Disclaimer: Not making any money off of this... characters recognized do not belong to us... yada, yada, yada...
By Loup-Garou
Part Eleven
"How did it happen?" asked Logan brokenly.
Remy, Rogue and Jubilee sat in Professor Xavier's study. Scott and Ororo were also in the room sitting down in the armchairs.
Remy, not wanting to bring any attention to him, didn't say anything.
When it was clear that no one was going to speak up, Jubilee spoke quietly, "I was at the mall playing video games, mumbling to myself as usual. I was waiting for Rogue to show up because we were supposed to go shopping together. Then all hell seemed to break loose and all of a sudden, I'm hearing things like 'you're under arrest' and that shit. I managed to sneak out... But they found me in the alley and I got a little beat up. Rogue found me and asked her to call Kitty. When Kitty came, Rogue felt safe to go get the car so that we could get home, but they came back after she was gone and I couldn't get up... then... Kitty..."
Remy appeared to squeeze Rogue's gloved hand in reassurance. But Rogue knew that it was to make sure she didn't say anything.
Logan sat down beside Jubilee and began to console her uncontrollable sobs.
"Dat was when Rogue called me. I work in a building only a couple o' block from dere." Remy finished their little thought out story.
Scott gave a mournful sigh, "God I wish the Professor was here. Ororo, could you contact Excalibur and her family and tell them what happened?"
"Sure," Ororo whispered, looking intently at Remy. He may not remember me, but I remember him.
"Ah think that ah won't get a better time ta say this before all the mourning begins, but Remy and ah are gettin' married." Rogue grinned sheepishly.
Jubilee, who finally stopped crying and was hiccuping, looked at her in shock. One minute, they were at each other's throats and now... she actually looks like a blushing bride. But hey! This makes it easier on me... Oh God Kitty. I miss you so much.
"Congratulations!" Ororo exclaimed after regaining her composure. She went to go give Rogue a hug. Ororo was sure that she was not the only one who was concerned for Rogue. She had only known the guy for 2 weeks! Scott and Logan also congratulated her, albeit a little more subdued.
"I'm going to go inform everyone else." Logan said, leaving Jubilee's side.
"You know Logan, there was nothing you could have done to foresee this. Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm sure she forgives you. It's not your fault." Jubilee said and then left the room herself.
"Was that our Jubilee?" Asked Logan, the secret angry air he had been carrying deflated.
"Everyone 'as t' grow up sometime." Remy said quietly. Taking Rogue by the hand, he helped her up. "Come chere, we 'ave stuff t' do. When is de funeral goin' t' be?"
"Probably in a couple of days or so." Scott said finally after a long pause.
Remy nodded his head and they both left- Jubilee right behind them.
"There is something that they aren't telling us." Growled Logan. With that he stalked out of the room.
Scott looked at Ororo uneasily. "What do you think?"
"I think that it is too coincidental that Jubilee called here and only got Rogue. Who was here at the time?"
"I'm not sure." He frowned. "I'll check it out though."
"Another concern is Rogue."
He sighed, "Me too, Ororo. She's known him for how long? A week? And they are already getting married?!"
"We can not approach Rogue without her getting defensive. You know how she can be once her mind is made up."
With a rueful grin, "Yeah, Warren found out that hard way."
Ororo stifled her grin, "Exactly. The only thing we can do is suggest that someone try to approach the subject without making it sounds as if they are trying to do so."
"I hope you're right Ororo."
"Anyhow, Scott, you call Xavier while I go break this gently to the rest of the team."
Scott nodded and gave her hand a supporting squeeze. "Good luck."
* * *
"...We remember Shadowcat as one of our greatest friends. Her innocence was a constant reminder of what we were striving to accomplish- A place where the youngest of mutants could go outside safely without being prosecuted for the color of their skin or their ability. She fought hard along side of us, hand in hand, working for a better future. It is with this that we bury Katherine Pryde with the knowledge that she made a difference and will never be lost in our hearts." Xavier finished sadly.
Logan took some dirt and threw it on the coffin and then took off down the hill towards the mansion. Everyone else followed suit.
Remy led Rogue into the house and sat her down. His hand touched her ungloved one. Y' okay petite?
Rogue startled looked up at him and stared at him widely, but she quickly regained control of herself. Ah think so... It's entirely our fault!
No, it's her fault. We all live wit' our choices Colette.
"Rogue, would you like some punch?" Asked Jean advancing towards the pair. Remy quickly took his hand off Rogue's and it startled them both out of their private conversation.
"That'd be great Jean, thanks." Rogue smiled.
Nick Fury advanced on them once he saw the opportunity open. "Rogue."
"Mr. Fury." She acknowledged.
"Can you tell me exactly what happened again?"
Rogue reluctantly told the story over again with a pained face.
After she was finished, Nick sighed sadly and finished off his drink of scotch and coke. "She's better than that Rogue. It's not that I don't believe you, but she's too good. You don't become a member of S.H.E.I.L.D. and not have a certain amount of experience in this sort of area. Kitty was one of our best."
"I'm sorry too Nick. She was a close friend to me too. Ah can't believe she's gone!" Rogue burst into tears and clung to Remy. Nick Fury got up and left to be alone with his thoughts.
Jubilee sat alone outside staring at the sunset. Hank had patched up her broken ribs and most of her bruises were gone thanks to their wonderful Sh'iar medical technology. Her kneecap was back into one piece and she could walk without relative difficulty. But despite it, she was still very sore. Sitting on the docks, she dangled her feet in the water. "You broke your promise Remy..." She whispered.
"He did? What did he promise y' petite?" Asked a man coming up behind her.
"Who are you?" She asked startled, to downhearted to put up a good verbal fight.
"Dat doesn't matter. I wan' t' know what happened."
"Well, Rogue and I were at the mall..." She started.
"Not de lie. I wan' de truth Jubilation Lee."
"Who are you to dictate truth to me. Believe what you want to then." She muttered softly. "I don't give a shit anymore." A tear ran down her cheek.
He sat down beside her and put an arm around her. "Cry it all out petite. You'll feel better afterwards."
Jubilee started crying on the shoulder of a perfect stranger - but at that moment... she didn't care. "I miss her so much. She was the closest thing I had to a sister and.... I'm not little."
Jean-Luc went stiff in her arms, "Tell me de truth Jubilee."
"She tried to save me and died in the attempt.... Damn them. Damn all Assassins to Hell...." She whispered between sobs.
"Assassins? Which ones petite?" He asked urgently.
Jubilee stopped crying and took a better look at the man beside her, "Who are you??"
The man sighed, "I'm de t'ief dat was teachin' Kitty."
"You told her that you had this all planned out!" Jubilee shouted wildly, pushing him away from her trying to get up.
"I did." He whispered. "Until Assassins killed de people I had set up an' took dere place." A tear trickled down his cheek. "It's hard t' lose someone. I've lost so much Jubilee dat it adds up and it never gets any easier. It just keeps on gettin' harder an' harder." Jubilee sat back down and she gave her shoulder to him. "I wanted t' train one more. She had such potential... such potential... F' someone t' die so young... It's like de first time y' lose a child..." He quickly gained control over himself.
"If you ever want someone to talk to... I'm always right here." Offered Jubilee softly. "I've lost a lot too."
"Y' have?"
"I spent most of my childhood going from foster home to foster home. I lost my parents in a car bombing." She said neutrally. "It didn't help that I turned out to be a mutant. Things never seem to go my way. But I ended up here and it's better than anywhere else at the moment."
"A car bombing?" He asked aghast.
"Yup. I went back into the house for a toy... things have been coming back slowly. It's like they've been locked inside my head not wanting to come up. And now, they can't come to the surface fast enough! It's overwhelming having them all come back like this. Some of it... I wish I didn't know still. But living in Los Angeles, I guess you have to expect this sort of thing."
Some thing clicked in his head, "Jubilee, I have t' go. I'll talk t' y' later. Oh, an' my phone number is 1-(789) 783-8349."
"Okay... and mine is 1(780) 988-8838. I'd better be getting back to the party anyway."
He gave her a big smile and left through the trees. "Now, do I really want to face all those people?" Jubilee muttered to herself. With a sigh, she headed back to the house.
Coming in through the patio door, she headed for the food. Where else would I be? She thought sourly. How can I eat at a time like this?
Remy came up behind her and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. Jubilee jumped and spilt her punch all over her clothes. "Jubilee, what 'ave I been teachin' y'?"
Jubilee smiled him contritely. "Sorry... this has just been a long day. But I did see you coming."
He snorted, "Of course y' did petite."
"Remy, I need to talk to you alone."
Remy looked at her cautiously, "Where can we go petite?"
"Follow me."
Together, they both slipped out of the kitchen unnoticed. Jubilee entered the elevator going downstairs. When the doors opened, she led him into the War Room - the most private room in the house.
"Dis is pretty impressive Jubilee." Remy remarked looking at Cerebro. "Where did y' get it?"
"I am not an it. I am an artificial intelligence unit." Cerebro interrupted.
Remy stopped in his tracks and gaped. "I'm sorry."
"Apology accepted."
"Cerebro, could you leave us alone for a while? Where going to have a serious discussion." Asked Jubilee.
"Understood."
Remy sat down in a chair, "Where did y' get it?"
"From an alien race, Remy... I'm not sure if I've told you that yet or not." She pondered softly.
"Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about concerns me..." She took a deep breath. "And the promise that you never lived up to."
"Promise? What promise, petite?" He frowned.
Jubilee took a deep breath and took a ring off her finger. "Does this look familiar?"
Remy took it from her, studied it intently and his eyes narrowed, "Where did y' get dis?"
"That doesn't matter at this moment. How good is your memory?"
"Good, why?"
"Then think back to Los Angeles and a little girl sitting in an apple tree. You gave her a red lolli-pop and she thought you were great! Instead of going outside like a good little girl, she decided that she wanted to hear what the nice man and her father had to say. Then low and behold, she finds out that Assassins are killing off people in LA. At the end of this conversation, you ended up promising that my mother and me would be taken care of if something happened to him. You promised that nothing would happen to him." Jubilee ended up screaming at the end of it. She got up and began to bolt for the door to make her way to the elevator, but Remy stopped her.
Horror was etched into the lines of his face. "I'm so, so sorry Jubilee." He croaked. His throat became very dry. He put his arms around her.
"My childhood consisted of going from foster home to foster home. No one wanted me until I came to the X-men."
"I'm here now Jubilee an' I can't change de past. Please forgive me." He whispered.
Jubilee looked up at him. "Of course I do Remy. How could I not? You're the closest thing to family I have left."
"Jubilee... I want t' adopt y'. Will y' let me?"
She looked at him startled, "Adopt me? Like daughter/ father type adopt thing."
"Of course I would understand if y' didn't want t'...."
"Yes! Yes! Yes! I would, I would!" She threw her arms around him. "Does that mean I can call you daddy?"
"Actually, Papa would be preferable." He grinned softly.
"Oh right..." She breathed. "You're French. Okay, Papa." She copied his accent perfectly.
Remy laughed as he swept her into his arms. "Y' don' mind havin' Colette as a mother?"
"Mind? Mind? NO WAY! Who else can shop like I can??!"
Together they went back into the elevator back up to the party, all thoughts of her ring forgotten - for the moment.
* * *
"Do y' t'ink she's ready?" asked Jean-Luc softly. Remy and his father sat in a little restaurant, hidden in the vast metropolis of New York. It was two months after Kitty's funeral.
"Non, not yet. She has t' get over Kitty, or else she might freeze up one day." Sighed Remy. "They were close... like Henry an' I. It took a long time t' get over him too."
"So... I have a granddaughter dat I've never met." Mused Jean-Luc. "Actually, I 'ave met her, but she didn't know I was your Papa."
"Y' did?" Asked Remy startled.
"Yup an' t' be quite frank, I like her! She has dat spunk y' had when y' were her age." Jean-Luc grinned fondly to himself.
"I was a bad child, wasn't I." Remy laughed.
"The worst!" Jean-Luc agreed.
"Hey! Y' weren't supposed to agree wit' me!" Remy protested.
"But it's true!" Jean-Luc snorted. "Y' broke my Ming vase-"
"Dat was an accident!" Remy smiled. "I played a joke on Henri an' when he came runnin' f' me, I accidentally 'bumped' into it."
"But what 'bout de time y' stole de paintin' from de Boudreaux's house, eh?" Jean-Luc shot back. "Y' had Bella's father ready t' kill whoever had stole dat paintin'."
"But he never did find out who..." He grinned innocently.
"An' what 'bout de time y' decided t' come into de casino an' try y' luck at gamblin'? Y' were six an' y' wanted t' win big money. An' y' did. Y' stood dere f' someone t' give y' your money, but y' ended up gettin' thrown out."
"I still shoulda got dat money! I paid a whole quarter f' it!" Remy pouted playfully.
Jean-Luc rolled his eyes, "I know an' y' let de whole casino know it too."
"Dat I did..." Remy laughed at the memory.
"And y' always picked fights wit' Assassins." He sighed. "I had more trouble wit' y' den any t'ief in my Guild ever!"
"But, I'm de best in de Guild... so, y' couldn't 'ave done dat bad." Grinned Remy.
Jean-Luc's face softened. "Yes y' are and I'm so proud o' y' Remy. Y' turned out t' be someone I could never ever be ashamed o', despite de t'ings y' do."
"I love y' too Papa." Remy smiled.
"Y' goin' t' introduce me t' my grandchild??" Jean-Luc prodded. "So dat she knows me f' who I am de next time she sees me?"
"Which one?" Remy asked innocently.
Jean-Luc's eyes went huge, "Y' mean..."
"Yup, Colette's goin' t' have a baby." He cried exuberantly.
Jean-Luc gave his son a huge hug. "I'd give y' a cigar... but I don' have one on me."
"Dat's okay." Remy grinned ruefully. "Colette's goin' t' try t' kick me o' de habit 'fore de baby comes."
"It's about time." Jean-Luc snorted.
"Hey! I don' bug y' 'bout your bad habits..."
He laughed, "Y' right. But I warned y' not t' start."
Remy sighed, "What am I goin' t' do wit' y'?"
"Love me?" Jean-Luc said innocently.
Remy tried a playful punch, but his father moved out of the way.
"Anyway, I'd better get goin' or else Colette will kill me!" Remy groaned looking at his watch.
"I'll call de next time I'm up in New York. Wait, how long 'till Jube does her initiation pinch?" Jean-Luc asked as he put on his jacket.
"'Bout another 5 months, I t'ink."
"She's pretty good, f' someone who wasn't raised 'round de Guilds." Jean-Luc remarked.
"Dat's where y' wrong. She was raised 'round de Guilds." Remy whispered softly. "She's Richard Lee's daughter."
Jean-Luc stared at him, "Richard didn' have a child." How did he find out 'bout Richard's little girl?
"Yes he did Papa... 'member dat little girl? Dat was her."
"Quoi??!! C'est impossible!" Jean-Luc cried.
"Why is dat so impossible Papa?" Remy asked confused.
But Jean-Luc was gone out of the restaurant agitated and he didn't answer his question. What is up wit' him? Remy wondered worriedly. Something he had said had upset him greatly, but only time would tell what exactly that was.
* * *
"Rogue, why did you agree to marry Remy?" Jubilee finally asked. Rogue and Jube were home alone because Remy was on a pinch. Thusly, they decided to watch TV and order in pizza.
"Mom." Rogue corrected.
"Mom." Jubilee grinned. She loved the sound of that word.
Rogue sighed, "Well, it's complicated. It's more like a feeling."
"What do you mean a feeling?" Jubilee asked stuffing another piece of pizza into her mouth.
"Remember when he touched my hand that first time." Rogue asked ruefully.
"Yeah," Laughed Jubilee. "I was scared shitless."
"We exchanged something... Ah still don't know how ta describe it. In that instant, Ah knew he was thief. But how can Ah condemn that when I'm an Assassin? Mystique taught me well. Ah knew essentially what and who he was. Ah really can't describe it better than that."
"Jube how would ya like a brother or sister?" Rogue asked out of the blue.
"That would be great! But... what does that have to do with being an Assassin?"
"Well, I'm pregnant." She smiled.
"That's GREAT!!!" Squealed Jube. Then her eyebrow's frowned, "So back to this exchange thing, you mean you exchanged your souls type thing?"
"Not so as dramatic as that." Laughed Rogue. "But call it what you will... Ah trust him implicitly. He even told me about what he said ta you about getting me to agree."
"He did?" Asked Jubilee mortified.
Rogue put a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Jube. Ah may have been mad at him and God knows I almost tried ta kick him and ended up kicking Lapin."
"Poor Lapin!" Cried Jube.
"Ah was sorting out all of my stupid feelings that have never seemed ta make sense. When Remy had touched me, it was if all these feelings were forming into a solid foundation. The memories of people ah had absorbed slowly started to separate from the real me. Jube, it's like Remy saved me." Rogue finished slowly.
Jube got up slowly and carefully wrapped her bare arms around her mother. Tears started to roll down Rogue's cheeks and the hug continued. Ah can touch again...
* * *
Jubilee didn't bother knocking on the X-Manor's door as she entered that afternoon. Her regular school was finished for the day and like most afternoons, she made her way to Westchester from New York to go train with the X-men.
"Hey Popsicle!" Jube smiled.
"Yo Jube. What'cha up to?" He asked from the couch in the Rec. Room.
"The usual- school, homework, training... what else have a time for? A life? Not a chance!" She groaned. Today, Cyclops had something special in store for her and she was NOT looking forward to it.
"I hope you're well limbered and ready to go." Laughed Bobby, munching on chips.
Jubilee rolled her eyes and went to go get a drink of water from the kitchen. Logan and Jean were sitting at the table playing a card game.
"What'cha playing?" Jube asked curiously, getting her glass of water.
"Logan is trying to teach me how to play poker." Jean sighed miserably. "I've already lost 50$!"
Jube raised her eyebrow at Logan. He just smiled and shrugged.
"I take it that you can't use powers." Grinned Jubilee.
"No, she can't." Grinned Logan. "It just so happens that she was beating me soundly at crazy eights that I thought that I would teach her MY favorite game."
Jube rolled her eyes. I'll bet my bottom dollar and God knows I have a lot of them now, that he is cheating.
She changed and made her way to the Danger Room. "Hey Cyke."
Scott turned around from Ororo and smiled, "How was school?"
She groaned, "Hard! I had two tests today and gym was a bitch! Man, do I hate dodge ball!"
"Are you ready child?" Ororo asked with uncertainty in her voice.
"Um... no." She cringed. "But then again, am I ever ready?"
"We'll be up in the control tower okay? It will stop if it gets too much for you." Promised Scott.
Jubilee nodded and began to stretch. A couple of minutes later, the scenery changed. Whoa... this is funky. The plain danger room had changed into a bar scene. The bar was located to her right and it went along the whole wall. Chairs and table filled the middle, while billiard tables and VLT machines lines the back of the establishment. One table was currently being used in what seemed to be a serious game. There were a few people at the tables, but there was a bunch of men sitting in a booth a little ways off.
She sat down at the bar, "I'll have a.... Um, I'm a minor so... just a Pepsi please."
"Sure thing." He smiled.
"Look at that mutie." Snickered one man of the group in the booth. "She didn't even order a drink worth having."
"I think she offended the bartenders sensibilities when she asked for such a lame drink." Another man leered.
"I guess she just needs some talking to so that she will be able to treat her superiors better." One stated clearly to his fellow friends.
Jubilee sat drinking her drink listening to this exchange. The group of men was whispering so quietly that if she weren't training as a thief, she probably would not have heard them in the first place. "If you were my superiors then you'd be treated with more respect, I agree." She turned around. "And since you're not, fuck you."
Ororo's mouth fell open in the observation area. How did she hear those men talking? "Do you think that profanity should lose her marks?"
Scott stood transfixed, "Logan has said worse when we put him through this program." He shrugged his shoulders. "No, we shouldn't."
Jubilee turned back to her drink. "Bartender, please give those men a pitcher of beer with my condolences for the jerks of the year award."
With a chuckle, the bartender poured a beaker of beer, went to go give it to them and delivered her message. An innocent smile crossed her face as she finished her drink. Oh, please let them be mad enough to make mistakes!
A man jumped up in outrage and forcefully made his way through the sea of tables.
"Is there a problem gentlemen?" She asked. "I wouldn't think that my little gift would cause such an uproar."
"You mutie scum don't even deserve to live." One hissed.
She sighed, "And here I hoped that you would be civil... But I guess that's just too much to hope from one of Scott's programs."
Scott's lips formed into a tight line and it wasn't because of the remark. The more time she spends away, the more she changes. Seven months ago, she would have panicked and shot at him before thinking. Was she just getting better? Or is something going on that we don't know about?
Jubilee quickly disarmed one man before her moment of surprise attack was ruined. His buddies quickly got up and ran madly, screaming towards her. With as little movement as possible, clean kicks, ducks and punches, she disarmed and neutralized the threat without killing anyone.
"Here's a tip for your troubles." She offered weakly to the bartender, forgetting that it was a danger room session. She checked the back of their necks for markings and found none. They were not Assassins. Breathing a sigh of relief, the one thing on her mind was to go report to Remy who was probably working in the Guild complex at this hour.
"Good job Jubilation." Smiled Ororo. The next time I see that man... He is going to have to answer some questions about Jubilee and himself.
"Very good actually!" Smiled Scott, enthused. "You passed with flying colors. You first tried to subdue them and tried to reason and then you neutralized the threat without harm to them or the people around you."
"Ah shucks." She blushed. "Can I go change now... I feel grubby and I need a shower!"
Scott stopped and stiffened, "Jubilee, hurry and shower, then meet us all in the War Room."
Not stopping to ask any questions, she left.
"What is the matter Scott?" Asked Ororo.
"We have a big problem..."
Later on in the War Room
"How in the hell could they have gotten it?" Bishop demanded, angry that this certain someone had slipped through his well thought out and well patrolled defenses.
"We don't know." Xavier sighed angrily. "But we have to get it back. We absolutely can not let Sinister keep that Cerebro chip. If Lilandra found out... she would probably reveal their race just to get it back. And if she couldn't find it... destroy the planet."
"But what about your relationship with her?" Asked Warren.
"She doesn't let emotions get in the way of her ruling her world. If there is a threat to her people, they always come first." He sighed sadly. "Anyone have any ideas? We have a plan in the making but I don't know if it will come to pass."
"We could always ask him for it." Bobby offered. That offer offered him a couple of hostile stares.
"We could always steal it back." Betsy offered. "But we don't know how he got it in the first place. Are we sure that Nathaniel Essex was responsible for this disappearance?"
Logan lifted up a sheet of paper that had a note from Essex and passed it around the table. "Now, I've already taken some steps to retrieve it."
Xavier nodded, "Yes, you're so called contacts. They've gotten back to you?"
"Like Bets said, I've hired someone to 'steal' it back." Logan sighed. "And believe me, it ain't coming cheap."
"How much?" Frowned Scott.
"A cool five million." Logan said, staring Scott in the visor.
"WHAT??!"
"You have to realize that everyone knows that Essex is a dangerous man and anyone who is caught will become a lab experiment. Even if they don't get caught, they will be hunted down for the rest of their lives until he/she is caught." Logan took another puff of a Cuban cigar he had just lit.
Jubilee came running into the room. "What did I miss?"
"Well, you've missed that a Cerebro chip has been stolen by Sinister and Logan has hired someone to steal it back." Bobby offered, putting it into simple terms.
"How did they get it?" She asked shocked.
Bishop looked away, "We don't know."
"Bish! Don't worry, it's not your fault. Sinister is just sneaky and a total bad guy." She offered.
The telephone rang and Jean answered it. "Xavier's Institute of Higher Learning, Jean Grey speaking. How may I help you? ... One moment please..."
"Jubilee, the phone is for you."
She grabbed the phone, "Hi!"
"Jubilation LeBeau, where is your cell phone?" Growled Remy. "I gave it t' y' for a reason!"
"Um... probably still in my knapsack." She stammered. "Sorry... You called?"
"Yes, I did." His tone became business like. "Y' have a pinch t' perform. Y' pass an' y' get initiated."
"What is it?" She asked, consciously aware of the X-men's eyes on her.
"Y' friends 'ave a little problem on dere hands... y' have t' solve it by stealin' it back."
"WHAT!?" She said with a fake laugh, trying to throw the X-men off guard. "That is NOT possible... it's HIM! Even you won't go near... him... and he is yucky! Not to mention, incredibly scary!!"
"Jubilation, y' have y' orders." He said with a stern voice.
"What's my time frame?" She asked, rubbing her eyes. This has been too long of a day.
"Y' have two days Jubilee. Got a paper an' pencil. We've located him f' y'."
She grabbed Scott's pen and paper from in front of him, "Okay? What is it?"
"It's 11598 - 114 St, New York."
"What does it have in line of defenses?"
"Nothin' dat y' haven't handled yet." He assured her.
"Do I have to work with what I have... or do I get supplies?" She grumbled in dismay. Going into an unknown situation is bad enough, but not having what I need?
"Y' work wit' what y' have Jubilee an' wit' what y' can obtain. Dat is all I can tell y'."
"You mean to say that you're not going to help me?"
"Nope. Not at all."
"Damn!! At least give me your lock pick set!"
"If y' can steal it from me Jubilee." He laughed.
"You want me to go without a lock pick set, let alone any instruments and God knows I don't have the equipment for lasers, etc, without a floor plan, without any idea of where it is in the first place!!!" She screamed into the phone.
"Basically." He agreed unperturbed.
"Damn you and the Guild to Hell.... And oh, wish me luck." She groaned inwardly and outwardly and hung up the phone. Before turning back, she picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hello?" To Jube's dismay, Scott has re-routed the phone to the vid-com.
"Hi, this is Jube-Jube."
"I know, I see you on my screen. I didn't know you had a vid-phone at home. I haven't seen you around the Guild complex in a while!"
"Yeah, I know Matt," She sighed. "I have a little problem and I think you can help me."
"Oh?"
"If you help, I'll pay you half." She offered.
"Oooh... you want something bad! Do tell me, what is so hard that you need MY help for?"
"I'll tell you when you get to 11598 - 114 St. And bring your equipment." She added with emphasis. "Jube-Jube over and out!"
She hung up the phone and turned around to leave the room, but a telekinetic Jean hauled her back.
Logan had come around the table and helped the floating Jube to her seat. "Jube are you doing what I think you're doing?"
Just then, Remy came strolling into the War Room, "Jube! I've been lookin' everywhere f' y'! I was supposed t' pick y' up twenty minutes ago. Sorry I'm late, but I really did expect y' t' be waitin' f' me."
Jube breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry Papa. Bye Guys! I'll see you in two days!"
The X-men could not say anything to tip off what was happening to the 'outsider'. Once Remy and Jube were out of the house, Jube breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thanks Papa. You really saved my butt there."
Remy's eyes were stern, "Mebbe I shouldn't 'ave done dat den, hun? Den mebbe you'd be more careful de next time."
"I really am sorry... Do I get to use your lock picks?" She asked hopefully.
Remy motioned to the back seat, "Y' goin' t' need dem if y' goin' t' go up against Sinister an' y' can have de car once we get home. Were being followed by y' friends and y' know dat dey know where dis place is. Y' have t' go fast an' do it... or use dere distraction. Bot' are dangerous an' bot' have potential of failin' or workin'."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She laughed. And they drove on.
* * *
"Peace ye fat guts!"
Shakespearean swear.
"Peace ye fat guts!"
-- Shakespearean curse.
Or