Author's Note: This was going to be part of a Drake story I was writing, but then I had a flash of brilliance for a new plot and this didn't fit anymore, but I liked it, so I'm posting it as a vignette. A sly poke at some, ahem, romantic possibilities for Bobby.
**Standard Mice Disclaimer**
Neva Huddleston is in no way associated with the Marvel Comics Group. She is merely trying to write a story and this is all she has to show for it. A noble effort. Though she would one day like to be paid for writing, please don't send her any money (send mail to urmonkeyifudo@yeahright.com on instructions to send her money). The characters of Bobby Drake, Jubilee, Paige Guthrie, Everett Thomas, Sean Cassidy, Rogue, Hank McCoy, and Emma Frost belong to the Marvel Comics Group. Any archiving of this story that is unaware of her attention will be ily recieved (Read: Tiki Curse). If you e-mail her, explain your intentions to archive the story and address of your archive, she will be more than gracious and will probably do something nice for you, like bake you brownies, not to mention archiving the story. She just wants to know where she can drool over the sight of her name. If you want to e-mail her comments, do it at mice5k@hotmail.com. You'll also get some brownies out of the deal, but it's not really that great of a reward because she can't cook.

Rumors
by Neva "Mice" Huddleston

"Mmmm, cinnamonny..." Bobby Drake drooled out as he let the warm, partially doughy center of the cinnamon roll hit his tongue.

"On a Jim Belushi training diet or something, 'Cube?" Jubilee mused while watching him down his fifth cinnamon roll and eating her oh so fattening ... carrot.

"Jube, Jube, Jube..." Bobby clucked. "Did two straight days of watching the Best of Saturday Night Live not teach you anything? Belushi's method was through Little Chocolate Doughnuts. I prefer using all natural herbs and spices in mine."

"Well then, Colonel Sanders, tell me something: how natural is that frosting?"

"Hey! I happen to have it on good medical authority that this frosting is full of vitamin B6."

Jubilee sighed and sank her head into the table. "Bobby, Paige Guthrie has never been, and will never be, considered a 'good medical authority'."

"How do you know that it was Paige that told me?"

"Last week, Artie and Leech had a diet consisting of Runts because they overheard her say that it was chockful of amino acids."

"They're not?!"

Jubilee shook her head. "If Runts were healthy, do you think I'd waste my time with this stupid carrot?"

"tupid husk," he began to mumble. "spends so much time in that damn med lab recuperating from getting her lame ass kicked, would have thought that she would have picked up something, but nooo..."

"Tell me about it."

"Well, for one, can we start with the name? 'Husk'? Even Jeannie had a better name--"

Jubilee shushed him. "That's not what I meant, Drake. I mean, tell me about whatever it is that brought you to our neck of the woods. I tried to get it outta Hankers, but he was pretty tight lipped about the whole thing, being the big blue killjoy, wouldn't ya know." Jubilee took a breath for air. "And now, what I want to know is the answer to the $50,000 question: 'Why are you here?'"

"I missed you."

"Errt! Wrong answer. Try again!"

"I miss ... Sean?"

Jubilee shook her head.

"I'm just a New England country boy at heart?"

"Now that is just lame, you Long Island Iced Tea!" Jubilee kicked his shin. "Now, seriously, why did you come down to the MassAcad, just to chill? And give me a straight answer, because I'm missing hanging out with Ev for this, you goofball."

Bobby Drake wiped his hands on his jeans to rid himself of the frosting on his fingers before answering.

"Well, part one of it is that I wanted to try your cooking, and I have to say that you're coming way up from instant mac'n'cheese."

Jubilee beamed. "Glad you liked the rolls, Drake. And as for the mac'n'cheese, I learned from the best," she added as she pointed to him.

"Thank you, thank you. It's nice I went to college for something!"

"I thought you went to be an accountant?"

"Yeah, that too..."

"Okay, Yankee, what's part two?"

Bobby took in a quick breath. "I'm hiding from a girl my mother set me up with a while ago. She has a timeshare in the Poconos and wants me to come."

"I thought ya'd thrill to some one on one action, as opposed to one?"

This time, he kicked her in the shin. "Not this one. Childhood friend who used to bully me around. She isn't exactly a cuddle bunny. I get flashes of her and handcuffs and that scene from 'Misery' with the sledge hammer..."

They both shuddered.

"Wait, if you don't like that stuff, why did you have such a crush on Frosty, the Ice Woman?"

"WHAT?!"

"You had a crush on the White Queen, right?"

Bobby let his jaw gape. "What in the hell--?! The woman mind raped me, teased me, kicked me like a puppy, and I'm supposed to have a crush on her?! Excuse me, J, but I'd want to have someone I could just cuddle with..."

"Hey, sorry, B. Rumors happen." Jubilee took a bite of her carrot before adding, "You know, Bobby, Rogue isn't exactly a cuddle cookie herself."

"Rogue? I don't follow..."

"You know, you had that crush on her and--"

"WHAT?!"

The End

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