Explosive Combination: Chapters 1-2

by Verthril

Disclaimer: Marvel Owns The X-Men, I'm just borrowing them.

Note: Alternate Universe. Jubilee hadn¡¦t been at the West Hollywood Mall and never ventured to Australia. Gateway pulled Logan into a portal after Logan pulled himself off the cross, and was sent to the awaiting arms of the child Storm where she nursed him back to health, and the two returned to the X-men after some adventures and bonding. Once she returned to adulthood, they became a couple. Thus, Remy never saved Storm, and never met the X-men. With that said, enjoy!

He had been following her for the better part of an hour now, for she had beat him to the job he had been hired for. She was good he had to admit, but in the world of thieves, there was honor to be had, and he had a contract to finish. Silently he dropped from the fire escape he had been perched on while she had checked on the statue. She froze. Remy¡¦s mind raced, how could she had heard him, he didn¡¦t even disturb the cat next to him. Reaching quickly to his sleeve, he pulled three cards and watched as she turned to face him.

"Who are you?" Jubilee asked quietly, staring at the lithe figure behind her.

"Dat not be your concern P¡¦tite. Just give moi de statue and I let you go." Remy said as he stared at her.

"And if I say no?" Jubilee asked, falling into a fighting stance with her fists readied, the tingle of her gift present as she primed for a fight.

Remy replied as he charged the cards he held deftly in his hand.

"Don¡¦t say no, P¡¦tite. You good, I admit, but I be better." Remy replied, staring at the girl as she leveled an icy gaze on him.

"What¡¦s with the funny talk?" Jubilee asked, letting the energy build up in her.

"Funny talk? Ya got nerve girl. Remy be born ¡¦n raised in Nawlins." Remy remarked as he defended his pride.

"Ah. So you¡¦re Creole, Remy. Well then, if we¡¦re on a first name basis, the names Jubilee. And if you don¡¦t back off now you¡¦ll find out why every day is like the Forth of July for me!" Jubilee yelled, letting her anger rise to the surface as she prepared for the fight about to break out.

"Den Remy sorry P¡¦tite. But a man paid a good price for de statue, and Remy don¡¦t cut anyone in on de profits." Remy remarked as he sent the charged cards flying at Jubilee, only to see a burst of lights fly out from her firsts, directed towards him and the cards. And that was the last thing he saw, as when both attacks collided, the resulting explosion engulfed either thief.

And as these mutant powers collided, an explosion ripped though the city block, toppling the condemned apartment buildings that had been slated for demolition. And in the center of the crater, two figures lay unconscious and unaware. But the collision of powers did not go unnoticed. Not far off, at the Westchester Estate of Charles Francis Xavier, Geneticist and Mutant Rights advocate to the world over, and founder of the X-men, an alarm had awoken the mutant hero¡¦s from their slumber.

Henry, Hank, McCoy was the first to arrive to the War Room. Leaping into a chair and settling at the computer console, he furiously typed away at the keyboard, trying to find out what Cerebro had found. Quickly the other X-men joined, with Charles himself last as they took their seats.

"What has Cerebro found?" Charles asked, looking over to his friend and confidant.

"A violent explosion in New York. Mutant signatures were detected as the blast occurred, two of them. Then shortly after only one remained. We must hurry!" Henry exclaimed as he leapt from the seat and was soon followed by the others.

"May the fates protect you my X-men." Charles remarked somberly as he advanced on the console and inspected the findings.

Back at the crater, Remy slowly stirred and surveyed the scene. All around him the wreckage of their fight creaked and groaned in the wind. Fire engines could be heard nearing from the distance and with them the police would not be far behind. Looking around, he spotted the girl, seemingly unharmed aside from the scratches and singed hair.

"Well P¡¦tite. Dis thieves honor be telling him dat we best be getting out of here." Remy whispered as he hobbled over to Jubilee and picked her up, finding the worse wound she had to be a broken arm.

Looking around he soon spotted the prize of the night, nestled safely in Jubilee's backpack. Slinging it over his shoulder, he hobbled off into the dark night, leaving the scene as quietly as he came.

As the X-men neared, they came to the co-ordinates Cerebro had given them, and the scene below looked as if it were a war zone. An entire city block had been decimated in a blast, yet no fires or any other sign of a bomb could be detected. The fire crews beneath were investigating, looking for anyone who might have been caught in the blast, while the Police were asking residence of the houses three blocks away for their account.

"I¡¦ve done a scan of the area, and I can barely detect the signature of one of the mutants Cerebro had detected. A teenaged girl, though what I find odd is that her signature is moving while her mind seems to be unconscious." Jean stated as she relaxed her mind from the use of her powers.

"What¡¦s odd about that? Someone¡¦s carrying her." Wolverine remarked as he looked out the window.

"What is odd about it is that as far as I can detect, she is alone." Jean replied, earning a look of confusion from those aboard.

"Alright people. We have two mutants, one who is unconscious and may be wounded, and another who is missing. Hank, you can fly the plane and keep us in communication. Rogue and Storm, you two can search in the air. Logan, you are with Jean and myself. We¡¦ll need you on the ground for tracking." Scott barked out as he opened the hanger door. Logan and Scott jumped out with Jean, with the three enveloped in a telekinetic bubble that lowered the safely to the ground. Storm and Rogue took to the air.

Slipping past the rescue crews with the aid of a telepathic stealth, the ground based trio moved in to the center of the blast. Logan looked around at the destruction, his keen scenes picking up details that the rescue crews might have missed. Taking a fistful of dirt, he gave it a sniff and let it slowly drift into the wind.

"I¡¦ve got two scents, a man and a girl. Man¡¦s scent is mixed with cigarettes and rum. Equal dosage of leather, denim and a bad cologne." Logan remarked as he took another fistful and took another sniff.

"Girl has suede on her scent, bubblegum and not a hint of any makeup. Also..."

Logan paused as he took another sniff.

"I know that scent. It¡¦s on both of them. A bar, the owner is a lowlife that plays middleman for a big fish that enjoys collecting rare artifacts. I think we have a set up here. Thieves that were set up to get the same piece." Logan growled out as he took off running.

"Rogue, Storm. Head due north and follow Logan if you can see him. They got a twenty minute lead on us, but as they might be injured I don¡¦t see them running." Scott said as he tapped his communicator and informed his airborne companions.

With that, Scott and Jean took after their feral companion in pursuit of the only people who might be able to explain the destruction they left behind.

Ahead of the X-men, Remy made his way along slowly, doing his best not to jostle Jubilee.

"Ow...where...what..." Jubilee asked as she slowly stirred back to life.

"Easy der P¡¦tite. Ya have a broken arm and lord knows what else. Remy take care of a little business first, den he take you to de hospital." Remy whispered to her as he made his way to the bar.

"No! No hospital! They¡¦ll send me back! No hospital! Please!" Jubilee cried out frantically.

"Fine. Remy not take you to de hospital. Remy promise. He take you to a friend of his. Just be quiet." Remy remarked as he looked around, eyeing all the shadows with suspicion.

"Thanks..." Jubilee replied as she pulled herself closer to Remy.

Remy finally made his way to the bar, with Jubilee giving neither peep no protest the entire way. The fight had been kicked out of her after the explosion, and the fear of being sent back to the foster parents that the system had given her made her quick to please the man who held her fate in his hands.

As Remy neared the back entrance of the bar, Jubilee looked up to the steel door.

"What...why did we come here?" Jubilee asked.

"Here? You know dis place P¡¦tite?" Remy inquired, looking down to her.

"Yeah. The guy that hired me is here. Shit! Kestil didn¡¦t hire you did he!" Jubilee exclaimed as the door opened.

"Well, looks like we got us a problem here. I hire the girl to get the statue and the Cajun to steal it from the girl for a fraction of what I promised the girl. System should have worked, ¡¦cept here both of ya are." Kestil remarked as he leveled a gun on the two thieves.

Remy let out a low growl as he stared at the man, lowering his head as if to shield Jubilee.

"Take dis P¡¦tite and throw it with de sparks you do when Remy say." Remy whispered to her as he handed her a charged card, charged to linger for an hour, or until it impacted with the power that it so violently reacted with.

Slowly Remy walked to the wall and placed Jubilee down, receiving no protest from Kestil.

"Remy have de statue. He give it to you and you let us go, non? Dat sound like a good deal to you?" Remy asked of the man.

"Sorry, I don¡¦t like loose cannons. I know either you or that punk kid there would come back to give me a hassle, or put a bad word out among the thieves of this town. No, I¡¦m afraid I¡¦ll just have to shoot you two and have my crew clean it up." Kestil explained as he cocked his pistol.

"Ah. Remy was afraid you say dat. Der be a reason dey call me Gambit. Cause I always come out on top when de chips be down. Now P¡¦tite!" Remy yelled as he ducked out of the way, only to have in his stead a burst of fireworks and a thrown card fly out.

Just as Kestil was about to pull the trigger, a plasmoid impacted with the card, and the entire alleyway was engulfed in an explosion. High above Rogue and Storm saw the violent eruption in the alley and flew with haste to the aftermath. Logan and his team joined them shortly after, as the dust began to settle.

"Sunovagun!" Rogue exclaimed as she dropped out of the air and landed behind Logan.

"I smell the two mutants, and my old pal Kestil." Logan growled out as he walked into the dust cloud.

"Winds! Come forth and dispel this cloud!" Storm commanded as she hovered above the alley, forcing a wind to clear away the dust, revealing the debris-ridden alley.

"Hank! Get that bird over here!" Scott barked out as he tapped his communicator.

"I am on my way with haste my friend." Hank replied over the comlink.

Logan walked up to Kestil, finding the man thrown into the back kitchen of the bar, nursing several bruises and burns. The man the moment he saw Logan, pulled his pistol out and fired a shot. Logan stumbled back for a moment, but soon resumed his walk to Kestil.

"Not happy to see yer Ol¡¦ Pal Patch? Can¡¦t say I¡¦m happy to see ya either ya low life. Now what¡¦s up with those two in the alleyway? Pulling your usual stunts?" Logan asked as he unsheathed his claws with the familiar ¡¦Snikt¡¦.

"Yeah! Fine! I did! Girl was to go steal the statue and the Cajun was to steal it from her! Though I didn¡¦t tell it that way! Gave the girl an hour advance and the Cajun should have got to the place just as she was leaving. Figured he¡¦d relieve it of her and come back to collect his dough! He returned with her too for cripes sake!" Kestil cried out as he tried to back further into the wall.

"Ya know. Your lucky I¡¦m in a good mood. Otherwise I¡¦d be inclined to show ya how much I hate ya." Logan growled out as he sheathed his claws and walked out of the kitchen.

Outside he found Jean checking on the girl, while Ororo was checking on the Cajun.

"Kestil tried to double cross them. Couple of thieves, though they must be mutants too. Lets get outta here before the cops pay us a visit." Logan remarked as he walked to Scott.

"For once I don¡¦t mind you getting ahead of me Logan. Lets move out people!" Scott yelled.

Jean picked up Jubilee in her arms carefully as she took Scott with her in a telekinetic bubble. Rogue picked up Logan, leaving Storm to carry Remy to the awaiting Blackbird. Once inside, Jean and Ororo rushed to the small med bay, securing the injured Jubilee and Remy before the plane hurtled off from the scene, only to arrive at the mansion some twenty minutes later.

Once the plane landed, they found Charles waiting with the latest additions to the X-men standing ready with stretchers. Jonothon Starsmore, Angelo Espinosa, and Clarice Ferguson stood ready, while Bishop was at their side. As their seniors slowly exited the plane, the four were waved on to carry out the wounded. Jean and Ororo stood in the med bay, looking over the unconscious thieves, wondering about them.

As Bishop walked in, he took a step back at the sight of Jubilee and Gambit. And in that moment, a flash of another time and place passed before his eyes, too fast for him to erect the shields that were needed when a telepath was about to keep stray thoughts in. Jonothon and Jean exchanged worried looks to one another as the flash of memories seeped into their conscious minds, of a world where the X-men were dead, and the girl before them was known to be the last X-man.

"Bishop, are you alright." Jean inquired in a concerned tone.

"Yes. Just a ghost of another time." Bishop remarked as he walked over with Angelo and with Jean¡¦s aid, carefully placed Jubilee on the stretcher.

Clarice and Jonothon took the duty of Gambit, and in silence the four carefully carried their charges to the med lab to receive treatment.

Outside the plane, Jean walked up to Charles and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Did you feel that?" Jean asked as she looked down to her mentor.

"Yes, and already if feels like a faded memory. The girl, Jubilee, last of the X-men in his time and the man he knows as Gambit he feels to be a traitor. This is one of the few glimpses I¡¦ve seen from Bishop. It must have taken quiet a shock for his shields to fall like that, leaving his thoughts exposed to even the weakest telepath." Charles remarked as he considered the revelation.

"Should I alert the others?" Jean asked.

"No. Time is a delicate stream. I felt the confusion in Bishop¡¦s mind when he first arrived her. Things were missing and out of place to him. Perhaps the timeline he knows is far different than the one we live in. No, I shall not condemn a man and a child I do not even know on such things." Charles replied as he departed to his office, leaving Jean standing alone in the hanger.

In the med lab, Hank was had decided to tend to Jubilee¡¦s wounds first, her broken arm had been aggravated by the explosion, with the bone fracturing further and piercing the skin. Despite the sedatives she had been administered, as he set the bone she came to life with a scream of pain. A panicked look filled her eyes as she looked around the med lab, and at the strangers who surrounded her. With a glance to Hank she screamed and sent a barrage of fireworks at him. Henry stumbled back, momentarily blinded, cursing.

~ Easy Gel. ~ Jonothon quietly sent to her, finding it difficult to send even a non-intrusive telepathic message to her.

"Get away from me! Get away! He said he wouldn¡¦t take me to the hospital! He promised!" Jubilee cried out as tears began to stream from her eyes, accented by sparks spitting from her hands.

"Your not in a hospital. Your safe." Clarice whispered as she stepped behind Angelo for protection.

"No! I¡¦m in the magic land of Oz! And this just happens to look like an operating room!" Jubilee screamed, and with it a burst of fireworks sprang from her, destroying the sensitive electronics closest to her.

In the next room, Remy awoke to the commotion, and with a look around the room burst from the bed to the protest of Ororo and Scott.

"Where is she?" Remy yelled as he looked around the room.

"Who?" Ororo asked calmly.

"De P¡¦tite! Where is she? I hear her!" Remy yelled as he looked around for the door.

"She is in the next room, you shouldn¡¦t go in there, it¡¦ll only complicate matters!" Scott yelled as Remy ran through the door and into the next room.

There he found Jubilee screaming at the people around her, crying and panicked. Ducking past the fireworks that were being thrown about, he pulled her to him tightly and tired to calm her.

"P¡¦tite! It¡¦s okay! Remy here! I didn¡¦t take you to de hospital! De must have found us! I'm not going ta let dem take you back!" Remy cried out as he fought to break through to the panicked teen.

As Jubilee sobbed into his chest, the drugs slowly took hold of her again as she fell back to a drug induced slumber. Carefully Remy laid her down on the bed and pulled the covers back up to her. Hank quietly walked up, and with a nod from Remy, continued where he had been interrupted, setting the bone and tending to the wound. Waving over Angelo, he then put a splint on her arm, preventing any further injury.

"That will have to suffice until that wound is healed enough for a proper cast." Hank remarked as Remy settled down in the chair.

"I can have a cot and blanket brought in if you wish." Hank replied, waving out the bystanders that were no longer needed.

"Dat would be appreciated homme. You t¡¦ink you could get Remy a bite to eat too? Had dinner plans with a tre belle fille, but de be off now." Remy asked, only to receive a gentle nod form Hank.

"Anything in particular?" Hank asked.

"Non, be too tired to t'ink what I want." Remy replied.

"Fine. I¡¦ll have Rogue go see what we have in the kitchen while Ororo can get you a cot and blanket." Hank replied, sending the order though the comlink.

Minutes later Rogue and Ororo entered with a tray of food, and the cot and blankets. Remy ate while the cot was set up, and Rogue admired the Cajun from the doorway. After the meal had been had, Remy climbed into the cot and was soon asleep after the exhaustion of the day.

"Sure is a fine lookin¡¦ thang." Rogue remarked as she left with Ororo.

"Indeed." Ororo replied, though none the bit interested as she had Logan to warm her bed.

And it was to bed that most were headed, after being awoken in the midnight hours from an alarm Cerebro had called, leaving the questions to the morning when their guests could have found rest for the night.

Chapter Two : Vanishing Act

Jubilee slowly awoke from her slumber, finding herself on a warm bed and dressed in a hospital nightgown. The room itself was illuminated by the soft glow of the instrument panels, leaving it feeling hostile and foreboding. Looking to her arm, she found it in a splint with a bandage wrapped about her arm. Pain surged through her arm as she lifted it from the bed, causing her to grit her teeth as she let out a hiss. Steeling herself against the pain she slid out of the bed and plucked the IV from her arm, holding a flap of the nightgown over the puncture in her hand. On a table she could see her clothing and suede jacket, and yet another table held a few medical supplies. Taking what she needed of either, she found herself to the bathroom and got dressed after tending to the pinhole in her hand from the IV drip.

Quietly she left the bathroom and headed for the door, giving a glance back to the room. To her surprise she found the man known as Remy on a cot beside her bed, and she now found out how lucky she had been at deciding to slide off the side she had. Indecision gripped her as she stared at his sleeping form. He had taken care of her after their fight, and protected her from Kestil. He had too promised not to take her to a hospital, promising not to let anyone take her back to her foster parents. She couldn¡¦t understand why he gave a damn about her, but she knew if she was to get away from here that she couldn¡¦t afford the luxury of finding out. Letting a small sigh drift into the silence of the room, she made her way to a desk in the lab and jotted down a quick note, with a number of a place she hung out at. Turning to leave, she cast one last glance back at Remy and then exited quietly.

Remy listened as she quietly stalked about the room, collecting her meager belongings and getting dressed. Pretending to sleep, he gave her the space she needed, though he knew she would need his help getting out of this place. Waiting until she left the lab, he rose from the cot and looked about the room. To his surprise a note sat squarely on a desk in the corner. Walking over, he picked it up and grinned. As he quietly followed her, Remy pocketed the note incase she somehow eluded his pursuit. Looking ahead, he could see her petite form in the darkness, hobbling along slowly. Frowning, he hoped her broken arm wasn¡¦t causing her too much pain, and he reminded himself to take her to his friend.

Jubilee cast a glance back down the hallway, an unnerving presence lurking behind her. In the dark gloom that filled the corridor nothing stood out against the shadows, and only her own quiet footsteps broke the ambient hum of distant machinery. Shaking off the feeling, she continued on her way, hoping to find a way out of this place before anyone caught her. With each step she fought against the pain of her arm, gently cradling it with her other as she hobbled along. The drugs the doctor had put her on had slowly worn off, though left her mind clouded and her body numb.

Suddenly the feeling of being watched returned, and as Jubilee spun to face whatever lurked behind her, the sudden exertion left her lightheaded and dazed. Vertigo set in and she felt herself falling, with spots dancing before her eyes as she tumbled to the floor. Gritting her teeth as she braced for the impact with the floor, a shadow from a doorway flashed before her field of vision, strong arms catching her a moment before she collided with the floor. Darkness took over her as her mind drifted, clouded and lost as she fought to stay concious.

Remy had been watching her carefully, narrowly avoiding her as she cast paranoid glances back on her flight from the med lab. Finally as he neared even closer, staying in the shadows, she spun around too fast and lost her teetering balance, falling to the floor. Darting to her side as he skidded across the floor, catching her at the last possible moment, gently cradled her in his arms, checking over her. Her pulse was strong, though her eyes held a distant look. Slowly she came back, and Remy gave her a smile that almost became lost to the dim illumination of the hallways. She looked up to him with curiousity lingering in her gaze.

"Why are you following me?" Jubilee whispered, her breathing ragged as she fought against nausea.

"Remy said he not let dem take you back. If you want to leave tonight, I'll help you." Remy remarked as he gently rose to his feet, setting Jubilee back on her feet.

Jubilee looked up to him once more, uncertainty lurking in her eyes as she cast an appraising look over him, still cuious of his motives.

"Why do you care if I go back? Not like I know you or you owe me any favors." Jubilee remarked quietly as she stared into Remy¡¦s demon eyes.

"Lets save de chatter for when we get out of here, non? De Cookie Monster be bound to come looking for you. We want to be long gone by de time dat happens." Remy remarked as he gently put a hand on Jubilee¡¦s shoulder, ushering her along as he kept her close to his side.

"Fine." Jubilee remarked flatly, keeping a grasp on Remy's hand to keep her balance.

Silently the two thieves crept through the hallways, keeping a watchful eye on the various doorways until they finally came to an elevator. Remy quickly worked away at it, a brief moment later casting a wry grin to Jubilee as the doors opened. Stepping in, they found out that they were in a sub-basement of wherever they had been taken. Hitting the button for the ground floor, the elevator hummed gently as it rose. Finally as the elevator came to a halt, the doors opened with a gentle swish to yet another hallway, though unlike the lower depths with an alien look to them, this hall was of the Victorian era.

"Well P¡¦tite, dis be getting curious non?. You t¡¦ink de hiding de lower depths for a reason?" Remy inquired softly as he looked down to Jubilee, who only gave a meek nod in return.

"Lets just get out of here Gumbo. This reminds me of one orphanage I was at to the extreme and it¡¦s starting to bug me out." Jubilee remarked with a waver in her voice.

Remy quietly hushed Jubilee as he knelt down to her side, giving her a gentle hug as he took care not to graze her broken arm. Jubilee only fought for a moment, and then accepted the hug as she rested her chin on Remy¡¦s shoulder, finding the hug all too reminiscent of her deceased father. As Remy pulled away, he noticed the unshed tears swimming in the depths of Jubilee¡¦s sapphire eyes.

"C¡¦mon P¡¦tite. Lets get out of here." Remy remarked as he rose to his feet and quietly stepped into the hallway, looking about to ensure none were present.

Once Remy was sure no one was lurking about, he took Jubilee¡¦s good hand and led her to the foyer. He could hear someone off in the kitchen, and a whispered conversation in an office down another hallway. Quietly opening the door, he passed through with Jubilee close behind. Remy gave one last glance inside before he shut the door as quietly as he opened it. Before the two a vast yard stretched out with a gravel driveway leading off to a wrought iron gate. Yet another obstacle before their freedom, though it was not the one he was concerned of. Beyond the gate a vast expanse of trees stretched, and soon both knew they were no longer in New York, but more likely upper New York State.

"Hey Gumbo, there¡¦s a garage over there. Gotta be some wheels inside of it. You any good at boosting a ride?" Jubilee asked as she looked up to Remy.

"Oui. Good t¡¦inking P¡¦tite. Lets go." Remy said as he gave Jubilee a gentle ruffle of the hair, earning a snort from her.

As the two entered the garage, they found several vehicles sitting there, amongst the most to Remy¡¦s liking being a Harley in the corner. With a sigh he walked over to the Jeep, knowing it to be the best choice with Jubilee's injuries. As the two neared the Jeep, a noise from behind caught both of them off guard. Turning around, they found a tall, muscular African man pointing what appeared to be a pistol at them.

"Going somewhere LeBeau?" Bishop asked, his voice full of venom.

"How you know my name, homme?" Remy asked as he took a step in front of Jubilee, hoping protecting her from any shots that might be fired.

"You wouldn¡¦t believe me if I told you." Bishop remarked as he cast a cold gaze at Remy.

"Oh? I be finding I can believe many t¡¦ings dese days. Like waking up to find de Cookie Monster playing doctor, and a hidden base under a mansion in upstate New York. Dat was Henry McCoy, non? I see him on de television now and again with Professor Xavier. He run a school in upstate New York. For de gifted. Gifted as in Mutants non? Now you want to know what Remy t¡¦inking now? Remy t¡¦inking dat de X in de X-men dat he too see on de television stand for Xavier." Remy remarked in a low voice, keeping his eyes locked with Bishops as he watched them for any hint of the man¡¦s next action.

Anger drifted into Bishop¡¦s gaze as he stared at the man he believed would one day betray the X-men, causing their deaths. Remy saw the anger build, longing to attack, but knew he couldn¡¦t move or Jubilee would be exposed to the shot. Bracing himself and putting his faith in the armor that saved his life time and again, he waited as he saw the muscles of Bishop¡¦s arm tense.

"Your not going anywhere LeBeau." Bishop remarked as he charged his plasma pistol, a whine piercing the silence as the cell discharged enough energy for one shot.

"You going to stop me and de P¡¦tite homme?" Remy inquired, reaching back and taking Jubilee¡¦s hand in his own.

Bishop tensed even more, the confusion of the years seeping back, with the speculations as to the new timeline. This Remy LeBeau obviously now knew where the X-men were, and to let him leave would be to endanger the X-men. Who knows what the thief would do with the information he now held.

A deep rumble rang out from the shadows past the garage, accented by a ¡¦snikt¡¦ as the light from the mansion flashed against six elongated blades. Slowly a short and stout man stalked out of the shadows, hunched over and glaring at Bishop.

"What¡¦sa matter Bish? Problem with our ¡¦guests¡¦ checking out early?" Logan inquired, adding yet another dangerous element to the standoff.

"Stay out of this Logan, this is none of your concern." Bishop remarked flatly, not taking his eyes off the thief before him.

"Way I look at it Bish, it became my business the moment Jeannie told ¡¦Ro about yer lil episode in the Blackbird. ¡¦Ro told me ta keep an eye on ya. Now, ya gonna back down or are things gonna get ugly." Logan growled as he readied to attack Bishop.

Bishop considered the chance for martyrdom, killing the man he held to be the traitor that killed the X-men, but the chance of hurting Jubilee hung heavy on his conscience. Pressing a button on the pistol, a fizzle was heard while small purple snaps of lightning arched from the glowing muzzle. Holstering the pistol, he walked past Logan, and into the darkness of the night, continuing with his evening rounds. Logan then sheathed his claws and walked over to the pair, then tension in his stance eased.

"Merci." Remy said as he too felt the tension ease, giving Jubilee's hand a reassuring squeeze.

"S¡¦no problem. Here, these might get ya outta here a lil¡¦ faster." Logan replied as he dropped a set of keys into Remy¡¦s hand.

"Many thanks, Logan is it?" Remy asked.

"Yeah. Take care of the kid. I¡¦ll go keep an eye on Bish incase he gets anymore thoughts in that head of his." Logan remarked as he darted off into the shadows, disappearing like a shade in the night.

"Like, Remy, can we get outta here like yesterday. Before anyone else decides to butt in." Jubilee asked, tugging on Remy's arm as her gaze lingered on the Jeep.

Remy took a look to her and happily obliged, helping her into the passenger seat and wrapping her up in a blanket he found in the back. Squealing off into the night, he found the gates were opened, and gave silent thanks to the man known as Logan for his help. Before the two a long drive back to New York lay ahead. Looking down to Jubilee, he could see her settling into an uncomfortable position with her splint resting away from the door. Silently he cursed the whole encounter and made a note to visit his friend once he arrived back in New York.

"Hey Gumbo, find us a decent radio station wouldja?" Jubilee asked as she laid her head down on Remy's lap, having given up fighting with the broken handle to recline the seat.

Remy pondered what she would consider a decent radio station, and then flipped through the range until he found the most annoying music he could find.

"Hey! That¡¦s my favorite song! How did you know?" Jubilee exclaimed, looking up to Remy in shock.

"Intuition P¡¦tite. Intuition." Remy remarked, soon realizing that this was going to be a long trip.

A lifetime later, and after Remy had caught himself on more than one occasion singing one of the songs that had played on the radio, he pulled the Jeep pulled up to an old house on the outskirts of New York. Looking down to his lap, he found Jubilee fast asleep, looking like an angel. After shutting off the engine, he carefully slid himself out from under her and exited the car. Walking up to the door, he gave a light knock and waited. Moments later a woman cursing a storm could be heard, followed by the sound of someone running down a fight of stairs.

As the door opened suddenly, Remy found himself standing before a brunette woman in her late twenties. Her hair had been done with one half braided, while the other half was a left straight. Her green eyes shifted from anger, to curiosity, to concern. Looking out to the Jeep, she could notice the blanketed bundle resting on the seat.

"Remy, what¡¦s going on?" The woman asked, taking a step out of the doorway and then running down to the Jeep.

"Remy need your help. Had an accident last night." Remy explained, catching up with her as she peered in through the window.

"Who is she?" The woman asked, turning to face Remy with her green eyes filled with curiosity and concern.

"Runaway and a thief." Remy remarked as he looked down to the slumbering form of Jubilee.

"What happened Remy?" The woman asked, looking back down to Jubilee.

"Dat be a long story Claudette. Can we go inside for dat, have you look at her when you ready?" Remy asked, Claudette quickly nodding and running back into the house.

Remy gave a smile and then turned back to the Jeep, quietly opening the door and then unfastening Jubilee¡¦s seatbelt.

"Come on P¡¦tite. Time to wake up. We here." Remy whispered softly to Jubilee, only to receive a grunt of protest as she clutched at her blanket.

Remy shook his head and then gently picked up Jubilee, careful of her arm. Walking up to the house, he found Claudette waiting for him.

"I¡¦ll show you to a guest room where you can settle her in. You¡¦ll have to sleep on the couch." Claudette whispered.

"Remy thank you Claudette. He had nowhere else to go, and he promise to make it up to you." Remy whispered back as he followed her to the guest bedroom.

After gently setting Jubilee on the bed and tucking her in, he watched as Claudette placed a delicate hand on Jubilee¡¦s arm. A soft glow encompassed it, and Claudette shook her head violently as the break healed.

As the glow faded, the arm looked to be in perfect health, while Claudette herself looked as if she was about to cry. Remy took a step to her, only to be waved out of the room as she walked to the door. Outside and after Remy shut the door, Claudette slapped him. Remy looked to her, not shocked by the action, though curious nonetheless.

"That¡¦s for hiding how much of a sweetheart you can be." Claudette hissed, pulling Remy to her bedroom and throwing him onto the bed as she made her way to the bathroom.

Remy watched as Claudette filled a sink with ice cold water and splashed her face with it until her face became red from the chill. After she had taken in a calming breath, she walked back into the bedroom and sat down next to Remy.

"So, I be guessing I'm not needing ta tell you what happened now?" Remy asked.

"No you big softy you don¡¦t. I saw everything that was related to that break, including you promising her not to take her to the hospital and promising to take care of her." Claudette whispered back, resting her head against Remy¡¦s shoulder as she calmed herself of the emotions that were stirred with the visions she had seen.

Remy then gently pulled her closer to himself, giving her a gentle kiss on the head as she stared off into a mirror, looking at their reflections.

"Maybe if you hadn¡¦t hid that side of yourself, I wouldn¡¦t have thrown you out of my life that night." Claudette mused, glancing up to the demon eyes that stared back at her from the mirror.

"It be in de past Chere, was young ¡¦n foolish. Still getting over de banishment." Remy replied as he gently checked on the ring held about his neck by a delicate gold chain.

"So afraid of being hurt again you hid your true self. Like that girl in there is doing. You know I see more than the actions of the injury don¡¦t you? I relive it. Dammit Remy, whatever you do, don¡¦t let her down like you did me." Claudette whispered, fighting against tears she had swore had been shed for good.

"Remy promise, Remy promise to you and to her. Be a promise I keep dis time." Remy replied, sliding away from Claudette as he laid down on the bed, taking in a shuddered breath at the memories resurfacing.

Claudette looked down to the exhaustion that hung about Remy like an aura, and slowly rose from the bed.

"You can sleep here for today. I¡¦ve got chores in town I need to attend to. I¡¦ll leave the phone off the hook and draw the blinds. Don¡¦t answer the door while I¡¦m gone. I don¡¦t want anyone thinking your back in my life again." Claudette whispered, earning a nod from Remy as he kicked off his boots and crawled under the covers.

"Be safe Claudette. Remy sorry for dis." He remarked as he looked to her with true regret in his eyes.

"Don¡¦t be. It let me see a side of you that I never saw before. Maybe in time we can be friends again." Claudette whispered as she gave Remy a gentle smile, slipping from the room and quietly shutting the door.

Remy¡¦s gaze lingered at the door, a thousand regrets came crashing down upon him like a breaking wave. Taking in a calming breath, he fought against the guilt of past mistakes and pulled the comforter over him as he awaited the rest he so direly needed.