November
Colossus left the X-men. He didn't do it the way Wolverine did though, didn't just pack and leave. Colossus told the Professor first, then announced it to everyone, and we had a small farewell party for him at a restaurant. Everyone was there except for Hank since he's still in the hospital and Bobby, who rarely ever leaves Hank's side. I hugged Colossus goodbye.
He didn't say why he was leaving, other than that he needed a rest from battle and was needed back in his homeland. From the news, it looked like civil war was going to break out in Russia.
Rogue and I talked one day, on a rare occasion she and Gambit weren't in their room together or their tent in Genosha. (What's going on in Genosha is totally long-term. The fighting is mostly over but we'll be there a while to oversee what we committed to – the negotiations, ensuring mutants get some basic rights in place, putting an end to any fighting and battles that do pop up).
Rogue suggested we get away from the mansion and have some fun. We went to the same mall where she, Gambit, and Storm rescued me five years ago. We did a bit of shopping and then stopped to get smoothies.
"So what is the deal with Colossus leaving?" I asked. I figured that being Gambit's girl, Rogue knows a lot about what's going on. Because Gambit's always in the know.
"Well, I sure as heck don't buy his story about wanting a rest from battle while being needed in his homeland. What does he think he's gonna be doing in Russia except battle?"
"Yeah," I said. "So what is it? Is it just that being an X-men is so intense that it's not for everyone?"
"Maybe. I sure can't imagine being anywhere else – this is my family and I know you feel the same. But we're all different." She paused. "Some folks wonder if he's jealous that Dark Star didn't go for him instead of Cyclops, them both being Russian," she threw out.
I thought about it. "I can't really buy that," I said. "Dark Star and Cyclops have been together for months now. Since like April at least. Why'd he be upset about that now?"
Then I looked more closely at Rogue. She knew the reason. Whatever it was, I could tell from her face she knew it. So I basically told her to spill the beans. "Come on," I said. "I know you know it. Talk."
"Well….," Rogue began. "Let's just say that Colossus was heard making a comment, words to the effect that he thinks homosexuality is wrong, it's against his beliefs, and he doesn't want to be on a team with 'two of them.'"
I nearly dropped my smoothie. "No. No frickin' way. A mutant's got no business being a bigot. That makes us no better than FOH."
Rogue shrugged. "We ain't perfect human beings, Jubilee. All us mutants got flaws. If we were perfect then Wolverine would never have left, and Cyclops would be single." She took a breath and added, "And I wouldn't have been all worried about Remy leaving me, Psylocke would be a bit more pleasant, Storm might even open up to us once in a while – and a million other things. We all got our flaws, sugar."
"But…prejudice? Against a person because of the way they are? Aren't people always telling us that the way we're born is evil and all wrong? How'd you hear this, anyway?"
"I have my sources."
I knew that's all I'd get out of her on that. I didn't want to believe what she said about Colossus. I decided that I wasn't going to make up my mind on this just yet and that I'd think instead there's a good chance that information is just plain wrong. Though I couldn't think of another reason I could buy either.
"So…I guess I don't even need to ask, but I take it things are good with Gambit?" I asked.
"Sugar, they couldn't be any better," she said, and her smile was like the most content I've ever seen.
Hank got released a few days before Thanksgiving, which was awesome. Despite Colossus having left, despite what was going on in Genosha, despite my fading hope that Wolverine would drop by (why would I think that? He hates holidays) – hell, despite everything this year, I felt good.
Realizing that Jean wouldn't be here to cook as she did every holiday was hard. We still had Gambit who adored cooking. The only other person on our team who loved cooking was – Dark Star. So it was hard to glance inside the kitchen and sample the dishes as they were being made without making the obvious comparison. Dark Star was the way she always is: serious, quiet, caring, efficient.
Thanksgiving dinner was good. The Professor asked us each to talk about what we were thankful for, and it didn't go corny at all. It actually was really, really touching and as I drank my spiced cider I felt very grateful.
