A silent madness ch 6 Mom Dad and Cynjen oh my
Summary and synopsis: Wolverine died while protecting Jubilee from Sabretooth. Jubilee killed Sabretooth and is now staying at wolverine's cabin in the woods. Sean flew up and is there with her. If you want a better idea of what is going on then read the summary at the beginning of chapter 5. Or you could read the whole story again, if you have time. I hate trying to summarize what happens in these chapters. I basically made up this part and in my universe Cynjen is dead.
Sean trudged back to the cabin and found Jubilee sitting at the kitchen table staring into space. "Lass, are you okay?"
"Uh huh, did Heather leave?"
"Yes, she did, and she is hiking into town to catch a ride home."
"You'll be leaving now right, she asked hopefully?"
"No, I won't be."
"Well don't say I didn't warn you. What do you think you are going to do when the ghosts come? You can't see them and I don't know if they can see you."
"I guess I deal with that when it happens."
"Sean, when you were with Interpol did you kill. Did you see death; did their faces haunt you afterwards?
"I did kill a few times, and I've seen people die. And the ghosts of the people did haunt me for a while."
"Wolvie's memories haunted him forever. How did you make them go away?"
" I let go of the guilt, I felt about their deaths. You have got to do the same thing. You have to accept your responsibility or lack of responsibility in their deaths. I don't think you have ever accepted the deaths of those around you, except for one. When you named all those people why didn't you mention Illyana? You were around when she died."
"What's Yana got to do with anything?"
"She didn't come to haunt you did she?"
"No, she didn't. Is this going somewhere Sean?"
"Yes, why do you think that you didn't see her?"
"Don't know."
"I think I do. You deny that people around you die. Starting with your parents and working all the way up to Wolverine, except, Illyana's death. You only know knew her for a little while but I think you were close. And I know for a fact that you cried on at least two shoulders that night. Did you mourn for your parents or anyone else? Or did you feel like you had to be the strong one."
"Damn you, how dare you say I didn't mourn for them. I felt every death and each one took a small piece of my heart and twisted it in a vice. I've cried an ocean for Wolvie. And I cried for Illyana because she was just a kid she shouldn't have died like that. She wasn't even a mutant in this life."
"Jubilee could you have saved Illyana from death?"
"How could I? I didn't know her when she had been infected. I don't have some cool mutant power to bring people back to life do I?"
"What about the others? Could you have saved any of them?"
"If I had been stronger, better equipped, smarter, yeah I could have."
"No lass that just it you couldn't have saved any of them just like you couldn't save Illyana. You have to let go of that guilt. That is what's making these ghosts appear."
"Guilt, and what make you such an expert on my pain, guilt and, how long it's been with me. If I let go of it then they will all be gone. These ghosts temper all that I am and have been. You ask the impossible, how can I just let go. I keep them all alive in my heart. You tell me to let go of the guilt I feel. My parents ghost said they wished I'd never been born. You want me to let go of the guilt of being born? Is that what you want, how is being alive my fault. I never asked for this."
"Jubilee that wasn't your parents. It's you grief taking the form of your parents. No parents would say that to their child. I'll help you through this we will confront them."
What make you so sure that my folks wouldn't say that? They never really loved me. How will we confront them, Sean? You can't even see my parents. As if on cue they emerged from the shadows visible to Jubilee but not to Sean. Great Sean now they're here. I am not strong enough for this again. Her parents began to close on her, chanting blood on your hands. "AHHHHHHHH," she screamed; clamping her hand over her ears to try to block out their words.
Sean yelled to be heard. "What are they saying Jubilee, let me help you." Those words open a floodgate of emotion. Jubilee's desperate and broken mind searched for any solace it could find. It took solace in Sean. And the world as Jubilee saw it came rushing in on him. He could now see the black robed figures that had closed in on her. Their chanting echoed in his ears. Jubilee looked over at him her eyes flashing with anguish. He crossed the room to where she was in two strides and enveloped Jubilee in a rough embrace. The ghosts seemed to take no notice of this. It was like he could see and hear them but they couldn't see him.
"Ask them why they are here? Why are they tormenting you now after all this time."
Jubilee just stared intently looking at her parents. Sean turned her head away from them and lifted her chin so she could look him in the eyes. "Jubilee, look at me, focus. I can see them now and hear them but you have to talk to them I can't do that for you." They're your demons; they won't go away unless you make them. Ask you parents, why they are here. I'll be right here if you need me."
Jubilee turned to face her parents, who had ceased chanting. "Why Mom and Dad, why now?"
"We have always been here Jubilee. You just never acknowledged us. We blame you for our deaths. Why didn't you stop us from leaving that night?"
"I didn't know you were going to die."
"You didn't avenge our deaths Jubilee, Remo, Molokai, and Mr. Brawn all still walk the earth. You disobeyed our final wish that you live with your relatives."
"Is that what you really wanted? For me to go live in some communist country? I am a mutant; I would have been killed. And I found someone to look after me, Wolvie. I think you might have liked him Mom and Dad. He loved me like I was his own daughter. He taught me that killing wasn't always the best way to get revenge. Killing those people wouldn't have solved anything; it couldn't bring you back. I made sure the police got the information they needed to put all of them in jail for a long time. They are paying for their crimes. You have to let me go now. I didn't kill you and I have punished those who did. I can't keep confronting you every night. I love you, she said as her voice broke."
Jubilee's mom and dad nodded their heads. "We love you to, our little Jubilation, then and now." The figures faded away.
Jubilee relaxed back into Sean's arms. That was so hard Sean, I don't know if I can do it again."
Sean soothingly rubbed her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. "Shhh, It's okay you did well. This is just the first step in a long road, but you've made progress. It may not be easier but it will get better I promise. You can cry on my shoulder all you want. Her crying did slow eventually; helped by the soothing word Sean whispered her ear. She was happy for the little warmth he was lending to her cold life.
"Jubilee, your part of a team, no matter what happened to Logan. No matter where you are you can call on any of Gen X or the X-men to help you and they'll come no matter what. That's what being a team means.
"But you wouldn't know anything about that would you Jubilee an venomous voice snarled."
Sean was taken aback by that remark, "Who's there."
"Go ahead tell him who I am Jubilee. Tell him what happened to your first teammate. Jubilee lifted her head to look right at Cynjen. "Hey, Cyn figured you'd be coming soon. Sean meet Cynthia Jennifer or Cynjen.
"What would you know about how teams are supposed to be Jubilee?"
"Jubilee why does she say that?"
"They think you are so dedicated to the team very impressive Jubes, you sure have them buffaloed. They don't know how you abandoned me do they? How after you left, a gang in a back alley jumped your first partner, cause you left me with no backup.
"I didn't want that to happen."
"We made an oath to always be there for each other Jubes. Where were you? You'd been gone for better than a year. Why didn't you come back?"
"I got a hold of you as soon as I could Cyn. There aren't a whole lot of phones in the outback. Besides you left me first. I didn't notice you when I was running from the M-Squad. And when I got settled at the school I invited you to come even though you weren't a mutant they would have taken you in.
"I wasn't the school type, I'm a thief and a mall rat which is what I thought you were. We were such a great team."
"I couldn't force you to come where I could protect you. And I want to learn to better control my powers. Cyn you taught me so much. I am sorry I wasn't there when you needed me. But I had an obligation to my new family too. I couldn't just up an leave them."
Cynjen nodded understanding Jubilee's reasoning and she faded away. Jubilee stared blankly at where
Cynjen had been tears sparkling in her red rimmed eyes. Sean brushed two tears away with his thumb.
"Jubilee why don't you try to get some more sleep. The dark circles under your eyes do nothing for your face."
She stared dumbly back at him and then cracked the smallest smile. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were trying to make a joke. I'll go to bed; maybe I can fall asleep before anyone else comes." Jubilee shuffled over to the bed and wiggled under the soft flannel covers. "Night Sean," she murmured sleepily.