Chapter 6.
“It’s time Logan.”
“What makes you say that?”
“I can feel it and I know damn well you can too.”
“Mmm Maybe.”
“You know as well as I do there isn’t any maybe about it. You know I hate to admit it but I’m gonna miss you.”
“Nah you wont, don’t be goin’ all mushy on me ‘cause I sure as hell aint gonna miss you.”
“And I never said thanks.”
“What for?”
“I guess everything just about sums it up.”
“Your welcome kid.”
“Got nothing to pay you back with, although I could leave you my chair, you never know you may need it one day!”
“I wouldn’t be seen dead in it and you know it. I’ll stick it down in the art room, you never know, without your influence one day they may come up with a decent paint scheme for it! and you don’t owe me nothin’ kid but I do have one favour.”
“What?”
“Tell her I miss her and I’ll see her soon?”
“I’ll tell her about you’re grey hair!”
“It’s only one........or maybe two.”
“It’s a start.”
“Yeah it is.”
Having spotted the new ultra cool paint job on the chair sitting outside the rec room and having gone to inspect, Jake had unintentionally overheard. A little while later he watched in silence as Mr Logan carried Jubilee out of the room. It had only been a few days ago when she’d been laughing and joking, swearing like a sailor and telling her story, not to mention racing down the corridor.
Only yesterday she had caught up with him, nearly running him over in the process. She told him that she and Mr Logan were aware of the type of person Mr Collins was, how they’d seen people like that all their lives, how they’d spent a lifetime ridding the world of people like that and how it was a such a shame they weren’t technically allowed to do that anymore. She’d emphasised the word technically and winked at him – he’d been trying to work out what that meant ever since. She told him in no uncertain terms of the high hopes she had for him and as he just stood there with a confused look on his face she had smiled, old haggard eye’s had definitely been sparkling with hints of mischief Jake thought. She went on to explain that the Mansion Prank Underground was seriously in need of some new blood. The kids were getting boring and way too predictable. She told him of some ‘classics’ as she called them and some that Jake could only describe as ingenious. “You’ll be fine Jake; the old place will grow on you as will the people in it. Oh and don’t forget” she shouted as she whizzed away “He’s seen it all before - you have to be damn sneaky and unique!”
She was as full of life as he’d ever seen anyone of any age be, but now she was gone and if he wasn’t mistaken the so called bastard gently cradling her frail frame had tears in his eyes.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The snow that had been constantly falling the last few days had finally stopped and it was a bright if far from warm day. The sun was low in the sky but appropriately shone various shades of amber through the trees. Most had come dressed in an array of bright colours, and a lone, custom painted, very cool wheelchair stood proudly front and centre. It was quite a sight. Jake sat and waited patiently for the crowd to disperse before he walked forward and laid the handmade multicoloured posy on to her grave but as he turned to leave someone caught his arm and stopped him in his tracks.
With his heart hammering and about to stop at any minute, Jake tried desperately not to show any fear. Against his wishes (if he’d actually been given a choice), he suddenly found himself toe to toe with one mean looking badass who was way to close for comfort - if he was honest with himself he was probably failing miserably in the lack of showing any fear department. Jubilee had been right when it came to him having a certain kind of look that made you want to run and as the mean looking badass moved to close what was already what Jake could only describe as a non existent gap between the two of them, he knew there was no longer any probably about it.
“Hideous arrangement of flowers kid.”
Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, he couldn’t even seem to blink and his heart had now definitely stopped. He’d tried his best but funnily enough flower arranging hadn’t ever been high on his list of priorities in the past, it just seemed like something you were supposed to do on these kind of occasions. At least he’d made an effort, Mr Logan he noticed was holding just one single flower. Should he run now? Probably a good idea - if only his legs didn’t suddenly feel four times the weight they used to be and about ready to collapse him to a heap on the ground.
If he hadn’t been so worried about his legs giving way he may have noticed the smirk appearing earlier than he did, it caught him by surprise and somehow he thought looked a little strange and unnatural on the imposing scary figure that was Mr Logan.
“You did good, she’d love ‘em, damn fool woman never had any taste........ Oh and Jake?......... He aint ever gonna hurt you or anyone else again. Those bruises you’re tryin’ so hard to hide? They get to heal and disappear for good here. You get a problem from now on ya come to me ok?
How the fuck did he know? Is he telepathic too? “Erm.......Yes Sir.”
“Relax kid, you’re safe here, just do me a favour and quit with the Sir - just Logan or Mr Logan ‘ll do just fine.
Ya know you reminded her of how she was at your age so I guess that means your gonna be as much of a pain in my ass as she was. Oh, and just so ya know - even though she said it was, and I quote, ‘Sooo worth it’, in all her years of plannin’ and schemin’ she only ever got me twice – but bring it on kid, feel free to let the games begin!”
Rooted to the spot and seemingly still unable to make his legs move, Jake watched Mr Logan stride away, noticed him stop briefly to lay a solitary rose stem on a distant grave before disappearing out of sight as he walked off into the woods.
Taking a deep breath to get his heart started again, Jake took one last look at the grave in front of him, she’d been alright. About as weird as they come but definitely alright. Maybe she was right about Mr Logan; maybe he was a different kind of bastard and this place wouldn’t be so bad after all.
The End.
The Wolverine & Rogue Fanfiction Archive
Barely Legal Since 2000