The service was small and quiet, just as Hank had said he wanted. The Professor stood and said a few words, as did Storm and Cyclops. Jubilee sat next to Wolverine, stone-faced and stoic. Rogue had still not recovered, and Gambit was sitting by her bed, though a system had been connected to the Med-Lab so they could hear the happenings. Jean was in a wheelchair, but faring better than she had been.
As soon as the proceedings were done, they all stood to pay their last respects. As Jubilee and Wolverine walked up, she pulled a Twinkie out of her pocket and laid it in his coffin.
"There ya go, Blue; something for the trip to Heaven." Wolverine smiled and placed his hand on her shoulder, leading her away. Once inside, she made straight for her room and grabbed her roller blades. Running outside, she pulled them on and began tearing around the grounds. She stopped when she came to her stunt track. Her and Beast had engineered it, and with Wolverine's help, it was completed in record time. She wiped a stray tear away defiantly and flew around the track, jumping and flipping, trying anything to get her mind off the pain. That's when she heard it; the sound of a motorcycle revving up and taking off.
"Let him go," she said to no one in particular, "I'm not chasing him this time." And she continued her routine until sundown. She pulled her blades off and trudged up the stairs. She slammed the blades into the corner and pulled clothes out of her nightstand. Grabbing a towel, she went into the bathroom and took a long, hot shower. Once she had completely used up all the hot water in the mansion, she turned off the water and began toweling dry.
That's when she realized she had pulled one of Wolverine's old shirts out of her drawer. Silent tears fell down her face as she wondered how far away he was now. She finished drying and dressing and thumped down the stairs. She was starving, as she hadn't stopped blading for lunch. She entered the kitchen to see most of the X-team sitting solemnly around the table…including Wolverine. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at him.
"What's wrong, darlin'?" He stood, his protectiveness kicking in.
"Oh, nuthin," she shrugged it off and continued her trek to the cereal, "Just thought I heard your scoot leaving earlier. Never heard ya come back." Her insides were jumping and twisting, screaming at her to tell the full truth: she thought he wasn't coming back.
"Wasn't me," he said warily, aware that something was not right with her.
"Gambit left earlier to pick up something for Rogue. He hasn't come back yet," Cyclops stated. She nodded and began to eat her Cocoa Puffs. She inhaled them quickly, as well as another bowl, and excused herself from the table. As she passed, Wolverine instinctively sniffed the air. She's scared of something, and she's been cryin', though that's probably from Hank's death.
He stood and followed her scent up to her room, but when he knocked, no one answered. He entered cautiously and found the window wide open. He ran over and realized her scent went up. He stuck his head out and peered up. The ledge was just out of reach, but the kid always was a good gymnast. He peered down, just in case, and saw no sign that she had fallen. He walked back out to the attic, bypassing Storm's room, and made his way onto the roof.
He spotted her easily, stretched out, looking at the night sky. The sun was still giving off faint light on the horizon, but not enough to conceal the starry sky. Silently, he lay down next to her, but she made no move to indicate he was there. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Darlin' why did ya think I left?" His gaze remained on the sky, as did hers, but his eyes shifted over to her form constantly. After several minutes of silence, she took a deep breath and spoke softly.
"Cause that's what you always do," she said simply. But those six words cut into his heart like a serrated knife. But she didn't stop there. "And you know what? I told myself I wasn't comin' after you this time, cause I'm tired, Wolvie. I'm tired of chasin' ya everywhere." She paused to choke back a small sob, and continued, "But ya know what else? There's no way I couldn't come after you. I could tell myself all I wanted that I was staying and letting you go. In the end, I'd be after you anyway." At this, she stood and jumped over the ledge, swinging back into her room. He heard the click of the shutting window, but he didn't move. He stayed on the roof, gazing into the heavens, wondering what he had done in this life, or any other, to deserve such a loyal friend and partner.