Jubilee & Scott:

[x-jubilee.livejournal.com]

Who: Jubilation Lee, Scott Summers
When: Friday 13th July 2006 Time: 12:00 midnight
What Happens: Scott finds Jubilee in the Danger room after a message from Xavier, they talk and some decisions about her future are made.



It was quiet in the control booth, computers humming to themselves as they shifted data. A light flashing on one panel showed the Danger room currently occupied, and a screen saver was scrolling across the screen, showing the current time expended therein.

***

Jubilee had not turned the safeties on the Danger room off, although it had been a near thing. Only her regard for the people who would have to find her afterwards had changed her mind. She had however set it to the highest maximum limit on the current program she could.

It was helping, in a 'huge explosions and property damage are matching my current mood' kind of way. She was certainly exhausting enough mental energy that she didn't have a lot of time to think about anything but the next obstacle, currently a series of lasers seemingly hell-bent on taking several inches from her already petite height.

She brushed away the smear of blood that trickled from her nose and redoubled her efforts, sparkles dancing in the air around her as each of the laser turrets exploded.

Before she could finish off the last of them, however, the Danger Room powered down with a shrill klaxon that sounded almost offended. As the surviving turrets withdrew into their alcoves and the room shifted back into its standard configuration, the doors slid open.

"What exactly do you think that you're doing?" Scott's voice wasn't angry, just concerned. He was in sweatpants and a t-shirt, and judging from the way his hair was sticking up in all directions, had just been roused from bed. He frowned at her as he got closer and saw the smear of blood on her face. "Besides overstraining yourself... you're lucky Charles was awake and let me know what was happening."

'Crap, forgot about Chuck.' Jubilee thought, wincing as several parts of her body reported in that they were quite unhappy with her.

"Training?" she replied, gesturing to her uniform as she walked across to where he stood. It was probably unworthy of her to try and evade the question, especially considering the concern she could hear in his voice, but she tried anyway. Old habits really did die hard sometimes.

"This is not training," Scott said calmly, somehow managing to be Cyclops even in bare feet and what were functionally pyjamas.

"Avoiding, then." Jubilee replied with a wry smile. She never had been able to pull anything with Scott. It had been a while since she'd even wanted to. "It wasn't working out too badly, really."

Scott folded his arms across his chest, eyeing her for a long moment. "What's wrong?" he finally asked, almost gently. "Something's happened, hasn't it?"

Jubilee paused for a moment, rubbing the blood off her hand and onto her uniform leg absently. "You could say that. You could also say that I have to be the worst judge of character that ever existed, and shouldn't be trusted with sharp objects or small children."

She wasn't in control, not at all and with each word bitterly spoken a small shower of sparks spun around fingers.

"What happened?" Scott repeated, just as quietly.

"David decided having a cop for a girlfriend was a good way to cover up the fact he was dealing drugs. Although, in my defence, I suppose he could have been doing that since before I met him. I wouldn't really know though, since staying any longer and asking him would have required that I do something permanent and possibly fatal, and I didn't think that would go over too well." Jubilee said, focusing on a spot somewhere over Scott's right shoulder as she recited the words.

Oh, dammit. Scott sighed, unfolding his arms. "Asshole," he said, and then smiled faintly at her. "Not you. Him."

Jubilee snorted softly, the coldness in her gaze cracking slightly. "Yeah, S'not all of it though. They were going to hold an investigation. I mean, livin' with the guy, I'd have had to notice something, right? Least, that's what they thought. So, I quit. If they think I'd have anythin' to do with that kind of thing, they can take their shiny badges and shove 'em."

"Oh, Jubilee..." She'd wanted the academy so badly. Scott's expression turned pained as he gazed down at her. "Are you sure? I mean, I get the pride thing, but you didn't have anything to do with it." There was no 'if'.

"No." Jubilee replied honestly, wiping a hand across her eyes. "But then, it's done and I don't think that right now I can see myself going back. What happened with David...I know it wasn't my fault. Amanda even said that she had no idea. But, I still can't believe I didn't see it. I'm just so tired, Scott. I didn't want to do it anymore, not any of it."

"Didn't want to do what?" Scott asked softly, taking a step closer and, without really thinking about it, sliding an arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a brief hug. "Just tell me what you do need, all right?"

Jubilee leaned into the hug, taking the comfort offered before stepping back slightly. "The academy mostly, my job at the diner, living in New York. I know they had to hold an investigation but it just felt like a failure. My grades haven't been great lately, working so much and trying to study too. Other people do it though, lots of people. I'd have been the biggest baby in the world to pack it in just cause it was hard."

She looked up at him, the pain in her eyes evident now that she was letting go of the guards she kept up most of the time. "I'm thinkin' of going back to LA. I don't know where yet, just somewhere I can think. Maybe get a place, I got good marks, I could try working somewhere other then a Diner. Do something, I don't know what. I was gonna ask Chuck for a loaner, just enough for a plane ticket."

Scott gazed down at her, then smiled a bit, almost wryly. "You know, you're overlooking an obvious answer, Jubilee. Something that would make it easier for you to go back to the West Coast, if that's what you want to do. I'm almost positive that Alison would be able to put you to work."

Jubilee averted her gaze for a second, before turning back and lifting her chin, lip only slightly wobbly. She would not cry...she would so not cry. No matter how much those simple words had meant to her.

Okay, well, maybe she'd only cry a little. She grinned ruefully at him as she tried to get enough composure to talk. "I didn't want to assume. I just, I haven't exactly been the most reliable X-man lately, ya know?"

"Hey. Don't say that." Scott's smile turned almost affectionate. "We all have our unreliable moments. Comes with the job. And you are an X-Man, Jubilation Lee," he told her more firmly, resting his hands on her shoulders and squeezing gently. "I think what you need right now isn't so much a fresh start, as somewhere that you know people respect you and what you can do. Where you don't need to doubt that they have faith in you, because you know it. And hell," he concluded, almost whimsically, "worse comes to worse; you can give Al gray hairs."

She'd missed this, living in New York. The feeling of being part of the team, being trusted, as Scott had said. And, it would be fantastic to see Al again, even if Haroun would kick her arse in training. And after she'd gotten her head together, and perhaps figured out exactly what she wanted to do, she could always come back. This was home, more then any other place in the world, funny how she hadn't seen it till now.

Jubilee grinned; feeling like a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Of course, that didn't stop her from noticing the bruising her little Dangerroom escapade had caused, nor the decidedly wobbly knee that she'd gotten a rather bad knock on sometime turning the same.

"I'll take it." she said, smile still evident despite the pain. "Now, how about you help me to the Medlab, I think I'm not quite ready for this level just yet. Who the hell decided giant robots were a good idea, anyhow?"

Scott ruffled her hair, then slid his arm back around her shoulders as he drew her towards the door. "I think you must have hit your head," he said amiably. "Don't see any giant robots. Someone would have to be a sadist to program giant robots."

Jubilee chuckled, allowing herself to be led out. "And of course, no sadists in this place, none whatsoever. So, how long do you think before Haroun makes me run barefoot over lava rocks once I'm there?"

"If he does, rat on him to me. I'll fly over and beat him up."