"All I Ever Wanted was a Family of Ma
Own"
By DelCreed
(griffincreed@hotmail.com)
Written June 7, 2000
Mr. Sinister looked over at the man who stood waiting impatiently for his instructions, Sinister always found himself surprised that for such a large man Sabretooth could move so quietly, truly incarnating the grace of the big cat he took his name from.
"Sabretooth, I've called you here to carry out a most important mission for me…I know you will not fail me." With a wicked grin Sinister outlined his plan, a plan that soon had Sabretooth sporting his own evil smirk.
"The runt likes
her, heck probably even loves her, I'd be happy to do this just to get back at
the little wimp for all the times he's messed me up, She is as good as
here." Sinister handed him a device that would take care of putting his
chosen victims powers on ice and with some pertinent last minute instructions
Sabretooth strolled happily out of the room and into the night to start hunting
his prey.
****
Sabretooth was getting sick of waiting for her to leave the house, dame it, it had been a week and a half and she hadn't left the place except this morning when she'd stuck her bright redhead out the window to call good morning to the Asian kid who'd gone bladein' by her house, didn't that husband of hers ever take her out to eat. Just then he saw the Asian kid walkin' back up to the house with another tall redhead. Perking up his ears Sabretooth herd the redhead say.
"Hi ya, we came over to ask if you wanted to come with us, we're heading for the mall for a girl's day out." The Asian kid then cut in with a whole heap of reasons why she needed to join them, that all seamed to blur together. Sabretooth hadn't known that super speed speech was considered a mutant power, and for a moment he felt sorry for the runt havin' to live around this kid 24-7, but if they could get his prey out into the open he just might let them live… might. His victim seamed to hesitate for a moment, looked behind her back into the house, where Creed could just hear the sounds of a football game and a man's excited cheering for a touchdown 'Crap, I'm missing the Dolphin's game'. The woman rolled her eyes and smiled at the other two as she said
"Sounds perfect,
I'll meet you out front in five minutes…we'll take the convertible." The
Asian kid whooped for joy and ran off to get ready, followed by the redhead.
Sabretooth crept back as silently as a shadow and headed for the green mini van
he'd stolen for the occasion and got ready to follow the women into town.
****
Every woman in Westchester must have escaped their football spouses and rallied the troupes at the mall; at least that's how it looked to Sabretooth as he stood in the shadows watching his target. She was still with the other redhead, the Asian kid having disappeared into the video arcade the moment they stepped into the mall. One gone, one to go before she was all his. Just then the two women walked by a cooking gadget shop, and his prey started to look around with stars in her eyes, the other redhead's eyes just glazed over and she made a break for the Levies store…leaving his target alone, Sabretooth was so happy he almost howled… almost. Stepping lightly, as he defensively filled his mind with thoughts of pots and other kitchen items to blend his thoughts in with those of the people around her, Sabretooth was able to get right next to her, he was so close he was breathing her air…when she stepped back and bumped into him.
As Jean turned to apologize
to the person she had just backed into she only had a second to realize that it
was Sabretooth before he lowered the physic damper (that Mr. Sinister had given
him and looked like a headband) over her head and she collapsed into his
waiting arms. Swiftly Sabretooth swept her up and carried her out of the store
as he reassured the owner that his WIFE had just seen the price of the frying
pan they'd been looking at. He left the shop, and ran to get her into his mini
van and as far away from the mall as he could get before her friends came back
looking for her.
*****
Rogue and Jubilee, having met at the food court at the prearranged time,
started to wonder what could be keeping Jean, after two hours they split up and
Rogue headed back to the last place she'd seen Jean…The Cooking shop, She
shuttered thinking about the damage Jean would soon be doing if she'd bought
anything. Once in the shop Rogue questioned the owner and when she learned that
Jean had passed out and then been carried out by a man saying he was her
husband, a husband whose description was a perfect mach for Sabretooth. Rogue
paged Jubilee, put in an emergency call to the mansion and explained what had
happened to Hank, who assembled the team and soon all of the X-Men, including
Professor Xavier, were drawing curious glances from the shoppers. Cyclops was
pacing as Logan scented the area and then
confirmed the worst.
"Its him, its Tooth, I can smell his excitement." Xavier closed his eyes and his brow wrinkled slightly.
"I can not find her on the astral plane, Jean is either being blocked, unconscious, or…" Cyclops cut him off for the first time that any one could remember.
"Dead, don't you
say she's dead. We will find her. Logan follow their sent…NOW."
Scott finished his command with a growl that made even Logan take notice. Soon the entire
team was following the stocky Canadian out of the Cooking Shop (much to the
relief of the owner) and out of the mall into the parking lot (much to the
relief of the shoppers). Once in the lot it took Logan fifteen minutes to follow the
sent to the spot where the mini van had been parked, Rogue pulled up in the
convertible and Logan jumped in as the rest of the team ran for
the Blackbird and followed from the air. Standing in the passenger seat Logan shouted directions to Rogue, he
kind of reminded her of a dog with his head out the window.
*****
Meanwhile….
Sabretooth drove conservatively, not wanting to attract the attention of any police that might be in the area, as he drove the air blowing in through the passenger side window blew the musky sent of Jean's perfume towards him, Sabretooth shifted uncomfortably in his seat, Sinister was waiting he repeated to himself, then the perfume would tease him again.
'A man can only take so much temptation.' He muttered to himself as he spotted a sign up ahead and with a smile he pulled in. "Sit tight red, I'll just be a minute." And he ran in to the main office of the motel '6'. Sabretooth returned a moment later and pulled the mini van around back and parked in front of the ground floor room he'd rented for the night. "Sinister just said he wanted you, not in what condition." Jean couldn't do anything but sit there unable to move, or speak. Her eyes, ears, heart and lungs worked, she could feel every time he touched her but her mind would not respond to her commands. Sabretooth came around to her side of the car and pulled her unresisting body into his arms and carried her into the room as he told her, "I've been sittin' in the woods for almost two weeks, don't worry, I'll just take a quick shower and then I'm all yours." Then he purred into her ear and nipped her neck gently. Jean felt a tear roll down her cheek…
'Add that to the list
of things that still work.' she thought darkly to herself as the door slammed
shut behind them.
*****
Later…
Jean lay on the bed, tucked snugly into the blankets just like Sabretooth had left her before he'd gone to get some food and the cigar he said he was craving after his exercise.
"Don't want you to get cold Hon', I've never had it so good, even Mystique has nothing on you, no wonder that beanpole husband doesn't take you out more often, with someone like you I'd stay home too. You must be going at it like rabbits, you should have a mess of kids by now, what's the problem the old man shootin' blanks?" then he'd walked out laughing.
That was how the X-Men had found her ten minutes later, when they'd broken down the door to room 3 of the Westchester Motel '6'. Scott was there suddenly holding her, running his hands through her hair he knocked off the inhibitor and Jean regained the use of her mind. Logan could smell what had happened and was so mad he was shredding the other Queen size bed with his claws and had to be sedated by Hank, who then carried the short Canadian onto the plane. Storm wrapped Jean in the blanket and Scott carried her to the Blackbird as she kept saying over and over,
"Sinister sent
him, he's coming back for me." Gambit and Rogue stayed behind intent on
being the welcome wagon when Sabretooth returned, but they waited for nothing.
Sabretooth had spotted the X-Men's jet taking off and he knew that he'd lost
her. Sinister would not be happy about this, because it meant that security
around Jean would be increased and she was now going to be untouchable for a
long time.
*****
Sinister listened to
the report Sabretooth phoned in and after he'd finished yelling at the catman for his frailer and incompetence he hung up the
phone and smiled as he spun his big leather chair around and around. His plan
had worked perfectly, by his calculations Sabretooth had done just what
Sinister had known he would, what any red blooded, psychotic man would have
done… now all Sinister had to do was sit back and in time he would just have to
send Scalphunter to retrieve the tiger's cub for him.
*****
It was to the sounds of someone experiencing gut-wrenching vomiting that Scott Summers woke up to too early one morning a month and a half later. Still half a sleep he stumbled into the bathroom and found his wife on her knees worshiping the god of porcelain… Ralph.
"Jean hon' are you all right?" he whispered still half asleep. Suddenly he found himself pined to the wall by a large invisible hand, and Jean's piercing gaze.
"Do I look alright, and don't call me hon', HE called me that." Jean had gone through many counselling sessions with Professor Xavier, and with the help of the Internet she'd been able to recover from her ordeal, except when someone said something that sounded like something HE would say, Logan and his Canadian expressions was one of the worst people for her to be around just now. "I think I just threw up my kidney. This is all I need now…the flu." Suddenly she went pail, dropped Scott in the toilet (Major yuck) and was flying out the bathroom window as Scott's aggravated cry of,
'JEEEEEAAAANNNN!!!!!!'
split the night behind her. Jean ignored him as she soon reached her
destination.
*****
In this dream Carly was dancing with him, and offering to brush his hair when they where alone… Then Hank found himself floating in the air over his bed, eye to eye with Jean. He was about to ask her what was going on when he realized he was in the process of being carried out his room and down the hallway, thankfully he was able to grab his towel from beside the door to cover himself or all the people who where pouring into the hall would have really had something to talk about besides Scott's scream. Jean had soon floated him down to his lab and plunked him down on his chair.
"I think I... I'm Pregnant!" she shouted at the stunned and barely clothed scientist. "I need to know, and if I am can you test to see who the father is?" Shaken Hank nodded and tying the towel around himself firmly he went to work.
***************
Later….
In the X-Men's kitchen every one spoke in hushed tones, and in one corner Scott (freshly showered) sat perched over a cup of Gambits coffee, drinking the strong brown liquid without shuttering, or noticing that his spoon had disintegrated. The silence was ripped suddenly by a shrill scream, Hank's shrill scream….
"Jean, don't hurt me, I'm only telling you what the test says…AAAAGGGGGRRRGGGG, not my towel." That last comment had sounded closer, and Bishop had stood to leave the kitchen to investigate, when the door swung open, knocking the time traveler back into last week, as Hank followed by Jean rushed in. Seeing her husband Jean collapsed at his side.
"Oh Scott, I…I've…I've got the flu…" The entire room exhaled with relief. "And I'm PREGNANT!!" everyone gasped and Gambit passed out on top of Bishop, knocking them both out. In the silence that followed Jubilee was heard muttering,
"I am not changing any dippers." And Iceman followed with his comment of "Dido." Which earned them both a hard look from everyone assembled.
"Who is the father?" someone whispered, no one was ever quite sure whom, but the odds on favourite was Cannonball. Hank looked uncomfortable, as he grabbed his slipping towel.
"It is too soon to
test, it could endanger the child at this stage." He explained that it
would take two more months before he could carry out that kind of test without
risking the embryo's life.
******
Two months later…
The morning sickness lasted two weeks, and then the 'I have to eat it if it's salty.' Faze passed and the pretzel companies had wept, but they where drowned out by cheers of the dairy producers and Gambit complaining about having to go to the store for strong cheddar cheese at three in the morning, when A) It was not his wife. B) He was not the father. And C) Rogue or Storm could have flown out and got it instead. He kept on grumbling till he saw the babe who was working the cash register at the all night mini-mart. Then it was time, the baby was old enough to survive the test. Jean sat with Scott waiting for the results, unconsciously stroking the bump that was her baby, and that was when she felt it, that she couldn't deny what she was feeling was the baby. Inside herself she felt a fluttering like when a butterfly lands on you, she opened up her link to Scott so he could feel it too, it startled him and he quickly looked into her eyes and they smiled. Xavier hovered in.
"Jean, Scott, you will be receiving the results of the test soon, and I feel I need to ask you, what will you do if the baby is Sabretooths'? Will you and Scott want to raise it? I don't condone it but there is abortion, and if you keep the baby till full term, adoption is an option if you decide you don't want it." Jean looked troubled and then took a deep breath.
"I know Scott would help me, but Professor if this is Sabretooth's baby every time I look at it, it would remind me of what He did to me, I couldn't live with that every day, but I won't kill a child because of who It's father is. I have been thinking about it and adoption is what I wanted to look into, but this baby will be a mutant, who would take it?"
"I have spoken
with Moira, and she assured me there are people who can look after the child
and will care for it." The Professor reassured her, just as Hank walked in
with a white envelope in his large hand. Hank placed the envelope on the table
and followed Xavier out of the room leaving Scott and Jean alone. The couple
hesitated a moment and then the envelope lifted into the air and ripped open.
The test results where written in red inc. as red as the rage Scott felt when
he read that the baby his wife carried was not his child, but that it was
99.98% the child of a cold blooded killer. Jean just sat there weeping silently
for her husband, herself and for the baby who would never know it's parent's
love.
*****
Throughout the pregnancy….
Jean tried to separate herself from the baby, but every kick, every time it tickle her it went to her heart. She began treating it like it was a baby she was having for someone who couldn't have one, that it was not truly hers. Jubilee had joked one morning that they couldn't go around calling the kid "IT' so she started calling it 'Pookie' after Garfield's teddy bear, and soon everyone was referring to the baby as Pookie. Then there was the morning Jean learned the hard way that Pookie was allergic to cucumbers, one of her favourite foods, she was eating one and taking big sniffs of its cool, crisp scent when Pookie started to do barrel rolls in her and scared her into thinking she was going to lose the baby, in her worry she did something she'd never done before, she connected with her child's mind and felt it's disgust of the food she had eaten. Hank had administered an allergy shot through Jean, and Pookie had seen to it that the offending food was booted out of Jean's system.
Rogue had become very close to Jean during this time, at first it was guilt at having been the one to have lost her, then because she was fascinated by the baby growing in Jean. She cried when Jean asked her to be her birthing coach, but had eagerly accepted the job, and secretly started knitting baby cloths in her room for Pookie that showed her love. The first ultrasound photos where passed around secretly till they got to Logan who had shredded them, the second ultrasound photos where kept away from him, Jean and Scott. The third set of ultrasound photos appeared at the dinner table, curtsey of Hank (The photographer), on the night that Jean and Scott where eating at the boathouse, and Logan was at Harry's Hideaway.
"Cool, you can see the head, the hands and look at those feet, but what is that little bump?" Bobby asked through a mouth full of mashed potatoes. Hank cleared his thought and said,
"External pluming." At everyone's confused look he smiled and repeated, "That little bump is what tells us that Pookie is a little boy."
"You mean that that is his…" Hank cut Bobby off.
"Yes." Bobby looked closer and muttered.
"Poor kid, then again with Sabretooth as his father." The following silence was broken by Jubilee's snigger and soon everyone in the room was laughing.
"I guess it is a good thing I didn't show you this one first, " Hank said holding up a second Photo. "Pookie may be tiny yet in that area but his tail is coming in fine."
"Tail?" everyone said at once, Hank nodded.
"At first I got
the photos reversed and thought he was over endowed, then I realized that it
was in the wrong place for what I thought it was, and in the right place for
what it is." The rest of the evening was spent whispering about how maybe Nightcrawler might be willing to teach Pookie
to use his tail when he was older. The next day Xavier called everyone into his
study when he realized that most of the X-Men where under the assumption that
Jean was planning on Keeping Pookie, when in fact
he'd spoken with Moira and asked her to find a home for the baby. Rogue was
heart broken, Jubilee amended that she was only kidding about not helping with
the dippers and even offered to baby sit if they wanted. But when Jean explained
how she felt the X-Men where understanding but saddened.
******
So it was that on October 31st at 1:00pm a little boy was born at the Xavier institute for higher learning. The Screaming bundle was handed off to Rogue who took it away before Jean or Scott saw it, She bathed it, put him into his first dipper and dressed him in the little cloths she had knit, he didn't like the hat. Gambit had a mini Jet ready to fly her and the baby to Mure Island within the hour and as they traveled Rogue cried and so did Gambit, here he was with the woman he loved, a perfect baby and when he landed he was going to break her heart, then he suddenly slammed the mini jet in to hover mode.
"Gambit what's wrong?" Rogue asked holding the baby protectively. "Why are you stopping?" The Thief smiled at her.
"Rogue, Gambit love you, Gambit love dat baby… I say we keep de little Griffin." There he'd said the name he'd come up with for the baby when he'd thought 'What do you call the son of a Sabretooth Tiger and a Phoenix?' "Gambit want a family, he don't have de guild o' thieves anymore, and dis feel so right chere." Rogue looked at him in shock.
"Moira is too busy with the legacy virus to look after him, But how can we, we have to go back, Jean won't want Griffin there." She whispered. Gambit stroked her hair.
"Gambit, he got friends in Montreal, dey will help us, we crash dis and disappear, become someone else, a family." It was a huge step, and a crazy one but…
"All I ever wanted was a family of ma own. Gambit, I love you and now we can all be together." At that moment the communications beeped. "Hello"
"Rogue, computer shows you stopped over the ocean, is everything o.k?" Storm asked, a flash of pain shadowed Gambit's eyes as he realized he'd never see his friend again.
"Der is no problem Stormy, everythin' is goin' to be fine…good-bye."
"Very well, take
care my friends, I'll see you both soon and Remy DON'T CALL ME STORMY."
Rogue looked at Gambit. He nodded and set the mini jet in motion, as Rogue
collected Griffin's things, and opening the hatch she took the baby in one arm
and her true love in the other and together they watched the mini jet fly full
speed into the side of a mountain on a deserted island, where it blew up into
micro sized pieces as they all flew away to start their new lives. Gambit
remembered to stretch his mental shielding to cover Rogue and Griffin to hide
them from any physic searches just as the professor's mind began to search for
them.
*****
Back at the X-mansion….
Storm cried out as the blip that was the mini jet disappeared from the tracking screen and everyone came running into the room. Taking the situation at a glance Xavier probed for survivors, but finally had to give up.
"They are gone." Sadness fell over the room and everyone filed out,
'Figures Tooth's kid
would take out two of the best with him.' Logan's mental thoughts leaked into
Xavier's mind as he sat in his darkened study and wept.
*****
14 Years later…
Mr. Sinister hated these medical conferences, why did he put up with them he asked himself for the seventh time. At least it was time for lunch, leaving the hotel he was staying in he made his was to St. Lawrence street in downtown Montreal, looking around for someplace to eat he was surprised to see a sign that read "Chez Gambit" ironic that there was a restaurant with the same name as his long dead, favourite, test subject. Shrugging he stepped inside…and was even more surprised to see that the hostess resembled the deceased mutant once known as Rogue, frankly he was in shock.
"I'm with the medical conference." He stammered.
"Hi ya Sugar, I'll just be a moment." With that she turned and spoke to a tall lanky busboy who had curly red/gold hair, and who's eyes where mismatched, one bright green and the other so gold it looked almost yellow. "Griff, go tell you're pa that the group from the conference is starting to get here."
"Sure, no problemo Ma." He smiled and ran silently into the back room.
"We have a special for the group from the conference." She turned back to explain, seeing the look on his face she asked him "Are you alright."
"My dear I've
never felt better in my life." Sinister said after he caught a glimpse of
the boy returning followed by none other then 'HIS' Gambit. And Sinister smiled
at Rogue, so brightly, the lights seamed to dim in the restaurant. Once seated
at his table Sinister took out his phone and called his hotel room.
"Scalp, get the others together, I have a job for you and bring a power
voiding collar with you."
******
Later that day…
Griffin was on his way to the Chapters bookstore on St. Catherine Street, to pick up the book on Greek myths he'd ordered a week ago, when he got the funny feeling in the pit of his stomach that he was being watched.
'Montreal is full of tourist, who like to watch the natives.' But his parent's training was to never underestimate your gut feelings, so he hurried into the store and got his book, but before stepping out again he went to the windows and looked out. The sidewalk held the pedestrians who dodged cars to cross the street when the lights where red. Just out side to the left there was a white van pulling up and a man got out with a movie camera in his hands, as two other men in strange costumes climbed out. Were they going to film a seen for a movie? Curious Griffin stepped out to watch them, like many other people where.
"O.k. boys and action…" at the cameraman's command the two men rushed forward and suddenly grabbed Griffin, before he could lash out to protect himself one of then snapped something around his neck and Griff felt his heightened scenes and other powers become muted then stop all together. About to cry out for help Griff found himself picked up and carelessly thrown into the white van and the three men jumping in behind, as a silver haired woman floored the accelerator and Griffin thought to himself,
'Papa is really goin' to be mad at these guys when he finds dem.' he pressed the homing signal on his watch and then
the world went dark as one of the men pinched a nerve in his neck.
*****
At "Chez Gambit"…
Dinners where surprised to see a man who looked like the restaurant's celebrated owner running out the door dressed in a long brown trench coat and wearing some kind of strange head cover as he called out to the hostess…
"Rogue, Griffin's signal wet off, stay hear and guard the other children," he saw her look of pain. "Don't worry we'll be back before you can miss us." And he was gone.
"Too late you crazy Cajun I already miss you. Bring our son home to me." She whispered, as she signalled someone to take her place, then she went up to the second floor apartment where her other children where playing. Jean-Luc (8) was surfing the web, Stormy (6) was reading a book, Cody (6) was blasting monsters in his video game, and Morgan (3) was practicing opening the assortment of locks her father had given her with the lock-picks she could find no matter where or how many times Rogue hid them from her.
"Ma, where did papa go?" Rogue held Stormy close thankful that all her children where immune to her touch.
"Griffin signalled him, I …I don't know where…" Jean-Luc logged off and came over to his mother.
"Could be that Griff just knocked his watch on something like Cody did last year when it was nap time during his kindergarten class. Miss. Greenly is still telling all the teachers about how papa dropped in through the open window 'looking like an avenging angel.'" Rogue smiled remembering how Remy blushed every time someone reminded him about that story. The hours dripped past like molasses in February, the children where all huddled together on the couch asleep when the sound Rogue had dreaded hearing started to buzz through the apartment. "Ma, that's papa's danger noise." Jean-Luc murmured still half asleep.
"I know baby, I
know." Rogue knew what she had to do, walking over to the phone she
punched in a number she'd not called in almost fifteen years. When the phone
was answered she hesitated. "Hello Bobby it's me…Rogue."
******
X-Manor…
Bobby was swearing to himself as he ran for the phone before it woke up the whole house and worried that if Kelly woke up he and Page would never get her back to sleep without having to hunt down the closet, under-bed and underwear monsters again, which took a half hour every night, then he cursed himself for having told her about them in the first place.
"Look do you have any idea what time it is…" Then the voice on the other end of the phone registered and he let out a strangled "Rogue…" and passed out, nearly landing on little Remy, Storm and Logan's 11-year-old son.
"Uncle Bobby…DAD…. DAD UNCLE BOBBY PASSED OUT IN THE HALL!!!!" Little Remy wasn't as calm in emergency situations as his mother was. Logan was there in seconds, casting a look at Bobby he grabbed the phone and barked….
"Who is this?" The answer he got made him stagger for a moment as people came streaming into the hall (yes they do this a lot here) "Rogue…your alive…what Remy is missing, I know that you've been missing for almost fifteen years…he's missing recently…. went out looking for one of you're KIDS!" within twenty minutes a teem of Storm, Logan Scott, Jean, Jubilee and Bishop where assembled in the Black bird and heading for Montreal, still stunned that the missing X-Men where alive.
"Those two better have one heck of an excuse for what they did or they're going to get one heck of a lecture from 'One-eye'." Jubilee muttered as she left. Page and Little Remy led the children back to their rooms and Bobby went to wake up Angelo and peel his hide off for falling asleep on monitor duty
'I know Marrow's
pregnancy is really taking up all his energy, but he should have said
something.' He muttered to himself.
*****
Montreal…
The Blackbird was clocked and parked in a field; Storm and Jean used their powers to fly everyone to the top of the restaurant where Rogue was waiting for them. They landed and followed her into the apartment where four sets of little eyes looked them over. All the children had various shades of red hair, the oldest boy looked like Rogue and the littlest girl, who walked right up to Bishop and hugged his leg, was definitely Gambit's daughter except that she had blue eyes.
"Morgan you give that back to Bishop right now, what have I told you all about playing with guns?"
"Not in the house." All four children coursed together.
"Watch her she'll steal your fillings." Stormy warned them. "I'm Stormy, fadeout artist and top notch gymnast, this is my twin brother Cody fastest karate kid in the western hemisphere, that is Jean-Luc our information and technology wizard, and sticky fingers here is Morgan." Morgan smiled her father's smile up at Bishop, who muttered,
"We've met." As he took his boot pistol back from the little girl, and Jubilee sniggered.
"Morgan can find anything you want to hide, it's her special skill." Rogue explained. As the X-Men arranged themselves around the room and listened to Rogue explain the situation, there would be time to ask questions about their reasons for playing dead later. Rogue went over the whole day's events and about how Griffin, her oldest son's watch alarm had gone off, and how Remy had gone to get him and never returned then his alarm had sounded too. "I couldn't leave the children and if they got Remy they must know about our powers." Scott asked more questions about the medical convention and about the man who'd acted funny at lunchtime when he'd seen Remy; he was about to call Hank to check the hotel to see if anyone had checked out early when Jean-Luc piped in.
"I can do dat…Look." With a thought he called up a program he'd made and suddenly he reached INTO his monitor and pulled out his keyboard. At Scott's wide-eyed look he explained. "Putting it away der, keeps it out of de way when I'm not using it." and he went back to the scrolling list of information. "Here ya go sir, two rooms checked out early one was a Doctor Nathan and the other was a Mr. Hunter…. This is funny…"
"What?" Scott asked crouching down next to the boy.
"They both list the same home address, I'll call it up on my map program, yes there it is." Jean-Luc pointed to a flashing purple point on the green map.
"Hey Luc, could you use dat thin' to show where papa and Griff's alarms are coming from?" Cody asked, Jean-Luc slapped his forehead and was quickly typing again.
"Ma, could you turn the dish southwest about 40 degrees please." Jean-Luc asked her. Rushing for the door Rogue called back.
"I'm on it kid." By the time she got back everyone was gathered around the monitor. "What… What do ya see?" Storm stepped aside and made room for her to see the 3-D outline of warehouse with two flashing lights at different parts of the building.
"The White light is papa, and de yellow one is Griffin, they've been separated, heat scan shows guards around both areas and a person with a very low body temperature is in the room with papa." Scott pointed to the screen.
"That is an old Sinister hideout…I knew things where too quiet." He turned to the others "Storm, Jean and Rogue you stay here with the children…"
"Now wait a minute I'm…" Rogue protested.
"Look Rogue this is Sinister, if he finds out Gambit has kids he'll want them, Storm and Jean have kids too. They are back home if anything happens to Logan and me they need to still have one parent there for them. At Rogue's confused look Storm stepped over to Logan and kissed him, seeing Rogue's look he held up three fingers and smiled.
"Well I'll be…Wait till Remy hears this…" Then she went pale, remembering that she might never see Gambit or Griffin again.
"Don't worry Rogue
we'll be back with them in no time, then you can explained about the great
disappearing act you and Gumbo pulled." Jubilee, who'd grown up into a
striking woman, hugged her and stopped suddenly "uh…Jean Could you give us
a lift to the Blackbird." Realizing that they where on foot without the
two women.
*****
Griffin opened his eyes, and saw that he was still sprawled on the Cell's floor and chained to the same wall, with the same door and the same guard standing there as before.
"Hey, I have to go to de bathroom, you can't do dis to me I am a Canadian." The tall blond man looked in at him and smiled a smile that made Griff's skin crawl as he stepped into the room and looked him in the eye.
"Well so am I and if ya don't shut you're yap kid I'll rip it off and then you'll never have to worry about usin' a bathroom again. You look familiar to me smell kind of like someone I can't quite place."
"Boy I'll have to
bath more often." Griffin said hoping to distract the man with his sarcasm
as he uncoiled his four foot long, lion like tail from around his waist, where
it had been hidden under his jacket and recoiled it around the guard's foot,
then knocked him off his feet. Sabretooth hit his head with a loud 'whack' and
was out cold as Griff coiled his tail around the keys and unlocked himself from
the wall. Once freed he looked at the man who was incredibly coming around
again already, so he quickly locked him into the chains and pulling off the
man's boot he stuffed the man's sock into his mouth to gag him, 'Ya major gag.' Griff thought as he looked at the key ring
and noticed an odd shaped key clipped to the others, hope flooded through him
as he felt the collar around his neck for an opening. The collar released with
a sharp click and fell into his hands. With a smile Griffin snapped it around
the man's neck and then stood there a minute to study how he looked. This was
still a very new power for Griff, one that he'd been working on during the
family training sessions in the basement, and it gave him a sore head, but he
knew he had to use it, because when he'd looked at his watch the little heart
was flashing in the corner, and that meant his papa was in trouble too, and
Griff was going to help him no matter what. So with a thought and a snap of his
left hand his body image shifted and in the room there now stood two Sabretooths'.
*****
In Sinister's lab…
"Sinister if you hurt Gambit's son he goin' ta kill you." Remy shouted from his prone position, strapped to the metal table. Sinister Laughed.
"Now, now Gambit don't lie, that boy is not your son and you know it, but if you wait I'll let you watch the father son reunion I'm planning. So nice of you to wake up, you've been asleep a very long time." Just then Sabretooth walked into the room "I told you to watch the boy Sabretooth." For a second Sabretooth looked confused then growled back.
"Kid kept whinnying that he had to go to the bathroom, then he peed himself and I sent him off to sleep for a while." Gambit started swearing at the same time Sinister shouted.
"You idiot, now I'll have to go and see if you've damaged the boy, you just better hope you haven't killed your son…" Tooth froze "Happy reunion, did you notice the resemblance." Sinister stormed out of the room.
"That nasty blond dude was my bio. Dad…." Gambit broke off his swearing when he realized Sabretooth had started to unlock his chains.
"Your dad…Sabretooth, no you not de Tooth…Griffin! Is dat you?" Griff nodded and flashed his papa a smile. "Good thinkin' Griff, usin' dat illusion power of yours." Gambit smiled as Griff opened the last restraint.
"I'm also really glad you insisted I learn to use my tail for more then swatting flies. Lets get out of here I can't hold this illusion any more and I want to go home." Gambit was off the table and at his son's side as Griffin snapped his right hand becoming himself again as they ran out the lab door and down a long hallway, just as Sinister and a really pissed off Sabretooth appeared behind them.
"So, you little snot you're my son well looks like I'm going to have to teach you to respect your elders boy." Sabretooth growled as both Gambit and Griff spun to face them.
"Gambit, you are not leaving me again, you belong to me." An explosion rocked the hall where the two escaping prisoners had been heading and a tall Asian woman stepped out of the dust, as she lifted her sunglasses up she flashed a smile at Gambit.
"Sorry Sinny, the Cajun belongs to Rogue and then the X-Men have dibs on him." With that she sent three large glowing balls of light down the hall. "Um…Remy, DUCK!" Gambit pulled Griffin off his feet and covered him as the end of the hall exploded, taking the lab with it. Back on their feet again Remy took Griff to the hole Jubilee had made and they followed her out through it.
"Well you really grew up didn't you Petite." Gambit called as they caught up with her.
"I kind of didn't have a choice Remy, good thing my powers grew too hu? The guys are waiting at the Bird for us; Logan called them back from looking for you when I said I found you." She looked at the boy running beside her, she noticed his hair and eye colour then her step faltered and Gambit had to grab her. "Oh my gosh your… your 'POOKIE'." Griffin froze and threw an insulted look at his father.
"Papa! How could you have told her that gosh awful nickname you and ma called me all my life." Gambit turned and tried to explain.
"Actually she's the one who named you Pookie." Just then Sinister appeared waving the only working device that had survived Jubilee's explosions and he bellowed,
"If I can't have you, I'll take the boy, It was my plan that created him, I knew Sabretooth couldn't resist Jean when he had her all to him self, I'm the reason he exists." Then he aimed and fired at Griffin…. Jubilee saw what was happening and back-flipped landing on Griffin and ended up being shot full force by Sinister's device as Logan and Cyclops appeared to blast and shredded Sinister into pieces so small it would take him a year to pull himself back together. Griffin sat on the ground holding the woman who had just saved his life; she was actually smiling up at them.
"Well I guess I'll be joining Chamber sooner then I thought." She smiled sadly thinking about her husband who'd burned himself out saving the She'ar Empire five years ago. "I'm going to miss Wolvie, and hearing you're story about why you wanted us to think you died Gumbo, " She looked over at Griffin "but I think I know why you did it, he's really cute, I'm going to miss the X-Men and…and what the? …I'm shrinking, great dieing and shrinking too." Griffin looked at her.
"You look like you are getting younger…" Logan ran over carrying the thing Sinister had shot Jubilee with.
"Hey kid, enough with the eulogy, this is the thin' that deaged Storm …twice. It's set for 11 years looks like you're going to be 18 again." He chuckled.
"18, Wolvie I was going to be 30 in seven months. What am I going to do being 18 again?" Logan scratched his head.
"Well the thing is broken, guess you'll have plenty of time to figure that out." Jubilee huffed.
"Perfect, the youngest X-man again." Griffin cleared his thorough.
"Would you like to go see a movie with me some time? Now that we are near the same age and all maybe we could hang out together." He offered, trying to take her mind off her problem.
"Oh Pookie that would be fun, you could tell me all about your family." Griffin cringed.
"Um…could you call
me Griff?" Jubilee just smiled at him and made no promises. As the deageing process finished the X-Men flew back to Montreal
where the women where waiting. Scott cast an unsure glance at Griffin, how
would Jean react to seeing him?
*****
Montreal…
"Jean I…I love that boy, he is our son, till Remy and I figured out how to have our own he was all we had." Jean took a deep breath as she looked at the family photo on the wall, the photo that had revealed to her just who Griffin really was… he had her smile and her father's nose. All she could see of Sabretooth in the boy was his height and a golden eye, that held none of Sabretooth's psychotic light.
"When I was carrying him I would pretend I was really carrying him for someone else, I never thought of him as mine. I'm happy he's become yours." Jean admitted to Rogue quietly, just then Storm spoke.
"They are returning everyone is fine…only," silence fell over the room and the two redheads where shocked to see Storm burst into laughter. "Jubilee has been deaged by sinister and is now about 18 again… it is nice when it is not me, oh Rogue you're Griffin really is Gambit's son, he's already asked Jubilee out to the movies and dinner…at the best restaurant in town, his father's of course, and Jean she said yes" Jean smiled.
"Ever science Chamber's death she hasn't dated, I'm happy for her. Rogue yours and Gambit's old rooms are now being used as Storm and Page's nurseries but building a gatehouse shouldn't take too long, if you want to come back?" Rogue smiled and was about to answer when her husband appeared in the doorway.
"Jean, we'll call de contractor in de mornin', my manager can handle dis place. Rogue, children…. Lets go home." Jean-Luc walked up to his computer and laid his hand on the side of the metal desk, and it folded up on itself till it was the size of a slim laptop. The twins hugged their parents. Jean and Scott looked over at where Griffin stood with Jubilee , and they spoke quietly to each other and Jean smiled up into his eyes as she simply stated,
"He is Rogue and Gambit's son, I'm happy for them." Logan held Storm and started telling Gambit about his name's sake little Remy. Jubilee now fully 18 again smiled and blushed when Griffin leaned over thanking her for rescuing them and kissed her cheek to stop her from say 'Pookie this and Pookie that." that is till Logan growled at him and Bishop took his gun back from Morgan again and muttered,
"Not in the house pup." as all of the X-Men Laughed.
The end