Breakfast consisted of hard biscuits and jerky washed down with water. Tessa would have sold her soul for a cup of coffee. Jerky was getting to be very old and the biscuits were extremely dry. On top of that, she had a caffeine withdrawal headache. Tessa and Jubilee decided to play 'When I get home'.
"First thing I'll do is take a long, hot bath," Tessa said wistfully.
Jubilee groaned in memory. "Man, that would be great," she said. "Just slip into a hot tub and soak fer a coupla hours." She thought for a while. "You know what I want?"
"What?" Logan asked gruffly.
"A manicure. My nails are so ratty."
"Ice cream," Tessa grinned.
"Ooooh," Jubilee breathed. "A chocolate sundae with whipped cream and nuts."
"I was thinking more like a banana split," Tessa smacked her lips.
"I know what Wolvie wants," Jubilee snickered.
"What's that darlin'?" he asked.
"A box of Cubans."
"Sounds good ta me," he smiled.
"So we each got two things we want," Jubilee told them as Logan broke camp.
"You want a manicure and a chocolate sundae, I want a hot bath and a banana split but Logan only agreed with the cigars. What's the second thing?"
"Wolvie'd want the cigars and ta get laid," Jubilee told her with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Keep yer nose outta my sex life," he growled.
"I need a score card ta keep track of your sex life," teased Jubilee.
"Busy little bee?" Tessa asked with a giggle.
"From flower ta flower," she confirmed.
"Jubes," he growled in warning.
"Well," she snickered, "ya gotta admit, ya see a lot of action."
"I don't think I should be talkin' with ya about this," he squirmed.
"Aw, Wolvie," she kissed his cheek. "I'm messin' with ya again. Yer such an easy target."
"Ya know I don't like ya ta talk about my private business, Jubilee," he frowned down at her.
"I know," she shrugged. "'Specially when it ain't true."
The trail became steeper the further north-east they went. Tessa noticed that the weather was starting to go against them.
We're on the east side of the mountains," Logan explained to her. "Storms develop on this side. From here on out, we ain't gonna have too great o' weather. It'll also get hotter."
"The trees are thicker," Tessa observed. "That will give us a little more cover."
"It also covers the enemy," Logan told her. "I can smell 'em commin' but they'll get closer than before."
"How close is close?" she asked.
"'Bout a mile," he said.
"That should give us plenty of time to set up a welcome," she smiled.
"We're gonna avoid 'em as much as possible," he told her. "I don't wanna get anyone hurt."
"Fer chrissake, Wolvie," exploded Jubilee. "I can take care of myself."
"Against a high powered rifle with a scope?" he asked.
"Well...," she stuttered.
"The trees will prevent a gunman from getting a clear shot," Tessa protested.
"Ya don't need a clear shot.," he told her. "Guns ain't my weapon of choice but from 3000 feet, I could hit ya."
"Not everyone's as good a shot as you," she said. "I don't think I could do it and I know guns."
"The people after ya are seasoned soldiers," he told her. "They're gonna know how ta use their weapons."
"Well, what can we do?" Jubilee asked exasperated.
"I'm their target," he told them. "They think gettin' me outta the way will make it easier ta get ta ya. I'm gonna go inta ultra stealth mode and shadow ya. Maybe that'll draw 'em out inta the open. I don't think they know about ya, Jubes. If things get bad, ya can protect Tessa until ya get ta a phone and call Fury or Cyke."
"But neither one will come inta Mexico," Jubilee said.
"Fer you, Cyke will," he told her. "Only problem is that he'll want ta look fer me. If ya call him, make sure he takes Tessa home first. Fury won't come inta Mexico even if ya were gonna get killed. He can't risk it."
"So ya want me ta call Cyke?" she asked.
"I'd rather ya call Fury first," he said. "I don't want the X-Men involved in my personal work. I'm doing this as a favor fer Fury. Call One Eye after ya call Fury"
"Can we have some fresh meat, please," Jubilee begged when dinner time rolled around. "I'm so tired of jerky."
"Ya gotta eat what I bring back," he told her.
"Deal," she agreed. "As long as ya don't bring back something gross, like skunk."
"Deal," he said. "Get a fire going," he ordered as he left.
Logan loved to hunt. Not necessarily to kill. Sometimes, all he did was sneak up on an animal and touch it. The closer he got to the animal, the bigger the thrill. It was a study in air currents and silence. The trick was not to let the animal hear or smell you until after you touched it. It wasn't easy. Mother Nature likes to play tricks, moving leaves and twigs in his path or changing wind directions suddenly, but he loved a challenge. The last time he played the game it was with a grizzly bear. It took him six days to get close enough to touch the massive pelt.
This was different. This was for food so small game was what he needed. He took a deep breath. Lots of game in the area. Some of it could be eliminated off the bat. Jubilee would kill him if he came back with a skunk of raccoon. She liked rabbit so he decided to catch a couple of cottontails.
It didn't take him as long as he thought it would. He practically tripped over a couple of bunnies within thirty minutes of leaving the girls. He quickly caught and killed both. As he picked them up, he caught another, more sinister scent. This one he couldn't ignore: a puma.
He tied the rabbits to his belt and went in search of the cat. He really didn't want to kill it, just persuade it to go somewhere else. Unfortunately, they were camped in the puma's territory. Getting it to leave would be next to impossible. Maybe if he distracted it with something else.
The solution to his problem wandered into a clearing nearby; a small heard of mule deer. He culled a young buck from the heard and killed it, making sure it was a bloody kill. The puma should go for the free meal and leave the camp alone for the night. He quickly left the area and returned to camp. He circled it, marking the area with his scent before entering the camp with supper.
"Puma in the area," he said as he dropped the rabbits next to Jubilee.
"Ya didn't kill it, did ya," Jubilee demanded as she grabbed a carcass and began to skin and gut it.
"Nah," he told her. "Just distracted it. We should be safe fer the night." He watched her as she expertly prepared the rabbits for roasting. "Glad ta know ya remember some of the things I taught ya."
"As if you'd let me forget," she gave a cheeky smile.
"Water half a mile west of here," he said. "I'm gonna wash up. Don't ferget ta bury the entrails."
By the time he returned the smell of roasting meat was rising from the fire. Jubilee couldn't cook in the conventional sense. To let her use a stove was inviting trouble, but she knew how to roast over an open fire. She knew just how long to let the meat cook so that it was tender and juicy. When ever they went camping, she took care of the cooking and he did the hunting. They never went hungry unless game was scarce.
"Almost done," she announced.
"You and Tessa go wash up," he told her. "I'll watch our dinner."
"You start eating before we get back and I'll paff you into next week," she warned as they went in search of the stream.
"Yes ma'am" he said, snickering. He knew very well she'd do it. God, he missed this. Camping with Jubilee didn't always go so smoothly. The first time he took her, she complained the whole time. He was so irritated with her that he cut the trip short just to get away from her constant harping. After the third trip, she began to appreciate why he was doing it. She still didn't care for hunting but she knew how to do it. If necessary, she could survive in the wild, and find her way home. She knew how to kill any animal if she needed to. That was proven when he took her to Canada last spring. She killed a bull moose that had surprised her one day. The moose was in rut and not about to let her leave. She cried for hours afterward. It took him some time to convince her that she did what was necessary to preserve her life. It didn't make it any easier on her but she understood why it was necessary.
The girls returned from their jaunt to the stream and they ate their dinner. The mood was slightly tense. They knew they weren't out of the woods and the next attack would come soon. They discussed what they'd overheard at the hunter's camp. One intent on getting some type of information, no matter what the cost, the other wanted the information as well but wanted to return her to her father.
Tessa racked her brain in frustration. She didn't know very much about her fathers' business. She wasn't that interested in what he did except for his political life and most of that was public record. His private business dealings were a mystery to her. She knew he imported electronics from several countries for resale in the States but she didn't know, and didn't care, what type of electronics he dealt with.
"Could the stuff they want have something ta do with what ya do?" Logan asked.
"I'm an artist," she said exasperated. "I live on my trust fund and what ever I get from selling my paintings. I rarely leave San Antonio and when I do, it's to see my father. I'm not some James Bond like secret agent."
"Does he ever come to you?" Jubilee asked.
"Never to my apartment," she told her. "He has a ranch west of Kerrville he goes to on vacations. I go out there every Christmas."
"Why does he have a key ta yer apartment?" Logan asked.
Tessa's eyes widened in surprise. "I never gave him a key to my apartment."
"He gave me a key ta yer place and a picture of ya that wasn't more than a year old."
"I didn't give him a key," she insisted, "nor have I had a picture taken in the past five years. Someone took it without my knowledge."
"The question is," Jubilee interrupted, "is who did and why."
"Yer dad's havin' ya watched," Logan told her.
"I'm an artist," she protested. "Why would he have me watched?"
"Maybe is has something to do with your boyfriend," Jubilee suggested.
"Brad's a lawyer," she told them. "I know that doesn't make him good..."
"Ya got that right," Logan mumbled.
"But he doesn't have the guts to do anything illegal," she concluded.
"If I've learned one thing hangin' with the X-Men is that it's the quiet ones you hafta watch," Jubilee said sagely.
"Can't do nothin' tonight," Logan said as he rose from the ground. "Jubes, ya got first watch. Tessa'll take second and I'll take third. I'm gonna be hidden but I'll wake ya in the mornin'. Don't be surprised if ya don't see me fer a while. I'll still be in the area but I won't be visible."
"Are ya still gonna hunt fer us?" Jubilee asked. "Ya know I hate huntin'."
"I'll leave ya a kill where I want ya ta make camp every night," he told her. "Be careful Jubes."
"I will," she promised.
Jubilee sat several feet away from the fire she'd started for the camp and settled down for her watch shift. She was very tired but knew better than to let her guard down. Logan would have her head if she lost her concentration. She scouted the area around the camp, familiarizing herself with the surrounding terrain.
She thought back on the camping trips she'd gone on with Logan over her life. Most of them were in the wilds of Canada. They were some of the happiest times she could remember. It wasn't often that she got to have him to herself without having to run for their lives. Most of the time they were together, it was during a mission or on one of his jaunts to Madripoor or Japan on personal business. Those treks usually consisted of Wolvie fighting the Hand or other bad guys and Jubilee being left in a hotel room to stew.
She didn't blame him for leaving her behind. She was, after all, a teenager. That didn't mean that she liked it She liked a good dust up as much as, or even more, than the next person. She just wished that their times together weren't spent fighting for their lives. Maybe that would change as she got older. She had to admit to herself that she still had a crush on him but she doubted that it would come to anything. She knew the type of woman he usually went after. She was nothing like them. She didn't have big breasts or long legs or red hair.
'Oh well,' she thought. 'Maybe in a few years, something might happen.' She would keep the flame going but she refused to put her life on hold for him. She was going to enjoy her youth even if he didn't appreciate it. She knew to keep her love life a secret from him. If she were to decide to become sexually active at her age, the boy would have trouble breathing when Wolvie was finished with him. That was one of the main reasons that she didn't actively search out a partner. Over protective parental figures were a pain and a blessing but she wouldn't have him any other way. His fierce protectiveness was one of the things that made him who he was.
Three hours later, she shook Tessa awake for her watch shift. They yawned a 'Good night' to each other and exchanged places. Jubilee curled herself into the warm blankets and scrunched into a ball to conserve heat. Within ten minutes, she was shivering miserably
She did the only thing she could think of to keep warm. She gathered her blanket and crawled over to Logan.
"Wolvie," she whispered. "I'm freezing."
He looked up at her and saw her shiver, her teeth chattering. He lifted the edge of his blanket, inviting her to share his warmth. She quickly scrambled in and curled up against his side. Jubilee had always thought Logan was handy to have around. He came with his own cutlery, he was stronger than an ox, he had a healing factor that kept him young and healthy but the one thing that she appreciated the most was that his body was like a perpetual furnace. On the coldest nights when she lived in the X mansion, she would curl against him in a desperate attempt to stay warm. She was a So Cal girl to the bone. She had trouble staying warm during the long New England winters she endured as a child. It was either sleep with her Wolvie or suffer hypothermia. He never seemed to mind much.
She didn't wake when Tessa woke him later in the night and took his place beside her.
Breakfast the next morning was 'Jerky a la Jubie' accompanied by a bottle of 2005 vintage water. Neither woman was too enthusiastic about the meal. As they resumed the hike, Jubilee could feel Wolverine's eyes watching them. She hated the feeling but she understood why he did it. She was afraid that the tactic was going to blow up in their faces.
They weren't able to travel as fast as they had the day before. It began to rain shortly after they stopped at midday to eat. The ground quickly became saturated and slippery. Logan slipped up to them an hour after the downpour began and directed them to a small cave nearby. The climbed up to it and squashed into the relatively dry hole in the ground. Jubilee attempted to remove the blankets from the pack and wrap them around her but there just wasn't the room.
"We can't stay here," Logan told them after watching the storm for two hours.
"Why?" Tessa asked, her teeth chattering.
"Too much rain," he told her. "The ground is saturated. Any more rain is goin' ta cause mudslides. I wanna be off this mountain before that happens."
"How much time do we got?" Jubilee asked.
The answer came in the form of a loud rumble.
"Oh, shit," Logan moaned. "Too late."