Leigh's Fanfiction Archive Stormkeeper's Fanfiction Friends Of Humanity Chapter 18

Friends of Humanity

By Stormkeeper

Chapter 18

Everyone had a pretty busy evening, as always. At any given time, we X-men were conducting training sessions, conducting counseling sessions, leading groups of mutants in sports or other activities, drafting constitutions, etc. I had been in the main recreation room, taking a breather and playing with Charlotte. Cyclops was nearby, playing a group board game with about 20 of the rescued mutants. I was finding myself too exhausted in the evenings to keep up with an active, inquisitive 9 month old. I wanted to lay down on the couch, but she was crawling everywhere and picking up anything she could. I had to keep close watch on her, as I said I would so Cyke and Jean could attend to other matters for a while.

Our quiet was interrupted when Jubilee bounded into the rec room. "Everyone, come here! Rogue and Gambit got engaged!"

So pandemonium kind of broke out. All the X-men and a good number of those we had rescued were flying and running into the main entranceway, where the happy couple had barely been allowed to step foot inside. Rogue and Gambit were mobbed. Both of them were just beaming with joy.

I was a bit surprised as I hadn't had any notion that Gambit was thinking of proposing. (Assuming at the time, as I later found was correct, that * he* had proposed and not she.) They both looked very emotional. Rogue looked thrilled, but also awed and overwhelmed.

We all went up to them, hugged them, and congratulated them. When I got to them, Gambit gave me a good squeeze. I hugged Rogue and kissed both her hands. In the background, someone put on music, and drinks began to be passed around in celebration.

"Have you set a date for the wedding?" Jean asked.

"Not yet," Rogue said. "We haven't worked out all the details yet."

"We t'ink maybe sometime within a year," Gambit added.

Someone proposed that, since the couple wasn't going to be getting married anytime within the immediate future, they have an engagement party here before the X-men returned to earth. Rogue and Gambit said they liked the idea and would work on it.

So that was it. I was really happy for them. It was obvious they were totally in love.

When Panda returned to her room that evening, she found a note slipped under the door. It read:

"She walks in beauty like the night

Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

And all that's best of dark and bright

Meets in her aspect and her eyes:

Thus mellow'd to that tender light

Which heaven to gaudy day denies"

----Lord Byron

And then, a little ways down the page:

Your beauty is without compare. I love you.

Hank

"What are you doing up at this hour?" Storm asked Rogue the next morning. Storm had risen at the crack of dawn, as she occasionally did, and was out for a morning walk. Rogue had been flying overhead when she spotted her friend, and fell in step next to her.

"Couldn't sleep," Rogue said, speaking a bit more rapidly than usual. "Didn't sleep a wink last night at all." She was not normally awake so early, but found herself enjoying the early morning on An'zhina. The air was crisp and sweet-smelling, the distant sun rose in the background creating a pinkish haze in the distance. A few birds could be spotted flying off in the distance. Storm had attempted earlier to get a better look at the birds by flying up closer to them, but unsurprisingly they fled in terror when she came near.

"Well, it is not every day that one becomes engaged. I do not blame you."

"I kept tossing and turning, think I drove Remy nuts!"

"How do you feel, Rogue?"

"I feel amazing!! Oh Storm. Never in a million years did I ever think I'd be married. I grew up dreaming about it, dreaming of wearing the white dress and walking down the aisle. I think every girl wants that. But then…you know the rest. I found out I was a mutant, found out I couldn't touch anyone."

"And look at you now," Storm said, beaming with sincere joy at her friend's happiness.

Rogue just laughed, spread her arms wide and spun around. "I feel so happy, I could dance! I love Remy. And now we're going to be together forever!" She then resumed walking next to Storm. "You know, actually I lied when I said I didn't sleep at all last night. I must've, because I had a dream. I dreamt that I was sitting in the back of a church, crying because Gambit was getting married to someone else. I don't know who she was, but she was someone he could touch. And I just cried and cried. I woke up feeling heartsick, until I looked at the man sleeping next to me and realized that ** I** was the one he was gonna be marryin'!" Rogue grabbed Storm's arm and exclaimed, "I'm really getting married!"

Storm's wide smile turned into a laugh. "I'm happy for you, Rogue. I'm glad you took a chance on acting on your feelings for Gambit."

"I can't believe I ever doubted doing that!" Rogue shook her head. "I used to have similar nightmares like that all the time. I'd dream that Remy went off and left me for someone else. Or I'd dream that I touched him and killed him. But I don't think I'm gonna be havin' any more bad dreams like that---not now!"

"From what you and Remy said yesterday, it sounded as if you have not set a date for the wedding?"

"Nah, not yet. We talked about it. We decided to wait a bit. We think maybe within a year or so. We can work on the details when we get closer to the date. We know it won't be anythin' too big and elaborate, at least not by earth standards. Things are different here. But we'll do what we can."

"I am sure it will be beautiful and a success."

"I'll ask you to be a bridesmaid, of course. You and I were bridesmaids when Jean got married. I'll ask her and Jubilee, too. I dunno if I need a maid of honor, though. What do you think?"

"It's up to you, Rogue," Storm said, with a smile. "It's your wedding."

"Too bad Rory and Charlotte won't be old enough to be flower girls in a year's time. Now I know I want the Professor to give me away and….oh, you know! Remy and I are gonna have to figure out who is going to perform the wedding!"

"I am sure you will figure something out. But if you have a year's time to plan it out, I would not get hung up on any of the details yet."

"You're right Storm. You're always right," she said, affectionately as she reached to give her friend's arm a little squeeze. "Listen to me ramble on here. How are you? Hey, how are things with Wolverine?"

"Steady as usual. We're enjoying each other's companionship."

Rogue was not the most skilled person when it came to reading facial expressions. However, in the past few months, she had learned a bit more about doing so. "Is everything….really ok?"

Storm nodded. "I guess so." She sighed. "Sometimes I wish for more from our relationship. But I do not think he can get past his feelings for Jean."

Rogue looked down. Here she had blabbed on and on about how wonderful things were with Remy….but she could never really believe that Storm might be hurting. Storm always seemed so invincible. "So….do you mean like you might love him or something?"

Storm shrugged. "I love him as a dear friend and comrade. I respect him very much. But I will not let myself feel any more for him," she said, resolutely. Could the mind of one as controlled as Storm dictate the workings of her heart? Rogue wondered. "What would be the point," Storm continued, "when he cannot get over Jean?"

Rogue nodded gravely. "I guess he does love her. Always has. Which is funny, since he's always known she's with Scott and I don't think she'd ever leave Scott, not in a million years."

"I know," Storm said.

"He did make those nice sculptures of you," Rogue offered, referencing the work done by Logan on the Paradise planet.

"He likes to work with his hands. And he is very good with his hands."

"And other body parts," Rogue added, a playful look in her eyes. "So you tell us."

Storm smiled. "That is the truth." She added, "When Logan and I first got together, we did agree that if one of us should find someone else, we are free to pursue it. He and I are not a couple in the way you and Remy are."

"I know. So, are you interested in any of the guys we rescued?"

"Not particularly. And I do not detect that any of them are terribly interested in me. You see, Rogue, many men are intimidated by a strong woman such as I. They tend to pass me over as a potential romantic interest." She spoke without anger or resentment; she merely said the words as fact.

"Uh-huh," Rogue said, agreeing. "Too bad about Logan not getting over Jean though. Do ya….do ya ever think that if he weren't pining away over her, the two of you could….?"

Storm didn't meet Rogue's gaze and instead shrugged. "No use speculating. It will never happen."

The next morning, we X-men had another meeting. We really buckled down and discussed our future at this meeting. We had a lot to talk about, too. I paid better attention during this one. : )

Right off the bat, Wolverine brought up the question of when we'd be returning to earth. "We've been sittin' on our butts for too long, while mutants back on earth are suffering. It's time we got our shit together an' headed back for earth."

I was pissed at him. I spoke up and said, "This is only the start of our **third** full day here! It's not like we've been sitting around laying on the beach every day for a month. We've spent practically every waking minute helping the new mutants in one way or another!"

Wolverine and I exchanged a look. Needless to say, it was not a friendly one. I knew I wasn't his favorite person at that time and I really didn't care either---he hadn't been my favorite person lately either. He may be totally hot but he can also be a jerk at times.

The group kicked this topic around a bit. A few said there was no harm in taking a few days to rest here----indeed, it would probably be beneficial for us. But most felt bad for the mutants back on earth and wanted to get home soon.

Cyclops then spoke up, "Two days ago, we decided to return to earth when we had mapped out a better plan for dealing with FOH. We should let that be the judge of when to head back."

"How is that going?" Jubilee asked.

Storm then went on to answer her question. She said she felt we were about ready to return, since all we could do at this point was speculate at FOH's response to us. "The journey to earth takes 5 weeks, and we will have plenty of time to do more planning then," she said. She said the team thought it unlikely they would suddenly be able to detect our cloak. She also said that we knew the FOH would likely all be wearing gas masks next time we reached their camp, and we would need to find ways to disable thousands of soldiers while not endangering any prisoners.

"One possible strategy we came up with," Cyke was saying, "was to kidnap a high-ranking FOH officer and demand the release of mutants in exchange." He went on to say that that might be more feasible than finding a way to knock out thousands of guards without harming anyone. "It would require more precision than the previous method."

So, after much discussion, everyone was cool with returning to earth in a few days and using the weeks of the journey to really think over a strategy. I was kind of sad that we wouldn't be getting much of a vacation at all before our trip back, but I wasn't surprised. I knew it was selfish to want time to relax when everyone else on earth was suffering so much.

Jean looked around the room. "Do we know who is returning to earth now?"

Moira said, "We spent much of yesterday asking the rescued mutants about this. Fewer now want to return to earth----only 36 said they did. There are 6 who are going to serve with us---such as helping out in sick bay or on bridge duty. Everyone else wishes to stay here."

Nightcrawler went on to say that dealing with the 36 who want to return to earth could get tricky. Many of them actually didn't want to return to earth **permanently**; they wanted instead for us to beam aboard some of their loved ones and then take them all back to An'zhina. Depending on how things went….that may or may not be possible. He pointed out that it was a bit of a moral dilemma---after all, we did * kidnap* them. We resolved, after much discussion, to do our best to accommodate those----though they would also have to understand we might not be able to.

I could kinda see both sides. We didn't give them a choice about coming with us. But on the other hand we saved them from FOH. I sure wasn't really crazy about the fact that only 6 of them wanted to serve with us. I know, I know. They survived months of imprisonment and, in some cases, torture. I should cut them some slack.

Interestingly, most of the women we rescued wanted to remain on An'zhina. Panda, Marrow, and a woman named Elena were among the 6 that would be the new "adjunct" X-men, and only about 7 or 8 of those who wanted to return to earth were female. Well, after what they went through, it makes sense.

"What about you, Jubilee? Have you made your decision about whether or not to go on this mission?" the Professor asked.

I stifled a giggle, thinking that if he were psychic, shouldn't he know? Jubilee said that she had not yet decided but understood if we were to leave in only a few days, she would need to decide soon.

"I hae good news," Moira piped up, in that delightful accent of hers. "I spoke with Siryn. She says that she would like to stay here….but she was adamant that I accompany you, if that is what I wanted to do. I do want to accompany you back to earth; I strongly want to. She and I had a long discussion, I asked her a thousand times if she wouldna prefer I stay with her here. She insisted I go with you, if that is what I wanted to do. So I will be joining you on the trip back to earth."

That was cool, I thought. I figured the Professor had to be happy, though he didn't show it on his face. I'm sure Moira is his only "real" friend, since that whole teacher-student relationship is different.

So it looked like on our trip back, we'd have the Professor, Storm, Beast, Rogue, Wolverine, Gambit, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Angel, Psylocke, Moira, Panda, Marrow, me, a handful of others who would help us, 36 people who wanted to go back to earth (or get loved ones and return with us), and possibly Jubilee. I really hoped Jubes would decide to go with us. (And I gotta stop calling her "Jubes"; she hates that.)

So Cyclops and Jean (and maybe Jubilee) would be "holding down the fort" here. They talked a bit about what that would be like. There were 166 rescued mutants who'd then be living on the moon, many of whom needed regular counseling. "We have our work cut out for us," Jean said. She was smiling, though I had to guess how she felt. Just the two or three of them and 166 rescuees?? She and Cyke would never again have to worry about boredom---they would be swamped beyond belief. Not to mention that they also had a baby to raise and another on the way. Cyclops made a comment about this possibly being as difficult as any mission

Storm, Moira and the Professor spoke a bit about the healing that the mutants remaining on An'zhina would need. "I have been leading some of them in group healing ceremonies and I find that helps," Storm said. The Professor talked a bit about using his powers to help them. Jean and Scott said they'd get with Storm, Moira, and the Professor in private before they left to talk more about what they could do.

So what else should I write about? Oh, there was one pretty interesting part. The Professor, Hank, Jean, Scott, Storm, and Nightcrawler had all been working on a constitution for An'zhina. "It is only a beginning," the Professor said, smiling. "Of course we're all perfectionists and we wanted to create something completely faultless, but we realized that in such a short time, that would be an impossible task."

"So we did the best we could," Jean said, smiling. "I think it's a good start."

Well, where do I start? Without having to write out the whole thing, I can say it was kinda loosely based on the Bill of Rights (I had crappy grades in school and must've slept through history class, but Hank said as much about what they used as inspiration.) It listed out rights and responsibilities of each citizen of An'zhina. It was kind of legalistic and lacked some poetic flow, but for a first draft, it was good. One basic tenet on there was that no citizen of An'zhina would ever go without food, shelter, medical care, or other basic necessities.

Oh----one totally cool thing! One part of the constitution listed like all the different traits that would **not** be discriminated against. Along with all the usuals (you know---race, sex, religion, being a mutant or not, etc) they had "sexual orientation" on there. I actually smiled and blushed when I saw that. I hadn't prompted any of them to have that on there; they must have come up with that on their own.

Anyway, that was basically it for the meeting. Afterwards, it was back to preparations for our return to earth. We had only a few days before we wanted to be back in the stars, returning to rescue more mutants.

Jubilee asked to speak with Storm, Wolverine, and I after dinner that evening. The day had been a busy one, as all of ours now were. I thought back to the meeting that morning and it was hard to believe that less than 8 hours had passed since then. We were always so busy. At least, I reminded myself, the rescued mutants all seemed to be adapting to An'zhina well. We'd shared the constitution with them during lunch in the huge dining hall, and everyone seemed fine with it. I wondered, though, if things would continue to go so smoothly once more and more people came to live on An'zhina.

But anyway, that evening I found myself sitting out on one of the porches with Storm, Wolverine, and Jubilee (and Aurora). This evening was somewhat cool and I was glad for a wooly sweater. Wolverine and Storm sat on a porch swing, and Jubilee and I pulled up chairs, facing them.

Wolverine held Aurora on his lap, absentmindedly playing with her. She crawled and squirmed all over him, occasionally tugging at his facial hair. With the way Wolverine and I had been getting along lately, I hoped Rory was tugging **hard.**

"I need your help to make my decision," Jubilee began. "I really respect all of your opinions. I've been trying to decide whether to go on this next mission or to stay here." I thought it was very mature of her to admit she wanted help with this.

"I'm very honored that you respect my opinion so much," Storm said. "Thank you."

I also then said something to that effect. Storm then asked her, "What do you think, Jubilee? What does your heart tell you?"

"It tells me that I want to go with you. I really, really do!" she insisted. "I love being an X-man. And what good am I doing anyone by staying here?"

"It sounds like you already know what you want to do," I said, smiling.

Wolverine had been silent to this point. Jubilee then turned to look at him, "What do you think, Wolvie? Have you changed your mind at all? Do you think I should go on this mission?" She asked the questions though I'm sure she knew what his response would be.

Wolverine shook his head. "No. No way." He sounded hard and emotionless. As Jubilee's face fell, he said, "Jubilee, it ain't safe. Think of **her**," he said, gesturing to the baby who was currently crawling off of his lap and towards Storm.

"Logan does have a point," Storm said. "You know you must factor in your daughter's safety as well as your own."

"I don't want you guys to think I'm not concerned about her," Jubilee said insistently. "Of course I am. I love her more than anyone. But look at how simple your last rescue mission was! None of the X-men were ever in any real danger during it. Everything turned out fine. It just doesn't seem like this is a good reason for me to not go on the next mission when Aurora's not going to be in any real danger."

"But kid," Wolverine began, "we don't know what our next mission will be like. FOH is expecting us now."

"For the thousandth time, would you please not call me `kid'!" she burst out. "Look at me! I'm an adult. A short one, but an adult! I'm going on 22!"

Storm smiled warmly, seemingly diffusing some of the anger in the area. "Ah, I remember 22….It was so long ago," she said, chuckling to herself. She then focussed on Jubilee. "You are right, of course. You're an adult. You must forgive Logan if he occasionally calls you `kid'. He and I both remember you when you were 14. We've watched you grow up. But we understand that you are now a grown woman." I heard Storm say those words with particular emphasis while taking a sideways glance at Wolverine.

And as Storm spoke, I suddenly felt regretful for all the years I had spent apart from the X-men. I certainly don't regret my therapy or the long process it took for me to accept myself, but I wish I had come back into the fold sooner. I was deprived of watching Jubilee grow up and a thousand other adventures the X-men had experienced together and bonded over. Oh well. No point in living with regrets, and I was just glad to now be a member of the group again.

"She's right," Wolverine was saying. "I'm an old man an' I forget things like that."

"Compared to Logan and I, you are young though," Storm said. "I often feel that I love you as if you were my own niece."

Storm made the declaration unabashedly, and I was moved. By the look on Jubilee's face, she was too. She looked down and smiled, and then returned Storm's sentiment. "What would you do, if you were me?" she asked her.

"I would follow my head and my heart," Storm answered. Aurora was now nestled in Storm's arms, and attempting to place her hand inside Storm's mouth. "We already know what your heart tells you. Does your head tell you the same or different?"

Jubilee tilted her head upwards. Another cool breeze wafted by, and I hugged my arms around myself. "I guess I'd say that logically there is a chance that Aurora or I could be harmed on the next mission," Jubilee said. "I know that. But I don't think the likelihood is too high. I think everything is gonna be fine. You need more X-men on that mission, you need people to help out. I really, really want to be there."

I spoke up, "So I guess it looks like you need to weigh your desire to serve with us against whatever the likelihood is that you and Aurora could be harmed." I, of course, still really wanted her to come with us, but I was trying to impress Storm by contributing * something* intelligent to the conversation.

"Jubilee," Wolverine began, "you got a strong desire to help out the team. We need people **here** on An'zhina too. Cyke and Jean gonna have their hands full looking after 160 mutants. They could use you here."

"I know," she said. "But you'll also really need me on the next rescue mission. If it goes like the first one, you're gonna have…a lot of rescued women who want to talk to another woman. We need people in both places, on the mission and on An'zhina."

We talked around this some more. What it all boiled down to is that no one knew what our next rescue mission would be like. Wolverine kept saying his gut told him it wasn't going to be as simple as our first one, but Storm challenged him to come up with reasoning other than his instincts, and he couldn't. (I mean we knew that FOH would be expecting us, of course, but is it likely that they would come up with something we couldn't handle?)

"Ultimately," Storm said to Jubilee, "the decision is yours."

"I know," Jubilee said, nodding. She paused. "I've decided I'm coming with you."

I didn't attempt to hide my elation as I got up and hugged Jubilee. Wolverine didn't try to hide his dislike of her decision --- but I had to respect how he handled it. He just said words to the effect that she was a fine X-man and knew she'd do a damn good job like she always did. He added, "And we're doin' more karate training then." Our first full day back on An'zhina, Wolverine had led Jubilee and I in a training session, but these last two days we'd slacked off since we were so busy.

"Hey, great!" Jubilee enthused. "We'll have 5 weeks for me to really advance!"

Wolverine looked at me. "You in on this too?" he asked.

"Can I be?" I asked. "I know I haven't been your favorite person lately…"

He shrugged. "Don't matter to me. I'll still work with you."

"Fine by me," I said. "I'd like to keep working with you then." That was good enough for me. Maybe by Wolverine standards **that** constituted reconciling over all the differences we'd had lately.

"Now that we have this all settled," Storm said, exchanging a look with Jubilee, "if you gentlemen will excuse Jubilee and I." She and Jubilee both rose, Storm holding onto Aurora. "She and I have some things to discuss."

"Can't we join you?" I asked, grinning.

"We're gonna talk girl stuff," Jubilee said, returning my smile. "You know, periods and panty hose and other things you're not interested in."

"Hey, who says we're not interested in panty hose??" I joked, provoking a few smiles. I then added questioningly, "But when do you ever wear panty hose though??"

Storm and Jubilee giggled as they exited the porch and went back inside the compound. Wolverine and I didn't really have much to say to each other, so off we went. I wanted to see if I could get a hold of Hank.

I looked around the complex for Hank, but I didn't see him anywhere in the usual hang out spots, having checked all the rec rooms and other common areas. I didn't want to use my communicator to call him either, figuring he was with Panda and probably wanted some privacy. So I just slipped a note under his door, asking him to call me whenever he got a chance.

Storm and Jubilee met inside Storm's room. Storm had been the one to initiate the meeting. "I have noticed that lately you seem …a bit off-kilter when you are around Logan and I," Storm said. "I wanted to talk with you about it and make sure that you are well, Jubilee."

Storm and Jubilee's conversation lasted well into the evening. Jubilee departed Storm's room with her head spinning at the possibilities.

The next day, I was up early and working alongside Jubilee as Wolverine trained us in karate. He said he was pleased with the way I'd kept up with it. He was basically down to business as usual and he did not at all go easy on us.

I saw Hank during breakfast. He seemed surprised that I was up so early, but I explained about the karate training. "So I gotta ask you about the constitution," I said, grinning. "Tell me the scoop about adding `sexual orientation' to the list of categories not to be discriminated against."

"There is no `scoop'", he answered, shrugging.

"Oh, come on," I pleaded. "Who's idea was it, did anyone oppose it….come on!"

Hank smiled. "As I recall, when we came up with the list, Storm suggested many different categories. Jean wrote down all of her ideas. Storm must have had `sexual orientation' on there, and no one made any comment. Jean wrote it down with all the others."

"Really? So there was no discussion? Nightcrawler didn't say anything about it being against God's law or something?"

Hank shook his head. "I cannot imagine Kurt making such a statement. He is religious but I do not see him as small-minded at all. Although I know what your opinion of organized religion is."

I kept trying to get Hank to spill any juicy details but apparently there really were none. I asked him how things were going with Panda, and he just grinned as the love-sick puppy dog expression took over his face. He said everything was going splendidly. He didn't really offer any more details than that. I guess I was in a gossipy mood but, as with other important things, I just wasn't gettin' any. : )

I hadn't spoken with Gambit one-on-one for a little while, so I made a point to find him that day. I hung out with him during a training break. He, Storm, and Angel were going through a training session in the gym with the handful of mutants who wanted to fight with us, Marrow being among them. Marrow always intimidated me a bit, so I stayed clear of her.

When Remy took a breather, I sat down next to him. "Hey, Mr. Newly-Engaged, what's up?" I asked.

He got a smile on his face said everything was going wonderfully well. He then muttered something like, "Gambit had to give Beast….the birds and bees speech, if you know what I mean."

"What?! What are you talking about? He's a **doctor**! He really had better know this."

"Ah, but he wanted to learn about finesse."

"Finesse is your middle name." I didn't want to pursue that line of questioning, so I abruptly changed the subject. "So tell me Remy…what made you decide to do it?" I didn't need to specify what specifically I was referring to.

"Gambit loves Rogue. Dat's all dere is to it. I decided it was time to ask her. I t'ink I shocked her dough."

"I've never seen her looking so happy," I said. Anytime you spotted Rogue, you'd see her walking down the hall with a big grin on her face, looking like she was floating on a cloud.

"Me neither," Gambit smiled.

"I just never would have figured you for the marrying type, Gambit."

He shrugged and said casually, "Gambit gettin' older, Bobby. I be comin' up on 30 now. After all we been t'rough, I know what de important things be."

"Thirty's a good age for making changes. When Hank lured me back to the X-men, I had just turned 30. I'd needed a change and needed some direction in my life." It was funny to be reflecting back on that. In a way, it felt like a lifetime had passed since then, even though it had been less than 2 years. I was a different person now though. I turned back to Remy and changed the subject, "So where did you get that rock on her ring?"

"Gambit not telling, other dan to say bein' a thief has some advantages," he said enigmatically.

We talked and joked around a bit more, and then it was time for him to get back to work.

The days on An'zhina flew by for us, and it really wasn't much of a vacation at all. I only made it to the beach twice, and both times felt a twinge of guilt. It was now after dinner on our sixth full day back on the moon. We had planned a small engagement party for Gambit and Rogue, which would also double as a farewell party for the X-men. The next day, we would be setting out to earth for our next rescue mission. So we really had just about a week on An'zhina. Still, many of the others were complaining that we'd wasted too much time back here anyway. I still had to disagree. What would be the point of working ourselves bone-tired? I found myself almost wishing on the way back to earth we'd crash land on the Paradise planet somehow.

The engagement/going away party was nothing too fancy, but it was nice. I guess the mood---or **my** mood, rather----was bittersweet. We were partly there to celebrate Rogue and Remy's engagement and I was sincerely happy for them, but I also felt sad to be parting again from Scott and Jean, and so many of those we had rescued.

The party was held in the largest rec room in the compound, which just about comfortably fit everyone. We had decorative streamers and balloons up, music playing, and lots of junk food circulating. One streamer read, in block letters, "CONGRATULATIONS, ROGUE AND REMY!" Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages were served. We had pool tables, ping pong tables, and a couple of video games in the rec room which were being used. The room was really not unlike the rec room in the mansion, what I remember of it anyway.

I sat on one of the sofas, holding my drink and looking around the room. You know, if one of FOH's goals had been to lower our birth rate, maybe they have succeeded. You didn't see a whole of lot the camp survivors circulating. A lot of the women did not attend the party, and those who did tended to sit quietly by themselves or clustered together in small groups. I mean, I sure couldn't blame them or anything and I guess it's a testament to all of us who worked with them that they're coping as well as they are. It's also a testament to their own strength and courage. As I looked around the room, I speculated that Moira and Panda were probably the only women who hadn't been raped by FOH soldiers at some point. None of the rescued female mutants seemed to really want to socialize with the men here (and again, I sure could understand why.) The male mutants were all hesitant to approach the women. They also tended to cluster together and talk quietly. In a bizarre sort of way, it reminded me of junior high dances where the girls lined up on one side and the boys on the other, each "side" too shy to approach the other. (Of course, my interest was in the boys I hung out with, but that's a whole different tale of angst.) Jean was sure going to have her work cut out for herself, taking on the job of counselor for these women.

There were exceptions---not all of the girls and women were withdrawn. One of the rescuees who would be working with us on our next mission was a Russian woman in her thirties, Elena. She'd been trained on bridge duty as well as given basic medical training so she could assist Hank and Panda in sick bay. Her mutation did not confer any stunning powers on her. Her skin and the "whites" of her eyes were bright pink, and her hair---which she'd had cropped into a blunt cut----was naturally an orange hue. Despite her unconventional appearance, she was----like most female mutants----very beautiful. She and Colossus had taken to each other. You would frequently see the two of them spending their free time together, conversing quietly in Russian. I had never seen Peter so happy. At the party that evening, they spent most of the time siting together on a sofa, holding hands.

However, Elena and Colossus did get up to dance at one point. At various other times, Jubilee, Rogue, Gambit, Storm, Jean, and even Nightcrawler (yes, Nightcrawler), and I also found ourselves dancing. I laughed as I saw Jubilee at one point attempting to coax Wolverine onto the dance floor. She gets away with a lot of things that he would never allow anyone else to, but her attempt to get him to dance was unsuccessful. What a shame----I would have paid any amount of money to see "Wolvie" dancing. (Well, we don't really have money here but I digress.)

I guess I don't need to mention that the old grump spent most of the party sitting by himself looking for all the world as if he enjoyed being miserable. As usual, he brightened when Jubilee was around him but that was it. Well, that maybe was not it. I did see Storm bring him a drink, and I caught him returning her smile. They sat together and talked for a while too. I was too busy dancing then to really watch them though, and when Storm got up he went back to sitting there with his arms crossed. But hey, I guess it was a good sign for Wolverine that he even **bothered** to show up for the celebration.

The party continued on. We did play a few group board games and even a game of charades. Many of the rescued mutants came out of their shell a bit more for these games, and I wondered if my earlier thoughts about their long-term welfare had been too pessimistic. And I did a great job at charades, receiving lots of praise from my team (which included Cyclops, Storm, and Panda.) We beat the pants off the other team (which Jean, Nightcrawler, Hank, and Jubilee were all members of.)

Of course one of the guests of honor strongly preferred card games, and we played many rounds of poker, Blackjack, hearts, and other games, with Gambit soundly trouncing everyone else.

The Professor and Moira sat next to each other during much of the party.

"You must be proud to see two more of your X-men engaged, Charles," Moira said.

"Indeed I am. I hope it will bring them happiness." Charles smiled and shook his head. "I remember them when they first came to the team, so long ago. They both have come a long, long way since then." At this point, Rogue and Gambit were among those on the dance floor. Charles glanced at their dancing and felt warmth in his heart from watching them. Although he didn't make it his business to pry into his students' personal lives, he well remembered the days those two fought their attraction and their love for each other. `Two more of my children have really grown up,' he thought to himself.

Siryn went up to Charles and Moira, and sat with them for a bit. She was not back to her usual chatty and carefree self, but she was taking more of an interest in her surroundings and looking more alert than she had since before her imprisonment. And although she did not initiate any conversation, she responded well to her step-mother and the Professor.

"I canna thank you enough for all you've done for her," Moira said quietly, after Siryn had taken her leave of them to get some more snacks.

"Please, Moira, no need to keep thanking me. I am glad to help. Seeing her improve like this is very fulfilling." He glanced around the room. "I wish Betsy would improve."

"I havena seen her in here tonight."

"I don't think she ever planed on attending. She has been very quiet and withdrawn lately." Warren had popped in for a short while to pay his respects to Rogue and Gambit's engagement, but Betsy had not joined him. Her mood for the past few days had been consistently sullen and withdrawn. On one hand, it was encouraging that her mood swings appeared to be ceasing. But Charles knew he would also need to work with her to ensure she did not remain morose. He then said to Moira, "It is fortunate that she is returning to earth with us, so she and I will be able to continue working together."

"Your powers truly are a gift. You hae such potential to relieve suffering." Moira hoped that Charles could feel the warmth she felt towards him. His eyes looked a million lightyears away right then, and she saw wistfulness in them. Not that Moira could blame him. `Look at all he's lost,' she thought to herself. `His institute and mansion were burnt to the ground. Several of his students were killed. Magneto was killed too and Lord knows that despite all their disagreements over the years, Charles loved him. The FOH took all of his money. And surely he's coming to realize that he's lost his dream too. If humans and mutants are to live in peace on earth, we willna see it in our lifetime.'

Moira's somber thoughts continued. `Of course I have lost so much too. My husband and my son. My practice, my livelihood….' She halted that train of thought. No sense dwelling on the negative. `Both Charles and I lost so much, we should not be apart. Not now, not ever.' Moira had secretly been overjoyed that Siryn had given her leave to return to earth with the X-men. Much as she loved her step-daughter, Moira desperately wanted to be with Charles. She had been looking forward to their breakfasts together every morning as the high point of her day.

Meanwhile, Jean and Cyclops, holding their baby, came up to the Professor and Moira and spoke with them for a while. Jean and Cyclops wanted to spend as much time with the Professor as they could, saddened that he would be leaving again so soon. Jean wished for more time to talk to talk about less important things, but she and the Professor wound up discussing the counseling needs of the various women who would be remaining on An'zhina. Although they'd had several such conversations before, Jean wanted to glean every drop of knowledge possible.

Later on in the evening, after Charles and Moira had retired for the evening, Scott and Jean sat together on the sofa. Jean tapped her foot to the music, observing several people dancing away on the dance floor. "You want to get up and dance, Jean? I can hold her," Scott offered, gesturing for Charlotte who was sitting on her mother's lap. Scott did not dance at all, but he knew Jean occasionally enjoyed doing so.

"No, that's alright," Jean said. "I think I'd rather sit here with you," she said, as she snuggled closer to him.

"It's getting close to Charlotte's bedtime."

"I know. I can feel her fading fast." She smiled, "In fact, I'm fading fast too."

"I'm getting tired too. Maybe we should go back to our room, soon."

"We probably should. I just want to spend as much time here with the others as possible. After tomorrow, we're not going to see them again for two and a half more months. Assuming all goes well."

Scott put his arm around Jean. "I'm sure everything will go just fine."

"I really hope so. And I hope Jubilee made the right decision to go with them. It just seems like such an unnecessary risk for her and Aurora."

"I guess our company was just too awful!" Scott joked.

Jean couldn't resist a giggle. "Remember the time she knocked on our door when we were….." The pair chuckled together. "I guess we shouldn't laugh," Jean said, sobering up. "She probably is lonely. I'm sure that is partly why she wants to return."

Scott nodded. "Hey, look," he said, tilting his head towards the door. "Looks like Wolverine's had enough for the evening." Wolverine had made his way to the exit and left the party for the evening.

"I'm just glad he showed up at all," Jean said. She kept her tone even, though she felt a twinge of confusion on the topic of Wolverine. Something from his emotional signature was missing. Jean concentrated for a few more seconds and really thought it over. For the past decade or so, whenever Jean had taken a reading of Wolverine's feelings, she had sensed his love for her. He still loved her, of that she was certain. But….for the past few days, the feeling she sensed from him seemed less intense somehow. Jean was having a hard time describing it to herself. She also knew she should be glad for this, but for some reason she was not. `What am I doing?' she asked herself. `I should stay out of his head and mind my own business.' But usually Jean did not even need to consciously enter Logan's mind to feel his emotions for her.

"Is something wrong, my love?" Scott asked.

"No, no, not at all," Jean said. She put Logan out of her mind and verbalized some of the other things that had been causing her concern. "I'm just feeling a little sad that the rest of the X-men are leaving tomorrow. And feeling a little overwhelmed at all the work we're going to have to do with those people who are remaining behind." Jean added a laugh to her words when she realized the enormity of the task ahead of them.

"Oh, is that all?" Scott joked with her. "We have a baby to take care of and another on the way, we now have 160 torture survivors who need our help, and basically the rest of our family is going away on a dangerous mission. Nothing at all to be worried about!"

They shared a laugh over the ridiculousness of the situation. Jean shook her head. "Sometimes I wish for my sister's life. She'll never have to----" Jean stopped herself. "Well, her life might be a lot easier than mine, but she does not have the community that we X-men have. And she and her husband aren't as in love as we are. Who am I kidding? I wouldn't trade with her for the world."

Jean and Scott shared a kiss. Soon afterwards, they bid farewell to their friends and congratulated Rogue and Gambit once more. They then left for their room.

Storm decided to take a break from dancing. She walked over to a tray full of confectionery delights and helped herself to a brownie.

"Have you tried the mint cream bars? They're fuckin' awesome!" Marrow came right up behind Storm and helped herself to one of her favorite deserts.

"I have, but I think I prefer these brownies," Storm said. "Are you enjoying the party, Marrow?"

"No. But sitting on the side and smirking at you people dancing sure beats hangin' out in my room."

"I've always considered myself a very good dancer," Storm said, smiling tolerantly at Marrow's brashness.

"You are. There are a coupla Russians who could take lessons from you though. What about your boyfriend? Doesn't he dance?"

"Do you mean Wolverine?" Storm asked. She would never refer to Logan as her "boyfriend" and was really caught off-guard by Marrow's question.

"Are you sleeping with anyone besides him? Of course I mean Wolverine!"

Storm patiently rolled her eyes and responded, "I do not think he dances."

"So what's the deal with you and him? Are you two a couple or are you just fuck buddies?"

"That's enough, Marrow," Storm said, sternly.

"Oh c'mon. Gimme the scoop. The word is that he's in love with that pregnant redhead. Is that it? So you and him just sleep together but he don't love you? And do you love him and wish he'd return it?"

Storm forced herself to take a deep breath. For the first time, Marrow was really making her angry. "Be quiet, Marrow. I do not wish to discuss this." Storm angrily turned her back and moved to the other side of the room.

Marrow shrugged and didn't follow her.

Meanwhile, Bobby and Jubilee were among those still making use of the dance floor. One of the rescued mutants had worked as a DJ and was eagerly spinning tunes for the group. He had been playing some of the traditional dance party songs, but then decided to switch to a slower, romantic tune.

Rogue and Gambit held each other closely and looked into each other's eyes as they danced to the romantic song. Jubilee looked at Bobby. "Oh, good," Bobby was saying, "I'm ready for a break."

"Me too," Jubilee said, as she followed him off the floor and over to a refreshment stand.

Bobby handed Jubilee a drink, and the two then headed straight for Hank and Panda. The couple was sitting on one of the sofas, Hank cradling the sleeping Aurora. "You two look so cozy," Bobby said, standing before them. "You look so cute holding the baby. Maybe someday you'll have one of your own." Panda blushed.

"Thank you for holding her," Jubilee said, as Hank handed the baby back to Jubilee.

"It was my pleasure," Hank said. "She is sound asleep."

"Are you two gonna hit the dance floor now?" Bobby asked. "They're playing some mooshy love song for you guys."

"Dancing is not a skill that I have," Hank said.

"Me neither," Panda added.

"You can learn. It's not hard—and I can teach you," Bobby added.

"Some other time, my friend," Hank said, with a smile. He and Panda looked quite cozy, sitting together. Neither wanted to budge. Now that Aurora was taken from them, the couple entwined their hands.

"Suit yourself," Bobby said, craning his head around for a glimpse at the dance floor. It had pretty much cleared out, except that for Rogue and Gambit dancing together, and Colossus and Elena similarly entwined. Bobby kept to himself any nasty comments he wanted to make about Peter's dancing skills. As he did with nearly everyone else, the Russian man towered over his love interest.

The four friends then lapsed into an easy conversation. Panda found she liked Jubilee very much---she really liked her vivacity and spirit. The two spoke together very easily. They got excited when they realized that they were probably very close in age. Panda asked Jubilee about her decision to join the X-men on their next rescue mission to earth. "Making that decision was one of the most grown-up and hardest things I did," Jubilee said. "But I know it was the right one."

Panda's warm feeling towards Jubilee was mutual; Jubilee found herself taking a liking to Panda as well. She also felt Panda was more mature than she, though she couldn't put her finger on exactly why she felt that way.

And Jubilee felt another emotion too. She was jealous of Panda. An outside observer might think she was crazy for feeling that way. After all, Jubilee had grown into a very lovely young woman, petite with an attractive, athletic build. Panda, with her partly animal-like features, large frame, and furry body did not exactly fit the mold of the conventionally beautiful. But it was clear how in love she and Hank were. The more time the four spent sitting together, the more envious Jubilee became. `Everyone has someone except me. Jean has Scott, Rogue and Gambit are engaged now, Storm has whatever she has with Wolvie, Colossus has his new girlfriend, and now look at Hank and Panda. I've never had a boyfriend. I've never even been kissed!' Although Jubilee's outward expression was its normal friend and outgoing self, with each passing minute she felt more depressed. She was glad none of the X-men sitting there had telepathic abilities. `Am I ever going to get anyone?' she began to despair. `Or am I going to go through life with my only sexual experience being what the soldiers did to me? Am I ever even going to get kissed??'

Only one thought kept her consoled. Perhaps the conversation she and Storm had had a couple of days ago would bring the results she hoped for.

Bobby couldn't have known it but his thoughts were running on a similar train of thought as Jubilee's. He glanced at Panda and Hank, sitting so close together, Panda occasionally resting her head on Hank's shoulder. Bobby remembered back to the celebration the X-men had with the native people back on the Paradise planet after the invaders had been halted. At that party, Bobby had curled up in Hank's lap. He saw Panda in his place now and felt such envy pumping through his veins. For a moment, he detested Panda. He wanted to again be the one to cuddle against Hank, resting his head against warm fur. Bobby didn't want a sexual relationship with his best friend but he so coveted the affection. He forced himself to remain smiling and try to be happy for Hank.

Later that evening, Hank walked Panda back to her room. As they often did, they remained together in the hallway outside of her room, kissing. Hank then went back to his room and tried to perfect the poem he was working on for her.

That night, Rogue and Gambit were curled up together as they drifted off to sleep. "Remy, never in my life have I been this happy."

"Same for me, chere. Same for me."

Chapter 17

Chapter 19