Mine All Mine
"Hello! Earth to Cajun. Remy, where is your brain today?" Jubilee had it right, his brain was not straight today, nor had it been for nearly a week. Not since that day in the drug store when his world had come crashing down. His child…Jesse had his child. He kept telling himself that there was no way to prove it, that he was just being paranoid, but that picture kept running through his head. The one of the green eyed little girl Jesse had in tow smiling at him with his own smile, the one he had used to charm his way out of countless situations. She had it. And Jesse had kept her from him.
He focused on Jubilee and gave her his most debonair smile. "Jus' thinkin' 'bout what a cute little button nose you got, Petit." She rolled her eyes heavenward and threw a dishtowel at his head. "You are incorrigible, Remy, you know that?" He simply chuckled softly as he removed the offending towel from his face, "So dey tell me, Petit, so dey tell me." They set back to work on cleaning up the kitchen. Everyone took turns in rotation, and tonight just happened to be Remy and Jubilee's night. Remy went back to half-heartedly wiping down the counter when an idea occurred to him. He grinned slyly and turned to his young companion.
"Petit, d'ya tink ya migh' be able ta help me out wit a little… research?" She cast an intrigued glance at him, brows lifted and attention piqued. Remy never asked her for help with this sort of thing, and that sound in his voice promised that it would be sneaky and potentially very interesting. "I take it you want me to help you track down info on stuff you don't want anyone else to know about. Something personal?" She sounded a little too eager, most of the research the Professor had her doing lately was dull, all technical schematics and public record. Remy had to chuckle, "Somet'ing very personal. I need you t'track down an ole friend o' mine." Jubilee's face fell. Great, more dull public record searches. His charming smile returned, "Is not like dat. I wan' you ta use every resource you can tink of… even da shady ones. I need ta know every ting dis friend has been up to for da past eight years. Everyting." Her smile returned, she knew she was suppose to be horrified at the idea of hacking into private records, but this sounded like more fun than she'd been allowed to have in a while.
"You give me the name and birthday, if you have it, and I'll get to work." He wrapped a long arm around Jubilee and gave her a squeeze. "You da best, little one. Her name is Jessa Elizabeth Hawk, but we always jus' called her Jesse…"
It was a nerve wracked two days before Jubilee came knocking on Remy's bedroom door after dinner. He had just stepped out of the shower and quickly threw on a pair of sweat pants before swinging the door open, a towel still draped around his neck.
"Hey dere, Petit. You got dat info I needed?" He tried not to sound to anxious, but he had been walking on pins and needles for forty-eight hours.
"For God's sake, Remy. Put a shirt on. Impressionable youth, remember?" She brushed past him, using the file she held in her hand to shield her eyes. She had a point. His chest was one of his more impressive features. He quickly dried the water from his chest and arms and threw on an LSU tee shirt. Jube plopped down on his bed with an errant thought about just how many women had actually been in this bed and waited for him to sit down across from her. "Okay, where do you want me to start?"
"Jus' start at da beginnin', dat seems t'make de mos' sense." Jubilee flipped open the file and started handing pages to Remy. "Well, you said start eight years ago, so I did. Your friend here was a student at Louisiana State, freshman. She finished her first year with a 4.0, honor student, yada yada yada. Then the next I found about her, she enrolls the following fall at some backwoods community college in South Dakota. Here's were it gets a little weird. She has a baby, that's not the weird part though…"
"What's da baby's name?"
"Huh? Oh…" Jubilee flipped through the file until she came across a photocopied version of a birth certificate. "Vivianne Rose Hawk, January 12…"
Remy hopped up from the bed and began pacing counting back in his head. January… minus nine months. April. Damn her! April. "Hello! Are you listening?"
"Sorry, Jube. What was da weird part?"
"The weird part is that after that, she disappears for about 2 years. Completely falls off of public and private record. And when she does turn up, it's in Europe. Apparently, she was doing some kind of overseas study because she's awarded her degree in ancient history… from Oxford no less."
He chuckled softly to himself; that sounded like Jesse, smart as hell and just as ambitious. Only a girl like her could go from a backwoods hideout to Oxford with a baby in tow. "So what happens after dat?" He was quietly adding up the fact in his head. So far, all of his suspicions were bearing fruit… so to speak.
"Well, she moves to New York City and takes a job in the Columbia history department. Here's her current address and phone number." Jubilee handed over the final paper in the file. Jesse lived an hour away and apparently had been for the past four years. An hour away. Remy put on his best charming smile and looked up at Jube. "T'anks so much, Petit. I don' know how I can repay you."
She stood up, realizing this was her cue to exit. "No problem, Cajun. Though, someday I do expect a full explanation." She stretched up to plant a kiss on his cheek and left his room, closing the door behind her. He sat down on the bed and began riffling through the pile of papers Jubilee had left behind for him. His eyes fell once again on the birth certificate. January… He got up and changed into his jeans and trench coat, grabbing his bike keys from the dresser as he rushed out the door. He revved the engine as he tore out of the garage, down the driveway, and onto the highway as he headed toward the city.
His mind was full of memories as he traveled the distance between him and one Miss Jessa Hawk. She had a lot of explaining to do and he fully intended to get those answers, tonight. He thought back to the last time he saw her, so many pieces falling into place.
Jesse had blossomed, it seemed to him, overnight. He had been busy with the Guild, earning his place as a top member. One day he came home from a few months in Paris to find that the skinny little girl from down the street was now a very curvy little beauty. He was always busy with Belle, but he could not help but notice the looks she sent his way as they passed on the street. It was not long before she was dating some of his friends. He always found a reason to have a nice long talk with these young men. A talk to remind them that she was not part of the Guilds, not part of their world, so they had better mind their manners if they did not want to end up on his bad side. Shortly after that, they always seemed to find a reason to leave Jesse alone. Apparently, dealing with her giant hulk of a father and Remy was too much pressure.
Jesse and her sister, Krys, graduated a year early from their high school, the private, all girls' school run by the Church. It just happened that it was the same summer that he and Belle broke it off. If he had not known better, he would have thought Jesse had been waiting for just such an occurrence. She showed up on his lawn, dressed in short shorts and a red tank top, her hair piled loosely on the crown of her head. She was staring up at the house in a manner reminiscent of the day he had met her. He watched her from the window and then made his way out the front door. He walked up to her, still standing over her by a good eight inches, and smiled down at her. "Jus' what do ya t'ink you doin' on my lawn, little girl?"
"Wonderin' why you keep chasin' off all my dates, young man." She smiled deviously and settled her hands on her hips.
"I's not chasin' anyone off. I simply remin' dem dat you no t'eif. Dey need to be respectful." He put on his most serious expression, trying not to watch the bead of sweat that was trailing from the hollow of her throat to the V-neck of her tank top.
She considered that for a few seconds, watching him try not to look at her lustfully. When she spoke, her voice was soft and uncertain. "What if a thief is exactly what I want?"
He was shocked into silence. He had known that, as a kid, she had had a crush on him, but now that she was older, he had simply thought of her attention as innocent flirting. He decided on the most direct course of action. He kissed her. He wrapped her in his arms, crushing her chest against his, and kissed her until they were both weak in the knees. Things progressed naturally from there. They kept their romance a secret. She knew her parents would never approve and he knew that Belle would be in a killing rage if she knew that he had moved on so quickly.
Jesse enrolled in LSU that fall and did well. He was very proud of her accomplishments and she with his, even if she was slightly intimidated by the lifestyle of a thief. It was right after finals that he saw her for the last time. They always met at her off campus apartment. She had prepared a candle lit dinner and they had made love until the wee hours of the morning. He was holding her in his arms, running his palm over the skin of her back, simply listening to her breathe when she sat up slowly and looked down at him, her long hair cascading over one shoulder. She ran a fingertip over his lips and then leaned down to kiss him. "Remy, there's something we have to discuss…"
"I know dere is, Chere." He cupped the side of her face with one hand and looked sadly into her eyes. How was he suppose to tell her about this? His marriage to Belle had been arranged, he could not back out unless he wanted to bring war down upon the Guilds. Her eyes searched his. He knew she was a telepath, though he also knew that she could not read him. For once, he was glad. She turned away from him and snapped on the light, wrapping the sheet around her body.
"Remy, I'm leaving New Orleans. I want you to come with me." She turned back to look at him, her eyes wide and hopeful. "I know this is short notice, but I…"
He cut off her explanation with two softly spoke words. "I can't."
The look on her face was exactly what he was dreading, hurt and more than a little perplexed. "Please, you need to listen. Don't make up your mind until you hear everything."
"Cherie, mah papa gave me da news ta'day. My marriage ta Belle has been arranged. A joinin' of da Guilds. A chance for peace…" His words trailed off as he watched her face go from confused and hurt to positively crushed. He stood up to wrap his arms around her. She backed off sharply and turned from him. It was a full minute before she could speak and when she did, her voice was soft and full of rage.
"You came here, you sat through dinner, you slept with me, and NOW you choose to tell me this?" She paced the length of the room, biting her thumbnail and giving him the deadliest look he had ever seen as she tried to comprehend all of this. She seemed to come to a decision as she walked up to him. "I am leaving New Orleans in the morning. If you want to be with me, you will be here. Otherwise, don't call me, don't look for me, don't ever show your face again. Do we understand each other?"
"Perfec'ly, Cherie…" He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek then turned to gather his clothes and leave. He never came back. He drove by her apartment a few days later to see the For Rent sign posted in the window. He kept his end of the bargain, figuring that he'd hurt her enough, that it was better to let her go completely. Let her get on with her life.
Jesse was finishing her shower. Seeing Remy last week had sent her into a tailspin and she had spent most of the week on the phone with her sister, panicking about what she should do now. Krys gave her some sage advice about getting her panties out of a twist and then promised to return from her overseas trip as soon as possible. Vivianne had been sent off to a friend's house for the night, so Jesse was alone with her thoughts and fears. She decided to put on some soft music and take a nice long, hot bath. Jesse had sat in the bath for nearly an hour, drinking a glass of wine and contemplating history before she decided to just shower off and go to bed. She shut off the shower and slid the door open to grope for the towel she had left on the sink. She was confused; she knew she had left it within reach when she had gotten into the bath. An all too familiar chuckle emanated from the shadows just outside of the open bathroom door.
"Well, well, well. Time has been kin', Cherie."