Marvel owns the X-men, no profit is to be made from this work.
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"What part of hard light don't you understand?"
Sitting among the audience come to watch the practice, Rogue heard a chuckle beside her that was Jonas Wagner, the man whom had become a father to Kurt. In those first few days after their arrival there had been occasions when the likes of Kitty and Hank had snuck off with their guests down into the sub-basement and today the reason became clear. Their less than joyful Jubilation would need to learn just how to dance upon the trapeze in time for Christmas.
"I assure you that it is perfectly safe, there are multiple redundancies in place to ensure no accidents happen." Hank swore in an attempt to placate their unwilling star.
"C'mon Lee! This from the girl that's always climbing up on the roof!" Kitty called aloud from her place beside Hank.
"No one ever asked me to jump off it! Well, the few who did I told them to get bent!" Jubilee snapped.
The circus had come to Westchester if just for them, all around them the big top stretched with Kurt standing opposite of Jubilee holding his own trapeze ready to quite literally show her the ropes. With Jubilee was Gretchen, another star of the Munich circus who had answered Kurt's call, just a few of his family come to join him in the celebrations ahead.
"I seem ta remember she came down to watch you guys one day." Logan mused from his place upon the row above.
Resting below him using his legs as her own arm rest, Rogue looked up to Logan wondering if he would elaborate. This was news to her, just trying to coax the answer out with little touches to his legs that drew his eyes to hers. Those days were a lifetime ago, back before the Cure and the loss of so many. His hands were at her sides holding her, just rubbing her slowly without any of the heated passion that often drove her to distraction.
"Guess she didn't like what she saw, huh?"
"Nope."
Looking back to the scene, it was like teaching a baby bird to fly by pushing it out of the nest. They'd already been privy to watching Jubilee learn all the lessons she'd need to dance upon the rope, but now she would soar and that terrified her. It was absurd to see, thinking of all those times she came back scratched and bleeding from skateboarding.
"I will be there to catch you, I'd never let you fall!" Kurt called across the divide.
"Oh quit being so cute dammit!" Jubilee growled, petulantly stomping her foot.
Fresh laughter rounded through the crowd, and looking off a few rows down she saw the final of Kurt's family that had come across the sea though he was no performer. Looking just as old as Jonas, a man in his late fifties himself, was Father Richter. Preferring Tobias, he sat in the company of Ororo who too had come to see the show.
Even for how sharp her hearing was, Rogue couldn't hear what Gretchen was whispering but whatever it was it had Jubilee grip the trapeze and step to the edge. With a hand on her back she was urged on to take the leap. There was a scream as the dance started, Kurt watching his Jubilation soar. But soon it turned giddy as the worst was over, and there she kicked building up her momentum.
"A natural!" Jonas cried, heartily clapping away at the sight.
Kurt had eyes for his Lady, ready at a moment to join her if ever he thought she'd fall. But with every gasp or cheer she grew more confident and comfortable, a contortions act played out high above them. Soon though he couldn't resist the urge to dance and joined her, the two dangling from the ropes or hanging from the bar just laughing with another every time they drew near.
"She's going to do it!" Rogue cheered with her heart fluttering in anticipation.
Now Jubilee hung from the bar by her legs alone, flipping once, then twice through the air squealing to be caught by Kurt as he lived up to all his boasts and promises. Swaying to and fro in another's arms, they met for a kiss defying the forces that would tear them apart. Applauds went around and a few played out their own earthly embraces, a kiss between lovers inspired by the moment.
"I think maybe someone else just found a special place down here just for the two of them." Rogue purred as she climbed upon her lovers lap.
"I reckon yer right." Logan agreed, his hands finding some of his usual passion.
Where she had her bar, that place where her and Logan's roads had crossed to then be travelled together, it was clear Jubilee and Kurt would have their big top and the promise to never let another fall. They'd dance together rejoicing in their adoration of another and their audience, a honeymoon to be made unforgettable come Christmas.
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"So how did you distract Jubilee?"
"Kurt's handling it. Something about a massage after their practice followed by watching some movies in bed."
"Perfect."
Walking through the aisles of the grocery store, it was just the last bit of shopping they had to do for the wedding shower. Rogue had handled a trip to the butcher to get some lovely cuts of meat that would be come bite sized appetizers, while Kitty had hit the baking aisle for plenty of sweet treats for the gathered.
"Oh shoot, just remembered a gag gift I have to get." Kitty said with a sharp turn down another aisle.
Following along, Rogue did a little light shopping here and there leaving Kitty to get whatever she needed. She had her own little gag gift, a new collar with a silver tag and a very nice leather leash. That would be something that would go with a bit of lingerie that Kitty had promised would fit perfectly since the two were so close a match for another.
Adding a few scented candles meant for that first night together, she had plenty of other treats in store. Seeing Kitty rushing out of an aisle blushing and looking utterly embarrassed, Rogue waited for her to catch up.
"Oh my god the look this lady gave me, I hate being a baby face." Kitty laughed showing her reason for the whole fiasco.
Yet seeing it, Rogue felt all her own good humour drain and wondered just what her face must have looked like for how Kitty looked to her. Easing the pregnancy test out of her hands, she held it and was never more glad to have gone shopping with her friend as she was then.
"I'll put it back for you." Rogue whispered, hoping to save her friend a bit more of embarrassment.
"Oh c'mon, it's a joke." Kitty tried as she followed along.
"We haven't told anyone yet..."
There was silence behind her then, but turning Rogue saw Kitty looking on her for answers without any pressure. Wrapping up her shorter friend and leading her off to their carts, she whispered a promise to tell her it all over coffee. Paying for everything and adding it their shopping, they jockeyed their car around closest to a coffee shop and found a seat with their orders.
"You can't have kids..." Kitty huffed as the breath was knocked right out of her.
It broke the ice and just proved how sharp she was, reaching across to hold her hand as Kitty turned over that idea in her head. With a free hand she hid her eyes, drawing a breath to calm herself.
"Nope, it's the way of things." Rogue whispered with a reassuring squeeze of hands.
"It's a shitty way of things." Kitty hissed.
Not trusting herself to speak, Rogue instead enjoyed her coffee as best she could. Sharing a bit of biscotti between them drizzled in dark chocolate, her bite held the magic of dunking sweet treats in coffee, just the right blend of sweet and bitter balancing out.
"When you say we?"
"Jubilee was the one who told me, she asked Silverfox."
"Thanks, I would have just shoved my foot so far in my mouth with that..." Kitty said in a bit of self recrimination.
"You're welcome, even if I hadn't been here I think the worst she would have done is bite you." Rogue teased, but it would have been a bit of sadness the shower didn't need.
"Pain in the butt she can be, she doesn't deserve that. I would have felt like such an ass..."
It was how they always described another, Jubilee and Kitty, welcome pain in the butts. They always told of all saving graces after admitting they drove each other crazy at times and that was how their friendship worked.
"Anything else I should know?" Kitty asked with a mind to her shopping.
"I think that's the big one. Unless you have any ideas for them rewriting the Karma Sutra..." Rogue mused, thinking now to a bathroom conversation.
"Go on..."
"Well, as Jubilee tells me...Kurt's tail is prehensile." Rogue said, playing with every syllable just as Jubilee had.
"This I knew, but in light of how you just put it, oh dear..."
Snapping another bite of biscotti to dunk, Rogue grinned at Kitty as the mood turned more playful with them thinking just how to make a first night ever more memorable for their friend. The shower would be one that would not soon be forgotten if the calculating look in Kitty's eyes were any indication.
"Does she know about him sticking to walls?" Kitty asked.
"I have been told of that, and I think she has her own ideas." Rogue laughed.
"Okay, bad Kitty, bad girl! Sorry, I, I think all my ideas are just too kinky. I mean this is Kurt we're talking about! I'll just leave all that to Jubilee. Is it warm in here or is it just me?" Kitty cried out, having a lengthy sip of her coffee as she wore a very deep blush.
"Actually, I got an idea for a gag gift you can get her. A stupid sized bottle of Advil and some muscle rub for their morning after." Rogue giggled.
"I approve, but that means we got to go back to the pharmacy."
"That's okay, I saw a couple things from that one little shelf that now that I think about them I wouldn't mind picking up for me and my Mister."
"Okay, and now I know what I'm asking from Santa for when Christmas rolls around." Kitty countered.
"What's that?" Rogue asked taking her coffee to go.
"A sex life."
With a saucy smirk Kitty joined and stole the last piece of biscotti, the two leaving to go get all their shopping done. They each had men waiting for them back home they didn't want to keep waiting.
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Walking back from a bit of quiet time to herself, Jubilee saw a figure off ahead of the path to one of her favourite sledding hills. Her toboggan was behind her, enjoying the snow that might not last to the fullest right down to a few new cracks she'd have to patch up. Sniffing once, the man smelt of Kurt and Jonas, it all finally coming to her as she met him half way.
"Hiya Father." Jubilee greeted.
"Hello dear."
He was dressed in a parka with a fur collar, big mitts and boots that might all leave him a little sweaty she thought. There was also the delicious smell of chocolate on him, one she found herself peeking about to notice a knapsack slung around his shoulder.
"Kurt said you had gone off to enjoy the snow."
"Yep, kinda early so I figured hey, have my fun it while it lasts. Is that...chocolate I smell?"
That earned her a smile and Tobias loose his knapsack and opened it up to show a thermos and some cookies. Instantly he had her attention, but never more so as the first mug was poured. Bliss was beyond words never having tasted anything so smooth and rich before in her experience with hot chocolate.
"Made from scratch." Tobias promised.
"Oh my god, gosh, gosh! Sorry Father! But you've ruined me, please tell me Kurt knows how to make this?" Jubilee squealed.
"It was always a treat for him as a boy, but I suppose it's time to teach him the secret. Sit, enjoy. I'll pull you."
Looking down to her toboggan, she offered him the rope and settled down to enjoy her delicious sweet treat with the cookies given, finding them maple cream and just a wonderful accent.
"You've know him for a while huh?"
There was a light laugh, one that told of a fond smile and the memories he had of the Incredible Nightcrawler. Kicking her heels and sitting there enjoying sips, she waited full of wonder never having met anyone who knew the man who had so expertly won her heart.
"Jonas was worried how I might react to see his boy, the foundling. The circus is an interesting family, ja? How could I not see the goodness in him, are not children born innocent?"
"Wish more people agreed with you." Jubilee whispered, consoling herself with her drink.
"You have not had an easy life, the children of this school."
There were tears at thinking of the first time she had met Kurt, her hero even then, but the tears were for the hard times before he came. The sled stopped and there was the crunch of snow to announce him as he settled next to her just sitting hunched on his heels and pouring himself a mug while offering to top her up.
"Would you like me to tell you why I spent my days going down to the circus and so many other places, taverns and pubs, sometimes just bus stops?" Tobias asked, and he earned himself a nod as he sat there.
"Because I always believed Faith was something found, so I went looking for the ones who might not come by the church. I just went looking for the people who had goodness in their hearts and let it lead them. If I found a new soul to tend, all be better. But so long as they followed their hearts I would never have to worry for them, because my Lord would accept them."
"So what would you do?" Jubilee asked, licking away the bit of foam from her lip.
"Listen. Offer advice if I had any or just lend my ear to those who needed someone to talk to. Often I would just buy a cup of coffee when someone could use one. In the case of one boy, he loved his stories so I told him as many as I knew. Kurt learned at a young age what it meant to carry a burden and he never let it drag him down. In fact Jonas taught him to fly."
"Is this my cup of coffee?" Jubilee asked, feeling a bit shy as she looked down within her mug.
"I just thought I should get to know a child with a name she lives by. Your life has not been easy, but like Kurt you never let it drag you down. This I have heard from many. Hardship hammers our heart, tears temper it, but it up to us to make sure it shines bright. It's too easy to let it grow dull from neglect reflecting on all the wrongs done to us."
"Got a lot of people here like that." Jubilee whispered, drinking down her hot chocolate until only foam lay down in the mug.
"That you do, and for that I am reminded of a circus where a friend of mine once ran off to. I look forward to Christmas more than ever this year just to see you meet them, the friends of my friend. And let me say it will be my honour and privilege to wed you and that boy who learned to fly."
The mug clattered against the sled and into his arms she fell, just hugging him with tears that might temper her heart anew for how happy they were. Through her sniffles and blinded by tears she looked up to him and returned his smile.
"I might not have the Faith Father, but I take my Till Death Do You Part pretty serious. That's just one less thing on my mind, I was scared that I'd just be following Kurt's lead and hoping I didn't step on any toes. Thank you."
"Just follow your heart, it's lead you well."
Easing her back down upon the sled and finding the rope, he lead the way back to the school. The sky was dark overhead with the sun setting, and out of it came the first few stars of the new eave to lead the way.
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The bath was hot, the beer was cold, and he was hard against her as they enjoyed it all together. The piping water had been doused with oils that made the moment utterly aromatic, but what had her melting against him was for how he ran his fingers through her hair working the shampoo right to the tip.
"Heaven." Rogue purred.
His hands were soft and gentle as they shielded her eyes, rinsing the lather out with a porcelain pitcher that had been something Jubilee had picked out as a present. Now he worked a new lather, easing the conditioner in. With hands still soapy he ran them across her shoulders, not a knot or bit of tension in them but just massaging them for his own enjoyment. To her lips he pressed not a kiss but a bottle, one they'd been enjoying with plenty more still on ice.
"If this Heaven, I could die a happy man." Logan whispered with a throaty groan.
His words were sweet, so she rewarded him with a treat of what was to come. Brushing herself against him, it was a temptation to just seat herself then and there but then their bath would turn into something else. It was meant as a relaxing treat after the bit of hard work that had met her on coming home from her day with Kitty spent shopping for the shower. Out in the snow she joined the others working away at what would be a wedding present shaping up out there beyond her balcony.
"Thought I was promised a massage after this?" Logan asked, resting the cold empty bottle against her delicate neck.
"Hun, I can barely keep my hands off ya right now, ain't no way I'm passing up a chance ta rile ya up."
The empty joined the rest and a fresh one was dangled before her, but reaching for the opener she found it gone. Wondering just what games he was up to, she took it and waited. Soon though a different opener was dangled but that was not what she had eyes for, it was the slim band of gold that hung upon the chain. Shocked to find her hands steady as she took it, she cracked the bottle and drank deep.
"Marry me. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow..."
"But soon, and for the rest of our lives."
Whatever soon was it didn't matter, she had his promise right there and he'd never broken one yet. Snapping the chain, the ring fell into his waiting palm and it was slipped over her finger. Pressing a kiss to it, she looked to where his other lay upon the top of their dresser, the names he had and a slim bad of silver. His hands were over her eyes as a few tears spilled free, just rinsing out the conditioner.
And now they guided her hair to lay over her as a modest display and an excuse to run his hands near her heart. She was wrapped up in his arms and pulled until they laid in the soapy water with just their chins rising above the slight depths. Together they drank their last beer in a toast to their engagement, a promise made between them for bells and bubbly down the road.
"Feel like watching Casablanca again?"
She took his kiss for a yes, thinking just maybe they'd watch it together taking turns massaging another until they couldn't fight their urges any longer.
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Author's Note : Chapter 25 and over a hundred wonderful reviews! Thank you all who have been enjoying this story and thank you those whom I have tried so hard to make sure you never have to wait too long for the next chapter because of your kind words you left me every day. Toodles and Enjoy! More soon!