Jono woke up comfortable and contented for the first time in far too long. He just drifted sleepily in the cosy intimacy of sharing a bed for a while, curling into the warmth surrounding him. Eventually, he decided that his usual sleeplessness had kicked back in and he was as rested as he'd get in spite of the early hour. Slipping carefully out of the bed to avoid waking Remy, he got up.
Now that he was awake and alert enough to appreciate it, he went through the package from Jubilee. As always, the shirt was expensive, well made, and in utter defiance of people's usual perceptions that she had no taste or sense of colour. He ignored the picks and strings in favour of looking through the music. The demo tape brought one of his unique smiles to his face. He couldn't even really remember what songs they'd recorded, but the stupid joke that had resulted in the band being named 33 percent still amused him. Then the promo tape from when they were just starting to get popular enough for people to wish they were recording. Covers, not even of very good songs, but they'd liked them. Bloody 'Jailhouse Rock' thanks to Vic's Elvis obsession and tendency to pick out favourite songs on any instrument in front of him no matter what he was supposed to be doing. They'd called themselves Sex, Drugs, and Music with Rocks in, the stupid band name had come about from a mildly drunken Jono getting fed up with hours of bickering and being very distracted by what Vic had been doing to him under the table ever since he got sick of arguing about what to call themselves.
Funny how his friends had been able to accept his sexuality, even that he was bonking a band mate, but couldn't accept that he was a mutant. Or it would have been funny if it weren't so pitiful. Not all of them had reacted that way. Gavin had booked him into a private hospital, left a long letter assuring him he'd take care of everything and be there as soon as he could once Jono woke up. Marcus, who wasn't even really a friend, they only knew each other through Gavin, had assured him that he'd take care of the bills after Gavin's death and tried to help as far as he could. Colin and his mum had been just the same as always. Vic had tried until Jono asked him to stop visiting. And his Nan had been wonderful, but all of the rest of his family and all of the other people he'd called friends had acted like he never even existed, not that it was much of a change as far as his family was concerned.
He glanced at the "Band with Rocks In" tape with a bittersweet smile at the memories stirred up, then moved on to the Oliver! CD. He found himself wishing once again that it had been made just a few months later so that Colin would have been on it. The fact that it would be less embarrassing to have a recording of himself as the Artful Dodger instead of Oliver would have been an added bonus. As he slipped the booklet from the case, an envelope fell into his hand. It was addressed 'to the attention of Jonothan Starsmore' in neat, feminine handwriting he felt he should recognise. He raised an eyebrow in surprise when he pulled out a picture of a toddler along with the letter. Flipping it over, he closed his eyes against a stab of pain and hope at the information on the back. 'Gavin Jonothan Bennett, 18 months', and a date about six months ago. Confused and barely able to believe what he suspected it meant, he looked at the letter.
Jono,
I feel like a complete git writing this, but Marcus and I decided to take the chance and Vic threatened to never speak to me again if I didn't. I can't imagine that anyone in America would be looking for these tapes unless they knew you. Even knowing how quiet you've always been about your past, I can't imagine that someone in America would even know about them unless you told them. But it seems so crazy. A part of me says that it's just some British ex-pat nostalgic for pub music from home... who happened to be enough of a fan to know all three names you guys recorded under and like your voice enough to want a six-year-old theatre soundtrack because you're on it. That's even crazier I guess, especially with such an 'only in America' name as Jubilation Lee. Anyway, we heard that this Ms. Lee was looking for the old tapes and decided to take the chance that she knows you.
First I guess is an apology. I'm so sorry for the way Marcus and I treated you. The way I treated you really. I hope you know that Marcus never blamed you. He tells me he told you that, and that I didn't really. That I just needed time to deal with losing Gavin and you were an easy target. It's true. I forgave you a long time ago and finally admitted there was nothing to forgive anyway. Gavin wouldn't have wanted me to hold a grudge and if he's still around somewhere (Heaven being such a relevant concept in our lives and everything), I know he doesn't blame you. He wanted you in our lives, wanted his child to know you. He wanted to name the baby after you if it was a boy. He never stopped loving you, but I think you know that. You two were so alike in every way that mattered; it was hard not to be jealous, knowing you still loved each other. Gayle never deserved you because she couldn't grasp that no matter how much you loved each other, it didn't mean you wanted each other. I know it took me a while to understand it too, but at least I made the effort. Gayle preferred to use it against you every chance she got.
You deserved so much better than that. You and Gavin could have been so happy together, it took a while to see that you were just as happy with your friendship as you would have been together. I wish so desperately that Gayle had been a person who could see that, the person you thought she was rather than someone who made you miserable. She's selfish Jono, wanted you for herself and couldn't bear that Gavin and Colin held a part of you that she couldn't touch, that you made each other better people. She never saw that you need to love so much that you can love that many people so deeply and desperately and still have more than enough love to give others. You deserved so much better than her constant jealousy. I can't really fault her for Gavin, I was jealous of you for a long time, but the others... Colin and Victor, your little sister, Evaline and little Jon, none of them could have taken your love from her except through her jealousy. Even I could see that Colin was the brother you never had, no matter what your original feelings for him. And Victor, well you have to either love him or hate him, but... well, he's Victor, he's like a big, bouncy Irish setter, loving him means you have a heart. Just like from what I've heard bonking him means you have a libido (and no, I don't know that from experience).
You and Gavin though, you loved each other because of the acceptance and respect you gave each other. You helped each other find out who you were. I forgot that for a while. But I remembered it when Gavin's son was born. You're his godfather, you know, just like Gavin wanted. I couldn't do exactly what he wanted, I needed his son to have his name too, especially since Marcus' name is on his birth certificate, but I did as much as I could. I can't think of anyone I'd rather have as my son's godfather or his namesake.
God, look at this letter. This is about the third try and I still keep going off on tangents. You must be thinking 'same old Liza, rabbiting on again'. Suppose you wouldn't believe it was from me if I didn't rabbit on. Please forgive me Jonothan, and get in touch with us. We have a spare room (or suite, wing, guesthouse, portion of the grounds, penthouse flat, or even a lounge if you're feeling nostalgic) for you anytime you're in London. I want you to know your godson. I want to try to make up for some of the pain I caused you. Call us! Or write or email.
Hoping to hear from you
Mary Elizabeth Bennett
m.e.bennett at realfriendsofhumanity . org . uk
P.S. I know how the email address must sound, but have a butcher's at www . realfriendsofhumanity . org . uk anyway (yes, I know, really bad attempt at Cockney, so sue me). I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. Would it help if I told you that the local FOH hates us? If that's not good enough, I hope you trust Victor, he was the driving force (and he'd kill me for telling you that). He finally hit his straps; he's become a knight errant. And I don't mean tilting at windmills. In spite of being quixotic, he's no Quixote. He's surprisingly good at dreaming the impossible dream, fighting the unbeatable foe, and running where the brave dare not go, along with all of the other idealistic stuff in that song. I think, I hope you'll be proud of him... and yourself. I don't know if he would have found a cause without you, but I think that this cause had a lot to do with you.
/Fuck me/ Jono muttered as he finished the letter, noting that Eliza had included a London address and phone number. He sat shocked for a little while, amazed at how much of Gavin he could see in the toddler in the picture, relishing the painful relief at Eliza's professed forgiveness of him for Gavin's death. At the same time though, that web address was worrying. Name could be either anti-mutant extremists who think the FOH is too easy on us or... maybe pro-mutant? Curiosity piqued, he went over to the computer and started it up. He wasn't any great shakes on the internet, but he could at least manage to connect through the Xavier security protocols and type in a web address.
He waited warily for the site to load, then swore softly when he saw the main page.
Who are we?
We are the real friends of humanity. We devote ourselves to aiding mankind in all its varied forms, those conventionally called humans, the variants popularly known as mutants, even your friendly neighbourhood Neanderthal if you could still find any alive. They are all Homo sapiens regardless of form.
The real friends of humanity object on scientific and personal grounds to the classification of mutants as homo superior. While we recognise that this classification can be empowering to mutants given the prejudice faced by members of that group, we object to the divisiveness implied by the separate specific name. Mutants are born to Homo sapien parents, are cross-fertile with Homo sapiens to at least three generations, and occur in all known human populations. These factors preclude their being a separate species or subspecies by every extant scientific convention on speciation.
We are a non-profit organisation of people, mutant and not, fighting for basic human rights for all people. We use our talents, whether they are 'normal' ones such as skill at computers, research or public speaking or sporting abilities; or the results of the X-gene, to promote this cause. We picket, write letters, advocate social and legal changes, provide basic support like food and safe housing, and give of our time, energy, and resources to further the cause not just of coexistence, but of mutually beneficial community between mutants and non-mutants. Because community relies on knowing its members, none of us hide our identities or abilities from the general public...
'Too bleeding good to be true', Jono thought to himself as he stopped reading and glanced at the pictures that had loaded in the meantime. He knew a lot of them: Colin and his mum, most of the band members, Marcus and Eliza, the mothers of the two children he had agreed to legally father without knowing or caring whether he'd biologically fathered them, a couple of his half-siblings. There were more that he didn't recognise, some obvious mutants, others who might be latents or norms or possibly mutants who could pass. There didn't seem to be more than about thirty people involved, judging by the pictures. He looked around the site a little, noting that Bennett Publishing was listed as a donor, which made sense. Marcus had always been more than willing to officially sponsor causes he believed in. Jono would have to ask Warren and Emma about news in the business world relating to the Bennett Publishing Group and the professor about whether he'd heard of the real friends of humanity. Depending on his success at getting one of the house netheads to find information, it might even be worth asking Paige for a favour so she could tell him things that might require some amount of hacking to find out. 'Charming Starsmore, You claim to care about her and the first time you actually think of getting in touch with her is to use her skills.'
/Fuck me/ he repeated, shaking his head at himself for even considering taking the site at face value.
