Untamable Hearts Ch. 1

The checkered cab pulled up to the gate as ordered. The woman told him not to drive through them, though she didn't tell him why. She hadn't been back here in almost two years. Not since she turned 18. She had no idea if the security had been updated and didn't want to risk getting the cab blown up. She knew she'd still be on the system, though. She was still part of the X-Men, after all.

She paid the cabby and shouldered her army-size duffel bag. The cab drove off as she entered the gates and made the walk to the front door. It was odd to not be rolling up the drive, but that wasn't how she wanted to come home. She was a grown up now and it was time certain people knew that.

Her yellow trench coat fluttered in the breeze and showed of the silk shirt she had bout in China. She looked good in oriental clothing, but her jeans were still all-American. As were her trademark pink shades perched on the top of her head. Jubilee was glad to be home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A rugged man in a cowboy hat walked towards the back door of the mansion. He had enjoyed watching the sun rise over the lake while he smoked his morning cigar. It was one of the little rituals that made his life here so comfortable.

Normally the X-Men didn't eat breakfast together, but on days when they did special training it only made sense. On those rare days it was his turn to cook. He really couldn't complain. No one even tried to make him cook dinners and these training sessions only came around once a month.

He remembered the first time he had been talked into making breakfast. Chuck had told him he had to take his turn cooking sometime, so this arrangement was made. Knowing everyone would get sick of fried eggs, Jubilee had taught him how to use the waffle machine.

He chuckled at the memory of that scrawny kid teaching him anything. It had worked though. Wolvie's Waffles had become a once a month treat for everyone. Not that he would ever admit how proud he was of that.

He froze as a familiar scent caught is sensitive nostrils. The breeze smelled like Jubilee. For a moment he wondered if his memory had supplied the scent. It had been almost two years after all. But no, this smell was subtly different, but definitely Jubilee.

Logan increased his pace and headed for the front of the mansion. He smiled a little at the thought of having his little shadow back. Jubie could be a pest, but she was a pest he had missed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee climbed the steps to the mansion with a smile on her face. She had left on her 18th birthday, but she had still been a child. This was going to be her first time in the mansion as a woman. Even her body agreed with her.

Sometime over the past 21 months her body had finally finished forming. Her hips had rounded, her breast swelled, and even her face and sharpened in all the right places. She couldn't wait to see the surprised look on the faces of her friends. The 'kid' had become a woman and not one of them had ever
really excepted that it would happen. She especially wanted to see that look on one face. A face that had stayed with her no matter how hard she tried not to think of him...

She hovered on the porch enjoying this moment. She had found her birth family, the grandparents and older sister she had never met while her parents were alive, and realized what she should have known all along. This was were she belonged. She just hoped the others were as glad to have her back as she was to be home.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan slowed as he walked up to the porch where she was standing. All he could see was that damn yellow trench coat. He shook his head in amusement. Some things never change.

"Welcome back short-stuff."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee jumped and spun around. There he was, looking just the same as she remembered him. He had been away the day she left. The day after her 18th birthday.

She had arranged it that way, packing the moment she knew he was gone. He would have offered to come with her if she had told him. She had known she wouldn't have been able to say no, so she had snuck off living a good-bye letter in his room.

Only Xavier had known why she was leaving, and he had understood why she didn't want to say good-bye. This was something she had to do on her own. Find her past, her heritage, and herself.

"Well if it isn't the ol' Canuckle-head himself!" She dropped her duffel bag on the porch and hopped to the ground. "Glad to see me Wolvie?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan could barely believe his eyes. This was not the Jubilee that had tweaked his nose and annoyed him daily. This was a grown woman! What was even worse was that she was beautiful.

He couldn't believe he had thought such a thing about the girl that he had always thought of as a little sister. He quickly put it down to a sort of 'brotherly pride'. The kid had always been cute, he should have expected her took look at least as good when she was full grown.

"Yeah, kid. Took ya long enough."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee thought she had caught his eyes lingering on her, but she realized it could have been her imagination. She stuck her tongue out at him. Long enough indeed! Then she was annoyed that he had gotten her to act like a kid. This was not going how she had planned at all!

She decided that if her 'adult' manner had already been broken she might as well give in to temptation once more. A huge grin spread across her face as she ran the short distance that was left between her and the approaching Logan. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.

"Well I'm glad to see you," she said with a little more ferocity than she had wanted.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Logan chuckled and wrapped his arms around the thin woman. Now this was the Jubes he remembered! He couldn't believe how good she felt in his arms.

That thought led to another and soon he was noticing things he never had before. He could feel every soft curve of her against him. Her scent filled his senses and his heart began to pound faster. The silkiness of her hair against his skin made him shiver. Almost without realizing it, his hands started to drift from her upper back, slowing sliding downward.

His voice was gruff and laced with barely restrained emotion. "Damn it Jubes, don't disappear on me again."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee had been about to reluctantly pull away when she felt his arms tighten, pulling her closer. Her heart began to pound. Or was that his heart? She couldn't tell and didn't care.

A strange tingling sensation ran up her spine as she felt his hands sliding down her back. She felt lost in the heat of his body, dizzied by his musk. His stubble scraped across her cheek as he spoke. She wanted to reassure him that she'd never leave him again, but was afraid to speak and ruin this moment.

Of course that was when Jean opened the front door.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jean had sensed Jubilee's approach and had allowed time for the two old friends to greet each other. The new kids were still in the shower, but Logan was going to be late with breakfast already. Upset that she would have to interrupt Jubilee's welcome home, she knew she'd have to do just that.

She opened the front door and saw the two old friends hugging. She was comforted that they had at least gotten to say hello.

"Logan, it's getting late. Do you think you could finish your hello's later?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The sound of Jean's voice broke Logan from the spell. He couldn't believe what he had been thinking. What he had almost done…

He released Jubes and picked up a quick walk to the steps. "Right on it Red," he said as he passed her and into the mansion. He needed a beer. Badly.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jubilee found herself alone on the driveway looking up at Wolvie's disappearing back and Jean's smiling face. She had always respected the older woman, but at that instant she wanted to smack the smile right off the red-heads face. Instead she smiled and headed back to the porch.

"Hey Jean. Just let me bring my bag up to my room and I'll be down for breakfast. You and Chuck can grill me after I get a full stomach."

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