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Hank encounters Jubilee in the library. He offers to help her with her homework, and winds up helping with a more important problem.




Jubilee rubbed a hand across her eyes, blinking softly as she turned the page on the history book she was currently studying. Today was a tuesday, so that meant history and math on her study program. She'd worked out that if she dedicated each day of the week to two subjects, that she could get quite a bit of study done and actually retain some of what she was looking at. Between class, study and the exercise regeime she'd assigned to herself she hadn't had much chance to hang out with people. But it would all bear fruit in the end, and then she'd have time to talk to people again.

It was just that she'd spent so much time neglecting everything that had to do with book knowledge that she had so much to catch up on. Still, it was worth giving a go, even if in the end it only improved her scores slightly. Hopefully enough to get her into a school she wanted to go to, rather then having to settle for whoever would take her.

Jubilee had been in the library the first time Hank passed. She was still there the second time he glanced in, too. The third time, he was armed, with soda and a bag of cookies, and headed in. "Greetings, Jubilation," he said cheerfully, setting both down in front of her. "Study break time!"

She blinked somewhat myopically at him for a second before her eyes cleared and she smiled. "Hey, Hankster. Come to save me from dreaming about quadratic equations?" Jubilee said as she snagged the soda first, popping the lid and taking a long sip before setting it down with a contented sigh.

"Given that you haven't moved since I first passed the library nearly an hour ago, I figured you were probably due." He smiled, snagging a nearby chair that looked pretty sturdy and sitting next to her. "I haven't seen you much lately... busy stuffing your head with knowledge, hm?"

"Yep, although not terribly sure how much good it's going to do. Had Lorna help me figure out foods and stuff that'd help me and then I sat down and put this plan together that'd give me the most chance to study...although, it's kinda left me with almost no time for the social stuff. Still, there's time for that later, right?" Jubilee replied, opening the bag of cookies with the intent expression of one to whom cookies were not merely snacking but an experience to be savoured.

"Indeed. And as indicated by my multiple degrees, I am a great proponent of education." Hank grinned. "And study. But it's important to have breaks, too, or your brain will go all sludgy." He gave her an encouraging look. "Do let me know, if you need any help? Rumour has it I do do the teaching thing upon occasion." It was nice being back in his classes, exercising his brain at people....

Jubilee munched on a peanut butter cookie thoughtfully. "Weelll, I was going to do some math study today. If you're willing, I could really use the help."

"I'd love to help." Hank nodded. "I've always liked math. It's so very predictable. So orderly... there's always a right answer, and you can always get to it the same way." He shook his head, smiling ruefully. "Much, much easier than genetics, which sometimes seems almost to delight in messing with my head. So many variables, all affecting each other..."

She smiled, pushing the history text away and bending down to drag her maths textbook from her bag. She'd dropped Physics sometime last year but had kept up with general mathematics. "Mostly it's not too hard, it's just algebra that's the problem. Straight numbers, I can do but this stuff has all those weird formulas and funny letters added in. So not sure why they don't just do it all in numbers, what the hell do you need with funny letters anyway?"

"To mess with your mind." Hank grinned. "I always liked algebra. It's like a little mathematical mystery story. A is the murderer, and you have to pick him or her out of the numerical lineup." He shifted around so he could see better. "You're going to need deductive reasoning if you want to be a cop. Think of this as practice... a and x will stay right where they are until you figure them out, at least, unlike a live criminal."

"Never thought about it that way before." Jubilee replied, pulling her scribble pad closer to her as she glanced at the first problem. She quickly sketched the problem onto the sheet and wrote down the formula underneath it. After a moment of studying the problem, she wrote the answer she thought was right and pushed the pad toward Hank for perusal. "So, why genetics, Doc? Not the easiest profession in the world, especially not these days."

Hank looked at the problem and smiled. "There, see? You got it right. Sometimes it helps to think of it in terms that make it useful to you." He nudged the pad back, so she could try the next, slightly harder one. "And I got into genetics because I love to know what makes things go. I started with straight mechanics as a boy, deviated into literature when I was a little older, moved on to physics and to medicine, and then medicine led me to genetics. I like knowing why things happen. All different kinds of things. People, too."

Jubilee's forehead scrunched slightly in thought as she looked at the problem, writing several solutions before crossing out each in turn. Looking back at the book, she tapped her fingers together slightly, counting. Finally, shaking her head she pushed the pad back toward Hank. "Just doesn't make sense. I mean, that should have gotten the right answer but I keep missin' somethin'."

Hank looked at the problem for a moment, then pointed out where she was going wrong. "There. You forgot to do that step on both sides." He smiled as her eyes brightened with understanding. Jubilee was a smart kid. She just had to start from an earlier point than many of her peers. And speaking of which.... "I've been doing some backreading on the journals, trying to find out what's been going on while I was sick," he said casually.

Jubilee's expression remained the same as she scribbled down the next problem, her entire concentration focussed on her schoolwork. "Oh?" she replied casually, as though they were discussing nothing more then the weather.

"Yes. Quite a lot went on while I was out of touch." Hank peeked over her shoulder as she scribbled. "Especially around the time that you came down to try to cheer me up and help me build my book-castle."

Jubilee swore as the pencil broke at the sudden force she had applied to it, her shoulders stiffing as got ready for yet another lecture. It wasn't as if Marie-Ange and the rest hadn't been more then clear about what they thought of her. About how much of a jerk she was, about how she'd hurt Amanda. Yet in all that, they'd seemed content to be critical of her, never really offering any advice that wasn't sarcastic at best, or downright insulting at worst. Doug had been especially irritating, his whole 'you just don't get it' cracks without actually offering to tell her what she wasn't getting. If she hadn't known what a bad idea it would have been to search him out and punch him in the nose, she might well be serving multiple detentions for assaulting a fellow student right now.

"You come to tell me what a jerk I was too then?" Jubilee asked, her tone deceptively calm.

"Actually, no." He touched her shoulder gently. "I wanted to thank you for coming down to see me, and try to comfort me, when you had every reason not to want to talk to anyone. It was kind of you to think of me even when you were having such a rotten day."

She could have accepted that praise, basked in the warmth of something she didn't often get,admittedly because she rarely did things to be praised for. Jubilee had always tried to be honest though...Okay, except when she was doing people out of money but that had been when she needed to eat, otherwise she was honest for specific definitions of honesty. "Mostly it was just that you were the one person I could count on right then not ta look at me like I was a monster, Hank. I mean, she'd been joking about underwear like, a couple of days before. How the was I to know it wasn't the same thing? Wasn't like I said 'by the way, me and your boyfriend just screwed like bunnies on your bed. PS Hugs and Kisses, Love Jubilee.' Not that we did, wouldn't touch Manny with a ten foot pole now, not cause he's a bad guy just that he and Mandy are exclusive, ya know? Just don't get people most days."

"I've noticed that." Hank nodded. "It was still kind of you to try to reassure me, though. You could have asked for reassurance yourself, under the circumstances, especially given some of the things that were said to you. But you didn't. You tried to cheer me up instead, and to not let me know that you were distressed." He patted her back gently. "I know you're trying, Jubilee," he said softly. "You still make a lot of mistakes, but I know you're trying hard not to. That certainly counts for a lot."

Jubilee nodded, looking across at him thoughtfully. "S'hard sometimes, knowing what to say and not getting things wrong. Then, when you do get things wrong, it's like you're right back at square one with people glaring at you and telling you that you're going backwards. And sometimes, wish I was back in Cali cause at least there most people were too busy or just didn't give a damn about you, so you didn't have to be 'polite', or worry about sayin' the right thing. Mostly, people just didn't bother, ya know? Someone pissed you off, ya just walked away, didn't have to stick around and see 'em every day like you do here."

She hadn't wanted to ask for help. It had felt like it was something she needed to fix, something that she shouldn't use as an excuse. Even if she had tried that sometimes, in order to get out of trouble. She'd been trying to do that less often lately though, if only because it was getting somewhat old.

Hank nodded slowly. His slow deterioration had given him a certain insight, he thought, into Jubilee's problem. Losing access to his own knowledge of how to interact with people, how to talk properly... it had made it much easier to understand how utterly crippling a lack of knowledge could be. When you didn't know where to start looking, you had no way of finding an answer. "Come on," he said, taking her hand and gently tugging her up out of her chair. "You know the wonderful thing about having a library like this? It means that no book ever gets thrown away, because it might come in handy someday."

Jubilee allowed herself to be led, trailing along behind Hank with a quizzical expression. "What are you talkin' about, Dude?"

He led her to the section where the older children's books had been shelved. Books that dated back to his youth... and some even to the Professor's. He came back here now and then when he was feeling nostalgic... Ms Blyton never failed to charm. And he'd found another book here that might help, a bit. "This book is... well. Very old fashioned. And a bit patronizing, and intended for those much younger than yourself. But they're out of fashion, and I don't know of any more recent ones, especially not for older readers." He harrumphed quietly. "There are quite a few people who would benefit from them, mind you. But sadly they will not get the chance."

He pulled the book off the shelf, and looked at it. Tritely cutesy, but still... "I know how lost you must feel sometimes," he said gently. "Just not knowing where you're making the mistakes, or how to fix them. This one doesn't really cover interacting with other teenagers, but... well. It's a start." And given how young she'd been when she apparently stopped coping with other people, it might be at a level she understood. He held out 'Miss Kitty Makes Friends', the omnibus edition of Miss Kitty's adventures in learning to have nice manners and play well with others. "And... well, maybe this will help, somewhat. It spells things out pretty clearly."

"You mean there's books on this stuff? Why the hell didn't anyone tell me?" Jubilee replied, gripping the book tightly, a suddenly hopeful expression on her face. "So, like, how come this kinda thing is out of fashion? Would think everyone needs ta know this stuff. Especially since not knowin' it seems ta cause so much damn trouble round here."

"There were changes in educational fashion. Someone... my personal theory being some complete idiot... decided that training children in manners and etiquette from a young age was unnatural, and stifling their carefree little childhoods. Young children, it was thought, should be free and unfettered and 'natural', without having the stringencies of manners or education imposed upon them. And have their self-esteem boosted, instead of being cooped up learning their ABCs and how to say please and thank you." He snorted. "I daily thank God that my parents took an old-fashioned approach. I would have died of boredom if they hadn't let me learn to read until I was old enough to go to school."

Jubilee smiled, thinking of her own parents. They had gone for somewhat of the middle approach, allowing her free reign as long as she'd finished her homework and chores beforehand and showed respect when it was needed. "I'm all for the carefree childhood, Big Blue. But I'm thinkin' somewhere in the middle is probably better. Learnin' these things, and still being able to run around like little terrors at times. Worked for my folks, anyhow, least what I remember of what they taught me."

"There's nothing wrong with having some carefree time... but it shouldn't be all the time. Fun is one thing, enforced ignorance is another." Hank smiled at her. "I imagine your folks tried to make sure you had time for both fun and for learning, which is a good way to go about it. And I hope the book helps." He reached out to touch her cheek lightly. "There's no shame in not having knowledge, or not understanding things you've never been taught to understand," he said gently. "As long as you do try to learn, and I know you're trying."

She leaned into the touch for a second, allowing herself the comfort. It was so rarely that people thought to touch her, and she supposed that was another of the thing she had herself to thank for, she'd never really been approachable. "Thanks. Do you think, if I have questions, it'd be okay to ask you?"

"It would definitely be okay to ask me. And if you do make another mistake, and you're not sure where you went wrong, I'd be happy to explain as best I can." Hank nodded. "Advice, encouragement, and hugs, on request."