IV
"Okay, here we go, jut a bit further Darlin."
"Ah can see that Logan."
"I'm just saying is all"
Rogue suppressed a smile as Logan helped her out of the car and shut the door firmly behind her. Then he proceeded to help her gently up the walk with a guiding arm, as if she'd fall and break at any moment.
For once, Rogue didn't protest his help, just accepted the fact she needed it and leaned on him gently as she shuffled along her front walk to the front porch.
Immediately the door swung open and Jubilee flew out to meet them with a happy grin on her face. "Welcome home!" She cried as she ran forward and embraced her tightly.
"Easy Jubes." Logan reminded her as he let go of Rogue's arm, lest he be knocked over.
"Oh, right." Jubilee said as he leaned in and kissed her quickly, for no good reason. "Sorry."
"Don't be." Rogue said, trying not to let her fatigue show. She was just sp dam happy to be home, she wasn't going to let anything bother her.
"I'm just so glad your home." Jubilee said.
"Ah know hon." Rogue said, "But, hey, Ah was only gone for a few days."
"Almost a week." Logan said as he guided her inside. "That's something; given it was only a little fall."
"Nothing is little when you're pregnant." Rogue and Jubilee said in unison.
It was true, the fall had led to a trip to the hospital for observation, which had intern revealed her blood pressure was high. Through in some light contractions, and minor bleeding and the doctors had absolutely refused to let her go until everything had cleared up. As it was she was on strict orders to take it easy until her next Pre-natal appointment in a week, something she knew she was going to have a problem with but in the same knew was necessary.
Because her back kept spasaming (Something they told her was normal for how far along she was) she was walking like an old women, and she could barely get up and down off of things on her own.
"We have leftovers." Jubilee said "There's pasta if your hungry, and fresh bread from the bakery."
"There's chili I made last night." Logan said "And I think there' some chicken left as well."
"The doctors told you to feed me, didn't they?" Rogue said in a bemused tone.
"Kind of." Jubilee confessed as she helped her sit down on the couch gingerly.
"Ah think Ah'd actually like to rest." Rogue said. "Although, Ah do want to spend some time with ya'll before you go back to New York." She caught the glance that flew between Jubilee and Logan. "What?"
"Nothing." Jubilee said as she slid a pillow behind her back.
"Jubilee, spill." Rogue said in a tired tone.
"We're staying with you." Jubilee admitted. "Until the baby's born."
"We're on a working absence from the team." Logan put in.
'What, no, you can't do that because of me." Rogue said.
"It's alright Rogue." Jubilee said. "It's was Xavier's idea, he doesn't think you should be alone down here."
"Not that Ah'm not glad ya'll are here but Ah can take care of mah self." She protested.
"Oh really?" Jubilees said, with a triumphant smile "Then try to get up off the sofa on your own."
Rogue smiled, braced a hand on her throbbing back…and failed miserably. After a few moments of humiliation she gave up, sinking back against the cushions huffily.
"See?" Jubilee said, extending a hand. "You need us."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Rogue muttered but inwardly she was happy they were staying. "Ah'm going to go and take a rest."
"Wait." Logan said "I have something I need to show you first."
'What?" Rogue said as she suppressed a yawn.
"This." He said as he guided her over to a panel by the front door. "Your new security system."
"You installed a security system?" Rogue said in disbelief. "Was that necessary?"
"It's just a precaution." Logan assured her. "It's wired to a security system in town."
"Tell her the truth Logan." Jubilee said as she picked Genny up and leaned her against her hip. "All of it."
Logan shot his wife a look before turning to Rogue. "It's also connected via satellite to the Mansion, if something happens here, they'll know about it there." He smiled. "It has a hook up outside with motion detectors, so we'll know if we've got any unwelcome visitors. Plus you've got a small camera above the front door that feeds to the TV so you don't have to answer the door if you don't want to and you can still see who's there."
"You've turned mah home into Fort Knox." Rogue protested.
"That's not all." Jubilee said, nodding her head to table off to her right. To Rogue's surprise it held a telephone she'd never seen before. "That phone connects to the Institute, and the only the Institute. That's its only purpose; it's a direct line via satellite. We can get them anytime we need them, night or day."
"There's also one in the kitchen and all the bedrooms." Logan said in a kid gruff voice. He was trying to reassure her he'd only done this for her and the baby's good but Rogue still felt unhappy about it.
"Do Ah really need this?" She pleaded.
"Do I really have to answer that?" Logan said.
"It could have been just kids, playing around that night." She said, she didn't want to believe that her small town haven could have villains. Those eyes though, she knew in her mind those eyes couldn't have belonged to anyone who wasn't.
"Ah guess Ah really don't have a choice." She said with a sigh as she rubbed her temples. "Ah'm going to lie down."
"Okay." Jubilee said with a smile. "I'm going to attempt to cook; you want me to wake you when dinner is ready?"
"Sure." Rogue said as she headed for the stairs. "Ya'll know where ah'll be."
As soon as she'd disappeared around Jubilee swatted Logan lightly on the arm.
"What was that for?" He asked as he wrapped his arm around her.
"You scared her." Jubilee said. "Did you have to make things sound so dire?"
"Yes." Logan said. "She needs to realize she needs help and security Jubes."
She looked at him for a moment, and he got the feeling she was searching his face for something. "Do you know something I don't?" She asked quietly. "You've been awful quiet since you back from Westchester."
"No." He lied, hating Xavier for forcing him to do that to his wife. He made a never to lie to her, but right now knowing what he knew would only put her in more danger.
Jubilee looked at him for a long moment, and then leaned up and kissed him gently before disengaging herself from him gently. "Okay." She said as she picked the baby up and prepared to leave the room. "I believe you."
For a moment, Logan faltered. "Hey, honey?' He said, watching as she turned around.
"What sweetie?" Jubilee asked, disentangling the baby's hand of her necklace gently.
"Ahh" Logan said absentmindedly "Oh, I'll watch the baby while you get dinner."
"You sure?" Jubilee said, ""Because I can watch her fine while I cook."
"No." Logan said with a smile as he took Genny gently from her. "She can spend some time with her old man, can't you?"
Genny looked at him innocently and then smiled brilliantly "Who the hell made that call?" She chirped as she snuggled against her daddy's muscled chest.
"Right." Logan said wanly as Jubilee tossed him a dark look and left the room. He sat down on the floor and set Genny in his lap, grabbing her favorite book as he did so. "Oh, little darlin." He said as he opened it up so she could see the pictures. "Daddy's gonna be in a heap of trouble when Mommy finds out what I know and kept from her."
Genny looked up at him for a moment then smiled again. "Up yours Scooter."
"Right."
Rogue was sound asleep when a soft something covering her face suddenly brought her awake. She sat up quickly and looked around to find her assailant, only to hear a childish giggle from beside her.
"You!" She said with a laugh, watching as Genny hugged her terry cloth bunny securely against her and watched her right back. "Did your mama send you to wake me up?"
Genny didn't answer, just turned and ran out of the room, trailing her bunny behind her.
"Kids." Rogue said to herself, then she giggled like a child herself and hugged her arms around her. "Ah can't wait!"
For a moment she lay there giggling, then with a stretch she got up and headed for the shower.
Jubilee was in the kitchen when Rogue appeared an hour later, dresses casually in a pair of jean cut offs and men's shirt. "Hey," She said, and then to her surprise, noticed the bright morning sunlight pouring through the windows. Hadn't it been late after noon when she'd laid down? "Ah thought you were gonna wake me for dinner Sugah?"
"You were tired." Jubilee said simply as she set a plate of bacon on the table. "I lied, get over it. Do you want some breakfast?"
"You mean Ah slept straight through last evening and last night?" Rogue asked in disbelief.
"Yup." Jubilee said, "Like a stone. Tea?"
"Sure." Rogue said as she sat at the table. "Where's Logan and Genny at?"
"Genny's asleep and Logan's out walking the dog." Jubilee said as she sat down.
Rogue thought for a moment, then set her coffee mug aside and cocked her head. "Jubilee." She said after a moment. "Ah don't have a dog."
Jubilee focused her eyes on the piece of toast; she was eating and mumbled something to the akin of "You do now."
"Jubilee." Rogue said. " You've got to be kidding me."
" It was Logan's idea." Jubilee said. " He's got this friend in the city on the police force. He takes in retired police dogs, gives them a good place to retire. Logan called in a favor and got him to foster out one of them to us for you. That's where Titan comes in."
"Titan?" Rogue said in dismay. " How big is this dog?"
"He's a Germen Shepard, estimate." Jubilee said with a sigh. " He got here this morning, he'll protect you if you're here on your own, but he's good with kids so you don't have to worry about that at all, he doesn't have a temper or anything."
"What did he do on the force?" Rogue asked idly as she munched on a strip of bacon.
" Narcotics and bomb sniffing I think." Jubilee said simply. " But he got shot, so they retired him. He's a good dog; I think Logan would keep him permanently if he could." She patted Rogue's hand. " Trust me on this, you'll be glad to have him here."
"Ah hope so." Rogue said as she took a sip of tea.
"Hey!" Jubilee said as she caught sight of her friend's appearance. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I think you may be pregnant!"
"Ha-ha." Rogue said, flicking a piece of toast at her ninja style. "So glad of you to notice." It was true though, Rogue had noticed it that morning when she was dressing, her bump had finally become a balloon. Somehow in the week, she'd been in the hospital, she's really started to show . " It's about time." Rogue said, caressing the noticeable curve. "Ah was a full five months, three days ago."
"Does that mean we get to go shopping for cloths soon?" Jubilee said. "Maybe a trip to Jackson is in order?"
"Wait and see." Rogue said, although a girl's out shopping trip sounded better to her then chocolate and sex wrapped together.
She smiled wistfully, that reminded her of something wickedly naughty that she and Gambit had tried once. Just thinking about it now brought a blush to her cheeks.
Okay, okay, so maybe a shopping trip wasn't quite as good as sex… or at least the sex she'd been getting at the time.
"Alright." Jubilee agreed, totally obvious to the wicked play-by-plays that were going on in vivid color in her best friend's head. "I checked in at the mansion by the way, Remy bought our story, he doesn't suspect a thing. You're still hidden here, according to Scott."
Rogue didn't say anything, just raised an eyebrow at Jubilee and let her live on in her dream world. She knew how well Scott could lie; she'd beaten him at poker so many times he refused to play if she was. He lied about as well as Logan could do ballet.
That meant without a doubt, Remy suspected something and that it was only a matter of time before he found out everything. The question was what was going to happen after that?
She'd have a mussed Swamp Rat on her doorstep, that's what.
Rogue considered that for a moment, she should have been planning to run, she should have been planning to explain…She should have been doing anything to protect the cover she'd made, instead she was wondering if she could get away buy cloths just a size larger instead of maternity, so there was a chance she could wear them later.
After all who was she to argue with fate?
She set her cup down, and cocked her head. "You know." She said after a moment. "Ah do feel like shopping, let me get my purse and we'll go."
"We have to wait for Logan to get back." Jubilee said. "And you're supposed to be taking it easy, remember?"
"Ah can take it easy shopping." Rogue. "We can sit somewhere and eat, that's taking it easy."
Jubilee eyed her for a moment then shrugged. "I'm convinced, but what about Logan?"
"We'll leave him a note." Rogue called.'" And the extra keys."
"Sounds good." Jubilee said, dumping her coffee in the sink "I'll get the baby."
"Ah'll get mah keys." Rogue said as they passed each other.
"Wait a minute." Jubilee said, stopping her. "I have to ask. We didn't give you much chance to voice you opinion before, we just kind of moved in. Do you mind having us here at all?" She smiled. 'We don't want to impose, if you want some down time."
"Jubilee, your welcome here any time, all the time." Rogue said, giving her a hug. "You know that."
"I know." Jubilee said. "But still…"
"Go get your girl." Rogue said as they both wiped tears away. 'Let's go charge some plastic."
"My favorite hobby." Jubilee said enthusiastically.
"Putting Logan's blood pressure up?" Rogue said innocently.
"In more ways then one." Jubilee agreed as she disappeared up stairs.
Within 20 minutes, they were gone, heading in the direction of Jackson and the closest air conditioned mall.
Once they were on the road, Rogue leaned back in her seat and smiled.
If Remy was going to eventually land on her doorstep (and there was nothing she could do to stop it), she was going to knock him off his feet.
Remy had a plan.
He knew his team mates were keeping things from him, and he had a sneaky suspicion it was about Rogue. He didn't particular like when people, especially his friends, kept things from him, especially when he was going crazy looking for her, but he could deal with that later.
Revenge would be sweet.
Right now. However, the most important thing was to find out what they knew, and to do that he was going to have to be a better actor then Tom Cruise and Sean Connery put together.
And then he was going to have to find the easy, most gullible scmuck in the mansion.
Turing the corner, he spotted his prey and moved in for the kill.
Attempt one: the Blindside.
"Scott." He said as he broke into stride beside him, "How are ya dis morn'in?"
"Not bad." Scott said. "Yourself."
"Can't complain." Remy said… and if Scott believed that he really was a fool. "So you guys went on a mission when Remy was gone, what happened."
He could have sworn he saw color flicker through Cyclops's face as he stammered. "No-nothing important, turned out to be an exaggerated situation."
"Really." Remy said as they entered the staff room.
Scott nodded. "Didn't even really concern us, the local police defused the situation before we got there. All we did was turn around and come straight back home."
Inwardly Remy winced. Scott really was a terrible liar; it was no wonder Remy beat him all the time at poker. He lied about as well as Logan played tea party.
He actually felt a bit sorry for sideswiping Cyclops. It was kind of like throwing a kitten to wolves… or worse a new credit card to Jubilee.
Remy was about to pepper him with the tough questions when the door opened and Jean walked in briskly. "Hello boys." She said with a smile.
Shit, abort! abort!, abort!
Telepath in perimeter.
He hadn't factored in what would happen if Red caught him trying to get info from Scott.
He'd die, that's what and very slowly, or spend the rest of his days with the mind of a potato.
He cleared his throat and smiled as Jean spoke. "Can I talk to you for a minute in my office Scott?" She asked sweetly.
"Sure honey." Scott said quickly, jumping up. "I'll see you later Remy."
With that he was gone, and it wasn't until he heard the door shut firmly behind him that Remy let his head slump to the table in defeat.
And that was when he noticed the trail of wet footprints; Jean had left behind her in her wake. He sniffed the air; sure enough the smell of Sage and Rosemary in the air spoke of shampoo.
Jean hair had been damp, now that he thought of it.
Remy jaw dropped in amazement as he swore.
He had to give it to Scooter.
He was damn smarter then he looked.
"Thank you." Scott said in relief as they reached Jean's office and slipped inside. "You got there in just the knick if time."
"I know." Jean said, rubbing her temple. "You owe me a massage later for this one; did you have for call for me so loud?" She grimaced. "I love when your in my head baby, you know that, but I think every telepath in a twenty mile radius heard you."
"I had too." Scott said. "I knew what he was trying to do, I needed help getting away."
"Honey, you need to learn how to lie better." Jean said gently. "I was in the shower when you called me, I bolted so fast I almost forgot to put cloths on." She chuckled at his raunchy thoughts. "That's not funny Scott, can you imagine the scene it would have been."
"Sorry." Scott said.
"He knows something." he went on with a sigh. "He's going to figure out things eventually."
"I know." Jean said. "And so does she, but we're staying out if it."
"Honey if we were any deeper in it we'd be fossil fuel." He said in a matter of fact tone as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I know." Jean said again as she leaned her forehead against his. "She doesn't want him to know anything."
"I'm not so sure of that." He said. "I got the impression; she wanted him to come after her. I thought she'd be a lot angrier when Logan got us all down there, instead she was happy about it." He shook his head, "She's got to know he's going to find her, that one of us would talk eventually."
"It's true." Jean agreed. "But it's not going to be us."
Scott nodded his agreement, and held her tighter as she leaned down and kissed him hungrily. "Oh…Jean." He murmured against her mouth. "What are you doing?"
"I can't help it." She said innocently. "Now I've got your naughty ideas in my head and my own…" She leaned in close to his ear and breathed softly. "Never start something mentally with a telepath, your not prepared to finish physically." As she spoke she toyed with the top button of his shirt playfully.
"The door's unlocked." He reminded her. "A student could come in at any time."
Click!
"Never mind."
Jean smiled and leaned back against her desk seductively and smiled heatedly at him. "You know I was in such a hurry to get to you, I didn't have time to put on anything under my skirt or top."
"I have a class to teach in-what?" Scott said weakly. "You're teasing me."
"Am I?" Jean said. "Come find out."
With a groan Scott gave in and swept her against him. There was no use fighting it when it came to them, and he knew better then to try. She was irresistible to him and for a while when they were alone together nothing else mattered or ever would.
With a snort of disgust Remy stepped back from the door before things went triple XXX on him. He hadn't meant to listen in that long and now he felt truly perverted. He'd invaded his friend's privacy in the worst way, and the loathing he felt would stay with him for a long time.
With a grunt he walked away, knowing he'd sunk to rock bottom … and yet he'd had his suspicions confirmed. They knew something about where Rogue was…
Now he just had to figure out what it was.
Logan looked out the window again at the setting sun, and then checked his watch. Okay, so they'd gone shopping and he'd turned into…Scott, waiting like a nest mother for them to come home. It wasn't like they couldn't take care of them selves in a fight after all.
It was just he'd baked a casserole for dinner and it was getting cold waiting for them.
With a steel resolve, he forced himself to sit down and turn on the TV. He flipped through the channels forcibly, then looked over at where Titan was laying looking at him through sharp eyes. "I know." He said with a sigh as he leaned over and scratched the dog's ears. "But you've got to realize, they don't know what I do."
Xavier had been clear, since he wasn't sure exactly what was going on yet, Jubilee and Rogue were too know as little as possible. He didn't want any extra stress on Rogue, not until they had too. Still the thought that somebody might have set the whole town up for evil purpose was putting Logan visibly on edge.
A whole town?
He knew people could be bought easy enough but a whole town, why would somebody need to create one. And how did Rogue know to find her way there? Somebody had to have put the impression in her head, had to have had control of her in some way, and that thought pissed him off more then anything.
He needed to find out what was going on so badly he could taste it, but Xavier wanted him to lay low and for once Logan was going to listen if it meant keeping them safe. They were a long way from the team if they needed help, so he needed to be extra careful.
Hence the dog, and the alarms, for starters
The sound of a key in the lock started him out of his thoughts, and as he watched Jubilee came in carrying several shopping bags on one arm and Genny on the other. "Okay." She said setting the baby down. "Home sweet home."
As she straightened up, she caught sight of Logan. "You're mad." She said instantly. "And I haven't even shown you my credit card receipts yet, that's new."
"I'm not mad." Logan said as she went and kissed her.
"Yes, you are." Jubilee said.
"No I'm not." He said with a sigh as he picked Genny up and gave her a cuddle against his shoulder. "I'm just worried about Rogue, that's all." He looked around. "Where is she, anyway?"
"Waiting for me to call her in." Jubilee said. "Wait until you see her, we went to the salon, went shopping, then had dinner." She smiled. "We had a good time."
"I'm glad." Logan said giving her another kiss. "You'd better call her in though, before she gets eaten by mosquitoes."
"Right." Jubilee agreed. "Annie, get in here." She smiled at Logan. "May I present, the new and improved Rogue. "She made a face. " Well not improved, because there was nothing really to improve…"
"Jubes." Logan said with a laugh and a shake of his head.
"Oh, right." Jubilee said. "Anyways, ta da!" She stepped aside with a flourish and Rogue came in.
She looked a far cry from the women who'd left the house that morning in shorts and a men's shirt. Now she sported a pair of black stretch pants and a green peasant style blouse that tied in the back and gave her room to breathe. Her hair had been cut to her shoulders, and styled so it lay well there and she fingered it nervously, still unsure of whether it was too short or not.
She was carrying a massive number of shopping bags which Jubilee promptly took from her and set down beside her own. "Well." She said. "What do you think?"
"I think you look great." Logan said, a little speechless. "Both of you."
Smart move, Logan.
Never say one woman, looked better than another, especially when one is your wife and you have to live with the other.
A low whining noise, alerted Logan to the fact that somebody had been left out of the conversation and didn't like it at all.
"You must be Titan." Rogue said, flashing Logan a look as she patted the dog nervously on it's massive head.
The dog for his part, licked her hand in a totally uninterested fashion and then went back to his spot on the rug and promptly went back to sleep.
"I think he likes you." Logan said sheepishly.
"Right." Rogue said. "Ah'll bet."
She smiled. "Anyone call while we were out?"
"Nope." Logan said. "No one, why?"
He could have sworn he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face as she hefted her bags again. "No reason, Jean just said she was going to call is all." She said. "Ah think Ah'm gonna go take a nap before supper, Ahright?" She smiled again. "Shopping with Jubes wore me right out."
"Sure." Logan said. "Dinner'll be ready when you wake up."
With a nod, Rogue turned and left the duo behind. "What's up with her?" Logan said as he helped Jubilee with her bags.
"She's homesick I think." Jubilee said with a sigh. "And too proud to admit it."
"She's not just homesick sweetie." Logan said perceptively. "She's heartsick as well." He grunted. "She misses that damn Cajun like crazy and she's still to stubborn to call him."
"Maybe we should." Jubilee suggested. "He's going nuts looking for her, far more then anyone expected him too."
"What do you mean?" Logan asked as he leaned against the counter.
"Logan these two have made a career of waiting for each other." Jubilee said bluntly. "They break up, leave for a while and then make up. It's almost a tradition by now."
"So?" Logan asked.
"So?" Jubilee said. "This time Remy isn't waiting, he's afraid he's lost her for good. He's out there degrading himself in everyway possible because he wants to make things right again," She shook her head lightly. "He's proud; in fact, he's the second stubbornness man I know. To go and look for her instead of waiting shows a lot."
"Your right." Logan said as he pulled her into the circle of his arms and kissed her, pulling her close. "Jubilee?"
"Hmmm?"
"Second stubbornness man?"
She looked up at him. "Well yeah, I mean where would I be if I didn't put my own husband in first place?"
Upstairs Rogue lay in her bed, vaguely disappointed that nobody from home had called her. She hugged a pillow to her chest and tried to will herself sleep. The memory of a pair of burning eyes was haunting her though, and before she could realize it, she was crying softly.
She missed him.
She'd somehow gotten to hoping that he'd find her somehow, that he'd show up and thing could be good again.
It was too much of a dream to be real.
She was sick and tired, of feeling sorry for herself, but she didn't know what else to do. She was too proud to just go home, and she really did want to give this life a try.
But it was costing her so much.
Maybe too much.
With a muffled sob, she pulled the blankets over herself and tried to block everything out with sleep.
Tuesday night was poker night at Xavier's.
It was a weekly tradition that the entire team member got together and played. They talked about the students, what was going on in the dorms and what needed to be done that week.
Essentially it was a staff meeting with corn chips and beer.
So that's where Remy found himself, seated with Scott, Alex and Storm in the lounge, dealing the cards like only he could. He was hoping that maybe, just maybe one of them would get enough beer in them to say something about where Rogue was.
Attempt two: The drinking disclosure.
But first….
"Where's Jean?" He asked casually as he dealt out more cards.
"Siryn's sick with the flu." Scott said offhandedly. "She's in med lab with her."
Remy nodded; satisfied that the beautiful telepath was engaged in something that she couldn't easily walk away from.
Although that hadn't stopped her last time.
He looked around, and then noticed something. Their normal crowed was a lot small then it usually was. "Where are Jubes and Logan?" He asked in perplexity. He realized he hadn't seem them since he'd come back.
"They decided to take a working vacation." Ororo said. "I'll start us off, shall I and bet twenty."
"A working vacation?" Remy said as he saw her bet and raised it another twenty. "Where?"
"Mississippi." Scott said. "They're thinking of buying a house there."
"They have a vested interest there." Alex said vaguely as he took a sip of his beer and then looked at his cards. "And apparently, they met some real nice people down there who took a liking to them."
"That's nice." Remy said, but something was starting to whirl in his mind,
Why would a northerner like Logan buy house in an arid place like ol'Mississippi? That place could be hotter then the hubs of hell at tax season at times, and Jubilee would hate it, no good shopping malls at all.
"They'll probably stay there till the baby comes." Ororo said.
Remy's eyes shot up from his cards. "Jubsie gonna have another one?"
"Uh." Ororo said guilty. "Yeah."
"Remind me to call them and congratulate them." Remy said casually. "Who's got der number by da way?"
"It's not up yet." Scott said, shooting Ororo a look. "I'll make sure you get it when we do."
Remy cast a glance between them, and picked up the murderous looks being flashed behind his back from Scott to Storm.
Okay, something definitely wasn't right, and he wasn't even trying to get information now.
He had a strange feeling he'd been going in the wrong direction. He'd been looking for Anna on her own, now he was getting the feeling that if he found Jubilee and Logan he'd find her.
Ether that or he was a total paranoid, who was way off his rocker.
He frowned, his thoughts straying, if they were staying with her then something was wrong. A sick feeling spread through him as he thought of his belle chere, having problems with her pregnancy. It made him want to be with her even more, which only made him feel more frustrated and mad.
"Remy?"
Remy looked up. "What?"
"You okay?" Alex asked.
"Course, why?' Remy asked absently.
"Because you just bet a potato chip instead of a poker chip, that's why."
"What?" Remy asked, then looked down.
Sure enough, he'd meant to call Alex's bet and raise it with a stack of chips; instead he'd tossed a handful of Lay's into the pot instead.
"Sorry Mon hommes," he said with a sigh. "Remy's heart jus ain't in dis tonight."
"We can tell." Scott said. "Thinking 'bout Rogue huh?"
"Who else?" Remy said, sitting back in his chair and passing a hand over his face. "Remy just can't get da girl off his mind, being worried 'bout her and all."
"She'll be okay." Scott said absently. "She can take care of herself."
"Dat's not the point." Remy said. "Remy want ta take care of her, dat's his job."
"I'd feel the same if it was Jean." Scott admitted.
"Or Annie." Alex agreed
"Or Kurt." Storm said with a sigh.
Remy took a sip of his beer as a self-conscious silence dawned around.
Point in fact; feelings were not normally discussed with such candor at Xavier's.
Oh, the awkwardness of the love inclined.
Or in Remy's case, the love declined.
With a French curse, he tossed down his cards. "Remy's done for the night." He said as he finished off his beer. "I'm going to bed."
Without another word he turned and left, but his mind was working a mile a minute.
Logan and Jubilee.
He had a feeling he was a step closer to Rogue then before, now he just had to close the rest of the million miles between them.
Late that night, well after midnight Logan was sitting on Rogue's front porch, smoking a cigar and enjoying the relative quiet of the night around him as he thought. He'd made a call to Xavier earlier, only to find that Cue ball didn't have anything new to report. He'd just said the same thing as before, keep an eye on the town, keep an eye on Rogue, and be careful. It had left him feeling disconcerted and annoyed, because he knew Xavier probably knew more then he said, and wasn't ready to speak up yet.
"Logan?"
He looked up to see Jubilee peering out the open screen door. "Are you there?"
"Right here darlin?" He said as he stubbed out his cigar.
"Why are you out here so late?" She asked as she stepped outside and pulled her silk wrapper more tightly around her. "Couldn't you sleep?"
"I could ask you the same thing." He pointed out.
"No, I'm spoiled." She said with a yawn as she pushed her hair over her shoulder. "I can't sleep without you."
He grinned and patted his leg affectionately and she came and sat across his lap. Without a word he pulled her close and held her tightly while she ran her fingers through his hair.
"Logan?" She said tipping his face towards her with gentle fingers. "What's wrong?" She shook her head. "And don't tell me it's nothing again. I can tell something's been bothering you since you got back from home."
For a moment he locked eyes with her, and had to finally admit to himself that someone knew him well enough to tell when he was upset or hurt. Someone that he was willing to talk to above anyone else. Instead of speaking he pulled her close against him again and locked his arms around her tightly, almost afraid to let her go.
Jubilee took the hint.
"It could be that bad?" She asked softly.
Logan looked away for a moment, thinking and finally coming to a decision. If his wife and daughter were goin to be involved in this, then Xavier be damned, he wasn't going to stay quiet.
"It could be." He said with a sigh. "I don't know yet Jubes." He cocked his head. "I think maybe you should take Genny and go home, where it's safe, Rogue too if I can convince her."
"No." Jubilee said stubbornly. "We're not going anywhere unless you go with us."
"Jubilee." Logan said in a pleading tone.
"No." Jubilee said. "You're my husband, and I don't run. I can fight; I will fight with you for as long as I can."
"What about Genny?" Logan asked. "It may not be safe for her here; no matter how hard either of us tries to protect her."
"I'll take her home to Jean." Jubilee said, after a moment's silence "I've got to go back for a few days next week anyways for my dance class's recital, and then I'll come back here." Her voice choked up. "Alone, I'll leave her there."
He nodded. Knowing it was the best he could ask of her.
"Alright then." He kissed her and rested his head on her chest. "We can't tell her anything Jubilee, Xavier doesn't want her to know yet, not until we know more."
"I agree." Jubilee said with a sigh as they kissed again, knowing he wasn't talking about the baby. "I just hope then it's not too late."
As if on cue the porch light came on and Rogue popped her head out the door. "Are you two out there?" She said sleepily.
" Yeah." Jubilee said, "Why, are you alright, do you need something?"
" Ah had a craving for ice cream ." Rogue said. " Ah think Ah'm gonna go to the store."
" I'll go." Logan said with a sigh as Jubilee slid longingly off his lap and he kissed her hand as she passed. "Do you want anything sweetie?"
"Chips." Jubilee said with a yawn "And Oreo's."
"Right." Logan said, glad the town boasted a 24 hour convenience store. It was alright, he didn't mind going on craving runs for Rogue.
He needed a case of beer to calm his nerves anyways.
The sun dawned hot the next morning, reminding Rogue that the southern Mississippi spring was right around the corner.
With a sigh she crawled gingerly out of bed, blissfully free of morning sickness, now in her second trimester and headed for the shower with a yawn.
When she emerged half an hour later, wrapped comfortable in a towel she was actual in a decent mood for once, given the mood she'd been in the night before.
Maybe it was the late night, ice cream Logan had brought back from the store.
With a shake of her head, and a reminder to get him a case of beer for his efforts, she went to her closet and decided to wear one of the new maternity outfits Jubilee had coerced her to buy in Jackson. She had a doctor's appointment later and she wanted to look her best, to show them she was feeling better.
She quickly sorted through the various garments until she came across one of the loose sundresses Jubilee had insisted she buy. It was a bight fall colored dress that kind of reminded her of the leave at home with a rust colored halter neck and a long skirt.
Perfect for a hot day, with really very little to do.
She pulled her hair back into a loose pony tail and then slipped down stairs.
The house was quiet around her, and it wasn't until she got to the kitchen she found the note from Jubilee saying she and Logan had taken the baby to the park for an hour. She smiled, Jubilee had known how upset and out of sort she'd been the night before. She'd also known how much a little quiet time would be appreciated.
With a smile, she poured herself a cup of coffee and grabbed the paper, planning to head to the front porch and lounge.
And that's when she felt it.
Bubbles.
A quick movement, so fast she almost didn't feel it, couldn't really tell if the baby had moved or if it was just her.
And then it happened again.
And again.
With a gasp she dropped her coffee cup, (splashing coffee all over her floor but not noticing) and wrapped both arms around her rounded stomach in delight.
And then it finally hit her, her baby was real.
It had seemed so far away and removed before, with morning sickness and insomnia but now, her baby was letting her know he or she was there.
She'd never felt happier, or more overwhelmed.
And yet all she could think of, was she wished a certain Swamp Rat was there to share the moment with her.
Still it was a big moment, and she stood there still, waiting to see if it would happen again. When it didn't she pushed back the disappointment and scooped up her coffee cup. Then she reached for a stack of paper towels to wipe up the coffee on the floor.
She was in the process of that when the door bell rang.
"Come in." She called, a little breathlessly as she straightened up." The door's unlocked."
A moment later Aurelia poked her head around he corner, just as Rogue was pouring herself another cup of coffee. "Aurelia." She said with a wary smile.
"Ah just came too see how you were." Aurelia said nervously. "No more problems or fall's Ah hope."
"Nope." Rogue said as she said down, a little awkwardly at the table. "Everything's been fine."
'No more pains?" Aurelia said.
"No." Rogue said with a smile, that didn't dissuade the creepy feeling she was getting in the pit of her stomach. In general, she realized she didn't care for the women…but she didn't know why. Aurelia had come to visit her everyday she'd been in the hospital, and almost everyday since. She seemed a nice enough person but there was just something about her that sent a shiver up Rogue's back.
"Are your friend's not here anymore?" Aurelia said, looking around. "The house is awful quiet."
"They took their little girl to the park." Rogue said. "They should be back any minute."
Was it her imagination, or did the women look disappointed that Jubes and Logan were still in town?
"How long are they staying might I ask?" Aurelia said pleasantly as she accepted the coffee Rogue offered.
"Awhile." Rogue said, "Probably till after mah baby's born."
She didn't know that for sure, but she wasn't about to admit to the women she might soon be alone and on her own again.
"Anyways." Rogue said nonchalantly. "It might not be just them, Ah've got all this room to mah self, Ah'm, thinking of having some other friends come and stay with me as well."
"The ones that helped you fix the house?" Aurelia said in dismay.
"The very ones." Rogue said. "Ah've got quite a few who might come and stay for awhile."
Rogue was an excellent liar, and she knew it. It was a valuable skill she'd crafted over time. She could bluff her way out of anything, or get practically anyone to believe her when she spoke.
She'd learned from the Ragen Cajun, and he was the best.
She also knew how to tell when somebody was shifty or upset about something she said… and Aurelia was. That's how she knew the women believed her lie totally.
"Well, Ah'm glad you won't be alone." Aurelia said weakly.
Now, she was lying, and she stunk at it royally.
"So am I." Rogue said, as she looked for a way out. This women was giving her the creeps.
Crash!
"We're home."
Rogue breathed a sigh of relief as Logan and the rest of his little family bounded into the kitchen. She smiled weakly at him, noting his worried look, and took a sip of her coffee.
"Well Ah should be going." Aurelia standing, she smiled at Logan and Jubilee, noticing Genny right away in Jubes arms. "What a cute little girl." She said, reaching out to chuck her chin and get a good look at her face.
Genny scrunched up her face as Jubilee stepped back anxiously, and turned her head away uneasily, burying it in her mother's shoulder tearfully.
Aurelia didn't seem to notice, just headed for the door as Rogue let out a huge sigh of relief. "Are you okay?" Jubilee asked as she tried to calm Genny down, unsuccessfully.
"No." Rogue said weakly. "There's somethin weird about her, Ah don't like her."
Genny left out a loud sniffling cry and Logan took her from her mother, cuddling her against his shoulder as he patted her back gently.
"My sentiments exactly kid." Rogue said as she watched him try to calm her down and fail. She shook her head. "Ah don't want her around the house anymore, Ah don't care if she rented it to me or not. If you see her, tell her to get lost okay?"
"You got it." Jubes said.
"Fine by me." Logan said as he kissed the top of his shaking daughter's head.
"Ah have a doctor's appointment." Rogue said with a sigh as she drained her cup. "Ah should get going."
"Do you want me to come?' Jubilee asked.
"No, it's just a quick check to make sure everythin's okay." Rogue said as she grabbed her purse. "Next time though, for the ultrasound."
"Alright." Jubilee said "If you say so."
"See ya later." Rogue said as she cruised out of the house.
"Yeah." Jubilee called after her.
'What a morning." She said turning back to a silent stoic Logan. "What?"
"I want you to go home." He said out of the blue.
"What?" Jubilee said, grateful Rogue was out of ear shot." Logan, we had this talk last night…"
" I know." He said " But I don't like the scent that women was giving off right now, and nether does Genny." He shook his head. " Something's wrong here Jubes, and its only going to get worse, I can feel it."
As he spoke Genny lifted her head from his chest and let it drop again as sleep began to overtake her and for the first time Jubilee realized it was more then possible, her little girl possessed more of her father's abilities then she knew of.
Logan shook his head. " I want you to go home, take Genny with you, and don't argue with me."
" That's gonna happen." Jubilee said as she leaned against the counter.
" You were gonna go home anyways." Logan said fiercely. "I'm just asking you to do it now, before anything happens."
"And you think it's going to?" Jubilee said. " If that's the case, shouldn't we all leave?"
"We're not going to be able to convince her to leave yet." Logan said in defeat. " But I can get you and Genny as far away from here as possible. So you're safe ." He was going to keep his family as safe as possible, no matter what it took
"And if I refuse to leave you?" Jubilee said.
" Home, now." Logan said. " I'm not giving you a choice in this darlin, I'm sorry. You go pack, while I put in a call to Charlie and let him know you're on your way."
Jubilee felt herself tear up. " I don't want to leave you." She said softly as she wrapped her arms around him and their daughter. "Even if it's only for a few days.'
" I know." He said. " But it's for the best, you know that."
" I know." Jubilee said, never mind that if she didn't go voluntarily, he'd drag her kicking and screaming. "What about Rogue?"
" I'll figure out something to tell her." Logan said as he leaned in and kissed her. " Don't worry."
Jubilee nodded and pulled back from him. " Then I'll go pack."
" Good girl." Logan said in relief. " I'll call home."
Jubilee nodded, moving to the stairs in a fog. She had a bad feeling about this, and she knew that going home wasn't going to help dissuade it at all.
When Rogue pulled into her house a few hours later, she noticed the difference immediately.
It was…quiet.
Something she wasn't used too anymore.
With a frown she eased out of the car and head for the door, warily looking as she did so and then headed inside.
"Anyone here?" She called as Titan gave her a sniff and let her pass by. She looked around. " Guess not."
Looking around, she saw a note on the hallway table and snatched it up. It was from Logan, telling her that he'd taken Jubilee to the airport and he'd be back in a few hours.
"Airport." Rogue said, a sick feeling spreading through her.
With everything that seemed to be happening, him sending Jubilee back home wasn't a good sign at all.
"Stop being paranoid." She muttered. She was blowing this way, out of proportion. That wasn't necessarily the reason she was going back, she was a teacher after all. It could have been something to do with her class, or something to do with the team.
With a sigh, Rogue went and flopped down on the couch, feeling lonely and tired.
And after she'd had such a good doctor's appointment too.
After only a moment, Rogue sat up and grabbed the book of baby names off the end of the coffee table. She'd been procrastinating picking a name because she didn't know whether the baby was a boy or a girl, but now she really didn't have anything to do, so what better time to look.
Idly she flipped through the pages, until she came to the girl's names and then grabbing a pen, she began to make a list of all the one's she liked, then she did the same with the boys. When she was done, she had a list of all the names she liked that she could sort through. She eyed the list, looking for any that really stuck out.
Sasha…no.
Erin…no
Gabriel…no.
Rayanna…maybe?
She quickly circled the name, and moved down the list.
Jack?
She wrinkled her nose and shook her head.
Carter…no, that was the name of Alex's girlfriend's son.
Grayson?
"Grayson." Rogue mused, she liked the sound of that.
By the time she was done, she had narrowed the list down to three girl's names,( Rayanna, Lillian and Simone), and three boy's names( Grayson, Adrian and Etienne ) the last choice was her most dicey, since it was Remy's middle name, but she liked it anyways. Satisfied, she'd her done her work for the day, she settled back on the couch but the nagging worry she'd been feeling all day wouldn't go away.
Her eyes caught the phone directly connected to Xavier's and she bit her lip apprehensively.
One little phone call wouldn't hurt, would it?
Especially if she didn't talk to Gambit, only the Professor.
"Right." She muttered with a nod as she sat up. She needed closure and she wasn't going to get it lying on the couch.
She moved to the chair beside the phone and sat down, battling herself fiercely and then picked up the phone and put it to her ear. It seemed an eternity while she was connected through the satellite feed when she knew really it was instantaneous. When it started ringing, she almost gave in and put it down but her conscious wouldn't let her.
Finally the line was picked up.
" Hello Rogue."
Damn, she hated when he did that.
" Professor." She said nervously then to her surprise she blurted out. "Ah want to know what's going on in this town, something's not right here."
There was a moment's silence as if he was debating something and then he spoke.
"Alright."
"Thank you." Rogue said in relief as he began to speak.
Half an hour later when she hung up, she wasn't thanking him however. Instead she was wishing she'd never asked to be filled in at all, she'd have been better off not knowing.
She was beginning to think she'd have been better off never coming to Legacy at all.
Remy was vegging on the couch in the media room, feeling depressed and more then a little lonely when a familiar voice perked his ear up.
"He thought it was best to bring her home."
"It was, she'll be safe here. What about you?"
" I'm going back tomorrow night, she and Logan are expecting me."
Bingo!
It was Jubes.
She was home finally, and from the sounds of things she was talking matters over with Jean.
He hadn't been sure at first if it was her, or just his imagination playing tricks on him as he sat up and tuned his ears in. For once he didn't feel bad about listening in on their conversation.
They were moving down the hall towards him, and with a curse he dove behind the media room door. Jean thought he was out with the guys, when really he'd stayed in with a ragen migraine. She also wasn't scanning for him this time which helped.
" How's she doing?"
" Not bad, she looks pregnant now finally."
"About time."
"Really, does Remy suspect anything?"
" Oh, hell yes but he hasn't found anything out yet…I think."
" You think?"
" He's been acting weird, but I just chalked that up him, more then anything."
Thanks Red, thanks a lot.
"So how's Rogue been handling things?"
" Not bad…She's stressed and she misses him more then she'll ever admit to anyone."
His Belle Chere missed him?
It was all he needed to hear.
With a snort, he waited for them to move out of range down the hall and then he bolted for the stairs. He had things to do, and items to pack before tomorrow night.
Because when Jubilee left, he was going to follow her as fast and as far as he needed to.
Right back to Mississippi and hopefully to where Anna was waiting for him.
With a sigh Jubilee leaned back against Scott's desk. 'Do you think he heard us?"
" Hell, yes." Jean said. " He was in the media room the entire time. He had to have."
" Yeah." Jubilee agreed. "Do you think we're doing the right thing Jean?"
"Definitely." Jean said as she handed her a glass of wine. " Their too stubborn to fix things on their own and they miss each other, they need help."
" Logan would call it meddling." Jubilee said thoughtfully.
" It's not meddling." Jean said. " Its a little push, is all, we're their friend's we want what's best for them." She cocked her head. "Come to think of it, Scott would call it meddling too, if he weren't all for it."
" It's all for the best." Jean said. " You'll see, we did the right thing."
'Alright." Jubilee said. " But don't ever tell Logan about this."
"Why?" Jean said.
"Because he'll kill me if he finds out this was my idea."
Jean smiled. "Deal."
She pushed her flame colored hair over her shoulder. " Remember, he's going to try and follow you tomorrow, let him, and give him all the help he needs."
"And then what?" Jubilee asked.
Jean thought about it for a moment and took a page from NightCrawler book. " Pray."
Upstairs, Remy was already starting to pack his carry on cases for his Harley . He didn't know how he was going to be able to wait until tomorrow night, it was going to be a trail not to go to Jubilee and beg her to tell him what she knew.
It was a day, he could wait a day.
Couldn't he?
Hell no, but he could try.
He picked up the picture of Rogue, he always kept beside his bed and traced it with a finger lightly. " Hang on baby," He whispred. ' Re,y's gonna be dere reall soon."
With a sigh, he settled back to sleep. He needed all the rest he could get because tomorrow…
Tomorrow…
He was going to get his girl back.
To Be Continued…