Reborn
Chapter Ten : Secrets
A lone silohuette sat upon the roof of the Mansion which held the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. Rain pelted the figure, while winds raged across the land, yet the resolve set seemed to be of stone, stubborn and immovable. Demon eyes stared off to the horizon, the sun long having had set, the days warmth banished with the storm that came in its wake. Across the mindscape of Remy LeBeau a similar storm raged, anger and pain fueled by the revelation of the hand that played in the birth of his child, truly his not merely by love or marriage, but by blood.
Hours prior the horrid reality of Sinister's boasts came to life, Henry McCoy given the burden of revealing the findings. Jubilation LeBeau was daughter of Rogue and Remy LeBeau, though the majority of her DNA had been of her prior incarnation. Traits had been passed along of each parent, subtle and hidden in the maze of the Human Genome. Though the awful truth came when no diabolical tampering had been found, that Jubilation was just an average child with a slightly enhanced consciousness due to her past memories settling in the mind. In the face of this gift with no immediate perils, the hidden face of the deranged genius hung over her as a shadow, for nothing ever came without a price when Nathanial Essex was involved.
The creak of a window became lost to the storm, yet another silohuette climbing out onto the rooftop, red light flaring from underneath a visor. With grace and years of battle, the new figure walked next to Remy, sitting down without waiting for invitation. The two men glanced to one another, brothers in suffering at the hands of Sinister. From his pocket Remy pulled out a cigarette, pressing it to his lips and letting his gift light it. Habits died hard, and even harder did addictions. As the string of smoke filled his lungs, he fought against the cough that wished to erupt from his haste, having not tasted a cigarette in nearly three years, aside from the awful night he had found out the truth.
"Rogue will kill you." Scott commented flatly, looking to Remy.
"Non, she just beat me up a bit. Den she let Jubilee tell me dat I'm being a 'Bad Papa'." Remy corrected, dropping his hand which held the cigarette, toying with the filter between his thumb and finger.
In a surprising move, Scott reached down to the cigarette and plucked it, leaving a stunned man in his wave. Pressing it to his lips, he took a deep haul from it, the ember flaring to life in near abysmal darkness of the night. Handing it back to Remy, Scott let the smoke drift out, stolen by the wind as a red fog could be seen swirling about his face. Silence hung between the men, followed by a chuckle that in time grew to laughter.
"And here Remy t'ought he was de one wit secrets!" Remy erupted, coughing after inhaling the worst the storm had to offer.
"I have one occasionally. To calm my nerves after anything serious. smoked an entire pack before my wedding day." Scott remarked, grinning at the memory of having to hide down at the Auger Inn to nurse one of the few vices known to him.
"Merde. Jean know?" Remy replied.
"Of course. And right now she's hissing in aggrevation at having had that haul right now. Be thankful you don't share a psychic rapport with your love. While it can be a wonderful thing at times, at other times it's a bloody inconviences." Scott replied.
"Fearless leader nearly swore. You sure your not a clone or a Scott from an alternate dimension?" Remy asked with a chuckle, taking the last haul of the cigarette before stubbing it out upon a shingle.
"Not as far as I know, but with us X-men, and Summers in particular, you just never know. I've yet to have a little one of my own with Jean, yet I already have a son far older than me and a daughter from an alternate timeline." Scott remarked in a playful tone.
"Oui, ya just never know do ya?" Remy replied, shaking his head.
Silence hung between the two men, neither meeting the others gaze, their eyes locked upon the horizon, while their minds rested beyond the horizon. Either man longed to know what lay beyond the horizon where the next day slumbered, the truths and revelations to be had by looking over the hilltop of today. But fear rose with thoughts of the shadow from the yesterdays past, a single figure rising from both their pasts, a figure whose passing inspired rage and foreshadows fear. To know what comes tommorow is to know yet another worry to be had, eating away at the bliss that comes with ignorance, leaving the soul tied in knots of apprehension and anger.
Rogue sat in the den, holding her slumbering daughter, a crackling fire burning gently, shadows dancing across the walls. Relief was had knowing her daughter was just a normal and healthy child, as normal as any child born under the auspice of the X could be. Whatever Sinister dared from this day forth would be met with a mothers rage, rivaling any horror that swam in the berserker rage known to Logan. She would not loose her child to the madman that was Sinister, and if need be the most desperate action would be taken to ensure the saftey of her daughter. Sighing, she let her body melt into the antique rocking chair, pulling her daughter a little closer to herself.
"Professor Xavier says he can feel Logan returning." A voice called from the darkened hallway, emerald eyes peering into the room, dancing with fire that seemed not of the fireplace, but a different realm entierly.
"Told her that her Unca Wolvie would come back." Rogue whispered.
"Even death cannot hold that man back when one of the few things he cherishes in the world is threatened or taken from him." Jean replied, stepping into the doorway.
"Stubborn as a mule he is." Rogue replied.
"Monet and Warren are to be arriving tommorow. The storm delayed their flight. Ororo offered to take care of it, though I believe the couple wished to use it as an excuse for some business they longed to tend to." Jean commented, walking into the den and sitting down on a couch.
"Ever the two workaholics aren't they?" Rogue shot back, a slight grin playing across her face.
Just as Jean was to reply, her eyes grew distant while a shudder passed down her. As her focus sharpened, a disdain came back with her, a hiss passing her lips. Looking to Rogue, she could feel the confusion wafting from the other woman. Shaking her head lightly, she ran a hand through her hair before replying to the curious gaze.
"Scott and Remy are sharing a cigarette on the roof." Jean stated bluntly.
"Scott? Sharing a cigarette with Remy?" Rogue asked slowly, letting the words drift into her mind, bringing the full meaning to her mind.
"Scott does smoke occasionally. He is only human after all." Jean replied, the aggrevation of her husband nursing his habit passed to genuine humor at the reaction of her friend to the truth that Scott Summers actually had a vice.
"Ah don't believe it. There anythang else we don't know about Mr. Summers?" Rogue replied.
"I am sworn to silence beyond his Smoking habit. Though I must say he can be a little...err...frisky in the bedroom when he wishes to roleplay a few thoughts." Jean replied, breaking her vow as she passed the briefest image into Rogues mind, the Southern Belle blushing furiously.
"Oh my." Rogue comments.
"Not quite the words I said at the time." Jean shot back, the two women giggling.
The heavy footfalls that could only belong to one man brought a sober calmness to either woman, the sound of a water dripping on the hardwood floor growing closer. As the footsteps grew closer, growing in volume, Rouge and Jean turned to the doorway, expecting one of the few men who could impose such a stillness in them. Jubilee slowly began to stir, her eyes fluttering open with the hazy expression of slumber locked upon her face. Finally Bishop appeared from the darkened hallway, dripping wet from his evening rounds, taking to sit right in front of the fire.
"Evening." Bishop remarked in a somber tone.
"Hey Sugah." Rogue replied, sitting Jubilee up who was now squirming in her lap.
"Unca Biship." Jubilee remarked as she looked to the man who had tracked down her Godfather.
"Jubilation, Rogue, Jean." Bishop returned, taking off his jacket and throwing it to the floor.
"Bishop, we do have clothes dryers you do realize?" Jean stated, knowing it to be useless.
"Recharging my energy while too warming myself." Bishop replied, earning a nod from Jean.
"Momma, am hungry." Jubilee questioned, looking up to her mother.
"Want some of yer Papa's gumbo?"Rogue replied, tweaking her daughters nose.
Jubilee merely scrunched up her nose, not satisfied with her mothers proposed dinner. Squirming from her grasp, she dropped to the floor and walked over to her 'Auntie Jeannie' and gave her the heart melting puppy dog eyes that the X-men had grown to fear. Sighing, Jean looked up to Rogue for help.
"Can Ah have ice cream?" Jubilee asked.
"This late? You would have to ask your mother dear." Jean replied, thankful for being able to place the responsiblity of the sugar craving toddler on yet another person.
"Momma, can Ah have ice cream?" Jubilee asked, looking to her mother and giving her lip a tremble.
"Not this late Sugah, though Ah'll make you a hot chocolate." Rogue replied.
"Marshmawows?" Jubilee asked, looking hopeful.
"What's hot chocolate without 'Marshmawows?" Rogue replied, smiling as she rose and walked over to her daughter, picking her up and then heading for the kitchen.
Left to the silence of the den, Jean quickly decided to leave Bishop to his brooding. As the time lost X-man looked to the flames of the fire, he could only wonder what the future would hold for him and the X-men. Time had changed much since his emersion in this timestream, his own future being lost from it, events altered yet forever staying the same. The X-men had been betrayed by one of their own, yet the last anyone ever expected betrayal from. In retrospect he should have known not to accept the most likely of them, looking past the exterior and into the soul of the man, where the love of family and a deep honor rested.
"Ya keep that up Bish and you won't have any eyebrows left." A familiar voice heckled in a dry tone.
"Evening Drake." Bishop returned, laying down before the fire and staring at the ceiling.
"Ya know Bish, I gotta thank you for that." Bobby replied, walking in and taking a seat on the couch that he could look down to the militant X-man.
"For what?" Bishop queried.
"Not calling me Bobby, or any other childish name. You always refered to me as if I had a degree of maturity. After being the odd man out for most of my SuperHero career, it's refreshing to be taken seriously occasionally." Bobby returned, a sincere tone to his voice.
"Taking things at face value cost me dearly before. I've learned my lesson." Bishop replied back enigmatically.
"Can't really blame you, you did come from our future, having read up on us." Bobby replied, slumping down into the couch and joining Bishop in his gaze of the ceiling.
"You learn fast never to truly trust your intelligence. I forgot that lesson. Things change, aspects and undertones can't always be noted. In every battle you always have to use what you know and what you see. You were just afraid to grow up, and with Summers or the Professor as a role model for adulthood, none can blame you." Bishop remarked, his eyes wrinkling.
"Stop that, your liable to put me in the med lab for a heart attack." Bobby shot back.
"Not used to my sense of humor?" Bishop remarked, his gaze darting to Bobby.
"Still getting used to you having a sense of humor." Bobby replied with a chuckle.
"What can I say, your a bad influence." Bishop replied.
"Ah, so I'm influnecing you? Perhaps I can use such influence to gain your aid with a certain prank?" Bobby replied.
"I'm listening." Bishop returned, waiting for Bobby to get over the shock of his actual consideration of his proposal.
Hushed voices and mirthful chuckles echoed through the halls, drifting about like playful sprites, tickling the ears of anyone who caught windfall of the events being plotted. Upon the roof, two silohuettes deftly climbed back into the window of their entry to the solitude of the mansion roof, while in the kitchen Rogue and Jubilee shared a quiet moment between mother and daughter, mustaches of hot chocolate shared between the two. Even further off, as the storm finally grew weak, a short and stalky figure plowed through the underbrush, eyes carrying a peace between the internal feud, Beast and Man too tired to continue their efforts after enduring the worst the storm had to offer.
And as Logan finally reached the edge of the woods that surrounded the Xavier Estate, the beast fell back even further into the wilderness of the mindscape it shared with the tree dweller. A sense of relief passing over the man as he gazed upon what had become his home, forever welcome even after absences in which to deal with the long life of the man. Snorting, his gaze shot to the shadows of the woods on the other side of the mansion, a scent lingering in the air that stirred a painful memory of sterile rooms and pain. Bursting across the lawn, the Beast ran aside the Man, knowning these woods to be it's own, and knowing something to have encroached upon it's territory.
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