Part Six

"The others'll kill ya if they know I ate chocolate from you. I'm supposed t' only be eating things that taste like cardboard."

"Dat don' sound too good chere. Chocolate is better. However, if Hank were t' find out, I'm sure I'd never get to take care o' y' again, ever." Remy chose another chocolate and than sat up, cracking the window again. A strong breeze blew in and Jubilee looked at him quizzically as the fresh, crisp air blew over them. "Remy just remember Logan's nose. Ah, but nothin' a little open window won't fix." Laying back heavily, she moaned as she moved her ribs.

"What's wrong?" Remy asked, sitting up. He leaned over the bed, his face worried beyond belief at her expression alone.

"Nothing, I just moved my rib cage a bit." she replied, trying to sit very still as the pain radiated through her body and settled slowly. "Be fine in a minute."

"Have you moved at all in de last few days, petite?" he asked, settling uneasily into his chair again.

"Yeah." her voice grew slightly bitter. "I flew and rolled off the roof a bit, then I was put in here."

"'Sides dat." Remy said, looking at her steadily. "Anyone walked ya around?"

"Jean comes in and makes sure I can get to the bathroom and Wolvie's lifted me up t' hug me a few times." she muttered, taking another chocolate.

"Well den. Dat be nothin'! How dey expect ya t' heal when y' gotta stare at de ceiling every day! Sure, y' might heal on de outside, but y' inside's goin' t' mush just sittin' dere!" Remy sat up and leaned over the bed again. "How's 'bout Remy take y' f' a walk down de hall t' my room an' den back. Remy promise t' be careful an' not hurt y'. We only got half an hour an' it only be eight doors down."

"I dunno..." she said, putting down the chocolate she had just picked up. "Hank said I shouldn't move 'til my ribs and back are at least healed a bit..."

"I carried hurt people 'fore. Five star ratings, best in de business. Highly recommended."

"Okay, but just t' yer room and back..." Jubilee let Remy pick her up gently and then settled her against his chest, holding her securely in a fireman's hold. Jubilee buried her head near his neck, breathing in the aftershave as she saw out the window for the first time in days. He wore no shirt and a pair of ripped blue jeans she noted, she'd probably woken him up. His hair fell freely past his shoulders and Jubilee stretched an arm around his neck and held on, feeling the silky locks cover her hand.

Remy used his thieving abilities to open the door silently and they began to walk down to his room, Jubilee sitting quietly in his arms. Once they reached his room, Remy turned the handle and pushed the door open. Sitting her in a stuffed black chair in the corner, he went to his top dresser drawer and pulled it open, searching around inside for a few moments before turning back with his hands covering a gift for Jubilee. "Dis be why I really want y' t' come t' my room."

"What is it?" she asked as he handed it to her.

"Open it chere." Remy squatted down beside her, watching her begin to rip the edges and tape away. Throwing the paper to the side, she looked at a flat, palm-sized, black box for a moment. Then, opening the snap, she looked inside and smiled with delight. Laying in rich blue velvet, a small, silver, locket-sized 'X' shone with the moonlight from the window, a blue sapphire glowing from the center of the cross. A chain hid under the velvet and as she turned the X over, she read her codename across one line.

"Thank you..." she whispered, fingering the necklace.

"You're welcome petite." Remy said, kissing her forehead. He took her hand and kissed the knuckles again, holding her wrists. "What dis be?"

Turning her wrists over, he examined them carefully, his ruby night-vision allowing him to see the marks. "Oh Jubilee..." Remy turned over her other wrist and the chain dropped, the X hanging between her fingers solemnly.

"Please ... don't ... they're going away ... please don't tell..." Jubilee cried, her head hanging in shame as her arms went limp. Remy wound his arms around her and she flinched noticeably and tried to pull away from his firm hug.

"Remy not tell anyone. I know what it feels like, I tried dis once when I was young. But chere, de scars may go away, but de pain still stay inside if y' don' talk 'bout it..." Remy fastened the necklace around Jubilee's neck carefully and then picked her up, preparing to go back to Logan's room. Walking carefully, Remy made it back to his room and sat Jubilee on the bed, covering her up again and packed up the chocolates, stashing them beside the chair to quickly take with him when Logan returned in fifteen minutes.

"Thank you for the necklace Remy..." she said quietly. He took out his cards again and flicked them. "It's beautiful."

Nodding, Remy began to deal out cards. "One game an' den I gotta go."

"Okay..." Jubilee cracked a smile and picked up her cards. "Let's play blackjack. Angelo taught me how before ... uh ... Zero Tolerance..."

"Okay, but only since you sick. Or else we be playin' poker." Remy began the game and they played with hushed laughs and whispers of cheater amongst each other until Remy's head snapped to attention. "Logan be home petite. His bike pullin' in outside."

Jubilee picked up the cards and stuffed them back into the box, pulling her covers up carefully around her chest again, as they'd been when Logan had left. Remy closed the window until it was only opened an inch and leaned his chair back, talking with Jubilee quietly until Logan opened the door.

(Written by Nova Zion)

A few moments later, Logan entered the room, slightly favoring his right foot, a black bruise a rapidly fading shadow over his left eye. The scent of alcohol seemed to permeate from his very pores, and Jubilation and Remy exchanged a glance at the sight of him.

"Out, Gumbo," he commanded, looming threateningly over the half-dressed Cajun. "Time's up. Been an hour."

"I got two minutes," LeBeau coolly protested, suddenly wondering how he would get the chocolate from the room without his teammate smelling it, the close proximity that he was, if the Canadian hadn't already caught a whiff. The room immediately grew very small, and Remy couldn't help but think how little panic became him.

Realizing what was happening by the tenseness in Gambit's biceps and the way he nervously shuffled his cards, along with the deadly look in Logan's eyes and the way he kept curling and uncurling his large hands, Jubilee held up a hand to interrupt. "Leave him be, Wolvie. He was only tryin' ta help. Thanks Gumbo." Her tone was sincere, but final.

Taking the hint, and the remains of his box of chocolate, Remy nodded politely at the girl and left the room. Logan moved the chair aside and sat instead on the edge of the bed.

"What happened ta YOU?" Though her voice was stern, her blue eyes were soft and full of love as she nodded slightly at the now green bruise covering his eye.

"Huh? Oh, I, uh, ran int' somethin'."

She smirked. "Someone's fist?"

"Um, now that I think 'bout it, it mighta been a fist, yeah."

The room fell silent, the very shadows seeming to be holding their breath as the velvety darkness began to be washed from the eastern horizon as the rosy blush of dawn began creeping in. It was Jubilee who finally spoke, her voice a strained whisper, hovering in the cool air of the room before dissipating. "Was it a good fight?"

Logan sighed. "Wasn' much of a fight. I let some drunk bruise his fists on me before I got tired o' him an' sent him sprawlin'. One punch, it's over. I jus'... couldn' find the ol' enjoyment in it, y'know?" He paused, staring for a moment at the little beaten angel before him. "It ain't never gonna be th' same, is it?"

The girl didn't respond, but looked away, her eyes shining with tears or exhaustion, Logan could not tell which. Standing, the Canadian tucked the covers securely around his little girl and kissed her temple softly. "You should get t' sleep, darlin'," he whispered. "D'ya want the light on or off?"

"On," she barely replied, though she had no intention of closing her eyes until the new dawn had stripped the night sky raw and rosy, with the sun shining golden above the eastern horizon.

(Written by Dana Night)