Part Twenty

She held the doorframe in both hands, slowly thrusting her head against it, watching the scene that was playing out before her. Logan, the man she'd come to consider a mentor; someone whom she could trust completely. Jubilee, the girl who'd taken him from her for the past week or so with one swift and startling action; to whom Kitty had been so cruel.

The small girl sat on the bed, covers pulled over her thin legs, back propped against the wall, a bag of original flavored Ruffles potato chips open on her lap. Logan had moved the shabby couch so it faced the small television that had been placed on a wheeled cart at the foot of the bed, and now he sat on the decrepit piece of furniture, his back to her, talking softly to the child as her skeletal hand moved methodically from the chips to her mouth, chewing each slowly before swallowing and popping another onto her tongue.

Kitty sighed and lifted her head, then pushed it back against the doorframe, and could almost hear the voice of the mare Falada, scolding, "If she could see thee now, thy mother's heart would break." It was true.

What she had become in the past week was horrifying even for herself. How could she have been so terrible to the poor creature that lay sickly and thin before her, too scared to even sleep in her own room; see the gifts her friends from Massachusetts had sent her? Meanwhile, she had let the best relationship that had ever happened to her slip through her fingers, and had done nothing about it but run.

Gently, Lockheed lighted on her shoulder, nestling her ear fondly. She turned her head to gaze upon him, and found a long white cylinder dangling from his reptilian lips. She tugged it from him and recognized the cigarette brand: Marlboro.

"So Pete wasn't crazy," she muttered, stroking her dragon's nose with a delicate finger. Lockheed gave her a pathetic, pleading look and snatched the cigarette from her once more, flitting off. It seemed even the jealous dragon missed the Englishman.

"You gonna stand there mutterin' t' yerself all day, or are ya gonna come join us?" Logan called without looking. She should have known he knew she was there. And probably Jubilee did, too, unless her ... illness had dulled her senses.

"Yeah. I'll be right there. I ... I just want to make a phone call. I'll be back in a minute." She launched herself from the threshold and made her way downstairs.

* * * *

She wound the long, black chord nervously around her slender fingers, listening to the phone ring again and again. Finally, a voice that sounded half-dead picked up. "'Allo? Wot the bloody 'ell d'ya wont?"

Tears stung her hazel eyes as she imagined him lying amid drained whiskey bottles, mind blurred by alcohol, trying desperately to grasp who would be calling him, especially at this hour. She did a few quick calculations and found it was nearly one in the morning in London. "Pete?" she asked softly. "It's Kitty." There was a long pause, and for a moment, she thought he was going to hang up on her, when suddenly, he spoke.

"Kitty?" He sounded as if he wanted to say more, but couldn't find the words.

"Pete, I'm sorry. For everything. I ... I want to come over there. Would you let me?"

"No." A bolt of pain shot through her heart at his abrupt answer, and a tear slipped down her satin cheek. She opened her mouth to protest, but the line went suddenly dead.

Biting her lip to keep it from trembling, she swiped at her eyes and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her blouse. What had she expected? For him to just accept her back, just like that? She shook her head scornfully and pushed the thought aside, making her way upstairs once more. She entered Logan's room without a sound and curled up on the couch opposite him. He had a bag of Smart Food cheddar popcorn on his lap, which she reached into and grabbed a handful of.

"What's the line up?" she asked, and received a sharp look from Logan.

"Six hours of the mindless bliss created by Jackie Chan," Jubilee replied cheerfully. "First up is 'Who Am I?' followed by 'Rush Hour' and concluded by 'Rumble in the Bronx'."

"We ain't stayin' up till two a.m., darlin'," Logan told her.

"Maybe YOU won't." She seemed her old self at least for the moment as she reached for another chip with one hand and pressed the play button on the remote with the other.

As the previews rolled, Logan turned back to Kitty with a concerned expression. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly, so only she could hear. She shook her head, dismissing the question and stole another handful of popcorn.

"I'll be fine," she told him, and hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt.

(Written by Dana Night)

* * * *

Jubilee had fallen into a deep sleep by the middle of the second movie. Logan rolled the half empty chip bag up and lay it on the table behind him, turning back to tuck her in and set her up more comfortably than the position she was in at the moment. He picked her up partially, laying her back down flat, instead of sitting. As he pulled the thin blue blanket up to her shoulders, she mumbled and turned over her hand clenching on her stomach involuntarily. Logan sat back down on the couch, one arm draped over the side to hold her own hand on the bed.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed Logan. It's been a long day and I don't feel like watching any more Jackie Chan movies, no matter how good they are." she kissed her mentor's forehead quickly and patted his hand. "You go to sleep soon too."

"Like I said to Jubilee, I'm not planning to stay up 'til two in the morning. And, Kitty?" he asked her back as she retreated through the closed door. Phasing back in, she turned to hear what he was saying. "Anytime ya wanna talk, ya come and see me. Jubes is doing a little better and if I lay some ground rules with the others, I'll take time away to see you too. Just slowly at first."

"Okay. Coffee at breakfast tomorrow?" she smiled as he nodded, turning his attentions back to the screen for the end of the movie. Crumpling up the popcorn bag, he grabbed the blankets from the floor, where he'd moved his bedclothes and pillow also. Throwing the blanket over himself, he was content to lay back and doze as he half-listened to the movie and his eyelids closed slowly. Flicking the VCR off as the white snow came on the screen half an hour later, he looked over at Jubilee, who still slept soundly, her hand relaxed under his, small and translucent. Stuffing a pillow under his head, he went to sleep in a position to watch Jubilee, happy to see that the nightmares had left, if even for this night alone.

* * * *

"Wolvie?" Jubilee opened her eyes, the question a faint croak. Looking at the burly man who lay nearby, hand still holding her own, she propped herself up on her elbow a bit and he flinched in his sleep, waking at her movement. The blinds hid the sparkling sunlight that Jubilee longed to see after her day watching the clouds with Remy and Logan, having the first fun she'd had in a long time.

"Mornin' darlin'." he grunted, opening one eye to look at her. He patted her hand and then stood up and stretched. Sitting back down, he hunched over and leaned against his knees, rubbing his eyes. "How're ya feelin'?"

"Okay. My ribs feel a lot better and my back too, but my stomach is doing this shaking muscles and pain thing again. My stomach feels like it's hollow or something. Like after ... um ... the operation."

"I'm not surprised, girl. You put up quite a fight the other day." Logan smiled and leaned over the edge of the couch, brushing hair back as he rested, still waking. "Just like I taught ya."

"Yeah well, I think in few days I'll be able to walk around on my own, maybe with someone nearby, but on my own, without the wheelchair." she looked at the ceiling, then the window, stretching an arm out to reach for the handle and twist open the blinds, sunlight pouring across Logan and her. Birds flew by with thin chirps, fluffy white clouds sped across the sky quickly and Jubilee smiled, watching it all.

"I was thinking that we could go away in two weeks or so. Yer ribs'll be completely healed, yer back should be better and yer insides can have some time to sit and rest instead of gettin' all worked up. And maybe yer head'll be a bit better too." Logan pulled out a cigar and opened the window all the way, letting the now cool breeze wash over them as he lit up. "What do ya say?"

"Yes. I'd love to go away, even for a little bit, but be able to come back here." she pulled the covers around her again and curled against her pillow, eyes heavy lidded with weariness still.

"I'll be there to help you the whole way, darlin'. And you can stay in this room as long as you want, I don't mind bein' here with you, and you don't seem to mind staying in here."

"I know you'll be here. And I will go back to my room anytime you want. This is your room. I just wish someone had told me that I was going the other day, 'cause it freaked me out seein' all that stuff and having the window fixed." with that, she yawned and turned over to bury her face in the pillow, eyes closed as waves of sleepiness claimed her again. Logan sat up and went to the bedroom door, opening it to check if anyone was in the hallway.

"Remy!" he muttered as the tall man's door opened and he walked out in a pair of jeans. Turning toward the gruff voice, he smiled a charming smile and headed down towards Logan.

"What you need? De petite need anyt'in'?" he leaned against the doorframe and glanced at the small sleeping figure that lay in the bed, sheets tangled around her legs and a pillow curled under her head, hair hanging against her skin to her ears.

"I need to go have coffee with Kitty and someone's gotta watch her when she's up, so can you sit in fer a half hour or so?" Logan looked up at the younger man and he nodded, moving into the room. His brown hair was messy and hanging loosely past his shoulders, as it had the few night's before when he'd come the first time to watch her. He took Logan's spot on the couch, moving when a spring jabbed him in the back and shooed him away, smiling as he took out a pack of cards and watched Jubilee sleep, feet propped on the bed near her knees.

"I'll bring breakfast up fer you and her when I get back." Logan left, closing the door with a quiet, yet firm thud against the doorframe.

(Written by Nova Zion)