Nikki: Yes I wrote some other stories and they're all on this site. I'm currently working on a few others but I think it will take a while before they're up too.
Heather: Thanks for your compliment! I'm glad you like it and I hope you will like this part too, please let me know what you think.
Note : ****** = Change of time or place…….=Telepathic speech
Italics = Thoughts
~……~ = Dreams
*……* = Emphasis
"Hey, Gumbo! Wake up!" Jubilee's high pitched voice shook Remy from his peaceful sleep. He groaned, turned around and pulled the covers over his head.
"Come on, Cajun!"
"Mmmgoaway… " Jubilee shook him merciless.
"Alright, alright…" He mumbled something in French and rubbed his eyes. By the time he opened them Jubilee was already back at the table with Ororo and Logan. He waited a while before getting up, just watching them from his bed. Logan looked fit as ever, while Ororo looked a little bit tired and Jubilee was bouncing with energy already. How does she do that, anyways? He looked closer. Something was going on between Logan and Ororo, the way they looked at each other. He didn't pay much attention to it and rolled over again. He was reluctant to leave the warm cocoon of blankets that were around him, but the need to go to the toilet and the empty feeling in his stomach decided for him that he had to get out of bed. Yawning he stretched and slowly got out of bed. The cold air hit him and immediately he regretted his decision.
"Merde! Tell Gambit again why we had to go here?" He heard Logan chuckle and he cursed. Stumbling sleepily to the small bathroom he glared at him. After emptying his bladder and washing himself he quickly got dressed and joined the others at breakfast. Well, they had already finished long ago and were now discussing their plans for today. He grabbed a sandwich and listened silently.
"Maybe we should go and look for that strange tree you saw in your dream, Logan. You said it was close to the Weapon X facility, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I don't know how close, but it shouldn't be too far away from here."
"I think we better split up and search for it."
"Sounds like a plan to me darlin'."
"Uh guys? Ya wanna find a tree? Here? We're in the middle of a wood! Ya know wood, thousands of trees?"
"Yes that's true Jubilee, but we're looking for a tree that's very rare in this area. [A/N: Like I said. I have no idea if that's true, but it is in this story] Logan maybe you should draw it for Jubilee and Gambit." She handed Logan some paper and a pencil and he drew the tree he saw in his nightmare.
"Dude, ya really should work on yer artists skills, that's definitely *not* a tree. In case ya never noticed trees are straight and tall and, uh, well not like that."
Ignoring Jubilee Logan handed them the drawings. "It's a willow, it's not straight and tall, in fact it's small and curved." He looked smugly at Jubilee who glared playfully back.
Ororo placed a device on the table and pushed a few buttons, soon there was a 3D-map of the area just above the device. "This is the area surrounding the facility, we will search in a circle of approximately 1500 meters." The map showed a large red circle. "Logan and Jubilee will search this area" A part of the circle turned yellow." Remy and I will search this part." The other half of the circle turned blue. "You all take your GPS and a lunch with you and we return to the jet at 17.00, even if we don't find anything." She gave Logan a stern look. "When you find something, contact the other group and give the coordinates of your location. Is everything clear?"
Jubilee saluted and Logan and Remy nodded. Once Remy finished breakfast and they all put on their boots and thick coats they went outside. Before they split up, Ororo flashed Logan a reassuring smile. He returned it and walked into the woods with Jubilee.
Remy noticed the exchange and smiled too. Hmm, I knew something was going on between them this morning, seems like I was right. When Ororo noticed this she gave him a curious look. "What's the matter, Remy?"
"Nothin' chere." And they continued walking. After a while Ororo broke the silence.
"I hope we'll find something, I don't think he can handle another disappointment."
"The Wolverine is though, chere. But y'r right. After what happened yesterday…Remy jus' don' know."
"I never realized it hurt him that bad. Of course I knew, but it wasn't after his outburst that I *really* knew."
"Oui, I feel that too. He hurts a lot more than he shows on th' outside. Maybe dat's his biggest weakness; not lettin' other people in."
"Not unlike you, brother."
"Maybe…but to Remy it's a choice to Logan it's maybe not."
"What do you mean?"
"I think he wants t' open up, but he can't. Something inside him doesn't allow him to."
"Yes, I think your right. It seems so difficult for him to connect with other people, but he always tries."
"Well, whatever dis is, Remy hopes it's not a wild goose chase."
"Yes, I too hope this will help him."
*****
"Wolvie? Can we please sit down for a while? My feet are killin' me!"
"Just a few more minutes Jube"
"But ya said that ten minutes ago too!"
*sigh* "Al right, lets sit down fer a while."
"Great!" Jubilee flopped down on a fallen tree. She grabbed a sandwich from her backpack and asked Logan between bites: "So, what with this tree anyway? I mean, it's only a tree ya know."
"Yeah, but I had these weird dreams and every time I saw that tree I felt it was important somehow… Could mean nothing, but ya always can try."
"Why a tree? Why not, I don't know, a building or something?"
"Like I said darlin' I have no flamin' idea." They sat in silence for a few minutes until Logan heard Jubilee's quiet voice. "It wasn't your fault."
"What?"
"Yesterday. Ya told us… It wasn't your fault." He sighed, not knowing how to react to that.
"Look Jubes, I… It happened and there's nothing I can do about it, so lets forget it, okay."
"But, Wolvie…
"Shh…Let it go."
Before he could react she hugged him fiercely. A warm feeling of love and gratefulness spread through him. He smiled and tried to wiggle free from her grip.
"Hey, kid…Like ta breath ya know…" She let him go and smiled.
"Last one at that rock gotta listen to fearless a whole day!" With that she darted away from him.
"Ahh no! That's cruel!" And he ran after her.
*******
"What time is it Stormy?"
"It's…16.30."
"Time t' head back, non?"
"Yes, tomorrow we'll start again at these coordinates."
"Seems like th' others got no luck either."
"No I don't think so either, they would've contact us."
"Let's go."
*******
"Wolvie? It's 16.45 don't ya think we should go back to the jet?"
"Just a few more minutes, I got a feeling we're close."
"Ya do?"
"Yeah, something about this place seems familiar, can't really tell why."
"Oh, okay. It's just that is getting a bit cold ya know."
"I know, we head back soon, I just wanna look around here for a few seconds. Why don't you stay here, I'll be right back."
"Okay, just don't stay away too long."
"I won't."
He disappeared in the dark woods surrounding her and she waited for him to come back. After ten minutes she ran out of patience and went after him to figure out what took him so long. Searching through the vast woods she called out for him.
"Wolvie?…Come on answer me yer not funny…."
Her heart rate sped up a bit. Worried about her best friend she ran a little bit harder. She finally found him in a large clearing standing completely still. In the middle of the clearing stood a strange tree.
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