Jubilee shivered beneath her fur coat in the winter's breeze that blew in from the Seine. It had been a short walk to the boulevard, which made the perfect escape for lover's trysts and time-traveling refugees alike. Benches lined the dark corners of the sidewalks, and the avenue was relatively empty given the bitter cold.

Finding a bench protected from prying eyes and the wind, Jubilee and Logan slumped down in relief. The gurgling sounds in Logan's lungs had stopped a few blocks ago after he had hacked up blood clots, and now the scars were fading above the dark bruises from the impact of the bullets. His healing factor was doing its job; it just had a lot of work to do. As for Jubilee, despite her relief at finding Logan safe and alive she was still reeling from the time travel. The overexertion during their escape was also fast catching up with her. But they needed a plan of action, and she had no idea what was going on."At least I can do something about the cold, while we chitchat." Jubilee muttered.

It didn't require much concentration or power to warm the air around their bodies to a balmy heat. However, the small effort pushed her past the point of exhaustion and she wobbled precariously, falling forward with a wave of dizziness. Logan caught her as she fell, and scooped her onto his lap in a blur of motion that belied his condition.

"Everyone has their limits, and you've just reached yours. Might as well get comfy and figure out what's goin' on." Wolverine chuckled softly, but held her in an iron firm grip that didn't bode well for struggling.

"B-but your wounds? Don't give me that look, Logan! Put me down, I'm going to hurt you like this!" Jubilee replied weakly. Well she was awful comfy, so why struggle?

"I'm feeling much better. Trust me, darlin'." He held her closer and gazed into her eyes, showing his need to be assured she was ok. "It's not going to do us any good if you faint and I have to carry you around like a sack of flour." Logan threaded his fingers through her hair and massaged the nape of her neck in slow strokes which seemed to melt away her arguments.

Logan felt as though he couldn't touch her enough. His hands just kept gravitating towards her, and he was half afraid that if he looked away she would disappear. He wanted to bury his face in her hair and just sit, inhaling her sweet scent. Best not dwell on what other parts of you want to do, given the circumstances.

He had known instantly that she was part of his life when he had seen her tumble to the ground in a flash of light. Before he had even smelled her familiar scent, he had felt himself drawn to her like a magnet. It was as though he had been waiting, and had known she would be there. She's mine! He struggled to beat down the possessive beast inside of his psyche, and concentrated on the matter at hand.

"We need all the information we can get if we are going to figure out what to do next." His tone was gruff as he tried to hide his train of thought.

"I woke up two months ago in the l'Hotel Sofitel. I didn't remember who I was, why I was there, or much of anything about my life. All I know is that when I woke up I was weak, and very very pissed."

Jubilee chortled under her breath with amusement, not bothering to hide her grin.

"You don't seem particularly surprised at that, eh darlin'? Well, neither were the folks holding me captive. I didn't even think before diving for their neck, ready to kill, but a whimper from the corner stopped me in my tracks." Logan ran his hand through his hair, taking a ragged breath. "In the corner was a man holding some sort of shimmering knife to the back of a little girl's head."

Jubilee frowned in confusion as she listened.

"She couldn't have been much more than three or four, wearin' a ragged nightgown. They didn't even have to say a word; I knew they would torture the kid if I did anything." He growled under his breath with frustration. "They've had me by the balls ever since then, dancing to their tune as they dangled Katrina's safety in front of my nose."

"Coulda been a lot worse, though, they kept us fed and warm. And they gotta watch her like a hawk because if they lay one finger on her I'll gut the sons of bitches...what?" Logan peered at Jubilee quizzically, curious about the surprised look on her face.

"Katrina? It can't be the same girl, I saw her a few hours ago when we tucked her into bed with the sitter." Jubilee's eyes had widened as he said the little girl's name. "Did she tell you her last name, Logan?"

Logan nodded slowly. "Katrina Patrova."

Jubilee sucked in her breath sharply at the answer.

"I haven't been sitting twiddling my thumbs for the last two months, Jubilee. We'll get her out safe; she's too valuable to them to come to any harm." He brushed aside a strand of hair that had fallen across her face, reassuring her. "I've been listening and watching them very closely. They kept speaking of Katrina's gift, but I also learned a bit about my own powers and healing factor in bits and pieces."

"Over and over I heard them talking about how they were waiting for a teacher for Katrina, someone who had the same abilities and understood how to use them."

"Wait, what gift? What abilities?" Jubilee clenched her fists tightly, her whole body tensing at the thought of the terrified little girl alone with the strangers. "She's only a baby for God's sake, what kind of monsters are these people!"

Logan tried to soothe her with his voice. "As far as I could tell, they say she can travel through time or somethin'. "Quantum displacement portals", I think they called it? These Fender people want it bad, and they've got no problem using a child for their purposes."

"Quantum displacement portals?" Jubilee said weakly, with a sinking feeling in her gut. "Fender Industries?"

Logan nodded and gave her a questioning look.

Jubilee raised her hand. "One nuclear physicist mutant, at your service."

Logan released a string of curses into the cold winter air.

Jubilee sighed heavily with exasperation.

"Godammit, none of this makes any sense! Fender Industries, one of the most respected research companies in the world, kidnapped you and Katrina? All to get me to come here? And what the hell are we doing in Paris in the 1920's?"

Logan blinked at Jubilee in surprise.

"Oh yes, we aren't even from this time, Logan. It's the year 2006 where we come from. Hell, I won't even be born for another 60 years or so!"

"The last time I saw you was a little over a month ago, which seems to correspond almost exactly with what you recall. We had just finished a spar in the Danger Room and we...well, that's not important. But I went to find you that evening and you were gone."

"Danger Room?"

Jubilee realized he wouldn't likely remember the X-men if he didn't even remember her. Taking her time, she explained about Professor Xavier and how his dream had taken off in the form of the X-men. She explained his own mutations and abilities, and answered his questions about hers. He listened quietly with few comments, until she explained what they knew of his own past, or rather how little they knew.

"This is making a hell of a lot more sense coming from you, Jubilee. I knew I could fight, it just comes natural. But when the claws popped out the first time I didn't know what was goin' on. They've been trying to keep me in the dark all these months, but I've picked up on more than they knew."

Logan stilled then, deep in his thoughts.

"What about you an' me? What's our story, darlin'?" He said in a husky voice.

Jubilee was a little flustered at his blunt question, but answered honestly. "We're friends...but we used to be partners back in the day. We made a good team, but I've been pretty busy with my education the last few years. I just returned to Westchester a little bit before you went missing."

Wolverine looked at her a little strangely. "Friends and partners, eh?"

His tone prompted her to tell him the story of how their lives had crossed one fateful evening in Australia. She smiled fondly as she recalled a few of their more colorful adventures in Asia and Madripoor, relaxing for the first time in months. The blustery wind and present danger seemed distant as she snuggled in his lap, basking in the warmth of Logan's laughter over a particularly humorous story.

Loud footsteps echoed down the avenue interrupting their light mood, and they both went on alert, listening intently. Two men turned the corner, one thin and tall, and the other stocky with a long scar along his jaw.

Sending out a light psychic touch, Jubilee sensed that they were searching for an injured man and woman from the nightclub, with little details as to their descriptions. Nodding slightly to Logan she sent him a warning. They're looking for us. We don't want to arouse their attention.

If he was surprised by her speaking to him with her mind, he didn't show it. Instead he nodded and pulled her roughly against him, slanting his lips against hers.