xp_logs | Doug and Jubilee vacationing (backdated)

Backdated to July. After the events of Don't Close Your Eyes, Jubilee takes Doug on a vacation.

Jubilee solved the problem of how to get Doug to go on vacation with her by simply walking into the server room, dumping an incredibly loud Hawaiian shirt on his lap and then wheeling the computer chair he was sitting on out the door before locking it behind her quite firmly.

"You, me, vacation on an island somewhere in the Barhamas, now," she said when he gave her what she considered to be an adorably bewildered look. "No taking anything even remotely computer like with you for the duration." If they needed help at any stage, she'd still have her staff phone but she knew if Doug took anything like that with him, he'd feel an urge to work and vacation was so not about work.

Doug grimaced up at Jubilee from his chair. Work was helping him keep his mind off of just how injured he was. And the disturbing image of a man with no skin on his face. And the death of Amelia Voght. And all of his own nightmares, that he was immensely thankful that Parker Matthews hadn't managed to sink his claws into. "I suppose I have no say in the matter, and that you've already packed me a bag?" he asked evenly.

"Yes, and e-mailed Emma as you to get us a good place to stay and first class tickets on a flight out of here leaving in about an hour," Jubilee replied, tipping the chair up slightly to get him to stand up. "There's a taxi waiting outside with all our stuff in it, and I've left e-mails to everyone about where we'll be and instructions to like, not contact us unless the world is ending or being eaten by giant crabs or something."

"And I have to wear the shirt?" That was a bit plaintive, but Doug was pretty sure that the shirt Jubilee had gotten might have even been too loud for Jamie.

---

"Okay, fine, you were right," Doug told Jubilee as they sat in a pair of rattan chairs and watched the sun sink low over the Atlantic Ocean.

"Let me just bask in that unusual sequence of words when applied to me," Jubilee replied with a grin. "I've been thinking I might go surfing."

She'd dressed this morning in a particularly skimpy bikini and a saroong, fully intending to do nothing that would require formal wear of any sort, and that included shoes.

Doug was absolutely appreciating the view. Now if his elbow would just heal quicker. It was at the stage where it itched under the skin, and was annoying as hell. He winced at a familiar sort of look in Jubilee's eye. "I know that look," he said. "My arm is still healing!" he protested.

"Chicken, we could totally strap your arm down so it wouldn't get hurt," Jubilee protested, her grin growing brighter as she flipped over onto her stomach and popped her chin on her hands. "I checked the weather forecasts, today is going to be incredibly awesome for surfing."

"Okay, fine." Doug knew when he wasn't going to win. "Just find me something to put over this soft cast and sling so it won't get wet."

***

Drops of water fell on Doug's lap as Jubilee leaned over him, pushing down the lid of his laptop to take a look at what he was doing. "Should I be amused or annoyed that you managed to get them to deliver you computer equipment to an island in less then a day?"

"This island isn't -that- remote, Jubes," Doug noted, not looking all that repentant. "It's just a question of knowing where to order from and what sorts of shipping to route it with."

"You are like, totally internet addicted, you know that right?" Jubilee replied, but the look on her face was fond rather then annoyed. She pushed wet hair back from her face and glanced back out toward the breakers. "I still can't believe you'd rather do this stuff when we're got the most awesomeist waves ever right now."

"It's my job to be addicted to the internet, sweetie," he told her. "And I just get...a bit twitchy without at least the option of being able to know what's going on. Not even work, necessarily, just...stuff in general." He knew she had meant well with the 'no computer' edict when she'd come to drag him off, but just having the laptop nearby made him feel better. He closed the lid and smiled up at her. "Hi," he said, a bit of a crooked and self-aware grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"What exactly is it you think that's gonna happen if you don't have a computer nearby?" Jubilee asked, picking up his legs and sliding onto the end of the banana lounge he was sitting on. She didn't actually mind that he'd brought the laptop, but it felt like this was more then just simple internet addiction speaking.

"Things." Doug lay back and stared up at the sky above him. "Who knows what." The constellation of bad things that could happen to any of them at a moment's notice was obvious, especially with what had happened to Remy.

"Eternal vigilance?" Jubilee replied, digging her thumb into a pressure point on one of his feet, one she knew would release tension. "Love, not even you can cover everything, that's why we're a team and not just a bunch of people working on our own."

Doug grunted as she pressed at a particularly tense spot. "I know, I know, I just...I don't deal well with not knowing things." He blew out a long breath.

Jubilee concentrated her attention on the spot, digging thumbs into the pressure point. "You're not very good at giving up control, are you?"

She said it with affection evident in her voice, knowing that she had some of the own problems herself.

"Whatever gave you that idea," Doug asked rhetorically and ever-so-slightly sarcastically.

***

She awoke with a gasp, dragging the hand from her shoulder and using leverage to toss the person over her and onto the floor at her side. She followed to crouch over him, her hand fetching the knife she'd concealed under the mattress. It was only when Doug flipped her in turn that she realised her mistake.

"Whoa," she said, dropping the knife from her hand.

Doug had managed to redirect the strike away from him, Jubilee's forearm trapped between his good arm and his body. "Are you all right?" he asked gently. "You were crying out in your sleep."

Jubilee tugged at her arm, placing the knife on the ground beside them as Doug let go of her. "Bad dreams, sorry. You'd think I would've had enough of them, what with the whole mansion thing."

"It's okay." Doug touched her arm gently, taking a few deep breaths and uncoiling from the tension of a few moments ago. He could still feel the adrenaline roaring through his veins, and he was sure Jubilee could too. "I wasn't even there, and I've had some pretty terrible dreams myself." He was actually somewhat grateful that Parker Matthews hadn't been able to get hold of his nightmares.

Jubilee leaned her forehead against his shoulder, shoving her hands under his body to get a good enough grip for a hug. She couldn't have told him in words what she needed right now, but human touch, his touch would bring her out of the darkness of her dreams.

"It's really not," she replied eventually with a sigh, but she brushed a kiss on his naked shoulder. "But it will be, I've gone through this enough times, I just have to process, that's all."

Doug curled his arms around Jubilee's shoulders, pressing her close, knowing how important touch could be at a time like this. "Well, just let me know what there is I can do to help, all right?" he asked quietly.

"Just be here," Jubilee said, reply somewhat muffled against his shoulder as she hugged tighter for a moment before releasing him with a sigh. "We need to go back soon."

"Yeah." Doug's tone was slightly dejected, even though he knew she was right. Part of him just wished he could take off and spend the rest of his life traveling, no responsibility, no obligation, nothing but sun, sand, and relaxation.

"Not till the end of the week though," Jubilee noted, sliding onto her side and curling into him. "We've got time."