Thanks everyone for reviewing! They were very encouraging. Sorry if this is a little iffy. There is one more chapter after this and then if you all liked this there will be a sequel. (The working title is 'To gut or not to gut) ;) or maybe not.
Walking into the garden Jubilee sat under the shade of a tree with Remy lazily stretched out in front of her. After a while he sat up and moved closer to her. Taking a deep breath Jubilee began to tell him everything.
With her words he felt her sadness, her anger and her deep rooted fear. The day stretched on into evening. Jubilee felt surprised that he had stayed so long just listening to her, letting her get it out of system without patronising her, telling her she didn't know what real pain was. That what she went through was only going to be the tip of the iceberg.
She turned her head away from him preferring to look past him, to the manicured garden. Sighing she began nervously picking her nails. Gambit watched her without saying a word. Knowing that if she wanted to tell him more she would and if she didn't he would be here when she did.
"I killed someone."
The abruptness of the statement almost caught him of guard. His eyebrows arched and his face took on an introspective look. Jubilee still wouldn't look at him and ducked her head down.
"Chere, all de X-men 'ave killed someone."
Jubilee shrugged. "That's not the point. *I* killed someone, I had too. He would have killed me instead but afterwards I didn't feel any remorse. I was glad that I was alive and he wasn't and you know what?" She turned cold eyes on him.
"What?"
"I'd do it again if I had too."
She sighed, resting her chin on her face. Gambit studied her, considering some of the things he had done. He didn't see it too bad but this was Jubilee and it had shattered her world. Just the simple fact that she could kill someone if she wanted to.
Tears flowed freely down her face but as soon as Remy went to comfort her she closed herself off. Wrapping her arms around her in a defensive posture.
She flinched as he moved to stroke her hair, biting the bottom of her lip until it nearly bled.
Remy found himself gazing at her abused lips and felt the need to try and make it better to try and help her soul heal. He could sense some of the small barriers she had erected around herself come down and he could sense all too clear the horror in her mind. He winced as he got the image of attempted suicide.
This time he reached out to her and she did respond. Burying herself into his arms she began to cry again. Angry at herself for being so weak. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body, rocking her gently back and forth while whispering meaningless words to her. Eventually her body stopped shuddering, soothed by his presence and she drank in his essence, feeling momentarily safe by his familor musky smell.
Tilting her chin slightly to look up at him until he could see the tear streaked face. Remy realised what was wrong with her. Why no of the other X-men could help her. It was simple once you thought about it; because they still seen her as the child Jubilee Lee not the young woman who reached her adulthood amidst pain and fear. They didn't realise see had changed and had grown up the hard way.
"Jubilation." Her eyes flickered at the mention of her full name.
"Remy can't promise not t' let anyt'in' hurt y' but I'm goin' t' be here if anyt'in' does."
He sensed the surge of hope flow through her body and only to be quickly quelled by the expectation that it wouldn't be true. That life would fail her just as it always would. His anger flared at the people that did this too her.
Instinctively he stroked her cheek tenderly and slowly he reached down and kissed her. She balked at first but soon surrendered herself to feeling. Curling her arms around his neck she kissed him back.
It would be late before either of them came back to the mansion.
Walking into the garden Jubilee sat under the shade of a tree with Remy lazily stretched out in front of her. After a while he sat up and moved closer to her. Taking a deep breath Jubilee began to tell him everything.
With her words he felt her sadness, her anger and her deep rooted fear. The day stretched on into evening. Jubilee felt surprised that he had stayed so long just listening to her, letting her get it out of system without patronising her, telling her she didn't know what real pain was. That what she went through was only going to be the tip of the iceberg.
She turned her head away from him preferring to look past him, to the manicured garden. Sighing she began nervously picking her nails. Gambit watched her without saying a word. Knowing that if she wanted to tell him more she would and if she didn't he would be here when she did.
"I killed someone."
The abruptness of the statement almost caught him of guard. His eyebrows arched and his face took on an introspective look. Jubilee still wouldn't look at him and ducked her head down.
"Chere, all de X-men 'ave killed someone."
Jubilee shrugged. "That's not the point. *I* killed someone, I had too. He would have killed me instead but afterwards I didn't feel any remorse. I was glad that I was alive and he wasn't and you know what?" She turned cold eyes on him.
"What?"
"I'd do it again if I had too."
She sighed, resting her chin on her face. Gambit studied her, considering some of the things he had done. He didn't see it too bad but this was Jubilee and it had shattered her world. Just the simple fact that she could kill someone if she wanted to.
Tears flowed freely down her face but as soon as Remy went to comfort her she closed herself off. Wrapping her arms around her in a defensive posture.
She flinched as he moved to stroke her hair, biting the bottom of her lip until it nearly bled.
Remy found himself gazing at her abused lips and felt the need to try and make it better to try and help her soul heal. He could sense some of the small barriers she had erected around herself come down and he could sense all too clear the horror in her mind. He winced as he got the image of attempted suicide.
This time he reached out to her and she did respond. Burying herself into his arms she began to cry again. Angry at herself for being so weak. He wrapped his arms tightly around her body, rocking her gently back and forth while whispering meaningless words to her. Eventually her body stopped shuddering, soothed by his presence and she drank in his essence, feeling momentarily safe by his familor musky smell.
Tilting her chin slightly to look up at him until he could see the tear streaked face. Remy realised what was wrong with her. Why no of the other X-men could help her. It was simple once you thought about it; because they still seen her as the child Jubilee Lee not the young woman who reached her adulthood amidst pain and fear. They didn't realise see had changed and had grown up the hard way.
"Jubilation." Her eyes flickered at the mention of her full name.
"Remy can't promise not t' let anyt'in' hurt y' but I'm goin' t' be here if anyt'in' does."
He sensed the surge of hope flow through her body and only to be quickly quelled by the expectation that it wouldn't be true. That life would fail her just as it always would. His anger flared at the people that did this too her.
Instinctively he stroked her cheek tenderly and slowly he reached down and kissed her. She balked at first but soon surrendered herself to feeling. Curling her arms around his neck she kissed him back.
It would be late before either of them came back to the mansion.