Author's Notes: I would like to thank all my loyal readers and reviewers who were willing to witness the entirety of this beautiful friendship. If there was ever a time to leave a review, this is the chapter to do it. I would truly appreciate hearing what people think of this storyline. Love it or hate it, say what you wish. This series may continue eventually after a brief epilogue and another story I'm currently conjuring up. In the meantime, however, I fear I must end the current saga of Jubilation Lee and Strange Remy Lebeau.
A Couple Months Later
St. Mary's Church Graveyard in Alberta, Canada
Friday, July 4th, 15:36 pm
Today, on an overcast July afternoon in Alberta, Canada, Strange Remy Lebeau sighed as he watched his young companion kneel before the gravestone, her shoulders sagging as she read the words over and over.
James Howlett
January 12th, 1892 – May 22nd, 1986
Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather
& Loyal Friend
He watched as she traced her delicate fingers over the word "Father". She had been so insistent on finding out whether the man she had come to love was still alive in this world. It was possible, Remy had admitted, but highly unlikely. All she knew of his identity before he was an X-Man was a name; she wasn't even really sure where or when he was born. But after pulling a lot of strings and doing even more research, they'd found him here – already dead.
It was now more than two months since their encounter in Rochester, New York involving a multi-universe trafficking ring. Their wounds had healed – mostly. Remy's shoulder was still recovering from the bullet that had blown through it. Jubilee's wounds, however, no longer involved the physical world. Stuck in a world she wasn't born into, she struggled with adjusting in her new home.
Remy had apologized to her when they'd found out about Strange James Howlett's death, but she'd been so stubborn. He knew she was hoping that he really was still alive; she'd wanted to meet him. She was fishing through this world for a past that she could call her own, and Remy could see clearly that it was slowly killing her.
"You think he was happy?" she asked Remy suddenly, referring to the man in the grave.
Remy took a long drag of his cigarette and read over the gravestone. "Don' know," he replied honestly.
"Well, I think he was." Her tone was matter-of-fact.
"What make you t'ink dat?" he asked as he took another puff.
She placed a small loving hand on the stone again. "Look," she said simply, gesturing to the engraved words describing a man who was clearly adored in life and death.
"Oui," Remy agreed after consideration.
She pressed her forehead against his gravestone gently, whispering soft and loving words to the man named James Howlett, words that Remy was unable to hear. She threw her head back towards the heavens with her eyes closed and gave a great sigh.
Slowly, she turned to face Remy with a sad, yet peaceful look.
"I'm ready to go now," she said.
"A'right," Remy said, putting his cigarette out as Jubilee stood up. "Happy Birthday, Petite."
She smiled genuinely at him. "Maybe you can teach me to drive now?" she asked impishly.
"What?" Remy frowned at her. "Petite can fly a jet, but can't drive a car?"
"Not a stick shift," Jubilee exclaimed seriously.
She smiled again when he put his arm around the now sixteen-year-old girl, and they walked away from James Howlett's grave together.
She didn't look back.
The Home Condominium of Remy Lebeau & Jubilation Lee
Boston, Massachusetts
Tuesday, July 15th, 8:23pm
They were having a movie marathon. The night was quiet, as it usually was these days, and ruined once Jubilee opened her big mouth, as it usually happened.
"How come you don't sleep around anymore?" Jubilee asked suddenly, interrupting Will Smith's quip about an invading space alien.
Remy was startled. "What kinda question is dat?" Remy asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"You know what I mean," she said seriously to him. "You used to all the time. It's 'cause of Diane, right?"
Remy sighed. If anyone else were to ask that question, he'd have brushed them off. But this was Jubilee, and she had done nothing to make him turn her away at such an intimate question. "It's hard to explain," he began as he sighed.
When she didn't say anything, he realized she was waiting for him to continue.
"She was de last person Remy slept wit'," he admitted, keeping his eyes on the television.
"I know," she said softly, watching him carefully.
"I t'ink I don' do it anymore, because in a way Remy knew dat eventually, she'd be de last an' only lady he would sleep wit." He paused, reflecting on his time with the lovely woman who had died two months ago. "Just didn't t'ink it would be so soon."
"Oh," Jubilee nodded understandingly; he had wanted to grow old with Diane.
He knew Jubilee blamed herself for Diane's death, and Remy never told her the exact circumstances of the occurrence. Jubilee had been dazed when it happened, and Remy had no intention of ever telling her that Diane had taken a bullet for the girl. After all, she had enough on her shoulders to begin with.
"Petite shouldn't be asking these types of questions anyway," he said with a smile, intentionally changing the subject. "You just a kid."
She scoffed. "When have I ever been just a kid?" she asked amusedly with a laugh. "I may have many kid qualities. But between living on the streets, flying jets, fighting bad guys, and saving not one, but two worlds, there was never any time to be a just a kid."
"Touché," Remy replied, somewhat sadly. "You've never been a kid."
She caught the tone in his voice and her voice softened. "It's okay," she said. "I don't regret my life."
"Well," Remy continued, "what if Remy could give you de chance to be a kid?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well you stuck here now wit 'Strange Remy'. You know, mebbe you wanna go to school? Make friends? Get grounded?"
Jubilee smiled a little wryly. "I've been to school, and I had friends. And believe me, no one has been grounded more times than I have. Been there, done that, and not interested. And anyway, the only friend I want is you."
"Non," he said seriously. "No. You went to superhero school. You had Superhero friends, an' were superhero grounded."
She laughed. "Superhero grounded? And what exactly does a normal grounded entail?"
"Normal groundin' means no savin' de world when you bein' punished. No exceptions. Even when de world is on fire an' Hitler come back to life." She raised an eyebrow at him as he kept speaking. "No nuclear physics, no Danger Room. Just sports an' homework an' friends for de Petite."
"That sounds weird," she said. "Why can't I be a thief, like you, and join the business? I'm the best at what I do-"
"Non," Remy said sternly, interrupting her. "You don' want dat life."
"Maybe not," Jubilee admitted. She stared at him, as though thinking really hard. "But after everything that's happened, I can't ever go back to being what I was before my parents died. And you know that."
It was Remy's turn to sigh. She truly didn't belong here. He didn't have to respond to confirm what she'd just said.
"We're the perfect team," Jubilee continued when Remy didn't say anything. "I bet we could make a lotta bucks."
"Money ain't ever'thin', Petite," Remy said when he realized she was serious.
"I know that," she replied as she rolled her eyes. "We could be like Robin and Little John, and be local super heroes and fight bank robbers or bad guys!"
"Remy'll never be able to kick the fight outta you, eh?" he asked with a small smile, a little sad that she could never live a normal life.
"You haven't got a chance," she declared with a menacing smile. "We'd be awesome!"
"Remy will t'ink about it, okay?" he said, unwilling to admit that the superhero gene was contagious. He pulled out a cigarette and said, "Now c'mere, an' gimme a light."
"You just finished smoking one, dude," she said as she rolled her eyes again, Nevertheless, she complied and raised her hand up and snapped her fingers to light his bud.
Suddenly, her hand seemed to explode in front of Remy's face.
"HOLY-!" Jubilee screamed and the plasma puffed out of her control for just a brief second before it died away. "Oh, my GOD!" she cried out, staring at her hand for a few seconds.
She began to laugh uncontrollably at the sight of Remy's bewildered expression.
"What de hell just happened?" he asked her.
She couldn't stop laughing. "Your – face!" she managed to gasp between fits of giggles.
His face was red; she'd burned his eyebrows off.
The Home Condominium of Remy Lebeau & Jubilation Lee
Boston, Massachusetts
Monday, July 28th, 2:22am
Her frantic scream woke him in the middle of the night.
He sat up, heart beating fast. He bolted out of bed and through his already-open door to her bedroom. He'd recently taken to keeping both their doors open at night since she'd begun having nightmares a month ago.
When he arrived at her bedside, he realized she'd burnt through another set of sheets.
"P'tite," he said softly, placing a hand on her sweating forehead. She thrashed at his touch, instinctively conjuring up a small paff. He ignored the burning pain as the plasma disappeared and pulled her into a hug. "It's Remy, Petite."
"Rem?" she gasped.
She trembled in his grasp, and immediately he knew this wasn't a normal nightmare. She was burning up terribly.
"Don't feel good," she mumbled softly.
He felt her forehead and swore. "T'ink you may be sick, Petite. It's a'ight, Remy'll take care of you.
The Home Condominium of Remy Lebeau & Jubilation Lee
Boston, Massachusetts
Wednesday, July 30th, 6:08pm
Her fever still hadn't come down. He wasn't sure what was ailing her. She showed no symptoms of a regular illness. No phlegm, mucus, coughs, or sneezing. Just a high temperature and serious lethargy. She spent hours in bed, and had little energy. She didn't even pick fights with him anymore. He was at a loss. Currently, he sat haphazardly at their dining room among a mess of papers and textbooks, flipping pages and reading meticulously.
He'd been sifting through several medical books he'd borrowed from the local library. He looked for any reason as to why she was so sick so suddenly. He couldn't find anything that matched her symptoms – or lack thereof. He was beginning to realize that whatever was wrong with her was something that was unknown to this world. Her powers had been acting up recently. Numerous unintentional bursts had destroyed many of the appliances in their home. Even she had admitted that her powers started behaving violently since just before she'd arrived in his world. He'd had to replace the second television, a casualty from yesterday's attempt to draw her out of her room for a bit.
He just wasn't sure where to turn to in this world; he couldn't think of anyone who wouldn't be afraid of her or turn her in to authorities.
He looked up when he heard her footsteps tap softly down the hall. He smiled when she peeked into the dining room.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asked drowsily. Still clad in pajamas for the past two days, her silky hair was disheveled and there were marks on her face from where she was pressed against the new sheets of her bed.
"Just some research," he replied casually, closing the diagnostic textbook before him so she wouldn't see. "You feelin' better?"
"I guess," she replied, though she didn't look it. She rubbed her eyes. "Jus' hungry."
He took that as a good sign since he'd had to force feed her in the past twenty-four hours. "Want Remy to heat up some Cajun cookin'?" he offered.
"Naw," she smiled. "I just want somethin' light."
"Let ol' Remy know if you change your mind," he smiled.
"You'd just burn it," her voice called over her shoulder as she disappeared for the kitchen.
"Lil punk," Remy muttered under his breath, even though he wasn't angry. It was the first sign of spunk he'd seen out of her in the past couple days.
He opened his textbook again and flipped back to the page he was on, trying to find where he left off. Just as he found it, there was a loud popping and a crash from the kitchen. He knew that sound, it meant her plasma had blown something up again. He got up and rushed to the kitchen, expecting to find her arms crossed and angry at a toaster.
"Petite-," he began before his surprise cut him off. "Merde!"
What he found was Jubilee unconscious and face-down on the ground. He was right about the toaster, however. It was a heap of melted metal on the counter. He bent down and brushed Jubilee's cheek to rouse her, but she didn't wake.
"Jubilee!" he demanded as he flipped her over onto her back. Her skin was hot to touch, and he realized she was breathing too rapidly.
He needed to find help fast.
Summers Household, Manhattan, NY
Wednesday, July 30th, 10:28pm
Jean Summers had been a little too involved in the novel she was currently working on. She was curled up in the den of their home. Her son, six-year-old Nathan, was up far past his bedtime, taking advantage of her miniscule attention span and watching late night comedy shows.
It had been a long day for all three Summers'. Scott was still trying to wrap up what had happened in Rochester a few months ago, and Jean had just been promoted to a higher position in the hospital. It meant more night shifts, but it also meant that someone would be home with Nathan more hours in a day. Tonight, however, she was off and enjoying the company of her son and this new romance novel as they waited for Scott's homecoming from a day of work.
She spared a quick glance away from her novel to see that it was about 10:30 at night, and that meant Scott would be home within the next hour if work permitted. She would at least let Nathan stay up until then. After all, it was his summer holiday and he had no school to look forward to in the morning.
The doorbell rang suddenly, startling her from her novel. She frowned. Scott liked to ring the doorbell to get Nathan to open the front door for him. But he didn't normally do so this late at night.
Nathan had bolted from his comfortable spot on the floor and sprang to the window to see who it was.
"Mom!" Nathan called out frantically. "There's a girl out there! I think she's hurt!"
She dropped her book at the nature of his tone and jogged to the front door. She threw the door open worriedly, not expecting a man with the hurt girl.
She gasped at the sight of the man's dreaded expression. In his arms, he held a girl tightly, as though his life depended on her. "Please!" he begged her as he showed her limp girl in his arms. "Help her!"
"Who are…" she trailed off as she recognized the Asian face of the sleeping girl in his arms. She brought a hand to her mouth in shock and worry. "Oh, my – Jubilee!"
"S'il vous plait…" the man whispered, barely audible.
Hurriedly, she ushered the man in and led him to the living room where he placed her on the couch. Nathan had trotted behind them closely, frightened and confused.
"What's wrong with her?" Jean asked the man as she pressed the back of her hand on her forehead. She was burning. She pulled back an eyelid and gasped when she saw that Jubilee's eyes were blazing, as though blue flames were licking her pupils. She placed a hand on the girls cheek and whispered, "Come on, baby, you there?"
"She won't wake," the man shook his head, his voice shaking. "Petite's been sick... for days!"
"Nathan," Jean said, without looking at her son, "Go get mommy's emergency kit in the hall closet, okay?"
The little boy nodded without a word and sprinted out of the room as fast as his little legs could carry him.
"Please!" the man said again as his brown eyes bore into hers with desperation. "Do somet'ing! Help her!"
Jean nodded. She recognized who this man was now even though she had never met him: Remy Lebeau, the man who had fought by her husband's side in defense of Jubilee.
She reached instantly for the portable telephone on the end table and dialed frantically as she felt for Jubilee's pulse. Nathan arrived promptly, towing her medical kit. After several long moments, Scott Summers finally picked up the phone on the other line. "Scott!" she said frantically into the portable, "You need to come home right now!"
Summers Household, Manhattan, NY
Saturday, August 2nd, 9:13am
"How she doin'?" Remy asked Jean. He was leaning against the door frame of the Summers' guest bedroom. Jean was looking over Jubilee meticulously. It had been several days since he'd brought Jubilee to her.
"She's slipping in and out of consciousness," Jean replied. "She keeps asking for you and someone named… it sounds like, 'Wolvie'. Her fever keeps spiking up. I've been trying to bring it down, but it's out of my control now. Nothing I've tried has brought it down."
"You a doctor, ain't you?" he pleaded desperately. "Can't you-"
"Unfortunately," Jean interrupted softly, "I can't. The changes her body is going through are above and beyond my understanding or even anyone else in this world. She needs a doctor who is actually familiar with these types of mutations – someone from her world. I can't and don't understand entirely what's going on with her. All I can conclude is that her body needs to survive the growth of her powers. If not…" She trailed off, loosing eye contact with Remy.
Remy nodded grimly, comprehending. "You t'ink she got a chance to make it?"
Jean shook her head as tears filled her eyes. She rose from Jubilee's bedside and brushed past Remy. "It doesn't look good, Remy."
Remy took Jean's hand as she passed him and kissed it. "Merci beaucoup," he said gently.
She could only smile sadly at him as she left him alone with the young girl.
Remy sat down in the chair next to Jubilee's bed and sighed wearily. He was going to lose the only other person in his life he truly loved next to Diane, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it. He pressed his forehead down against her bed and inhaled her scent. For the first time in his life, he prayed to God. He didn't know which God he was praying to – the God who created this world, or the God who created Jubilee.
He felt a gentle hand touch his arm. Startled, he looked up and found Jubilee watching him. Despite the pain of the situation, the sight of her made him smile.
"Remy?" Jubilee's voice sounded weak. Her eyes fluttered open and closed a few times before she met his eyes once more.
"I'm here, Petite," he said as he placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down to hear her. "Didn't see you woke up."
They stared at each other in understanding silence for several long seconds.
"I'm dying, ain't I?" she asked softly.
Remy wasn't comforted by the fact that her voice sounded too calm, as though she were more than willing to accept her fate than he was.
"Non, ma Petite," he smiled reassuringly at her. "You gonna be just fine. Before you know it, we gonna be bustin' bad guys again."
The corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smile. "Liar," she accused.
He rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed by her accuracy. He climbed onto the bed and lay down above her covers, pulling her head into the nook of his arm.
"I know I don't belong here in this world," she whispered into his chest, "But I'm so glad I met you."
She sighed heavily, tiredly. In a few moments she fell asleep again, this time in his arms.
Summers Household, Manhattan, NY
Saturday, August 2nd, 4:16pm
"Remy."
Diane was calling him, in a dream.
The voice was comforting. She was here now in the room with Remy and Jubilee. He could smell her. Still half asleep, he held onto the comforting feeling of Diane Ling's presence. Something inside of him told him not to worry, that everything would turn out all right as long as Diane was there. Jubilee would not die, and Remy would not be left behind.
The vibration of his cell phone startled him awake.
When he opened his eyes, Diane was gone – along with the feeling of tranquility.
He sighed in frustration as he looked down at Jubilee, still asleep in his arms. Still dying. He swore and wished he could've held onto the dream of Diane.
The phone vibrated again.
Tiredly, he held it to his ear and growled quietly, "Whoever dis is, it ain't a good time."
"Mr. Lebeau?" a timid voice asked on the phone.
Remy thought the voice sounded familiar, but couldn't remember why. "I said, punk, dat it ain't a good-"
"Please, sir," the voice interrupted. "I'm just a messenger."
Suddenly, Remy realized where he'd heard the voice before. This was the same person who had first alerted him to Jubilee's presence in this world. He heard the same voice on the same day that he had met the girl who was now dying in his arms.
Remy's tone changed immediately, his voice shaking, "What is it dat you want?"
"You see, sir," the man continued. "There's a man running up and down the bars of New York lookin' for you… He's caused quite a ruckus, lemme tell ya. Started several fights and demolished the ol' Irish Pub-"
"What's he look like?" Remy asked suddenly.
"Not very tall, but muscular. Guy's on steroids or something. Black hair and he calls himself-"
"-Wolverine," Remy cut him off, his stomach clenching.
"Yeah, how'd you know?" the messenger asked, clearly surprised.
"Messengers ain't s'posed to ask questions, homme. Don't worry about dis guy anymore. I'll take care of it."
Without waiting for an answer, Remy hung up on him. He carefully slid Jubilee, who had not stirred, out of his arms and tucked her back under the covers.
"Petite," he said as he brushed a strand of hair away from her sleeping face. "D'ere may be some hope for you yet."
A Shady Pub
New York City, New York
Saturday, August 2nd, 9:45pm
Remy Lebeau tracked down this man with no problems. Like father, like daughter: both mutants causing a heap of ruckus just to get his attention. It was incredibly annoying, yet faintly uplifting given the circumstances.
"Logan," he greeted curtly when he finally cornered the feral man in a shady bar.
They sized each other up momentarily, each knowing precisely why the other was there.
"What took you so long?" Remy asked coldly as he approached the man who was no doubt the Wolverine that Jubilee held in such high regard.
Each man seemed oblivious to the fact that they had an audience in the bar.
"Where is she?" came Logan's harsh reply. A distinct snikt! sound was made as the Wolverine unsheathed his claws.
Remy ignored his blatant threat as several of their audience members screamed and scrambled desperately out of the bar.
"I said," Remy repeated gruffly, not caring if he pissed off potentially the most dangerous man on earth, "what took you so fuckin' long?"
Logan narrowed his eyes at him but did not say anything more.
"De Petite waited forever for you!" Remy roared, advancing on the burly man, who stood there and took it. "She cried nearly every night you weren't d'ere after it happened! An' she asked Remy why t'ings gotta be how dey are! And Remy never know what to say to her! How do you comfort someone who has not an ounce of hope? What you tell a lil' girl who lost everyt'ing?"
The Wolverine didn't retreat from Remy's advances, his feral face still hardened as ever. He was breathing rather heavily. And even though Logan did not show it, Remy knew the man before him carried the weight of enormous guilt. Remy couldn't help but feel a little satisfied at the fact that he wasn't the only one who blamed himself. Maybe they could share the guilt.
Logan sheathed his claws slowly. "Where is she?" he repeated, this time pleadingly.
Suddenly Remy no longer felt anger toward the man before him. He didn't respond the question and gestured for Logan to follow him out.
They began to walk down the street side-by-side, as though two long-time friends who had just reconnected.
"How is it dat you're here?" Remy asked softly as they made their way, recalling the night long ago. "I was d'ere when Jub'lee destroyed de machine. How'd you open a portal?"
"It took a long damn time," Logan said tiredly, "but several o' our scientists were able to open a portal using the memory fragments from the one she fell through."
"How exactly is dat possible?" Remy asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't ask me," Logan said gruffly, "I ain't ever been good at that alternate universe thing. All I know is it worked, and Hank made it so we don't gotta take life energy, or kill, anymore to open up another portal to take her home." He pulled his sleeve up to reveal a metal wrist device – the type Remy had not seen for months. "We just gotta do it where she first fell from."
Remy stopped in his tracks, causing Logan to stop as well.
"Well, you migh' be too late, Mon Amie," Remy said gravely as his shoulders sagged.
He shook his head and watched as Logan tensed at his words. "What do you mean?" Logan asked gruffly.
"De Petite is sick," Remy simply.
Summers Household, Manhattan, NY
Saturday, August 2nd, 11:00pm
"Who's this?" Scott asked worriedly as Remy led the stranger into his house and introduced him.
Logan paused where he stood with the two men in the living room of the Summers residence, his stomach tightening. He could smell Jubilee; she was near.
"He's come to take her home," Remy replied seriously.
Scott's eyes flared suspiciously until Remy put a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Ami," he said. "He's her father."
"You're her 'Wolvie'," Jean's calm voice spoke up from behind them. She had appeared at the doorway of the living room, holding a slumbering Nathan in her arms.
Logan looked at her awkwardly, and his eyes traveled to the boy in her arms. "Yes, Ma'am," he finally answered, unsure of what to make of the view.
"You can save her?" Scott asked worriedly.
The question seemed to strike Logan in the heart. "I aim to try," he said quietly.
"Come on," Jean said as she put Nathan down on the couch. "We'll take you to see her."
She led the three men up the staircase and down the hallway to the Scotts' guest room.
"She won't wake much anymore," Remy said as he ran a hand through his hair tiredly once they reached the hallway.
They passed through the doorway into the room and Remy let Logan pass him.
Logan approached the girl cautiously on the bed, leaning down to get a closer look at her.
"Hey, Darlin'," Logan said in a tone he hadn't used with Summers or Remy. Remy had a feeling he had only ever spoken like this to Jubilee. His voice was no longer rough or demanding; it was pained and soft.
Logan placed a hand on her head, temporarily removing the cold washcloth which lay there, feeling the burning of her forehead. He continued so softly than Remy could barely hear him. "Haven't stopped lookin' fer ya, I swear. Since the night you went missing. We've all been wracking our brains for months trying to retrieve your annoyin' little ass."
Jean and Scott watched in awe at his display of affection.
Remy wasn't sure if Jubilee could hear him, but she mumbled incoherently at Logan's touch. He watched Logan replace the washcloth atop her forehead when she was still once more.
"What happened?" Logan asked suddenly over his shoulder as he felt for her pulse. It was slow and weak, but steady.
"Don' know," Remy replied as he leaned against the doorway. "Her plasma has been gettin' outta control. She can't seem to control it anymore."
"Her mutation is evolving," Logan realized out loud. He pulled open her eyelid, where blue eyes blazed unnaturally bright.
"Her fever keeps spiking up and down," Jean added as she shook her head. "It was dangerously high this afternoon. I can't take her to a hospital, or they'll realize that she's different. They'd take her away…"
"I need to get her home," Logan explained after she trailed off. "I need to take her to our resident Doc to get her mutation under control 'fore it kills her."
"Den do it," Remy demanded. He knew it meant he'd never see her again, but he had to know she'd be okay.
"It ain't that simple, bub," Logan replied.
"What you mean?" Remy asked angrily, his voice rising. "You said you could jump to de other world now without making a sacrifice of life energy. What's wrong? What ain't you tellin' us?"
Logan sighed, aggravated. "The jump from our world to yours is easy. To leave, though, now that's a whole 'nother issue. It took Beast months to reconfigure this contraption so it would work without that blasted machine you guys blew up," he said as he held up his wrist, revealing a chunky metal bracelet.
"Without that machine I can't do it right away," Wolverine continued frustratedly. "That's why it took so long to open the damn portal again. It's all because we only had one working machine – on our side."
Scott shook his head. "I don't understand exactly what you're trying to tell us," he said.
"I can't take energy from this world without giving some back!" Logan growled. "Beast modified this thing to charge up so we could eventually make the jump without killin' anybody. The problem is it takes time to charge for the wrist device to be fully functional, especially for two people."
"How long do you need?" Jean asked.
Logan sighed as he looked down at Jubilee. "About three months," he admitted finally. "The plan was to find her and stay with her until it was ready. We aren't due back until then."
"That's not enough time!" Remy shouted and swore under his breath. He wracked his brain for a solution.
No one spoke for several long seconds.
"So she has to die?" Scott broke the agonizing silence. "There's no other way to get her back in time?"
"Oh, dere's a way," Remy sighed with a dark laugh as Logan's lip pursed tightly.
"So what?" Scott continued, looking back and forth between the two men. "Let's make it work. Whatever it is, let's do it!"
"Not that easy," Logan explained. "We need to trade energy."
"A trade?" Jean inquired. "Where are you going to find enough energy powerful enough to open up a portal?"
"Life energy is one of the most powerful resources you can trade," Remy spoke up, recalling something Jubilee had once told him.
Logan nodded.
"What exactly does that mean?" Scott asked, confused. "How do you trade or transfer life energy?"
Logan and Remy stared at the man grimly, not quite sure how to explain.
"Oh, my God," Jean exclaimed suddenly, comprehending the severity of the situation. She covered her mouth.
"What?" Scott asked, aggravated. "What aren't you telling me?"
"Someone has to die," Remy stated boldly, remembering the events that had unfolded months ago. "You kill 'em where you want the portal to open to de other side."
Scott and Jean stood in stunned silence before him.
Remy sighed and leaned against the frame of the bedroom doorway, suddenly understanding now why Diane was appearing more often in his dreams. She was calling for him. He made his way silently to the other side of Jubilee's bed, opposite Logan. There was only one resolution to save the girl, and it was clear to Remy.
"I'll do it," Remy declared softly with a faint smile. He met Logan's hardened gaze.
"Wait, you're volunteering to die?" Scott asked incredulously. "You can't possibly be serious!"
"That's insane!" Jean exclaimed. "You can't-"
"Oui," Remy interrupted harshly, "I can." He paused and looked solemnly Scott and Jean. "Neither of you two can, Jean. You gotta be dere for Nathan to grow up. He can't," Remy gestured to Wolverine, "because he got a healing factor dat won't let him die fast enough for the energy transfer to take place. And we ain't gonna run around murderin' random people."
He looked Wolverine in the eyes, almost pleadingly. "De Petite is all Remy got left now. I'll be wit'out her either way…" he trailed off.
Logan nodded approvingly after several long seconds, not needing any further explanation. Jubilee was now as much Remy's as she was Logan's. He'd earned Logan's respect in that heavy moment.
"Christ, this is really happening?" Scott asked stunned. He ran rubbed his neck, agitated. He felt so helpless.
"So how do you wanna do it?" Remy asked, ignoring Scott's astonishment.
"It's ain't so much how as it is where," Wolverine explained. "I followed her through the portal that was opened when she first got here. It's the last open doorway to this world for a reason; we only kept it open so we could retrieve her. We just gotta activate it." He gestured to the bulky watch on his wrist. "Once we make it to the other side, I'll have other X-Men shut the doorway - permanently."
"All right," Remy agreed.
"We're really doing this?" Jean asked suddenly, speaking up for the first time in several long minutes. Her face was ghastly pale. "We're really going to let Remy sacrifice himself?"
Remy gestured towards the limp girl. "Do you want de Petite to die?" he asked softly.
Jean shook her head and blinked back tears. Subconsciously, she folded her arms hugging herself.
"Okay, den," he said reassuringly as Jean met his eyes and nodded. "Everyt'ing's gonna be okay."
"I'll take you there," Scott offered awkwardly, coming out of his daze. "Jean, you can stay here with Nathan, can't you?"
She nodded silently as the tears finally fell.
"We gotta go then," Logan said earnestly. "I can hear her heart beating still, and I don't wanna take the chance that it'll stop. Our Doc, Hank, he can help her control the mutation until her body adjusts… But right now, we just can't waste anymore time. We can't take the chance or she'll die."
Remy and Scott nodded simultaneously. Logan bent down to Jubilee and brushed the bangs away from her face.
"Can I carry her?" Remy asked suddenly from the other side of the bed.
Logan nodded; he couldn't deny the last wish of the man who was willing to give his surrogate daughter a chance to live beyond sixteen years. "O'course."
Before Remy could gather Jubilee into his arms, Jean placed a hand on Remy's face and kissed his cheek, tears streaming from her eyes.
"Thank you," she whispered. He smiled, unable to answer her.
She turned, placing a hand on the girl's forehead and kissing it. "Be well, Jubilee," she sobbed, with a slight laugh. "Thank you for jumping in front of my car."
"C'mon," Scott interrupted, as he pulled his wife away from her so Remy could take her. "We need to head out there while it's dark and the roads aren't busy."
The Road Home
The Streets of New York
Saturday, August 2nd, 11:59pm
"You can just drop us off," Logan said to Scott from the front passenger seat. They were already well on their way toward the road where Jubilee had first arrived. "Don't wanna draw too much attention to us."
"Shouldn't I stay to be with Remy when he… goes?" Scott asked, not feeling right about leaving the man alone to die.
"Non," Remy said quietly from the back seat where he held Jubilee. "I'll be fine."
"Besides," Wolverine explained. "You can't be near him after it's done. You're not supposed to know about this, remember?"
Scott nodded solemnly, knowing being near a scene like this while it was happening could lead to dire consequences at the PD. After what went down with Oblivion Fuel, he had to steer clear from all things supernatural. He knew deep down that Remy would not appreciate knowing he'd cost Scott his career. And neither would Jubilee.
"You gotta wait," Remy said. "Someone else has gotta find my body. It can't be you."
Remy noted inwardly that he'd just used that matter-of-fact tone he simply hated to hear in Jubilee's voice.
Scott turned onto the road where Jubilee had first fallen into this world.
They were close now.
"De Petite," Remy said as he held her close in the back seat of the car. "She gonna blame herself for dis."
"I know," Logan replied grimly.
"Don' let her." Remy's tone was commanding.
They sat in silence as they approached the doorway to Jubilee's world. Logan gestured towards an area to pull over.
"We're here," Scott's voice almost cracked. He pulled over to the side of the road and put it in park. Logan climbed out from the passenger side. Scott felt like time was slowing down as he unbuckled himself and got out to open Remy's door. Remy pulled Jubilee out of the car, still secure in his arms.
Strange Scott Summers looked down at the orphan Jubilee for the very last time, in Remy's loving arms. A memory flashed in his mind of when he'd first seen her. She had been sleeping then as well, though this time not in a hospital bed. He placed a hand on her cheek, silently wishing her luck and love.
Looking up, he eyed Remy seriously, expression grave. "It was a pleasure," he finally managed. They'd been through more together in one night than most had in a lifetime. It pained him to have to bid goodbye. He placed a steady hand on Remy's shoulder and gave Wolverine a curt nod. There was nothing more he could bring himself to say to either of them. Scott could only accept the fate now laid out for Remy and Jubilee.
With a heavy heart, he climbed into his car. Refusing to look into the rearview mirror, he took off with finality, leaving them behind.
Logan and Remy Lebeau watched in the darkness of the night as his tail lights gradually faded in the distance. It was several minutes before either of them spoke.
"C'mon," Logan finally said, breaking the silence. "It's over here."
He led Remy, gesturing to a small clearing in the bushes.
"So dis be where de P'tite came from?" he asked amusedly as he looked around, a soft smile appearing on his sullen features.
Logan grunted an affirmative.
It was kind of ironic, almost as though it were meant to be, that Remy would die the exact location where Jubilee first appeared. He found strange comfort in that fact, like he would somehow always be connected to her even in death. He wasn't afraid to die, not for Jubilee. He was right when he'd said there was nothing more in this world for him. Diane's death took a big toll on his heart, and the only reason he had been able to purge on was for the sick girl who now lay helpless in his arms.
Logan watched as Remy lay Jubilee in the grass gently. The thief took his jacket off and propped it under her head as a pillow.
The hardened Cajun bent down to kiss her cheek and spoke to her.
Remy's voice cracked as he whispered the beloved words into her ear, praying once again to God that she could somehow hear him. He would've loved to give her a proper goodbye, but as it was, Jubilee's life couldn't afford the time it would take. He took her small hand in his and kissed it tenderly. She looked like she was merely sleeping; he wondered briefly if she somehow knew she was on her way home. It took all the strength left in him to let go of her.
He stood bravely, arms hanging awkwardly at his sides, and faced the Wolverine: the man who would serve as both his executioner and savior.
"I'll make it quick," Logan said softly, not wanting to prolong the man's suffering.
"Merci beaucoup," Remy thanked him sincerely. He held a hand out to the father of his young friend.
"No," Logan said as he shook his head and took Remy hand in his own. "Thank you. Fer keepin' her safe, fer lovin' her the way she deserves while I couldn't be here with her. I speak for all of us, the X-Men, her family and friends, when I say you have my respect and all the gratitude my heart can offer… I just hope you finally find the peace yer lookin' for."
Remy couldn't resist the small smile that slipped at the sincerity of Logan's voice.
His eyes bulged momentarily the instant the Wolverine's claws pierced his heart. As he was lowered gently to the ground by his new friend, he looked up to the bright night sky full of stars. The wind washed Jubilee's scent through his nostrils. He thought he heard Diane again, calling his name. Logan was right; Remy's pain was fading fast. His vision began to dim and his head fell to the side weakly.
He had been told once that when a person takes his last breath on earth that all the memories of his life come rushing to him. For Strange Remy Lebeau, however, only one vision came to mind: a blue-eyed Asian whose smile lit up his whole world.
-fin-
Au revoir, ma Petite. Je t'aime de tout mon coeur.
Goodbye, my little one. I love you with all my heart.