"You don't wear it any longer," Logan said as he gestured to Jubes' yellow trench-coat. It was hanging from a hook in her bedroom. And it had been hanging there for quite some time.
"It doesn't fit," Jubes said after a moment of hesitation.
Logan just looked at her, the barest trace of a smile on his face.
Jubes ran her fingers through her hair, trying to figure out what to say.
"Okay. Okay. In terms of size -- it fits. It just doesn't fit in other ways," she finally said.
"What ways are those?" Logan asked. He had a serious look on his face and his head was cocked slightly to one side. Jubes knew that look. It meant that Logan was really, really, paying attention. Which meant you had to be careful what you said because when Logan was like that he was scarily aware of whether or not you were telling the truth.
"I've gone through some changes, Logan," Jubes responded steadily. "I'm a vampire. I've got Shogo. I'm a full-blown X-Man. And..."
"And?" Logan prodded gently.
"And you're gone," Jubes said slowly.
Logan nodded. "Yeah. There's that. Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."
"S'okay," Jubes said as she wiped her eyes. "I mean... you'll be back. Right?"
Now it was Logan's turn to hesitate.
"Right?"
Then Logan grinned and shrugged broadly, "Maybe. Probably. People like us don't play by the rules when it comes to death -- we've proved that again and again. But you got to understand... someday I really will be gone. Gone for good. Maybe this is the time."
Jubes looked at the floor. "I don't think I can do it without you."
"Do what?"
"Life," Jubes replied slowly.
Logan shook his head, "Punkin', I never met anyone who had a better handle on life than you."
And then Jubes woke up.
After staring at the ceiling for a long moment, Jubes rolled out of her bed. Jubes didn't exactly sleep... not in the way normal humans slept. And she didn't spend the daylight hours dormant, like other vampires. Instead, she was somewhere in the middle. And in that odd place, it was possible to dream.
Shogo was peacefully asleep in his cradle. Jubes adjusted his blanket and kissed him on the forehead. Then she reached into her fridge and pulled out a bag of blood. As always, the taste seemed to be slightly off. Jubes wasn't sure if that was because she wasn't taking it from a live victim, or if mutant blood was just intrinsically different from what she was supposed to drink.
She was living off of cloned supplies of Logan's blood. That was what it took to take the edge off of being a vampire. It kept her from going way off the deep end and becoming a killer.
So when you got down to it, Logan was still with her.
Finishing the blood, Jubes tossed the bag into a recycle bin.
Gathering up her trench-coat, Jubes lay back down again and spread it over herself like a blanket. She used to sleep under it all the time.
Her odd version of sleep was a long time coming, but this time it was peaceful and dreamless.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-03-02 08:20 pm (UTC)"You don't wear it any longer," Logan said as he gestured to Jubes' yellow trench-coat. It was hanging from a hook in her bedroom. And it had been hanging there for quite some time.
"It doesn't fit," Jubes said after a moment of hesitation.
Logan just looked at her, the barest trace of a smile on his face.
Jubes ran her fingers through her hair, trying to figure out what to say.
"Okay. Okay. In terms of size -- it fits. It just doesn't fit in other ways," she finally said.
"What ways are those?" Logan asked. He had a serious look on his face and his head was cocked slightly to one side. Jubes knew that look. It meant that Logan was really, really, paying attention. Which meant you had to be careful what you said because when Logan was like that he was scarily aware of whether or not you were telling the truth.
"I've gone through some changes, Logan," Jubes responded steadily. "I'm a vampire. I've got Shogo. I'm a full-blown X-Man. And..."
"And?" Logan prodded gently.
"And you're gone," Jubes said slowly.
Logan nodded. "Yeah. There's that. Sorry I didn't get a chance to say goodbye."
"S'okay," Jubes said as she wiped her eyes. "I mean... you'll be back. Right?"
Now it was Logan's turn to hesitate.
"Right?"
Then Logan grinned and shrugged broadly, "Maybe. Probably. People like us don't play by the rules when it comes to death -- we've proved that again and again. But you got to understand... someday I really will be gone. Gone for good. Maybe this is the time."
Jubes looked at the floor. "I don't think I can do it without you."
"Do what?"
"Life," Jubes replied slowly.
Logan shook his head, "Punkin', I never met anyone who had a better handle on life than you."
And then Jubes woke up.
After staring at the ceiling for a long moment, Jubes rolled out of her bed. Jubes didn't exactly sleep... not in the way normal humans slept. And she didn't spend the daylight hours dormant, like other vampires. Instead, she was somewhere in the middle. And in that odd place, it was possible to dream.
Shogo was peacefully asleep in his cradle. Jubes adjusted his blanket and kissed him on the forehead. Then she reached into her fridge and pulled out a bag of blood. As always, the taste seemed to be slightly off. Jubes wasn't sure if that was because she wasn't taking it from a live victim, or if mutant blood was just intrinsically different from what she was supposed to drink.
She was living off of cloned supplies of Logan's blood. That was what it took to take the edge off of being a vampire. It kept her from going way off the deep end and becoming a killer.
So when you got down to it, Logan was still with her.
Finishing the blood, Jubes tossed the bag into a recycle bin.
Gathering up her trench-coat, Jubes lay back down again and spread it over herself like a blanket. She used to sleep under it all the time.
Her odd version of sleep was a long time coming, but this time it was peaceful and dreamless.