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Two Pair
Chapter Four: That River In Egypt
by L.M Griffin
Four Months and a Half In:
"Okay, this had to be the most moronic, idiotic thing I could of
done! I go two thousand freakin' miles AWAY from Westchester to NOT
think about Remy Lebeau, and then I go to his hometown? This was not a good idea!" Jubilee groused to herself as she shoved
her dark sunglasses up her nose, wiping sweat away from her brow as
she pulled her dark hair into a short ponytail.
Sunlight poured down on the humid streets of the French Quarter in
New Orleans. After finally smoothing the last few errant strands of
hair into the ponytail, allowing air to finally reach the back of her neck, Jubilee began stalking down the cobbled
street again. As she turned another corner, she was momentarily mullified
by the rich beauty of the place. Exotic, enchanting, and down right
intoxicating, New Orleans was indeed the perfect birthplace for Remy.
It just - fit him.
Jubilee sighed and continued walking, muttering under her breath,
"Sure...I'll forget him here. Not like this place is a freakin' shrine
to him anyways. Whoops, forgot. It is."
Well, this walk wasn't helping. She had left the hotel she was shacking
up in to try and get her mind clear enough to figure out why she was
still here. It figured that going outside and actually SEEING New Orleans
was just making matters worse. She hadn't meant to come here. Really.
No lie. She and the Pack had started to travel North together, up through
Kentucky, and into Virginia. That would have been the point where Jubilee
had panicked, and left the Pack
somewhere in Maryland. She couldn't go home. Not yet. Not with with
her heart still...involved. Where every dream she had included a pair
of remarkable crimson eyes.
So she headed south again...and ended smack dab in the middle of
Louisiana. In the city of Remy's childhood no less, a place where she
knew every street as if by heart through his stories. Heck, she even
knew how to get to the air force base that he had stolen his first jet
from. When he was twelve.
She began stalking through the streets again. She got some looks,
some admiring for her own unique beauty, others for the fact that she
was talking to herself. She paid them no mind, her thoughts elsewhere.
Moving past a man in a fine green silk suit, she growled, "Hello Lee...smell
the Freud here?! Subconscious desire, much!? I mean, c'mon girl! Coming
here would be considered about as smart as robbing your own damned vault!"
The man in the suit froze in surprise, turning around to look at
Jubilee. Tall and well muscled, with long brown hair bound into a long
braid and thoughtful brown eyes, he looked to be in his fifties. He
tilted his head, suddenly intrigued with the lovely young Asian woman
babbling away as if there wasn't another person alive to hear her. Using
a phrase he knew only too well, no less.
Five feet away, Jubilee stopped, and slapped her forehead. " 'Rob
your own vault'? I'm using thief-speak now?? REMY LEBEAU, get out of my head! I'm trying
to get AWAY from you, not obsess over you!" The man in the green suit
had to fight off a sudden grin at the young woman's frustration. It
was harder then he thought.
Jubilee, completely unaware of the attention she just garnered sighed.
"What I wouldn't give for a wall to bang my head into. Many, many times."
She started to move forward again, when the man's voice behind her froze
her to the spot.
"Y'know Mm'selle, not many femmes wanna t'run away from my son. Quite de opposite 'n fact (much t'de chagrin of de
fathers of Louisiana...). Major exception bein' dat Rogue girl, 'n yah
definately look smarter den her," the man said mildly, his Cajun accent
faultless and colored with something Jubilee catagorized as simply 'class'.
She closed her eyes tightly, and gritted her teeth together. No.
No no no no. Her luck could not be this bad. She slowly
turned on one heel, tilting her sunglasses down a tad so she could fix
her blue eyes on him. Her voice slightly high, she said "Oh please,
please tell me you aren't
who I think you are?"
The older man's lips quirked for a moment, as he said calmly, "Well,
mm'selle...guess it dep'nds on who you think I am, as
to whether or not I'm acutu'lly dat person." He stuck his hands casually
in his pockets, a gesture that was hauntingly familiar.
Jubilee put her hand to her forehead again as she groaned. "I think
you're Jean Luc LeBeau, Remy's father. I also think I really want to bang my head into a wall. Hard. Right now." 'Great way to impress the father, Lee. Really,' she thought to
herself. Now Jean Luc LeBeau probably thought she was a complete, raving
loon who was obsessed with his son. Wait a second, why did she care
what the Guild leader thought? It wasn't like she wanted to impress him.
Of course, explain that to her conscious desire to smooth down her
cut-off yellow shirt with the sparkly blue star in the center, and her
jean shorts to something less then wrinkled. Arugh. Meanwhile, Jean
Luc LeBeau chuckled softly, before saying, "Oui, dat would be me. Now,
since you seem t'be one, a stranger in our fair Nawlins, 'n two an 'associate'
t'my son, p'haps I could entice you to a cup o' tea?"
"Tea. With you." Jubilee blinked in surprise. She had never been
invited anywhere for tea. Heck, the only kind of tea she ever drank
came from Snapple.
"Oui, moi." Jean Luc couldn't help smiling again. This girl was so...
refreshing was the word he would go with. Blunt, but with an edge of
tart sweetness.
"Uhm...where?" Jubilee queried, having a sudden horrid vision of
being taken to 'tea' in some fancy restaurant with Remy's father, and
her spilling hot tea on his lap. Or some other form of catastrophe.
"At m'home. It's only a few blocks from here," Jean Luc said, eyes
twinkling mischeiviously as he added, "With many walls for yah t'bang
yo'r head into, if yah so desire. Altho', I think it would be a horrible crime t'ruin such a belle face outta frustration over
my scamp of a son." He half bowed, offering an arm to Jubilee.
A wry grin passed Jubilee's lips. "Well then, when you put that way..." She tucked her arm through Jean Luc's, and together
they walked down the street, chatting like old friends.
Tea, Jubilee was soon to find out, was less of a elaborate act and
more like a Southern pig-out on pastries. While sitting in the air-
conditioned living room of the House LeBeau, (Which was so nice. New Orleans was beautiful,
but the humidity was killing her.) Jean Luc entertained her with stories
of Remy as a child. All the various scrapes the auburn-haired rascal
gotten into, and that Jean Luc had had to, more often then not, pull
Remy out of. Jubilee had heard many of the stories from Remy himself,
but Jean told her a few more she didn't know, and filled in certain
'holes' that Remy left out.
In return, Jubilee told Jean Luc what Remy had been up to lately,
filling him in on all the Remy gossip she could think of. Which was
a lot, now that she came to think about it. Everyone's emails from home
seemed to be filled with mentions of Remy. Jeez, did no one else have
a life? Were they all living vicariously through Gumbo? However, Jean
Luc seemed to appreciate all her talk; his eyes glowed with a soft longing
Jubilee understood completely. It was hard for her to be apart from
Remy; it must be ten times worse for a father who hadn't really seen
his only son in over five years.
She finished off the story of Remy's latest dating disaster (something
she was more then a little glad was over with). "...so then she stared
at Remy, and said, 'What do I look like to you, some sort of bimbo?
I know you were looking at that woman.' Now remember, this woman was
a NUN, in her freaking HABIT, no less. So Remy replied tartly, 'Non.
You look like an insanely jealous womon dat I have no clue why I was
datin'. Bonne Nuit.' He threw a fifty on the table, apologized to the
Sister and walked away."
Jean Luc tipped back his head and laughed heartily, then filled Jubilee's
tea cup again. He shook his head, as he commented innocently, "Dat son
of mine, he needs t'find h'mself a woman who can tolerate him. 'Nother
crumpet?"
Jubilee waved her hand. "No way, those things are too addicting...and
there isn't a woman alive who can tolerate Remy's difficult Cajun self
twenty-four seven. I'm one of his best friends and he still manages
to drive me up the wall." Jean Luc gave her a quiet look, but kept his
thoughts to himself. Remy didn't have many people proclaiming to be
his best anything. Jubilee, as far
as Jean Luc could tell, knew more about his vagrant son then he did.
It was a thought that comforted - and stung just a little.
She didn't notice the look however, as she took another sip from
her cup. She lifted her gaze to look around, admiring the fine wood
paneling and the antiques she was fairly sure Jean Luc hadn't come by
legally. Her eyes fell on
a picture over the mantle and she pushed herself out of her comfy chair
to go look at it.
It was a picture of Remy as a teenage boy, that devilish smile no
less captivating in his youth then it was now. She couldn't help but
grin to herself as she turned her attention to the woman in the picture.
"That's Tante Mattie, right? Your clan's traiteur?"
Jean Luc rose as well, standing beside her. His expressioned softened.
"Oui. Dat was when Remy turned fourteen. Full member of de Clan by den.
Tante insisted de boy have a real party, somethin' nice t'remember.
Remy...never did have many happy birthdays. My boy, he's suffered lot
more den he should have."
Jubilee's expression was quiet, as she said, "I know..." The pair
continued to look at the picture for a few minutes silently, before
Jubilee added, "Is it true? Can Tante Mattie see the past and future?"
"She has, on more den one occasion. She don't mind doin' a bit of
seein' now 'd again, when it don't disturb her Catholic faith. You have
somethin' you want to ask her, chere?" Jean Luc said innocently, his
eyes flickering to the girl. Her gaze, he noted, never left Remy's face.
"Hmm? Well...I am kinda bumming around. Trying to find myself. Maybe
if I talk to her, I could get a bit more...focus," Jubilee shrugged,
keeping down the blush on her cheeks. "She's the real deal, right? I
mean, I don't want to go there and find out some honky bull that I could
of figured out on my own."
"Oh beli've me, chere," Jean Luc said calmly, "Mattie's de 'real
deal'. Whatever you have questions 'bout, she'll have an answer for
ya." Although Jean Luc already had a pretty good idea what Jubilee would
ask about.
********
As the sun slowly dipped down over Lake Pontchartrain, Jean Luc's
grey Cadillac pulled into the gravel drive that lead Tante Mattie's
small house. Jubilee stepped out of the car, took a deep breath in,
and nearly stumbled. Gardinias. The scent filled her senses, the rich
perfume tickling her nose delightfully. A soft smile touched her lips,
and she turned to follow Jean Luc into the frame house before her.
Tante Mattie, by normal practice, did not leave her altar lit. She
only used her traiteur skills when Jean Luc, or any other of the Clan
leaders, called upon her for Clan business. However, for some reason
she had found it necessary to light the candles today. That sixth sense
of hers had picked up on the fact that someone was coming to ask her
some very important questions, so she'd best be ready. As Jean Luc and
his 'guest' entered the house, Tante Mattie's senses moved past the
older thief's aura and went straight to - yes, it was a young girl.
She flexed her powers over the girl curiously...
And found herself swept away by a whirlpool of emotions coming from
behind those icy blue orbs. Strength. Determination. Ancient wisdom
of the words pain and heartache. A face that had worn many a mask. A
loner, a survivor, a fighter. The glow of a bright, innocent soul. Purity
wrapped in suffering and secrets.
Mattie wasn't sure what she found more disturbing: the fact that
all this came from behind just one girl's face, or that this wasn't
the first soul she had run across that looked like this. Only one other
person, one man had an aura this turbulant.
Strangely enough, it was this same man who swirled within this young
woman's soul.
She gestured for Jubilee to sit beside her as she lit the candles
around the altar, calling to the 'powers'. Jubilee said nothing, simply
watched with strangly intent blue eyes, her face illuminated in the
dim light. Jean Luc stood in the shadows by the door, watching the proceedings
silently. Tante Mattie chanted a few words in the old tongue, swirling
the smoke from the candles around her fingers. Through the smoke, images
of a man and a woman appeared. Asian in appearance, they strongly resembled
the girl beside her. Mattie watched the girl stiffen slightly as her
expression became one of shocked surprise.
It was then that Mattie began to speak. "Well Ms. Jubilation Lee,
you've come a long way from de mansions of Beverly Hills, non?" Jubilee
froze for a moment, giving Mattie a long look, before nodding her head
in silent consent. Mattie smiled sadly, before adding, "You were a only
chile when they passed on - murdered by a man who claimed t'be their
friend. Alone, yah learn'd de most basic rule of bein' an orphan. Survive.
Whatever way yah can." The faintly hard look in the young woman's eyes
confirmed what Mattie said. A very familiar look...
Mattie raised her hand, and the smoke shifted to different images,
two men's faces; one with a smooth bald head, a thoughful look on his
face. The other was a wild man, eyes glinting ferally. A look of rueful
recognition worked over Jubilee's face. The black woman spoke thoughtfully,
"You follow de path of de man who's become your father, de man simply
called Logan. He's yo'r only family, one of yo'r best friends. You fight
for de Dream of dis other man together - de dream of Charles Xavier,
oui?"
Jubilee's chin lifted slightly, as she said firmly, "Humans and mutants
co-inciding in peace. It's a dream worth fighting for - even though
it ends up costing."
"Don't hafta tell me, girl. I know de prices fo' followin' your dreams.
Howev'r, it's not your dreams for a better tomorrow dat take you so
far from home. Yo'r head is takin' yah down one path. Yo'r heart..."
Mattie raised her hand, and the smoke shifted into another face. A more
familiar face to the older
woman as she continued, folding her hands in her lap, "...takes you
down another."
Remy's visage glowed before them, a soft smile working over his lips.
Both Jean Luc and Mattie watched Jubilee closely, intently. They weren't
disappointed. Jubilee's entire expression softened, and the look in
those sapphire eyes was a mixture of longing, desire...and love. A complete
love, a solid bond forged with friendship and trust. Jean Luc had seen
that look few times in his life. Never in regards to his son. That alone
gave him a glimmer of hope.
Mattie watched, brown eyes glowing as Jubilee gently reached up,
tracing the phantom outline of Remy's clefted chin, a gesture that screamed
more then just 'friendly' affection. She spoke softly, "Yah want t'love
him, but yah keep runnin' away from him. Why?" Behind both women, Jean
Luc tensed slightly.
Jubilee reluctantly turned her eyes back to Mattie, despair shining
in their depths. "Because I don't want to lose him. I love him so much.
I'm so...utterly miserable without him. If he found out I loved him,
and he didn't love me in return..." She bowed her head slightly, pain
radiating off her in waves.
Jean Luc let out the quietest of sighs. Thank God. Thank
God. He had been afraid it was yet again like the others...but
no, not this one. She really did love Remy. More importantly, she understood
him, where the others had just barely scratched the surface, seeing
only what they wished to see. He could see the difference in her eyes.
Remy had let her see all the darker sides, and she had come out still
wanting to be with him. Now, if he could only convince her to stay...or
find a way to keep an eye on her when she finally left. All he needed
was for her to stay in New Orleans for a little while longer while he
thought of something.
Mattie could taste Jubilee's fears like a bad glass of wine. That
he wouldn't love her for her age. For the pain he suffered through because
of Belladonna, or Rogue. That he would be afraid to allow himself to
love another 'innocent', like Genevieve. Or Remy simply didn't care
for her in that fashion, and Jubilee's heart would never recover if
that was the truth. Well, Mattie couldn't say they weren't truthful
possibilites, except she was feeling some interesting patterns around
Remy. Not all unfavorable for the girl. Not at all unfavorable.
However, she didn't want to get Jubilee's hopes up, so she said quietly,
"Den yer jest gonna have ta trust your head for now, ch'ld, until it's
time fo' your heart t'lead your way home."
Jubilee lifted her head, wiping away a single tear before sighing
quietly, "When will I know when that is?"
"Well let's jest say ch'ld, it's gonna come out of the blue, like...,"
Tante closed her eyes for a moment, before adding wryly, "...like a
lightn'ng bolt."
A wry look entered Jubilee's eyes. Gee, now everything made so much
more sense. Not. Cryptic advice aside,
she liked it here. She liked Jean Luc, and Tante Mattie as well. As
it was with the Pack, it was a feeling of being home again. She moved
her gaze to Jean Luc. "Mind if I bunk with you for a few weeks, Jean
Luc? I kinda want to get my head...settled."
A slow smile worked over the older man's face, "Jubilee, I was hopin'
you'd ask me that..."
********
Five and a Half Months In:
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
Subject: River Boat Queen
Remy,
Yes, I know...long time, no write. I just left Nawlins (Yes, now
I'm allowed to say that. Jean Luc gave me the okay. Nyener. ^_~ ) a
few hours ago, and I already miss it. If there is something worthwhile
about the South, it is this beautiful jewel of a city resting by the
Mississippi. Am I waxing the light poetic? Yeah, but still...
There's just something in the air, a whisper of voices long ago.
Everywhere I went, I thought of the thousands of stories each stone
held, every tree and flower. I bet you know at least half of them, don't
you Gumbo? I could feel you here too, and not just because you were
born and raised here. It's because everyone seemed to know your name,
and you might think it's all bad...but there are smiles too. Your city
misses you, Remy. I could see it in the way the buildings you told me
you haunted seemed to just sag there. The women's smiles aren't quite
as bright, the children seem less joyful here.
Your father misses you too. Yes I know, long history, and a lot of
it bad. But he loves you, and just how many fathers do you have anyway,
bub? There are thousands of things I'd like to be able to say to my
father, but I never can now. Jean Luc's still here. Am I going to stop
nagging now? Yeah, but just to tell you that your father is one fun
guy. I mean, how many people you know are going to take a girl for a
nice sight-seeing tour of some of the richer Mansions in the Garden
District? So it was at night and the owners didn't know we were there...it
was still a blast. Heh-heh.
Really though, we got some nice stuff! I'm sure you'll love what
I picked out for you, and don't worry, it's not anything huge (Although
I saw this Escher print you would of killed for, well, not literally.
Too bulky though. We couldn't get it through the window.). Let's just
say...it's the final touch to your bedroom.
All right, time for all good little Firecrackers to hit the hay.
Going through Missouri tomorrow. Oh yeah, cheers. Whoo.
Hey, in case I didn't mention it? I miss you.
Love and sparkles,
Jubilee
Remy scanned over the email, a soft smile working over his mouth.
Oh, he wished he could have been there with her, walking the same streets
she had. Seeing those eyes light up with every new wonder. He could
have taken her hand as they ambled along the broad sidewalks of the
Garden District by moonlight. Then under that big willow on First Street,
he could have pulled her into his arms and...
Mon Dieu, Poppa had taken Jubilee out a job?!? Oh, now this was too amusing. Remy felt a laugh rumble in his throat as he
finished reading. Lordy, he couldn't tell anyone about this. Logan might
be amused, but Stormy would blow a gasket. As for the Professor, well,
he'd have Remy's hide. Cooked Cajun style for good measure, no less.
Still, Jean Luc LeBeau and Jubilation Lee, casing mansions. The thought
alone was enough to make Remy burst into snickers. He idly wondered
just what the two had found together that they thought would make an
appropriate present for him. Then he bit his lip nervously, as he suddenly
had horrible visions of recieving some sort of vase or table with the
words, 'Property of Anne Rice' stamped boldly on the side.
Non, Jubilee would never send him - oh yes,
she would. A bead of sweat slowly trickled down Remy LeBeau's back.
Oh merde.
********
Six Months In:
"Thank you very much," Ororo Munroe said smoothly, taking the package
from the Federal Express delivery woman. It was a medium sized box,
with FRAGILE printed all over it. Ororo took a moment while she closed
the door to read the address. Kansas City. Well, Jubilee was certainly
getting around to the garden spots of
the United States.
Ororo sighed softly as she carried the box towards the kitchen. No,
she wasn't angry with Jubilation. Perhaps a tad aggitated, but not angry.
She simply believed that the young woman should be home. Fighting with
the X-Men. Keeping Remy from dating half of the 'slut' population of
New York City.
All right, so she was angry. She was highly
annoyed with the both of them. Jubilee was in love with Remy. Therefore,
she should have told him how she felt, instead of racing half way across
the country for Goddess-knew-why reasons. Remy was in love with Jubilee.
So instead of...doing what he was doing, he should have gone after her,
not sat here waiting for her to come home. Yet Ororo bemoaning the utter
stupidity of this entire
situation was doing nothing. Perhaps then, it was time she took matters
into her own hands...
She entered the kitchen, her eyebrows knitting together as she watched
several members of the X-Men cluster around the window looking towards
the boathouse. Putting the package down on the table, she moved next
to Kitty Pryde and peered outside. Oh Bright Goddess; it was Remy and
one of those 'women' that the X-Men had started dubbing the 'Jubilee-Skrulls'.
The Wind Rider's tone was dry as she commented, "Well now, what does
our Cajun friend have on the menu today, my friends?"
"Slim brunette, Ororo. Her hair is curly, however. I'm taking two
points off Skrull-ness for that," Kitty Pryde said, the expression on
her face disapproving. Her eyes were fixed on the couple down on the
lawn who were enjoying a 'romantic brunch'.
"Ja, but at least this one's eyes are blue. That is a minor improvement
on the last one. She wore contacts," Kurt
Wagner said, a wicked smirk working over his smooth elven face.
"The young woman does possess some of the more basic characteristics of Jubilee's personality, such as a sharp
sense of caustic amusement, and a certain...avante guarde fashion motif,"
Hank McCoy said, rubbing his blue furred chin thoughtfully.
"Let's not forget the fact that she's a dancer. Swift and graceful
on her dainty little feet. Gee, remind anyone here of someone we know?"
Bobby Drake said with a high pitched voice, leaning on the edge of the
window frame.
The five team members looked at each other. Then looked out the window
at the couple. They exchanged glances again as they said in unison,
"Jubilee-skrull."
"Someone needs to give Gambit a well deserved Clue-By-Four. He's
struggling in the word 'delusional'." Bobby snorted softly, brushing
blond-brown hair away from his face.
"Ja, mein fruend Remy is only fooling himself with these replicas
of a certain 'Firecracker'," Kurt shook his head worriedly.
"Well, he honestly believes that these women will somehow fill the
void which our dear Jubilation has left in the middle of his life. Of
course, what he does not seem to realize that each one of these women
is a pale shade to the true spirit he seeks," Hank said calmly, taking
off his glasses and cleaning them. He added wryly, "In other words,
my dear companions, that river in Egypt is flowing right through our
backyard."
A masculine voice sounded behind them from the door leading to the
living room, the British accent sarcastic. "Letssee. Delusional, skrull,
'n that river in Egypt. We're talkin' about our currently lovesick Cajun
chum, ain't we?"
Peter Wisdom, former Black Air agent, former Excalibur member, former
and now re-occuring love of Kitty Pryde's life, wandered into the kitchen,
a cigarette hanging from his lips. A patch covered one eye (the patch
being completely unnecessary, but Pete liked it), the other a sharp,
icy blue. Four months ago, on a mission to England, he and the X-Men's
paths had crossed again. He and Kitty were strained at first; but a
night stuck together on the Moors (her fault), a bottle of particularily
bad scotch (his fault), and some weepy-eyed confessions of pained love
and lonliness (both of them) brought them back together. They were working
hard to make the relationship work, and it wasn't exactly
all daisies and sweetness. Still, both realized they were happier together
than apart.
"Morning git," Kitty said, with that soft touch of affection. "Yeah,
come and take a look at the latest Jubilee-skrull."
"Good morning, Peter." "Morning Pete." " 'Sup Wisdom?" came the various
greetings from the other gathered X-Men. Wisdom grunted greetings to
all as he made his way over to the window to peer out with the rest.
He planted a soft kiss on Kitty's forehead, which she returned fondly.
"Is that her? Well, at least her hair is the right color," Wisdom
said with a snort. "What number we up to? Four billion bimbos n' countin?
LeBeau's doin' better business then Mc bloody Donald's."
"This would be Jubilee-skrull number 6, Peter...and her hair is brown,
not black." Kurt said, laughing softly.
"Get outta here! Really?" Wisdom exclaimed, squinting with his one
eye. "Well, I'm not really too sharp in the mornin' without m'coffee,
Kurt. 'N yah got to remember - I've never seen this Jubilee bird."
"Believe me Wisdom when I say that girl out there is nothing like the real Firecracker." Bobby snorted softly, shifting
around towards the kitchen table. His blue eyes widened, "Hey now, what's
this Ororo?"
"It is a package for Remy, Robert. From Jubilation." Ororo allowed
a small smile to pass her lips. At least Jubilee was a lot better at
contacting Remy then Rogue had been. Jubilee sent numerous packages
and emails, always letting Remy (and everyone else) know that she was
thinking about him.
A wicked look suddenly bloomed in Wisdom's eye as he looked around
the kitchen. "'Ey, who wants to see how fast a Jubilee-skrull can be
left inna the proverbial dust for jest a sniff of the 'real Firecracker'?"
A evil look entered Bobby's eyes. "Oh, go for it Wisdom. This I have
got to see."
"It would be an interesting study
in human behavior," Hank mused quietly.
"What exactly are you going to
do, Peter?" Ororo asked, her eyebrow raised slightly.
"Watch 'n learn, Ororo...watch 'n learn," Wisdom said with a smirk,
lifting the package up and heading towards the back door. The others
looked at each other, then crowded around the window again. Wisdom stepped
outside the door and, balancing the box under one arm, yelled down to
the couple, "HEY, LEBEAU! Yah got a 'Fragile' package here!"
Remy looked up from where he was whispering sweet nothings into the
Jubilee-skrull's ear (her name was actually Monica...), his crimson
eyes narrowing as he yelled back, "'N I should care b'cause? Leave it
in the house, WISDOM!"
Wisdom shrugged philosophically. He yelled back, as he started to
turn around, "All-righty. But I'm sure that this package from JUBI-
well damn, look at the boy run." He tried not to snicker as Remy, the
mere thought of a package from Jubilee racing through his system excitedly,
jumped off the blanket and charged up the lawn. Monica was left sitting
there, her mouth hanging open with shock and anger.
"Gimme dat!" Remy snapped, grabbing the package from a smug looking
Wisdom. He hugged the package to him, as if the box held the sender
beneath the brown paper wrapping. He swept inside of the house, putting
the package down on the counter and looking around for a pair of scissors.
Kurt cleared his throat and gestured to the counter right behind
the Cajun, where a pair of scissors lay. Remy grunted his thanks and
taking the scissors began to cut off the paper. The look on his face
was that of the boy who just recieved the ten-speed bike for Christmas.
Behind him, Wisdom had calmly closed the door and shared a knowing smirk
with the X-Men.
Remy mindlessly ignored the amused looks on his teammate's faces
as he tore into the box eagerly, throwing aside the paper and the wrappings
inside to reveal...a lamp. But not just any lamp. An original Tiffany lamp. He crowed in
delight, carefully pulling out the stained glass masterpiece and putting
it on the table to admire.
There was a collective jaw drop from the others in the room. Hank
spoke slowly, eyes wide with disbelief. "Remy...is that an original
1929 Lily Design Tiffany Lamp? Worth $10,000 and some odd change?!?"
"Yep," Remy said, a mischevious twinkle in his eyes as he added slyly,
"Poppa took Jubilee to some interesting places when she
visited Nawlins."
"'Poppa'? As in your father, Remy?" Ororo said, silver eyes narrowing
suddenly.
"Why yes, dat would be the man," Remy murmured innocently, as he
rifled through the box. Oooh, card from Jubilee. He'd savor it later.
"Your father, Jean Luc LeBeau - the HEAD of the Thieves Guild in
New Orleans??" Ororo's tone was dangerously soft.
"Mmm-hm." Remy was fighting hard not to laugh. Oh, this was just
too good.
"REMY LEBEAU, do you mean to tell me YOUR FATHER, took JUBILEE..."
Ororo sputtered. She couldn't even get the rest of the words out, she
was so flabbergasted.
"On a 'tour' of de better Mansions in Nawlins? I b'live he did. Now,
if y'all will excuse me, I gotta put my lamp away," Remy said, smirking.
He carefully lifted the lamp up. He had the best place for it on his
dresser table. Jubilee was right; it was the perfect, final touch.
"Sure Remy...you go and put your...$10,000 lamp...away." Kitty said,
her voice choked. The others were still in a state of shell shock, just
staring at the Tiffany Lamp as if it were a bomb waiting to go off.
"Thanks Kitty, think I will," Remy said jauntily, walking out the
back door towards the boat house. He dimly noticed that Monica had left.
Ah well, he still had the lamp.
There was a long moment of silence in the kitchen, before Wisdom
spoke up. "Well, anyone time that run inside?" Five sets of eyes moved
towards him, their looks disbelieving.
Wisdom took a drag off his cigarette and shrugged. "Jest curious.
C'mon now, people. It's jest a lamp. Breath."
There was a soft thump, as Ororo keeled right over in shocked anger.
Her other teammates turned to stare at her prone form blankly for a
long moment.
Wisdom quirked up his eyebrow. "'N I think someone ought to pick
up Storm off the floor. That doesn't look like the most comfortable
position 'n the world."
*******
End Part One
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