Issue 1 Downtime

"Honey, I'm home." Jubilee called as she walked into the apartment.

Cassiel was in the office, and glanced out when he heard her enter. "Well, if it isn't three of my favorite people walking in all at once," he teased, closing his computer and putting a couple files away in their drawer. Work might be important, after all, but some things were more important.

"Two of your favorite people, and one whale." Jubilee said, sitting down on the couch.

"Oh, did you donate one of the kids to the medlab for study? I thought we decided on 'not until they were born," he said, walking out into the living room and giving his wife a kiss.

"I was talking about the host of the two delightful little parasites you infected me with."

"Well I know you're here, so my original statement stands," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Long day?"

"Very long."

Cassiel smiled. "You have that 'I could use some special attention' look about you," he teased.

"I do." Jubilee said "Sam not being around is stressful, generates lots of work, and keeps me from getting my afternoon nap."

Cassiel grinned, then scooped her up off of her feet. "Well, I can't go letting the love of my life be tired and stressed, now, can I?"

"Nope. Because cranky and stressed is followed by angry and stabby."

"And since I know you like me minus knife-wounds, we can't have that," he teased, the door to the bedroom opening ahead of them.

"I dunno." Jubilee replied "Scars are very manly."

"I'd rather get them in some heroic manner instead of having them be spousally inflicted," he teased, setting her down on the bed. He arranged the many pillows he kept on hand with a quick mental effort, then got her settled in comfortably before he pulled off her shoes and socks, massaging her feet as he let her relax. "So, should the day be forgotten, or do you want to tell me about it?"

"I wish I could, but I have a feeling this headache will be with us for a long time."

"And what's this headache called?" he asked, slowly working his way up along her ankle, a bottle of oil floating over to him from a drawer across the room.

"Marie and Raven." Jubilee said with a sigh "Twins."

"Mmm... but what if one of them is a boy?" he asked, clearly not getting what she was trying to say. Granted, he might be a little distracted by the effort of telekinetically sliding her pants off while he started rubbing her other foot.

"Not our twins, the twins that X-corp decided to dump on me. Marie and....no, Raven was one of their last names, the other one was Anna."

"Oh. And I take it that they were bad?" Cassiel asked, moving his hands away briefly as he tugged her pants clear of her feet, then started massaging up one of her legs, applying oil when it was needed. Being able to sense the effect in her nerves probably helped him manage it, granted...

"Smug, superior, sure they know better than everyone about every thing. Plus, they've got this creepy twin telepathy finishing sentencing thing."

Cassiel shuddered. "Oh god. Like the Stepford Cuckoos times ten," he mused.

"Well, you just relax. You're home, there are no creepy students here, and you have a husband who's read to make it alllll better," he said with a little smile.

"Unless they come through the walls." Jubilee said "Did I forget to mention that they look just like Rogue?"

Mike smiled, then kept moving on up her leg. "And no one's coming through our walls. So you just relax, or else I'll have to start getting creative with how I'll enforce the "relax" with telepathy," he teased.

"Yet." Jubilee said, with a rebellious smirk "In happier news, Nate is in town."

"Hm, I don't think he'll be coming through the walls, either," Cassiel teased.

"Probably not, but he would like to come over for dinner."

"Oh, I think we can do that," he said, continuing his way up her legs as she felt herself lifted off the bed, more clothing floating out of his way as he kept working.

"Yeah, I think that would be fun." Jubilee sighed.