Note: {words} = sounds
Jerri
The Rain Whispers Series: Ame-3 months old
PART ONE
{RING. RING. RING.}
‘Damn! Always when I’m eating!’
Bobby Drake put down his sub and ran to the phone.
"Xavier’s!"
"Is Remy there? I need to speak to Remy, it’s an emergency!"
"Uh, he’s working out right now. I could go get hi--"
"…There’s no time. Just tell him to come and get Jerri! Right away—right now!"
"Okay, okay! Who is thi--"
{CLICK!}
Bobby looked at the phone then hung it up. He took a large bit of his sandwich before heading to the Danger Room.
* * * * *
"Hey, ‘Roro." Bobby said, entering the Danger Room Observation Area. Storm was seated in the control chair watching Gambit and Jubilee try to out-do each other in a post apocalyptic city landscape. "Where’s the Spud?"
"Must you call her that?" Ororo shook her head. "Sara is watching her."
"So you really trust her, huh?"
"With Ame, yes. The two of us still have some issues to deal with. Ame is out current peace agreement."
"If ya say so."
Bobby moved over to the communications board and pressed a button.
"Hey, Gambit! There was a phone call for you."
"Who was it?" He asked without breaking a stride. He dodged around one of Jubilee’s pyrotechnic blasts.
"She hung up ‘fore she told me. Gave me a message though. Says you gotta go get Jerry… whoever the guy is."
"What?!?" Both Storm and Gambit exclaimed simultaneously. Gambit had stopped moving and was staring up at the control booth. He was consequently knocked down by one of Jubilee’s blasts.
"Oh! Sorry, G!"
"Bobby," Gambit asked, standing back up. "What ‘xactly did she say?"
"She said for you to come and get Jerry right away. Right now. Then she hung u--"
Gambit did not wait to hear the rest. He bolted for the exit.
"Remy, do you want me to go with you?" Ororo asked via her communicator.
"Non, Stormy. You stay wit your girl. But keep an ear open, ‘kay. Tell Logan I be borrowin’ his jeep."
"What’s going on Storm?" Bobby asked, once Gambit had gone.
"I pray nothing to serious." She replied. Then left the control room saying nothing more.
* * * * *
"Why is she doin’ that?"
"Doing what?"
"Stickin’ her tongue out at me. She thirsty or somethin’?"
Storm moved over to the playpen next to which Marrow was crouching. She looked down at her three-month-old daughter.
"I believe she is saying hello."
"Hello?"
"Yes. Do you not remember? The first time Ame saw you, you stuck your tongue out at her. Her mimicking your action is her way of saying she remembers you."(Note: I saw this on TLC)
"Oh."
"You should see the face she makes when Henry is around."
"So what’s that face for?"
"Now she is thirsty. Some water should suffice. Would you like to bring her?"
"Sure, why not." She shrugged as though it didn’t matter, but the speed with which she reached down to pick up the child, betrayed her true feelings on the subject. Holding Ame as gentle as a piece of crystal, Sara followed Ororo to the kitchen.
Scott, Jean and Rogue were preparing a late dinner and the smell had already attracted several of the others.
Sara stood near the door; lightly bouncing Ame as Ororo got a bottle of water from the fridge.
They heard the slam of a door coming from the direction of the carport. A moment later Gambit entered the kitchen, carrying a small bundle of blankets—with small feet.
"Remy?" Storm started walking towards him.
"Chere, hold on t’her a sec. She sleepin’. I be right back."
"Remy! What--"
"Scott." The professor entered the kitchen and stopped Cyclops by lifting his hand. Remy had ignored him anyway and was already out the door.
Ororo sat and moved some of the blankets to reveal the face of a small child.
"Who is that?" Scott asked more quietly.
"I think that’s Jerri." Bobby answered. Ororo nodded.
"But who is she?"
"She my daughter." Remy answered coming in the door carrying a large duffel bag.
"YOUR DAUGHTER!" Rogue exclaimed loudly. She couldn’t help it.
Jerri wrinkled her nose then opened her eyes. She looked up at Storm.
"Auntie ‘Ro?" she asked quietly.
"Hello, Jerri."
"Hi. W-where’s my daddy?"
"Right here, petite."
She untangled her arms from the blankets and reached out for Remy. He picked her up in a loving hug, which she returned with the addition of a kiss on the cheek.
"You mus’ be tired petite." He asked completely drowning out the stares in their direction.
"Oui, mais--" (Fr.: Yes, but--)
"Here, Jerri." Jean handed the small girl a glass of milk.
"Thank you. How did you know?"
"Jeannie know a lot a t’ings petite."
"You’re pretty. Are you having a baby too—like Auntie ‘Ro?" Jerri was staring wide-eyed at Jean’s belly.
"Yes, I am. Any minute now, actually." She answered with a laugh.
"Where is Ame, anyway?" She asked adjusting her position in Gambit’s arms. She looked towards the door. "Oh, there you are. Hi, Ame!" She waved at the child still in Sara’s arms. Sara held the baby closer, in a protective manor.
"H--" Jerri’s next statement was harbored by a yawn.
"Okay, petite. You visit wit d’baby a demain. Bed for you now."
She yawned again and dropped her arms over Remy’s shoulders, careful not to spill her milk.
"Okay, papa." She said sleepily. Gambit carried her out of the kitchen.
"Nite." She said, over his shoulder before the disappeared though the doorway.
They waited until they were sure Gambit and Jerri were out of hearing range.
"What’s he doin’ with a daughter? Rogue demanded. "That girl can’t be more’n four or five years old! Where’s her mother?"
"Jerri is just under four and a half. Her mother died in childbirth."
"But who was she?"
"No one you knew."
Bobby was counting backwards on his fingers. "Four and a half? That means Gambit was living here when she was born."
"Yes."
"And he never told us?"
"He has—had his reasons."
"Reasons?!" Cyclops asked angrily. "Gambit said he was done with all those secrets and lies. We trusted him!"
"And you may continue to do so. I assure you, this is the only thing he has kept from the team."
"You don’t know that for certain, Storm! He--"
Ame started making fidgeting noises.
"I’ll take her up." Sara said. Ororo nodded.
"Thank you."
She passed Gambit on the stairs.
"Shields up Captain." She muttered as they crossed. Remy nodded, slightly.
‘Dis ain’t gonna be pretty.’ He thought ass he approached the kitchen door.
"Gambit, you promised us. You swore no more secrets!" Cyclops blasted. Gambit slowly pulled the kitchen door closed behind him, then turned to face the group just as slowly.
"This was very irresponsible of you Gambit. We’re supposed to be a family. There's no viable reason why you shouldn’t have told u--"
"YOU GOT ANY IDEA HOW MANY ENAMIES I GOT!!! And I ain’t even talkin’ ‘bout d’ones I made bein’ an X-Man! Now, you t’ink ‘bout it… jus’ ‘magine what would happen if jus’ one o dem find out I got a kid. Till today, only t’ree people know ‘bout her. Me, Storm an’ d’lady dat be lookin’ after her for me." Remy paused, then continued in a more normal tone. "Scott, wit my life, I trus’ you… I trus’ all a you. But wit Jerri’s life, I don’ leave nothin’ t’chance. D’less people dat knew ‘bout her, d’better. An’ d’roll call in dis place change far too of’n. I couldn’t risk it. She be my whole life."
Scott backed down in understanding. He had felt the same way and had the same fears about Nathan, first when he was born, then raising him in the future. "I’m sorry, Remy. Is she all right?"
"She tired ‘n jus’ a little shook up…"
"Remy, what happened?" Ororo asked. "Where is Myriam?"
"Dead."
"What?"
"When I get dere, d’coroner truck be arrivin’. She musta jus’ got Jerri to d’cash an’ call here ‘fore whoever it was got to her."
Remy sat down and proceeded to explain the cash as well as everything else.
After he had found his way back to the states from Antarctica, Remy did not return to the X-Men. He contacted and was welcomed in by an old friend in Colorado. Geraldine and Remy had met not long after he was originally sent away from the thieves guild for killing Bella Donna’s brother. She was his first true friend outside of that group and was someone he trusted implicitly. Romance was never a consideration for these two. While at times they were sexually intimate, they had decided to remain just good friends. In their opinion, and from their respective past experiences, friendship was a much stronger bond and something they could be much more sure of.
He had been living with Geraldine for six months when Storm found him, telling him that she and the others had been searching everywhere for him. They admitted they were wrong about their actions over what had transpired and wanted him to come back. He accepted, as the X-Men were whom he now considered to be his family, and the mansion, his home. There was no sorrow in parting between Remy and Geraldine. They would remain friends and keep in touch as they always had. Not long after his return to Westchester, Geraldine contacted Gambit, and told him she was pregnant. A few months later, his daughter was born. There were complications during the delivery. She died a few hours later. Gambit named the child Jerri, as a connection to her mother.
Gambit was cautious with Jerri. He definitely wanted her with him. From the first moment he saw her, his heart was gone. He never knew it was possible to love another person this much. At the same time, he knew he had to be realistic. With his past, and his present life, Remy knew her life would be in danger. Yet he could not bring himself to do what would have probably been safest: giving her up for adoption. Storm knew about Jerri and it was she who suggested an alternative. They shared a common acquaintance with a woman in New York. Myriam had been a kind friend to the two of them for many years. She had lost her husband and only son in a car accident several years before, but she had been an excellent mother. Remy knew Jerri would be well cared for with her. He supported them fully financially. He bought a house for them to live in, just over an hour away from the mansion.
Gambit was by no means an absentee father. He was involved in every step of Jerri’s upbringing. He visited her at least three times a week, usually more and sometimes spent the night. He especially enjoyed this during the last couple of years, when Jerri was old enough to recognize him and know who he was. It was the largest thrill for her to wake up in the morning and find her father sitting at the foot of her bed. She was also always happy to see her Auntie ‘Ro, and considered Ame to be a cousin. All of those times when he missed Danger Room scenarios and the like… those times when the others assumed he was out on a date with the femme du jour… Gambit was with Jerri.
Everything was going fine until today. When he arrived at the house and found it surrounded by police, ambulance and the coroner, it took every ounce of restraint he had to remain calm. The police had brought only one body from the house, an adult. This was both a relief and a new source of fear for him. Where was Jerri?
After he was certain they were bringing no one else out of that house, Gambit drove the jeep, which was already at a safe observing distance, to another location. Behind his property, there was a very large forest. A perfectly normal forest, except for one tree. Located nearly a mile away from the actual house, the tree, while its appearance was no different than the others, was hollowed out on the inside. Using a special entrance he had created, Gambit entered the tree and climbed down a latter into a makeshift cave. There was a door, secured with "borrowed" Shi-ar technology. A retina scan and hand print were the only things that would open this door that would not be dented by a nuclear blast. Only four people in the world had access: Gambit, Myriam, Storm and Jerri. The young LeBeau had been free to enjoy the life as of a four-year-old as much as she pleased, with the exception of two rules. The first was, while she was well aware of who her father was, she was not allowed to make his identity known to anyone, at any time or for any reason. Because of this, for appearance sake, in public she used the name Le Sage (Fr.: The Wise) instead of Le Beau. The second rule was, now that she was old enough to get around on her own, if he, Myriam or Ororo told her to go to the cash, she was to immediately drop everything, get to it as fast as she could lock herself in and open the door for no one. There were to be no questions asked, no hesitation, and no explanation necessary. She was often drilled on this and accepted the rule without much difficulty. All Jerri was aware of was that the people who cared about her most felt this was for her safety, and she trusted them in that, so no questions were really necessary.
Standing at the door of the cash, Remy knew a fear unlike any other he had ever experienced. What if she wasn’t in there?
He entered the security protocols and the door slid open. There, lying on the bed they had placed in the room, was Jerri. Gambit felt like crying. Instead he ran over and picked up the sleeping girl. She opened her eyes and hugged him back.
"Papa, is it over now? Can we go back to the house now?" She thought it was a drill.
"Non, petite. We ain’t goin’ back to d’house." He pulled her away and looked into her small face. "You gonna come live wit me now." There was no where else to take her.
"Really?! Myriam too?"
"…Non, petite. Not Myriam."
"Why?"
"We talk ‘bout dat tomorrow, petite. Right now, we bes’ get goin’."
With that, he bundled her up in the blankets and brought her back to the mansion.
When he was finished telling his tale, Remy sat with his hands folded on the table, awaiting a response.
"You did the right thing, bringing her here Remy." The Professor said. "Jerri is more than welcome here."
"T’ank you Profess’r."
"Any idea who got Myriam?" Logan asked. "They were probably after Jerri, which means they were after you."
"Non." Gambit said sternly. "Got no idea who it be, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out!"
To Be Continued…
To be perfectly honest, I haven’t decided who killed Myriam yet. I have a few ideas, but I could still use some suggestions for the next part. Gimmie a call and let me know who you think the criminal should be. Or just let me know what you think of the story so far. Either way, give me a buzz. You know I love that mail! stormgates@hotmail.com Bye!