A/N: This takes place right after the last chapter.
Warnings: Slash, between Emma and Jubilee although it's still a PG version. All anal retentive freaks take a hike!
Rubby Slippers: The Taste of Sunlight
It was a moment of unbearable sweetness, the feeling of the impossible made possible with soft lips pressed against hers. In disbelief, Jubilee reached up and touched Emma's hair, fingering the silky tendrils, pulling back to look at the pale blue eyes that some had once claimed were cold and bitter. Of that blue there was nothing to be seen as Jubilee noted, just a gentle love that warmed her, burned her.
And then the reality of a straight woman came crashing down on the younger woman and Jubilee pulled away, masking her fear with anger. "What are you doing?"
Emma frowned, forced to make a coherent thought. "Kissing you?"
Jubilee scrambled away even further. "You're straight. What are you doing?"
Blinking, Emma tried again to bring her thoughts back up to normal processes, and instead finding the two pink lips extremely interesting. "Kissing. Kissing you." She leaned in only to have her actions thwarted as Jubilee scooted back even more.
"Right...Pardon me for being a little freaked out right now, but you never told me that you liked women...or me for that matter."
Emma sighed, it appeared that this conversation was going to require thinking skills, and she sat back. "I never really considered myself anything in particular....male or female relationships in my life have been few and far between. Meaningful ones have been even less frequent."
A bitter smile twisted on her lips. "I get it, Jubilee's desperate..I'm desperate. Let's all get desperate together."
"Oh good grief, Jubilation!" Emma rolled her eyes. "I swear to god that you take compliments in the worst way possible. Our friendship has made me happier than I can ever remember. You are more important to me than anything and is it so wrong that I find you attractive. Beautiful?"
Jubilee narrowed her eyes. "You think I'm beautiful?"
Worry crossed Emma's face, as if a thought suddenly occurred to her. "I thought that you felt something too...that day at the Disney World..on the bridge?"
The younger woman ignored her, obviously concerned with matters far more important. "You think I'm beautiful?"
"Yes!" Emma replied impatiently, still concentrating on the day at Disney world.
"Good." Jubilee smiled, and closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds. Before she closed the last remaining centimeters, she paused and looked Emma in the eyes. "Before we start anything I want you to know that I do not do one night stands. We do this right or we don't do it at all. I can't afford to get hurt anymore. Deal?"
Emma's blue eyes sparkled, as she felt Jubilee's emotions being shared with her for the first time. It was an intoxicating mix of anticipation, joy, worry, and love and far more intimate than words could ever have been. Emma could barely nod, swept up by the intensity of her feelings and hope, letting Jubilee make the final move. "Deal." She whispered hoarsely.
"Sold to the ravishing blond in the front." Jubilee grinned and with only slightly shaking hands, reached up to touch Emma's cheek. "It's nice to know that you haven't lost your innate business sense."
"Indeed." Emma agreed rather impatiently.
"Indeed." Jubilee said softly and pulled Emma's face down to her, tasting the sweet tang of strawberries and chocolate.
-in-
One month later
Jubilee lay on the couch, her feet popped up on the arm as her head lay pillowed on Emma's very comfortable lap. Migraines had become an almost constant part of her life since her powers had emerged, although none had seemed to make an appearance after the start of their relationship. That day, however, was not to be one of those headache free ones, and Emma was stroking her head lightly as they spoke of non important things.
"Nancy said to say hello." Emma murmured, dropping a kiss on the brow of her beloved.
"Tell her I said hey." Jubilee opened her eyes enough to sneak a glance at Emma. "Scott's been dropping hints again."
"He can drop anything he likes."
"I don't think the evening would go too badly." The two women's eyes met and Jubilee grinned. "Well possibly, but I would kick all of their butts if they so much as said something bad about you."
"As reassuring as that is, I still don't want to spend a dinner at the mansion having everyone glare at me because I corrupted the baby of the house."
Jubilee's hand lightly massaged a small spot just behind Emma's ear, a newly discovered spot that could (and had) made Emma literally shiver with pleasure. "Well technically I corrupted you."
"Somehow I don't think that's what your wonderful Wolvie would say." Emma said wryly. She sighed as Jubilee turned the big, sad eyes on her. "One dinner?"
"That's it. And it's better now than later. We leave right after dessert, and I'll make everyone promise to behave. Hank has even promised to make his famous spaghetti for the occasion."
"Fine, I'll go." Emma looked at her with a faint smile, a twinge of worry coiling itself around her stomach. Although she had no doubt of Jubilee's feelings, the past month had been a sheltered one. There had been no harsh incriminations, no anger, no hate as the both of them tested the newness of their relationship. It made her nervous to being going deliberately into a situation that could be deliberately hostile, not for her sake but the possible hurt it could cause Jubilee. Despite what Jubilee had been through, she still managed to see the X-men in their best light. Emma, however, had seen the X-men at their worst.
"And they will see you for your best." Jubilee murmured sleepily.
Emma frowned, wondering not for the first time how much of her mind Jubilee could read. It was never an intrusion, just little comments that cropped up time to time.
"I don't deliberately dig, Emma." Jubilee chastised her softly, opening her eyes a crack. "Your thoughts often swirl on the surface of your mind, and come to me. Especially when we're touching."
"Not even Charles can do that." Emma said shaken.
Stifling a sigh, Jubilee eased herself into a sitting position, ignoring the painful throb right behind her eyes. "This bothers you."
"Well yes, a little." Emma struggled to explain the feeling. "I'm not used to having my thoughts so easily read or seen for that matter." She added hastily as Jubilee started to speak. "It is a little disconcerting."
"I imagine." Jubilee forced a smile. "I think it's because I allowed my shields down. It won't happen again." Pain flared up as she deliberately set her walls up, and once that was done, she got up from the couch. "I'm tired and the medicine doesn't' seem to be working. Good night Em."
Emma got up from the couch and restrained Jubilee with a hand. "Give me time to adjust, sharing has never come easily to me. Please?"
This time, a genuine smile crossed on Jubilee's face, and she took Emma in her arms. "We both have things to adjust to. Baby steps it is then."
-in-
The kitchen was humming with an efficiency that only Hank could achieve when he was cooking. Various team members were set different tasks, with the most troublesome sent out of the mansion for their errands. Rogue chopped the vegetables as Remy made the salad. Scott had been sent down to the basement to find an appropriate wine, Jean was in the garden picking out flowers for an arrangement and Storm was sent to the gourmet store to find an obscure brand of olives that Hank had insisted that he needed.
Wolverine, however, had resisted any and all attempts to involve him with cooking and had chosen to instead perch on the counter in everyone's way, occasionally sneaking a nibble or two. "Ya ain't cuttin it right, Rogue. They need to be finer."
Rogue chose to ignore him, although the cutting board was sliced into two as she hacked the knife down on to the wood.
"Logan," Hank paused in his selection of spices to regard the mutant, and strode over to the freezer where he made a great show of looking around in the frozen depths. "Logan, I just realized that we are fresh out of...." he peered in again and pulled out an empty ice tray. "Ice. We are out of ice. Would you mind terribly if you went out to get some ice? We need several bags of it."
Hank gently but firmly led Wolverine out of the kitchen and outside, shoving him in the vague direction of his bike. "Thanks."
Logan frowned. "Ice? But isn't Bobby here?"
"Um, yes." Hank wheeled around desperately. "But the hygienic aspect of Bobby's ice mutation is far from the high standard that is needed when entertaining guests. Far from it."
"Hey!"
Hank ignored Bobby's indignant cry, trying not to listen as he heard Remy ask, "So, how much cayenne pepper does he want in the sauce?"
Panic flooded the blue mutant's face and he shoved a couple of tens in Logan's hand. "Ice, find ice. Lots of it, and....." Hank tried to think of something that would take longer than a trip down to the local gas station. "and it needs to be...um...not cubes, but balls of ice." Logan frowned suspiciously and Hank held up a hand to forestall any questions, pulling out his last ditch effort to get rid of the man. "It's Jubilee's favorite kind."
"Oh, okay. See ya later, Hank." Logan walked off happily to find his bike.
Hank sighed in relief only to hear Remy's furtive, "Whoops, scoop it out Rogue! Hide the bottle he's coming back!" Shaking his head, he sprinted back to the house to regain control over his dinner, whatever fiasco might come of tonight, it wouldn't be found due to his spaghetti.
-in-
A/N: Guess who's coming to dinner? I'd love to know what you would like
to see in the next chapter...potential disasters...cat fights....Lemme
know!