Part 9 - Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Remy took a deep breath before stepping into his daughter's neat, almost unbearably empty bedroom, immediately spotting her hugging herself in the center of her bare mattress before rushing out, "You don't have to do dis."

She sniffled--she'd been crying almost constantly for the past week, not eating and not sleeping even with the whole family trying gently to make her--and swiped furiously at her smoldering ruby eyes as she picked up her two heavy suitcases from the floor. "Yes, I do," The girl asserted, her usually happy, energetic voice flat and lifeless as she stared down at her feet, "I don't wanna hurt anybody else."

Stepping forward, Remy gently grabbed her delicate chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. Anyone could tell the girl was exhausted, dark circles beneath her dark eyes standing starkly from the rest of her abnormally pale face, wild black hair tangled and disheveled. She was shaking still--like she had been since he had first seen her in the hospital just after it all happened--and her skin felt clammy and cold instead of feverish. Remy found himself preferring the fever; his baby felt more alive that way, too alive as opposed to just barely so.

"Simon could wake up any minute," The Prince of Thieves argued, desperate to keep his Princess in their castle where he could protect her from all the bad things in the world.

A fresh tear rolled down her smooth cheek. "Or he could never wake up at all," She echoed the words she overheard from the neurologist, her voice breaking on every syllable, "Or he could wake up and be damaged, never be the same. I just can't-" She cut herself off with a loud sob, wrenching her face away from her father as she took a moment to compose herself. Finally, sounding a little deader, Jules stated, "Xavier promised he could help me. I know what dey did to you, Papa, and I'll never trust a one, but... it's de only place of its kind in de whole world. It's de only place where I can learn to not be a danger."

Remy observed her hanging head and slumped shoulders, her whole demeanor of shame and fear, and he found that, like almost everything else she wanted, he couldn't deny his daughter this. He had hoped to never go back to the X-Men, to never see them again. It would be difficult for him. But he found himself once again willing to sacrifice anything to make Juliette happy. "Alright," He stated as he took her bags, "Let's go den. Our flight leaves in a few hours."

xxXxx

Every time Jules closed her eyes, she saw Simon's face, the glimpse of pain and hurt she witnessed when she turned around and threw a ball of crimson fire straight at him. It was just a split second, really--not even enough time for the girl to realize that it wasn't an X-Man she was attacking--but the vision still haunted her.

As did the one of her beloved big cousin lying unconscious in the hospital bed.

Like a tell-tale heart pounding louder and louder from inside her skull.

The guilt was written on her like a scarlet letter, plain for everyone to see as it consumed her soul.

"Yet here's a spot," The girl whispered to herself, holding up her hands and truly expecting them to be stained with her cousin's blood. They were just as immaculate as they'd been every other time she'd looked in the last week but still itched with the phantom tarnish.

"Huh?" Billy grunted tiredly, not his usual exuberant self as they sat side-by-side in the airplane that was taking them away from New Orleans, the place they had both come to love as their home. He would be joining her at Xavier's school, the boy's father seeming relieved to be rid of him as he asked Remy to bring him up with Jules.

"Nothing," Juliette answered, sinking back into her uncomfortable seat, staring at the snacks her father had put on the tray in front of her. She couldn't eat.

Her papa was watching her, she knew, had been since he got back. He was worried and scared and wounded that she was choosing to leave. He had to understand though. He had to. He wouldn't be letting her go if he didn't understand.

"Simon."

Staring down at her thin, pale hands once again, Jules murmured almost inaudibly, "What, will these hands ne'er be clean?"

xxXxx

Logan met them at the airport. Remy was sure that if the baggage-claim terminal hadn't been so loud they all would have been able to hear the feral man growling deeply. His hand tightened on his daughter's thin shoulder.

"Wolvie," He greeted with a stoic nod, "Been awhile."

"You nearly ran us off the road," The Wolverine snarled, clenching his fists like he was desperately fighting the urge to unsheathe his claws and run Gambit through, "And you smacked me in the head with that stupid stick a' yours."

The auburn-haired Cajun desperately bit back a smirk, weakly apologizing, "Dat first one was an accident. I had no idea you were dere. Your camper needs some better lights on it. As for de stick... well, I guess I did do dat. Désolé, mon ami. I was trying to get away without you seein me... not dat it did much good..."

All he got was a curt grunt in recognition before Logan glanced in turn at each of the pair of teenagers on either side of the thief. "Billy and Jules?" He questioned gruffly, being as polite and friendly as he was capable.

They both nodded, keeping their heads down.

"Welcome to New York," The stocky mass of solid muscle greeted, grabbing the heavy suitcases out of Jules' hands as he turned towards the direction of his jeep, "I'm Logan."

"He must be the head of public relations," Billy whispered dryly, trying to joke, trying to get Jules to smile. It had absolutely no effect, but Remy was starting to like the boy more and more for his persistent efforts to make his daughter feel even the slightest bit better. Logan didn't seem to appreciate the comment. He made sure Billy got the seat with the broken spring sticking through.

xxXxx

"So let me get this straight," Bobby Drake drawled as he limped to keep up with the rest of the welcome party that was making its way to the front door, "Renée LeBoudin, the crazy fireball girl who almost totally killed me, Scott, and Warren, is coming here?"

"Yes," The Professor stated, easily gliding his wheelchair around a corner.

Nodding, Bobby continued, "But her name really isn't Renée LeBoudin. It's Juliette LeBeau."

"Yup," St. John Allerdyce quipped, grinning maniacally to himself over the impending arrival of a new fire mutant to play with.

"And she's the X-Baby," Bobby went on, still limping, scratching at the bandages covering the copious and highly irritating burns on his forearms, "The one we thought Gambit killed but he didn't because he's alive and coming here, too?"

"Like, that about covers it," Kitty Pryde chirped, humming an upbeat pop song as her long, neat ponytail swayed in time with her steps.

Bobby frowned, clutching at his forehead and whining, "Ow."

"I advised you to remain in the medlab for another few days," Hank McCoy scolded lightly, reading a thick volume of poetry as he hung upside-down from the ceiling, swinging himself between lamps to keep up with the others, "You have a concussion, my young friend, as well as some nasty burns."

"I was bored," The Iceman argued, mussing up his short chestnut brown hair, "And, besides, I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"No one is to bother young Juliette with unnecessary questions," The Professor warned very seriously, "She is in a fragile state, as well as severely untrusting, and may not react well to having her personal life put under a microscope."

"Aw," Bobby moaned, "But then how else are we gonna find out what Gambit's been doing with her all these years?" Xavier glared at the man and accidentally-on-purpose ran over his hurt foot.

Leaving the well-done Iceman to hop around and swear at the top of his lungs, Xavier, Kitty, Hank, and St. John continued down the hallways of the X Mansion. At the front door, they found Rogue and Ororo engaged in a furious screaming match, Jean trying desperately to referee but unable to get a word in.

"Ah don't care what yah say! Ah wanna see him!" Rogue raged, her face flushed red and her fists balled at her sides as she stomped her foot petulantly.

"You are behaving like a spoiled child!" Ororo raged right back, her expression frightening in its serene calm, like the calm right before the Storm conjures a lightning bolt inside the house, "Remy clearly expressed his wish for you not to be present! Please leave at once!"

Glaring, the Southern Belle shouted, "Make meh!"

Raising a hand into the air, the Weather Witch responded, "Gladly!"

"Ororo," The Professor called out, stopping Storm from conjuring lightning into the entryway with only seconds to spare. Embarrassed at having been caught nearly abusing her power, the white-haired woman looked sheepishly down to her feet.

"Rogue," Xavier stated, next turning his gaze to the stubborn Southerner, "I believe it would be best if you were not here for our new students' arrivals."

The woman opened her mouth to argue, but it was already too late; Logan's jeep was heard pulling up to the front of the mansion. Before the Professor could stop them, all the assorted mutants went pouring out the front door.

xxXxx

"REMY!!" Jules heard as she was taking her suitcases out of the back of the feral man's jeep. The girl turned just in time to see a pretty, white-haired black woman literally jump on her father.

He caught her easily, laughing as she sobbed. "Dis mean ya missed Remy, cher?" Her fathered joked, though his face betrayed deep affection for the woman. The head of long white hair shook with a nod as its owner continued to cry tears of joy.

After only a few more moments though, the woman pulled away, glaring as she promptly punched Remy hard in the arm. "Ouch!" He pouted, red eyes just barely visible over the top of his dark shades, "What was dat fo'?"

"It was for allowing me to believe that you have been dead for the past thirteen years!" The woman growled, reminding Jules very much of Logan, who, at that very moment, grabbed her and Billy's suitcases and stalked off into the mansion.

Pouting in a way that made Jules think sadly of Simon as a troublesome little boy getting scolded by his maman, Remy softly answered, "Désolé, Stormy. Woulda told ya if I coulda, but..." He trailed off, glaring at Xavier and Jean before he added, "Never know when someone was gonna be poking 'round in yo' head."

Frowning, the redheaded telepath stated, "Remy, I-"

"Save it," He cut her off shortly, "Ain't here to help you with your guilt." The master thief put a hand supportively, protectively on his daughter's skinny shoulder before declaring, "I'm here for Jules." After a few moments of tense silence, Remy turned to Xavier, stating, "I'd like a word."

"Of course, Remy," The Professor eagerly agreed, nodding to Jean as he suggested, "Perhaps Jules and Billy would like a tour while we speak-"

"Not from her," Remy quickly snapped, throwing daggers at Jean with his covered gaze. He perused his other options before finally requesting, "Stormy, would ya mind?"

The woman smiled, "Not at all. Come, children. I will show you our school."

"Papa?" Jules asked warily, eyeing the tall, white-haired woman and backing up into her father's chest.

"It's alright, petite," Remy soothed quietly, giving the girl's shoulder a comforting squeeze, "Stormy's one of de good ones. Her and Logan didn't have nothing to do wit Antarctica."

Relaxing slightly, the teen glared at the remaining X-Men as she requested, "Can ya tell me which ones did?"

Smiling proudly as his daughter's extensive training showed through--"always know your surroundings"--the thief smiled and glance at all those present. "De redhead," He announced as his gaze traveled from Jean to Bobby, "And de one in de bandages..."

That was when he noticed Rogue, trailing off as his face set into a blank stare. It was like a punch in the gut. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. "And her," The thief growled, feeling very happy with himself when the untouchable took a wounded step backwards, her green eyes filling with tears.

"Don't want you near her at all, mon amour," Gambit went on, glancing to Xavier as he added, "And I don't want her near Jules." It wasn't danger or hatred he feared from Rogue--he could feel nothing but pain and regret and guilt pouring off of her. He feared Rogue's influence. If there was one thing the Cajun Casanova had learned from the last thirteen years of being a single father, it was that the overwhelming majority of women were not above trying to get to him through his daughter. He was not having that from Rogue.

"Remy," The Professor stated solemnly, "Anna-Marie is one of our most skilled instructors. She works one-on-one with students who have the least control in order to better understand how their powers function."

"Don't care," The thief fired back, glaring dangerously, "You lured my daughter here with de promise dat you would help her. Are you gonna do dat or am I taking her home?"

Shooting Rogue a sad, apologetic look, Xavier sighed, "Of course. If that is your wish, then I suppose we can arrange an alternative."

Remy nodded, remarking, "Good." He scanned the remainder of the small crowd, smiling when his red eyes caught the blue ones of St. John Allerdyce. "Ey, Johnny," Remy greeted pleasantly, leaning around his daughter to shake the blonde's hand, "What de heck you doin in dis dump?"

"Work release," Pyro sighed in a thick Australian accent, rolling his eyes and sounding very put-out, "I'm the scared straight program."

Snorting, Remy joked to his daughter, "See, petite. Dis is how you'll end up if you don't quit breaking into museums and stealing stuff without my permission."

"Nah, Papa," The Princess of Thieves responded flatly, her voice sad even as she forced the joke she knew her father wanted to hear, "Dat's what'll happen to me if I get caught breaking into museums and stealing stuff without your permission, and since dat ain't ever gonna happen, I think I'll be alright."

Remy smiled, "Good girl."

"Nice to meet ya, Sheila," The shaggy blonde Aussie stated pleasantly, holding out his hand, "Name's St. John."

"Jules," The girl replied, briefly shaking the offered hand and vaguely noting something rather... off about its owner.

With a grin, the slim man announced, "I'm another fire bug like you. So, how's about it, love? Give us a flame to play with?"

Her face falling darkly along with her gaze, Jules answered curtly, "No." She turned away, hanging her head and hiding tears behind a curtain of sleek black hair as she stomped towards the big house. Billy was quick to follow, as was Storm

Remy watched his daughter go, knowing that she was strong enough to get through this and praying fervently that nothing more would go wrong, that she wouldn't have to be any stronger. Still, Jules would not be alright until Simon woke up; he didn't want to even think about what would happen if his nephew actually died...

Turning back around, the thief fixed the Professor with a stern glare. "Listen up, Xavier," He warned, very aware that several of the other mutants were listening in, "I don't want no funny business. I know what I did was kidnapping, but don't you even think of trying to take Jules away from me. Clear?"

After a brief moment of thought, the man nodded, responding, "I have no wish to remove young Juliette from the happy family you have given her. While I may not approve of your means, growing up in a stable environment was probably more beneficial to the girl's development than living as a ward in a boarding school would have been."

"Good," Remy stated, nodding stoically, "In dat case, dere are a few things you should know about my girl..."

He took a deep breath before listing, "Jules has been a handful of trouble since de moment I took her home. She was walking and talking at six months, and we started having to keep her from wandering into de swamp. She was determined to make friends with a gator.

"When she was two, she found her way onto de high dive at de local pool. She was fearless and having de time of her life up dat high, but de second I saw and told her to stay where she was, de stubborn girl dove off head fist.

"When she turned five, I enrolled her in kindergarten. She started a fist fight de first day... with de teacher.

"When she was six, she started hussling high school kids at poker. De entire senior class of Acadiana High lost dere shorts to my baby girl.

"Seven was de first and only time I ever caught her trying to steal a car... keep in mind: caught. 'Cording to her cousin Christien, de girl could drive like a pro by seven-and-a-half so dere must have been plenty of times she got away with it.

"When she was eight, she beat an eighteen-year-old on one of the most demanding training courses de thieves have and she still won't let him forget it. De same year, she started breaking into museums at night. First, it was just because she was bored and liked de places, but when one banned her during de day, she came back and, with de help of one of her cousins, rearranged every single exhibit. Later, after getting banned again, she stole an entire suit of armor.

"At nine, she knew enough about computers and security systems to break into and completely reprogram city hall. After he closed down one of her after-school drama programs, our mayor was locked out of his office for two weeks. An anonymous letter let him know that it would be in his best interests to restore the program.

"When she was ten, she got real good at picking pockets. During our family's thanksgiving dinner, she stole everyone's wallets, right out from under noses of no less than a dozen professional thieves, and den ransomed dem off for rights to de leftovers.

"Now, my father don't know dis, but I started bringing Jules along on jobs with me when she turned eleven. I've never had a better partner. She can walk in the shadows, so graceful and quiet that she becomes them. She's strong and she's got a great head on her shoulders. And de way she moves... well, it's almost like she can fly. She's a valuable asset.

"Twelve was de first time a mutant hater ever tried to touch her. She broke his femur in three places..."

The thief trailed off for a few moments, gauging the myriad of impressed and shocked reactions from the group around him before finally finishing, "And now... now she bursts into flames when she gets angry, stressed, or scared... DO NOT take your eyes off her. I can't guarantee you'll have the lack of reaction you got after hurting me if anything happens to Jules. She's everybody's baby... dey're already gonna be pissed I let her come here so don't do anything dat'll make me regret it."

"I understand," Xavier stated quietly, "And I can assure you that no harm will come to Juliette while she is in my care."

"Good," The thief responded, "Den I'd like to hear how exactly you plan on helping her."

With a tired half-smile, the Professor answered, "Truthfully, I will not have a concrete plan of action until Juliette has been examined by Hank and had her powers fully gauged by Jean and myself."

"Don't want her in my girl's head," Remy growled, glaring at the redhead who refused to leave Xavier's side.

Sighing, the Professor announced, "I do not believe you will have to worry about that. Thus far, I have not even been able to sense Juliette telepathically. Even now when we were speaking face-to-face, psychically she was not there... the girl has shields rivaling your own, my friend."

"Ain't your friend," The auburn-haired Cajun snapped automatically, "And dat ain't good enough. Can't you help her without peeping in her head?"

Again, Xavier gave a watery smile as he offered, "I suppose I can try..."

xxXxx

"And this is the lake," The kind, white-haired woman, Ororo, Jules remembered, Logan's wife and the mother of his three children, stated as she continued to guide the two teens around the Xavier campus, "In the summer, when it is not quite so cold, you can usually find the majority of our students and faculty in or near it."

They'd been everywhere and found out that the school had pretty much everything: swimming pools, hot tubs, media rooms, a giant library, indoor racquetball courts, for God's sakes. Billy was impressed and excited. Jules was not.

She didn't see the point. She wasn't at Xavier's school to have a vacation; she was there to work. She couldn't go home until she was no longer a danger and the girl desperately wanted to go home.

A tuned-out ten-minute walk later, she found herself in the building once again, on an elevator going down. down. down. "Where we goin?" Jules mumbled, confused, disoriented, and a little afraid of just how far she'd allowed her mind to wander.

"The medlab, my child," Storm answered, her voice airy and kind, "All incoming students receive examinations in order to determine the extent of their physical mutations. Afterwards, you will meet with the Professor to have your other powers measured and to discuss the course you wish to follow in learning to control them."

"I just had a stupid physical a few weeks ago!" Jules cried out indignantly, rubbing her bony arms as she vividly recalled getting stuck with all those needles, definitely not looking forward to having to go through it again. "De quacks said dat my head's too thick," The girl announced, "And my temperature's too high. Can't your quack just talk to de other quacks instead of making me into a pincushion again?"

Smiling fondly down at the raven-haired teen as the elevator came to a smooth halt, Ororo commented, "I see your eyes are not the only thing you inherited from my brother, little one... and no. Most normal physicians are completely out of their element when examining mutants. Our physiologies are varied and unique, and they do not always know what to look for, what physical anomalies will help in understanding how our powers function."

"Come on, Jules," Billy prodded, reaching out to give the girl's hand a comforting squeeze, "It's not so bad. I'll be there with you and I'm sure your dad will be, too. It'll be over before you know it."

Juliette was still not pleased but did feel a little better holding Billy's hand. The thick rubber gloves he wore would give him a bit of protection in case her skin temperature spiked again, and it felt nice to just have... contact, to know someone was there with her, that someone was in the same boat.

They entered the medlab still holding hands, much to the shock, dismay, and outrage of Remy, who had been chatting with Hank as he awaited his daughter's arrival. "You tryin to give me a heart attack, petite?" The thief yelped as he grabbed Billy by the scruff of the neck and yanked him away. He glared at the frightened teenager before turning to his annoyed daughter and declaring, "No boys 'til you're thirty!"

"Papa," The girl growled, her cheeks turning pink, "Quit being weird! And put Billy down! He didn't do nothin!"

Not wanting a fight, Remy grudgingly obliged but kept his eyes trained on the terrified lad as he scurried off to hide behind Ororo. The Weather Witch was trying very hard to contain her giggles.

"Well, I see the guests of honor have finally arrived," Hank McCoy joked, leaping down from his upside-down perch on the ceiling. The Beast was wearing a white lab coat over his massive, blue furry body and enthusiastically introduced himself to both teens with a gracefully offered clawed hand, "I am Doctor Henry McCoy, but you may call me Hank. This physical won't be too demanding, but I will need the two of you to change into some gowns before we begin." He pointed to a big hairy claw straight down a small hallway as he added, "Everything you need you will find in the changing rooms."

The two kids moved to comply, Billy nervously skirting the still glaring Remy as Jules followed behind him, a continuous stream of French swears pouring from her mouth. "Separate rooms!" Remy shouted desperately.

"I KNOW, PAPA!! DAMN!!" Jules screamed back, slamming a door behind herself. Even after, the adults could hear a furious string of obscenities as she stomped about.

"She truly is your daughter I see," Hank commented wryly, readying his supplies as he smiled at Remy.

The thief returned a proud grin.

xxXxx

For the second time in less than a month, Jules had gotten stuck with a barrage of needles. Needless to say, she was not a happy camper and especially didn't appreciate having been offered cartoon character bandaids and a lollipop for her troubles by the Beast.

The girl was sulking, glaring at Hank while he ran the blood work and also at Billy while the brunette happily sucked on his own lollipop and admired the Ninja Turtles bandaid on his arm. The whole damn world was against her.

Remy had his arm around his daughter's shoulders, though he didn't think she had even noticed yet, and was anxiously awaiting the results of Hank's comprehensive physical. He knew that the fuzzy blue man would discover whatever the other doctors had missed about Jules' abnormal body temperature and be able to at least partly explain the nature of her powers.

"Intriguing," The doctor drawled as his dexterous clawed fingers continued to fly over the keyboard, as more graphs and symbols continued to flash on the screen.

"Gonna let de rest of us in on it?" Remy whined as he hugged Juliette tightly against his side. She really hadn't noticed her father before that moment, flinching and then blinking at her surroundings in confusion and disorientation that bordered on panic. The behavior was highly unnerving.

"Oh, yes," Hank answered, adjusting his small black glasses as he returned to the small group with a stack of charts. "Young William," He announced, smiling kindly at the boy, "You are in excellent health. Your blood work did reveal a staggeringly high sodium level, but I theorize that it aids your body in more effectively conducting electrical currents. We will need to monitor it and make sure it does not develop into hypertension."

"Right on," Billy chirped, his chapped lips stained bright purple as he saluted with his grape-flavored lollipop.

Remy squirmed impatiently, resenting the fact that the surfer boy had gotten his results first when Jules' case was so much more urgent.

Beast turned to the girl next, his kind smile turning forced as he stated, "You, my dear, have an amazing physiology."

"Yippee," Jules grumbled crankily, only finally behaving after receiving a stern glare from her father. "Fine," She sighed, sitting up a little straighter on the gurney, "What's so amazing about it?"

"For starters," Hank stated as he held up a series of x-rays and CT scans, "Your skull is not just abnormally thick. It is abnormally dense, and most of your other bones appear to share that density. I believe it is a defensive mutation, designed to protect your body from the fires you can create, as well as any blows you may suffer. Here-" He pointed towards Jules' spine in an x-ray "-you can see that your vertebrae are actually pulling apart, causing a lengthening of your spine. I would expect a growth spurt from you in the very near future, as well as a certain amount of increased flexibility. This portion of the brain-" He pointed to a series of MRI images "-is called the hypothalamus. It is the area that is responsible for regulating emotions, sexuality, hunger, thirst, circadian cycles, and, most importantly for you, body temperature. Your hypothalamus is three times the upper limit of average and also seems to have partially invaded your prefrontal lobe. It has probably been this way for most, if not all of your life, but in entering adolescence, the prefrontal lobe actually begins to myelinate itself, explaining the recent appearance of your pyrokinetic abilities. The prefrontal lobe is associated with telekinesis, so it would make sense that your body combined it with your hypothalamus in order to give you control over the fires you can create, suggesting then that there is hope for you to gain mastery over your powers."

"So I'm dense, bendy, and got a weird brain," The Princess of Thieves grumbled crossly, "Dat was definitely worth all de needles." Remy fixed her with another stern, fatherly glare and she quickly went back to sulking in silence.

"Well then," Hank announced, nervously clearing his throat in attempt to dissipate some of the obvious tension in the room, "My examinations are complete. We should make our way up to the Danger Room for bio-monitored power demonstrations."

Even though she remained silent, Remy could feel his daughter shudder beneath his arm.

xxXxx

Xavier Institute Student Profile No. 2975-43.

Name: Juliette Renée LeBeau.

Race: Caucasian.

Nationality: American; Cajun.

Age: 13.

Height: 4'11".

Weight: 108 lbs.

Eye Color: Red irises, black sclera.

Hair Color: Black.

Physical Mutations: Forehead, red horns; Fingers and toes, red nails; Eyes, red irises, black sclera.

Other Physical Markings: None.

Powers: Confirmed pyrokinesis and telepathic blocks.

Known Aliases: Renée LeBoudin.

"Dat ain't no alias," Remy insisted grumpily, watching over Kitty Pryde's shoulder as she typed up a personnel file for his daughter. He really didn't like the idea of Jules being in the X-Men's computer, but she had made him promise to behave himself. The thief just wished the scowling photo of his Jules didn't look so much like a mug shot. It seemed... ominous.

"Like, that's the name she gave when Scott and Warren first ran into her," Kitty argued, gently pushing Gambit away from her work, "I'm supposed to include any names she's ever called herself by... like, any others I should add?"

Glaring dangerously, Remy turned back to the large observation window of the control room and snapped, "No." There was no way he was telling the X-Men that most of the Guild still referred to his daughter as the Princess. "How you doin in dere, petite?" He called through the intercom, watching with possessive rage as Hank and Jean attached electrodes and sensors to her small body.

Frowning up at the tinted glass she knew her father was behind, Jules sarcastically answered, "Just peachy, Papa. It's like a day at de zoo." She did not like the situation one bit. The girl dreaded having to demonstrate her powers and was beginning to get very annoyed by the Jean woman's continued attempts to peek inside her head.

Every few minutes, she could feel a slight... nudge against her forehead, like someone knocking for entrance. Jules unconsciously fought back each time, sending the redheaded telepath staggering backwards slightly with a frustrated look on her face. The girl didn't think Jean realized that she knew what the woman was trying to do. She hadn't called her on it... yet.

One more time marked the last straw, the demonic teen glaring as she snapped, "I gotta break your damn nose to get de point across? Stay out of my fucken head!"

Jean's expression was startled and then guilty as she answered, "I'm sorry... it's just dangerous for you to do this without someone in your mind to keep you from going out of control and hurting yourself."

Jules went back to staring down at the floor, swallowing down tears as more memories of her cousin flashed behind her eyes. "Ain't myself I'm worried about hurtin'," She muttered quietly.

"I'm here!!" St. John yelled happily as he came bounding into the room, "Time for some fire!!"

"Johnny," Jean impatiently admonished, "This isn't playtime. You're only here to take control of the fire if it goes out of control."

"Ya, ya," The Aussie chirped, dismissing her concerns with a flippant wave as he smiled warmly at Juliette, "I'm just looking forward to seeing what the Sheila can do!"

"We are ready to begin," Came the Professor's voice over the loud speaker, alerting everyone to his presence in the control room. Jean and Beast nodded, giving Jules encouraging smiles as they left. With only Pyro remaining, the girl began to panic. She felt like a sideshow and all the freaks were about to escape.

"Don't worry, love," The smiling blonde offered as he took a step forward, "You've got nothing to be afraid of."

Not really encouraged, the girl took a deep breath and concentrated hard on calling up the power she really did fear. It wasn't long before the stress and terror of the situation elicited a response from her body, before she began to feel her skin growing hot, her eyes burning as her vision dimmed with red. Her clenched fists were almost melting from the inside out, suddenly bursting into two crackling balls of crimson and black fire.

She heard Johnny give a cheer. The girl watched, both fascinated and horrified, as the flames traveled higher up her lean arms, threatening to engulf her body once more. She fought it, finding that she could keep the fire at bay for a short time with a great amount of concentration and effort. Jules was quickly overwhelmed by the intensity of her power.

The flames kept growing, glowing black and red as they swallowed her up. Once again, she was so hot, so hot she couldn't breathe. She seemed to be sucking heat and energy straight out of the air. It was too hot, too much, and she couldn't put it out.

Terrified, the girl began to panic as tears slid down her face, as she looked up to the black tinted window and helplessly called out, "Papa!"

"Shut it down!!" Remy demanded, scared out of his wits at seeing his daughter consumed in flames. It was the first time he'd witnessed her powers first hand and he completely understood exactly why she was so completely afraid of them. He could tell just by the look on her face that she had zero control.

"Shut it down, Xavier!!" He bellowed furiously. When the Professor did nothing, he growled and rushed to the intercom, screaming, "Johnny! Put her out!"

"Right-o," The blonde stated, saluting the dark tinted window. He focused his mind on the fire, on trying to assume control of it. He was very puzzled to find that it did not obey. In fact, the stubborn blaze didn't feel... right... like it was some sort of rebellious bastard cousin of the fire he knew and loved...

Pyro then uttered two words that made both Remy's and Jules' minds descend into complete panic: "Uh oh..."

The explosion was inevitable, Jules' brilliant red and black fire continuing to grow exponentially with every passing second, nearly twenty feet across when she finally lost control and detonated. The force of the blast shook the Xavier mansion and caused an earthquake-like tremor to rip through the surrounding mile radius.

Remy barely registered St. John stumbling out of the wreckage of the Danger Room--the door was blown off its hinges--as he went rushing in for his daughter. She was knocked out, lying still in the center of a smoldering crater of scorched and melted metal. She didn't look to have been at all harmed by the fiery explosion but her breathing was very fast and, as Remy discovered when he tried to touch her, the girl's skin felt like an active kiln. Ignoring the blistering burns on both his hands, Remy could only... wait.

xxXxx

"Dis ain't fair!!" Nicolas LeBeau raged, trying to disguise the fact that his hands were shaking by running them through his shaggy brown hair as he paced the kitchen of his grandfather's mansion. He could almost look around and let himself forget everything that had happened in the past week, except that an opaque sheet of plastic was still blocking the wrecked living room, except that Simon wasn't there, or Jules, or Uncle Remy...

"How could she just leave?" The young man yelled again, pulling on his hair nearly hard enough to pull it clean out by the roots, "What was she thinking? Dis wasn't her fault and we need her and Uncle Remy here!! It ain't fair and it ain't right!"

"You been paying attention?" Theo asked, feeling quite numb as he leaned up against the kitchen counter... he was also hungry... and Tante's presence was yet another that was missing so he couldn't do much about that. "We all saw dis coming," The dark-haired man announced, "She's hardly been talking, shying away from everyone, and... she's afraid to touch people... she feels guilty and she's scared out of her mind. If dis helps her, if it's what she needs to be herself again, den I say to let her go."

Emile gave a nod of agreement, unusually quiet as he sat on the floor and repeatedly hit the back of his head against the empty and cool oven, seeming to be recreating the horrifying crack of Simon's skull against the wall that he had been unfortunate enough to witness. He didn't want Jules gone anymore than anyone else did, but... he'd seen what she could do... he knew that if she didn't gain control then she was going to kill someone... the thief just hoped that she hadn't already done so, that Simon would pull through. The dark-haired man hated that he was... scared of what he'd seen from his sweet little cousin.

Seated at the bar, Anatole and Christien collectively and silently read the note they'd found to themselves for perhaps the hundredth time since its discovery. Jules familiar spiky scrawl stretched out across the scrap with only the words "Dear everyone, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt anyone else so I'm going to Xavier's school. Sorry. I love you and I'll be back someday. Jules."

Sniffling, Christien ran his large hand over his pale freckled face, shoving ginger fringe out of his eyes. This sucked. It felt like a big part of him was just... gone. Jules was his cousin, but she was also his best friend and he was... hurt and scared that she would leave him like that. Their family was better off with her around, no matter how dangerous she was. She was... their beating heart and they all felt so empty without her.

Anatole blamed himself, continually thinking of how much better this situation could have turned out. They always expected Juliette to get powers when she entered adolescence, but he guessed they'd just gotten... lazy about watching out for her. It had been his fault they weren't at the play, letting himself get drunk at that party, and it was his fault she'd been hurt and angry enough to literally explode.

"How did Jules ever talk Uncle Remy into dis?" Nico demanded sharply, still pacing and angry but very obviously on the verge of losing it. He'd barely slept or eaten on the last week, having been completely consumed with worrying about the welfare of Simon and Juliette. He blamed himself, for missing the play, for not finding his cousin in time to help her, for letting his brother confront Jules by himself... it was Nico's job to take care of the younger kids. He was the oldest and it had been his job ever since Simon was born. But now... he'd failed and everything was falling apart.

"Cuz she's got him wrapped 'round her little finger," A new voice commented from the doorway, making all the young men present jump and turn to find Jean-Luc standing there with a grim, exhausted look on his weathered face. He held up his hand to cut Christien off when the redhead opened his mouth and held up Jules' letter. "Remy just called from New York," The old man stated flatly, "He told me."

"What else did he say?" Nico asked hopefully, "When dey coming back? Is Jules doing alright? Are de X-Men actually gonna be able to help her?"

Jean-Luc dropped down into an empty barstool, helplessly resting his forehead down onto the cool marble countertop as he reported, "I'm afraid de news ain't good..."

xxXxx

"Feeling better, mon amour?" Remy asked quietly, reclining lazily in a small hospital bed with his daughter at his side, reaching out with bandaged hands to gently pet her tousled black hair.

Lying weakly against his chest in their private medlab room, Juliette LeBeau slowly shook her head. "No, Papa," She choked tearfully, eyes wet and hazy as she stared at the wall, "I ain't."

"Everything's gonna be ok," Her father promised, pulling the girl's slight, unresponsive form even closer into his comforting embrace. She did not reply but he could sense her disbelief. Soothingly rubbing his large hand down her thin, shaking back, Remy wondered out loud, "I ever tell you about when I first got my powers?"

Sniffling, Jules answered, "Ya. Assassins chased you into a condemned building and you accidentally brought it down right on top of 'em."

"Dat's right," He agreed, wishful and nostalgic and comfortable with his baby girl so close to him, "But what I didn't tell you was dat Lapin spent about two months in traction because of it... he'd gone in to help me and didn't get out in time."

Moving herself closer to her papa's warm body, listening to his heart beat through his strong, solid chest, Jules grumbled, "Dat supposed to make it ok for me to keep blowin other people up?"

Remy fought a sardonic smile. "Non," He said, weaving a lock of wild black hair between his heavily bandaged fingers, "Don't make it ok and don't make it feel any less horrible, but... it happens. Ain't no one to blame, least of all yourself. If Simon was awake, he'd be telling you de same thing."

"But he ain't awake," The girl spat in reply, her bitter and resentful tone in opposition to the way she clung more tightly to the auburn-haired thief sharing her small hospital bed, "He ain't awake and it's my fault."

Unable to think of anything else to say, both cursing themselves for their failures, short-comings, and vices, the Prince and his Princess lapsed into a tense silence. They both knew what was coming, that Jules would ask her father to leave and that Remy, like always, would give her anything she wanted. They had to enjoy their last moments together with that sad eventuality hanging over their heads.

xxXxx

"This is absolutely remarkable!" Henry McCoy excitedly declared, his skilled fingers flying over his keyboard as he stared at the two almost indentical DNA profiles depicted, "Do you know the chances of this amount of genetic similarity between two unrelated individuals occurring naturally is? The odds are astronomical!"

Pensively tenting his fingers in front of his thin lips, Professor X leaned back in his wheelchair and asked, "Are you saying that, from a scientific standpoint, Remy and Juliette could easily pass for a genetic father and daughter?"

"Yes!" Beast declared, excited over the potential breakthroughs this discovery represented, "If I didn't know any better, then I would be quite hesitant to believe they were not directly related! They could easily fool any paternity test!"

"Is there any way of isolating how much of the similarity was a result of whatever Remy did when he resurrected her?" Xavier questioned flatly.

Scratching his head, Beast replied, "Well... no. I can theorize in an abstract sense, but the genes altered by that action have long since been incorporated into the girl's base DNA."

Pausing for a moment as he looked over the healing forms of Scott and Warren, the Professor questioned, "What do you theorize?"

"Remy definitely altered her make-up," Hank surmised, "Essentially it was like... a second instance of mutation, which she was probably more susceptible to in the first place because mutant DNA has a tendency to be less stable than that of humans. Her eyes were affected, obviously, and most likely her mind, if the presence of the Remy-like telepathic blocks is any indication. I can assume she was originally born with some type of pyrokinetic-based power that merged with Remy's transferred kinetic power to create a sort of... hybrid ability."

Intrigued, Professor X arched one fine eyebrow as an indication for the Beast to continue.

"From the readings gathered during the demonstration," Hank said, turning back to his keyboard and monitor to call up a series of numbers and graphs, "I believe that Juliette originally had a power similar to the more typical pyrokinetic abilities we encounter, in that she would be able to control fire, to a certain degree, but not start any independently. Remy's power is what gives her the ability to ignite her own fires. My instruments picked up a highly abnormal amount of molecular excitement in the air around her, much like what I have been able to read from Remy's charged cards on previous occasion. This seems to give her the initial spark needed to create the fire.

"After that, her body began sucking in an exponentially great amount of energy. I'm afraid that she is able to produce the excitability to start the fire, but once it is started, she cannot stop it. Her body unconsciously taps into the potential bio-kinetic energy from the very air and feeds that energy through her fire, turning it into... something else entirely...

"Johnny's inability to exert any significant amount of control over the blaze suggests that it is an independent and never before seen combination of heat and kinetic energy. Its heat element is part of the original power, the reason Juliette's body temperature spiked so sharply and the reason her bones developed to sustain such massive temperatures. The kinetic element causes the flames to have their unusual color and unstable nature. It also seems to give her a phenomenal amount of control, allowing her to actually consume something in flames yet still choose whether or not to let it burn and or explode by tapping into its potential kinetic energy or not. However, at a certain point, her energy intake overwhelms her ability to control the fire and she self-detonates as a means of expelling the excess."

"What class mutant would you put her in?" Xavier inquired, highly intrigued by Hank's description of the girl's incredible power.

"Hard to say," Best mused, scratching his fuzzy blue chin as he adjusted his glasses and lab coat, "Definitely at least Alpha, but... she can suck energy straight out of the air and, when she doesn't panic, can usually maintain it quite well. After she woke up, she wasn't even tired. She definitely has Omega-level potential but desperately needs control, especially since her power is so strongly tied to her emotions..."

xxXxx

Jules was crying, the temperature inside the jeep had climbed to well over 100 degrees, and Logan was getting very nervous. Sure he had a healing ability, but that didn't mean it would hurt any less if the slip of a girl burst into flames and scorched all the flesh from his Adamantium-coated bones.

But the Wolverine had absolutely no idea what to say to get Juliette to calm down. They were almost back to the manor after dropping Gumbo off at the airport, but it was raining heavily; the roads were slick and he could only go so fast.

Luckily, he'd picked up a thing or two from the years dealing with his wife and two daughters, learned that girls were sometimes sensitive and there wasn't anything that would get them to stop crying but letting them cry. Heedless of the heat blisters he would undoubtedly receive, Logan slung a thick arm around Juliette's thin, shaking shoulders. He pulled her against his side and let her sob miserably into his chest.

By the time they pulled up the driveway at Xavier's, her eyes were dry. Sniffling as she picked her head up, Jules wiped the tears off of her pale, blotchy cheeks and offered the feral a weak, wordless smile of thanks for his kind gesture.

Gazing down at the girl, Logan slowly felt himself becoming hypnotized by the smoldering rubies set deep in the eyes of the Princess of Thieves, felt himself sinking down into the depths of nothingness with not even a passing thought of resistance...

The slam of the car door broke him out of the unnerving trance. He blinked, taking several moments to remember where he was and realize that Jules had gotten out of the car. She was walking off towards the front door.

A cloud of steam surrounded her wraith-like body, a dark, ethereal mist materializing as the cool rain fell hissing against her burning white skin. She was otherworldly, one of those wild, mysterious spirits that were older than legend, that could lead men to paradise or utter destruction...

As she entered the school, Logan suddenly found himself slightly frightened of the creature that would now haunt their halls.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

My head hurts. I don't recommend ever taking a body check to the face.

Anyways, hope you guys liked it! Sorry about the long wait, but thanks very much for being patient!

Reviews make me happy. A happy author is a productive author.