Pixie Perv Protector

Chapter 10: Imperious, Impress, Islands

—Westchester, Halloween, Past—

"I don't sing."

"You don't or can't?"

"Oh, I do, it's just never encouraged."

"Nobody encourages me, either! That should change!"

Jubilee saw her self getting closer to a stage and a grinning lunatic holding her hand, leading her to it. "I just got the kinda-hang of this place and now you want to embarrass me in front of everybody here?"

Bobby shrugged. "I've seen your fashion. You're not easily embarrassed." He handed her a microphone as he helped her up to the stage. "Do you want to be Dolly or Kenny?"

"…wait, what are we singing?"

"A classic. I'll be Kenny - but just this once."

Country music began to play.

"Jubilee, when I met you there was peace unknown! I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb! I was soft inside! There was something going on!"

Bobby air guitaired. Genuinely.

"People can see you," she snorted in the microphone.

"Oh, but tender love is BLIND! It requires a dedication! All this love we feel needs no conversation!"

In the audience, Hank made an observation to Warren.

"Bobby is about to sing about making love to a thirteen year-old girl and we're going to let that happen." "I've done that."

"You were also a thirteen year-old boy at the time."

"…and how old is Bobby?"

"Twenty-six."

"Should we stop him?"

"We cannot stop a train wreck already in process."

"ISLANDS IN THE STREAM! THAT IS WHAT WE ARE! NO ONE IS IN BETWEEN! HOW CAN WE BE WRONG! SAIL AWAY WITH ME! TO ANOTHER WORLD! AND WE RELY ON EACH OTHER, AH HA! FROM ONE LOVER TO ANOTHER, AH HA!" Bobby grinned and nudged Jubilee. "Come on, it's your turn!"

"Ican'tlivewithoutyouifthelovewasgoneeverythingisnothingifyougotnooneandyoudidwalkinthenightslowlylosingsightoftherealthing Is this over yet?"

"NOPE! But that won't happen to us if we got no doubt - too deep in love and we got NO WAY OUT! And the message is clear! This could be the year for the real thing!"

Jubilee stared at Bobby, fully living in the moment of being on stage and having someone agree to be on stage with him. She looked out at the rest of the X-Men who were still somehow present and staring not so much at them but at anything else.

And that's when she had THE IDEA.

Jubilee could not sing. Definitely not country. But she could do a half good imitation of Cookie Monster.

"No more will you cry! Cookie, I will hurt you never. We start and end as crumbs, cookies forever! We can eat cookie together, ah ha! Making more cookies with with each other, ah ha!"

She glanced very quickly at her duet partner who just nodded and smiled as he began to sing in his similar half good imitation, "COOKIES AND THE CREAM! THAT IS WHAT WE ARE! NO ONE IN BETWEEN? SHARING WOULD BE WRONG. BAKE AWAY WITH ME! TO ANOTHER WORLD! AND WE'LL BAKE COOKIES TOGETHER, AH HA! FROM RECIPE TO ANOTHER, AH HA!" Bobby returned to his normal voice briefly. "But seriously, no oatmeal. Not even with nuts."

—New York City, Halloween, More Recent Past—

"In my dime, when we want to torture someone, we just get out the baseball bats." "You promised."

"The baseball bats have nails poking out of them."

"You promised."

"Could you hit me with one of those baseball bats right now."

"You promised and you always keep your promises. And this…this means a lot to me."

"If I live to regret this, I promise we're breaking up."

The karaoke host looked at Jubilee and Drake'son. "Everything okay?"

Jubilee gave him a thumbs up. Drake'son shook his head in terror.

Jubilee air guitar. Genuinely. "I get to be Kenny."

"I can't do Dolly, I'm—"

"Drake'son when I met you there was peace unknown. I set out to get you with a fine tooth comb! I was soft inside - yes me! There was something going on."

Another air guitar.

"Islands in the stream! That is what we are! No one in between! How can we be wrong? Sail away with me! To another world! And we rely on each other, ah ha! From one lover to another, ah ha!"

Drake'son took his mic nervously.

"Ican'tlivewithoutyouifthelovewasgoneeverythingisnothingifyougotnooneandyoudidwalkinthenightslowlylosingsightoftherealthing Is this over yet?"

"NOPE!" She took his hand. "No more will you cry! Baby, I will hurt you never! We start and end as one, in love forever—"

"You know, in my dime, if we finish singing this song together, we are technically married?"

"That's a thing?"

"Well, no, it's just how I always saw myself getting married…on stage…karaoke…to this song." He smiled at her. "ISLANDS IN THE STREAM! THAT IS WHAT WE ARE! NO ONE IN BETWEEN! HOW CAN WE BE WRONG! SAIL AWAY WITH ME! TO ANOTHER WORLD! AND WE RELY ON EACH OTHER, AH HA! FROM ONE LOVER TO ANOTHER, AH HA!"