Fan Fiction ❯ When Stars Collide ❯ Chapter 2

Running a hand through her hair Jubilee plucked at the hairpins that held it in its twist, allowing it to fall freely down her back. The solarium was now dark and the lights of the city illuminated the river below. Rubbing at a kink in her neck she leaned heavily against the railing, inhaling the sweet air from the rose garden. She sighed and tried to clear her thoughts.

Things had really changed when she returned to Westchester three months ago. It was a true homecoming, she was finally back to stay and was looking forward to seeing what everyone thought how she had changed. And if she was particularly interested in a certain cigar smoking, whisky- swilling canucklehead's reaction, she wasn't telling.

Choosing her clothing with great care, she had worn a soft blue cashmere sweater with a flirty pair of black silk pants, and matching blue heels. The front of her hair was twisted and pulled back, with the rest cascading down her back in a curtain of silky tresses. Tasteful silver and sapphire jewelry accented her ensemble, but it couldn't match the sparkle in her eyes when she showed up on the doorstep unexpected and unannounced one wintery afternoon.

After using her security codes to get past the front gates, she had clapped the brass knocker loudly against the door in excitement. She heard Wolvie growling from the other side that he'd get it, muttering under his breath. When he opened the door, he inhaled like he'd been punched in the gut. Staring at her incredulously, the cigar in his mouth had actually fallen to the ground. Jubilee had grinned widely, her cheeks pink from the cold, throwing herself at him in a giant bear hug as the rest of the house rushed forward to greet her. He had squeezed her tightly to him until her ribs creaked, pulling back regretfully to let the others have their chance. Standing back, he had watched her from a distance with a dazed but happy look on his face.

Finally home with the X-men, her plans were to continue her research at the mansion with the Professor's blessings, and several hefty grants. Hank had been ecstatic to have a fellow scientist to share his lonely lab, even if they were in different fields. Her other teammates were less sure of how to treat her now that she was so obviously grown up. No more was she the spunky firecracker with the loud fashion sense and even louder opinions. An educated and sophisticated woman had returned to the mansion, confident and sure of her abilities and purpose.

Jubilee's appearance was a bit of a shock, she supposed. Still petite as ever, she had rounded curves in all the right places, and long, silky black hair that fell to her waist with a soft curl. Her blue eyes had brightened over the years; from what she could only guess was a side effect of her continuous use of energy. Now they were a crystal blue, sparkling with her emotions, and glowing when using her powers.

No longer a fan of eye-blinding hues, she favored tailored but casual clothing, preferring textures and colors that complimented her coloring instead of the latest fashions. Just hanging around the house she would indulge in more daring and fun styles, or would lounge in tight t- shirts and jeans. Every once in a while, she'd throw on a slinky red dress and stilettos and drag Bobby or Gambit down to the clubs and just let loose.

Not that they mind terribly she mused. If I gave them half a chance, I'd have more dates than I could handle.

She had settled in quickly at the mansion, shaking things up in her own ways. Setting up her part of the lab hadn't taken long, but she had definitely added a feminine touch to the space. Jubilee had talked Hank into painting the stark white area a soft shade of gold wich gave the room a cozy feeling. Investing in more comfortable chairs, some adjustable equipment for their difference in height, and a small stereo system had really made a difference.

Moving into the suite the Professor had chosen for her had been more fun than she expected after iving out a suitcase for so long. Taking her time getting settled, she had bought new furniture and accessories that suited her academic lifestyle. White linen overstuffed chairs sat next to the fireplace, and cherrywood dressers complimented the amber and scarlet tones of the wallpaper and linens she had chosen. Tall bookshelves lined the walls, filled with journals and publications, and the walls were covered with pictures from her travels and numerous diplomas and awards. An elegant writing desk sat beneath the arched window, making the most of the natural light and view of the garden.

Her teammates were surprised by how quickly she had dug in, but Hank was especially appreciative. She received two eloquent marriage proposals a day on average, once she began bringing him lunch at noon. Giggling with a sly grin, she'd laugh it off but was secretly pleased he was eating better. He worked so hard on a cure for the Legacy Virus that he often forgot to eat anything but the occasional Twinkie from his secret stash. She had even taken to restocking Hank's stash every so often, and if he seemed to think Twinkies had begun to reproduce in the cabinet above the sink, he was keeping it to himself.

Only one thing was out of place since Jubilee had come home. For years Logan had wheedled and bullied her into returning to the X-men and Westchester, and now she only caught glimpses of him in the hallways before he would mumble a quick greeting and disappear. He watched her in a quiet way that condused her, barely verbal except for the occasional grunt or growl.

They had been apart for years, it was true, but she thought he would be happy to have his best friend home again. She made an effort to try and get him to go to down to Harry's and play pool, but he would brush her off gruffly and tell her to go dancing with Bobby or Gambit instead. Jubilee had tried not to let it bother her, but she was hurt that he couldn't spare her any of his precious time.

It was only a matter of time before Cyke started nagging her to be assessed in the Danger Room again. She hadn't had a formal test of her powers in over three years, and Hank was itching to try out some new programs to collect his data. She had smiled complacently at Scott and shrugged when he had cornered her one morning, marching her into the locker room to change for the test. Walking calmly into the high-tech simulation, she nodded towards the observation room as a signal to start the program.

The lights dimmed dramatically and she was standing in an urban jungle, a dark alleyway to be exact. She heard three figures approaching, and scanned the area with her telepathy with the briefest of touches. She only found one thought pattern, Wolverine's by the familiarity, but he was there to observe for the moment. Which meant Scott was serious about putting her through the wringer to see exactly what she had in her arsenal. Grinning wickedly, she felt the rush of air as two figures launched towards her from the overhead fire escape. Gathering the energy around her she promptly disappeared.

Jubilee could feel the surprise of her teammates in the observation room, although Logan just leaned against the wall puffing at his cigar. It had taken her months to master the ability to control the light waves around her body, which for all means and purposes shielded her in invisibility. She was also able to suppress the heat from her body to a certain degree, therefore allowing her to avoid heat detection. But she knew that she could only maintain the shield if she was still or moved very slowly.

Taking advantage of her assailants' confusion, she ducked and twisted causing them to tumble over her head, hitting the ground hard. She surveyed her opponents quietly from the shadows, noting their dark attire and weapons.

The Hand, how droll. Do they think I'm still thirteen years old?

Tensing her body she grabbed the bottom rail of the fire escape, and swung upwards to somersault above their heads. Landing a flying kick and roundhouse punch at the first figure's face, he staggered back. The second figure used the opportunity to slice a long blade at her stomach.

Throwing herself into a back flip she landed on a nearby dumpster and tossed rapid-fire white-hot plasma blasts at the first figure who had tried to sneak up behind her with a garrote. The small blasts hit his shoulder much like bullets, burning right through his skin and muscle with their liquid heat. The second figure yelped and screamed in pain as she turned the his blade red with heat, burning the flesh of his hand.

Furious at her trickery, he threw a handful of shiny stars with deadly accuracy towards her. Meep! These aren't normal Hand fighters. Hank must have programmed them with enhanced intelligence and tactics.

Phasing the molecules of her body, she fell through the lid of the dumpster, the stars bouncing against the brick wall she had stood in front of. Quickly phasing out of the dumpster and through the wall she edged around the figures as they pulled out dart guns from their belts. Circling behind them she took a running jump against the alley wall, throwing herself at the first figure's legs and knocked him unconscious with a concussive paf to the head. His body faded away as soon as she had incapacitated him.

Turning on her guard towards the second figure she saw three darts flying towards her. With a quick gesture they exploded in mid-air, disappearing before they reached her. Blinding him with bright sparkles directly in front of his eyes, she threw a sharp left hook and then another percussive paf that knocked him backwards, unbalanced. He too faded against the pavement as he fell with a hard thud.

Not wasting a moment she blinked out of sight again into her refractive field, moving as quietly as possible when she noticed that Logan was not in sight. Catching a glimpse of him above her on the rooftop, she scaled the fire escape in a few leaps, landing as quietly as possible in the shadows. But before she could attack, three hundred pounds of muscle and claws came flying towards her hiding space. Barely dodging out of the way in time, she flickered into sight, gazing at Wolverine with a confused look.

He just shrugged and grinned slowly, "I'd know your smell anywhere, darlin'."

Scowling in grudging admiration, Jubilee took on a readied stance.

"Lets show them what you're made of, Jubes."

Nodding slightly, she launched an attack of spinning kicks at his face to distract him, while melting the cheap roofing tar beneath his feet. Not one to be fooled so easily, he leapt aside before the tar had caught his boots, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the acrid smell.

"Did I bruise your delicate sensibilities, Wolvie?" Jubilee teased.

Growling playfully, he launched an attack of his own throwing hard punches accented with the whooshing sound of his claws meeting thin air as she dodged and tumbled on the defensive. Leaping and twisting through the air with an ease born of years of practicing gymnastics, she rolled to the ground and then counter-attacked. It continued for half an hour between them, a deadly but playful game of cat and mouse, although who was who was anyone's guess. They held no punches, but they knew each other's moves so well that it was a draw.

Sweating and panting from the exertion, Jubilee made her mistake by dodging a little too slowly, and Wolverine ruthlessly pinned her to the ground with his body. Drawing his hand back in a blur he moved to slash at her throat in the mock "killing" move. Jubilee smiled smugly as a shocked look passed over his face, and he paused mid-swing.

Concentrating intently, she had leeched the heat from his adamantium skeleton at the last moment, chilling him literally to the bone. With a less delicate touch she could force his body into shock as the cold seeped through his spine towards his brain. Pushing against his chest, she rolled him over and in turn pinned him as his body shook with convulsions.

Straddling his chest with her petite frame she leaned over and kissed him lightly on the nose, and whispered "Tag…..you're it."

Logan gazed up at her with a hungry look, and she shivered involuntarily as she drew herself to her feet. Releasing the chill from his bones, he stopped shaking and she offered him a hand up. She could only imagine the hell he would get for being bested by the "firecracker", but he didn't seem worried. He didn't release her hand, either.

Stroking her palm gently with his thumb, Jubilee panted from the exertion….but she flushed for a different reason altogether.

"You're good, darlin'. Damned good. Cyke's probably got his panties in a twist trying to figure out a way to talk you into joining his team right now."

He seemed mesmerized by her crystal blue gaze, unable to move. Then glancing down at their hands in sudden realization, he dropped her hand as though scalded. When the doors opened with Hank rushing in to check for injuries, Logan quietly slipped out as Cyke and Storm debriefed her on her performance.

She had smiled coyly when they expressed their amazement at her display of powers, and quickly classified her as an official Alpha class mutant. Insisting that she preferred to continue her research full-time and fill in on the team when needed, she had hurried off leaving them to argue about who's team she would be assigned to. She wanted nothing more than to get back to her room to shower, change, and find Logan. No way was that infuriating man getting off without them talking about what had just happened between them.

But there had been no sign of Logan, his room empty from an obviously quick packing and his scoot gone. A quick telepathic sweep of the area had confirmed that he was long gone.

Typical Wolverine behavior, get too close to the man and he runs. He was the one who had asked me to return!

She'd just have to corner him when he got back.

But a week had passed. Two. Then three.

There was no word from Logan, which was very unusual even with his typical escapism routine. They had corresponded every day for six years, and had never gone so long without checking in with her. Her worry quickly replaced the anger and frustration at his behavior. Even the Professor and the rest of the team were starting to get concerned. They had tried Cerebro and various contacts around the world but it was as if he had disappeared, and no one had any leads.

Worst of all, Jubilee couldn't ignore the sinking feeling in her gut that told her Logan was in trouble. The Wolverine she knew might go on a drinking binge when his emotions overwhelmed him, he might even go for a trip to Canada, but he wouldn't have gone this long without sending word to someone that he was ok. His absebce was gnawing a hole in her heart , and for the first time she sought to actively use her prescience powers, instead of reacting to them.

It wasn't an exact art by any means, trying to go with her instincts. She had rummaged through his closet, grabbing an old flannel shirt of his to stir her memories. Inhaling deeply, it smelled of cigars and whiskey, and a musky smell all his own. With the Professor's permission she even ventured to use Cerebro. Using her telepathy and memories she let her mind wander on the psychic plane, trying to get an idea of where to start searching.

Half an hour passed and she had been ready to call it quits, when she felt a gentle tugging at her mind. Following the direction of the beacon she watched the psychic plane fly overhead in map form, the lights representing people's minds a blur of color. Finally the map halted in France, refusing to be more specific.

Hrm....I was invited to that physics conference next week in Paris, but I hadn't planned on going. Perhaps its time for a little shopping and mayhem, after all?

She decided not to tell the team what she had learned until she had more solid proof. She was still uneasy with how her prescience worked. Plus she had a feeling that she was meant to go alone, silly as that may seem. So she had told the team that the conference had slipped her mind, and took a huge shopping list for Jean and Storm with promises to bring back goodies.

They had discussed Logan's disappearance before she left, agreeing that when she returned from Paris they would formulate a plan of action to find him. Making her goodbyes, she had taken the next plane to France from La Guardia Airport and was soon on her way.

When she had arrived in Paris earlier that week she had visited old friends and acquaintances, putting out a subtle message on the streets that she was looking for Logan. The mutant community was by no means one big happy family, but the X-men had friends everywhere and they were now on watch.

The conference hadn't started until yesterday, and she wasn't sure what she would really learn from the assembly of characters attending. They were a quirky breed, physicists. Major corporations tried to woo prominent physicists to their projects by sponsoring conferences such as this one. Lodging was complimentary, as was food and entertainment. The five-star hotel had beautiful suites and restaurants, and was situated at the hub of Paris near all the nightlife one could hope for. Lectures and topical meetings filled the days, and elaborate entertainment and dining was organized for the nights.

Well, I'm not accomplishing anything moping around the hotel like this.

She had plenty of time to try and understand her relationship with Logan later; after she knew he was safe...and had given him a piece of her mind. Her powers had led her this far, and she knew in her gut that it had been the right decision. Breathing deeply, she released control of her mental shields and focused on finding Logan.

Its time to trust yourself, Lee. Let's see what these powers can do.