Rating: R (mainly for occasional strong language)

Standard disclaimer applies

**_** Denotes telepathic speech

{Jubilee's POV}

It was the evening of the second day before Logan came looking for the big heart-to-heart talk I was dreading. I was chatting with one of the new students, trying to find out what the atmosphere was like at this new Xavier's when he turned up. He snarled something at the poor kid who was so scared he was practically moulting. He quickly took off and I was left alone with the big bad Wolverine who couldn't quit meet my eyes. Logan's on good terms with guilt, much like Remy. I do know how to pick them.

I grabbed his arm and began to lead him towards the patio, "C'mon old man, let's go for a walk." I earned a scowl for the crack about his age but he allowed me to drag him outside.

It was one of those cool, bright spring evenings. We walked in silence for awhile, neither willing to be the first to speak. He broke before me. I guess it was because he had a lot more to say.

"Kid," I glanced up at him, he looked soul weary and at that moment all I wanted to do was give him a hug. Skip all the talking and get to the big bear hug that lay at the end, "I'm really sorry Jubes, I never meant to abandon ya like that." His voice was gruff.

Poor Wolvie, I bet he'd been beating himself up about this for months. Not that I had helped. No, I was all 'woe is me, my best buddy's too busy saving the world to hold my hand'. Ok, so maybe it was a little more than that but at that moment I was feeling like the biggest heel on the face of the planet.

We were deep into Ororo's garden at this stage and I tugged on Logan's leather jacket to halt him before flinging my arms around the dumb lug. He didn't react for a moment then slowly wrapped his arms around me. Having him hug me close like that was one of the best feelings I'd had in a long time. Like I was finally home, like things were going back to what they had been before. I finally released my grip on Logan and he reluctantly loosened his arms. I felt a bit sniffly and wiped my eyes with the back of my hand then glanced up at Wolvie. He looked a little more relaxed and gave me a hopeful grin. I spotted a bench nestled amongst the shrubbery and led him over to it.

"Listen I need to say something," I took his hand and faced him, "I kinda overreacted when I left you guys. The mature and adult thing to do would have been to have told someone how I felt," I smiled ruefully, "I was just really angry¡¦and hurt. It felt like a major brush off."

"Darlin," Logan interrupted urgently, "I was in the wrong here. I said I'd take care of you, and I haven't done that. You got every reason to be angry with me."

Trust him to turn this into his fault. Logan has this sense of honour that compels him to take responsibility for everything that happens around him. Plus he's got that hero complex that seems to affect most X-Men, like he's got to save everyone. Especially the women. He's always got to save the women. He may be a rough houser and a subscriber to the if-it-ain't-red-and-bloody-don't-eat-it school of cuisine, but he's also got a chivalrous streak a mile deep with the overriding instinct to protect all those with the double X-chromosome. For Logan, the day I'd disappeared was the day that he'd failed to fulfil his duty to protect and, for him, that failure was unforgivable.

"Hey bub," he looked into my face, "you got distracted, you had a lot on your plate at that time. Know you feel bad about the whole stupid mess. But hello," I waved a hand in front of him, "my mess. My choice. Okay fairly depressed and not over Ev but I think I needed to leave then, y'know?"

"You shouldn't have needed to leave to be happy," he responded gruffly.

"I did need to. I had a lot of mixed up stuff in my head, Wolvie. It would have stayed that way if I'd just done whatever Frosty and Cassidy told me to do."

"I coulda helped you," Logan interjected, "we coulda taken off on a world trip, visit all the old spots."

I shook my head, "It had to be me, alone. I've been Jubilee the Valley girl, the mall-rat," I shrugged, "the thief, the sidekick, the junior X-Man, the GenXer," I rolled my eyes, "sometimes I felt like I had all these little labels on my forehead and it's like 'who will I be today?'" I peered into his face for understanding, "I wanted a time out Logan. No expectations, no powers, no quests to save humanity. Just me, Jubilation Lee, teen slacker extraordinaire. Silly I guess, but that's what I wanted."

He nodded and pulled me into a hug. I sighed onto his shoulder, surrounded by the comforting smells of cigars, leather and whiskey. Pungent I'll admit, but comforting nonetheless. The man gives the best hugs¡¦well maybe Remy is on par. Then I remembered that Remy said he'd been talking to Wolverine. Now was a good a time to find out exactly what had happened.

"Logan," I said, but the sound was swallowed up by his jacket, "Logan, " he pulled back a little and I was able to speak normally, "What did you talk about with Remy?"

He scowled, "That little shit, he ratted me out? I'm gonna¡¦"

"Hold up," I interrupted, "no one 'ratted' anyone out. Jeez, you sound like a bad gangster movie. Remy just said you talked," I regarded him suspiciously, "What did you do?"

"Me? I did nothing darlin¡¦honest," he faltered when I continued to stare at him. Do these guys honestly think that they can keep something from me? Doofs, "Well," he conceded, "maybe I did threaten him just a little. But they were friendly threats. Harmless."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure he was really touched by the 'give me one good reason why I shouldn't gut ya' routine," he grimaced, "you used those exact words didn't you? You are completely predictable," I rolled my eyes, "no wonder Remy wouldn't tell me about it."

"I didn't touch the guy, didn't even rough him up a little," Logan grumbled.

"Yeah, you're a real prince," I grinned up at him, "you should be nice to him, y'know. He's been very good to me."

He muttered something under his breath and I arched an eyebrow.

"What was that?"

He gave me a crooked grin and I smiled back, "All right, Jubes. I won't say boo to your precious Gumbo. Ok?"

"I remember a time when you liked Remy."

"Never happened."

"You and he have a lot in common¡¦"

"Don't start that."

"No, seriously."

Logan made that growly sound he's so fond of, "I'm gonna play nice, don't push it.

"Fine," I leaned into him again and decided to lead the conversation in a different direction, "so how you finding the school?"

He groaned, "They're all over the place. Everywhere I look there's some pimply faced kid."

I felt slightly insulted on the behalf of my teenage peers, "I could be classified in that category y'know."

Logan looked at me in confusion, "Darlin', there's no way that you could be confused with them."

Logan really doesn't like kids. Then again, he really doesn't like most people. I'm not sure what the criteria are to meet his approval. It might involve being a ball-buster, I don't know.

"Ok, sure. How's the team workin' out?"

He shrugged, "Worthington likes being the boss, bugs the shit out of me. Kurt and Drake are always good on a team."

"What about Jono? How'd he get on?"

"Kid's a freaking moper¡¦and then there was that pop singer."

"Yeah, like what was that about? What was her name? Sugar Candy?"

"I dunno. Blondes; never seen the appeal."

"Nah, you're more of a redhead guy," he gave me a warning squeeze, "What? Ok, dropping it. Well, I guess I'm safe from Jono then. What about that Stacy one?"

"She's all right, good enough fighter."

"Hand-to-hand?"

"Yeah, sloppy but I think I can get her into shape."

I grinned, I don't envy her. Logan's a bloody dictator as a teacher, "What's her mutation?"

"Somethin to do with pheromones, I didn't listen to all the sciencey crap. All I know's she can make people get sick and we found her in a mutant brothel," he smirked, "Drake made first contact."

Interesting, I'd have to interrogate Bobby later, "Sounds like a fun girl."

"Serious attitude."

"Ooh, issues with authority? She'll feel right at home then."

"You'll probably end up best friends."

"Hey, I'm a well adjusted teen here. My establishment challenging days are behind me."

"Never thought I'd hear you say that," Logan grumbled.

"Well, that's the official line anyway," I replied.

"Good to know, darlin'."

I began to sit up straight, it was late and I wanted to talk to Remy. If I knew him half as well as I thought I did, he was probably out sneaking a smoke right now. But later, he'd be dropping by my room. Remy's nothing if predictable. Well, predictable in an erratic, mysterious way. I'd bet he'd been getting flak all day from the others so he'd be looking for some comfort tonight.

"I'm gonna go to bed, been a long day," I leant over and kissed his cheek before standing up.

"He left a few minutes ago," he stated.

I didn't bother pretending that I didn't know what he was talking about, Logan's way too shrewd, "Where was he?"

"By the kitchen doors earlier," he nodded towards the building, "but I guess you'll see him later." He watched me carefully.

"Remy's my friend, yours too," I gave him a quick hug, "don't go all protective on me now. Trust me a little?"

"Yeah whatever kid," he did his version of an eye-roll, more of an eye twitch really, "see you tomorrow."

"Night Logan," I flashed him a smile and began walking back to the mansion.

"Night," I heard him murmur behind me.

I made my way back to my room, a little preoccupied by my thoughts. Despite Remy's best efforts, and mine, it seemed that everyone was convinced we were sleeping together or, at least, involved. I'd be insulted if they weren't actually right. But it made me wonder why we were bothering hiding it. They were all sure that they knew it all anyway. Paige had as good as told me so, that morning. It didn't matter how much we denied or ridiculed such suggestions, they just gave us disbelieving looks and shook their heads.

It was past curfew so the house was mainly quiet, giggles coming from behind some of the doors on my corridor. I wasn't too fond of this strict segregation thing. I'm not really a girl's girl and it'd been awhile since I'd been in a girls' dormitory. All my close friends are guys, so being surrounded by this much oestrogen was a bit overwhelming. Inside my room wasn't much better, it was like my 13-year-old self had been preserved in there along with New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys. I felt as though I was stepping back in time, into a different Jubilee and it was suffocating. Soon I'd have to strip the place down, get rid of all the posters and redecorate a little if I wanted to retain my sanity.

I crossed over to the double doors onto the balcony and opened them wide before starting to undress. I'm still a slob so my clothes were left in a pile at the end of my bed while I pulled on a t-shirt and pair of pyjama shorts. I pulled off the band around my hair, wincing when a few hairs came out with it. Having long hair is a pain in the ass and I regretted leaving it grow to this length. I was sitting cross-legged on the bed, facing the door and brushing my hair out when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I smiled and turned around to look up at him. He returned the smile and took the brush from me to begin stroking it through my hair. Now I remembered - Remy liked my hair long.

"Bonsoir ch¡¦e. ¡¦ va?"

"Hey," I relaxed back against him as he settled behind me, "any news?"

"Ah chere, I have been very busy," the strokes of the brush began to lull me into a stupor and I could barely muster a 'hmm', "our friends are very eager to share their opinions with me."

"All positive I hope," I murmured.

He sighed against my neck and dropped the hairbrush to wrap his arms around my waist, "Such a very long day, p'tite."

I turned my head and kissed his cheek gently, "Want to talk?"

He did a full body shrug and let his forehead fall on my shoulder, "Tell me¡¦did I do right by you?"

I raised a hand to his face, brushing the hair back from his face, "Don't doubt what you've done for me Rem, please don't doubt it."

"When all one hears is to the contrary¡¦" he replied, "you must forgive my doubts."

"Remy¡¦" I started but the angle I had to hold my head to see his face was awkward, "wait a sec." I stood up and turned around then seated myself on his lap, facing him. His eyes were downcast but I was heartened that his hands were on my hips, the maintaining of contact. I leant forward to rest my forehead against his, "if you regret taking me in¡¦keeping me secret¡¦tell me now¡¦don't pretend for me."

He tilted his head to kiss me.

We never seem to get our timing right, Remy and I. When I want to talk he wants to grope, when he wants to talk I'm ready for a serious make-out session. I wondered when our needs would coincide.

"Remy¡¦stop," I mumbled but failed to back up my words with physical resistance. He continued to kiss me, hooking his fingers under my t-shirt and began to draw it slowly upward.

I mean it, our timing truly sucks.

Not only are our moods never in tune, but at this rate our first time together would be in the bedroom of a 13 year old girl, trying to keep quiet in order not to wake the teenagers asleep in the rooms on either side of us. Not exactly what I'd imagine. However I was fairly incoherent at this stage and my resistance had pretty much melted away.

By now my t-shirt had been discarded, somewhere on the floor, and I was tugging Remy's over his head. Once I had removed that article of clothing he stood up and I was forced to wrap my legs around his waist to prevent myself from falling. He only half-turned around before leaning over the bed and laying me on it, kissing me so, so softly all the time. Our actions probably would have led to their logical conclusion had Remy not stopped kissing me. I was battling with the button-fly of his jeans when he stopped, and when he didn't restart or move onto a different part of my anatomy I looked up. He was just staring at me, the strangest expression on his face, his fingers moving restlessly around my eyes, over my lips and jaw.

And suddenly I was all too aware that I was lying half-naked under my boyfriend in a house full of telepaths and empaths, with the balcony doors wide open and a chill breeze blowing through the room. I shivered. Hopefully whatever we were broadcasting would only result in some erotic dreams for the resident psychics, or else we'd be facing a mob banging on the door for him.

"Remy?" I raised a hand to touch him and he snapped back from whatever far off place he'd been, bending his head to resume our kiss. I halted him by moving my hand to cover his mouth, "Don't." I pushed him back slowly and sat up.

"What's wrong?" His voice held concern but a brittle tension too, he laid a hand on my shoulder and I suppressed this cruel impulse to shrug it off. I found my top on the floor and picked it up, pulling it over my head quickly. The movement broke the contact between us anyway, and he didn't replace his hand. I turned to him.

"I thought you came to talk."

His brows drew together and he began to search for his own t-shirt, "You weren't complaining."

"No I wasn't¡¦and that's not the point," I took his hand and tugged at him, making him look at me, "we said we wouldn't even kiss on this trip and every single time we're alone¡¦we're like frickin' rabbits."

He stroked my arm and smiled charmingly at me, "Nothin' wrong with that," he leant forward to kiss me but I moved back from him.

"Stop," I snapped at him and he withdrew his hand, "why can't we just talk? It's pretty obvious you're upset 'bout something."

"We're always talkin' Jubilee!" he growled, stood up and began pacing.

I looked down at my hands, "I thought you were okay with taking it slow."

"I am ok with it," he sighed but continued edgily, "but all we ever seem to do is talk."

"And what? You're pissed 'cause you haven't gotten to second base yet?" I began to clench and unclench my hands, "isn't this meant to be more than just attraction?"

"Does that mean we have to fucking psycho-analyse everythin'? Dissect and discuss every conversation I've had? You don't need to know everything I've done."

"I'm not looking for a detailed account of every single day. You came here tonight, acting weird and I'm not supposed to ask what's wrong? You never had a problem with talking before."

"Why do you have to ask so many question? I didn't think you, of all people, would interrogate me."

"This isn't an interrogation! I just want to know what's wrong!"

He snapped his head around to glare angrily at me, "You're as bad as Rogue, y'know dat?"

Ouch. Yep, that was my heart breaking into little itty-bitty pieces. I drew back and ducked my head, I didn't want him to see me cry.

"Chere, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that," he started and I heard him shuffle towards me.

"Get out."

"Please chere, I'm sorry-"

"Shut up and get out," I'm a reactive person, not big on anger management. Being compared, unfavourably at that, to former lovers tends to get me ticked.

"P'tite, I didn't mean it. I¡¦"

I jumped up and walked over to him, too angry now to care about the tears on my cheeks, "You wanted a substitute body for Rogue to fuck," he winced and tried to touch me, "you should have said so," I smirked. "You think I'm some na¡¦e little virgin you had to charm with pretty words and a slowly-does-it approach?" I laughed harshly at his shocked expression. He knew I'd had boyfriends, a lot of boyfriends, while I was gone from the X-Men. I guess he didn't realise how grown-up little Jubilee was after all, "You just wanted sex? No problem. You didn't have to dress it up for me."

"Jubilee," he made a move to put an arm around me but I backed away, picked up his t-shirt from the floor and threw it at him.

"Just get out Remy."

"Jubilee," he grabbed my arm and wouldn't let go, "you listen t'me. I didn't mean nothing by that. You want to know about my day? Fine. I got shit from Bishop and shit from Frost. All the others look like I'm dis traitor or somethin'. It's just like Antarctica all over again," he finished angrily.

I stopped trying to pull away, "So why the big secret? Why couldn't you just tell me all that?"

"I didn't want you worrying, it's not your problem."

"What is with your goddamn lone wolf attitude? I am so sick of getting it. First Wolvie, now you."

"I'm just tryin' to-"

"To what? Protect me?" I used my free hand to poke him in the chest, "Don't. I don't need it or want it. You want to be my friend, Remy? You talk to me. Don't give me that macho shit."

He frowned, "Look, sometimes I don't feel like talkin."

"So instead you decide you want sex to make you feel better? That doesn't cut it."

"I wasn't using you to make myself feel better."

"Yeah? Well, that's what it looks like to me."

He sighed, and the action deflated him. He sat down on the bed and pulled me down next to him. He still had my arm in his grasp so I was forced to comply.

"Fine, I was wrong ok? I shouldn't have gone so far, I wasn't thinking."

"No you weren't."

"Hey, p'tite you cut me some slack here? You didn't exac'ly stop me."

"I distinctly remember the words 'Remy stop' actually."

"Was that before or after you took off my shirt?"

"Shut up," I glared at him, "just 'cause I wasn't exactly 100% against it doesn't mean here and now was the best place. Do you realise how few people knock in this place?"

"I'm sorry chere, I don' want you to think I'm pressuring you."

"Yeah, well you hid it really well," I sighed, "it's not that I'm against us sleeping together. It's just, well¡¦" I bit my lip, surprising myself with my self-consciousness, "I didn't exactly take it slowly before and if¡¦if this is supposed to be something, y'know, special I'd like us to take our time."

He was silent for a few moments. It wasn't too hard to guess what his next question would be, "Why didn't you tell me about your other boyfriends?"

"I did!" I replied indignantly.

"You only mentioned one or two and I never thought they were serious."

"Well, they weren't serious¡¦that's the problem though. I never really cared much for these guys, it wasn't like I thought I was in love with them or anything. We were just¡¦friends."

"With benefits?"

"Hey," I scowled, "I don't get to judge you, you don't get to judge me."

He held up his hands, "Fine, fine. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Turnaround's fair-play, don't ya know?"

He grinned ruefully, "Touch¡¦"

"Yeah, well¡¦I don't kiss and tell. And you don¡¦t have to worry about STD¡¦s, I go for regular check-ups. I¡¦m clean."

¡¦I honestly wasn¡¦t worried ¡¦bout that.¡¦ He sighed, lifted a hand to my face, cupping my cheek, "I'll try and talk to you first in future."

I smiled gently, "Ok. You don't have to protect me, I'm not looking for a big brother here."

He ducked his head, laughing softly, "I just fall into the role naturally chere."

A block of ice seemed to materialise in my stomach at his words, I didn't want to think about why being a 'brother' to me came easily to him.

"Anything else happen today?"

"Besides the Wicked Witch of the East throwin' a few curses my way? Nah, nothing."

"I'll talk to Frost, she gets a little carried away when she goes into protective-surrogate-mother mode. She's just on a maternal trip at the moment," I smiled up at him, "give her a month and she'll be back to rolling her eyes every time I open my mouth."

"It don't bother me¡¦much."

"Yeah, sure Gumbo," I turned my face to kiss his hand, "you hate it when the guys are mad at you. I bet you spent the whole day keeping your head down, avoiding eye contact."

"No¡¦"

"You talk to Storm?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "felt just like old times. Missed my padnat."

"Hey, that's good. How's the team getting on?"

He frowned, "Not sure, she was bein' a bit cagey about it. I think she could use some help."

"She'll probably tell you before we leave."

"Yeah," he sighed and stood up, pulling his t-shirt back over his head, "I better go petite. I talk to you tomorrow?"

"Sure," I was surprised at his abruptness, I'd hoped to spend a little more time talking about the day. I wasn't going to rock the boat though.

"Bonne nuit," he bent down, kissed me and was gone before I opened my eyes.

"Night," I whispered to the empty room.

I sat in the dark for awhile, staring blankly ahead. I knew coming back had been a mistake. Here, in the mansion, with everybody around, it felt too much like reality was banging on the door. We weren't at home where, within those four walls, we were free to do what we wanted. Because there, all we had to contend with was ourselves. Now, we had to deal with the world. And the consequences of our actions for the people who cared about us. Guess you can't drop off the face of the Earth for a few months then reappear without people asking a few questions.

And now not only are Remy and I fighting¡¦well, okay we're not fighting now. But we're edgy and uncomfortable around each other, and I'm feeling guilty for feeling edgy and uncomfortable around him. And he has never pushed me towards anything, he wasn't really pushing tonight but I've never seen him get so lost in me. It's flattering, in a way, but strange too because Remy has always been a complete gentleman with me. Usually, I'm the one who has to push him a little further. And then he came to me tonight like he had to prove something to someone and I felt like an afterthought. Ok, so now I'm being selfish about the fact that Remy's thoughts aren't only concerned with me. And I probably would have had sex with him tonight if I thought it was just about him wanting me and vice versa. But it wasn't, and he didn't tell me the whole truth about why he was so upset. I know him, and I know when he's hiding something from me. And now, now¡¦

Now, I feel alone because things have changed. Again. And even though I knew it would, even though this change was inevitable I can¡¦t but help feeling betrayed and bemused by it. Like it had slipped past when I wasn¡¦t looking. But I had been looking. I had been waiting for it. Because everything changes, given time. Everything. Even love. So now I can only wait for the next change. The one I¡¦m sure will come, even if he doesn¡¦t. And while I¡¦m waiting I¡¦m going to try and enjoy it. And pretend that it doesn¡¦t hurt as much as it does.

**************************************************************************************************

It was just past eight the following morning when I awoke, the sound of the house waking up around me bringing me to consciousness. I lay, staring at the ceiling, blinking groggily. I may have forced my body into a pattern, waking up early and trying to get eight hours sleep a night but left to its own devices¡¦I wouldn't get up until three and go to bed until twelve hours later. Yeah, my body clock is completely out of whack with the rest of the world. Eventually, with a groan, I rolled out of bed. I shoved my feet into a pair of slippers and stumbled out into hallway. The corridor was bustling with students, dodging in and out of rooms, queuing for the bathroom. A few glanced my way curiously but most ignored me. I trudged towards the back staircase, I didn't think the school was ready for me in my morning glory.

The kitchen was busy but Remy wasn't there. Ororo and Logan were sitting together so I joined them at the kitchen table. Betsy was sitting on the lap of a guy at the other end of the table and the two were cuddling. Very un-Psylocke like.

"Yo, Logan?" I whispered, "who's the guy?" I nodded towards Betsy's cuddler.

"Sharra," he grunted and returned to his conversation with Storm. Oh yeah, the new Thunderbird. I grabbed the fruit loops and poured them into a bowl, heaped a few spoonfuls of sugar on top then drenched the lot with milk. Logan gave me a disgusted look, I stuck out my tongue and returned my attention to the other occupants of the room.

Bobby was at the stove, hovering around Angelo who would sporadically brandish a spatula at him. Monet was perched on a stool, eating a grapefruit delicately. Beside her was Jono. From the glazed look of her eyes I guessed they were having a telepathic conversation. I looked around for Paige, but she must have been in the main hall. I had spent the previous day in Westchester with them and while it reminded me how much Monet could bug me, it also reminded me how much I missed them. That was something I would never admit it out loud.

A blonde man and woman were sitting together near Betsy, eating their breakfast quietly. More new faces, not to mention the pale dark-haired woman who had just entered. Noticing my gaze she smiled faintly and seated herself next to Bishop at the head of the table.

"Hey Jubes," Ange called over, "you up for a game of one-on-one after breakfast?"

"Definitely," I agreed then sighed, "but I've got a meeting with Xavier at nine."

"No worries, I'll be outside whenever you're ready," he grinned and turned back to the stove.

I finished the cereal quietly, rinsed the bowl in the sink and ruffled Wolvie's hair as I passed by on my way to the door. He gave a low growl for show and I laughed. We weren't quite back to where we used to be but we were getting there.

I ran upstairs, into my room and grabbed my bathrobe and towel. Thankfully, most of the students were at breakfast so the queues for the bathroom had disappeared. I quickly showered and returned to my bedroom. I didn't have time to blow-dry so I combed it swiftly and pulled it into a ponytail. I still hadn't unpacked so I had to rummage through my bag for clean underwear and clothes. I glanced at the clock on the wall; 8:50. Hastily I put on a yellow sleeve-less top and yanked on a pair of jeans before pulling on a pair of sneakers. I stopped briefly in front of the mirror to ensure I hadn't put the top on inside out then dashed out and down the main stairway. I arrived outside Xavier's office just as the door was opening.

"Glad we had this talk, Remy," Xavier's voice floated out.

Remy?

"Yeah, and t'anks for the offer Charles."

It was Remy. He never said he was meeting Xavier.

Remy stepped out into the hallway but stopped when he saw me.

"Well you will always have a place¡¦" Xavier broke off, "Jubilee, I didn't know you were there."

"Pesky psionic shielding, Prof," I grinned.

"Indeed," he replied, turning to shake Remy's hand, "we can talk about this again soon¡¦if you wish."

"Uh, I'll let you know," Remy replied, "but thanks." His gaze hadn't wavered from mine since he'd seen me. I raised a questioning eyebrow, "I'll see you later p'tite."

"Kay."

He nodded to Xavier then walked down the corridor.

"Now Jubilation," I looked back to Xavier who was gesturing towards the office with his walking cane, "shall we?"

"Yeah, sure," I resisted stealing one last glance in Remy's direction and followed the professor into his office. He seated himself behind the large teak desk and waited for me to sit down.

"So¡¦Jubilee," he pulled a thick file from a small pile on one side of the desk and opened it in front of him, "how are you?"

"Fine, you?"

"Good, thank you," he leafed through the pages of the file, "I wanted to talk to you about your current situation."

"What situation is that exactly?" I quirked a smile.

"Well, firstly your accommodation. I assume you intend to continue living with Remy, in London, until you have finished school there?"

"Yes, and I'll be sitting the SATs over there as well."

"And what about after you've finished school, will you remain in England?"

"I'm not sure," I shrugged, "we haven't discussed it."

"Remy and yourself?" I nodded, "I have suggested to him that you may wish to return here, once you have finished your exams."

"Oh?"

"I'm not going to pressure you into returning Jubilee," he smiled kindly, "but you are always welcome, whenever you wish."

"Thanks Prof, I appreciate that."

"Have you considered what you'll do next year?"

"Well," I fidgeted slightly, "I was thinking of social science or psychology, maybe physiotherapy."

"That's excellent news, I never realised you were interested in those fields."

"I've been thinking about what I'd be best suited to for a long time. I've run through all the usual options; teaching - yeah, I'd probably kill the brats within the first week. Law - I don't think so. I've thought of them all, journalism, commerce, engineering, lab tech, computers¡¦being a social worker or therapist just make sense somehow."

"I'm glad you've discovered a vocation. Any particular field?"

"I'd like to work with disadvantaged kids maybe, but I was thinking that if I did physiotherapy I could help here," I gestured broadly with my hands, "so many of us get injured coming back from a mission, or even in training. If I was trained as a physiotherapist I could help get the guys back on their feet."

"As much as I applaud your desire to help the team I hope that isn't the only reason why you'd choose physiotherapy."

"Uh, no, course not," I dropped my gaze.

"Will you be going to college here?"

"I'm not sure, if I go to college in Ireland I could go straight into my chosen course."

"Ireland?"

"I know it's kinda far away¡¦"

"Well Jubilee, if I didn't know better I'd think you were trying to get away from us," he gave me a faintly ironic smile.

"I wouldn't say that now, Prof."

"Whatever you decide, we will of course fund your education."

"Thank you," I replied sincerely, "Remy's been paying for pretty much everything for me this year, I couldn't let him pay for next year too. And my own funds are pretty insufficient for college so¡¦"

"Don't worry about that, it has always been our intention to provide for you for as long as you need it."

"Well, thanks¡¦again."

"Now," he flicked to another page, "I also wanted to talk to you about your powers."

"My powers?"

"Yes, the last time you were fully assessed was¡¦" his eyes skimmed down the page, "nearly two years ago," he raised his eyes to me, "I think it's time for another one, don't you?"

"I guess so."

"Well, I can schedule an appointment with Henry tomorrow for a full diagnostic, all right with you?"

"Uh, yeah, sure."

"And Scott wishes to run you through a Danger Room program, do you feel able for it?"

"I'm pretty fit, I should be ok."

"Good. I'll arrange that too. Now," he leaned forward, his elbows resting on the desk, "have you noticed any change in your powers since your last assessment?"

"Just a few new tricks. Nothing major."

"Such as¡¦" he prompted.

"My pafs aren't exploding straight away, if I don't want them to, I can sustain them for really long periods of time now."

"Good," he made a note on the page, "anything else?"

"I've been doing this meditation thing recently where I picture all my negative emotions as pafs and then push them out. It's really relaxing but pretty draining, physically."

"That's interesting," he frowned, "you're describing something similar to a technique used by telepaths," he flicked back a page, "Miss Frost does mention here that your shielding had grown stronger while at the Academy."

"She does?" I craned my neck to look at the file, "What else does it say in there?"

"It's merely a collection of observations on your powers etc," he replied, scanning the page.

"Sure," I would have given anything for one look at that file, "well another thing is I can just dissipate my pafs without making them explode. But the weird thing is when I do this meditation my pafs are maintained even when I fall asleep."

"It was to be expected that your powers would continue to expand," he replied, making a few more annotations.

"Yeah, but still," I wrinkled my nose in perplexity, "my body's almost finished growing. I'd have thought my powers would be the same."

"Not necessarily," Xavier interjected, "some mutants' powers remain latent until well into thirties or forties. For some, it is a traumatic event which shocks the mutation from latency while for most it is the physical changes wrought by the onset of puberty. We are still learning about our x-gene, Jubilee. Since few mutants are old enough for us to know just how much our powers change throughout a lifetime, it is safest not to assume anything."

"I guess."

"Now," he stood up and walked around the desk to seat on himself opposite me, "I'd like to do a scan, but I'll need you to relax your psionic shielding enough to let me inside."

"No offence, Prof but do you have to?" I wasn't too keen on the idea of inviting Xavier into my head, even for a temporary visit.

"I will try to avoid delving into your memories, Jubilee," he reassured me, "but I wish to confirm a theory that I have."

"Which is?"

"I'm not certain," he emphasised, "but I suspect that the latent telepathic abilities Emma sensed in you may be surfacing."

"Really?¡¦ I grinned then paused in confusion, "wait, what latent abilities?"

"Telepaths can often sense other telepaths," he explained, "it's related to our individual presence on the astral plane. Telepaths have a stronger presence there because we can consciously access it and even manipulate it."

"Then shouldn't you have picked up on it before?"

"I might have, had your innate psionic shielding not been so strong. Emma only picked up on it when you returned from your," he paused, "ordeal with Bastion. She suspects that due to the tremendous strain that you had been under, your mind was unable to maintain the integrity of your mental shields."

"Oh."

"Will you permit me to do a scan?"

"Sure," I replied distractedly, "I'll just try and relax those shields a little." I took a deep breath and focussed myself. My mental walls are pretty basic; bricks and mortar, but they work. I imagined myself taking a fistful of pafs and punching a brick out of the wall. A frisson of pain ran through my head. Immediately my mind began to heal the gap. Mentally I held it open with my hands.

"Go now, I can't hold it for long."

A tingling sensation came over me as in my mind's eye a shadow passed through the hole in the wall before it closed over.

I couldn't sense Xavier at first. Then I could feel him probing gently at my shields from inside my head.

**Jubilee, the walls have resealed. I'll need you to reopen them later for me to get out**

**No worries**

He went silent again and I waited for the next communication from him. It was like waiting for someone who was in another room, hearing the person shuffle around and moving things but having no idea what they're doing.

An uncomfortable thought occurred to me, ¡¦Professor? Just how much access do you have to my thoughts at the moment?¡¦

His chuckle resonated inside my head. I bit my lip from the pain. It hurt, having someone inside my brain. Which was new and just a little bit scary. Had my mutation changed more than I thought?

**Not much Jubilee.** He paused as though searching for a suitable explanation, **think of it as a corridor with many doors. All the doors are labelled and lead to a certain part of your mind. All the doors are locked, however, so although I know the different areas are there, I cannot reach them.**

I was unable to suppress my sigh of relief.

**Surface thoughts, such as the sentences you form in your head before your speak are open to me. In other words, they are like paintings on the wall of your corridor before fading away into your memory section.**

Eep. Time to start thinking about the weather, or reciting the periodic table of elements.

I don't know how long I sat there but it seemed an eternity. When he did eventually speak, I jumped from the fright of a voice echoing inside my head.

**All right Jubilee, I'm ready to leave now**

I sighed, doing this once was hard enough, twice was just plain masochistic. I repeated the mental process again, and the minute a gap had been opened a shadow was repelled out through it. Xavier jumped in his seat. I healed the hole myself, bricking up the wall then opened my eyes. He was holding a handkerchief out to me. I touched my nose gingerly. It was bleeding.

"Ow," I took the pro-offered hankie, "Thanks."

He regarded me worriedly, "I didn't realise this would be so difficult for you."

"It's ok. What did you find?"

"It appears that our surmises were correct," he smiled warmly, "you are a latent telepath."

"Yipp-dee-doo-dah-day," I muttered and pinched the bridge of my nose, "so I'm still latent? You didn't flick a switch and give me access or anything?"

"No. That could potentially be very dangerous, I'm not sure if even your shields would hold under the strain of suddenly gaining telepathy. Also," he added slyly, "you're not planning on staying here long enough for me to monitor your progress if I were to activate it."

"Very funny Prof so what's the plan?"

"I think we should leave your telepathy latent, it will probably emerge by itself when your body is ready for it."

"And what happens when it does surface and I'm going crazy with all the little voices in my head?"

"Then, you get on the next plane to New York and come to me."

"Oh, I really like that plan," I replied sarcastically, cautiously easing the handkerchief away from my nose. The bleeding had stopped.

He stood up and walked back to the other side of the desk, "Most telepaths have to handle their new powers without the benefit of any back-up."

"Ok, ok so I'll deal."

"I think Emma may want to run a scan too," he said, quickly filling in another page of my file.

"Is that really necessary? I mean, you did one. Shouldn't that be enough?"

"You're not under any compulsion if you don't feel able but I know she wanted to speak to you regardless."

Fun, my brain was going to be stir-fried by the end of the day, "When?"

"Around noon, she'll summon you, I'm sure," he looked up, "now is there anything else you'd like to talk about?"

"Nope."

He surveyed me keenly, "No concerns or comments you'd like to share."

"All's rosy in the garden, Prof¡¦ so if that's all¡¦" I began to stand up.

"No, I wouldn't want to keep you," he gave me a small ironic smile, "but my door is always open Jubilee."

"Thanks, I'll remember that."

He stood up and held his hand out across the desk. I took it and he shook my hand, gazing at me warmly, "It's good to have you home."

"Actually," I smiled, slightly unsure, "y'know, it's kinda good to be back too." I gave his hand one last squeeze, then turned to leave. I stopped at the door, "Thanks Prof, I'll see you later."

He nodded and sat down again. I left quietly.

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I wandered outdoors in search of Angelo and the promised game of one-on-one. When I eventually did find him, he was collapsed on the tarmac of the basketball court with Bobby doing a little victory and chant around him.

"I rule, you suck. I am the king," he crowed then saw me, "hey Jubes you just missed me kicking this loser's butt," he bounced the ball, "you up to it? I warn you though, I'm on a roll."

I rolled my eyes, grabbed the ball and pushed him back, "Yeah, whatever Drake," I dribbled the ball up to the prone Angelo, "but I got a date with Espinosa here. Right?"

He lifted up his head, "Jubecita, I'm dead-beat. The icicle actually did kick my ass."

"C'mon gringo, a game I was promised and a game I shall have." I prodded him with my foot and whined, "C'mon."

"All right, gimme a hand."

I took his hand and hoisted him to his feet, "You goin down my friend." I danced around him, "You ready, you ready?"

He groaned and squared up to me, "First to ten?"

"Ok. Hey, Bobby make yourself useful."

He swaggered over to us, took the ball and tossed the ball up between us. Angelo easily jumped up and grabbed it from me. He bounded down to the other end of the court with me running behind him. He effortlessly reached the hoop before me and dunked the ball. I caught it and faced back the other way.

"I think it's you who's goin' down," he polished his fingertips on his t-shirt.

"Uh huh? You'll be laughing on the other side of your face in a few minutes," I feinted left then dodged right, sprinting towards the hoop. He caught up with me before I reached the end and stood in front of me, waving his arms wildly. I ducked under his arm, shot and scored.

"Ooh, nothing but net."

Angelo got the ball and faced me, "Hey, you talk to Remy yet today?"

"What? No. Why?"

"He was here earlier."

"What?" But Angelo was already away, "Bugger."

He scored a three-pointer and passed the ball to me, "Yeah, he was here talking to us for awhile."

I dribbled the ball and attempted to move past him but he stole the ball and scored again. He passed it back, "What were you talking about?"

"Nothing much."

I side-stepped him quickly and scored another shot.

"Did you interrogate him?" I passed it back to him.

¡¦Me? I got no problem with him,¡¦ he attempted to side-step me but I snatched the ball back and scored myself another two points, ¡¦you¡¦re to blame for this mess.¡¦

¡¦I¡¦m touched Espinosa, really I am,¡¦ I passed the ball back forcefully, being rewarded from a muffled grunt from Angelo when it hit his stomach, ¡¦the support is much appreciated.¡¦

His grey skin tightened, his version of a frown, as he dribbled the ball, ¡¦You know I¡¦m right.¡¦

¡¦So?¡¦ I pouted playfully, ¡¦you¡¦re not goin to even try and save my feelings?¡¦

The reply came in the form of a snort and a rush of air as he bounded past me and scored again. Man, was I out of practise, which I promptly informed him.

¡¦Out of shape more like.¡¦

Ooh, my flappy little grey friend was going down.

I managed to score a three-pointer, bringing me to a respectably close seven. Respectable, that is, until he scored a further two points and ended the game.

It seemed that Angelo¡¦s abject humiliation at my hands would have to wait for another day.

He caught the ball and sauntered up to me, hand raised to accept the praise of an imaginary audience, ¡¦ Thank you, thank you,¡¦ he fixed me with an amused stare, ¡¦I think now¡¦s the time where you start with the grovelling.¡¦

I quirked an eyebrow, ¡¦Good game Espinosa.¡¦

¡¦Sore loser.¡¦

¡¦Gracious winner.¡¦

Bobby cut across our conversation, ¡¦Ok, my turn.¡¦

Angelo tossed me the ball, ¡¦Have fun chica,¡¦ he began to walk off the court.

¡¦Hey,¡¦ I shouted after him, ¡¦you never told me what you talked about.¡¦

¡¦Who else but you?¡¦ he kissed his fingers to me and grinned before jogging back into the mansion. Everyone in this mansion seems to know how to pull my strings.

I sighed and turned to Bobby who was bouncing around with the endless energy of a Duracell bunny. And they call me hyper.

¡¦Okay, Drake. First to ten.¡¦

He nodded and I tossed the ball up.

**JUBILEE I WILL SEE YOU NOW.**

I winced at the force of the mental summons, dropping to one knee. Bobby had reached the other end of the court and scored before he realised I wasn¡¦t pursuing him. I was massaging my forehead gently when he shouted my name in concern.

¡¦Jubes,¡¦ he knelt down next to me, ¡¦what¡¦s wrong? Where does it hurt?¡¦

I opened my eyes and smiled reassuringly at him, ¡¦It¡¦s nothing Bobby, just Emma shouting into my brain.¡¦

Relief chased fear from his eyes only to be replaced by something else. Anger, ¡¦God she is such an idiot. Always using her powers like she¡¦s above us all-¡¦

¡¦Bobby, chill,¡¦ his mouth twitched at the unintentional pun, ¡¦relax, ok? She probably didn¡¦t realise¡¦¡¦

He snorted.

I relaxed my shields a little **Hey Frost, you spending too much time around Irish? Cause it sure sounded like it.**

**Sincere apologies, Jubilee,** came the reply, sounding too amused for my liking, **with that thick head¡¦er¡¦those shields of yours, I wanted to make sure it reached you.**

¡¦Appreciate the sentiment,¡¦ I muttered to myself **be there in a few minutes.**

I stood up, waving away Bobby¡¦s helping hand, ¡¦S¡¦ok, I just got a little fright is all,¡¦ I brushed off my jeans, grinning wryly, ¡¦I have been summoned by the Queen Bee though.¡¦

¡¦I¡¦m going with you,¡¦ he stated tersely.

I frowned confusedly, ¡¦It¡¦s fine, I¡¦m fine. She just shouted to get through my shields.¡¦

He had already set off towards the mansion. What was the deal? I ran to catch up with him, practically jogging to keep pace with him.

¡¦Bobby¡¦¡¦

¡¦She¡¦s always doing this Jubilee. Pushing the students, pushing Jean, pushing Scott¡¦¡¦

Pushing you? I knew he and Emma had had issues in the past, but I¡¦d thought they were dead and buried. Hadn¡¦t they gone to the school dance together? Didn¡¦t that indicate a truce? Or maybe this was a brand new one? I glanced at his profile, a muscle twitching in his jaw. His anger obviously had little to do with me.

He continued through the halls of the mansion with me scampering behind him, attempting to calm him down. Eventually he stopped in front of a door and I caught a glimpse of the nameplate on the door before he shoved it open. Guess we¡¦d arrived.

Emma was sitting behind her desk, hands folded in front of her, coolly regarding Bobby and myself. She had transformed into her diamond form, dazzling in the late morning sun that streamed through the window behind her. She seemed to spend most of her time in this incarnation I realised but turned my attention back to the situation at hand. She¡¦d probably sensed his anger on the basketball court and had been awaiting our arrival. I gave her a helpless shrug that she acknowledged with a slight inclination of her head. I gave one last tug on Bobby¡¦s arm but he ignored me. Sighing inwardly I settled down into one of the plush leather armchairs. Emma stood up and walked around the desk, maintaining eye contact with Bobby the entire time.

¡¦Jubilee, why don¡¦t you wait outside?¡¦

I stared, mystified, at her. Since when did Emma Frost pass up the chance for some gratuitous public humiliation? But I nodded dumbly my agreement, pausing to pat Bobby on the back before exiting the office.

At first I stood across the hall. Then I began pacing, no doubt wearing a tread into the rich carpet beneath my feet. There were no screams or shouts to be heard, which was marginally encouraging. If I strained my ears I could hear the murmur of voices, but that¡¦s all. At least they hadn¡¦t started throwing things.

A few more minutes passed.

I had stopped pacing and was playing with my pafs when the door swung open and Bobby stalked out. He barely glanced in my direction, muttering to himself, ¡¦stupid¡¦selfish¡¦thinks she¡¦stupid.¡¦

I watched him disappear down the hallway then turned my gaze to the office¡¦s sole occupant. She had re-seated herself behind the desk and transformed back into her flesh form before me.

¡¦Sit down Jubilee.¡¦

I sat down and glanced questioningly at her, ¡¦Everything okay?¡¦

¡¦Naturally,¡¦ she said, fixing me with a piercing stare, ¡¦now let¡¦s see what¡¦s going on in that little head of yours, shall we?¡¦

Deciding to keep my nose out of it, for once, I gave my assent and began the painful process of opening my shields enough for her to get in.

Wait a second, ¡¦little head¡¦? Rassum-frassum.

Unfortunately, our Ms Frost doesn¡¦t like the gently, gently approach when it comes to telepathy. Which meant¡¦

¡¦Ow!¡¦ I rubbed my temple, frowning.

¡¦Hey¡¦wait¡¦ow! Frost,¡¦ I barked through gritted teeth, ¡¦what the fuck are you doing?¡¦

**Patience is a virtue Jubilation.** was the teasing reply.

¡¦Yeah, well you can shove your¡¦ow!¡¦ I dropped my head into my hands, ¡¦are you taking a sledgehammer to my shields or some-ow!-thing?¡¦

**Or something¡¦**

¡¦Frost.¡¦

**Merely testing your limits dear, won¡¦t be long.**

Teacher or no, someday I was going to kick Emma Frost¡¦s ass.

**My, my, such a determined little rebel, aren¡¦t you?**

Duh, she¡¦s inside your head. Repress those little revenge fantasies for the moment.

Another stab of pain and something wet dropped onto my hand. I raised my head and stared at the blood smeared on my hand, ¡¦Oh great.¡¦ A box of tissues sat on the corner of the desk. Probably came in handy when she was ripping all those students into little pieces. Grabbing a handful I held them to my nose.

¡¦Emma, could you possibly hurry up,¡¦ I bit out, ¡¦I think I¡¦m going to end up with some serious brain damage here.¡¦

I was sure I heard ¡¦too late¡¦ echo in the recesses of my mind but it was probably just my suspicious nature.

**All right** came her reluctant sigh **let me out.**

With pleasure. I opened the shields, watching with satisfaction, as Frost was repelled quite forcefully from my mind. She shuddered violently behind the desk as her mind returned to her body. She gazed at me with something akin to surprise on her face before altering herself to her diamond form. I knew what that meant. In this form, she lost not only access to her telepathy but to a whole range of emotions. It seemed that Emma¡¦s mutation had eventually accomplished what she had been trying to become all her life.

A sliver of ice seemed to lodge in my heart and suddenly I was concerned for my former tutor. I only hoped that the others were as aware of Frost¡¦s vulnerability or, more accurately, her lack of one. Better talk to Sean later. And Bobby too. Maybe he suspected already¡¦ But Emma was talking to me and I switched my attention back to her.

¡¦¡¦was right. You most definitely have latent telepathy.¡¦

¡¦Aah,¡¦ I grinned, ¡¦arentcha proud Em? Another telepath in the fold?¡¦

She blinked and curved her lips into what could marginally be considered a smile, ¡¦Very. I have some exercises you can do to test your powers yourself, or at least prepare you for them.¡¦ She handed me a neatly typed sheaf of papers, ¡¦Don¡¦t lose them.¡¦

¡¦Wouldn¡¦t dream of it,¡¦ I muttered, skimming through the pages. I spotted several words I¡¦m sure she used her thesaurus for to stump me. I dabbed experimentally at my nose, to ensure that the bleeding had stopped.

¡¦Now, time for a little question and answer session.¡¦

¡¦You what?¡¦

¡¦I ask questions,¡¦ she explained carefully, ¡¦and you answer.¡¦

¡¦Sounds like fun but you know I kinda got a busy day planned so if you don¡¦t mind¡¦¡¦ I started to rise.

¡¦Sit.¡¦

I sat.

¡¦Right then,¡¦ she fixed me with a glacial stare, ¡¦are you having sex with LeBeau?¡¦

You know what? People in this mansion really need to get out more. The interest they show in my love life borders on unhealthy. They should all go out and just get some. Wincing mentally, I shied away from the thought of Sean trying to chat someone up. You just don¡¦t need to think of your father figure in that way.

¡¦No Frosty, I¡¦m not doing the nasty with Remy.¡¦

¡¦Are you in a,¡¦ her upper lip curled sardonically, ¡¦relationship with him?¡¦ Why didn¡¦t she just go ahead and make quotation marks with her fingers too?

¡¦Course I am, he¡¦s my best bud, my numero uno compadre, my-¡¦

¡¦Yes, yes I get the picture,¡¦ the doubt was still there though, ¡¦now, next topic.¡¦

I rolled my eyes and settled back in the chair.

¡¦What are your plans for next year?¡¦

¡¦Emma I¡¦ve already gone through all this with Xavier. Can¡¦t you just go ask him?¡¦

¡¦I wish to hear it¡¦from the horse¡¦s mouth, as it were.¡¦

Sighing, I patiently repeated what I¡¦d said to the professor. She didn¡¦t seem quite impressed with my career choice, but let it pass. Well, not all of us can be billionaire businesswomen can we? Yes, people judging me even a little tend to get me angry. Over-reactive? Why, yes I am.

Then she moved onto this year and my studies, asking about each subject I was taking in detail. I was pretty sure she was going to ask for a report card. She asked about the exams, where I would sit the SATs, how I was dealing with the coursework. When that topic was exhausted she returned to Remy. Where did he sleep every night? Did he go on Guild missions? What did he do everyday? And the questions kept coming and coming. The Spanish Inquisition had nothing on Emma Frost.

¡¦Well, I think that¡¦s all¡¦¡¦

¡¦Are you sure? Cause, you know, I don¡¦t think I¡¦ve given you a complete rundown of everything I¡¦ve done every hour of every day of every month I¡¦ve been gone.¡¦

She gave me a withering glare, ¡¦Please do not attempt sarcasm Jubilee when there are those who use it so much better.¡¦

I rolled my eyes but grinned, ¡¦I¡¦ll take that under advisement Emma,¡¦ a thought occurred to me, ¡¦but I think it¡¦s time we talked about you now.¡¦

She gazed at me in bafflement.

¡¦Oh come on Em, when was the last time you had a good old girl-talk, huh?¡¦

¡¦You must be joking.¡¦

¡¦I am actually,¡¦ I confessed, ¡¦but thought it was worth a try. Oh well, you know where to find me.¡¦ I stood up and walked to the door, ¡¦Last chance, sure you don¡¦t want to gossip?¡¦

If looks could kill.

¡¦Okay, see you around,¡¦ I gave her a smile and a little wave before slipping from the room. Once the door was closed behind me however I frowned. Who did Emma talk to around here? I mean, really talk to. At the Academy she had Sean, but he was in Scotland now, using Muir Island as the base for an X-Corps office. I was startled out of my reverie by a voice calling my name. I turned around to fine Storm walking swiftly towards me.

¡¦Ro,¡¦ I smiled warmly at the taller woman, ¡¦how are you?¡¦

¡¦Good,¡¦ she replied, then her mouth tightened, ¡¦can I speak to you, about something private?¡¦

I frowned in confusion, a little niggling fear at the back of my mind, ¡¦Sure.¡¦

¡¦Let¡¦s go into the conservatory then,¡¦ she linked her arm through mine and we walked towards the glass building. We went inside and settled down on the twin wicker armchairs.

I leaned forward anxiously, ¡¦Is everything all right? Are you ok?¡¦

¡¦Goodness yes child,¡¦ she smoothed the skirt over her knees, ¡¦I didn¡¦t meant to cause you any undue worry.¡¦ She flicked some lint from the material. A nervous habit of hers. Oh God. She knew.

¡¦Then what¡¦s up?¡¦ I injected an upbeat note into my voice.

¡¦It¡¦s Remy,¡¦ her eyes darted to my face, carefully scrutinising my reaction. A schooled my features into an expression of calm.

¡¦What about him?¡¦

¡¦I know.¡¦

For safety¡¦s sake I decided to play dumb, ¡¦Know what?¡¦

Her mouth quirked at the tactic but quickly crushed any misapprehension I might have, ¡¦I know that you two are involved.¡¦

Still, I tried to remain neutral, ¡¦And how exactly would you know this?¡¦

¡¦He told me.¡¦

¡¦Oh,¡¦ I licked suddenly dry lips, ¡¦when?¡¦

¡¦Yesterday afternoon.¡¦

Yesterday? That meant when he saw me he¡¦d already told her but he didn¡¦t tell me that he¡¦d told her? I rethought that sentence. Yeah, that was right. Was that the reason he was all touchy-feely-gropey? I was going to kill him.

I refocused my attention on Storm, ¡¦You¡¦re not angry?¡¦

She shook her head, smiling.

¡¦You don¡¦t think we¡¦re both being incredibly stupid and irresponsible?¡¦

She hesitated, ¡¦Well I wouldn¡¦t go that far.¡¦

My shoulders slumped, ¡¦Didn¡¦t think so.¡¦

¡¦I¡¦m not condemning what you¡¦re doing,¡¦ she expanded, ¡¦but I wouldn¡¦t be encouraging of it either.¡¦

A little flicker of anger jumped to life within me, ¡¦Why not?¡¦

¡¦Jubilee,¡¦ she said gently, ¡¦you are both very dear to me and I would hate to see either of you hurt.¡¦

¡¦Who says we¡¦re going to get hurt?¡¦ I stuck out my jaw stubbornly.

¡¦Remy,¡¦ she paused, ¡¦Remy has not had very positive experiences in the past when it comes to love. His relationship with Rogue only ended recently. And you,¡¦ she fixed me with her discerning stare, ¡¦have just created a whole new life and identity for yourself. Would you not think it too soon to be rushing towards love?¡¦

¡¦But we are in love,¡¦ I protested belligerently.

¡¦I¡¦m not going to contest that Jubilee. I only ask this,¡¦ she held my eyes with her own serene blue ones, ¡¦take it slowly. Be careful, be certain and be aware of what you¡¦re bringing down on yourself.¡¦

I reached for her hand, refusing to acknowledge the tears that welled up inside me at the wisdom of her words, ¡¦I¡¦ll try.¡¦

¡¦It¡¦s just that I worry for him Jubilee,¡¦ she sighed and gave me a gentle, reassuring smile, ¡¦I worry for you too, but you have so many to care for you. He doesn¡¦t.¡¦

¡¦I know.¡¦

¡¦I don¡¦t want to see his heart broken again.¡¦

The burden of responsibility fell firmly on my shoulders and I barely resisted buckling under the weight.

¡¦Hopefully you won¡¦t have to,¡¦ I whispered and squeezed her hand, ¡¦you¡¦re such a good friend to him, Storm. To both of us.¡¦

¡¦As I always will be,¡¦ she gave my hand one last squeeze before rising and brushing her skirt off, ¡¦I must go, I have to speak with Scott before lunch.¡¦ She walked to the door, ¡¦And do not worry. I will not tell anyone.¡¦ She left.

Strangely enough, I was never worried that she would.

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I did not see Remy all day and by the time I did, at dinner, my anger and frustration had increased exponentially. He didn¡¦t tell me that Storm knew. He had come to my room last night, barely speaking to me before trying to seduce me and then he conveniently forgot to mention that he had informed one of our team-mates about us. He also didn¡¦t tell me that he was meeting the professor this morning. I was angry. So very angry that I thought that some of the telepaths would pick up on it. But no one stopped me with questions about an angry aura or anything so my fury was allowed to grow unchecked.

To be fair, my irritation was probably as much due to mental and physical fatigue as to Remy¡¦s secrecy. I¡¦d been given the old psychic go-around twice today, realised that Emma, who despite being a first class pain in the butt sometimes had actually quite grown on me, was distancing herself from everyone else. Then there had also been the conversation with Storm that had led to serious re-evaluation when it came to my relationship with Remy. I didn¡¦t like re-evaluating things. It meant that initial evaluations were wrong. Which meant I was wrong, which led to a whole load of self-doubt and uncertainty issues which are never fun.

Luckily enough I had given my wrath a focus and face.

Before I sat down for dinner I located Remy entering the hall. I quickly walked up to him. He opened his mouth to greet me but I cut across him.

¡¦Meet me at the lake tonight. After dinner.¡¦

Then I stalked back to my table.

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