Home | Forum | Mailing List | Repository | Links | Gallery
 
 
Chapters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
 
 
 

Transitions - REVIEW THIS STORY

Written by Keri Wilson
Last updated: 01/02/2007 02:01:11 AM

Chapter 2

Tara smiled at her 8 month old daughter's attempts to pull herself upright."Remy, come look! Renee's tryin' tah stand up!"

Remy grabbed the camcorder and quickly turned it on, taping another "big moment" in his daughter's infant life. This time though, the effort wasn't quite enough and Renee's diapered bottom hit the floor. Her cries made Remy turn off the camcorder and follow Tara over to comfort their daughter.

Rogue was glad now, that Professor Xavier had insisted on putting them on inactive status, and given this huge ol' farmhouse in Delaware County, New York. It was just a small farm- 10 acres, surrounded by miles and miles of woods. It had belonged to Xavier's family for several generations, but hadn't been used since before the Professor had been born. He had kept it up though, so they didn't have to do much work on it when they moved in. That was about a year ago..

Now they had a 8 month old daughter, and in 7 months their second child would be born. They found themselves surprisingly happy to have their activities consisting mostly of farming, taking care of their daughter, and fixing the house and barn. Of course, they were your typical farmers, their mutant abilities alone made them different. Also almost every day they were entertaining a visiting friend or friends. Then there was all the Shiar technology in the house. They didn't miss much of what was going on in the world. Plus the presence of Jubilation Lee, who had "accidently on purpose", became pregnant.

Everyone else had expressed disappointment or reproach. Remy had joked about this house becoming a home for "wayward girls". This joking comment hadn't actually bothered Jubilee, but she had to say something smartassed back. Rogue just laughed at their trading insults. "It certainly keeps things lively `round here", she said after a few days.

Jubilee watched Renee while Tara and Remy did the outside farmwork, which Jubilee couldn't stand.

Jubilee only felt lonely at night. Alone in her room, she could hear Tara and Remy in their room across the hall, making love, laughing and talking, or putting the baby to bed. The size of the room contributed to this loneliness a little, it was huge! There were only five rooms on this floor. The second floor had eleven, including two bathroomsThe first floor twelve rooms, two of them bathrooms. The only bathroom on this floor had been the one in Tara and Remy's bedroom, and she wasn't about to go in there. So, to keep her from having to go all theway to the second floor to shower or do anything else in the bathroom, the three of them had put up one in her room. Jubilee had been relieved when Tara suggested it. Tara had thought about the late months of pregnancy when any movement becomes harder, much less trooping up and down steps many times of the day or night. Even with the wall put around the bathroom, and the inclusion of baby furniture for her expected twins the room was still huge.

When Logan finally found out that Jubilee was pregnant and he was the father, he had payed Jubilee a visit. He asked Jubilee to marry him, because of the babies. Jubilee, a lot wiser now, told him, "No. I'm not going to get married just for that reason. I'm only going to get married because I'm in love and the man loves me, not because he got me pregnant. Wolvie, how long do you really think our marriage would last? It's better this way, when you can leave without guilt, and come back when you want or need to. I'll be glad to see you when you are here, but I won't have to deal with unrealistic expectations our marriage would place on us."

Logan reluctantly agreed and thought; that kid's got me pegged alright, she knew how I'd be, better than I was willing to admit.

In the meantime Tara and Remy were enjoying their mornings, but for a different reason than before they became parents. Renee was now almost weaned from breastfeeding. Renee only breastfed once a day, right around dawn, when she first woke up. Tara would lay back against Remy's chest, while Renee nursed. Renee would always fall right back to sleep afterwards. Tara would let Renee sleep, laying against her bare breasts. Remy would bring his arms around Tara, letting his hands rest over the tiny mound below her waist, where she was carrying their next child, due in six months. Tara loved this time of the day the most. A quiet warmth flowed between them. They rarely spoke at these times, it wasn't needed. The small gestures and the skin to skin contact said all that needed to be said.

Three months later all the X-people were at Tara and Remy's house for Renee's first birthday. Jubilee and Tara were both six months pregnant, but Jubilee with her smaller stature, and carrying twins, looked full term.

Tara was concerned, but Jubilee just laughed off any of her worried comments. Tara though, thought she should express her concerns to one of the other X-ladies. So when Jean came over, she said, "Jean ah'm worried,look at Jubilee. She's six months along an' she looks like she's gonna have them any second. She's so small she can't possibly carry those babies full term. She's been so tired recently too. She doesn't look well."

"Tara she had her check up the same day as you. Moira said she was fine at that point for expecting twins, and that was just two weeks ago. I doubt she'll go the full nine months. When it's twins, they're usually early. I was unusual, that my twins were full term, but I looked nine months at six months too. She will likely have the babies in the next two months. Just be sure you already have everything ready. I'll tell Moira your concerns. She may want to move in for the rest of Jubilee's pregnancy, and yours. Speaking of that, have you had any problems with this pregnancy?"

"Not really Jean. Not like the first time. Ah know ah gave everyone a scare the first time, when ah went into that coma for fourteen days. This time ah just felt real tired the first month, with some mornin' sickness an' a low grade fever. As ah'm sure yah heard from Bobby. Hank said mah absorbin' power weakened again. He said if ah keep havin' kids if would weaken each time. By the time ah had mah fourth kid it would probably go into a recessive gene. Other than that there wouldn't be any other ill effects. Ah can't say that ah'd miss it, mah absorbin' ability, it's always been more o' curse than a blessin' tah me. Ah'm plannin' on havin' at least five kids, ah'm thinkin' probably six."

"Six?" Jean shook her head in amazement, "Six times going through labor, going through two and a half years of changing diapers six times! Not me, no siree!"

Tara laughed. "As for the first one, well sure, labor hurts like blazes, but it's over in a fairly short time, an' it's after yah've had nine months tah feel this new life growin' in yah. Ah like bein' pregnant."

"I don't!" Jean sad emphatically, then more mildly, "I do agree it's nice to feel them move and sense their thoughts, though. But labor! Scott wants one more, so I told him maybe. I'll have to really think about it though."

"As for changin' diapers, Remy and take turns doin' that, an' since Jubilee's been here, she has too. But when Jubilee's babies and mine are born we're goin' to have four kids in this house, since Jubilee asked tah stay. It's fine with us, but they'll be four sets of diapers an' just three o' us."

"Logan should be helping Jubilee."

"Oh, he offered, but Jubilee turned him down. She knew he couldn't stand bein' at one place for years an' years. An' could yah see Logan changin' diapers?" Tara rolls her eyes and laughs.

Jean laughed too, then says, "No, but I'm surprised Remy stuck around."

"He always wanted tah, deep in his heart, for years, but he kept tellin' himself that he'd never be able tah. Once the baby came though, that was it. He knew that he could. He said travelin' didn't appeal tah him anymore. He'd rather watch Renee grow an' change everyday, an' hold her in his arms, rockin' her tah sleep."

Two months later Jubilee had her twin boys, Lotan and Louis. The labor had some serious complications, and Moira told her that it was likely she wouldn't be able to have any more children. Jubilee accepted this, but not without some anger and tears. She had kind of hoped on having one more kid in a few years, hopefully a girl. Now she had been given the news that this wouldn't happen.

A month after that Tara had her second child, a boy that was named Richard. Tara had no problems with her labor, which made her feel guilty, because of what Jubilee had to go through. It made her give Jubilee extra help with the twins, until Tara was exhausted by doing all her work and most of Jubilee's too. Jubilee and Remy figured out by that time what she was doing and why. So they asked Scott and Jean if they could bring their kids and stay a few days. Hoping maybe Jean could convince Tara to stop working herself to exhaustion out of guilt. Neither Jubilee or Remy had been able to get her to slow down and ease up on their own. Even Caleen hadn't been able to convince her.

When Jean was finally able to get Tara to sit down and talk all she would talk about was how worried she was for Jubilee.

"But Jean, Jubilee couldn't possibly manage tah care for those two kids yet."

"Tara, the past five weeks you've not let Remy or Jubilee help you with anything, and you've tried to do everything, including taking care of all four kids. Why don't you let Jubilee try to care for own kids, let her see if she can. I'm sure if she needs your help she'll ask for it." Not very likely! Jean thinks. Not after the past five weeks.

"But ah..."

"Tara, I think deep down you are still trying to prove to everyone that you are a `good girl'. You proved that long ago, Rogue," Jean smiled after she used the codename. "You still like to be called that, don't you, better than your name?"

"Ah'm used tah it, it feels a little strange, even more than two years after ah told y'all my real name. Except Remy, when he calls me by mah real name ah love it."

Jean smiled at that, she fully understood. Then she said, "Rogue, tell me if you are going to ease off helping everyone."

"Ah guess, but ah was only tryin' tah help. Poor Jubilee goin' through that shock, an' then she would have tah of taken care of those two babies by herself. Ah knew it would have been too much for her."

"Perhaps, at first, but she wants to try it now. Are you willing to let her?"

"Yeah, ah hope it won't be too much for her, but it's her kids, ah'll let her do it."

"Good for you. You and Remy have your hands full with a toddler, and a baby with colic. Let Remy try to calm the baby for a while, you know how well he's done with Renee when she was upset."

"Better'n me that's for sure, here ah am with a second baby, and ah still feel mah stomach tighten up with anxiety when ah can't stop their cryin' straight off. Ah start worryin' maybe somethin' is really wrong."

"Tara, I've taken care of babies before I had my own children, I'm a telepath, and my stomach still tightens up too. I think moms tend to worry more about their children's health than dads do. But speaking of truely frightening, let's check on our toddlers and see how much they've gotten into."

"Oh boy! Just before y'all came Renee got into the baby powder. It was all over her and the room! It took forever tah clean up."

"My twins got into Scott and my colognes last week, they poured the bottles all over themselves. Oh they stunk! I thought I'd never get the smell off them."

"Once they start walkin', they're terror on wheels." Then Tara laughed. "Yah know, that's what Remy told me once what ridin' passenger while ah'm drivin' was- while ah was drivin'."

"I hope you `floored' it then!"

"Ah did! Yah shoulda seen his face! He looked like he was gonna sweat a river!"

They both laugh. Then Jean says, "Now changing the subject, Tara, I have to tell you my news. I just found out last week that I'm pregnant again. Scott was overjoyed, of course." Jean said the last with such a bland voice Tara had to laugh. "The baby's due around your daughter's birthday." Jean added.

"You sound so thrilled, Jean." Tara says with irony, then grins.

"Oh yes." Jean responses with equal irony, and rolled her eyes.

On their way upstairs they passed Jubilee coming back down after putting her twins to bed in the cribs. "Finally got them asleep at the same time." She said with a lopsided smile. "Now I can get something to eat. Oh Scott and Remy took the other kids down to the kitchen, so it would be quiet upstairs. Richard was fussing again so Remy took him downstairs too."

Jean and Tara turned back around and went downstairs with Jubilee. Jubilee patted the room moniter hooked to the waistband of her pants, "I can hear and see everything with this and don't have to be in the room every minute." This last was meant for Tara to hear, so she wouldn't worry about Jubilee's babies.

When they neared the kitchen they heard loud metal crashing over and over. When they got just outside the door they saw Renee, Scotia, and John were banging pans together. Scott looked harried and desperate to stop the racket. Remy was trying to stop Richard's howling cries in the dinning room by gently rocking the baby. Tara took Richard out of Remy's arms and went into the front room, and soon had his shrieks down to whimpers. Remy was then able to divert the other kids attention by telling them a story. While he did that Jean surripiously put the pots and pans away with her TK power. Scott collasped in a chair with relief that the god awful crashing was over and someone had got the kids under control.

After Scott and Jean had been there a few days, Tara was beginning to realize she had been doing too much, that Jubilee could take care of her own children.

Jubilee and Remy were relieved. Scott decided he had done enough and went back to the X-men. Jean and her two kids stayed till the end of the week. By that time Tara had made herself ask Jubilee if she needed help, not just jump in and do it despite Jubilee's protests. Tara admitted to Jubilee that she was still tempted though, especially when it looked like she needed help.

A few weeks later, Mystique made her first visit since Tara and Remy had married. Mystique brought over her infant daughter. The child was just a little over a year old. She had strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes, and very pale blue skin. Mystique had named the girl Raven. It had been Mystique's favorite false name, so she decided it should be someone's real name. Tara knew who the child's father was, Magneto. The child was the result of what happened at Tara and Remy's wedding.

"Ah hope yah haven't taunted him about this." Tara said to Mystique.

"Oh, but it was so much fun, his eyes bulged out, and he started screaming. He actually demanded I turn her over to him. I just cut him off."

"You found out his number, how...yah didn't...yah did." Tara sighed, "yah got the number out o' mah secret computer files."

"What can I say, Rogue, I did." Mystique smiled wickedly.

Tara rolled her eyes. Then her stomach sank when she heard Magneto's voice, just outside the front door.

"I knew you would have to eventually disgrace this house with your presence, Mystique. Give me my child and leave, woman!"

"This is my child, you just donated some sperm!" Mystique yelled back, but Tara thought she saw a flicker of fear in her eyes.

"Leave the child in the house, we'll settle this outside!"

"Fine!"

Tara watched them go into the yard, then closed the door. Sounds of fighting soon came from outside.

Tara took the child with her to the third floor. She was here with just her baby, Richard. Jubilee had taken the twins to visit at the the X-mansion, and Remy had taken Renee for a walk in the woods. She was old enough now, at 18 months, that she wanted to know what everything was. Her favorite phrase of the moment was, "What dat?"

Tara hoped that Remy wouldn't hear the fight and come running back to the house. As the minutes went by and she didn't see or hear Remy she felt relieved. Then suddenly she realized she didn't hear fighting anymore. A second later Magneto was in the room.

"I did not give her any lasting injuries, but she should be unconcious on your front porch for a few minutes. Perhaps she will learn now that it's not wise to cross the master of magnetism. I will take the child now."

Tara was indecisive, the child was both Magneto's and Mystique's. Who would be the better parent, who deserved the child more? The best thing would be for the child to stay here, but she knew neither would agree to that. She said to Magneto, "Knock me out. Ah don't want to see yah take the child. Ah won't let this cause a rift between mah foster mother and ah.

"You give that woman too much credit." Magneto said in reply. He reluctantly complied, knocking her out in a much gentler way than he had Mystique, by manipulating the trace metals in Tara's blood. Before he left the ground he flew to Remy, who had observed the fight from the edge of the woods. Remy had managed to keep Renee still during the fight. Magneto briefly told Remy what had caused the fight, and why he would find Tara unconcious on the third floor. He advised Remy to wait until he saw Mystique go inside.

Remy nodded, then watched Magneto fly off. Then he waited until Mystique stepped inside. Remy had barely got in the front door when Mystique came running back down the stairs. "That man knocked out Rogue and stole my daughter! When I catch him, I won't hold back! He's a dead man!"

Remy just watched her run out the door and get into her car. Remy knew Mystique didn't have a chance of catching Magneto, not for a long time anyways. Remy was never so glad of the "normal" relationship he and Tara had.

Remy decided it was time that they took a vacation from here, the kids too. Jubilee shouldn't have a problem managing the farm for a couple of weeks. Renee was old enough to enjoy the trip and Richard young enough that he wouldn't be that much of a problem. Especially since he had finally stopped being colicy. He seemed to be making up for his earlier lost sleep, by sleeping a great deal now. He'd probably sleep through most of the vacation.

Remy broached the subject to Tara, and after a little convincing that Jubilee could handle the kids and the farm just fine, Tara agreed to go, on the condition that it would be okay with Jubilee. They called the X-mansion, and Jubilee said, "Sure, no problemo."

"Pack your bags, ma cherie!" Remy laughed and swung her around. She smiled and kissed him...

Because of the kids they took a commerical flight. Remy wore glasses that looked like darkly tinted prescription glasses, so that no one would see his glowing red eyes. Tara made sure everthing but her head was covered. She didn't worry about the white streak in her hair. She knew that people would just think she was strange, they would anyways, what with the way she was covered up, even wearing gloves.

As they suspected Richard spent almost the entire flight to Scotland asleep. Renee though, was a little chatterbox, but she was young enough that most of the other passengers thought she was cute. One of the flight attendants told them that she had a daughter just about Renee's age. She was flying back home now, and couldn't wait to see her daughter.

Tara and Remy rented a car and drove around the Scotttish countrysidefor a couple of days. Then they would go to Muir Island, and visit there for the rest of the two weeks. Tara couldn't wait to show offthe kids to everyone. Piotr and Kitty had finally married. Tara and Remy hadn't been able to attend, because it was on the same day as Richard had been born. Tara was looking forward to catching up on any news or gossip. and she hadn't seen her foster nephew, Mathias, since Renee was a newborn. Or Moira and Sean's son Ian for that matter. Tara hadn't seen Moira since the day Richard was born.

Remy thought pragmatically that everyone there will be glad to know that Richard had outgrown the colic.

The morning they were going to Muir Island they all went down to a nice little beach. Renee was curious about everything. She would spot a shell or a rock that looked interesting and come running in her wobbly toddler run with the thing in her hands and ask her father "What dis?" again and again. Tara held the, as usual, sleeping Richard. She asked Remy when he came and sat down beside her, "Remind yah of another beach, shugah?" with an inviting look.

Remy leered back and said,"Uh huh, chere!"

"Ah wanted tah make love right on that ol' beach."

Remy smirked, "Maybe while we on Muir Island, one day we leave de kids wit' Moira, an we go down t' her beach!"

Tara giggled and snuggled against Remy. They kiss. Then Remy got back up and ran to little Renee, and swung her up in his arms.

Renee squealed "do 'gin, daddy!"

Tara got up and joined them with the baby in her arms, as the sun rose over the horizon.

 

GambitGuild is neither an official fansite of nor affiliated with Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
Nonetheless, we do acknowledge our debt to them for creating such a wonderful character and would not dream of making any profit from him other than the enrichment of our imaginations.
X-Men and associated characters and Marvel images are © Marvel Enterprises, Inc.
The GambitGuild site itself is © 2006 - 2007; other elements may have copyrights held by their respective owners.