OMG. TWENTY VOLUMES. CAN'T STOP. WON'T STOP.
This is the twentieth volume of the 714 universe, so if you want to see the reading order, check out my profile. Canucklehead Cowgirl and I have been trading off volumes on each other's profiles, and I do the even ones, so if you're here, you know the drill. Here we go!
Chapter 1: "Demandings Hugs and Kisses"
It had been quite the summer, and Remy wasn't entirely sure he was ready to get back to anything more 'respectable' as he and Marie arrived back in Westchester. It had been fun, honestly, to stretch his legs and to play a little, make sure he was still the best thief the world knew (he was). And it was fun to work with Marie as well, who cheated her way through beating him on several heists — but he'd taught her a few things that didn't require powers either.
They could have kept going on like that forever — exotic locations, exciting thefts, not-nearly-close escapes… But Remy had promised to come back for the school year, and Miss Annie had even asked him to help cover her classes when she had her little one. And he did not want to disappoint that sweet woman.
So, back they went — their pockets a little fuller and their coats matching and better fitted — to the institute.
It was the weekend before classes were set to start, so all the students were back, and the mansion was as full as ever. It was late afternoon — but still early enough that he was confident that unless Miss Annie was in one of her extravagant baking moods, no one would have started dinner yet. So he would take care of it.
He held the door to the kitchen open for Marie with a crooked smile and a bow. "You jus' make yourself at home, cher," he told her as he went to the cabinets to start pulling out what he needed. "We gon' have visitors soon 'nuff once dey start smellin' what Remy makin'."
"And what is Remy making?" Rachel asked from the doorway with an easy smile and a wave. "Something classically Cajun, I hope."
"Jambalaya," Remy said with a huge grin Rachel's way as he took in the tanned young woman. "You have a nice summer, Miss Rachel? Look like it."
"The best," she agreed with a grin. "Just got in not long ago from a month in Hawaii."
"When were you there?" Maria asked interestedly. "Perhaps we crossed paths and did not know, oui?"
"Did you see Bobby there?" she asked.
"Didn't see nobody but a few dragonflies," Remy laughed.
"Well we were on the opposite side of the big island that Alex was on," Rachel replied.
"And Alex — he know you dere?" Remy teased.
"Yep," she said, nodding. "That's why we ended up on the far side."
"Because he is your uncle, non?" Marie asked, trying to piece the relationships together that Remy had told her about while they were traversing the globe.
"Because he called my dad to spill the beans about Bobby and me," Rachel said.
"Ah, zen he is Oncle Dénonciateur," Marie said with a little twinkle in her eyes that Remy couldn't help but laugh at.
"What he go an' do dat for, petit?" Remy asked Rachel as he twirled around the kitchen getting dinner supplies together.
"Just … mostly being a pain I think."
"Well, next time you go to New Orleans, mebbe," he teased. "Ol' Remy don't tell a soul."
"Well, cat's outta the bag now," Rachel said. "Though I think someone must have taken Dad down a notch somewhere along the line. He doesn't want to share with me."
"Well, you ask dat step-mamma o' yours. She like you petit. She tell you anytin'," he teased.
"She's a little busy right now," Rachel said with a small little laugh. "She and Lorna had their kids yesterday about two hours apart, so they're both still holed up resting."
Remy's eyebrows shot up. "Already?" he asked. "Hank say de little ones, dey comin' in de fall. Dey early?"
"Not by much," Rachel said. "K and Logan's little girl, though — she was early."
Remy stopped moving around the kitchen and gave Rachel his full attention. "Dey alright?" he asked.
Rachel nodded. "Oh, yeah. They're supposed to come back any day now. And Pepper and little Howard are fine, too. You missed them."
Marie laughed at the expression on Remy's face when he heard that. "It was your idea for that trip to Dubai."
"I … jus' thought … don' dey usually come a lil' bit late?" Remy asked, slowly going back to prepping his Jambalaya.
"That … is exactly what Annie asked? But apparently, that really only applies to the first," Rachel said.
"And you weel be ahving more of these, then, yes?" Marie asked. "Re-mee was telling me there was a spell of some kind." She laughed lightly. "'Ow fortunate I was not here then. My powers, they do not allow me the plea-zure." She gestured at herself. "A lee-tle one, she would not dissolve with me. I 'ate to think what a magical spell would do weeth zat."
"Well, not all of them were spell babies," Rachel said with a smirk. "Most of them, sure. But as I understand it, any more will be based on what the parents decide."
"Jus' a bit of accidental magic, cher," Remy said with a wave. "It happen."
Marie laughed again. "Yes, that is 'ow most happen."
Remy grinned her way broadly before he turned back to Rachel. "So, Lorna and Miss Annie. Dey little ones — dey look like dem or dey dads?"
"You could come meet them, you know," Rachel pointed out.
"I bring 'em jambalaya later," he said with a shrug.
Rachel grinned and turned toward the front door. "Oh. Well, looks like the little scene stealer is here. Finally."
"And which one ees that?" Marie asked, getting to her feet to come behind Remy and rest her head on his back while he was standing still and adding ingredients, her arms around his middle. "It seems there are so man-ee."
But Rachel didn't have to say anything on who it was when, finally — after what felt like an eternity — the Howletts had arrived with little Sadie, a bit over her original weight and thriving.
"Now," K said as they came into the kitchen, Sadie in her arms. "That is definitely not the first person I thought we'd see. Welcome home, Swamp Rat."
Remy grinned at her as he set down the ladle and, with one arm around Marie, made his way over to the little group. "You still glowin'," he said, shaking his head. "When dis lil' ting get here?"
"Beginning of August," K replied. "Didn't want anyone to beat her here, apparently."
"She like her mama dat way," Remy teased, grinning down at the little girl.
"Here," K said, not really asking before putting the little one in his arms. "She's getting bigger now."
"This is bigger?" Marie asked with one eyebrow raised as Remy carefully tucked the little girl in the crook of his arm and she couldn't help shaking her head with a smile seeing how very, very gentle he was being — like the precision he used when he was cracking a safe.
"Yep," Logan said. "Almost half a pound bigger."
"She smaller den de others," Remy said in a soft tone as he sat down, and Marie almost laughed and instead kissed his cheek as she breezed past — literally — to turn off the heat on the stove so he didn't burn anything, reforming over his shoulder a short time later to laugh at the same expression still there.
"You should see the pictures from when Scott came to meet her," K said with a grin.
"They'd golden," Rachel agreed, sitting up on the counter. "Though the one with Peter's pretty great too."
"Video of Kurt's arrival … all … flustered," K said, smirking.
"All of it," Rachel agreed. "And speaking of — you two just missed the newest arrivals."
"Oh? Who was it?" Logan asked.
"Annie and Lorna both," Rachel replied. "Lorna's got a little green-haired boy, and I've got another little sister who looks like Charlie, but I think she'll be lighter-haired."
"Does she need sweet tea?" K asked.
"By the gallon," Rachel laughed.
"Then if I can steal my little girl back?" K said, looking at Remy. "I'll bring her down for Henry to give the green light to and meet the newest Summers-ss...es."
"There are so man-ee of them," Marie said, shaking her head with a little smile as she watched Remy carefully give Sadie back to K. "I cannot keep track with just the names and not the faces, I am sorr-ee," she added.
"No one can," Logan teased. "Why do you think I just call 'em all 'Summers'?"
"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow and looked Remy's way. "I thought there was someone called 'Slim'?"
"He gets lots of nicknames," Logan said with a smile as he started off after K. "But almost never 'Summers.'"
"That is confusing," she said with a little frown.
"Not really," Logan defended. "Yell 'Summers'. They all turn around — then ya point at the one you want."
Marie was laughing as she leaned against Remy and the Howletts left to meet the new little ones. "Perhaps we should 'ave come earlier instead of going to Dubai," she teased.
"Rookie time traveling error," Rachel teased as she headed out of the kitchen.
"I... am no time-traveler," Marie pointed out with a little frown.
"Stick around," Rachel laughed.
"Don' you pay her no mind," Remy said, shaking his head.
"No, I 'ave better things to pay attention to," Marie agreed with a little laugh as she turned back to Remy. "Did you want help with your food? Or just compan-ee?"
"Ol Remy don' need no help cookin'. Least of all dinner," Remy said with a smile.
Marie laughed at that and kissed him. "Oh, I know. But you look so agréable when you are cooking — and when you speak of food, too."
As the two of them flirted and worked on dinner, there was a sudden rush as all of the resident kids filed into the kitchen and lined up, leaning over the counter and just … watching. Waiting for Remy to acknowledge them. And all of them were grinning broadly.
Finally, Krissy couldn't wait any longer and broke into a high-pitched giggle. "I told you. I told you you got a Valentine!"
"Shhhhhush," Elin said. "He knows."
Remy just chuckled and turned toward the gathered kids. "You all gon' be nice to Miss Marie, right?" he teased, looking entirely serious — as if they'd be anything but.
"We need kisses," Elin informed him.
"Oh, is dat so?" Remy asked, skirting around the kitchen to crouch to her height. "Well, Miss Elin, you gotta ask nice."
"That's not what my mom and dad say," she countered with a grin.
Remy chuckled. "You want Remy kisses or no, petit?" he teased.
She raised an eyebrow at him. "You want us to be nice or no?"
"Now, dat ain't nice, petit," Remy said, shaking his head at her and trying not to grin too broadly.
"C'est la vie," she replied easily.
Maria laughed out loud. "Oh, so the leetle ones do not mangle ze language, but you, Rem-ee?"
Remy chuckled before he reached out and snatched Elin up, pulling her upside down to tickle her. "You too smart for your britches."
She was giggling madly, but she couldn't let it slide. "I like dresses."
"You too smart for dose too," he teased her before he finally gave her a kiss on her cheek and set her down — and crouched down at the perfect level to be mobbed by the rest of Elin's waiting friends.
Marie disappeared into smoky air to reassemble, sitting cross-legged on the counter overlooking the attack on Remy, laughing to herself; the kids clearly had him on the ropes, outnumbered as he was. "It is more dangerous here than it was in Solna," she teased, perfectly content to watch and not lift a finger to help.
"Hello again," Elin said pleasantly to her, watching the rest of the kids attack the Cajun before she climbed up to sit next to Marie.
"Bonjour," she said as she pulled Elin a bit closer to her so Elin could see Remy's surrender for herself. "You are the woman of the house, no?" she teased Elin.
Elin just giggled and shook her head.
"Well, I 'ave never seen Rem-ee lose so very, very badly," Marie laughed.
"He's very silly," Elin said with a grin.
"Yes, he is that," Marie agreed. She gently uncrossed her legs and slipped down from the counter to offer Remy a hand up at last once every single one of the kids had 'gotten' Remy and been kissed on the forehead or cheek. "And there are three more coming?" she laughed. "You are going to be very busy. When weel you kiss me?"
"After he gets his cupcakes," Krissy giggled.
Marie chuckled and reached over to boop Krissy's nose. "Ah, oui. I remember that tradition. Quelle introduction."
"You have very pretty words," Sying said as he climbed up to where Marie had just been sitting and sat himself down to smile shyly up at Marie.
"I am French," she explained to him with a smile.
"My mom lived in Paris for a while," Elin said. "Is that where you're from?"
Marie looked delighted. "Oui, I lived in Paris when I was ver-ee young," she said.
"That's where my mama asked my papa to marry her," Krissy supplied, climbing up to join her friend. "Mama says it's pretty there, but Papa says he doesn't remember because Mama's too pretty for him to notice."
"My mom says it's not as pretty as it was," Elin told Krissy.
"Your mom says that about lots of places," Krissy pointed out.
"Dad agrees with her," Elin replied.
"Your mom is right," Marie said with a little laugh. "Paris was tellement beau when I was leetle."
But Elin shook her head. "No, she said the bombs messed up a lot of old stuff."
Marie raised an eyebrow at the little girl and then laughed when she realized there was more to this story than she originally realized. "She is not wrong," she said softly, but before she could say anything else, Remy finally started to untangle himself.
"What's it gon' take for you lil' troublemakers to go play so I can cook us up some'tin to eat?" Remy asked, tossing Chance in the air.
"Oh, Rem-ee," Marie teased. "You cannot cook with an audience?"
"No," he chuckled. "I cain't cook wit a hist'ry lesson."
"Then we weel do something else," Marie said.
"Play games?" Kari offered with a little giggle.
"What do you want to play?" Marie asked the little pink elfling.
"Hide and seek," Charlie said with a grin. "We can help the little little kids hide," she added in a loud whisper to Remy, just in case he was worried anyone would get left out.
"Then I will find you all," Marie promised with a little laugh, and Sying tugged on her sleeve to get her attention and motioned for her to come closer so he could whisper in her ear.
"You gotta check the ceiling, because some of us can climb," he warned her.
"Merci," she said with a smile and kissed his cheek, which got a delightedly red-faced giggle out of Sying that had Krissy poking out her lower lip at him as the kids ran off to go hide.
Remy grinned as Marie covered her eyes to count and couldn't resist kissing her. "I tink dey like you, Miss Marie."
She grinned at him and kissed him back. "I think I like them too."