I apologize for getting this out a few days late and that it's a bit shorter than normal. Life has been crazy, and I've fallen behind on my writing. I've set aside some time to catch back up, so you can expect me to return to my normal schedule of posting on Wednesday or Thursday.

In response to the question about what type of beer Logan drinks-it's a label from a small, craft brewery, so it'd require a bottle opener. He and Jubilee of course have other ways of opening a sealed bottle!

Thank you everyone who has been reading! I've enjoyed the reviews and the people who are continuing to follow and favorite this story. Please keep sharing your feedback as it really does make me think about where the story will go next.

Chapter 5

After slamming the door, Jubilee leaned back against it, closing her eyes. Her body felt deliciously alive in a way that it hadn't for years. Every nerve ending crackled as if it were connected to an electric line. She rubbed her hands along her arms, sucking in a deep breath and trying to regain control. She wanted to turn around and go back out there, to sink her teeth into him again, to tear off his shirt before… She cut off the train of thought as her eyes snapped open. Whoa. Where was she going with that thought? He was her best friend, had been a father figure to her for most of her life. Wasn't it weird to think of him like that?

She was startled when he knocked on the door behind her head. She had been so distracted, she hadn't heard him get up and approach the door. "Open up, Jubilee. We might as well talk about this instead of hiding from each other."

She stood there, paralyzed by indecision for a moment before she realized he wasn't going to go away. Stubborn, she thought. Taking a deep breath, she stepped away from the door and pulled it open. He seemed perfectly composed, but she could hear how quickly his heart was still beating. He wasn't unaffected by the exchange either. His eyes flicked from her to the bed that was still strewn with her new clothes. He shook his head at himself and murmured, "I'm just going to grab a new shirt."

She nodded and stepped back deeper into the room so he could enter. It was then that she noticed that the collar of his shirt was stained with blood, and there was drying blood on his neck. She lifted a hand to her mouth, feeling tell-tale wetness there as well. She slid past him into the bathroom to splash water on her face. Well, besides having some intense effects, feeding from the neck seemed to be a lot messier as well. When she peeked back into the bedroom, it was empty, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She took a few more moments to run a brush through her hair, checked her make up, and changed into a camisole not stained by blood. When she was ready, she dawdled a few more moments in the room, trying to think of any other reasons to delay facing him. Realizing there was nothing left to distract herself with, she headed out the bedroom door.

When she went back out into the main room, he was standing at the sink wearing a plain black tee shirt. She watched the movement of his throat as he drank a glass of water. She moved to sit in the corner of the couch, tugging the throw from the back of the couch over her body, clear up to her chin. She wasn't cold, but she didn't want him to see the nervous twisting of her fingers.

When he finished drinking, he moved to the living room area and sat in the overstuffed armchair, looking at her for a moment before clearing his throat and shifting in his seat. "So, ah, have you ever done that before?" There was an awkward moment of silence before he clarified, "From the neck I mean? You said it was better but didn't mention that this…"

She shrugged and shifted her gaze to the fire. It would need another log thrown on it soon. She moistened her lips, trying to ignore the power and energy still coursing through her body, only fueling the other feelings that were still stirring. "Yeah," she said before clearing her own throat. "With Xarus, and once with Laura." When he raised an eyebrow in clear surprise, she explained. "It was just a drop with Laura, I never bit her. And with Xarus…" she trailed off. "That was just a confusing mess from the beginning." She closed her eyes, not wanting to think of that time—when she had sunk to her lowest level and had first embraced the power, the darkness, that had been coursing through her. She had wanted to hurt people then, to use them to get what she had wanted. Images of blood, of naked, writhing forms, of pleas for mercy flashed through her brain, and she shook her head as if to clear the images away. She had tried to make him come with her into that darkness, had succeeded at first.

He waited patiently for her to fight her inner demons. She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. She pulled her knees to her chest, tugged the blanket higher over her body, and opened her eyes to look at him, her expression unreadable. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have crawled onto you like that. I didn't even realize what I was doing…."

He shook his head and shrugged, trying to make light of the incident. "It's no big deal. I mean we're both adults," He paused to rub at the back of his neck, "I'm sure it was just a natural response for being in that type of position."

Jubilee rested her forehead against her knees again, feeling a wave of delicious heat rush through her body at the memory of just how intimate that position had been. When she raised her head, he was tactfully looking in another direction.

She cleared her throat, "Yeah. No big deal," She repeated. "No harm done." There was a long period of silence that felt more awkward than restful, so she tossed the blanket off of her and stood to toss a couple more pieces of wood on the fire. As she watched the fresh wood catch, she brushed off her hands on her thighs before crossing her arms under her breasts. She didn't return to her seat. She quickly realized that if she remained where she was standing, she could avoid looking at him. She still felt awkward, mostly because her body hadn't quite calmed down yet. It was still reacting to him, partly in memory and partly due to his continued nearness. For the first time after a feeding, she felt more awake and alive than full and sluggish. Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "So have you tried to get one of the sun benders yet?"

His responding grunt ascended in tone before he spoke, "Haven't heard anything back yet. I contacted a few different contacts, hoping someone would run across it."

"Anyone I know?" she asked, not turning around yet.

"A couple," he replied, "And a couple I doubt you've met. If anyone comes through, I'd put my money on Laura though." He paused to watch her reaction, noting that her back and shoulders stiffened. He let the silence ride for a few moments, trying to focus on the conversation and not get caught up in how the firelight played across her features, making her look older and more mysterious.

"Why?" she asked.

He leaned back in the seat and propped his feet on the coffee table. "Well, she spent so much time with Gumbo that she's learned more than a little about theivin'." He chuckled and went on, "With her fighting and assassin skills added in, she's been running all over treasure huntin' like some sorta Indiana Jones."

Jubilee's lips quirked up at the thought, but she didn't respond. Encouraged by the smile, he continued, "Gambit goes on the occasional mission with her, but he's more on the back end of things now. Just too old to handle the rougher stuff. Mostly she gets jobs from rich collectors or museums and such. Last I heard, she was in Antarctica looking for something. It's keeping her busy, and from what I can tell she's enjoying it."

She nodded, "I'm glad to hear it, and to hear that Remy's well."

He nodded again and fell silent while he considered. Obviously, she was interested. She was standing very still, not even breathing, but her head was cocked in his direction, almost as if she were waiting for him to continue. He spent the next few hours casually passing on what was going on with all of their mutual acquaintances: marriages, children, job changes. The entire time, she stood without speaking, turned partially away from him. After a time, she moved to open the window and to lean out into the chilly night air, but he could tell from her posture and an occasional soft sound of inquiry that she was listening.

When he couldn't think of anything else to share, he fell silent and just watched her profile as she looked out into the night. Finally, she stood and turned to look at him. When she spoke, it was as if she hadn't heard anything he had said in the past hours. "It's getting late, and we should turn in soon if you still insist on waking me up during the daylight hours, but I'm not tired yet. Do you want to go for a run?"

He began to stand, but before he could fully straighten, she had already disappeared out of the window. With a sigh, he pulled on his boots, realizing that she had taken off running barefooted. He he laced his boots and grabbed a jacket before he stepped outside. She was waiting for him at the edge of the woods. Picking up her boots and parka, he pulled the door closed after him and jogged down the porch stairs and across the clearing to her. He held out the clothing as he approached.

She took them and bent to slip the boots onto her feet. Once they were laced up, she looked at him, her expression showing her clear discomfort. "I just couldn't be inside any longer…" she began and then trailed off as if unsure of what to say.

"I get it," he said as he started off at a light trot, "Let's go."