Persistence of Memory

Persistence of Memory Chapter Eight (NC-17)

Disclaimers Apply

 

 

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta, I think I scared the
menagerie into hiding… InterNutter, TC and Maxwell Pink are wonderful and
fantabulous for archiving. J ProPhile gets nice and shiny muses, even
though he keeps bouncing me. Not nearly
as fun as it sounds. Jubilee…you there? Readers/Reviewers: I really mean it when I gush and say thank you over and over. The
ducks think I’m strange but they just don’t understand… By the bye, I’d like to point out for the
edification of some readers that this could most likely be called an AU fic…an
AU series, more like…so some characters are way OOC, some of their ages I’ve
changed a bit (and tried to note where) and so on…

 

 

 



“Jubilation?”

“Mmmph.”
“Jubilee…” Remy shut the door
almost silently behind him and crossed to her bedside on swift feet. “Reveille, cherie.”
“Is the house on fire?”

“Non…”

“Am I
on fire?”

“Non…”

“Then why
are you waking me up at half past eleven?”

“I wanna
talk to ya.” He sat down on the edge of
her bed and shook her gently.
“C’mon. I wanna know somethin’.”

“You wanna
know somethin’?” she asked, mimicking his accent. Jubilee rolled over onto her back and glared up at him. “Fine.
I’m tired from three hours of practice and studying for a biology test
from Hell, then coming home and running sims with the new kids for an hour
before dinner and two hours after. I
finally went to bed all sweaty because, frankly, I couldn’t stand up in the
shower. How’s that for knowing
something?”

Remy felt
foolish. “Ah. Desole…”

Jubilee
sighed and pushed herself up on her elbows.
“What is it, Gumbo? You look
sad.”

“Merci,” he
said sarcastically.

“Remy, if
you don’t tell me I’ll tickle you so hard you snort.”

He debated
the veracity of her threat for a long moment.
“D’accord.”

“Okay you want
me to tickle you?” she asked, raising a brow.

“Non! D’accord, I tell you what’s wrong.” He leaned across her, one arm on either side
of her hips and murmured in her ear, “I jus’ wonderin’ where you was after
school…I waited till five out in dat damn parkin’ lot ‘fore I come back
here…dey wouldn’t let me inside ta see where you was. Den you come home an’ not even talk ta me…you realize we ain’t
talked in trois jours?”

Jubilee
sighed. “I’m so sorry, Remy. I’ve just been so caught up with training
for state competitions next month and trying to keep on the damned honor roll
and all the stuff here…” She reached up
and laid her hand against his face, drawing him down for a kiss. “I totally forgot you were going to pick me
up and I totally forgot to tell you that I had practice after school. Forgive me?”

“Somethin’
can be arranged,” he murmured, smiling against her palm. “Tonight, mebbe?”

Jubilee was
torn. She really wanted Remy in her
bed, but she also really needed the sleep.
“Um…tomorrow? Maybe?”

He
sighed. “Mebbe?”

“Tomorrow,”
she said more firmly. “I promise. You and me. I’ll finish all my homework
during last period and hurry back from practice so we can spend the evening
together. Okay?”

He
nodded. “Want me ta get ya after
school?” He only felt a little strange
making arrangements to pick up his lover from a high school. We ain’t dat far ‘part in years. I don’ tink…

She seemed
to be doing some calculations in her head for she closed her eyes and scrunched
her brows together for a moment. “I
should be done about seven. Is that
okay?”
“C’est si bon.” He leaned closer, pressing her back against
the pillows and kissing her softly, an embrace that started to quickly progress
as her lips parted under his. Reluctantly,
he pulled away. “Cherie, if you wanna
get some sleep, I bes’ be leavin’…”

“I hate it
when you’re right sometimes,” she said, but yawned in defiance of her regretful
grasp on his arm. “Okay, Gumbo. Tomorrow.
Seven p.m. I’ll be sweaty but
I’ll be there.”

“Je
t’adore…”

“Tell me
that when I’m not looking like shit,” she yawned, pulling her sheet over her
mussed hair.

“Je t’adore
anyway.”

“Back
atcha.”

Remy
slipped from the room, Jubilee already snoring softeforefore he closed the door
behind him. He could not quite put his
finger on it, but he had a distinct feeling that something was not quite right
with Jubilee lately. She had never had
the perfect memory but she had never forgotten a date with him before, nor had
she gone a day without at least snuggling with him on the sofa in the rec room
after dinner or sneaking over to his room for a quick snog before bed. He mulled over the possibilities as he
wandered downstairs and into the kitchen.
Mebbe she jus’ stressed…or could be she tired from dat gymnastics…she
need more sleep, je pense. Or… He
paused in the doorway, staring around the empty, dark room, not quite willing
to believe his jealous mind. Mebbe
she be toyin’ wit me an’ dere be someone else? He snorted softly to
himself. Now I sound like her…mais
she get over dat. Why’m I jus’ now gonna
get jealous? A fleeting image of
Belladonna and her wayward ways crossed his mind. Non…Jubilee ain’t like dat at all. ‘Tirely diff’rent animal wid her… Still, as he rummaged around in the vegetable crisper for his
hidden cache of cream soda, he could not help but feel a little worried.&nbs 

Logan was
as far from amused as it was possible to get and not be in the range of Really
Pissed Off. “What the Hell do you think
you’re doing, sneaking into the Professor’s private quarters?” he barely kept
from yelling at the duo standing before him.

“But,”
Kitty began, brandishing the scrap of fabric held in one now-sweaty hand.

“But nothing!”
Logan snatched the fabric from her and pinned Kurt with his eyes. “What were you two doing?”

Kurt fought
the urge to teleport away from Logan’s wrath and instead steeled himself
mentally, straightening his back and letting go of his tail, which he had been
worrying between his hands. “We were
trying to find out what happened to the Professor.”

“We told
ya,” Logan said tersely, “he’s at St Dymphna’s because he’s sick. He’s stressed out…”

“It’s my
fault,” Kitty blurted. “I made Kurt
come with me! He didn’t want to do it
but I forced him!”

Both men
looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “She’s lying,” Kurt said after a beat. “I made her do it!”

Logan held
up the hand with the scrap of fabric in it.
“Shut up, Elf. I don’t care who
made who do it. The fact remains that
the two of you were sneaking in the man’s private quarters and to top it off,
Half-Pint breached the security system on his computer!” Rounding on Kitte sae said sharply, “You
didn’t think that’d set off some alarm somewhere?”

“Did it?”
she asked, wide-eyed. “I thought it was
his private computer…not linked to the Institute’s systems.”

“Don’t hack
before you look,” Logan said with trace of humor. “His computer is linked to all the other ones at the Institute as
a sort of fail-safe. Everything has to
go through his system.” He could see the teenagers’ eyes go wide at the thought
their private files and emails were easily accessed. Let ‘em think that. It
won’t kill ‘em to be a little paranoid.


Kitty
swallowed hard and surreptitiously took Kurt’s hand. “It was my fault. I was
sure there was something suspicious about the Professor getting sick like this
and I had to snoop around. I’m
sorry. I’ll take whatever punishment
you feel is right.”

Kurt tugged
Kitty’s hand, urging her t qui quiet. “Nein! It was me! Punish me!”

Logan
fought a grin. “I’d hate to see what
would happen if you two ever faced real danger,” he muttered. “Since both of you are claiming
responsibility, both of you get punished.
Kitty, every day after school for the next week, you have dinner
duty. Kurt, you get to clean up the
Danger Room after the last session every evening this week. And,” he added as he coup de grace, “you
both are now in charge of the tutorials after dinner.”

Kitty
nodded grimly, but Kurt’s jaw dropped. “I
can barely keep up with my own homework!” he protested.

“You wanted
punishment,” Logan shrugged. “Now get
to bed. Your own beds! I’ll be checking.” He watched with some grim satisfaction as Kurt ported and left
Kitty to make her own way upstairs under his stern gaze. He lookedn atn at the scrap of silver and
green fabric in his hands and sighed ruefully.
Damn me for lax security.
Leaving Kurt and Kitty to think he was on their heels to make sure they
were in their own beds, Logan stalked out of the downstairs study and out the
front door to run a personal security check for the rest of the night.

 

Rahne was
miserable. She had heard everything
Logan said to Kurt and Kitty and prayed to whoever was listenihat hat none of
them would notice her hiding in the stairwell, silently grateful when they all
passed her by in their distraction. She
felt bad for Kurt and Kitty getting into trouble but felt worse for
herself. I don’t like him. I don’t.
It’s all wrong. I was just
trying to make Jamie mad is all. I didn’t
want this… She curled herself into
a tighter ball and sniffled sadly. “I
didn’t mean it,” she said softly to the empty foyer. “I really didn’t.” Ever
since she had kissed Sam to make Jamie mad in a fit of her own jealousy, she
had not been able to think of much else.
She knew she was in trouble when Jamie kissed her and she saw Sam
instead. He doesn’t even like me
that way! What’s wrong with me? Rahne stifled a sniffle against her knees
and tensed as she heard someone pag dog down the upstairs hallway towards her
hiding spot. Kitty edged into view,
looking sneaky. Damn it. She braced herself for questions, but was
silently pleased when the other mutant phased through the floor to whatever lay
below. I can’t stand this. I have to talk to Jamie. Not tonight. Tomorrow, maybe…Or Friday.
She forced herself to her feet and winced as her knees popped. This is all my fault…

 

A/N Next chapter will have more Kurt/Kitty interaction,
Professor bits, and maybe even plot points!