. They were drawn to one another from mutual support. Morph and Bobby were more out of mutual attraction.
Gambit and Rogue were a slow fire simmering. Which had suddenly caught ablaze. Betsy and Warren were the old love hate type, who decided it was best to get together so they could keep arguing properly without interruptions, and have the best makeup sex afterwards. Logan groaned, and shook his head. How much longer could any one wait, before expressing their feelings? There was a proper time and place, and he wondered how much longer they had before all hell broke loose?
"Dammit Chuck, you picked a hell of a time to check out on us," Logan growled. Claws slipped free of their housings, the muscles jerking involuntarily to propel the claws from the backs of his hands. Quickly they retracted when he caught his breath. HE wrinkled his nose, and inhaled deeply, knowing who had just wandered in.
"Can't sleep, Jeannie?" he asked.
"Logan, are you all right?" asked Jean's familiar voice. "I know you're worried about Jubilee… about all of us…"
"Can't shake the feeling that it's the calm before the storm, Red," he mumbled, and felt her hand on his shoulder.
"I know what you mean. Scott's worried too. He needs you now more than ever… and I'm relieved to see you're trying to settle your differences…"
"Kinda hard, but what else can I do?" he asked, glancing up at the ceiling. "Dammit, she's only a teenager… she shouldn't haveta face this…"
"You can't protect her every hour of every day, Logan… no more than the rest of us can. Don't take so much on yourself…"
"That's what I keep tellin' myself, Jean. She's strong enough, but to have something ELSE ripped away from her when she's so young… but she's so grown up way too fast in others… it drives a man nuts…"
"You don't have to be psychic to know what you're talking about," Jean said as she tugged on his shoulder. Logan turned to see her tying the ends of her long silk robe shut.
"Don't know what ya mean," he said quickly. "Was just running my mouth off…"
"You can always talk to me Logan, you always could," Jean said as she took his hand and squeezed it. "You're one of my closest friends…"
"Same here, but I don't know WHAT I'm gonna need to talk about, see…" he trailed off.
"Two more insomniacs?" Beast asked, as he saw both standing. "I'm relieved I'm not the only one…"
"Might as well be on sentry duty, cause I ain't gonna get sleep anytime soon," Logan mumbled.
"Actually you'd do well to get some rest," said Beast. "After your mission today… Warren and Betsy have volunteered to take that duty…"
"That's nice of them," Logan muttered. "Won't have to worry much with Betsy on the job. Just hope Warren's onna level…"
"Although you're right to be wary, it's only because of his past history," Jean said. "My mind senses that he will be loyal when push comes to shove. He's learned his lesson. And Betsy we can trust implicitly. Professor X had no doubt of that…"
"Go get some rest, Logan," said Beast. "We'll need every one of us at our full capacity to face the time ahead…"
"Fine, blue," he sighed. "Might as well get outta this sweaty uniform anyway… before it stands up on its own…"
"Just throw it down the chute, and I'll make sure it gets washed with the rest," Jean said. "I'm going to start a load before I go back to bed…"
"Thanks," he said. Jean hugged him and kissed his cheek, and Logan did the same.
"Take care, and just try and rest. And if you EVER need to talk…"
"Good night Logan, if you need a sleeping pill…"
"What good would it do me anyway?" Logan shrugged. "Nite all…"
