Sorry this took so long to post. School's been getting really rough, plus
I'm just getting over a bad cold. So, basically, I'm behind on everything.
This chapter is longer than my usual, though, so I hope that'll at least
partially make up for the lateness. Especially since I don't know when
I'll have a chance to write the next chapter, so the next chapter will
probably be late too. Sorry in advance!
Oh. And, in case anyone forgot, I don't own the X-men and I'm not making any money off of this.
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Shortly after Paige had left her room, Jubilee headed downstairs towards the mansion's enormous living room, where the Professor always kept of a copy of the county phone book. As was the norm this early in the morning, the mansion was quiet, most of its residents still asleep or just barely waking. She found the book near the phone and located Dr. Bauer's number easily. Since she didn't see any paper, she scribbled the digits onto the back of her hand, just above her bandages, with a pen she found nearby.
Back in her room, Jubilee called the doctor's office from her cell phone. Luckily, they still had her records from her last visit. In addition, she was able to schedule an appointment for later that morning. Feeling proud of herself for accomplishing the task, Jubilee made her way back down to the mansion's main floor.
By this time, several of her friends and teammates were awake and congregated in the kitchen. Slipping in quietly, she helped herself to a cup of strong coffee someone had made. As she sweetened her java, she couldn't help overhearing several of the comments circulating the room.
"I can't believe this!" grumbled Jean. "There's no fruit anywhere! What am I supposed to eat?"
"Why are there so many bags of onions in the pantry? There's enough onions in there to last a lifetime," said Scott, making a face. "Who's turn was it to get the groceries?"
"Well, at least there's plenty of cereal," Kurt commented, looking for the silver lining, as usual.
"Yeah, and no milk!" Warren frowned in response.
"I don't see what everyone's so upset about. There's plenty of good food," Cain said, helping himself to several boxes of Pop Tarts and a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. "What?" he asked in response to the looks cast his way.
The conversation carried on as Jubilee lifted the coffee mug to her mouth. The motion disguised the smirk that came to her lips as she tried to figure out just how much her teammates were willing to give up to in order to get their favorite foods.
Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Jubilee turned and saw Bobby emerge from the basement, still wearing his training uniform. He must have just finished up a Danger Room session. Unaware that he was being observed, Bobby closed the door behind him and made his way towards the stairs. His face was devoid of expression, which was Jubilee's first clue that something was wrong. Some sort of gloom radiated from him. Like in those old cartoons, she pictured a small thundercloud following him around, gifting him his own personal rainstorm. Except, of course, that this cloud was metaphorical. Last she had heard, Storm was still hanging with Remy and Rogue.
She debated calling out to him, but decided against it. After all, a roomful of people all out to get him was within earshot. Well, not that they knew that he was the one responsible for the grocery mishap. Yet.
They'd figure it out soon enough, though. The X-men were nothing if not problem solvers. Plus, there was the fact that Bobby was usually responsible for these types of occurrences. Apart from the few times that she was behind them.
Hmm...maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to make herself scarce before she was questioned.
Jubilee set down her empty coffee mug, intent on following Bobby up the stairs. She'd only taken two steps away from the counter when she heard her voice called.
"Jubilee!"
Drat it! she thought. Foiled again.
"Yup?" she asked, turning to face the speaker.
"Aren't you going to eat something?" Jean-Paul inquired.
"There's nothing to eat," she snorted, trying to sound upset. It wasn't hard, really.
"Do you know who did the shopping this week?" asked Scott, finally noticing her.
"If I had to guess, I'd say someone with really messed up taste buds. And bad breath," she added, nodding towards the five pound bag of onions Scott was currently holding. The team leader frowned. He'd been hoping for a more definitive answer.
"Anyway, I've gotta run, but I'll see you guys in the Danger Room later," she said, hoping that would end the conversation.
Glancing at the living room clock, she realized that it was already nine o'clock. Her appointment was in less than an hour, and she had to roller blade into town. She looked towards the stairs and was not surprised to find that Bobby was long gone. Although she had no time to track him down now, she made a mental note to talk to him later.
The trip to town took slightly longer than she'd expected, though Jubilee still made it to her appointment on time. It turned out that Dr. Bauer remembered her from her last visit. It felt good to talk to someone about her problems. Of course, she had to bend the truth about Angelo's death a little. She felt bad for lying to the kindly old gentleman, but she couldn't do much to remedy that situation. In the end, Dr. Bauer gave her a prescription for a mild sleep-aid.
Jubilee filled the prescription at the pharmacy adjoining the doctor's office. The pharmacist was another elderly gentleman who took the time to sit down with her and discuss any questions she had about her medicine. When she left the pharmacy, Jubilee made sure to stuff the prescription into her bag, just in case she ran into someone she knew on her way home. She checked the time and saw that it was eleven thirty. The team Danger Room session was scheduled for two, so she had plenty of time to get back. Although she knew that she could kill time window-shopping, Jubilee couldn't wait to get back to the mansion. Wolvie, who had been gone, taking care of personal business, had called to tell her that he would be returning in time for Alex and Lorna's wedding. Since the couple's big day was tomorrow, she was expecting him back soon.
Jubilee felt a soft wind hit her face as she bladed through town. It pushed back the wisps of hair that had come loose from her ponytail and cooled her skin. She grinned to herself – this was great roller blading weather. Although she was in a hurry to get ack, Jubilee decided that it wouldn't hurt to take the scenic route home. As much as she'd have liked, though, the reasoning behind her conclusion had very little to do with the weather. It had much more to do with her desire to keep an eye out for the girl she and Bobby had encountered yesterday. She'd rescued her, and now Jubilee felt a strange sense of responsibility towards Lorraine. Kind of like finding an abandoned little puppy out in the rain.
Hmm...something was just a little wrong with that analogy.
She skated along the outskirts of the park, nearby where Lorraine had indicated her house was. The houses on her block were decently sized, though they were relatively close together. Although some of the buildings looked like they could use some repairs, any flaws she spotted were relatively minor. The grass in front of all the homes was well cared for, and neatly trimmed shrubs surrounded several houses. Children played in the sidewalks and an impromptu game of football was taking place in the park on the other side of the street. Meanwhile, several adults were sitting on their porches chatting and keeping an eye on their offspring.
She'd bladed past the entire length of the park without encountering Lorraine. Feeling slightly disappointed, Jubilee decided that it really was about time that she head back to the school.
The mansion's gates opened for her after a retinal scan. She bladed across the driveway, all the way up to the mansion's front door, where she deftly stopped, plopped her rear end on the front stoop and proceeded to remove her roller blades. She'd learned long ago that the Professor didn't appreciate people roller blading across the school's hardwood floors and oriental rugs, though she didn't understand the logic. After all, it seemed like some big bad mutant arch nemesis destroyed them every other month. If they were going to be replaced anyway, why couldn't she have her fun? She'd definitely do less damage with her blades, than, say, Apocalypse and his horsemen. Or whoever the villain of the week happened to be.
She put her hand on the doorknob to open it, but something stopped her. She heard voices on the other side. She couldn't discern who the voices belonged to, but she knew that most of the mansion's residents would not be happy with her for her solo excursion. She could hardly deny it, especially if she was caught clenching her roller blades in one hand and her helmet in the other. Jubilee hated that. She'd lived on her own for so long. Heck, she'd been a minor for a good part of that time. In spite of her attempts to suppress it, Jubilee felt a sudden surge of anger. When she'd lived in LA, she'd received very few phone calls and almost no visits, from her former teammates. Back then, she'd allowed herself to think that her friends had finally accepted that she could look after herself. But now that she was back, they were treating her like a little kid again. Obviously, they hadn't realized that she was capable of making her own decisions.
But what really nagged at her was: If the reason that they hadn't bothered to keep in touch wasn't because they'd thought that she could take care of herself, then what was it?
Jubilee quietly stepped away from the door, trying to clear her thoughts. She decided to stash her blades in a nearby shed and come back for them later. Once she had done so, she made her way to the mansion's back door, hoping that, by now, the kitchen had cleared out.
As she rounded the corner, Jubilee was surprised to find rows of chairs and clusters of tables set up behind the mansion. Two trucks were parked a few feet away, and a green haired woman, probably Lorna, was supervising their unloading. Several feet away, a tall man and a shorter, plumper woman were preparing a trellis of flowers. The flowers were mostly lilies and roses, though there were a few species that Jubilee didn't recognize. She was buffeted by a soft breeze, which carried the scent of the flowers towards her. She breathed deep, enjoying the olfactory sensation.
As she walked along the hedges that surrounded the mansion, Jubilee waved at Lorna. Although the woman was facing her, she didn't return the gesture. Obviously, she had other, more important, things on her mind. Shrugging, Jubilee turned onto the building's back porch. The wooden stairs creaked as if to welcome her. Once, when she was much younger, she'd tried jumping from stair to stair, up and down, trying to create a melody from the sounds. It didn't work, and she finally gave up when someone from upstairs shouted at her to cut it out. Now she realized that stair music was a pretty immature thing to attempt to make at age thirteen. The memory brought a blush of embarrassment to her cheeks.
The back door led to the mansion's kitchen. The room was empty, and one look at the kitchen clock told her why. Quarter to two, read the stately old timepiece, a intricately carved coo coo clock that Kurt had brought back with him from a recent trip to Germany. The trip to Lorraine's block had taken more time than she had expected. Her teammates were probably gathering downstairs for their training session. Jubilee hurried upstairs to her room to don her uniform.
The unstable molecule molded themselves to her as they always did. She hadn't had the time to design her own uniform yet, and instead wore a modified version of one of her Generation X costumes. Although the outfit resembled skintight leather, it had the feel of soft cotton against her skin. The matching boots took several minutes to locate. Jubilee put them on in a rush, and quickly glanced in the mirror to make sure that she looked all right. Her ponytail had come mostly undone, and she worried that her hair would be in her eyes during the training session. Aware that she was late, Jubilee removed the yellow elastic that held her hair up, reshaped the ponytail with her hands, and refastened the hair band. Satisfied with her work, she ran down the stairs, slamming the door to her room shut behind her. The loud sound made her wince and she hoped there was no one around to hear it.
She was halfway down the basement stairs when she realized that she'd left her yellow trench coat hanging in her closet. Although she wanted to turn around and retrieve it, she knew doing so would make her even tardier. She'd just have to deal without her coat. Actually, that wasn't a difficult concept. She rarely wore the garment outside of missions and battle scenarios, where it's billowing folds helped disguise the tight nature of her uniform.
The Danger Room doors were wide open, and Jubilee ran inside. Her teammates were gathered in a group slightly off to the right, looking bored. Scott and Kurt, standing next to a large plastic container, were in the process of addressing them. Glancing upwards, Jubilee saw Hank and the Professor in the control room. She bit her lip. They'd probably noticed her late arrival. However, the lack of a psychic warning helped to reassure her that she wasn't going to be reprimanded for it. She walked towards her teammates, slipping in quietly next to Jono. She saw Scott look at her, although he too did not comment on her lateness.
"Since the next twenty four hours should prove hectic, we've decided to take it easy on you guys today," Scott was saying.
"Well, not too easy," Kurt smiled. "We've designed an exercise to test your reflexes, coordination, and team work." His tone was a teasing one, and several people exchanged curious glances.
"Dodgeball," said Scott firmly, reaching into the bin next to him to pull out a large red Nerf ball. Ignoring several chuckles that came from the group in front of him, he continued, "Normal rules. Two teams. No powers allowed. That's the line," he said, pointing towards the center of the room where a bright yellow line shimmered into existence, bisecting the space.
Kurt split the group of X-men into two teams. Jubilee rolled her eyes, and exchanged an exasperated look with Jono. She'd rushed home from this? To let Scott live out some warped dream he had about teaching high school gym? Jean-Paul, who was on her team, muttered in French under his breath once he realized that the team leaders were serious. Meanwhile, Cain's mouth was wide open, his expression mirroring shock. Jubilee could only imagine what he was thinking. How many times had the X-men defeated him during his tenure as a villain? And this was their secret training regimen?!
Jubilee wondered about what Bobby's reaction to the news was. She was surprised she hadn't heard him voice it yet. Bobby was never one to keep his comments to himself. Scanning the room, Jubilee realized that he was not present for the workout. Considering the mood he had appeared to be in that morning, Bobby's absence worried her.
Jubilee's thoughts about Bobby were interrupted by Scott's shrill whistle. High school gym teacher, she repeated to herself, as she crossed to her side of the court with the remainder of her team.
Although she'd had her misgivings about the workout, in the end, she had more fun than she'd expected. She rarely got a chance to show off her natural agility. Though she wasn't as good at catching the ball as some of her teammates, only Kurt rivaled her in dodging it. They played the game through four times, and she was one of the last people standing in three of the runs. During the second set, Jono sent the ball flying into Warren's back so hard that he'd stumbled. Jubilee couldn't help but become distracted by the private battle between her two friends, and soon enough, someone hit her head with a Nerf ball, tagging her out. On her way to the sidelines, the Professor had given her a psychic lecture about staying on task.
After the training session, most of her teammates made their way up to their rooms to change for the bachelor/bachelorette parties. Although it was still early, the general consensus was that the team was going to stop in town to grab a snack, as there seemed to be very little edible food within the confines of the kitchen. Maybe that was why Bobby hadn't come to the Danger Room session. Had he been found out? Was he in hiding? Rarely did he do anything bad enough to warrant having to avoid the mansion's occupants, but Bobby did have his moments.
She remembered one incident that happened when she was fifteen and visiting from Generation X. Bobby had glued a cotton ball beard to one of Pietro's paintings. His reasoning was that the subject of the portrait looked like a hairless Santa Claus and he couldn't just let that stand. Unfortunately, he had used permanent glue. Worse, the picture had been of Pietro's deceased grandfather. The huge Russian was normally a peaceful man, but Bobby's desecration of his grandfather's portrait drove Pietro over the edge. He spent the whole weekend combing the mansion for Bobby, to no avail. Bobby miraculously reappeared a few days later, after Pietro had calmed down, to offer an apology. He hadn't realized that the picture held such great importance to Pietro.
Jubilee had never figured out where he'd been hiding. She hoped that Bobby wasn't in enough trouble that he had to disappear again. If so, that meant that she'd never find him. But she was getting ahead of herself. Before jumping to conclusions, she decided to check if Bobby was in his room.
"Jubilation! A moment, please!" someone called from behind her.
"Yeah?" she asked. The basement hallway, constructed of some sort of Shi'ar synthetic material, echoed her gruff response.
"I realize that you are hurried to prepare for tonight's festivities, but I would have a brief word with you," Hank said, bouncing off of the wall and performing an aerial somersault, gracefully landing next to her.
"Depends on the word," she smiled.
Hank rolled his eyes, though the gesture was in good humor. Although Jubilee had finally matured, both emotionally and physically, there were some things that would never change.
"Well, two words, actually. Charles and I have received word from MUSE that your friend Angelo's funeral had finally been arranged."
"Oh." The sound was very quiet, and Jubilee's expression became downcast and pensive. Not that he could blame her. He knew how hard the loss of a friend could be. He wished that he could offer her some words of condolence, but, for once, he was at a loss for words. And, when Hank was at a loss for real words, he had a tendency to babble. So he continued, "They had to sort through an enormous amount of red tape and false bureaucratic documents, which is the reason for the delay. However, we now know that it will take place in Los Angelos, in three days. I know that both you and Paige will be attending."
Jubilee nodded, not looking at him. After a few moments of silence, Hank changed the subject, "Robert visited my laboratory last night, in quite a state of worry. Apparently, you passed out while in his company yesterday, and he was concerned for your well-being. Do you have any recollection of your episode?" he asked, eying the young woman's expression as he did so. Although she did her best not to react to his tidings, Hank couldn't ignore the dark look that came into her eyes. It was as he had feared. Jubilee hadn't been planning to discuss last night's event, and was, if anything, dead set against being involved in a conversation centered around that occurrence. Not that that would deter him.
"No," she frowned. The change in her tone of voice was remarkable, and Hank wryly thought to himself that at least she wasn't sad any longer.
"No recollection at all?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, Hankster."
"I see". He paused. "Jubilation, I realize that you may not remember, or wish to remember the event, but, as your physician, I am concerned for both your health and welfare. This episode strongly reminds me of the fainting spell you experienced five years ago. It would be in your best interest to allow me to perform a thorough physical examination."
"Hank, I don't need one," Jubilee said, no longer feigning ignorance. "I told you last time that it wouldn't happen again, and it didn't, until now. Trust me. I'm fine. I'm going to stay fine."
"I do trust you. But-,"
"Thank you," she cut him off, turning and walking away.
"But I still think that submitting to an examination would be a wise choice on your part."
"I'm fine!" she called back to him turning the corner. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't worry about me!"
"I can't help but worry, Jubilation," Hank said. "What will occur if you experience an episode while you are alone, out of the safe company of friends?" But Jubilee had sprinted out of earshot and hadn't heard him. Hank shook his head, dejected, but also determined. If the young lady did indeed experience another such spell, she would not be able to brush him off so easily, no matter how guilty he felt for upsetting her. Sighing, he turned to make his way towards his lab, his huge fingers fumbling for the glasses in his lab coat pocket.
Meanwhile, Jubilee continued her trek to Bobby's room. However, the purpose of her visit had changed. Her normally cherubic face sported an angry frown as she made her way up the stairs.
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I guess that I managed to confuse some people in regards to Jubilee's plan. Oops! Basically, Jubilee knew that Bobby was going to buy crappy groceries that most people would never eat. So when she went grocery shopping with him, she bought some of everyone's favorite foods, and plans to use them to bribe her hungry teammates into giving her whatever she wants at the moment. Does that clear things up?
Oh. And, in case anyone forgot, I don't own the X-men and I'm not making any money off of this.
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Shortly after Paige had left her room, Jubilee headed downstairs towards the mansion's enormous living room, where the Professor always kept of a copy of the county phone book. As was the norm this early in the morning, the mansion was quiet, most of its residents still asleep or just barely waking. She found the book near the phone and located Dr. Bauer's number easily. Since she didn't see any paper, she scribbled the digits onto the back of her hand, just above her bandages, with a pen she found nearby.
Back in her room, Jubilee called the doctor's office from her cell phone. Luckily, they still had her records from her last visit. In addition, she was able to schedule an appointment for later that morning. Feeling proud of herself for accomplishing the task, Jubilee made her way back down to the mansion's main floor.
By this time, several of her friends and teammates were awake and congregated in the kitchen. Slipping in quietly, she helped herself to a cup of strong coffee someone had made. As she sweetened her java, she couldn't help overhearing several of the comments circulating the room.
"I can't believe this!" grumbled Jean. "There's no fruit anywhere! What am I supposed to eat?"
"Why are there so many bags of onions in the pantry? There's enough onions in there to last a lifetime," said Scott, making a face. "Who's turn was it to get the groceries?"
"Well, at least there's plenty of cereal," Kurt commented, looking for the silver lining, as usual.
"Yeah, and no milk!" Warren frowned in response.
"I don't see what everyone's so upset about. There's plenty of good food," Cain said, helping himself to several boxes of Pop Tarts and a large bag of sour cream and onion potato chips. "What?" he asked in response to the looks cast his way.
The conversation carried on as Jubilee lifted the coffee mug to her mouth. The motion disguised the smirk that came to her lips as she tried to figure out just how much her teammates were willing to give up to in order to get their favorite foods.
Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Jubilee turned and saw Bobby emerge from the basement, still wearing his training uniform. He must have just finished up a Danger Room session. Unaware that he was being observed, Bobby closed the door behind him and made his way towards the stairs. His face was devoid of expression, which was Jubilee's first clue that something was wrong. Some sort of gloom radiated from him. Like in those old cartoons, she pictured a small thundercloud following him around, gifting him his own personal rainstorm. Except, of course, that this cloud was metaphorical. Last she had heard, Storm was still hanging with Remy and Rogue.
She debated calling out to him, but decided against it. After all, a roomful of people all out to get him was within earshot. Well, not that they knew that he was the one responsible for the grocery mishap. Yet.
They'd figure it out soon enough, though. The X-men were nothing if not problem solvers. Plus, there was the fact that Bobby was usually responsible for these types of occurrences. Apart from the few times that she was behind them.
Hmm...maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to make herself scarce before she was questioned.
Jubilee set down her empty coffee mug, intent on following Bobby up the stairs. She'd only taken two steps away from the counter when she heard her voice called.
"Jubilee!"
Drat it! she thought. Foiled again.
"Yup?" she asked, turning to face the speaker.
"Aren't you going to eat something?" Jean-Paul inquired.
"There's nothing to eat," she snorted, trying to sound upset. It wasn't hard, really.
"Do you know who did the shopping this week?" asked Scott, finally noticing her.
"If I had to guess, I'd say someone with really messed up taste buds. And bad breath," she added, nodding towards the five pound bag of onions Scott was currently holding. The team leader frowned. He'd been hoping for a more definitive answer.
"Anyway, I've gotta run, but I'll see you guys in the Danger Room later," she said, hoping that would end the conversation.
Glancing at the living room clock, she realized that it was already nine o'clock. Her appointment was in less than an hour, and she had to roller blade into town. She looked towards the stairs and was not surprised to find that Bobby was long gone. Although she had no time to track him down now, she made a mental note to talk to him later.
The trip to town took slightly longer than she'd expected, though Jubilee still made it to her appointment on time. It turned out that Dr. Bauer remembered her from her last visit. It felt good to talk to someone about her problems. Of course, she had to bend the truth about Angelo's death a little. She felt bad for lying to the kindly old gentleman, but she couldn't do much to remedy that situation. In the end, Dr. Bauer gave her a prescription for a mild sleep-aid.
Jubilee filled the prescription at the pharmacy adjoining the doctor's office. The pharmacist was another elderly gentleman who took the time to sit down with her and discuss any questions she had about her medicine. When she left the pharmacy, Jubilee made sure to stuff the prescription into her bag, just in case she ran into someone she knew on her way home. She checked the time and saw that it was eleven thirty. The team Danger Room session was scheduled for two, so she had plenty of time to get back. Although she knew that she could kill time window-shopping, Jubilee couldn't wait to get back to the mansion. Wolvie, who had been gone, taking care of personal business, had called to tell her that he would be returning in time for Alex and Lorna's wedding. Since the couple's big day was tomorrow, she was expecting him back soon.
Jubilee felt a soft wind hit her face as she bladed through town. It pushed back the wisps of hair that had come loose from her ponytail and cooled her skin. She grinned to herself – this was great roller blading weather. Although she was in a hurry to get ack, Jubilee decided that it wouldn't hurt to take the scenic route home. As much as she'd have liked, though, the reasoning behind her conclusion had very little to do with the weather. It had much more to do with her desire to keep an eye out for the girl she and Bobby had encountered yesterday. She'd rescued her, and now Jubilee felt a strange sense of responsibility towards Lorraine. Kind of like finding an abandoned little puppy out in the rain.
Hmm...something was just a little wrong with that analogy.
She skated along the outskirts of the park, nearby where Lorraine had indicated her house was. The houses on her block were decently sized, though they were relatively close together. Although some of the buildings looked like they could use some repairs, any flaws she spotted were relatively minor. The grass in front of all the homes was well cared for, and neatly trimmed shrubs surrounded several houses. Children played in the sidewalks and an impromptu game of football was taking place in the park on the other side of the street. Meanwhile, several adults were sitting on their porches chatting and keeping an eye on their offspring.
She'd bladed past the entire length of the park without encountering Lorraine. Feeling slightly disappointed, Jubilee decided that it really was about time that she head back to the school.
The mansion's gates opened for her after a retinal scan. She bladed across the driveway, all the way up to the mansion's front door, where she deftly stopped, plopped her rear end on the front stoop and proceeded to remove her roller blades. She'd learned long ago that the Professor didn't appreciate people roller blading across the school's hardwood floors and oriental rugs, though she didn't understand the logic. After all, it seemed like some big bad mutant arch nemesis destroyed them every other month. If they were going to be replaced anyway, why couldn't she have her fun? She'd definitely do less damage with her blades, than, say, Apocalypse and his horsemen. Or whoever the villain of the week happened to be.
She put her hand on the doorknob to open it, but something stopped her. She heard voices on the other side. She couldn't discern who the voices belonged to, but she knew that most of the mansion's residents would not be happy with her for her solo excursion. She could hardly deny it, especially if she was caught clenching her roller blades in one hand and her helmet in the other. Jubilee hated that. She'd lived on her own for so long. Heck, she'd been a minor for a good part of that time. In spite of her attempts to suppress it, Jubilee felt a sudden surge of anger. When she'd lived in LA, she'd received very few phone calls and almost no visits, from her former teammates. Back then, she'd allowed herself to think that her friends had finally accepted that she could look after herself. But now that she was back, they were treating her like a little kid again. Obviously, they hadn't realized that she was capable of making her own decisions.
But what really nagged at her was: If the reason that they hadn't bothered to keep in touch wasn't because they'd thought that she could take care of herself, then what was it?
Jubilee quietly stepped away from the door, trying to clear her thoughts. She decided to stash her blades in a nearby shed and come back for them later. Once she had done so, she made her way to the mansion's back door, hoping that, by now, the kitchen had cleared out.
As she rounded the corner, Jubilee was surprised to find rows of chairs and clusters of tables set up behind the mansion. Two trucks were parked a few feet away, and a green haired woman, probably Lorna, was supervising their unloading. Several feet away, a tall man and a shorter, plumper woman were preparing a trellis of flowers. The flowers were mostly lilies and roses, though there were a few species that Jubilee didn't recognize. She was buffeted by a soft breeze, which carried the scent of the flowers towards her. She breathed deep, enjoying the olfactory sensation.
As she walked along the hedges that surrounded the mansion, Jubilee waved at Lorna. Although the woman was facing her, she didn't return the gesture. Obviously, she had other, more important, things on her mind. Shrugging, Jubilee turned onto the building's back porch. The wooden stairs creaked as if to welcome her. Once, when she was much younger, she'd tried jumping from stair to stair, up and down, trying to create a melody from the sounds. It didn't work, and she finally gave up when someone from upstairs shouted at her to cut it out. Now she realized that stair music was a pretty immature thing to attempt to make at age thirteen. The memory brought a blush of embarrassment to her cheeks.
The back door led to the mansion's kitchen. The room was empty, and one look at the kitchen clock told her why. Quarter to two, read the stately old timepiece, a intricately carved coo coo clock that Kurt had brought back with him from a recent trip to Germany. The trip to Lorraine's block had taken more time than she had expected. Her teammates were probably gathering downstairs for their training session. Jubilee hurried upstairs to her room to don her uniform.
The unstable molecule molded themselves to her as they always did. She hadn't had the time to design her own uniform yet, and instead wore a modified version of one of her Generation X costumes. Although the outfit resembled skintight leather, it had the feel of soft cotton against her skin. The matching boots took several minutes to locate. Jubilee put them on in a rush, and quickly glanced in the mirror to make sure that she looked all right. Her ponytail had come mostly undone, and she worried that her hair would be in her eyes during the training session. Aware that she was late, Jubilee removed the yellow elastic that held her hair up, reshaped the ponytail with her hands, and refastened the hair band. Satisfied with her work, she ran down the stairs, slamming the door to her room shut behind her. The loud sound made her wince and she hoped there was no one around to hear it.
She was halfway down the basement stairs when she realized that she'd left her yellow trench coat hanging in her closet. Although she wanted to turn around and retrieve it, she knew doing so would make her even tardier. She'd just have to deal without her coat. Actually, that wasn't a difficult concept. She rarely wore the garment outside of missions and battle scenarios, where it's billowing folds helped disguise the tight nature of her uniform.
The Danger Room doors were wide open, and Jubilee ran inside. Her teammates were gathered in a group slightly off to the right, looking bored. Scott and Kurt, standing next to a large plastic container, were in the process of addressing them. Glancing upwards, Jubilee saw Hank and the Professor in the control room. She bit her lip. They'd probably noticed her late arrival. However, the lack of a psychic warning helped to reassure her that she wasn't going to be reprimanded for it. She walked towards her teammates, slipping in quietly next to Jono. She saw Scott look at her, although he too did not comment on her lateness.
"Since the next twenty four hours should prove hectic, we've decided to take it easy on you guys today," Scott was saying.
"Well, not too easy," Kurt smiled. "We've designed an exercise to test your reflexes, coordination, and team work." His tone was a teasing one, and several people exchanged curious glances.
"Dodgeball," said Scott firmly, reaching into the bin next to him to pull out a large red Nerf ball. Ignoring several chuckles that came from the group in front of him, he continued, "Normal rules. Two teams. No powers allowed. That's the line," he said, pointing towards the center of the room where a bright yellow line shimmered into existence, bisecting the space.
Kurt split the group of X-men into two teams. Jubilee rolled her eyes, and exchanged an exasperated look with Jono. She'd rushed home from this? To let Scott live out some warped dream he had about teaching high school gym? Jean-Paul, who was on her team, muttered in French under his breath once he realized that the team leaders were serious. Meanwhile, Cain's mouth was wide open, his expression mirroring shock. Jubilee could only imagine what he was thinking. How many times had the X-men defeated him during his tenure as a villain? And this was their secret training regimen?!
Jubilee wondered about what Bobby's reaction to the news was. She was surprised she hadn't heard him voice it yet. Bobby was never one to keep his comments to himself. Scanning the room, Jubilee realized that he was not present for the workout. Considering the mood he had appeared to be in that morning, Bobby's absence worried her.
Jubilee's thoughts about Bobby were interrupted by Scott's shrill whistle. High school gym teacher, she repeated to herself, as she crossed to her side of the court with the remainder of her team.
Although she'd had her misgivings about the workout, in the end, she had more fun than she'd expected. She rarely got a chance to show off her natural agility. Though she wasn't as good at catching the ball as some of her teammates, only Kurt rivaled her in dodging it. They played the game through four times, and she was one of the last people standing in three of the runs. During the second set, Jono sent the ball flying into Warren's back so hard that he'd stumbled. Jubilee couldn't help but become distracted by the private battle between her two friends, and soon enough, someone hit her head with a Nerf ball, tagging her out. On her way to the sidelines, the Professor had given her a psychic lecture about staying on task.
After the training session, most of her teammates made their way up to their rooms to change for the bachelor/bachelorette parties. Although it was still early, the general consensus was that the team was going to stop in town to grab a snack, as there seemed to be very little edible food within the confines of the kitchen. Maybe that was why Bobby hadn't come to the Danger Room session. Had he been found out? Was he in hiding? Rarely did he do anything bad enough to warrant having to avoid the mansion's occupants, but Bobby did have his moments.
She remembered one incident that happened when she was fifteen and visiting from Generation X. Bobby had glued a cotton ball beard to one of Pietro's paintings. His reasoning was that the subject of the portrait looked like a hairless Santa Claus and he couldn't just let that stand. Unfortunately, he had used permanent glue. Worse, the picture had been of Pietro's deceased grandfather. The huge Russian was normally a peaceful man, but Bobby's desecration of his grandfather's portrait drove Pietro over the edge. He spent the whole weekend combing the mansion for Bobby, to no avail. Bobby miraculously reappeared a few days later, after Pietro had calmed down, to offer an apology. He hadn't realized that the picture held such great importance to Pietro.
Jubilee had never figured out where he'd been hiding. She hoped that Bobby wasn't in enough trouble that he had to disappear again. If so, that meant that she'd never find him. But she was getting ahead of herself. Before jumping to conclusions, she decided to check if Bobby was in his room.
"Jubilation! A moment, please!" someone called from behind her.
"Yeah?" she asked. The basement hallway, constructed of some sort of Shi'ar synthetic material, echoed her gruff response.
"I realize that you are hurried to prepare for tonight's festivities, but I would have a brief word with you," Hank said, bouncing off of the wall and performing an aerial somersault, gracefully landing next to her.
"Depends on the word," she smiled.
Hank rolled his eyes, though the gesture was in good humor. Although Jubilee had finally matured, both emotionally and physically, there were some things that would never change.
"Well, two words, actually. Charles and I have received word from MUSE that your friend Angelo's funeral had finally been arranged."
"Oh." The sound was very quiet, and Jubilee's expression became downcast and pensive. Not that he could blame her. He knew how hard the loss of a friend could be. He wished that he could offer her some words of condolence, but, for once, he was at a loss for words. And, when Hank was at a loss for real words, he had a tendency to babble. So he continued, "They had to sort through an enormous amount of red tape and false bureaucratic documents, which is the reason for the delay. However, we now know that it will take place in Los Angelos, in three days. I know that both you and Paige will be attending."
Jubilee nodded, not looking at him. After a few moments of silence, Hank changed the subject, "Robert visited my laboratory last night, in quite a state of worry. Apparently, you passed out while in his company yesterday, and he was concerned for your well-being. Do you have any recollection of your episode?" he asked, eying the young woman's expression as he did so. Although she did her best not to react to his tidings, Hank couldn't ignore the dark look that came into her eyes. It was as he had feared. Jubilee hadn't been planning to discuss last night's event, and was, if anything, dead set against being involved in a conversation centered around that occurrence. Not that that would deter him.
"No," she frowned. The change in her tone of voice was remarkable, and Hank wryly thought to himself that at least she wasn't sad any longer.
"No recollection at all?"
"Don't know what you're talking about, Hankster."
"I see". He paused. "Jubilation, I realize that you may not remember, or wish to remember the event, but, as your physician, I am concerned for both your health and welfare. This episode strongly reminds me of the fainting spell you experienced five years ago. It would be in your best interest to allow me to perform a thorough physical examination."
"Hank, I don't need one," Jubilee said, no longer feigning ignorance. "I told you last time that it wouldn't happen again, and it didn't, until now. Trust me. I'm fine. I'm going to stay fine."
"I do trust you. But-,"
"Thank you," she cut him off, turning and walking away.
"But I still think that submitting to an examination would be a wise choice on your part."
"I'm fine!" she called back to him turning the corner. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't worry about me!"
"I can't help but worry, Jubilation," Hank said. "What will occur if you experience an episode while you are alone, out of the safe company of friends?" But Jubilee had sprinted out of earshot and hadn't heard him. Hank shook his head, dejected, but also determined. If the young lady did indeed experience another such spell, she would not be able to brush him off so easily, no matter how guilty he felt for upsetting her. Sighing, he turned to make his way towards his lab, his huge fingers fumbling for the glasses in his lab coat pocket.
Meanwhile, Jubilee continued her trek to Bobby's room. However, the purpose of her visit had changed. Her normally cherubic face sported an angry frown as she made her way up the stairs.
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I guess that I managed to confuse some people in regards to Jubilee's plan. Oops! Basically, Jubilee knew that Bobby was going to buy crappy groceries that most people would never eat. So when she went grocery shopping with him, she bought some of everyone's favorite foods, and plans to use them to bribe her hungry teammates into giving her whatever she wants at the moment. Does that clear things up?