Marvel Comics 1000 Addendum

Disclaimer: "Everything has pros and cons." - Brett, The Completionist

Chapter 5: Haunted in Canada.

Author's Note: This one-shot follows up on the events of Alpha Flight (Vol. 1) #7-#8.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Three figures stood across the street from the building. One of them shook his head in disbelief.

"It's still here." Jean-Paul Beaubier, aka Northstar, muttered. "The old restaurant is still here. Name has changed, appearance has changed, but it's still here..."

"Uh...I'm a bit confused." Dominikos Petrakis, Avalanche, piped up. "We're here on Krakoan business. What's up with this old place?"

"It belonged to an old friend of my dear brother's once. A long time ago..." Jeanne-Marie Beaubier, Aurora, recalled.

"Well, is the food any good?" Avalanche asked. The Beaubier twins shot him a look. "What? I'm feeling a bit hungry."

"I admit, I am curious. The old place is likely under new ownership. Let's go in and see what it's like." Aurora said.

Northstar sighed. "Fine. Very well. But let's make it brief. We have a job to do." The three mutants went inside the restaurant. The Beaubier twins' eyes widened in surprise at the interior. "Mon dieu...It's so different."

"What?" Avalanche blinked in confusion. "The old place got new owners, so it makes sense the inside would be changed-whoa!" The Cretan mutant yelped when he suddenly saw a smiling pretty young woman. She was dressed as a waiter, and held a couple of menus under the crook of her arm.

"Bonjour, mes amis." She greeted warmly. "Welcome! Are you here for lunch?"

"Uhm...yeah." The earth-shaking mutant nodded.

"Tres bien! Follow me!" She said chirpily. The three obeyed the young waitress, who led them to a table. She then put the menus on the table as Aurora and Avalanche as they sat. "Monsieur Beaubier?"

"Yes?" Northstar said.

"My employer would like you to know that what you, your sister, and your friend have today is on the house." The waitress informed the speedster. "And she would like to speak to you."

"Me? Why?"

"She wants to catch up with you." She explained. "Follow me, please."

"Very well..." The confused mutant said as he followed the waitress. "Who owns this place now? I was an old friend of the previous owner before his...untimely demise."

"She's right in here." She led him to the door of the manager's office. "She's eager to see you."

"I see. Thank you." Northstar nodded. The waiter happily nodded and headed back to the restaurant area. The speedster quietly stared at the door. For him, it felt like an eternity. Who bought this building? Who is the new owner of this restaurant? He decided that right now, it was best to just get this over with. He opened the door.

"Bonjour, Jean-Paul." A familiar voice greeted. "It has been too long."

The ex-skier could not believe who was sitting at the chair. The face was older, and the hair was now longer and a light brown...but the former Alpha Flight member could recognize her anywhere. He had never forgotten her face.

"...Danielle Belmonde." Jean-Paul grunted. "I thought you went to jail."

"I got let out a couple of years ago. Good behavior." Danielle explained.

"You helped murder your father." Jean-Paul reminded.

"I didn't kill him. St. Ives did, remember?" Danielle corrected.

"Yes, but you helped that happen." Jean-Paul growled. "They must have been mad to let you out!"

"I'm a lot of things, Jean-Paul. But I'm hardly a serial killer." Danielle snorted. "In fact, since I paid my debt to society, I've been squeaky clean. Not even an overdue library book. If you wanted me to stay in jail so badly, you should've spoken at my parole hearing." The brunette snickered. "But neither hide nor hair was seen of you. Alpha Flight business, I presume."

"Indeed. And Jean-Paul is not my name anymore. It's Northstar."

"Of course, of course." Danielle rolled her eyes and waved it off in an amused manner. "You're part of that mutant cult on that island now. Never imagined you being into that kind of thing."

"Krakoa is a nation, Danielle." Northstar said. "And seeing you here is personally offensive to me."

"I didn't force you to come in here." Danielle shrugged. "What brings you to town, anyway? I'm curious."

"Krakoa business. None of your concern." Northstar said sharply. "We are only here because I noticed Raymonde's old restaurant was still open."

"Not always." Danielle explained. "It was closed up after Raymonde died. I bought it after I got out of prison." She smirked. "All thanks to a lottery ticket. Lady Luck was with me." Northstar shook his head in a mixture of disbelief and disgust.

"Unbelievable." He muttered. "You stabbed your father in the back, and you get to own his restaurant. What a mockery this is."

"The city was going to tear this place down." Danielle said.

"I'd rather it be rubble than in your filthy hands." Northstar growled.

Danielle rolled her eyes. "I bought it, it's mine. What're you going to do? Tear this place apart with your powers? I'm sure your masters in Krakoa would love to see you causing an international incident because you felt the need to throw a superpowered temper tantrum over someone legally buying a business that was owned by a dead man."

"That 'dead man', as you called him, was like a father to me." Northstar told her.

"And he was my father...until he decided he no longer wanted to be." Danielle told him.

The ex-skier blinked in confusion. "...what?"

"Come on now, Jean-Paul." Danielle smirked. "Do you not remember when he introduced us? You said he never mentioned me before I came back into his life."

"...now that you mention it, he did say that." Northstar confirmed, the memory coming back to him.

"Didn't you ever wonder at least why he never did?"

"...I admit, it never crossed my mind after your arrest." Northstar admitted. "At the time, I did not care. He was a wonderful man. And you betrayed him and got him killed."

"Considering that he did it to me first..."

"...what do you mean by that?"

Danielle leaned back and steepled her fingers. "At first, things were great. I loved my father. I thought he was the greatest man in the world."

"He was." Northstar smiled fondly. "I had met him when I was in my early teens. I was dealing with quite a bit back then. My mutant powers were emerging, but I was also figuring out my orientation. He was a big help to me there."

"Quite the double whammy, being gay and a mutant." Danielle noted.

"It was." Northstar agreed. "I fail to see what it has to do with you."

"Because to you, Raymonde Belmonde was an angel. A man who saved you. But to me..." Danielle's face darkened. "He was a devil."

"Impossible."

"Oh, very much so." Danielle said. "My mother loved him. Gave her heart to him." Her face darkened. "But he never really did love her. He had carried on an affair behind her back." She scowled. "My father had been seeing another man behind her back. Did it for years."

Northstar blinked. "...what?"

"When I was eight, my parents' marriage ended. Irreconcilable differences." Danielle recalled. "Mother never got over it. When I was eighteen, she fell ill. Cancer. A rather aggressive one. She died quickly. They said it was her cancer, but I knew what really killed my mother: Her broken heart. Raymonde Belmonde killed her by breaking her heart."

Northstar growled. "Lies."

"Non. I am not lying." Danielle said. The mutant looked into the eyes of the restauranteur.

"...you speak truth." Northstar realized. "You wanted to avenge your mother."

"And myself." Danielle said. "It was a half-truth that I was studying at McGill. I was, but not 'the classics' like he thought. It was for business. I had inherited his mind for it."

"So, you wanted to take his business."

"He loved this restaurant." Danielle recalled. "I thought it would be a bit of poetic justice if he ended up losing it. That's how I got involved with Ernest St. Ives. He wanted this place, and I wanted to hurt Raymonde."

"You should have known that making a deal with a man like him was Faustian." Northstar snorted.

"Yeah, I was...naïve and stupid." Danielle admitted. "My anger blinded me. I was so intent on making Raymonde pay for what he had done...I didn't even know he had that weird death touch. I never even met him in person."

"I see."

"I did not want him dead, Jean-Paul." Danielle admitted. "I was genuinely shocked when St. Ives killed him."

I can believe that. Northstar noted. There was no way she was faking that. She's not that good an actress. "Is this why you wanted to see me? To make some kind of confession?"

"I figured you deserved to know why Raymonde died." Danielle explained. "After all, you said he was a like a mentor to you."

"...I...I don't know what to make of this." Northstar sighed. "I...never knew this about Raymonde."

"He was not the great man you thought he was, Beaubier." Danielle told him. "I hope you understand that."

"He broke your mother's heart. And you believe he betrayed you. It still did not give you any right to take this place from him."

"Well, what right did I have, then?" Danielle snorted. "He took my mother, and tried to pretend I never existed!"

"Your mother died of illness. Your father didn't kill her." Northstar reminded. He got up. "I will not pretend that Raymonde Belmonde was a perfect person. He was flawed and he made mistakes. We all have. To you, he was a monster. To me, he was a savior. You know, I have done some thinking."

Danielle blinked in curiousity. "Thinking?" Northstar smirked in response.

"Yes." The former skier stated. "You see, when you have powers like mine, you can do quite a lot in a short amount of time. And that includes thinking about things. I have thought about what you said, regarding Raymonde's actions."

"And what did you conclude?"

"That maybe neither of us knew him as well as we thought." The mutant got up and went to the door. "...you said that you father did not want to be reminded you existed. I think it was a different reason. I think he didn't mention you out of guilt. I think he felt terrible about what happened to you and your mother, and did not know how to make it right. He did love you, you know. How could he not? You were his daughter. Just something to think about, Danielle. Au revoir." He left the office.

Danielle stared at the door. "...au revoir, Jean-Paul." The mutant skier joined his two Krakoan comrades for some lunch, which turned out to be rather enjoyable. Afterwards, the three left. After paying their bill, of course.

"Man, that was good." Avalanche smiled, patting his stomach.

"I have to agree." Aurora nodded. "It was quite delicious."

"Gotta remember this place." The earthshaker thought out loud. "Next time we're here. I want to try that smoked halibut..." He noticed Northstar was seemingly lost in thought. "Hey, speedy! You with us?"

"Huh?" He nodded. "...yes, yes I am."

"You seem a bit distracted, brother." Aurora noted. "Are you alright?"

"Yes." Northstar nodded. "I just had a conversation with the new owner. We had...discussed some things. The past."

"The...past?" Avalanche blinked.

"It's...a private matter."

The earthshaker shrugged. "Alright, if ya say so."

"Are you well, brother?" Aurora asked.

"I'm fine." Jean-Paul waved it off. "Let us go. We have business to take care of." He looked at the restaurant one last time. Au revoir, Danielle. Maybe now, you have found something resembling peace. Maybe this place is your penance...

1984 – Northstar's past is delved into for the first time in Alpha Flight (Vol. 1) #7.