"One year, that's all it's been, but you know what? It feels like it happened a lifetime ago. The pain is so sharp..." Jubilee couldn't hold the flood of emotions at bay any longer. Nate sat down next to her, and tried to comfort her. But Jubilee had never been too receptive to sympathy. She almost shrugged off the comforting hand he placed on her shoulder, but thought better of it. Sometimes, it felt good to share the burden.

I never told you what happened, did I?" At Nate's encouraging nod, Jubilee continued, intending to tell her brother about her estrangement from her mentor. "Remember when I learned to generate the pyrotechnic beam, I was so proud of that, but Father, didn't think that was enough. Sure, he congratulated me, but you know how he shows his pleasure. All he said was, 'Well done. Do you have it in you to kill someone with that?' He knew I didn't, of course. So, you know what his next move was, to make me into a killer. Specifically, an assassin. Who would suspect a child of posing a threat. After all I looked innocent enough, I would be the perfect killer, because I already had the desire for vengeance within me. He manipulated my need to avenge the deaths of my family, to his own end. But you know, I don't hate him. How can I? He took me in, and gave me a reason to live, and I think he loved us, in his own way unique way, he loved us..." Jubilee broke down with those words. It was too much for her to handle. She turned to Nate, and cried on his shoulder. Nate tried to soothe her, but all the while, her thoughts wandered to the real source of her sadness...Logan.

She was running, wildly, frantically, and without thought. Tears streaming down her face, but she couldn't wipe them away. They were the only outlet for the pain she felt in her heart. The night air was cool against her face, but she didn't feel it. She didn't feel anything. The only thing she knew was that she had to get away before he could catch her.

She saw the fence leading to the west pasture; jumping quickly over it, she made her way through the trees on the outskirts of the field. She knew her way around the land, and followed the narrow trail that led to the old dry well. Once there, she crouched down, hugging her knees to her chest, and just cried. She didn't know how long she stayed in that position, but when she felt her legs falling asleep under her, she knew she had to move. Getting up carefully, so that the sensors wouldn't detect her, she sat down on the edge of the well, and stared down into the blackness below.

"Ya ain't thinkin' of jumpin' in are ya, darlin'? I'd hate ta be pullin' ya out."

Startled, she turned in the direction of the voice, but didn't see anyone there. "He's here, and he knows," those were the only words going through her mind.

"I know you followed me Jubilee, but I can't figure out why? Your Daddy didn't send ya. So there's gotta be another reason why my student was sneakin' up on her sensei?" Logan was going easy on her, and she knew it. But she didn't care, she saw him with them, giving them the information, and help them retrieve the files. He sold her to the enemy.

"If you know I followed you, then you probably also know that I saw everything. You are a TRAITOR!" She screamed the words at him. Getting to her feet, she turned, ready to leave, when a heavy hand clamped down on her arm, stopping any movement she intended to make.

"What you saw girl, was nothing. You don't know me as well as you think, and tonight just proves it. Just forget what happened, and don't think about it again." Logan was purposely being abrupt with her. Trying to distance himself from her sense of betrayal.

"Don't touch me!" With those words, Jubilee pulled herself out of his grasp, and ran farther into the surrounding trees. She knew she wouldn't get far, because Logan could easily follow her. People only escaped from Wolverine if he wanted them to, and Jubilee hoped he would just leave her to her thoughts. The buzzing in her head had decreased, but it left her mind numb, and unable to function. She stopped running, and looked around to see if she was still on Milbury land. Spotting the distant silhouette of the barn, she made her way towards the safety it offered.

Once inside the warm dimly lit barn, Jubilee shut and bolted the door. She didn't want anyone to disturb her. The Milbury farm had once been the most prosperous farm in up-state New York, but for the last ten years it served as one of the many bases-of-operation for Mr. Sinister. Jubilee always wondered why Sinister had chosen this place, and when she asked him the reason, and he simply said that it had belonged to an old friend. Sitting down on one of the many bales of hay that filled half the room, Jubilee tried to calm the erratic beating of her heart.

Jubilee remembered the first day of her training with Logan. Wolverine wasn't the most open of people, and on that day he had been positively frightening. They were practicing in the empty field across from the stables to ensure that they wouldn't be disturbed. She was so intimidated by him that she didn't react when he lunged for her, and when she finally realized what was happening, it was too late. She was pinned underneath him, his heavy arm across her throat, and the other arm pulled back, adamantium claws unleashed, and ready to strike. All Jubilee could do was stare at him, mouth opened, ready to scream. At the sight of her expression, Logan began to laugh. He got up and helped her back on to her feet. "Sorry, kid. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. I got a little too carried away."

After that, the tension between them relaxed.
Jubilee liked Wolverine's gruff manner, and they developed an easy friendship. Logan taught Jubilee how to defend herself, and how to kill. He instructed her on the usage of various types of knives, ranging from small blades to broad swords. Jubilee developed a preference for daggers, but Logan wanted her to be comfortable with a Katana, believing that the larger blade would be more valuable in mortal combat situations. Physical training was also part of their routine. Logan taught her the stealth, strength, and discipline of the ninja assassins of the Hand. Jubilee knew that these assassins were supposed to be the best, but she didn't think they were better than Logan, but she didn't protest and was willing to learn everything he taught her.

Jubilee's mental and physical strength grew under Logan's tutelage, and she continued to train in the development of her powers. Sinister didn't want her to sacrifice her genetic gift, but he too was pleased with the results of her training with Logan. He saw the power within her, yet he was curious if she could use it. He needed to know if she could fatally harm another. With this goal in mind, he sent Jubilee on an assignment which would yield him the desired results.

This would be Jubilee's first solo mission. She'd gone on others with the team, but this time it all depended on her. Jubilee was amazed that Sinister trusted her abilities in accomplishing this goal. The assignment was relatively simple, all she had to do was steal some medical data from a private clinic. Sinister had heard that they were doing some mutant research, and he wanted to know exactly what kinds of tests they were conducting. Jubilee knew what to expect from such a raid. Usually, clinics had nighttime security guards. The guards didn't present any danger because they never carried any serious weapons, so she only took the small dagger that Logan had given her for her sixteenth birthday. Sinister was going with her In case anything went wrong. He would teleport them, to the clinic and back, but everything else was up to Jubilee.

Getting inside the building was easy, the locks were standard and the security system was basic. Jubilee hoped the rest of the pinch would be this smooth. She quickly ran through the office, down the corridor, and into the labs. Sinister had provided her with a map of the clinic, so she didn't have to guess where everything would be. Once she reached the lab, she scanned the files on top of the desks, but nothing looked like it concerned mutants, so she headed for the computer. She switched it on, and tried to access the database for mutant research, nothing happened. She began opening all the files in the system, but still she didn't turn anything up on mutants. Jubilee turned off the computer, and began too look through the desk, and file cabinets. She searched through the entire lab, but all she found was data related to human blood samples, nothing even remotely connected to mutants was present. "Daddy's source must have been wrong. There's nothing here."

Jubilee turned toward the door, ready to leave, when she heard footsteps coming down the hall. She quickly ducked behind the door as the guard passed. As he went further down the corridor, she heard him open a door, and then the footsteps stopped. Figuring that he probably went into the security lounge, Jubilee left the lab, and lightly ran towards her exit. She had just made her way to the office when she saw the other guard. Standing directly in front of her, the gun in his hands was pointed directly at her chest.

"Don't move a muscle, or I'll kill you." He was very serious, but she saw that he was also nervous. The gun shook in his hands, and Jubilee decided to act. She threw a barrage of fireworks at him. Temporarily blinded the guard dropped his weapon, and reached for his eyes. Jubilee kicked his gun out of the way, but she knew she had to get past him quickly, because his shouts would alert the other guard.

Just as she was about to move around him, and head out the door, the guard recovered enough to swipe her head with his fist. Momentarily disoriented, Jubilee didn't see him reach for his billy-club, but she felt the hard wood make contact with her back. He moved back after the first hit, giving her a chance to get to her feet before he hit her again. Jubilee knew she would have to fight harder if she wanted to get out of this, so she swiped her leg up and kicked him in the stomach. She heard the footsteps of the other guard as he ran towards them, and she knew time was running out. She hit the guard again, this time her fist made contact with his face, but still the guard didn't stay down; he continued to attack her. Barely conscious of what she was doing, Jubilee reached for the dagger in her pocket, and firmly grasped it.

The guard hit her again, this time in the stomach with the club. Trying to keep from reacting to the intense pain, Jubilee brought her arm up and struck his throat. The other guard was upon them, and reaching for his weapon. Jubilee saw him pull out a gun, and fired her pyrotechnic beam at his hand. The first guard grabbed her arm ready to hold her until the other guard retrieved the gun. Jubilee pulled her arm out of his hold, and with an upswept motion of her hand, sliced open his throat with her dagger. As the guard fell to the floor, she ran out of the building.

Sinister teleported them back to the Milbury farm, and once she told him what happened, he sympathetically comforted her. He wasn't too worried about the incorrect information his source had given him, but Jubilee was too distraught to notice. It was her first kill, and that night she prayed it would be her last. But like many of her prayers, it was unanswered.

Over time she got used to killing, it became part of the job. Sometimes, there was no choice, it always came down to kill or be killed. Now, as she sat in the barn, she couldn't believe how cold and hard she'd grown.

In some ways Logan's betrayal disturbed her more than the first time she'd killed someone. It was as if someone had ripped her heart out of her chest, and forced it down her throat. She was choked with bitterness, and sitting in the quiet dark barn, she once again cried for her loss.

She knew she could never forgive Logan for throwing away her trust and friendship. Jubilee got up slowly, and walked to the barn door. She knew it was late, and she would be in trouble if she didn't report for her morning training session with Madrox. Opening the heavy door, she peered into the night, wondering if Logan was hiding somewhere in the shadows. Jubilee reluctantly left the safety of the barn, and walked across the empty field to the farm house.

"I..I'm sorry. I didn't mean to break down like that. It's just that sometimes, when I think of how rough and emotionally complicated things get with Father, it opens up old scars. I'll tell you about Logan later, right now we have to prepare for our trip." Moving out of Nate's arms, Jubilee once again put up all of her exterior defenses. She was once again the cold, heartless killer, conscienceless, and ready to do any job. Only the next assignment wasn't that easy. She had to face a specter from her past, and she didn't know if she was strong enough to do it.

--To Be Continued--