randomplaces | In the World Outside Time. Jubal and Wreck

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In the World Outside Time. Jubal and Wreck

The great hall of the castle stands empty, its far corners and the uppermost reaches of its carved and fabulously vaulted ceiling forgotten in shadows. All is silent but for the soft scrape of a footstool's feet as it walks toward a side door.

Then there's a swish and a flash of light, and two men appear. Both are tall. One, a slender Asian with bright blue eyes, immediately takes to the air and hovers a few feet over the head of his companion, who is more muscularly built. The man on the ground's face is partially sheilded by a brown beard, but even so his expression is clear.

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"I feel like Jack. Is there a giant we should be worrying about?" he whispered, as he took in the surroundings. Noting the armaments on the wall, the sailor glanced at his companion who was now above him. Only a brow raised and the comment, "What now?"

"No giant. He's actually shorter than us. And older even than me," said Jubal softly, watching as the footstool turned and came toward them. "He'll be here pretty soon."

Wreck bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, boots bending at the toes. He watched the approaching piece of furniture warily, thinking rather of the footstool in 'Beauty and the Beast.' "It's not gonna sing, is it?" came his hushed query.

Jubal blinked, then sniggered softly at the mental picture the other man was unconciously projecting. "Don't think so."

"Good thing, cuz THAT would weird me out." He rubbed at his beard, willing himself to remain calm. "So...we wait?"

Jubal flew up a little higher and began to shine, despelling some of the shadows and making the footstool pause and 'look' up at him. "He's here."

There was the sound of bootheels on stone, then the door the footstool had been heading toward flew open and a short, broad-shouldered figure strode through in a swirl of dark cloak. Firey dark eyes smoldered at them from under wild hair that was fading toward white.

"What d'ye want, Herald?" growled a gravelly, familiar voice.

Keeping a vigilant eye on the situtation, Wreck faded back, allowing his new friend to take the lead. 'The guys will never believe this...'

Jubal looked at the ancient Wolverine and saw that he was human enough for reasonable conversation.

"We're here for Jubilee and her baby," he said, dropping to the floor and letting his shine fade.

The old man frowned at him. "Then ye've come ta the wrong place. Tis no one here but myself an' the Mist Maid."

"She's here," countered Jubal calmly. "The Guardian sent us here to get her."

Those feirce eyes gazed at him for a moment, then a bellow made the far off rafters ring.

"ANMUT!"

Wreck looked on with interest. The man had to be the oldest human he'd ever seen. And he knew that face, even with the ravages of time. His ears rang with the doppler sound of the name that had been called. 'Yeah. Definitely Logan.'

The echos barely had barely had time to fade before the summons was answered from a high window above the massive front doors.

"Yes, Sir James?" asked a deep, soft female voice as massive wings overshadowed Wreck and Jubal for a heartbeat. Then what looked like an angel carved of off-white marble lit lightly next to the firey little man and folded huge batwings of soft grey. Long pointed ears perked toward him as misty grey hair swirled around a lovely, sculpted face.

"What's this I hear 'bout there bein' a woman and her banyan here, Mist Maid?" He scowled up at her sternly.

The winged woman's ears twitched, then she turned toward Wreck and Jubal for a moment, reveling statueque porportions clad in loincloth and halter. "She vas brought here to rest vhen her vork vas done."

The sailor nudged Jubal but didn't say anything. It just didn't seem the time.

"It's time for her to come home," said the Herald softly. "Her husband and kids need her."

The woman looks at him for a few moments, face expressionless, then nods and strides from the room.

"That's it?" came the puzzled whisper.

-You didn't know about her other two kids, did you?- Jubal turned to look at him. -There are people like Anmut on your Earth.-

Then there was a shout of mingled joy and disgust and strong arms wrapped themselves around Wreck's neck as a form cannoned into him.

"Sailor Brains!"

"Fire Cracker!" He pulled her close, allowing the joy of the moment to wash over him. Suspicious tears formed and he whispered into the dark black hair, "Al sure has missed you."

"I missed him too," she muttered back, biting her lip and then suddenly bawling hysterically into the front of his sweater.

"Mama?" asked a dark-haired toddler from Anmut's arms.

With a gentleness only his wife was so familiar with, the sailor rubbed the crying woman's back, murmuring comfort and nonsense in a soft, baritone hum. He motioned for the 'woman' holding the child to come. Holding out an arm, Wreck waited to see if the toddler would accept his invitation and slide over.

The little one regarded him with wrinkled nose and narrowed blue eyes for several moments, but then suddenly hopped over, headbutting him in the side of the jaw in the process. "Mama?"

"Ow?" Wreck worked his jaw and tried to keep hold of the wiggling bundle of energy. He was thankful of the practice he'd had with his nephew and nieces. "Easy, Sparky. Mama is okay." He shifted the tyke so that mother and child were together.

Jubilee cried for a long time, but then she finally wiped her face and sniffled, starting to say something, only to freeze and turn to stare at Jubal, who was shining softly as he watched her. "What the hey?"

"Um, Jubilee, meet Jubal. He's...um...you. Sort of."

"Why's he glowing?"

The sailor scratched his head and shrugged. "I think it has to do with the whole 'Hearld' thing he told me about."

"The saywhatnow?" She narrows one eye.

"Say good bye," urges Jubal softly, his eyes moving to Anmut, who, though impassive, looks as though she's going to cry.

Wreck urged Jubes to listen. "We don't have much time, which is weird, since we are outside time, but then---"

Delicate but strong fingers stopped his wandering. "Still the same ol' seadog. On and on..."

He nudged her gently. "If he says it's time to say good-bye, you'd better get to it."

She turned to her friend and gave her a hug that would have knocked Wreck on his rear, but the winged woman stood firm and wrapped those massive wings around her.

"Go vith Gott," murmured Anmut softly. "Meine Schwester." She trailed off into a language that sounded like some root of German and Dutch, and Jubilee responds fluently.

"Come on." Jubal sighes, then starts as the toddler abandones the good ship Wreck and jumps to him. "Oh, hi."

Little hands traced the face that seemed so familiar to the tot and yet was different. "Mama face?" Gentle pats bring a partially tooth filled grin as the baby blue eyes see the same basic love hiding in the older blues.

"Uncle." Jubal grinned. "Mama's brother, sort of."

"Just rememeber that's mine." Jubilee turned away from her friend to give him a cocky grin. "So, we gonna get this show on the road?"

Wreck took one last look at the ancient version of the Wolverine. He slowly saluted the older man before turning to follow his friends.

Their last glimpse of the old one is of him standing silently in the shadows, watching them walk away.

"Alright," said Jubal as they reached an antiroom. "Jubes, here, you take Hector, 'cause I'm not going where you are."

Wreck gave the other man a look. "Hey, remember? I'm the one going back and taking her with me."

Jubal chuckled as the toddler jumped to his mother and pointed to the little one. "Hector."

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In the World Outside Time. Jubal and Wreck

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