Two Pair
Interlude: Deux Au Coeur
by L.M Griffin
"I'm not looking for a miracle, just a
reason to believe..."
-- Savage Garden
Jubilee sat at the small plastic table in her dingy hotel room, eying
the bottle before her, her chin resting on her folded hands. She let
out a long breath, blowing strands of black hair away from her delicate
face. The tequila bottle just sat there. She quirked an eyebrow, muttering,
"I should just drink you. I
mean, I went through all the trouble of sneaking you out of the store.
Besides, Remy...Remy said that drinking makes you forget. I want to
forget. That's not such a bad thing, right?"
The bottle didn't answer, and for that Jubilee was grateful. The
last thing she needed was inanimate objects telling her that she should
stop this ridiculous trip and just head home. Face Remy and tell him
how she felt. Mostly because she was no closer to getting over him then
she had been when she left home. Hell, truth of the matter was it was
WORSE now.
She had tried, honestly she had. All right, so she hadn't gone all
gung-ho about it, but she had tried to forget, to move on. It didn't
help that there were reminders of him everywhere. Didn't help that every
man she saw wore Remy's smile. She couldn't name how many times she'd
turn the corner and thought she saw him across the street from her,
that old, beat-up, wonderful trenchcoat flapping around him. She nearly
started across the street...when the man would turn around, and it wasn't
Remy. Just a man in a coat.
Her dreams were no better. They were always visions of Remy...and
home. Like Tante Mattie said, her heart was telling her which way to
go. She just wasn't listening. Fear did that to a person.
Of course, this week was the worst. Her bike was having problems,
and the mechanic she took it to said it'd be another week or more before
he could even get the part to fix it. Which meant she was stuck in lovely Little Rock, Arkansas.
No offense to the people who lived here, but
Jubilee could name ten other places she'd rather be stuck in at the
drop of a hat. Hell was one of them.
The dreams, her defective bike, Little Rock...it was enough to break
a girl down to drinking. Which, in effect, it had.
Of course, now she was just staring mournfully at the bottle. "Oh,
why the hell not. Not like anyone's here to care, right?" Jubilee sighed
heavily, reaching over to grab the bottle and unscrew the top. But before
she could, her cellphone rang, nearly causing her to topple over in
her chair with surprise.
It was impossible! No one had this phone's extension; she paid more
then enough money to make sure this private number remained private.
At least...she thought she had...
Warily eyeing the ringing phone, she rose to her feet and padded
across the room to pick up the phone from her bedside table. She took
a deep, cleansing breath to calm herself, then clicked it on. Her voice
was sharp, "If this is some punk asking me if I like scary movies...there
will be serious bloodshed. And bub, it won't be mine."
The voice on the other end of the line was wry. "Jubilation
Lee, is that any way to answer
a phone? Child, you watch too many slasher films. Honestly."
Jubilee gasped into the phone, her fingers clutching so hard that
her knuckles were white. "ORORO? But how did you...this number's not
listed...you..."
"Jubilation. Please. We are the X-Men. How long did you think it would take us to crack into
the AOL database and find this number?" Ororo's tone could be construed
as nothing less then smug.
Jubilee let out a heaving sigh and flopped on the bed, "A lot longer
then this? Okay, okay...so you found me. This a social call or is..is
something wrong?" Sudden visions of Logan or Remy being seriously injured
flashed through her mind, and she bit down hard on her lower lip.
"Oh yes...things are quite horrid." Ororo's voice held an almost
icy calm to it.
"What?!? What happened? Is someone hurt? Oh God, don't let it be
Remy or Logan! Tell me it's not Remy or Logan!" the young woman squeaked.
Panic turned her thoughts into a blur. If she grabbed a cab in the next
thirty minutes, she could be out of this Black Hole in the Universe
within a few hours...which could be too late...she could ask the others
to send the Blackbird, but what if they were using it to save Remy's
life? Or Logan's? Maybe they were using it to lift a mountain, or a
Sentinal, or maybe a really, REALLY irate Rogue off of their broken
and abused bodies...
"As a matter of fact, it is Logan and Remy. They're
dying...of lonliness." Ororo's
tone was caustic.
Jubilee let out a quiet breath of relief. Oh thank God, neither one
of them were really...wait-a-minute. Her eyes narrowed, as she asked
warily, "Meaning what, 'Ro?"
"Meaning, young lady, why
are you not home? Why are you off galvanting across the country for
no sane reason, driving the two men you love up the proverbial
wall with your notable absence?" Ororo questioned harshly. She could
hear the younger woman take a sharp intake of breath, as if Ororo had
slapped her. Well then, good. This entire phone call was to shock Jubilee
into coming back after all. Shock value was paramount.
Jubilee gulped. Uh-oh. Ororo was mad...wait, insert FURIOUS. Jubilee
could almost see the dark clouds surrounding
the Mansion now. She stuttered, "Well..you see...I'm trying to find
myself and that..takes space. Lots of it...so I went and found...space
here. Yeah."
Ororo let out what could only be called a snort. "I am quite sure
that finding yourself had nothing to do with this trip. Space, indeed."
Jubilee felt a flash of anger work through her, "Oh really, and why do you think I'm out here in the middle of proverbial
NO-where-ville? Because I'm enjoying the scenic VIEW?"
"What do I think of this ridiculous situation? Very well, Jubilation,
you asked, and now you shall recieve. I think you are in love with Remy and you do not know how to tell
him. I think you are under the impression
that he does not love you in return. I also think that is why you have run half-way across the country,
because you are too afraid to even attempt to ask if he does, or does
not. Might I add that I think that you are under some serious delusions? Yes, I believe
I shall. That, Jubilation, is what
I think." Ororo stated simply.
"Uh...uh...well...er..." Jubilee felt her face turn beet-red. If
Ororo knew how she felt then everyone else must know,
too. Aw...crud.
"I believe I have stated the facts quite clearly, and succinctly.
Do feel free to try and find error in my logic." Ororo's voice was steely
enough to mark it as a challenge.
There was a long sigh from Jubilee, and a muttered, "Jeez, did I
forget to take down the 'Obviously In Love With Remy' neon sign when
I left home? That was stupid of me...gotta
remember to do that the next time I run off in the midst of outright
paranoia..."
Ororo's tone softened slightly, "Jubilee...did it ever occur to you
that Remy might indeed feel the same way?"
"Sure it did. And then I woke up from the nice dream," Jubilee sighed
dejectedly.
Ororo gave out an aggrivated sigh as Bobby Drake and Warren Worthington
III popped their heads into the study where Ororo was making her call.
Bobby had a bowl of popcorn under one arm, while Warren carried a number
of video tapes. "Are you coming, Ororo? We're about to start," Warren
said, lifting one blond eyebrow.
"Yeah, the Xavier's Film Festival awaits us. I still say we should start with 'Mallrats', though," Bobby said
mournfully. Warren gave him a look and whacked the younger man with
one feathery wing.
"We are starting with 'Much Ado About
Nothing', Bobby. You lost the coin toss, three times in a row. So please stop whining about
it?" A wry look passed Warren's handsome blue face, as he shook his
head ruefully for Ororo's benifit.
Bobby made a good natured 'Yuck' face at his old friend. "Yes, which
I am re-naming 'Much Ado About BOR-ing English People In Italy Who Babble
On'. I don't want to watch Keaunu Reeves
do Shakesphere. He's scary enough as Bill. Or was he Ted? Anywho, who's
on the phone, Storm? New boyfriend--OW, damn it Warren, watch where
you're swinging those things. If I didn't know better, I'd say you were
trying to give me brain damage!" Bobby grumbled, rubbing his head where
Warren had smacked him again.
Warren retorted, his blue eyes flashing with amusement, "It's hard
to damage something that doesn't exist, Robert."
Ororo fought off a grin, as she said calmly, "Simply talking to the
original Jubilee-prototype, as Henry would say, Robert. I will be there
in...a moment?" Both ivory white brows rose on Ororo's beautifully carved
face, as she watched both Bobby's and Warren's expressions widen with
shock. Both men scrambled across the room, dropping the popcorn and
the video tapes by the door as they went for the other phone extension
in the room.
Bobby managed to grab it first. "Jubilee! Where are you? Come home!
Come home now! They're making me watch Shakesphere and I haven't been
able to think of a good prank in weeks! Besides the Jubilee-skrulls
are starting to freak us all out!" He mock-shuddered, as he 'iced' the
ground beneath Warren's feet, causing the other man to crash to the
carpeted floor with a curse totally unlike the usually composed Angel.
"Er..hey Bobby..uhm...a Jubilee what?" Jubilee winced. She would
have hung up the phone, but now they knew the number. Knowing the X-Men,
they'd just keep calling. They were more persistant then born-again
Christians.
"A Jubilee-skrull. They look like you, and talk like you, but they
AREN'T you. Remy keeps bringing them home. Can we say, desperate? We
can, because he is!" Bobby yelped, as
a feathered wing smacked him solidly between the shoulder blades, sending
him flying face first into the floor.
There was a slight scuffle for a moment, and then Warren's voice
growled into the phone, "That's right. He's lonely, and miserable and
FRANKLY Jubilee, if there is one thing more annoying than LeBeau himself,
it is a MOPING LeBeau. I DEMAND you come home and make him stop. Immediately."
"Well, Feather-head, I would but..." Jubilee heard more questioning
voices in the background. Then there was more scuffling in the background
as someone yanked the phone away from Warren.
"Jubeciata! Get your skinny gringa butt back here!" Angelo Espinosa
bellowed into the reciever, fury pouring through his tone.
"Uhm..hi Ang? How are you liking the X-Men?"
"HOW AM I LIKING THE X-MEN?? This is what you're askin' me? Chica,
I'm gonna trace this call, track you down and then WHOMP your ass for
asking me something that - that stupido! COME HOME! EVERYONE is miserable
without you 'cuz LOGAN and REMY are MAKING us miserable!"
There was another scraping noise, and Paige Guithre yelled into the
phone, "JUBILATION LEE! COME HOME NOW! The furniture can't take it anymore!
Do you KNOW how many sofas Logan's ripped apart? FIVE! FIVE Ah said!
We're all sittin' on the blessed FLOOR, thanks to you!"
Jubilee winced again. Well, there went the impression that Paige
would at least be taking all of this in her usual calm manner. She stuttered,
"Well, Paige..I mean..just like...put him in a room with, er, plastic
furniture?"
"Put him in a room with - JUBI-LEE! I am gonna..." The phone was
ripped away from Paige, and another voice hit her ear.
"Jubilation! Salutations!" Hank McCoy said cheerily into the phone.
Jubilee let out a quiet sigh of relief. At least Hank wouldn't scream
at her.. "Heya Beaster."
"So I take it by your presence on our lovely Mother Bell instrument
that the number which I so carefully hacked out of the rather pathetic
AOL password system for Ororo was the correct one?" There was no mistaking
the crafty, knowing tone.
"You're the one who - BEAST, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Jubilee squealed,
stamping both of her feet hard on the carpeted floor, practically writhing
with fury.
"Ah, but you have to return to your native homestead first to do
that, do you not? Gives you a tad bit more incentive, hm? Or should
I tell you about how Remy stays up all hours of the night talking to
me just because he can't sleep? Now, anyone who can sit through two
hours of me babbling on about the wonders of hydroxide in a oxyide mixture
has either a yearning heart - or he's lost his ever lovin' mind."
"Don't tell me. Come Home."
"And to think they used to state your intelligence was less then
average." Before Jubilee could get in a word edgewise, someone else
took the phone from Beast.
It was Rogue, her tone biting, "Jubilee, yah remember the time yah
wiped the floor with me in the Danger Room for hurtin' Remy? Yah don't
come home - we're doin' ROUND TWO, sugah."
"AND I will HELP her," Betsy Braddock said in a low, dangerous tone,
"Because I can take Logan being moody. I can certainly deal with Remy
being angsty. Both together create an emotional maelstorm that is making
my mental shielding cringe. Return Home. Now."
Jubilee was about give a scathing retort, when someone else picked
up the line. Male, with a thick British accent. "Hallo? This Jubilee?"
Jubilee raised an eyebrow. Huh, had the Prof finally broken down
and gotten a real English butler? (Of course, what Jubilee didn't know was this was Pete Wisdom, who would have been affronted
at being called a butler. He would have asked that he at least be demoted
to stable boy.) "Yeah?" she asked, curiousity taking over her slowly
rising anger.
"Ahh, good. Come bloddy well
home, y'crazy bird! I'm sick of Jubilee-skrulls bummin' m'fags, drinkin' m'coffee, and
I am bloody well sick of sittin' on the floor because yer pal Logan
never heard of anger management! No more bimbos! Come Back!"
Jubilee felt her teeth clench. It was one thing to be yelled at by
the 'Family', but by some British dude she didn't even know? This was
the final straw. She snapped
back, "You have no right to talk to me that way, ya Monty Python rip-off! Besides the
fact that if yer so freakin' concerned about your freakin' cigarettes
and coffee, why don't you just tell them 'Bite Me'? Which is what I'm
tellin' you, asshole. BITE ME!"
There was a slight pause, then Pete's bemused voice snickered, "Well
luv, why don't you jest come back so I can? Might make up fer all those
stolen cigarettes. Heh."
Momentarily speechless, Jubilee seethed. Really, what right did any of them have to tell her to come home like she was a child
of five? Absolutely no right at all. So what if Logan and Remy were
- miserable. It didn't matter...okay, so it was bugging her...but Logan
and Remy were big boys. They could take care of themselves. They didn't
need her around to play leash holder - right?
It was then she noted the dead silence on the other side of the phone.
She frowned for a moment, wondering if she was about to get group attacked
again - until another masculine voice spoke into the line, a firm tone
of authority and slight disapproval, "Jubilee."
It took just that one word from Professor Charles Xavier to make
Jubilee bite back any harsh words she had to say. She took a deep breath,
and then said as calmly as she could into the phone, "Yes, Prof?"
"Come home." Xavier stated, putting a world of meaning into just
two words. Come home, your family misses you. Come home, the two men
you love the most are in pain because you are gone. Come home because
that is where you belong. That was what those two little words said
into Jubilee's brain. Then the phone clicked off. Jubilee was left in
silence once more, contemplating. It was like he opened a door in her
mind to the pain she was causing to herself and to those she loved the
most. Actually, knowing the Prof, he just might have.
She didn't even realize that Ororo was still on the line until she
heard the other woman speak quietly. "Jubilee, stay away if you truly
wish, but remember this: your heart is not the only one lost and yearning.
Remember that, and make your decision."
Then there was no other noise besides the dial tone. Jubilee bit
her lip hard, clicking off the phone silently. Then she flopped back
on her bed, folding her slender arms above her dark head. Well, Tante
had told her that the summons would come like a lightening bolt out
of a clear sky - and what better way to get a little electricity flowing
then to enrage a Storm?
So she was going home. Yep. Going home. At long last.
Well, as soon as her bike was fixed, anyways.
*****
"So let me get dis straight, son," Jean Luc LeBeau said thoughtfully,
folding his hands into a steeple while he looked at Remy curiously.
"Yah want me t'use de resources of de Guild t'help you find a girl ya
can't find on y'own?"
The two LeBeau men were sitting in the plush living room in the Guild
House, and Jean Luc was finding no end of amusment in the fact that
of all the chairs in the room, Remy had picked the exact same one that
Jubilee had on her first visit there two months earlier. He watched
his son quietly, seeing that look of longing drifting through the back
of the eerie 'demonic eyes'. It had simply been a matter of time, Jean Luc knew, before his son came
here. He briefly pondered what Remy would do to find Jubilee. The older
man would bet that the answer was just about anything.
"Yah, dat's pretty much the long and the short of it, Poppa." Remy
fidgeted in his chair, letting out a quiet breath. He hated coming home
- simply for the reason that he never really was home when he returned to New Orleans. It was always on some 'favor' to
the Clan that he simply felt honor bound to uphold. Now, he was turning
the tables. If his father wouldn't, or couldn't help him...he would
have to go for more desperate measures. He had to find Jubilee. He'd
do whatever he had to. Simple as that.
"Could take awhile, son - big country. No one really knows where dat girl went. Gonna have t'put a few dozen
men on it...or have Tante Mattie do a readin'. This could take months. You think ya can wait dat long?" Jean Luc said, his expression
unreadable.
Remy let out a long breath, looking to the window beyond his father's
chair. Might as well start with the truth right here with his own father.
"I love her, Poppa. Don' matter how it long takes, I jest wanna be with
her. I've been waitin' my entire life t'find a woman who was gonna love
me jest for me, t'understand the kind of life I've had t'lead. Jubilee
understands it, 'n more importantly accepts it. Few more months,
years...it's not gonna matter. I gotta be with her." His tone was firm,
brooking no argument. He would wait. He was, well, sort of used it by
now.
Jean Luc nodded his head slowly as he reached into his inner jacket
pocket, pulling out a bio-scanner. He tossed it into Remy's lap, saying
calmly, "Den you're gonna need dis." The look of complete amazement
on Remy's face was enough for his father to add in amusment, "Thought
ya might need dis a coupla months ago when I met de girl. She is a keeper, Remy. De kinda
woman a wise thief can really love, 'n respect. Don' let dis one get away from you."
Remy stared up at his father in amazment before clicking on the bio-scanner.
It pinpointed Jubilee to be a few hundred miles away. Huh. That meant
she was somewhere in - Arkansas? Yeah, that sounded about right. He
glanced up at his father once more, flashing a knowing grin. "Poppa,
sometim's havin' a thievin' rascal fer a father is de best thing that
ever happened t'me.."
Jean Luc smiled softly, "Consider dis one a downpayment..on all de
favors de Clan owes ya."
There was a long pause, as father and son looked at each other solemnly
for a moment. Then Remy moved forward and hugged his father tightly,
"Merci, Poppa.."
Jean Luc held his son for a moment, pushing down sudden tears. "Non,
mon fil...thank you. Now, stop gabbin' away
with y'father 'n go find dat femme."
Remy straightened with an amused smirk. "Poppa, remind me when dis
is all over t'introduce you to a man named Logan. I be thinkin' you
two will have lots t'chat over.."
********
One thing that Jubilee couldn't fault Little Rock on was its parks.
The one she had entered several hours earlier was truly beautiful. The
trees were filled with leaves of red and gold, and a slightly cold breeze
made the air crisp, but not overly so. She herself was bundled up in
a short, black leather trench, matching pants, and a heavy blue sweater.
Around her neck she wore a multicolored scarf of rich blues, purples,
and dark reds, with matching gloves on her slender hands. The breezes
played with her black tresses as she sat beneath one of the large oak
trees, listlessly watching some children play football in a wide field
below.
Her bike was fixed. Her bags were packed. All she had to do was get
up, walk out the park, pick up her bike from the shop, and start home
again. Yep. She just had to get up.
She wasn't getting up. Scared? Who her? Oh...yeah. She sighed heavily
and glanced over to her backpack, where she had left her laptop. Earlier
on, when she had entered the park, she had thought that it would be
a brilliant idea to just email
Remy and tell him how she felt. That way, the moment she saw his face
she'd know where she stood.
Of course, every letter she started just seemed wrong. The words came out all jumbled and clumsy. She felt like
she was twelve years old again and trying to ask if some boy LIKE-liked
her. 'Why don't I just ask him to mark the Yes box if he loves me, and
the No box if he doesn't?' she thought to herself with a weary smirk.
She knew what she wanted to say in her heart, but the words just
seemed to get all tangled in her throat. She closed her eyes tightly,
leaning back against the rough bark of the oak tree. Another breeze
blew past her face, and she caught the strong scent of cinammon and
other spices. It reminded her of an aftershave Remy favored and she
sighed heavily, whispering, "I miss you Gumbo."
A long shadow fell over Jubilee's face and a soft masculine voice
said, "Missed ya too, p'tite." Remy leaned against the tree, his trenchcoat
floating around him as he folded his arms over his chest. He felt a
smile blossom as Jubilee slowly opened her eyes wide, surprise spreading
over her delicate features. She stood quickly, then turned around to
look at him.
Then there was silence, as blue eyes met crimson ones. It was like
the call of the sirens; neither could look away, and neither wanted
to. Another gust of wind blew the leaves around them, causing their
coats to flap in the wind. Jubilee took a deep breath, before speaking,
"You found me."
Remy nodded his head, saying quietly, "Gotta a little help along
de way." He took out the bio-scanner and watched as a surprised, then
suddenly knowing look crossed her face. He couldn't help but smirk.
"That sneaky - he said he was just mucking
with it...a better way to track the Clan when they went out on a big
mission," Jubilee muttered quietly. "Should've known something was up
when he said he just wanted to 'test' it on me."
"Yah, us LeBeau men know how t'get what we want when we really want
it," Remy said, turning his eyes away as he put the scanner away. Then
he looked up at her again, his expression a mixture of calm and longing.
Jubilee tilted her head as she folded her hands behind her, "Really
now? What is it that you want?" She tried to breathe evenly. It wasn't
exactly happening.
"Want you t'come home..." Remy let his hands fall to his sides for
a moment. He wanted so much more, but if she just came home with him,
right now..it would be enough.
Jubilee's heart twisted her chest. "There's nothing in the world
I'd rather do then go with you..." Her voice filled with emotion she
still couldn't say. She half turned from him, afraid to look into his
eyes.
"You mean dat chere?" Remy took a step forward. He clenched his fist
for a moment, then held out his hand slowly. 'Just let go, LeBeau..don't
think...just go with yo'r heart..' he steeled himself quietly.
Jubilee turned towards him, blue eyes shining, "Anywhere, Remy. I'd
go anywhere with you." She hugged herself for a moment, looking at that
hand.
Remy let out a slow breath he hadn't known he was holding in, his
voice quiet, "Will y'trust me when I say dat de thing you were runnin'
away from don't want you t'be runnin' away no more?"
"So, the thing that I was...yeah, running from...," Jubilee smiled
ruefully at her own admission, "...wants me around?"
"More den anythin'," Remy whispered, still holding out one black
gloved hand. "You trust me?" A simple question, with a very loaded answer,
either way. It could make or break him. All she had to do was say one
little word, give him one small touch - and his life would be complete.
If she turned away - something inside of him would curl up and die.
He knew it would be his heart.
Jubilee looked at that hand for another long minute, then at the
man standing before her. Hope glimmered in his eyes, and love - love
as well. He loved her. It wasn't a lie, it wasn't a dream. All she had
to do was swallow her own fear...reach across that space...and touch
him. Did she know how to love him the way he needed? Could she?
There was only one way to find out. And so she reached across that
space, gloved fingers reaching out to curl around his own hand. She
looked into Remy's face, into his heart, and murmured, "Always, Remy...always."
He nodded his head and without another word pulled her into his arms
for a tight embrace, burying his face in her silky black tresses. She
wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his warmth. She crushed her
cheek against his chest, right above his heart. He spoke without thinking.
"Love you, p'tite."
Then she said the four words that Remy had dreamed of hearing for
so long.
"Love you too, Gumbo."
~~~~~
~FINIS
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