Disclaimer: I own nothing except the strange workings of my mind, and I fear them.
Warning: Sadness ahead.
Summary: Logan thinks back to the final days of his friends and family.
Final Days
Gumbo died yesterday. He was the last one left after everything that happened. He stuck it out the longest when I didn't think he would. Funny thing is, he knew it was coming. So many people never do, never see it. But he did.
"Well mon ami," he tells me as were sittin' in his med room playin' poker, like we always did, smoking cigars and him his cigarettes. "Be thinkin' dis be it," he tells me, laying out his hand, royal flush, beating my pair of twos into the ground.
"Yeah what else is new," I grumbled back, picking up the cards to deal again.
"Dat ain't what Ah mean homme," he says, serious for one of the few times in his life. "Be thinkin' Ah be joinin' dem tonight."
I didn't know what to tell the guy, so I just looked at him for a long minute, staring at his tired, age worn face and the bags under his demon eyes. "Ya sure 'bout that bub?" I asked him, turning my attention back to the cards. "Or just gettin' my hopes up fer kicks?"
Remy chuckled at that, and I'm pretty sure he knew I didn't mean it. Hell, he was the only one left after all, and so it seemed, I wasn't getting any older while the world aged around me. And as irritating as the Cajun could be, and as much of a pain in the ass, I didn't want the bastard to die. He was the only friend I had left after all. "Oui, it be tahme. Dey waitin' on moi. 'Sides, y' know ma chere's gonna be pissed dat Ah kept her waitin' dis long non?"
I smirked at this. Stripes had always had a temper on her, that's for sure. And she'd never taken kindly to being forced to wait around for anything, especially when it came to Gumbo. As soon as he'd walked into her life it seemed like she'd wanted everything right then. Control of her powers. The voices in her head to go away. A normal life, and most specifically, a normal life with him.
Granted, I wasn't too happy with that. I mean hell the girl was like a daughter to me. Even walked her down the isle when the time came, but that didn't mean I had to like it. I mean, hell, he'd kidnapped her for Christ's sake! And he'd worked for Mags! But then, she'd worked for that shape-shifting bitch herself so I could see past that part, but I still had to give him hell for a while. Make certain he knew the consequences of breaking her heart. Although, now I realize that I didn't have to cause there was no way that would happen. Even now that she's been dead these past ten years he hasn't even looked at another woman, which shocked me to high heaven.
I had to ask him again, just to make sure. "Ya sure 'bout that bub?" my voice was softer this time, and I hate to admit it, touched with fear.
"Oui," he said again, shaking his head slowly. "Ah'm tired homme. Tahme t' rest. Hold ma wife again. See mon p'tite's 'gain. It be tahme t' go."
"Well, it's been fun Gumbo," I took the cigar out of my mouth and shook his hand. "Not to mention a pain in the ass."
"Merci mon ami," Remy smirked and shook back, not nearly as hard as it used to be. "Want Remy t' tell dem anyt'ing?" he asked after a moment.
"Just the usual," I replied, thinking back to when Jeanie had finally went and asked me the same thing. "Love em and see em when I can." I got up and left then, and sure enough, next morning, the doctor tells me he's dead. And I'm mourning same as I did with all the others. And will till the day this damned healing factor stops kicking in and I'm gone with the rest of them.
It's amazing how you never realize just how long you've lived until you have people you care about dying around you. I remember each and every one of them, and how they left this world.
Chuck was the first to go, preaching his dream to the very end. Some bastard nailed him at a pro-mutant rally where he was speaking. Shot him right in the chest. Sometimes I wonder if he saw it coming. I mean, he was the worlds greatest telepath after all, and this guy that did it was just some regular old Joe with a couple of screws loose and a whole lot of hate. He had a lot more loose after I got a hold of him, that's for damned sure. But couldn't he have heard the guys thoughts and stopped him? But then, he always said that things happened for a reason. Still don't buy that one personally.
Most of the others fell during the final battles with Apocalypse. That's when Ororo fell. And Scott and Half-pint. Even Elf met his end there, saving Wanda's ass only to have her go a few minutes after him. Then Rogue, which was one of the harder to bear. I pulled Gumbo out of there after he watched Rogue and their two kids fall to the ancient mutant. She was trying to save them when he got her too. I saw the defeat in her eyes as she screamed her husbands name and held her son and daughters hands as death consumed them all, even her aquired involunarble skin unable to save her. Remy was a walking zombie for a long time after that. Jean and I were sure he'd just die with out them. Or kill himself, but he surprised us all. Said he wouldn't let go until the bastard paid. Guess that was a promise he couldn't keep since Apocalypse is still out there.
Toad, Pyro, Lance, Magma, Cannonball, Berserker, Iceman, Boom-boom and Rahne died too that day, leaving our ranks depleted and lost. We had to pull back, try to regroup. It was the only way of possibly defeating him, and even then it didn't work.
After Wanda died, ol' Mag's went nuts, staring out the window all the time, lost in his own mind. Even Pietro wasn't the same, just sitting for hours on end, staring at a picture of him and his sister as kids. Mags wasn't around much longer after that. Jean walked into his room one day and found him. Went in his sleep. Pietro didn't take it well, and we didn't expect him too, but it was still a shock when we found him hanging in his room one morning. Guess they're all at peace now.
Piotr and Blob held out for a long time, going in a later battle trying to save some younger kids and for a long time after that it was just us. Me, Jeanie, Gumbo, Hank and Jubilee, holding down the fort. We kept Xavier's open, recruiting new mutants when we could, training them for the war to come. Kept us all busy and gave us purpose.
McCoy was the next to go, in the name of Science. As if fighting an ancient isn't enough of a hassle, our government decides to engineer some kind of mutant killing Virus. Henry found the cure for it, but not in time to save himself.
Jeanie was next. For the longest time, her and Scott's son, Nathan, was the only thing keeping her going. It was evident in her eyes. When he died in a car crash she lost it. Next battle with Apocalypse, she let the full power of the Phoenix out, hoping that it would destroy him. I think, deep down she knew it'd only destroy herself, which is why she asked me what to tell the others, but she had to do what she had to do. And it did slow him down. Haven't heard from him in awhile actually, but I'm sure he's not finished. It's never that easy. As long as he's still out their breathing, he's still a threat.
That just left Gumbo, Firecracker and me, running Xavier's. Don't think I'd cried as hard since the first battle as I did when Jubilee died. Shot, same as Chuck. About 8 months ago. Only difference was she died in my arms. Still remember her last words. "Don't be so dramatic you big lug. It's not as bad as it looks."
And that left me and Gumbo. But now, it only leaves me. I know I called them the Final Battles before, and have mentioned several others since that first one, but the way I see it, every battle we lost someone was a final battle for someone.
As for Sabertooth and Mystique, I'm sure they're still out there somewhere, but doesn't really matter now. Last I heard about old Mystique, she'd gone nuts after losing both her kids to Apocalypse. Even heard she went to face him alone. Don't know that she'd be that stupid though. I know that after that Destiny woman died, she only went crazier and that's the last I heard about her. As for that fleabag, who knows? Doubt he'd be able to get over old grudges though. That's how I know I'm old. I don't remember what we did to each other in our pasts, and I just don't care anymore.
So hear I am. The lone Wolverine. An immortal in a fucked up world. Training a bunch of kids to face the ultimate evil, same as I did over 30 years ago. I only hope that I can do better by these kids then I did by the last.
The End.
Authors Note: What's with all these sad, depressing stories I've been writing lately? This struck me, I kid you not, at 5:30 this morning, woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep. I didn't write it then, cause I had a test I needed to sleep for so I'm writing it now. It's a one shot (obviously since I killed everyone off.) and sorry that it's sad. But you know how it is if the muse strikes. Read and review, but no flames. If you don't like it, then sorry but I really don't care cause I like it. If you have an CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM I welcome it. But pretty, much I just want to know if I'm the only one who liked it or not. That's all for now so later and hopefully I'll have the next chapter for Wandering Souls up in the next couple of days, if not tonight.
Warning: Sadness ahead.
Summary: Logan thinks back to the final days of his friends and family.
Final Days
Gumbo died yesterday. He was the last one left after everything that happened. He stuck it out the longest when I didn't think he would. Funny thing is, he knew it was coming. So many people never do, never see it. But he did.
"Well mon ami," he tells me as were sittin' in his med room playin' poker, like we always did, smoking cigars and him his cigarettes. "Be thinkin' dis be it," he tells me, laying out his hand, royal flush, beating my pair of twos into the ground.
"Yeah what else is new," I grumbled back, picking up the cards to deal again.
"Dat ain't what Ah mean homme," he says, serious for one of the few times in his life. "Be thinkin' Ah be joinin' dem tonight."
I didn't know what to tell the guy, so I just looked at him for a long minute, staring at his tired, age worn face and the bags under his demon eyes. "Ya sure 'bout that bub?" I asked him, turning my attention back to the cards. "Or just gettin' my hopes up fer kicks?"
Remy chuckled at that, and I'm pretty sure he knew I didn't mean it. Hell, he was the only one left after all, and so it seemed, I wasn't getting any older while the world aged around me. And as irritating as the Cajun could be, and as much of a pain in the ass, I didn't want the bastard to die. He was the only friend I had left after all. "Oui, it be tahme. Dey waitin' on moi. 'Sides, y' know ma chere's gonna be pissed dat Ah kept her waitin' dis long non?"
I smirked at this. Stripes had always had a temper on her, that's for sure. And she'd never taken kindly to being forced to wait around for anything, especially when it came to Gumbo. As soon as he'd walked into her life it seemed like she'd wanted everything right then. Control of her powers. The voices in her head to go away. A normal life, and most specifically, a normal life with him.
Granted, I wasn't too happy with that. I mean hell the girl was like a daughter to me. Even walked her down the isle when the time came, but that didn't mean I had to like it. I mean, hell, he'd kidnapped her for Christ's sake! And he'd worked for Mags! But then, she'd worked for that shape-shifting bitch herself so I could see past that part, but I still had to give him hell for a while. Make certain he knew the consequences of breaking her heart. Although, now I realize that I didn't have to cause there was no way that would happen. Even now that she's been dead these past ten years he hasn't even looked at another woman, which shocked me to high heaven.
I had to ask him again, just to make sure. "Ya sure 'bout that bub?" my voice was softer this time, and I hate to admit it, touched with fear.
"Oui," he said again, shaking his head slowly. "Ah'm tired homme. Tahme t' rest. Hold ma wife again. See mon p'tite's 'gain. It be tahme t' go."
"Well, it's been fun Gumbo," I took the cigar out of my mouth and shook his hand. "Not to mention a pain in the ass."
"Merci mon ami," Remy smirked and shook back, not nearly as hard as it used to be. "Want Remy t' tell dem anyt'ing?" he asked after a moment.
"Just the usual," I replied, thinking back to when Jeanie had finally went and asked me the same thing. "Love em and see em when I can." I got up and left then, and sure enough, next morning, the doctor tells me he's dead. And I'm mourning same as I did with all the others. And will till the day this damned healing factor stops kicking in and I'm gone with the rest of them.
It's amazing how you never realize just how long you've lived until you have people you care about dying around you. I remember each and every one of them, and how they left this world.
Chuck was the first to go, preaching his dream to the very end. Some bastard nailed him at a pro-mutant rally where he was speaking. Shot him right in the chest. Sometimes I wonder if he saw it coming. I mean, he was the worlds greatest telepath after all, and this guy that did it was just some regular old Joe with a couple of screws loose and a whole lot of hate. He had a lot more loose after I got a hold of him, that's for damned sure. But couldn't he have heard the guys thoughts and stopped him? But then, he always said that things happened for a reason. Still don't buy that one personally.
Most of the others fell during the final battles with Apocalypse. That's when Ororo fell. And Scott and Half-pint. Even Elf met his end there, saving Wanda's ass only to have her go a few minutes after him. Then Rogue, which was one of the harder to bear. I pulled Gumbo out of there after he watched Rogue and their two kids fall to the ancient mutant. She was trying to save them when he got her too. I saw the defeat in her eyes as she screamed her husbands name and held her son and daughters hands as death consumed them all, even her aquired involunarble skin unable to save her. Remy was a walking zombie for a long time after that. Jean and I were sure he'd just die with out them. Or kill himself, but he surprised us all. Said he wouldn't let go until the bastard paid. Guess that was a promise he couldn't keep since Apocalypse is still out there.
Toad, Pyro, Lance, Magma, Cannonball, Berserker, Iceman, Boom-boom and Rahne died too that day, leaving our ranks depleted and lost. We had to pull back, try to regroup. It was the only way of possibly defeating him, and even then it didn't work.
After Wanda died, ol' Mag's went nuts, staring out the window all the time, lost in his own mind. Even Pietro wasn't the same, just sitting for hours on end, staring at a picture of him and his sister as kids. Mags wasn't around much longer after that. Jean walked into his room one day and found him. Went in his sleep. Pietro didn't take it well, and we didn't expect him too, but it was still a shock when we found him hanging in his room one morning. Guess they're all at peace now.
Piotr and Blob held out for a long time, going in a later battle trying to save some younger kids and for a long time after that it was just us. Me, Jeanie, Gumbo, Hank and Jubilee, holding down the fort. We kept Xavier's open, recruiting new mutants when we could, training them for the war to come. Kept us all busy and gave us purpose.
McCoy was the next to go, in the name of Science. As if fighting an ancient isn't enough of a hassle, our government decides to engineer some kind of mutant killing Virus. Henry found the cure for it, but not in time to save himself.
Jeanie was next. For the longest time, her and Scott's son, Nathan, was the only thing keeping her going. It was evident in her eyes. When he died in a car crash she lost it. Next battle with Apocalypse, she let the full power of the Phoenix out, hoping that it would destroy him. I think, deep down she knew it'd only destroy herself, which is why she asked me what to tell the others, but she had to do what she had to do. And it did slow him down. Haven't heard from him in awhile actually, but I'm sure he's not finished. It's never that easy. As long as he's still out their breathing, he's still a threat.
That just left Gumbo, Firecracker and me, running Xavier's. Don't think I'd cried as hard since the first battle as I did when Jubilee died. Shot, same as Chuck. About 8 months ago. Only difference was she died in my arms. Still remember her last words. "Don't be so dramatic you big lug. It's not as bad as it looks."
And that left me and Gumbo. But now, it only leaves me. I know I called them the Final Battles before, and have mentioned several others since that first one, but the way I see it, every battle we lost someone was a final battle for someone.
As for Sabertooth and Mystique, I'm sure they're still out there somewhere, but doesn't really matter now. Last I heard about old Mystique, she'd gone nuts after losing both her kids to Apocalypse. Even heard she went to face him alone. Don't know that she'd be that stupid though. I know that after that Destiny woman died, she only went crazier and that's the last I heard about her. As for that fleabag, who knows? Doubt he'd be able to get over old grudges though. That's how I know I'm old. I don't remember what we did to each other in our pasts, and I just don't care anymore.
So hear I am. The lone Wolverine. An immortal in a fucked up world. Training a bunch of kids to face the ultimate evil, same as I did over 30 years ago. I only hope that I can do better by these kids then I did by the last.
The End.
Authors Note: What's with all these sad, depressing stories I've been writing lately? This struck me, I kid you not, at 5:30 this morning, woke me up and I couldn't get back to sleep. I didn't write it then, cause I had a test I needed to sleep for so I'm writing it now. It's a one shot (obviously since I killed everyone off.) and sorry that it's sad. But you know how it is if the muse strikes. Read and review, but no flames. If you don't like it, then sorry but I really don't care cause I like it. If you have an CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM I welcome it. But pretty, much I just want to know if I'm the only one who liked it or not. That's all for now so later and hopefully I'll have the next chapter for Wandering Souls up in the next couple of days, if not tonight.