See Part Four A
Title of Series: The Web - Borne Of The Fall
Part Four D
Conclusion of "It Can Swallow Her Whole Star Intact"
JUBILEE
Morning, bright and early.
Gah, too bright. That whole 'Ooh, shiny new sun. Wowee! It's morning!' type bright. Not even pulling the blankets over my head could dissuade the unwelcome rays.
*Glub.*
I grunt my agreement of Adam's assessment on morning. *Garg.*
*Irk?*
*Eeeee.* I whimper and pull the blankets tighter around me.
*Dare I ask what the English translation of that might be?* Asher sounds far too perky. He probably hasn't even been to sleep yet, either. He sucks.
*Heh. From Adam, 'Mornings suck.' Then Jubilee said, 'Totally.' Adam then asked, 'Should we get up?' and Jubilee replied, 'Nooooo.'*
*Ah, thank you, Victor. Nice to know translations are possible.*
*Blurp.*
*Hey, watch yer flippin' language. 'Sides, I don't think that's even anatomically possible. Hamsters just don't have the backbone for it.*
On the roll next to me, Kora giggles. *Jubilee? Are you going to shower now?*
I grunt out an almost understandable *Later,* so she gets up to take hers first.
*Jae, we'll be there to pick you two up in a couple hours.*
Shit. Gotta get showered and dressed, gotta eat, already packed, but I gotta say goodbye. Oh, and I have to get back into my room. Damn, I do have to get up. *M'kay.*
Clad in my oversized 'NIN' shirt, shorts, and blue bunny slippers, I pad down to my old room. The door's unlocked and only Kitty is sleeping inside. The Hayseed must be off communing with Cindy Crawford's workout series.
"Jubilee?"
"Yeah. Just go back to sleep, Kitty." I search my bookshelves for the two distinctly colored covers. Upon finding them, one yellow and the other green, I tell her, "I got what I came for."
"No, I should be gettin-"
I force my suggestion into her mind. "A few more hours of sleep can't hurt. You can still get up before noon, but some more sleep would be very nice."
Kitty yawns and snuggles back under her covers. "Yeah, a few more hours of sleep would be nice."
I nod, satisfied. The fewer people I have to deal with this morning, the better. I stop at my desk to pick up stationery and a pen, then head back to Drake's room.
Bobby's still happily snoring away in his bed, so I sit at the desk to write. In the two diaries, I write a quick note in each. On the stationery, I write two letters, one longer than the other.
By the time I finish, Kora steps out of the shower and makes a gesture for me to go ahead. I gather my clothes, send her a thanks, and step into the still steamy room.
KORA
We'll be leaving soon. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it will be nice to see Victor, Asher, and Adam again, but I like Bobby and Remy. I don't want to say goodbye to them.
I go downstairs and see Sean in the kitchen. "Good mornin', lass. Will we be practicing today?'
I shake my head and point out to the driveway.
"Ah, you must be goin' ta town then. Well, have fun. And smile, lass! It's a beautiful mornin'."
I smile for him and he smiles back, apparently satisfied with his work. Then he walks away, whistling.
What a strange man.
JUBILEE
When I get out of the shower and get dressed, Bobby's still out like a light. I use the phone at the night-stand and call the boathouse.
Remy answers of the third ring, his voice thick with sleep and a mean case of the grumpies. "'Ello?"
"Hey, Cajun. Thought you could make breakfast for me n' Kora taday."
He's silent for a moment. "Sure, petite. Let Remy get dressed and he'll meet ya in de kitchen."
I nod, knowing he can't see it. "Okay. ...Remy? I only have a couple hours."
"Yeah. I figured. Dis be too early for ya oth'rwise."
I smile sadly. "See ya in a few, Gumbo."
"Bye, petite."
I hang up the phone and am startled to see Bobby's ice-blue eyes trained on me. "You're leaving?"
I nod wordlessly.
He sits up and holds his arms out to me. I fall into the embrace easily. Any other man clad in nothing more than a white undershirt and Marvin the Martian boxers would have probably been smacked, but this is Bobby. I trust him.
"You better take care of yourself."
I hold onto him tighter, trying to ignore the tears in his voice. "You too, Drake. You too."
KORA
Remy shows up in the kitchen wearing loose jeans and a sweater, but no shoes.
He smiles at me in good morning, which I return. I think he's uncomfortable talking to me, maybe because I can't talk back. He starts moving around the kitchen, pulling out skillets from cupboards and eggs from the refrigerator. "How 'bout pancakes fer breakfast, eh cherie?"
I nod enthusiastically and sit out the counter to watch him dance about the kitchen.
JUBILEE
Bobby's grabbing a quick shower when I leave the room. I travel down the hallway's twists before finally stepping in front of my destination.
I knock quietly and wait a few moments before Emma Frost, fully dressed in her typical white power suit, opens the door. "Gambit's makin' breakfast in the kitchen if ya wanna join us."
Frost just nods in her unflappable way. "I'll be down shortly."
The door closes and I head back to Bobby's room. He's dressed and ready to go, so we make our descent to the kitchen.
KORA
Jubilee, Bobby, and Remy, and I are already eating our pancakes when Frost walks in. She pauses at the doorway with narrowed eyes before picking up a plate and helping herself to two of the pancakes.
No one is really talking. They're just quietly eating and watching each other.
Finally, Emma clears her throat to get our attention. She lays the a large envelope on the table and pushes it to Jubilee. "I took the liberty of procuring you a few things. Actually, some is yours and some is Kora's."
Jubilee nods and starts rifling through the envelope. She pulls out a wallet with a New York drivers license displayed in it's clear pocket. "This thing says I'm twenty-one." She raises an eyebrow.
Emma merely shrugs. "I figured it'd be for the best."
"Probably. Thanks." Jubilee continues looking through the wallet. There's a social security card for a Julie Tran, two hundred dollars in twenties, a bank card, and a credit card.
"The credit card isn't to track you, it's for emergencies. If you ever need a plane ticket back..." Emma trails off, but Jubilee simply smiles.
"Thank you, for everything."
Emma nods. "Kora's is a Maine Identification Card, I don't know if she can drive. Her cards are all made out to Karie Savant. You both have passports if you need them."
I smile my thanks, take the wallet and passport Jubilee passes to me, and slip them into my jeans pocket.
Remy reaches into his own pocket and pulls out a small black book. "This here's a list of names, numbers, and addresses. Just tell 'em Remy sentcha and you'll be taken care of." He passes the book to Jubilee, who looks like she's trying very hard not to cry.
Bobby pulls out a folded sheet of paper and says, "This is the private numbers and emails of everyone in the mansion. Don't forget us, huh?"
Jubilee takes the paper with a sniffle. "'Course not, Drake. Yer all too weird ta ferget." She leans in and gives him a hug.
JUBILEE
*Fifteen minutes, Jae. Make your goodbyes.*
I look up from the table and try to smile. "Our ride'll be here in a few minutes."
Everyone stops to look at me. I'm loathe to leave the quiet kitchen and the people who care, but in the end, there is no choice. I stand up, Kora follows suit, and we head upstairs to retrieve our belongings.
I put my backpack on, grab the two diaries and letters in one hand, then pick up the suitcase in the other. Kora picks up her suitcase and backpack, then starts downstairs.
When we get to the front entrance, Remy, Frost, and Bobby are there, ready to give the last fairwells.
I stop in front of Bobby and throw my arms around him. For a few precious moments, he simply holds me. When I pull back, I hand him the green diary. "I started this when I joined up with Gen-X. I know you'll take care of it for me." He nods and cradles the book closely.
I turn to Remy and hug him. "Be well, Jubilee."
"You too, Remy." We watch each other with frank gazes. "And don't forget to eat." He gives me a lopsided grins that disappears as soon as I hand him the yellow diary. "That starts out a couple weeks before I joined the X-Men. You'll probably find it interesting." He nods and holds the book in a tight clasp. His final link to me.
When I hear the engine in the driveway, I turn to Emma and hand her a letter, the longer one of the two. Her eyes glance over it and will with tears. I know what is says by heart.
'You gave me a home when it would have otherwise been simply a room to sleep in.
'You gave me your friendship when so many others have rejected the both of us.
'You gave me your faith when I would have fallen in on myself for failing.
'You gave me hope and showed me how to grow and succeed.
'You pushed me when you knew I could do better, bullied me when I thought I couldn't, and followed with watchful eyes when I proved you right.
'Thank you.
'Jubilation Lee'
She pulls me into a tight hug and only lets go when a soft knock sounds on the door.
I open it to find Adam smiling at me. *We're ready.*
*Great. Let me get the suitcases.* He takes my suitcase, then Kora's, and heads for the dark blue mini-van in the driveway.
Creed opens the sliding backdoor and maneuvers himself out of the middle bench seat. Asher's standing by the passenger door in a heavy black cloak that manages to hide him from the sun.
Kora goes to Asher, fingers the cloak, then smiles and hugs him in greeting.
I walk up to Creed and raise an eyebrow. He runs a hand through my hair, over the soft bristles that move up from the back of my skull to and down the styled cap that had been my hair style from years ago. *Nice cut.*
*Familiar, ain't it?*
*Yep. After you.* He motions into the car, but I hesitate. I'm still waiting for one more person.
"What the flamin' hell is goin' on? I could smell Sabretooth!" A growl and a familiar 'snikt!' sounds as Logan finally makes an appearance and sees the van and it's occupants. "What are ya standin' around fer? Get him away from Jubilee!"
I turn to Logan and something in my expression startles him so badly, he halts his attack. I pull out the final note, addressed to Wolverine, and hand it to him. I turn back and let Creed help me into the van. Kora had already gotten in and was sitting in the back bench. Adam had the keys in the ignition while Asher sat beside him.
When Creed gets in beside me, Logan howls. He is trying to get to me, but Iceman is coating Logan's adamantium claws in the sub-zero ice, then letting it seep up the rest of his skeleton. Knowing that the metal conducts cold, he was trying to incapacitate Logan through pain without causing serious injury. When that failed, he froze Logan's feet to the ground and kept re-freezing them whenever Logan tried to pull away. Gambit and Frost are trying to keep the X-Men from answering Logan's cries.
*Go, Adam.*
Adam guns the engine and hits the gas.
Clouds darken the sky, a sure sign that Storm's heard the commotion, but no one has come after us. I wonder how many minds Frost had to fry to keep them at bay.
I probably could have been kinder by putting in a lot of pretty words about hopes and dreams, like Logan did to me, but I kept his letter simple. 'It hurts to be on this end of the letter, doesn't it?'
Adam glances at us in the rearview mirror. *So where to?*
Creed shifts beside Kora in the back seat. *San Francisco California, Chicago Illinois, New Orleans Louisiana, or Toronto Canada. I got the new estates in those areas.*
*How 'bout California? I wouldn't mind bein' on the west coast again.*
The others hum agreement to my suggestion. *California it is.*
So back to California I travel. Ever notice how life moves in weird-shaped circles?
~*~
Endnotes:
And for those of you wondering, the titles for Part Four came from Tori Amos's 'Suede'. It's a great song. Really!
I'd like to thank my beta gods, (in alphabetical order:) Jai, Khaki, Si, Sorcha, and Winter. You all are the most beautiful people I've had the pleasure of chatting with. *grin* I love y'all to Reeses Pieces!