Part Seven

As dawn blazed orange across the open, cloudless sky with long-lived ease and grace, Storm gently opened the door to Logan's room, sticking her head in quietly. Logan had fallen asleep on the beaten couch, the red light splattering across his face in streaks from the half-shut blinds. Jubilee lay still on the bed, her mouth open, her eyes closed, obvious sheer exhaustion having won out over determination at staying awake until early morning.

Stepping into the room, Storm opened the blinds and began to straighten up the odd item in the room. She re-ordered Jubilee's dolls beside her on the extra pillow, but left Bamf tucked securely in her arm as she slept. Picking up a brown foil chocolate wrapper, Storm wondered where it had come from, but threw it out all the same. She heard Logan making small noises as he slept on the rather ugly piece of furniture, springs creaking with every shift in his body weight.

Logan opened one eye and looked at Storm as she leaned over the little, broken body on the bed across from him. The regal chocolate beauty brushed a piece of hair from the cut on her cheek and fluffed up the pillow for her, gently holding her head as she re-adjusted it to better suit her. Pulling her covers up to her chin again from where they had fallen, Storm kissed her healthy cheek and sat down, only then noticing with a faint blush that Logan was awake.

"The motherly thing suits ya, 'Ro." he whispered, rolling off the couch as quietly as possible with the ever present spring army squeaking in protest.

"Logan, I am merely concerned." she waved her hand delicately in the air and smiled at her friend. "How is she faring, Logan?"

"A little better. We been talkin' some things through. But Remy was up with her last night." Logan brushed a hand through his hair, sighing as his stretched and sat back down. "Made me leave fer an hour and he watched her..."

"Remy is very good with children, Logan. He cared for me very well when I was reduced to my child-like state. I am sure an hour alone with her only worked for the best."

"Sure. Whatever ya say, 'Ro." he sighed. "Today she gets her bandaging taken off her face and the wraps on her back replaced. After that, Hank's gonna ask her some questions and do an overdue physical and I don't know how she's gonna take it."

Storm patted Jubilee's hand and then softly picked up the necklace around her neck, staring at it. "Where did she obtain this?"

"I guess Remy." Logan stepped closer and looked at the necklace, seeing the jewel glitter in the red light and then fade. Logan stood again and faced the window as Storm began to leave.

"I will be bringing breakfast up Logan. For you and her, and you will eat it. You are not any better off than she is right now after locking yourself in here for four days. This affects us all, but you are making it worse for yourself..."

Logan nodded and turned back to the window, watching the birds fly in early morning sun outside. Sighing, he massaged his face with his hands before he heard a small moan from the bed. Spinning, he saw Jubilee open her eyes, the dull color within sparking slightly in the redness.

"Oooohhhh...my head..." she moaned, lifting a hand to her forehead.

"I'll go get Hank t' give ya something. Ya never shoulda been up that late. It's not enough sleep..." Logan walked to the door and headed three doors down to the furry physician's room. Knocking, Hank answered quickly and stared at Logan in surprise.

"What is it Logan? Is Jubilee ready to be examined and have the wrappings changed?" Hank rubbed his eye glasses on a cloth and grabbed a stretcher. Beginning the short bounce down the hall to the healing room, he opened the door again and laid the stretcher out. Going to the bed, he looked at Jubilee with a smile and patted her hand, as Storm had done.

"How are you feeling, Jubilee?"

"My...head...hurts a lot." she sputtered out, clenching her doll's hand tightly. "I was...up too...late."

"Oh. Well, we'll give you a mild sedative painkiller that should put you halfway out for your examination and changing. It will help in the long run, though you'll feel as though you're floating for a few hours. Would you mind greatly if we took the service elevator and moved you to the Med Labs for the day?"

"No...Wolvie has to come..." she panicked, reaching her hand out blindly to feel for the familiar warm grasp of her mentor and best friend. Her weak, pale, thin hand connected with his hairy one and they began to lift her onto the stretcher, her mind crying out in pain and confusion. Laying her still, Logan lifted one end and Hank the other, and the moved her swiftly to the elevator, down the hall and around the corner.

Reaching the Med Labs in record time, Hank lifted her out of the stretcher, laying her on the metallic examination table nearest the door. She began to shake, scared at what they would find and where she was. Logan smoothed her hair and held her tightly as Hank slipped an IV in her arm and began a drip of the sedative. True to his word, her body soon felt as though she was floating above the ground, but her mind stayed firmly rooted to the core, only the pain registry gone. She closed her eyes as Logan explained to Hank what she had said had happened to her in the Hulkbuster base. She felt his hand holding her own and his hair as he leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Well Jubilee..." the voice sounded like it usually would; a shock to Jubilee as she thought it would sound dreamy and far away. "This sedative is a painkiller really, though it will tire you. I am sure you feel and hear and see everything except pain, so we shall now began with changing your wrappings."

Logan mumbled something else, finishing the tale of her sordid adventure in the base with Bastion. "And the physical and psychological examination will come afterwards, Jubilee, so that the sedative has time to wear off."

(Written by Nova Zion)

* * * *

The sun was high in the perfectly cloudless sky, an Indian summer in full swing in Westchester County, a Harvest moon scheduled to rise at dusk, when Bobby Drake entered the Danger Room, the holographic image of a ninja fighter vanishing as the safeties clicked into place. A panting Kitty Pryde spun, momentarily bewildered before she noticed her visitor. Dressed in her blue and yellow X-Men uniform, her dark curls were plastered to her face with sweat, her hazel eyes flashing in anger.

"Continue workout," she ordered the voice command on the computer, and the ninja reappeared, charging the young woman. With a swift roundabout kick, she sent the ninja sprawling with graceful ease, then turned to Bobby. "What?" Her tone was expectant, almost impatient, and Drake decided he should make this quick.

"Um.. I was thinking about getting Jubilee something. You know, to make her feel better. And I was wondering if you knew what I should get."

"How the HELL should I know?" Kitty snapped, and Bobby flinched as if she were about to use her Kung-Fu move on him. He had never seen her like this; so angry and upset.

"Well, uh..." Drake brushed his dark hair from his dark eyes and looked around the empty room. "I, uh, thought about asking Logan," the New York native stammered, "but haven't seen him for the better part of the week. So, uh, you know. You spend a lot of time with Wolverine, so, uh, I thought, you know, he might have, um, mentioned something. I guess you're busy, now, though, so.."

"Wait." The usual softness was back in the Jew's eyes as she ran gloved fingers through her damp hair and gave him a small, masking smile. "I'm sorry, Bobby. I'm just.. Exercise routines make me tense, you know?"

He nodded, but his eyes were still wary as he faced her. She walked the few steps to him, limping slightly, as if that roundabout hadn't been as easy as it had seemed.

"Now, a gift for Jubilee? Gee, Bobby, I really don't know. I mean, there are a number of things you could get her, but to make her feel better? To make up for months of neglect with a toy and some pretty paper? I couldn't say right off.."

Bobby felt like he had been slapped, and backed up, shocked by her behavior. Swallowing hard, he thought for a moment that he had misheard, but the intense, inquisitive look in her eyes as she met his gaze, carefully masking a burning animosity, said he had heard correctly. "Oh. Um, well, thanks, Kitty. I, um, should leave you to.. to your workout then. Thanks."

She smiled sweetly. "No problem."

Stumbling over himself, he turned and clumsily left the room, then immediately went to seek out Jean.

(Written by Dana Night)