Jean walked down the hospital corridor between Scott and Logan as they headed for Jubilee's room. Sean had left them several minutes earlier to have one of the nurses page Dr. Knight. At first Jean had insisted that Sean be present, but he refused. He felt that since Jubilee did not even remember his being her teacher-- he remarked offhandedly that he would be lucky if she knew his name-- it would be much easier if he were not present when they told her about the situation. Reluctantly, Jean conceded that just having Scott, and Logan, and herself present would probably be best. Besides, she was simply relieved that Emma had agreed-- albeit reluctantly-- to their idea. In fact, she was still surprised that Emma had barely protested when they announced their plans. At least she had not objected verbally.

When Jean announced what she and Scott planned to do during breakfast earlier that morning, Emma's countenance had immediately hardened, and she prepared to voice her objections-- loudly. Jean had seen the look that was then exchanged between Emma and Sean; after the years in which she and Scott had shared a psychic rapport, it was easy to see when a telepathic communication was occurring. Sean's sidelong glare and whatever silent words accompanied it had stopped Emma's response before she could even utter it. Evidently, they must have had a talk the previous evening in which he made it perfectly clear to her that he was not going to stand any more outbursts from her.

Emma had quickly gotten control of herself and then calmly asked for more details. After Jean and Scott supplied them, she silently nodded her head. She asked Sean what he felt about the matter. Rubbing his goatee in a thoughtful fashion, Sean, too, slowly nodded. He said that while he was reluctant to give up custody of Jubilee-- for he still felt the best place for her was at the school-- he had to admit that it was the best suggestion they had heard thus far, and just might be good enough to work.

Emma agreed that it was an clever idea, and one which would greatly benefit Jubilee if successful. With those words of approval, she even went so far as to offer to pay any legal expenses that might arise to file the necessary paperwork. Then, assuring them that she would refrain from visiting Jubilee from the hospital in order not to upset her, she took her leave. Jean stared at the others in baffled silence. Scott shrugged. Sean sighed. Logan grunted and took another helping of eggs. And Jean had to wonder if she had judged Emma Frost too harshly.

Now, as they neared Jubilee's room, Jean found herself increasingly agitated. Why should she be so nervous? They were simply here to explain to Jubilee the dire situation she were in, and their best solution. Surely, she would agree to it. Without any protest. In fact, she would probably welcome the idea. Maybe. Perhaps. But what if she did not want to come live with them? What if she would rather take her chances at--

*Stop it,* she chided herself. *Don't be ridiculous. Of course Jubilee will agree.* She would not want to be separated from these people she had come to know and love-- the people who were now her family. So why was Jean suddenly so fearful? Could it be she was frightened . . . of rejection?

She quickly pushed the thoughts aside. She felt Scott's hand grasp hers firmly. Giving it a squeeze, she looked at him and smiled. He returned the gesture and nodded at her reassuringly.

"Well, here it is," Logan said as they stopped in front of the room. "Guess money talks, huh?" Emma had pulled a full strings-- including loosening those on her purse-- to get Jubilee a private room. "You two ready?"

Taking a deep breath, Jean nodded. She still held tightly to Scott's hand.

Logan knocked.

"Come in."

Logan held open the door and they all entered the room.

Jubilee was sitting up in bed. Though still a little pale, there was much more color in her cheeks than there had been the previous week. Her head was still bandaged, and the cast was still on her arm, but all of the wires and tubes were noticeably absent. A tray with juice, tea, and a slice of barely-touched toast sat on a table at her bedside. She still looked tired and weak, and Jean realized how thin she had become. Jubilee had been watching television, but when she saw them come in, she used the remote to shut it off; her motor control of her arm and hand seemed perfectly normal, Jean noted with relief.

"Hi, guys," Jubilee greeted, her voice soft and weak.

"Hey there, darlin'," Logan said. "How ya doin'?"

"Not bad . . . W-Wolvie," she said, forming the words much slower than normal. "You?"

"Good, now that you're awake."

"How are you feeling?" Jean asked her, walking up to the bedside.

"All right. Thanks to those lovely little pills . . . my headache's down . . . to a dull throb. I'm still tired, though. . . . And my . . . my voi . . . my voice. . . ." She looked at them in frustration. Her mind knew what she wanted to say, but her mouth just would not listen. Hot tears stung her eyes.

"Easy," Jean said, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "I know it's hard right now. But the words will come with time."

Blinking, Jubilee nodded, thankful for her understanding.

"How about your legs?" Logan asked.

Jubilee smiled. "I'm able to move my . . . my lay--" She paused, shaking her head. Seeing Jean nodding in encouragement, she took a deep breath and tried again. "I can move 'em a little better. . . . The doc said it'll still be a while . . . before I'm able to walk normally again. . . . He said . . . it'll be a lot of work . . . 'fore I'll be running any m-marathons."

"These are for you, Jubilee," Scott said, handing her a colorful bouquet of flowers.

Jubilee looked a little taken aback. She took them and smelled them. "They're b-beau . . . really pretty. Thanks, Cyke."

"Would you like me to put them in some water?" Jean asked.

"Yeah, thanks," Jubilee said, handing them to her.

"I brought you some of your things," Jean said, indicating a bag she had put down on a chair. As she put the flowers in a pitcher of water, she levitated the bag onto the bed. Jubilee opened it and pulled out a faded nightshirt in the style of a football jersey with the number four on it.

"My favorite nightshirt?" Jubilee reached for it. "H-How'd you know?"

"Paige told me."

"Who?"

That one simple word gave Jean pause. "Paige Guthrie is your roommate, and a fellow student."

"Student? What, there're more X-Men now?"

"Paige isn't an X-Man. She, like you, and several other mutant teenagers, is a member of Generation X."

Jubilee smirked. "What, a cool version of the New Mutants?"

"You could say that."

"Paige . . . does she have blonde hair and blue eyes?"

"Yes," Jean said, hopes rising. "Do you remember her?"

"Nope. Just figured if her name's Guthrie . . . she must be Sam's kid sister, and so she p-prob-prob'ly looks like him."

It was sound logic, Jean realized. Nonetheless, she could not help but feel a sudden onrush of disappointment and sadness.

"If she's my roomie . . . is she, like, my best bud or something?"

"That'd be Everett. Everett Thomas," Logan told her. "Ring any bells?"

"A guy, huh?" Jubilee thought a moment, then slowly shook her head.

"It's all right," Jean whispered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and touching Jubilee's leg. "It'll all come back to you eventually."

"I guess." Jubilee paused before continuing. She swallowed hard. "I've been w-won-wondering. . . . How- how did I get hurt?"

"You don't remember anything about it?" Scott asked.

She shook her head. "L-Last thing I 'member was bladin' out on Graymalkin Lane. . . .Must've hit a rock or major crack, 'cause I took a nasty spill an' everything went dark. . . . Next thing I know, I woke up in the hospital." She looked at each of them in turn. "So, what happened?"

Jean was the first to speak. "You and Everett were in Boston one night when a woman you were trying to help psi-blasted you. Some goons put restraining collars on you and kidnapped you. Sebastian Shaw and Tessa, of the Hellfire Club, turned out to be behind it. They interrogated you. Everett was beaten severely, and Tessa attacked your mind. Then they dumped you both, leaving you for dead."

Jubilee sat quietly, taking it all in. She had no recollection of any of those events-- it were as though she was hearing a story about someone else. "Is he okay?" she asked finally.

"Yes, he's fine," Jean assured her. "He was released from the hospital several days ago. He's been worried sick about you, though. He really wants to come and visit you-- all the kids do-- but they wanted to give you some time first to come to terms with everything."

"How bad was I hurt? I mean, aside from my legs, I know my wrist is busted, like some of my ribs are . . . and I've got, like, the mother of all Excedrin headaches . . . but how bad was it?"

"You sustained a concussion, and were in a coma for a few days."

"How'd I come out of it?"

When Jean said nothing, it was Logan who replied. "Yer mindscape was runnin' all helter-skelter. Jeanie here went into your mind, riskin' her own life, in order to help you fix the damage created by Tessa's meddlin' and exorcise yer demons. A little while later, you woke up. From what I hear, there was some pretty bad stuff floatin' 'round in yer noggin', the result of Tessa's tamperin'. If it weren't for Jeanie here, you wouldn't be talkin' to us right now."

"You . . . you did that for me?" she asked Jean.

"It was nothing, really," Jean said modestly. "You were the one who did all the hard work-- defeating the astral image of Tessa. I was just there for moral support."

"Thanks, all the same."

"Anytime, kiddo. Anytime."

The room then lapsed into silence. Jean sat down in the chair at the beside, and Scott walked up behind her. Wolverine walked over to the window and looked at Jubilee, arms crossed.

"What's going on?" she asked. "What's with the sourpusses? Cyke I'm used to, and even the Wolvster can get moody . . . but not you, Jean."

"Jubilee, there's something we need to discuss with you," Jean began, searching for the right words.

"What is it? Sounds serious."

"It is."

"It's about me, isn't it? What is it? Am I gonna be crippled forever? Is my memory not gonna come back?" She felt herself beginning to panic.

"No, no, sweetie, it's nothing like that," Jean said. "You're legs are getting better, and your memory should return soon."

Feeling Jean's hand on hers, Jubilee began to relax a little. "What, then?"

"There's no easy way of putting this. . . . Social services have contacted your doctor. Together, they've come to the decision that the school is not the best place for you now."

"The school, meaning the X-Mansion?"

"No." Jean sighed, realizing that she needed to fill Jubilee in about all of the major changes that had occurred during the time that she could not recall. "Almost two years ago, Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was relocated to Massachusetts. It's now headed by Sean Cassidy and Emma Frost. The other students are teenaged mutants like yourself, and together you make up Generation X."

"Then what happened to the mansion?"

"It's still there," Scott said. "Only now, it's the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning."

"Oh. Guess that makes more sense, since most of the X-Men look a little old to be youngsters. . . . 'Cept maybe for Drake," she muttered with a smirk.

Jean could not help but smile. *At least she hasn't lost her sense of humor.* "When you decided to join the school, Professor Xavier thought it would be better if Sean was named your legal guardian in his place. But now they want to remove you from his custody."

Jubilee looked at her, mouth agape. "Take me away? And what, put me in another foster home?"

"Not exactly. You've been seriously hurt and you're going to need a lot of care during your rehabilitation. They feel you would not be able to receive the necessary attention at the school. They want to put you in a special care facility."

Jubilee's mouth instantly snapped shut. "In other words, an orphanage for invalids. Sounds like loads of fun." She sighed. "So, why doesn't the prof just ask for me back?"

"It's not that simple, sweetie. Things have happened with the professor since you left. . . ." Jean paused. How could she begin to explain Onslaught and the ensuing months of hell left in his wake? She did not think it wise to even try. "Besides, they're hardly going to see the professor capable of seeing to your convalescence."

"In other words, how is one cripple s'posed to help another, right?"

Scott opened his mouth to chastise her, but quickly thought better of it. Jubilee had a right to be angry. She had been through hell already, and she had just learned that it was far from over. He would be upset, too, if he found out that he was going to be removed from the closest thing to a family he had. "That's only a part of it," he told her. "We think there's something else at work here-- someone pulling some strings, trying to get you removed from the school. And, quite frankly, we think social services would object to the professor as being the best foster parent for you."

"We've realized that our best chance is to find someone else to be yer legal guardian," Logan continued. "Someone who they can't find anything to object to." He looked at Jean and nodded his head.

Feeling decidedly nervous, Jean took a deep breath. Feeling Scott's hands on her shoulders, she drew on his strength. "Jubilee," she began, taking her hand in her own, "Scott and I would like to be your legal guardians. That is, if you'll have us."

Jubilee looked at Jean, eyes wide in surprise. Then she looked up at Scott. "You guys? You two want to be my foster parents?"

Smiling, Jean nodded. "I realize it might sound a little strange, but I think it would work out all right."

"But. . . ." Jubilee struggled for the words, feeling hot tears fill her eyes. She looked at Logan, eyes pleading. "But I thought. . . ."

"Kiddo, it wouldn't work. I've barely got a past. They'd never give me custody."

"Oh. I . . . I understand." Jubilee looked away, staring out the window. She blinked, and a tear slid down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away. "You don't want the responsibility of taking care of a crippled, brain-damaged kid. You . . . you don't want me." The last words came out as a barely audible whisper.

In a few short strides, he was at her bedside, kneeling down beside her so that he could look her in the eyes. "Darlin', that ain't true. I want to take you in . . . more'n anythin'. I'd do it in a heartbeat." He gently cupped her cheek in his hand, wiping away a tear with his thumb. "But you heard what Jeanie said-- these guys are playing hard-ball. They'd use any kind of dirt to prevent someone from bein' granted custody. I ain't exactly got a clean record. Of any of us, Scott and Jeanie have got the best chance. Fer starters, they're a married couple-- that's a major point in our favor. Besides," he said, and his eyes met Jean's, "they'd would make much better parents to you than I ever could."

"Sez you," Jubilee muttered.

"Jubilee, I know how close you and Logan are," Scott said. "I want to make it clear that I-- we--" he gave Jean's shoulder a gentle squeeze-- "are not looking to replace him. I won't lie to you; this situation is very serious. There is a good chance that they won't even grant us custody-- in which case, this entire conversation is moot. We all discussed this-- Jean, Logan, Sean, Emma, the professor. We think this is our best chance of preventing you from being put in an orphanage. That's the last thing we want to see happen; I'm sure you'll agree. You've become very special to all of us. You'll always be an X-Man-- you'll always be a member of our family. What Jean and I want to do is ensure that you get to stay with your family. In the process, we'll help you with your convalescence-- physical therapy, psychic therapy as well. You'll be in a familiar environment, surrounded by people who care about you and want to see you well."

Jubilee looked at him and Jean, then to Logan.

"You've known me long enough to know that I would never lie to you. It's our best shot, kiddo," he told her. "But it's up to you to decide."

Jubilee looked back to Scott and Jean. "I don't have to call you Mom and Dad, do I?"

They all laughed. That tension-breaker helped them all begin to relax.

"No, sweetie," Jean said, still smiling. "We're not looking to replace your parents. Yes, we'll be helping to take care of you. But so will everyone else-- Logan, Hank, Ororo, the professor. Everyone wants to see you back on your feet."

Jubilee considered. It did not sound all that terrible. She would be living in the only real home she had known since her parents' death several years earlier, with the best friends she had ever had-- her family, as Scott had said. Having Jean as a foster mother would definitely not be so bad-- kind of cool, actually. Jean had already been looking after her, helping her through some tough times, like a real mother would. Scott, on the other hand. . . . Well, they had never been close. He would not be her first choice as a foster father. Hell, he probably would not be on her list at all. He was too uptight for her tastes. Sure, he could be nice and all, but all she really saw him as was a leader. There were a million reasons for her to object to him. He did not smile enough, that was for starters. But, hey, maybe this would be her opportunity to help change that. And yet, he loved Jean deeply, of that much she was certain; so it was not as if his heart were made of stone. Yeah, he probably would not be so bad once she got to know him better. What the hell. Besides, she did not seem to have much choice.

"All right," she told them. "Sounds okay to me."

"Really?" Jean asked. "You're sure?"

"Uh huh. Hey, Cable turned out all right . . . so you guys can't be too bad as far as parental units go. I could do a lot worse."

"I'm so glad!" Jean said with a smile as she reached to embrace Jubilee.

*Whoa,* Jubilee thought as she hugged Jean back. *She seems really hyped about this. Didn't think I was such a hot commodity . . . .*

"I'm actually kind of excited about it," Jean admitted. "I've missed you since you went away to school. This will give us a chance to catch up, spend some time together."

"Yeah, that sounds great." Looking at Jean's face, which nearly beamed with excitement, Jubilee's brow furrowed. Were those tears in her eyes?

"Now, why don't you try to finish some of your breakfast," Jean said, pulling the tray in front of Jubilee.

"Geez, I no sooner agree to this, and already you're actin' like a mom."

There came a knock at the door.

"More visitors? Geez, I didn't know I was so popular. Come in!"

Sean walked inside. "Hey there, lass. How are ye feelin' this mornin'?"

"Much better, Mr. Cassidy. Thanks for asking."

"That's good t' hear."

"Did you have a chance to speak to Dr. Knight?" Scott asked.

"Aye. As a matter of fact, the representative from social services just called him from her cell-phone. She should be here in about ten minutes. He wants us t' meet with them in his office."

Nodding, Jean got to her feet. She and Scott followed Sean to the door. Seeing that Logan had not done the same, they turned to face him.

"You three go ahead," Logan said. "I'll stay with the kid."

"Are you sure?" Jean asked him.

"Yeah. She could use the company, I'm sure," he said, grinning at her. "'Sides, this don't really concern me."

"Of course it does," Jean told him. She could see, though, that his mind was made up. I'll psi-link us, so you can hear all that goes on. Much obliged, darlin'.

With a nod, Jean followed the others out of the room.

"So, how did it go with Jubilee?" Sean asked as they walked toward the elevator.

Scott and Jean exchanged a glance. "Good," she told Sean. "She seems all right with the idea."

Sean smiled. "That's a relief. One less thing t' worry about."

"Now, if only the doctor and social services can be as easily convinced," Scott remarked.

"Aye, Scotty. Let's just be sure to keep our fingers crossed."

End of Chapter 13
Jennifer Sorowitz '98