Leave Well Enough Alone: Part 3

by Polka Dot

It was official Jubilee and Jono were now a couple, a serious couple. How this had happened was beyond him. They were an odd couple to be sure.

Jubilee didn't talk the way she used to. At first he just thought that she was hanging around Hank too much, but that wasn't it. She had finally decided that she didn't want to sound like a mallrat for the rest of her life and began to talk with a maturity that went beyond her seventeen years. She was only seventeen. Physically Hank accessed her age at about nineteen, but still she was just a kid. They couldn't get married, at least. Logan didn't see the relationship as lasting anyway. Truth be told he had a feeling Jubilee would be breaking Jono's heart, not the other way around and he had no reason to give a damn if that Brit got himself hurt. Still the idea of his little girl with the perpetual angst machine did not sit well with him.

It wasn't that he thought she wasn't mature enough for an intimate (Logan phsyically shivered at that thought) relationship. It was actually the opposite. She was very mature for her age, both physically and mentally. Bastion had put her through hell and she wasn't exactly a wide-eyed child going into that experience. She had a darkness that had settled around her soul, which is probably why she was attracted to the gloomy brit. They were two of a kind and that's what worried Logan. He didn't want that darkness to be reinforced. He wanted her to find someone who would take her away from all that.

Not to mention that dating within the X-Men was almost like dating a family member. They were all way too close. Only Jean and Scott had any real seclusion from the rest of the house and that wasn't much. The X-Men's lifestyle was a real roller coaster ride and sometimes living in the X-Mansion was more like a prison than a palace. He chafed at the closeness of the the group and often had to cut out on his own. He knew Jubilee would also feel this desire.

No more quiet vacations to Canada with just the kid. It was likely Jono and Jubilee would now be cutting out together. He didn't want to think about what they would be doing on those little trips. It was just another thing to accept. He always thought he'd have more time to make the adjustment though.

*******

Hank sighed. It was a relaxing sigh versus his normal tired, aggitated, annoyed and/or frustrated sighs.

It was official, Jono was good for Jubilee. Her energy signature had begun levelling out and now her powers were less erratic. She was basically settling down, which was good news. Of course Logan didn't see it as such, but Hank was thrilled. It was no longer necessary to investigate the feasibility of reversing the treatments.

Truth be told, Jubilee and Jono made an excellent couple. They were quite the pair, when allowed to go on missions together, which was rare for Jubilee was still in training and Scott didn't like to allow involved couples on the same team. Nonetheless they were a formidable duo when given the opportunity. Her powers were constantly taking the enemy by surprise and with proper training one day, Jubilee might be able to go toe to toe against Magneto. Jono made good use of the distractions Jubilee provided.

They weren't a cutesy couple which everyone appreciated. With the Generation X-ers graduation into the X-Teams there were too many young, happy-to-be-in-love couples around the mansion that tended to push the barf buttons of the elder X-Men. Long-winded maniacal speeches by mutants such of Magneto seemed almost pleasurable compared to the "No, I love you more" speeches that one would unpleasantly stumble across when trying to obtain breaskfast from the kitchen or relax by the pool. Jono and Jubilee were private people and kept their relations private as well. Of course this was probably in an effort to keep Logan from dismembering Jono, it was still appreciated. When they were in public either together or individually, they were both usually beaming or at least noticably content.

Yes, life was good. Jubilee was in fine health and Logan was grudgingly acceptive of her relationship to Jono. Paige was insanely jealous of Jubilee for forever quashing her secret infatuation Jono Starsmore, but infinitely grateful that Jubilee and Sam's passing fancy never resulted in an actual kinship between the two girls. Angelo hasn't dared to pinch any woman's behind since the incident with the garage and last but not least, Hank had not killed, maimed nor injured his favorite mallrat in any way.

The remedy turned out to be far from perfect and Hank was unsure if he wanted to try to employ the procedure ever again. Nonetheless he was sure that the bugs in the system could be worked out. He restrained himself from the self-congratulatory pat on the back and instead celebrated with a rare treat of ding-dongs.