Remy looked down at the photos that he had laid out before him. Each one had a small little girl. A few of the pictures had a young boy in them, who was at least seven probably 8 or 9 years older than the girl. He held up one picture of the little girl. She wasn't more than two years old in this picutre. her hair was still a curly strawberry blonde and she was wearing diapers. Remy smiled, he couldn't think of her all grown up now. He still saw her hugging the young boy with just a diaper and a t-shirt on and a little pink bow in her hair.
He looked at the boy, his face hardened. {you let her get away Remy....} he thought. His carfully put all the pictures back in a box, taking one last look at he last one ever taken of the little girl. She was slumped over a puzzle on a desk, her hair was a reddish brown now and all in curls. She was wearing her favorite blue sweater and still had that devilish look her eyes. She was about seven in the picture. Whispering, Remy said to the picture of the girl, "Why did you leave me, Jessica?" As soone as he put the picture in the box and tucked the box away he knew the answer. His little sister left because of him.
Jessica, or Josh, as she preferred, sat in the courner, curled up tight in the dark room. Her terribling hands reached for the phone. She could hear her "father". He was drunk. she could tell that much when she saw his face and heard sound of his voice. He also was upset with her for some reason. She decided not to figure it out. It was safer just to stay away for as long as possible.
She heard someone pick up on the other end. "Hello?" the voice asked questioningly.
Jessica guessed that the person was about her age, maybe a bit younger and the girl on the other end was definatly not from Massachuttes. "Ummm...puis je parler Emma?" Jessica asked quietly. She had managed to turn herself inviable but if her "father" heard her....
Jubilee had to think about this for a second. She understood parler, je and Emma. Putting those together she guessed the perosn who was ont he other side of the phone wanted to speak with Frosty. Why anyone would want to right now was beyound Jubes. Emma had been in a bad mood all day. "Umm..ya want to speak with Frosty? sure...hold on." Jubes said and then quickly covered the reciever with her hand. Being all so tackful as Jubilee was, she managed to yell loud enough to even give Sean a challange at winning the loudest contest. "MS. FROST!!!!!!!!! PHONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Jessica staried at the phone at the sound of "frosty." Mom would surely kill anyone who dared to call her anything like that. She put the phone back up to her ear just in time to hear the yell. Her ears rang.
The next voice was one she has known since she was eight years old. "Emma Frost speaking," Emma's voice spoke clearly over the phone.
Josh was able to mumble back as she heard the yelling of her father get closer. "Mom?"
Emma turned as white as the clothing she wore. It took her a minute to process what was going on. Emma realized that Jessica hadn't been exaggerating as she heard the yelling in the background. "Jessica, where are you?"
No answer dared utter from Jessica's mouth. He was much too close. Emma could tell that Jessica was still on the phone and put together what was going on. "Jessica, listen to me. I want you to go to my house as soon as you can. Call up the housekeeper and tell her that you are there. i'll be down in few hours," Emma stated not expecting a reply.
"Oui....," was the only word whisperd back and then jessica hung up.
Emma sighed and hung the phone up, She quickly joted down a note, folded, and then looked at the confused Jubilation. "Give this to Sean immediatly, Jubilation. I will be gone for at least a week," Emma ordered the teenager.
Before Jubes could even ask why and who that was, Emma had gone to her limo and was gone.
Jessica was quite happy up in "her" house. It was really Emma's guest house but Jessica had decorated it to her tastes and was living there so Josh deemed it her house. She had her Tigger with her. Tigger was quiet real and was, by all means imaginable, a Tigger. She had her collections and her "mom" was in the main house. She had everything she wanted with her.
The judge was probably going to give Emma custody of Jessica, or so Josh thought. Should she write about all this to her big brother? Josh doubted it. She should probably just state that she was visiting with a friend. It sounded better than the guy who did have custody of me lost his marbles and now i'm with Emma Frost, white queen, ever heard of her?
Someone knocked on her door. Jessica looked up from her writting. "Come in?" she asked.
Emma opened the door to the almost completely pink and red bedroom. She saw Jessica streched across her bed writting a letter. Emma sat down next to her. "Who are you writting to?"Emma asked.
Josh had leanred that she could trust Emma. She knew that Emma had done some things wrong but Jessica chose to ignore that. She knew that Emma wouldn't hurt her. "It's t'my brother...." Jessica said quietly. Jessica rarely rose her voice above a whisper. If she did, she was in a debate.
Emma became confused. Jessica was an only child. She had been adobted by that man when she was seven. "Brother?"Emma asked.
Jessica nodded. "Il est en New York," she stated. Emma wanted to know more about this "brother". If he was her brother by blood, Jessica would have to go with him, but if he was simply given that title like how Emma earned the title "Mom" then that was soemthign different. "What is his name, Jessica?" Emma asked curiously.
Jessica stopped her writting. She was on her third page. Remy would love this letter, she thought. "Remy Lebeau," Josh stated. She doubted that her mom knew him. She smiled at the thought if they did. They would not get along at all.
Emma managed somehow compose herself. Remy had a sister? And it was her precious little Jessica? Maybe not....there was still that title thing Jessica has. "Is he related to you by birth or do you simply call him that as a title?" Emma asked.
Jessica had that confused look on her face. "He is my brother. We both lived down in Nawleans when we were lil...well...when i was lil. But I left....I came here. Dey figure I was dead down dere. I told papa i wasn and he told Remy," Jessica managed to say. Emma knew the rest of the story.
Emma didn't want Josh to break all contact with him. That wouldn't work. Yet, if Remy figured out that she was taking care of his little sister without telling him.... Emma sighed. She got up and brushed back Jessica's few strands of hair that managed to escape from the bun on her head. "I'm going to make a few phone calls, Jessica. Make sure Tigger doesn't get into anything," Emma stated and then walked out.
Jessica looked down at her Tigger. Tigger looked up and Josh. Jessica shrugged and went back to writting. Tigger yawned and went back to lying down in the "fallen sphinx" postion, as Jessie had dubbed it.
Remy was making his gumbo...again. No one really actually ever ate it besides him. Every so often one very brave fool would actually attempt it...three seconds later the new two gallon bottle of milk was gone. Remy didn't care. He liked his gumbo and he'd eat even if no one else would.
The phone rang. Remy stopped stiring the gumbo and picked up the phone. "Allo?" he answered.
"Gambit, this is Emma," Emma stated over the phone. She made sure Jessica was in her room. Josh was so Emma felt it was okay to talk about Jessica. Jessie often got nervous when people talked about her....her "dad" would talk about her.
Remy's voice changed. "What do you want?" he asked.
"Don't act so high and mighty, Gambit. I don't believe your are on the good list this year. But if you don't want to know where Jessica is...." Emma smiled evilly to the phone. If Remy really was Jessica's brother that should get his attention.
Remy's voice changed again. Jessica? Could Emma have found her and brought her up to Massachuttes? His baby sister doesn't belong there. He'd seen Jessica on TV a few times. Jessica seemed to fit in perfectly with the senate and congress. She always did have a mouth on her. "Is she dere? Can i speak wit her?"Remy asked.
"I'm with her here down in Washington. I take it you don't read newspapers. Mr. King lost custody of her. She is staying here with me. Since you are a blood relative, or Jessica suggested, i thought you might want to know where your younger sister was," Emma kept her voice calm and cool.
"Can i speak wit her?" Remy demanded. He ignored the boiling gumbo.
"Hold on," Emma didn't see much harm in him talking to Jessica. SHe telepathically contacted Jessica. Jessica didn't even bother to run, she just teleported into the room and reached out for the phone.
Emma handed the teenage girl the phone. Jessica took it. "Remy?" she asked.
"Jessie, are you okay? Why you dere wit Emma Frost? What going on? Why didn't you telll me 'bout all dis?"Remy asked anxiously.
"Premier, oui, j'suis bon. Duexieme, ummmm...long version or short?" Jessica asked.
"Both," Remy stated.
"Well, 'cause Mr. king was ummm...he got drunk and started yelling so i came 'ere and i ain't been back dere since. And he lost custody of me and all after dat," Jesica was going to contin ue but Remy interrupted her.
"What happened?"
"Well...He just has been yelling...a lot lately..and so I came here," jessica didn't feel like filling the details.
"Can i speak wit Emma?" remy asked his baby sister. Her voice sounded the same even though he hadn't actually talked to her since she was seven. he hated to have to talk to Emma instead of his baby sister, but he had to find out the truth.
Jessica handed Emma back the phone without a word. She quietly went over to Emma's closet and looked to see if Emma still had the gogo boots. While Jessica sat there quietly, playing, Emma blocked most of her voice as best as she could from jessica, guessing that Remy wanted to know what his sister was going through.
"Yes?"Emma asked over the phone.
"Why is she dere? What happened?" remy asked sternly. He just wanted the truth. He'd kill anyone who dared to hurt her, and, even though he hated Emma, he somehow doubted she'd hurt Jessica.
"Her father was charged and arrested on child abuse. They still haven't prosecuted him, yet. If you had any consern for your sister, you would be down here," Emma told him.
"I don need a lecture on my relationship wit my relatives, Emma. Is she hurt?" Remy replied.
"No, not physically. But that man has managed to leave a mulitble amount of emotion and mental scars," Remy interrupted.
"Don you even t'ink bout doin any of yer mind tircks on her."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Emma teased. She loved doing that. The thought of trying to repair the damage herself never even crossed Emma's mind, but she did have a reputation to up hold. "As I was saying befor eyou so rudely interrupted," Remy broke in again.
"Me? interrupt? Rude? never!" Remy replied.
"May i continue?"
"Bien sur."
"Thank you."
"De rien."
Jessica could only hear half of the conversation and wasn't paying much attention but she laughed at it anyways. Emma staired at her and increased the mind shield, hoping that Jessica couldn't break through it. She didn't want Jessica's memories to resurface and scare the poor girl.
"As I was saying," Emma waited for a few seconds. Nothing. Good. "Jessica's guardian lost custody. That is why she is here. Jessica decided not to tell me about you until this morning. You do realize that there are al least three states looking for you since you are a blood relative of hers?" Emma stated.
"Dere's more dan dat..." Remy mumbled.
"What was that?" Emma asked sweetly.
"Nothin, you mind witch."
"Strange. I thought I heard you say something."
"So is she gonna stay wit you then? In massachuttes?" Remy asked.
"She doesn't belong there. Actually I think she'd love to come up and stay with you," Emma smiled as she waited for his reaction. Of course the New York Mansion wasn't any better than Massachuttes, but at least there were more adults to keep her out of trouble. Not to mention Jessica wasn't ever very comfortable around people her own age.
"She can't come here. you know dat. She'd...."Remy got interrupted by Emma this time.
"And she can't stay with me. There are people after her since she started to speak out against certian issues on capitol hill. She already had one person try to kill her in the Senate itself. I have no doubt that there are more people after her. She'd be more protected in New York,"Emma stated.
"Sacre bleu...,"Remy stated. So that's why Emma bothered to tell him his baby sister was in trouble, she was in a lot of trouble. Jessica always was in trouble though, he thought. She never actually did anything wrong, it was that she always did everything right that bothered people. "How soon can you get her up here?"