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Sequel to Everything is Not All Right
Jean stormed off down the hall in the opposite direction of Jubilee, her heels clicking loudly. She radiated pure outrage, and as a telepath, she made sure the rest of us knew it, especially me. I realized what that last scene had to look like to her. "Enough games Betsy. What・s going on here?" I didn・t answer Scott. I didn・t have the answer, even for myself. "Logan?" "You・re the only one not involved in this Cyke. Keep it that way." Logan ducked and bolted for the doorway. Cyke had already moved out of his way before I pulled him back and bound him with my teke. It was instinct, but he fought against it with gritted teeth. Until he saw the look of concentration on my face. The he resorted to growling. "Let me go after her!" "Wait Logan-" I began. But he couldn・t. SNIKT. His claws exploded from his fists. Not even my teke could hold those back. "Let me go to her now! Or you・ll have to hold me like this forever!" "Let me talk to her first! She・ll be angry, let her be angry with me, not you." It almost seems as if he paused to think, but no one thinks that quickly. "Can・t play with her like that. She・s young, she・s not dumb. And her anger is for me, she said so, let her direct it to the right person. Bets, let me go, now." I couldn・t argue with him, especially not when he was right. There was fire in him. I・d seen it. And now I・d even tasted it. But I knew I couldn・t control it, or fight it. And I knew I couldn・t hold it. As I released him he hit the floor running, as if I had never stopped him in the first place. He never looked back. I sunk to the floor. I・d forgotten Scott was still in the room. "I can・t ignore this. What is the problem?" I started at the sound of his voice, but I didn・t answer. "Will someone tell me what is going on around here?" "I・m not going to cross Logan." *I did that earlier today, and look where it got me. Bloody confused. Not again.* "If you want to know ask somebody else. Your wife at least knows the beginning of the story." And I got up. I had an idea. "What story?" Scott asked. "Ask Jean." *** I figured that they wouldn・t be too hard to find, so long as Logan・s scoot was still here, which it was. Jubilee wasn・t exactly known for being particularly quiet. But I had to know. I had to know what he was telling her, how he was explaining that moment, the event that I didn・t want to name-not that I couldn・t, I just didn・t choose to do so. I had to know because I didn・t know myself. I had to know because I needed to hear it too. Whatever he told her, I had to know. From the window I saw Jubilee rollerblading down the sidewalk. Logan came out of the mansion and stood on the porch. He called to her. She stopped, like a reflex. She picked up one foot as if to go to him, but then she turned around and went off the other way. I almost turned around right there. It seemed to me that the conversation wasn・t going to happen when I thought it would. But then he took off after her. He surprised me, running after her like that. It just didn・t seem like his typical response. When he caught up to her he grabbed one of her hands. She circled around him to a stop, tethered by her own arm. This was the part I had to hear. I wrapped a telekinetic bubble around myself to prevent noise or scent from alerting them-or Logan really-to my presence and hid around the corner of the garage. "What was that all about?" Logan asked Jubilee. "All what?" Her attitude was in fifth gear. But other than that she was a lot calmer than I・d expected. I had expected to see a fireworks show that would put the Fourth of July to shame. "You know what I mean, darlin・." He sounded just like a father. "What did you expect? Am I supposed to just sit back and watch that, and what, smile? No way. So why don・t _you_ tell _me_ what that was all about?" I didn・t realize that I was holding my breath waiting for an answer. "It was just a kiss. Nothing for you to go into an uproar over." I _was_ just a kiss. "Just a kiss? Jean psi-scanned the room before we walked in and said it was intense. So intense she thought you two were fighting something, machines or space aliens or something without brain waves. Doesn・t sound like ・just a kiss・ to me." And word from a telepath, no thought included. Just a thoughtless kiss. So why was I still listening? "What does that matter to you?" "I can・t believe you said that! If I didn・t know that it would probably like break my hand I・d slap you, Wolvie." "Explain yourself darlin・." "Don・t you dare try to pretend that you don・t know." "Alright kiddo, what do you think I・m pretending to be ignorant of?" "Me!" And she yanked her hand back out of his. He chuckled very faintly. "How could I ever forget about you? You・d never let me. What is this really about? Did I forget your birthday, or something? Well it couldn't have been your birthday cuz that・s two months away." "Me, Wolvie, me." And then she started to cry. I・d only seen her do that once or twice before. And both times it was because Logan was in danger. "I don・t understand, darlin・." He took a step closer and reached out to hug her. She started to fight, but with no strength, no real intention of getting away. But even if she had, I don・t think he would・ve let her. She just gave in. She seemed to fall into place with her head resting right at the spot where his neck met his shoulder. It was natural. They belonged that way. He rubbed her back and she just let loose. "I love you Wolvie. Can・t you see that?" "I know you do darlin・ an・ I love you too." At that she pulled back from him. "Wolvie, don・t you hear me? I _love_ you." "Jubes, what does this conversation have to do with you literally exploding and running out of Psylocke・s room?" Then his back went stiff as he put the pieces together. He looked down at her, not much, she was almost as tall as him with her rollerblades on. And she looked right back up at him. "Darlin・-" "Don・t try to talk me out of it! And don・t tell me how young I am. Everyone in the X-men has been trying for years. They all know. You are like the only one who doesn・t, or didn・t. And don・t ask me if it・s so. It・s so!" "That・s not what I was going to say. Why do you wait ・til now to get upset? You had to know she・s not the only woman I・ve kissed since I met you." "I know," she closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his chest, "but now I・m old enough to like defend my feelings. I mean I was thirteen. I was a kid, and even though I・m only seventeen now-and I know how young that is-I don・t have much longer before I am an adult." She looked up at him. "You don・t age Wolvie, you look the same as the day I first saw you, except for that you were dyin・, but I do. And I have. I・m not the little girl you first met." "Two months." He said. She nodded. "I・m s-sorry. I guess my reaction was a bit much, and maybe even childish, but I was just starting to think that I-" "Would be old enough to・?" He left rest unsaid. "And now I have to contend with Betsy? There・s no way. Next to her I・ll always be a little girl." It was just then that the realization that I was eavesdropping was hitting me, but I couldn・t tear myself from the spot. "That・s right. You・ll always be a little girl. You・ll always be _my_ little girl. Even when you・re old an・ gray." She looked truly sad. Only the tiniest shadow of hope on her face as she said, "Is that all I・ll ever be? Can・t I just be yours?" "Jubes, darlin・-" "Wolvie, don・t say no. Just don・t. Look, when this conversation is over I・ll pretend like we never had it, okay? Just promise me that we can talk about it again another time, like later." "You mean in two months?" he asked. "Maybe. Maybe not right away. Just don・t tell me no, okay? Please, don・t break my heart twice in one day. Just promise me." "Okay, I promise. Later." "Before this conversation is over I have one more question." She said. "Oh yeah, what・s that?" "About Psylocke, are you an・ her, I mean is she-is she gonna be like my rival?" "I don・t think you・ll have to worry about that, darlin・." "Then why were you kissin・ her?" "I don・t know. She kissed me first. I guess I was just bein・ polite, returnin・ the favor." *** "Just what do you think you・re doing?" I was so enthralled I never heard her approach. Jean・s voice was only in my head, thank goodness. Otherwise my cover would have been blown. In my head where I knew she would hear me I said, "I realize that I owe you an explanation, and probably an apology. So let・s go back inside and I・ll get started." "If what is going on around that corner is any indication then I think I have an idea of what you・re going to say, Betsy. But I want to hear it from you now. Keep it in your head. I・ll step into your bubble and they・ll never know we・re in hearing range." "Logan was upset because of what I said to you. We were discussing that when-I was caught up in the heat of the moment. I suppose it didn・t mean anything. I certainly wasn・t planning it when I spoke to you, or at all for that matter. No it didn・t mean anything." "But you were checking just to be sure." I nodded. Bloody hell! How I hated not having my telepathy. "I・ve done almost exactly what I chastised you for doing. I apologize." "It・s all right. What you told me wasn・t wrong, just well over due. Rest assured that you at least have not hurt him with your attention." Jean said with all the poise I・d come to expect in her, while I was reduced to a cowering, honorless, dog. "Is he that charming?" I asked, and I couldn・t hold back my smile. "In his own way. Just don・t tell him or he・ll get worse. And don・t tell Remy either, he・d be scandalized." "I wouldn・t mind if we kept this whole day to ourselves." I said. Jean nodded her agreement. "Scott・s going to drive himself crazy because he doesn・t understand what happened." She paused then shrugged and said, "Why not share the insanity? Just for fun we could tell both Logan and Remy how charming Logan is and let all the men around here chase their tails." She barely contained her giggle. "Except Hank. We should get Rogue and Ororo to come with us while we hang unmercifully to Hank・s furry-blue-person." I added. "Yes, and Jubilee too." That sentence did not go unemphasized. "All the X-women, in something of a devious bonding exercise. Chaos, as usual." ***
"Many people hear voices when no one is there.
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