By DelCreed
(griffincreed@hotmail.com )
April 11, 2001
What if…Jubilee couldn't get over the fact that Sabretooth is one of Griffin's fathers.
Warning: Graphic self-hurting and angst. Some implied M/M it just happened as I was writing and it was funny so deal with it.
Disclaimer:
"The Price of Acceptance" is a dimension #2 Griffin story and takes place after "The Tiger's Cubs" but it is only a "What if..." because Jubilee would never be so narrow-minded.
Griffin in any dimension is mine, all mine. So if you want to use him please ask, submit a blood sample and write a 1,000,000 word explanation on what you want to do with him and then I might let you barrow him, the same thing goes for Metallica and the twins Loric and Navar.
As ever Marvel owns all the rights to the X-Men, I admit to borrowing them from time to time for my own purposes, without their permission, but since I don't make any money from this, or anything else in my life, I hope they will take pity on me and ignore what is in fact my tribute to their creations.
Italic words = flash backs
# # = Griffin's 'Voice' created with his sound effect powers.
'Thoughts'
"Speech"
XXXXXXXXXX
Storm's room:
*Snip * a long red/gold lock of hair fell to the floor.
He'd been walking down the hall on his way to the kitchen for a soda…*Snip * another lock of hair joined the first.
Then he'd heard her voice coming from the rec-room and he'd stopped to listen to it…*Snip* 'Ow' the scissors cut too close... and one more lock fell away.
He'd liked her from the moment he'd first seen her, but standing there just out side the rec-room door it took him a moment to realize what she was saying… about Him.
*Snip* he brushed the tears away from his mismatched eyes. *Snip* 'Have to get it off of me… it looks too much like his…' soon there was nothing left for the scissors to do and Griffin looked into the full-length mirror on the wall before him. 'That is finished, now for the other… Things.'
"No, I like don't want to hang out with HIM… he… he, well he's 'tooth's kid. I mean ya should look at him if ya …just look at him. He has the same wild, long hair, and he has the same kind of claws that I've seen rip into Wolvie too many times… even when he smiles, and he dose that a lot, I can't stop looking at those fang teeth and don't you go saying Wolvie has fangs too, I know he dose, but Griff's are bigger just like 'Tooth's are."
*Sigh* 'Well the hair is gone now.' Griffin picked up the pliers from the floor and closed them over the end of a bronze coloured claw and with a vicious tug he ripped that claw away from the small finger of his right hand. If he had vocal-cords his scream might have echoed throughout the house but all that came out of his mouth was a rush of expelled air and his healing factor stopped the blood almost at once. Taking another breath he moved the pliers on to the next claw.
*******
Walking up the stairs to her room Storm pause, something felt wrong, she looked at her door… it was closed. Quietly she approached the door and opened it. The sight that greeted her tore at her heart.
'The boy!' Gasping she saw Griffin tear off one of his claws with the cruel metal tool and watched has he let it fall to the floor, where a scattered pile of red/gold hair and other claws already rested. It was seeing him about to rip away another claw that had her crying out "Griffin NO!" She rushed across the room and knocked the pliers out of his hand as he looked at her with tearful eyes. "Hank come to my room at once your medical skills are needed!" Storm shouted, yes she shouted, then she pulled Griffin into her arms and grabbed his right hand to look at what he'd done to himself. He'd managed to remove three of his claws and if she hadn't stopped him he would have taken off a fourth one. "Why child? Why?"
#For her.# Griff's 'voice' sounding like a ghost's whispered in her ear. #Because now she'll like me, because I won't look like him anymore.#
"Look like who?"
**************
Hallway, ground floor:
Dr. Henry McCoy carrying a first-aid kit went rushing by Wolverine and Jubilee.
"Hey Hank where's the fire?" Logan called out after the blue furred mutant who was now bounding up the stairs.
"Storm summoned me to her room… she was shouting." Henry's worried voice was still coloured with shock, because Storm never shouts. Logan and Jubilee exchanged looks and were soon fallowing Hank to Storm's room. They reached the door just in time to hear Hank say, "Oh my stars and garters, Storm what happened to him… who did this to Griffin?"
"He did this to himself Hank." Storm replied. Logan and Jubilee peeked into the room and saw Hank kneeling on the floor beside Storm, who was cradleing Griffin in her arms, a much-changed Griffin. The boy Storm held, as Hank gently examined the damaged hand, no longer had long red/gold hair, it was now cut so close to his head that you could see the scalp in some places and the still pink skin and traces of blood testified that he must have cut himself badly a time or two as he'd cut off the hair. Looking closer the two at the door could see that the hand Hank held was missing three claws.
"Why, why would he do such a thing?" Hank patted Griffin on the shoulder and Griff curled up tighter against Storm and hid his face in her shoulder.
"Because he overheard someone, someone he has feelings for, saying that because he looks like Sabretooth she could never like him. So he decided to… to remove the things she disliked, hoping that would solve the problem." Storm was now gently rocking Griffin. In the doorway Jubilee gasped and Logan looked at her.
"Jubes you…?" He tried to ask. Storm looked at them and frowned.
"Jubilee… please leave my room immediately." Storm commanded like the goddess she had once been and Griff stiffened in her arms. "Your careless words have done their damage." Jubilee went pail and ran from the room. Logan walked over to them and turned Griffin's face so he could see the boy's eyes.
"I got more reason then most ta hate Sabretooth and he may be one of your dads but you aren't anything like him, do you hear me? You aren't like him, you protected your brothers and sister when we first saw you and your always thinking of others, if you're like anyone you're like Jean and Chuck." Logan reached out and ran his hand over the boy's head and smiled. "Heck you look more like Chuck now, next time you want a haircut come an' ask me first." Griffin nodded. Logan and Hank stood at the same time and they pulled Griffin to his feet as Storm stood.
"Now, I'll need to check you in the Med-Lab to see what I can do for your hand." Hank put a friendly arm around Griff and started to walk him out of the room. Griffin paused and looked back at Storm.
#I'm sorry about the mess I made of your room… it … it was the quietest place I could find.#
"Do not worry Griffin when Henry is finished with you please join me in the back garden later." Griffin nodded and followed Hank out of the room. Storm knelt on the floor and started to gather up the long locks of hair.
"Need any help?" Logan asked. Storm shook her head, and then nodded.
"Yes, please return these to where they belong." She handed Logan the pliers with a look of distaste. "I will see to this." She was holding the hair, stroking it. "It is so soft, like that of a young child." Logan frowned and started to leave. "Logan, you should speak to Jubilee." He sighed and left.
*************
An Hour Later:
Hank was sitting with the Professor in the study, along with Scott, Jean, Storm, Logan and Jubilee.
"How's the kid Hank?" Logan asked. Henry sighed.
"He was very upset and I deemed it fit to sedate him so he could get some rest. The cuts on his scalp have healed and the hair has already started to grow back slowly."
"Ya healin' factor likes hair, need to cut mine every three to four days." Logan commented. This was something Henry hadn't known and he was about to ask more about this aspect of Logan's powers when Jean asked,
"How is his hand?" She, Scott and Charles had only just returned from a lecture on the need for mutant understanding, when they'd heard what Griffin had done. Needless to say The Professor was upset about the whole situation.
"Griffin managed to pull out three of his claws and if Storm hadn't arrived he would have removed more, two have already grown back even though he damaged their roots, but the one he removed from the little finger of his right hand will never grow back because it's root was torn out completely with the claw." Jubilee sniffed in her chair near Logan.
"I.. I never… I didn't mean for him to hear me, I was just talkin' to Page on the phone and…. And she asked me what he was like." Scott glared at her; you could tell it was a glair because his visor was glowing slightly. It had surprised everyone, even Jean, that Scott liked Griffin and they got along well together. When Jean asked him about it he'd just shrugged and said that Griffin was the Professor's son and it was having a big brother effect on him.
"Jubilee you have been here long enough to know that you never judge someone because of who they are related to. Look around you, Sean's brother is Black Tom, just like Juggernaut is mine, and the list goes on." Charles said as he hovered closer, "I know you never meant for him to hear you, but he did and it hurt him deeply, deeper then it would have normally because… Griffin has feelings for you." Jubilee gasped and looked around the room, everyone had a knowing look on their face except Logan who looked just as shocked as Jubilee.
"He likes me? I know he thought I was nice lookin' from when Cable mind linked him to us that one time, but I've like never said two words to him." Jubilee sputtered.
"Griffin has 'loved' you from the moment he saw you Jubilee and he's been trying to become your friend ever since." Storm informed her. "That is why he was so hurt when he overheard what your true feelings about him were." Storm had felt a connection with Griffin too, but it was unlike Scott's brotherly friendship. At first it had been because of Griffin's catlike looks, which reminded Storm of the noble lions from the African grasslands, that she'd taken an interest in him, but then she'd seen that Mystique wouldn't be a mother to him and Jean was treating him more like a kind aunt, so Storm had decided to step into the roll of foster mother. Jubilee looked down and wiped her eyes.
"Come on kid lets go for a walk." Logan stood and they both left the room. Jean turned to Henry.
"How is he doing mentally, do you think he'll need to be watched." Hank smiled.
"Jean, he knows that the world isn't coming to an end, even if it seamed that way to him for a time, he'll be fine. As I remember boys are always doing things to impress and get the attention of the girls they like, as you might remember you yourself had four champions at one time." Jean blushed then smiled at Scott. "I recall the time a young man decided to surprise you with a magic flower garden and spent the entire night digging, hauling manure and planting flowers so that when you woke and looked out your window in the morning you'd see it first thing." Scott laughed.
"Yes and what she saw the next morning was you, Hank, covered in dirt, asleep in the middle of a big heart shaped flowerbed, snoring." Hank crossed his arms.
"True, but Jean did treat me to an ice cream later that day and she kissed my cheek. I'm just illustrating the fact that at times males will do strange-" Hank looked at Jean, "and wonderful things to try to impress the female of the species. What Griffin believed Jubilee wanted from him was just more difficult to do then digging a garden at midnight. Griffin's sacrifice was more along the lines of a Vincent Van Gogh."
***************
Outside in the Back garden:
Storm sat waiting for Griffin, as she looked at the heart shaped flowerbed she smiled now knowing how it had come into being. The soft whisper of a footstep reached her ear and she looked up to see Griffin standing nearby. His hair was about a half inch long now and although shorter then all his other claws the two that had grown back looked normal, there was only the nail-less little finger that would remain forever as a reminder of what he'd done that morning.
#Sorry I took so long, the stuff Dr. Hank gave me knocked me out.# Storm nodded, handed him a small shovel and they walked over to the side of the mansion where wooden trellises had been erected. #What are you planting today?# Storm smiled and looked down at the shovel in his hand. #Oh, okay what am I planting today.# She pointed at the row of little pots.
"Morning glories, they flower all summer and smell nice so even Logan will enjoy them." She then explained about how deep and far apart they should be planted and Griffin set to work. He'd only planted two of the flowers when a shadow fell over him, he looked up and then quickly turned to look away, it was Jubilee.
"Griffin-" She was kneeling beside him "Um, I… Storm said I could help you and you'd tell me what to do." He shot a quick side-glance at her and just kept digging. "You tryin' to reach China? I think the hole is big enough." He stopped. "Look I'm sorry, I never wanted you to hear that."
#But I did hear it, you don't have to worry I won't bother you any more.# He kept his gaze on the dirt in front of him. #You never even gave me a chance, you never tried to get to know me, you just judged me.# Jubilee had talked with Logan, the Professor and Storm and she knew what Griffin had just said was true, she'd never really given him a chance.
"I, I want a second chance. Please I'm sorry, I'm sorry and I know that doesn't fix things but I really am." He looked at her. Having been brought up by Vertigo, Scalphunter and Sinister you wouldn't believe Griffin had learned about forgiveness from any of them but there had always been a television around to keep him occupied and years of shows like Mr. Rodgers, Mr. Dress-up, and Sesame St. had taught him more about what was right and wrong then many parents ever teach their children.
#I heard how the X-Men are always giving everyone a second chance, Magneto, Sabretooth, Gambit, Magneto, Rogue, Magneto and the white Queen, sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it doesn't.# Griffin finally looked at her. #I might be an X-Man one day, guess I should start giving people second chances too.# Jubilee smiled at him.
"Thank you, I'll make it up to you." She held out her hand and he took it in his dirt covered one. Jubilee looked down disgusted.
#Guess what.#
"What?"
#There are worms in this dirt and I found a really big one.# Jubilee looked down at her hand and saw the large worm Griffin had left there for the first time, it squirmed happily. With a bloodcurdling scream she dropped it and ran around the side yard waving her hand around in the air. Griffin picked up the worm and ran after her. #Hey you dropped Slimy, how am I going to explained a concussion to Oscar the Grouch, he could have sprained something with you dropping him like that.# By now people were rushing to the side yard to see what the screaming was about. Rogue landed near Griffin looked at his cupped hands and asked,
"What ya got there lit' brother? Give it ta me right now." She held out her hand and Griff looked helplessly at Scott who was walking toward them with Jean (Those two are going in for surgery tomorrow to have themselves detached at the hip).
"Give it to her Griffin." Scott said as Griff sighed.
# Okay, here.# and he put the worm into Rogue's gloved hand… she screamed louder then Jubilee had, did a little dance around the yard and tossed the worm ten feet up into the air as she ran away still screaming.
"A worm, a big ol' wrigglin' worm." Griff jumped up and caught the worm again and ran over to show it to Jean. The men were laughing, Gambit was in tears and had to be held up by Bobby.
"Cher, if Remy laugh anymor' he goin' to wet himself." Bobby dropped him, stepping away quickly, still laughing Remy lay on the grass. Jean watched Griffin walking over to her.
"Don't you dare, just stay away from me with that thing." Jean formed a TK shield around herself (and Scott, because of their 'joined at the hip' thing). Griff paused for a moment then changed direction.
"Hey Wings, you have lunch yet, because if you haven't looks like Griff caught just the thing…" Warren Worthington glared at Bobby and the approaching boy stopped looking shocked at the Angel, the worm dangling in his hand.
#You wouldn't eat my worm, would you sir?# Gambit and Bobby traded glances and sniggered.
"Don' worry garson dat homme Warren he have dis thing agains' people who eat worms. Nes pa Worthington?" Gambit asked looking up innocently at Warren. Storm stepped over Remy's body and took the poor limp worm out of Griffin's hand and carried it back to the dirt. Only Griff heard her giggle.
"Finish up with the flowers you two and I'll take you for ice cream, I hear that is the preferred means of reward for planting flowers." She said looking at Hank and waited expecting Jubilee to complain about the worms, but was surprised when the girl just took the shovel and started to dig a hole.
"Griff you can put the flowers in and pat down the dirt around them, because I'm not touching that dirt." Griff nodded and they set to work, because the sooner they were done the sooner they'd get the reward. Everyone went back to what they'd been doing; accept for Bobby who sat down next to Remy, who was still sprawled on the grass, and tugged his boyfriend's head onto his lap.
"Bobby?" Bobby looked at him smiling, "Where do ya tink' dey goin' to be in… oh say seven years?" Bobby looked at the two youngsters and smiled.
"Together." Bobby said as he bent down to kiss Remy's smiling lips, "And almost as happy as us."
*************
Seven Years later:
"By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." The chapel erupted in cheers as the very tall man with long red/gold hair bent to kiss his black haired bride, and the cheers only increased when she raised his right hand and kissed his nail-less little finger. In the front row on the groom's side Sabretooth was crying on Forge's shoulder.
"My cub went and married that littl' runts pup." Forge pushed him away angrily.
"Stop it you psychopath, you're rusting me." On the bride's side Bobby sat next to Remy, cradeling their four-month-old daughter Morgan as Remy whispered into their son's ear.
"Ya see your aunt J and uncle Griff, your papa and daddy dey knew dis would happen years ago, even before you become our son Nicolas. Not a week after dey become friends I find you in dat basket in de woods near de front gates of de school." Little Nicholas raised his rainbow coloured eyes and looked at the happy couple, smiled then hugged his papa with all four of his arms.
"Un Remy, Morgan has sprung a leek I'll just be a moment and then we'll hit the reception okay." Remy nodded as he patted his daughter's orange and black streaked hair, it was beautiful with her deep gold skin and all black eyes.
"We'll wait here for you cher, an' I'll change her de next time." Bobby chuckled and muttered something that sounded like 'Sure you will.' Before kissing Remy and sliding off the pew. "Non, dis time I mean it."
"Papa, you always sayin' dat, but you also say dat you don' like de surprises she leave you." Nicholas reminded him. "When do we get to kiss de bride?"
'Dats my boy.' Remy thought as they walked over to congratulate Jubilee and Griffin.
Their beginning
My End