Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Men, but the OCs are all mine. I have no expectations to profit from this story and am purely putting it out there for my own and other people's enjoyment.

Chapter 1:

Jaleena stared out the small window as the plane began to taxi into the airport. It had been a long flight, and hours of nervous energy were beginning to take their toll. She easily attributed half of her nerves to excitement in seeing her daughter Jubilee again. She had been absent from the last fifteen years of her daughter's life, so she treasured every opportunity to be near her. The other half of her nerves were dread at not only having to face her estranged husband Remy Lebeau again but also getting to meet the woman who now held his heart.

Jaleena had had the opportunity to keep in close contact with Jubilee, talking on the phone at least once a day, often sharing the phone line with her adopted daughter Keesha so that the three could laugh and chat together. They had been apart for about six months, enough time for Jaleena to recover from some of her more serious injuries [see "Wisps of Smoke"]. Leena had enjoyed every moment she spent talking with her daughter and getting to know her better, having only had the opportunity to get to know her for about a month during the previous visit.

When Professor Charles Xavier had contacted her about a new student at his school, Jaleena had been only too excited to volunteer to come to the U.S. to help. Her background in mutant research and passion for exploring mutant powers on a scientific level made her a perfect candidate to help with this particular student. Leena was looking forward to the opportunity to work with him, but she was even more excited about getting to spend some quality time with her daughter. Naturally, Keesha had been furious to not be allowed to come on this trip, but Jaleena promised that if it looked as if she'd be staying for a while that she could join her later. At least at the start, she wanted to be able to give Eric Anderson, the new student, her full attention.

While it was wonderful to be staying under the same roof as her daughter, there was the problem of Gambit and Rogue living there as well. Her feelings for her Remy were confused. She had left her family in an effort to protect them, watching them from afar and letting them believe she was dead. When they had arrived unexpectedly at her new home, Jaleena had been forced to face the fact that she'd spent fifteen years pining over a man who had literally had no idea she was alive. Their interactions had ranged from steamy to frigid during the visit, especially after Leena had discovered he was already in a relationship with another one of the X Men.

Jaleena knew that no matter what she had to face this trip, it would all be worth it to have the opportunity to see her daughter and meet her friends. She closed her eyes as the plane rolled slowly closer to the airport. Remy, on the other hand, was a different story. They had spoken on the phone a few times since they'd last seen her, particularly about the trip or about something connected with Jubilee. Each conversation had been awkward and stilted. She was torn between aching to see him again and dreading the coolness and distance he'd placed between them in the last weeks he had spent at Ballenger Academy.

Idly, she moved to twist the plain silver ring that normally rested on the third finger of her left hand. She met bare skin and looked down, unused to the indentation and pale skin where her wedding ring used to rest. As she had packed her things, Leena had decided that she should remove it for the trip. Wearing it would likely only cause problems. She hadn't been able to leave it behind though, so she had strung it on a simple chain that she wore beneath her coat. She fisted her fingers in her hands and looked out the window again as the plane inched closer to the terminal where she would deplane. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to prepare herself for the next few weeks of impending emotional turmoil. Mentally, she recalled the evening when she'd first found out more about Gambit's girlfriend.

Jubilee and Jaleena were curled up in her bed pretending to watch television but really just enjoying the opportunity to be together on the eve of Jubilee's departure. Jaleena had been recovering for the past couple weeks, having been in a deep sleep for five days after a particularly bad injury. She still wasn't able to get up and move around much yet. Jubilee was twisting a few of the long strands of her mother's hair around her fingers, and Jaleena was idly rubbing her daughter's back. Several times, Jubilee had opened her mouth as if to speak, but had closed it resolutely each time, almost as if she were hesitant to broach a certain topic. When it happened for the fourth time, Jaleena nudged her, "Whatever you're thinking about, you might as well get it out of your system."

Jubilee bit her lip for a moment and then looked up at Leena. "I don't know. I don't want you to go into lecture mode if I ask." When Jaleena only raised an eyebrow, a small smile curving her lips, Jubilee continued. "It's about Gambit." The curved down into a frown. Jubilee pointed at her mother's face, "That's what I mean, you're getting ready to tell me it's none of my business."

Jaleena sighed and pressed Jubilee's head down on her shoulder. "It's impolite to point." She waited a few seconds while she listened to the younger girl sigh dramatically. "It is your business though. We are your parents after all. So shoot," she said with her own sigh of defeat. Jubilee tried to sit back up, but Jaleena held her in place, trying her best to avoid allowing Jubilee to study her emotions on this particular topic. "Ask your question, Jubilee. I'll promise to answer it."

Jubilee was silent for a moment as if she debated how to phrase things. The "one question" in Jaleena's words had been clear, and she wanted to phrase her question to get as much information as she could. From her experience so far, both Leena and Gambit were pretty tight lipped about their relationship. "So...," she began, "Gambit hasn't been back to see you at all since you woke up. Meanwhile, he was here for almost the entire time you were sleeping. I know you guys must have had some sort of fight or something, and I want to know what it was about."

Jaleena sighed again in resignation. "I wouldn't say we had a fight. I think we just came to an agreement that it might be best if we didn't spend much time together before you left." When Jubilee tried to pull away again to argue, Jaleena tugged her back down again. "All right, all right. Here's the lecture first. We've both told you that we're not going to be getting back together, Jubilation. I have my life here. The two of you have your own lives back in the states. It's just been too long."

"That is such a cop out, and you never answered my question," Jubilee grumbled.

Jaleena smiled at the disgruntled tone. "Didn't I say 'first'? Implying I would get back to your question." When Jubilee only grunted in response, she continued. "We didn't fight. But he didn't like a particular topic I brought up, and it put him into a bit of a bad mood."

"And that topic was..." Jubilee prompted.

"His girlfriend."

Jubilee stiffened and had to stifle a giggle. "His girlfriend? You mean Rogue?" She pushed up, and this time Jaleena let her sit upright. "You know they can't touch each other, right? Like can't even kiss?" At her mother's confused stare, she explained. "Rogue's power is that she can drain a person's life force when she touches them. She can't really control it, so she can't touch anyone- -at least not skin-to-skin contact."

Jaleena tried to ignore the rush of relief she felt, knowing better to trust it, and asked, "But they are involved, aren't they?"

Jubilee sobered and nodded. "I guess so, but- -"

Jaleena frowned, "Jubilee, there are no buts. You don't have to be able to physically touch someone to have feelings for them. Think about how they interact with each other. Does it seem like they're a couple to you?" She couldn't help holding her breath as she waited for an answer.

Jubilee sighed and leaned back against the pillows. "Yes, then. They are definitely in a relationship. They're always flirting, and they touch each other a lot- - with gloves, I mean. I suppose everyone does treat them like they're together."

Jaleena pasted a smile on her face, taking another breath before responding. "Well then, that is that. Why would you argue otherwise then? Have they been together long?"

Jubilee rolled her eyes and pulled her knees to her chest to hug them. "Years. But I just wish that the two of you..." She trailed off as she stared moodily at the TV.

Jaleena reached over to stroke her hair back, "I know you do, sweetie." Silently and against her better judgement, Jaleena wished it as well. "But it's not to be. And that certainly doesn't mean that we can't be friends, right? Things are a little strained now, yes, but they'll get better."

Jubilee sighed and cuddled back against her mother's side again. "I suppose so, but can I ask one more question? Do you promise to answer honestly?"

Jaleena smiled and hugged her, "Okay. Just one more. I promise as long as it's just one more. I'm starting to get tired."

Jubilee pulled back again, her face very serious. "Are you still in love with him?"

Jaleena was startled out of her reverie when the passenger seated next to her stood to retrieve his items from the overhead compartment. She looked back out the window to see the luggage being removed from beneath the plane. She looked up and smiled her thanks when the man handed her carry on to her and offered to let her precede him down the aisle. Once in the airport, she made a quick pitstop in the restroom to apply some fresh makeup and brush her hair back into a thick braid. She smiled at herself, retraining her focus on seeing her daughter again. When she left the bathroom, she had an eager spring to her step and hurried toward the baggage claim.

Jubilee had agreed to meet her with her luggage, so she was unsurprised to see a yellow-clad figure sprinting toward her when she stepped off the escalator. She smiled and dropped her bag to rush forward to meet her in an exuberant hug. The both laughed and embraced for a few minutes. Once they calmed down a bit, she turned to the man who had bent to pick up her bag. She expected to see Wolverine since he was one of Jubilee's constant companions, but it wasn't Logan.

"Glad dat you made it safe," Remy Lebeau said quietly.

She stood for just a moment, awkwardly staring at him. Jubilee cleared her throat and bumped her mother toward him, and Remy pulled her into a one-armed hug, holding her a bit too close and for a bit longer than necessary. She thought he bent his head to inhale the scent of her hair, but quickly decided that was just her imagination. She drew back awkwardly and mumbled, "It's nice to see you, Remy." After blinking at him for a moment, she turned back to smile at Jubilee. She tucked her daughter's hand in the curve of her arm and began to walk toward the baggage claim, leaving him to follow. To try to overcome her nervousness at seeing him, she fired comments and questions at her daughter. "I'm so excited about being here. I hope that you'll take me to some of your favorite places while I visit. Will my room at the school be near yours?"

Gambit sighed, slung the strap from her bag over his shoulder and followed along after them.

Author's Note: Thanks for reading Chapter 1! This time around, the story is going to focus a lot more on Remy and Jaleena coming to terms with their past and present feelings for each other. I hope you enjoy! Please leave a review! Updates should be fairly regular.