Okay everyone this is a sequel to the challenge fic I did called Dying of the light. I have spell checked it and grammar checked the it. Still I might have missed some things so please forgive *Grin*. I'm always hesitant of doing a sequel to a story of mine that's been well received. I'm never sure if I can do the original justice. Hopefully I've managed that with this one.

Signed Seraph

Laid to Rest
(Sequel to Dying of the light)

A bird sings in the clear dawn air. A small group gathers around an open grave to lay a friend to rest. She was brightness that burnt to fast. A teenager who despite all she had faced continued to shine. Few were there like her in the world and the darkness would be deeper now with her passing. Everett wiped at the tears that streamed down his face as he held Monet in his arms. There had been so much he'd still needed to say to Jubilee. He remembered the talk they'd had that night before he'd gone to bed. He supposed now that she'd known that she would die that night.

She'd told him that she loved him and he'd been to shocked to say anything. He remembered the soft kiss she'd laid on his cheek and the smile she'd given him before she said goodbye. Each of them had gotten into the habit of saying goodbye rather then good night in the weeks since Jubilee had been diagnosed. Jubilee had started it up and although Everett had refused at first as the time of her death got closer he'd given in.

He hadn't been able to imagine a time when she wasn't here. His best friend, his confidant. How could he continue now she wasn't here? He remembered how she'd looked that night. So beautiful despite the cancer that had ravaged her body.

'I miss you so much Jube.' He thought as the tears continued to fall.

Paige looked down at the coffin that held her friend, her room mate.

'It isn't fair Jubilee, you're not supposed to be dead. We should have been able to do something. God, why did you take her?' she thought.

She buried her head against Jonothon's chest as he held her close. Of all those here Jonothon was the one most unable to show his grief. He could not shed tears as other could, he's powers had seen to that. He could only now add the grief he felt over her death to the countless other grief's he felt.

Monet stood straight and tall as Everett held her in his arms. She would not show the grief she felt. To do so would be disrespectful to Jubilee. She had been so full of life; she would not want them to stand around weeping for her. She looked over at Beast and he nodded and stepped back as she moved forward.

"Jubilee was with us only a short time. Two years would hardly seem enough to know someone. She was so open though, even after everything she'd seen she still had a love of life. When she was alive we acted as though we hated each other. We fought so many times; I can't remember what they were about. The truth though, the truth is that I envied her. She had a joy, a freedom that I will never know. I don't think that I would have been as strong if I had been in her position. She told me before she died that she didn't want us to cry for her. She told me that where she was going was a much better place then the one that she was leaving. Her one regret she said would be that she could not take us with her. I just want to say that I have never met a stronger person then Jubilation Lee and I know I never will."

Monet placed a single white lily on Jubilee's coffin and stepped back once more into Everett's arms and he hugged her tightly to him. Paige stepped forward and placed her own lily on Jubilee's grave. She stood there for a second before speaking.

"I was angry at you Jubilee. I was angry cause' you left us. We're a team and team members aren't supposed to die. I was so angry at everything because God was supposed to make you better and he didn't. I thought about it for a while and I realised what I was most angry about was that I never said goodbye when I had the chance. I kept telling myself that you'd get better and when I finally realised you wouldn't it was too late. I miss you; I miss all those pranks we used to play on the guys late at night. I miss the midnight kitchen raids and how we would make up those awful concoctions from whatever we could find in the fridge. Mostly though, mostly I miss you being around. I hope that wherever you are its better then here. Goodbye Jubilee."

Paige stepped back and buried her head against Jonothon's chest once again, dry sobs racking her body.

Beast nodded to each of them and then stepped forward to continue the funeral. Further away in the Biosphere that the students had named the Danger Grotto a man sat. He could not be at Jubilee's funeral. He could not stand to see her sent into the cold earth. He wanted to remember her alive. He wanted to remember her how she'd been on their countless trips together. The irrepressible So-Cal girl ready for anything.

'God kid, I miss ya.' He thought as he idly through a pebble into the stream.

"Why aren't you at the funeral Senior Logan." asked a voice behind him.

"I don't do funerals real well kid, not my style."

"Si, I know what you mean. Seen enough of them in my time to know that I don't like them much either."

Logan looked up at Angelo. He had been there for Jubilee when her other friends hadn't been in much of a condition to be any good to her. Most of them had been so busy denying the facts that it had been painful for Jubilee to be near them. Angelo had seen death before though. He'd seen it enough times to know it by the merest scent.

Logan remembered the night he'd been woken up by Jubilee's cry and had gone to her only to find Angelo there already. Jubilee had started coughing up blood and Angelo had been there for her to lean on as she cried.

Logan had left them then, he'd known she was in good hands.

"Senora Grey asked me to come looking for you. She wanted to know that you were okay."

Logan smiled, Jean had been on his back almost constantly since Jubilee had died. She'd been worried that he would sink into a pit of despair. She hadn't been there that night though. Hadn't seen the look of peace as Jubilee had slipped away. No matter how much pain it caused him to know she was gone he knew she was in a better place now.

There was something he had to do though. Something Jubilee had asked of him. He knew that she would have liked Angelo to be in on this as well.

" Come on kid, we've got to do something I promised Jubilee I would."

Angelo raised an eyebrow but didn't comment as he followed Logan from the Biosphere.

Later that day as Angelo and Logan listened to the various X-men and teenagers find the pranks they'd laid out they laughed. This more then anything else they could have done was a fitting send off for the little firecracker that had so deeply touched their lives.

THE END