Fan Fiction ❯ When Stars Collide ❯ Chapter 3

Jubilee started to pull the energy towards her body, but noticed a movement in the shadows of the quickly darkening solarium.

"Dr. Lee! There you are, I've been looking all over for you."

A long-limbed beauty stepped from the shadows, towering over her. Jubilee smiled genuinely as she recognized Dr. Misha Patrova. They often attended the same conferences, and had struck up camaraderie during a boring and outdated physics lectures one day. Jubilee had even stayed with her while visiting St. Petersburg last winter. Misha had showed her the sights, taking her shopping and introducing her to her daughter Katrina.

Widowed at a young age when her husband had died from leukemia, she was both a beautiful and brilliant physicist. Tall and slender, she had long- lashed green eyes, and her long platinum blond hair gave her an exotic look. Her specialty was sound wave theories, and often corresponded with Jubilee about her work.

"Please, Misha, call me Jubilee. I insist. We've known each other too long to be so professional."

"Dah, Jubilee. Fender Industries is having a huge costume party tonight at the Jazz Baby nightclub downtown. Dinner, drinks, I heard they paid a fortune to have some Cirque de Soleil performers provide entertainment. Not to mention it's the best jazz club in Paris!" Misha's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"I even managed to get a sitter for Katrina through the hotel. You simply have to come with me! Did you see those physicists from Venezuela?!" Misha whistled appreciatively with a wide grin.

Jubilee had barely inhaled to respond that she had other plans, when she felt a sense of unease wash over her. Is this what it feels like to have a Spidey sense? Jubilee smiled wryly to herself. Yeah, yeah I get the hint. Time for a night on the town, evidentally.

"Sounds like fun! I could use a some relaxation after listening to McBennet's lecture." Jubilee wrinkled her nose. "How about I throw on something a lil' more appropriate and meet you down in the lobby at eight?"

"Wonderful! I'll meet you near the front desk then. Don't forget your costume!" Spinning around quickly, Misha flitted from the room with an excited bounce in her step.

Grrrrr, I hate being led around by fate! Jubilee marched back to her suite feeling disgruntled. Don't forget you're doing this for Logan, Lee. You don't have to like it, as long as it gets results.

Jubilee stepped into the main room of the Jazz Baby nightclub, and surveyed the room with an eye trained to take in details. A well-camouflaged smoke machine pumped out a scentless fog over the room, and the dim lights gave it a romantic feel. All of the employees were dressed in clothing from the 1920's era, from the tuxedoed servers to the scantily-clad cigarette cuties.

Chicago, eat your heart out. Jubilee thought dryly to herself.

Near the stage a jazz band played a tune of yesteryear, led by the tinkling of a pianist at the forefront. Hanging from the rafters of the high ceiling were long velvet ropes to either side of the stage. Two exotic beauties swung and twirled in unison over the crowd, giving the crowd a celebratory mood.

Being a theme nightclub, the patrons were encouraged to wear period costumes. Given the popularity of the spot, and the waiting line around the block, most were happy to comply. Indeed, there was even a rental shop in the vestibule open at all hours for corporate parties such as the one she was attending. Jubilee had called earlier to have a costume sent to her room, and was surprised at the quality of the clothes.

As she entered the room, she received more than a few stares. The shop had sent a satin ice-blue evening gown with intricate embroidery to her room. The plunging neckline gave a tantalizing view of skin, and the back fell into a puddle of satin at the small of her back. Few women had the bodies to pull of such a gown, but she knew she wore it well. She had curled her long hair in a light wave, and had pulled it back with delicate cloisonné combs. Her pearl necklace and earrings were real, not costume; and they rounded out the ensemble with understated elegance. Misha had rented a shimmering dress of gold silk and they made a stunning combination as they strolled towards the front of the room.

They sat at a well-placed table near the stage where their Venezuelan colleagues were already seated. The party had been going for a while, and the festive mood fit well with the boisterous music in the background. Yet Jubilee could not shake the uneasy mood from earlier.

She felt dizzy, and her pulse was beating faster from some unnamed anxiety. What's wrong with you, Lee? You've dealt with armageddons, doppledangers and diabolical evil masterminds. There's nothing threatening about a roomful of geeky scientists, even if they are a little tipsy.

Jubilee had a clear view of the room from her table, and slowly eased her mental shields in increments to avoid sensory overload. She had not touched the champagne at her fingertips, and yet she felt nausea roll over her in waves as though she had had too much to drink.

She felt as though the room was spinning, and the sounds around her seemed to fade as her disorientation became more prevalent. Time slowed down and people began to move in jerking half-motions. The hair on the nape of her neck prickled as she felt her alarm increase..Logan!

Jubilee could feel Logan close by, and he was badly hurt, his berserker rage glaring off of him like a supernova beacon. Frantically she tried to pull herself together and overcome the twirling movements and lights around her. Feeling herself close to passing out, she dared something she had never before tried. Honing in on Logan's psychic signature she yanked at the dimensional fabric with all her might…. and held on for dear life.

Jubilee felt herslef propelled towards Logan's location in blur of sensations, which made her previous nausea seem like a walk in the park. She had no idea where she was going, her actions had been of desperation, and pure instinct. Suddenly, the she landed hard against a polished marble floor, nose first. Loud screams and gunfire rattled the room around her, and she forced herself to weakly roll over to get a fix on the surroundings.

Jubilee could not help but gawk as she gazed at the chaos around her. She was still in the Jazz Baby, but she faced a much different scene. The smoke in the room was now real, from cigarettes and smoking guns. The festive mood had been replaced with scrambling patrons, fleeing for the door in almost a stampede to escape the machine gun fire.

Searching the room for Misha, she could not help but notice that the stage held an orchestra pit hiding the musicians, instead of making them the focus of the room. And although it was hazy in the room, the lighting was much dimmer and came from sparkling chandeliers instead of imitation Art Deco lamps.

It doesn't make any sense..I'm at the Jazz Baby, but these aren't the same people, its doesn't even seem to be the same room..did I time traveled? It wouldn't be the first time it's happened to an X-men.

Blinking to clear her head from the fall, she felt someone hurtle towards her and they rolled together, landing behind a nearby table. Bullets whizzed past her head, which she had barely dodged in time.

Slumping to the ground beneath the weight of her rescuer, she knew who it was before she even opened her eyes. Large rough hands cradled her as though she were delicate porcelain, amidst the chaos. Breathing in the familiar scent of whisky and cigars she beamed at Logan's face as she opened her eyes, tears of relief falling freely.

What she found in his gaze though was confusion, not recognition. He held her as though he would never let her go, but he said nothing, staring at her bemusedly. As Jubilee tried to lean up on her elbows, she noticed the multiple gunshot wounds bleeding freely from his white dress shirt, and felt him wince with the movement..

And yet he did not release her. He held onto her like she was his anchor in a stormy sea, the only real thing in his world. Their eyes met and for a moment, nothing existing but them.

Pulling her closer as gunshots rained around them, he wrapped his body protectively over her. Running his fingertips over her silky tresses, he inhaled deeply. He did not know who she was, that she was sure of. But she could not help but pick up an overwhelming emotion radiating from his mind. ?..MINE! She reeled at the possessive tone, deeply startled.

"Oh my God, Wolvie! Speak to me, I've never seen you this shot up before! We have to get out of here!" Jubilee trembled with emotion, blinking back tears of worry.

'Wolvie?" Logan gave her a puzzled look at the endearment. His voice seemed gruff with misuse.

"I don't understand darlin'..I don't remember much of what's happened beyond the last few weeks, this is the least of what I've been dealing with. I know you..I know I do, but I just can't remember."

Jubilee stilled, not sure of how much she wanted to reveal to Logan in the current locale. The situation was out of hand, and they needed to get out of quickly. She was one of the most powerful mutants in decades and she was lying on the floor barely dodging bullets. Logan's healing factor had his wounds slowly closing up, but she couldn't even count the bullet holes in his shirt through the blood stains.

Gritting her teeth, she gently eased out of his arms. She still felt dizzy from the fall and time travel, but she was an X-men and had been trained to ignore such things when needed. Logan needed her now.

Phasing the matter of the table in front of them so that she could see through it, she saw that the room was still filled with a panicking crowd. She had no doubt that Logan was the target of the gangsters, but luckily they weren't being very discriminative in their search of the nightclub.

Focusing on filling the wiring above the chandelier with a massive globule of plasma, she took Logan's hand in hers and squeezed it reassuringly. "Trust me, Logan. I can get us out of here, just don't let go. No matter what."

Logan didn't hesitate, nodding with a small grunt and squeezing her hand back. He must be hurting more than he lets on to be so accommodating. Get it moving, Lee.

Jubilee edged slowly across the marble floor towards the wall behind them with Logan following closely, still holding her hand. Releasing the plasma burst above the chandelier, the room was filled with a spectacular array of light and shattering glass,and then went dark as the electrical circuits were blown.

When they reached the wall she concentrated on the different density and compositions of their bodies, slowly phasing their bodies through the wall. It was slow work, and she had never tried phasing someone else. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

There was a moment when they were intangible, only a memory of their physical bodies. She was unable to maintain her mental shields in such a state, and it felt as though they were one, their consciousnesses combined. Jubilee could feel the overwhelming trust from Logan, and his fear for her safety.

I didn't think you were afraid of anything, Wolvie…. Jubilee sent him mental reassurance, backed with her love and trying to mask her own worry.

Finally, they fell through to the other side, landing in a tumble of arms and legs in the cloak room. She was sweating from the exertion and Logan's breathing was labored as they dug their way our from behind heavy furs and winter jackets. The room was empty as everyone had rushed into the cold out the fire exit.

Grabbing for a long men's jacket she grinned and tugged Logan to his feet. "Time to play dress up, Wolvie. Not that those blood stains don't look dashing." She whistled low. "You carry it well all things considered, but I think we've worn out our welcome."

Logan smirked and allowed her to help him pull the voluminous jacket over his other clothes. Jubilee tied a soft cashmere scarf at his throat to cover the blood near his face and placed a jaunty bowler hat upon his crested hair. As for herself, she pulled a lavish silver fox coat over her gown, pulling the front together tightly to hide the blood stains from their embrace.

"Shall we, Monsieur Logan?" She laughed at the ridiculousness of the situation and found she couldn't stop, slightly hysterical. Logan's smile faded and he pulled her into his arms again, holding her tightly against him in comfort.

'I don't even know your name, darlin'…. I didn't even know my name until a few minutes ago. Everything is going to be all right, shhhh." Logan soothed her with his voice and stroked her back as she leaned against him just breathing in his scent. She had never realized how much she had missed the way he smelled.

"Its Jubilee, Jubilation Lee……but you like to call me Jubes sometimes, Wolvie." She smiled wistfully up at him. "We need to get out of here and figure out what the hell is going on."

"Jubilee." Logan said quietly to himself.

Jubilee considered their next move. They needed to regroup in a safe place, but she couldn't think of many landmarks that would have been around during the 1920's Paris other than the most obvious ones. Much of the city had been rebuilt after World War II, and they needed a quick escape.

Perking up suddenly, Jubilee smiled up at Logan. "Hmm, I think I know somewhere we can blend in and try and figure out this mess." Tugging insistently at his coat, she led him out the front of the empty lobby.