JERRI
{SMASH!!!}
Jerri flipped the tray of food into the air and it crashed to the floor, inches away from her captor’s feet.
"Now that wasn’t nice, petite." She motioned for one of her aids to clean up the mess. "Don’cha like ice cream, Jerri?"
The young Miss LeBeau crossed her arms angrily and bit down hard on her bottom lip. Her head was bending downward but two marine blue eyes glared up from under her brow.
"Okay. So ya don’ like ice cream. What would ya like."
"I—would—like—to—go—HOME!"
"You are home petite."
"DON’T CALL ME THAT! Only my Pere can call me that!"
"I know dat child. I know everythin’ ‘bout you."
"Who are you?"
"My name is Bella Donna. I’m your mother, Jerri. Your real mother."
* * * * *
"So three of her main hideouts are clean. Is there anywhere else you can think of that Bell might have taken her?"
"Dere be a hundred places she could’a takin’ her." Remy placed his hands on the War Room table. "I search every one of ‘em myself if I have ta." He muttered.
"Not alone Remy." Scott said, putting a hand on the troubled man’s shoulder. "Do you know--"
"<Gambit?>"
"Yeah, Hank?" He replied to the intercom call.
"<Rogue had regained consciousness. She wants to see you.>"
"I’m on my way."
It had been two days since they found Rogue in that ally. Her injuries had been extreme. Severe trauma to her internal organs, and blunt trauma to the head. She had not regained consciousness until now.
"How she doin’ Hank?" He asked, coming into to the med lab.
"She'll recover. She’s in a lot of pain, but insists on speaking with you. I understand it’s important Remy, but I don’t want her put under too much stress right now. She needs to recover."
"I ain’t gonna push her, Hank. Don’ worry."
Gambit entered the recovery area. Rogue was lying in a bed with her eyes closed. She was very still. There was an oxygen tube running under her nose.
‘Maybe she fell back t’sleep.’
He quietly walked up to the side of the bed and gently placed a hand on her bandaged arm. Rogue’s eyes immediately flickered open.
"Did I wake y--"
"Remy! Oh, Remy, Bella Donna—She has Jerri!"
"I know, I know dat, Chere. We found your drawin’. Ya gotta calm down."
"Tried to write the words," she said settling back down into the pillow. She had been trying to sit up. "But—but m’head hurt so much—I couldn’t remember the letters. Just kept thinkin’ of bells."
"Can ya tell us what happened, darlin’?"
Gambit looked over his shoulder to see Wolverine standing in the doorway.
"That Logan?" Rogue asked, not being able to see past Remy.
"Yeah, it’s me, kid. How ya feelin’?"
"Like someone ran my guts through the rollers of a hand washer."
"What happened?"
She slowly brought a hand up to her forehead.
"Ah—It—It all happened so fast. We were just finishin’ up with the shoppin’. Goin’ down the street and we passed this ally. All of a sudden, it was like-- a reverse wind. Before Ah knew what was happinin’ we got sucked inta the ally. Don’ right remember what happened after that—was like someone was puttin’ my insides in a vice. Ah couldn’t breath—it felt like my head was gonna pop. Ah—Ah heard Jerri—she was cryin’, but Ah don’ think she was hurt. Last thing I remember clear was lookin’ up an’ seein’ Bella Donna holdin’ Jerri—girl was puttin’ up some kinda fight. No way Belle got outta that without bein’ marked."
"Can ya ‘member anyt’ing else, Chere? Anyt’ing dat might help us find her?"
Rogue sighed, and squinted her eyes. "Words—here’n there—didn’t make no sense. They… she said somethin’ ‘bout… tigers an’ rings an’…" She brought a hand up to her forehead as a new wave of pain washed over her. "Ah—don’t—remember anythin’ el—"
"‘S'okay, Chere. You rest now."
"Ah’m sorry Remy. Ah shoulda…"
"You ain’t got nuthin’ t’be sorry ‘bout, Chere. Belle did this. What you said—it helped. Jus’ rest now."
Rogue nodded weakly and closed her eyes.
Gambit nodded to Logan and the two men left the room.
"You got somethin’?"
Remy shook his head pensively. "D'Tiger--dat be Belle-- what she known as. D'rings—dey settin’ off alarms in m’head. Can’t place ‘em jus’ yet, though."
"Guess the circus would be too easy."
"Belle hates animals. Allergic t’most all of ‘em."
"So we hittin’ the lines."
"You know it."
* * * * *
"My mama's dead."
"No, petite. Dat jus' what yo' daddy told ya. Dat woman, Geraldine, she jus' be one o' dem little women yo' daddy be runnin' around wit. She die 'bout d'same time you was born. So when yo' daddy take you away from me-- steal you away, he make up dat story so you don't ask too may questions. So you don't find out d'truth an' try t'find me."
"That's not true!"
"Isn't it?" She walked Jerri over to the vanity mirror and bent down so their images were the same level.
"Look at that, Jerri." She said pointing at the two images. "You got my eyes. You ever seen dat colour blue in anyone else's eyes? Geraldine, she had brown eyes. You seen pictures, I'm sure. Same chin an' nose. Yo' dark blond hair-- mine use ta look jus' like dat when I was 'bout your age. Turned pure blond like dis later on. You like a little me, Jerri. Don'tcha see dat?"
"I--I…"
"Yo daddy ever mention me, Jerri. Ever mention dat we was married once?"
"M-married?"
"Yes." She said opening a drawer, she pulled out a picture of herself and Remy sitting wrapped in each other's arms on a hill of grass. "I guess in a way, we still are married. Never did go t'rough no divorce or annulment."
"…But why would he…?"
"Steal you away from me? Don't doubt dat yo' daddy love you, Chere. When he left me, he wanted you with him. He didn' want me an' he didn' want me t'have any part in raisin' you."
"Why did he leave?"
"'Nother woman. A stripe-haired home wreckin' vixen."
"Stripe… Rogue?"
Bella Donna nodded.
"But why did you hurt her like dat?"
"…Maybe I was a little… extreme. But when I say you with her… She took my husband, I wasn't 'bout t'let her take my only child. I-I snapped."
Jerri looked at her blankly, without an emotion to her face.
'Damn, she got Remy's poker face.'
"Ya believe me, don'tcha, Jerri?"
"…"
"Jerri?"
"I'll think about it."
"Da's all I ask."
She kissed Jerri on the top of her head then left the room, several locks sounding after her.
Jerri listened for her footsteps to disappear. There was one guard outside the door.
'Think about it. Yeah, I think I wanna hear my daddy tell me these things'
She sat in a chair by the door and looked around the sparsely decorated bedroom. There was the vanity, a dresser, a large canopy bed and another cushioned chair in the corner across from her. The chair was occupied by a teddy bear about half her size. It was covered in fluffy beige fur and had two large brown shiny eyes.
She reached up and removed the silver hairpin her Aunt Ororo had given her, from her hair. Holding it between her fingers, she lightly tapped it pensively in the palm of her hand, staring blindly into space.
Jerri looked up at the bear again and narrowed her eyes. She climbed out of her seat and picked up the toy, glaring at it. She took the thing into the small en suite bathroom, lifted the lid and stuffed the bear headfirst into the toilet, then flushed.
The bear began to spark, hiss and smoke.
Jerri smiled.
* * * * *
"Merde! (Fr.: S--t!) She found it." Complained the guard as he smacked the side of the snow-filled camera monitor.
* * * * *
Jerri closed the washroom door behind her to keep the smoke in.
She looked out the lone window. There was a security grate bolted over the glass. She could see a small ledge directly below the window. Armed guard patrolled a large courtyard below.
She slid the window open and placed her hands on the grate where it met the brick. There was a lock over the bolt. Again she smiled and brought her hands back in. She held the hairpin in both of her hands, pulled it apart and then fashioned the two pieces into their true form.
A pair of lock picks.
* * * * *
"So, how'd ya find this place?"
"We asked around."
"Asked. Right, Remy."
The lines, the underground, unofficial lines of communication proved to be fruitful. When Gambit and Wolverine asked around nicely, they eventually persuaded several less than upstanding citizens to tell them that a beautiful southern assassin was occupying a small compound in upstate New York. It was unofficially called "The Rings" because the structures of the compound were housed in ring shape clearings, in the middle of a forest. The two men, along with Jubilee and Melissa were en route. Melissa had been visiting when Remy and Logan returned to the mansion from their information quest. She knew of the situation and insisted on being allowed to come. She pointed out that neither Cecilia nor Hank were available to go, and if Jerri, god forbid, should need medical attention, she was their best bet. Remy was too anxious to get going to put up much of an argument, and the idea that Jerri might actually need a doctor, chilled him to the bone. So he allowed her to tag along.
"So how ya wanna go about this, Gumbo?" Logan asked.
"We try right t'rough d'front door first. Ain't wantin' no big conflict 'less it's necessary. Jerri could get caught in d'crossfire.
Logan nodded. "Your call."
* * * * *
The minion walked up to the guard, tray in hand.
"Got d'brat's dinner." He said dryly.
"She t'row dis on d'floor an' I teach her how t'respect her elders. Don' care what Bella Donna say."
"Well I ain't cleanin' up dat mess again, so don' go startin' nuthin'."
The guard unlocked the door and stood aside to let the other man through. The men stepped into the room and immediately dropped the tray of food.
"I tol' you I ain't cleanin'--"
"She gone!"
"What?!"
The man was staring at the open window and the security grate which was only slightly ajar-- just small enough for a small body to slip through to the ledge below. The opening was not obvious in fact it looked as though she had attempted to re-seal it, but those keen assassin's eyes were trained to pick up small details… most details, anyway.
"While the guard rushed to the window and the other man to check the washroom, both were too occupied with their own panicked reaction to notice the tiny body slide out from behind the cushioned chair next to the door and slip silently out into the hallway.
'I can't believe they fell for that!' The young LeBeau thought as she made her escape.
* * * * *
"Get Belle out here."
"You ain't got no weight here T'ief. Hell, from what we hear, d'T'ieves don' even want you no more."
Remy climbed the steps until he was nose to nose with the guard. The guard was on the higher step but Remy's height allowed him to glare directly into the man's eyes.
He spoke through clenched teeth.
"I'm only gonna say dis one-last-time. Get-Belle-out-here--now."
"Je t'emmerde." (Fr.: F--k you.)
Gambit forcefully picked the man up by the collar in a near strangling hold.
"Remy, put dat boy down." Belle said wearily.
He tossed the now gasping man aside to see Bella Donna standing in the doorway behind him.
"Yo' trespassin', Remy. An' get dat Blackhawk-- Blackbird or whatever d'hell you call dat t'ing, off 'a my lawn.
"Where's Jerri, Belle."
"Jerri?" Belle asked sarcastically. "Who on Earth is Jerri?"
"I ain't in no mood t'be playin' wit ya woman!"
Remy rushed at Belle, but wa intercepted by two other guards who held him fastly by the arms.
"Uh, shouldn't we be helping him?" Melissa whispered to Logan.
Remy's three associates were still standing several feet back from the bottom of the veranda steps.
Logan shook his head slightly. "No. It's his call. We're just back up. He'll let us know when he needs us. Just stay alert."
"Remy, you an' me, our relationship always be about playin'."
"What's your game, Belle? Why you kill Myriam? I know it was you. What she ever done to ya?"
"She was guardin' what should'a rightfully been mine!"
"What d'hell--"
"Jerri. Dat girl should'a been mine! Should'a been ours! You were-- are my husband Remy. When you abandon me for dat wench, you take away my family. I only took back what was rightfully mine."
"Husband?!" Melissa whispered loudly.
"Shh!" Logan held up his hand for silence. He thought he'd heard something.
"When we got married Chere, it was till death do us part. You died. Our marriage is finished. D'vows ain't say nothin' 'bout reincarnation."
'Good one!' Jubilee thought, with a smile.
"Bring my girl out here, Belle."
"She ain't here. Like you didn' already know."
"Whatdoya mean she ain't here?"
"Been lookin' for her almost an hour now. Someone unlocked her window an' let her out. Which leaves me t'question: What's your game, Remy? Ya got d'girl, why you still here. Come t'get revenge for yo' precious Rogue? Come t'turn me in?"
"This ain't funny, ya bleached bimbo." Jubilee yelled. "Are you gonna give us the kid, or are we gonna have to take her?"
"Wolverine, keep your whelp quiet!" Belle yelled back. Both Logan and Melissa had to grab Jubilee's arms to stop her from flying at the woman.
That was when Logan heard it again. The soft rustling of leaves that was in synchronous with the rustling of all the other trees and plants around them.
There were three guards, some ways off to his left. They were standing next to some window hedges watching the events unfold. One of them took a few steps forward and Logan's sight was immediately drawn to a pair of eyes staring out at him from behind the brush. A small arm jutted out, waved and immediately pulled back into the hedge again. Logan had to stifle a laugh.
'The apple sure don't fall far.' He thought.
"Had 'nuff a' dis!" Remy said.
He threw the guard that was holding his right arm into the guard holding his left, sending them both crashing onto the veranda. A card popped out of his jacket sleeve and charged in his hand.
'Uh-oh.' Logan thought and began running-- not towards Remy, but to his left. He knew what was about to happen, and it all seemed to happen within the same instant.
One of the three guards near Jerri's position raised his large gun, aiming it at Remy. At the same time, Jerri, seeing this action, jumped out from her hiding place.
"Daddy!"
The two remaining guards spun around to see the source of that yell and were forcibly bulldozed into the wall by a flying leap from Wolverine.
Without even seeing her, just knowing she was behind him, Remy somersaulted backwards off the porch, in time to see Wolverine standing up over the two unconscious guards.
Jerri in that same time had run towards the next safest person, Melissa, while Jubilee blinded several of the approaching guards with her pyrotechnics.
As Gambit took into his arms, from Melissa, the future doctor pointed her finger in a sweeping motion across the four high stone columns of the house, surgically slicing them wherever the light touched and bringing the entire veranda roof crashing down in a cloud of smoke.
"Nice cover! Let's book!" Jubilee said slapping Melissa on the shoulder.
"C'mon, petite, we goin' home." Gambit said.
The five made their way towards the Blackbird under a hail of blind gunfire, as the cloud of stone smoke was still heavy.
Jubilee jumped into the pilot's position and immediately took off. Wolverine to the co-pilot seat and Melissa went into the back with Gambit to check Jerri.
"I'm okay, daddy. See…" She held out her arms. "No bruises."
"Jus' d'same, I feel a lot better hearin' dat from Mel."
"You're a brave little girl." Melissa said examining one of her eyes. "How'd you get out of there?"
Jerri pulled the hairpin from her head and held it out. "Auntie 'Ro's present."
Gambit slapped a hand over his eyes and shook his head, trying not to laugh. Melissa just looked confused.
* * * * *
"No, petite. Geraldine be your mama. Don' let no one ever tell you different. Don't you never believe nothin' different. It be her nose and her chin you be sportin'." Remy said touching each of the features in turn.
Jerri playfully brushed his hand away, and he went back to drying her hair with the towel. Jerri smacked her bare feet together as they hung off the side of the bed, the lace from the bottom of her nightgown tickling her ankles.
"But-- what about my eyes. She say I got her colour eyes."
Gambit sighed. Kneeling in front of her he shook his head. "Petite, my eyes didn' always look like dis. Till I was 'bout ten or eleven, mine looked just-like-yours. You got my eyes, Petite."
"Does that mean my eyes are gonna go black?"
He shrugged. "Could be. Won't know for a few years yet though."
"Oh."
She was quiet for a moment. Gambit finished with the towel and tied her hair back in a ponytail. He looked at his daughter.
"What you frettin' wit now?"
"Huh?"
"Can see dere's still somethin' runnin' 'round in dat head o' yours."
"…Pere. That lady, Bella Donna, she said you were married once. She showed me a picture of the two of you. And those things you said to her on the step…"
Gambit rubbed his eyes and took a breath. After a moment he slowly nodded. "Yeah, Petite. We was married once. Wasn't your normal kinda marriage though. See, Belle an' me, growin' up we was best friends. Den one day, it got decided for us dat we should get married t'bring peace to our families. Dat's where t'ings started t'fall apart…" He shook his head. "It be a really long, really complicated story, Chere. Bottom line is, it didn' work out, and Belle been causin' me a whole lotta trouble ever since."
"Will you tell me?"
"Someday. Someday, I tell you everyt'ing. But right now, maybe it best if ya don' know everyt'ing 'bout your old man just yet. I done a lotta not so nice t'ings in my life, but dat's all behind me. I want ya to know me for d'man I am now, not d'stupid kid I was den. Ya understand?"
"I think so."
"'Kay. Under de covers now, Jerri. Lights out."
Jerri tucked her feet under the sheets and Remy pulled them up.
"One t'ing I do want ya t'know, Petite. Even though I might not tell ya everythin' 'bout me right off, ya gotta believe, every word I do say t'ya is de truth. You be de most important person in my life, Jerri. I won't ever lie to ya. Lying got me in 'nuff trouble in de past. I ain't goin' t'rough dat wit you."
"Promise?"
"Promise." He kissed her on the forehead.
Remy turned off her light and walked to the door.
"Daddy-- Pere…" She called as he was closing the door.
"Yeah, Petite?"
"I think I'm gonna like it here."
"How you know dat? Since you been here, you been kidnapped, held hostage and involved in a firefight!"
"But at least it's not boring!" She said with a giggle.
Gambit knocked his head on the doorframe.
"Sometimes Petite, I t'ink you a little too much like me." He closed the door.
"Hope so." She said quietly, more to herself. "Cause I love ya, daddy."
"I love you too." Came a loud whisper from the hallway.
Jerri giggled again and pulled the covers over her head.
The End
Well? Talk ta me! I need my muse! (e-mail inspires me to write!) stormgates@hotmail.com