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Chapter 2

Remy slouched in the high back leather desk chair, balancing a quarter along his knuckles. He stared mind-numbingly out into the blue sky above. Although he was sitting in his office at LeBeau Enterprises, his thoughts were a million miles away. He had spent all night at Belladonna's house the night before. True to her word, she did not leave him wanting for more – at least not physically. His thoughts flashed back to naked patches of skin and cries that would wake the dead. But, it was only in the bedroom that he and Belle had anything in common. Their appetites for carnal sex rivaled only each other's. Remy had never met another who had as much passion for sex as him. Yet, Remy couldn't help but feel empty. It had been a long time since he felt true love for this woman. True, he felt a sense of obligation to her, but it wasn't love. Not the kind of love that should be shared between a man and wife. Remy sighed heavily and decided to take this opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. At last, Remy was enjoying some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, within a minute of shutting his eyelids, Remy's moment of tranquility was disrupted.

"So you managed to actually make it into the office today?" Jean-Luc LeBeau chastised his younger son. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Remy rolled his eyes before swiveling around to face his father. "Can't a guy show some responsibility without being questioned by his own father."

"Save it, son," Jean-Luc interrupted. "Let me guess, late night with Belle?" Remy's eyebrows narrowed. "Take the surprised look off your face. I'm no mind reader. Your brother told me what he did last night."

"Oh," Remy mouthed silently.

"I'm not going to be around forever, Remy. At some point, you've got to start acting like the future president of this company. At least sit in on some board meetings and get an understanding of our finances."

"Pere," Remy argued. "You forget that Henri and I spent nearly every minute of our childhood around you, your board, and this company. We were drawing up financial budgets with our crayons. Henri could recite the inner most workings of this company in his sleep. Speaking of which, did you ever consider that perhaps Henri should be the heir to your throne and not me?"

"Remy," Jean-Luc sighed, "we've been through this. Yes, your brother is my eldest son. But, he just doesn't have what it takes to make it in this business. He's too soft. You need to be able to wine and dine the clients, but at the same time be willing cut out their throats, not literally of course. There's no one else but you, my son."

Remy didn't know if he should be proud or insulted. "Still," Remy insisted, "I don't think you should count Henri out so easily. He tricked me into going to Belle's didn't he?"

"Ah, so how that little angel?" Jean-Luc mocked, knowing full well just how devious Marius' daughter could be.

"As miserable as ever," Remy replied. "She's nuts, pere. One minute, she's going to rip off my head. The next, she's ripping off my clothes."

"That's my boy," Jean-Luc laughed as he stood to leave the room. "Listen, while you're here, why don't you make yourself useful. I'm completely backed up on paperwork. I need you to review and sign off on some upcoming project proposals. You do remember how to use a pen, don't you?"

"I think I'll figure it out," Remy answered dryly. There went his plans for a late morning nap.

"Bon," Jean-Luc replied. "I'll have Clarice bring in the files. Au revoir, mon fils."

As Clarice walked in with stack after stack of manila folders, Remy's thoughts wandered to what, or who, he would do to reward himself after such a long day's work.

~oOo~

Anna squirted the contents of the blue bottle of Windex on a mirror that hung on the wall of her small living room. It barely had enough room to fit her loveseat, a wooden coffee table, and a tiny 20-inch television. The rest of her apartment wasn't much to talk about either. She had a bedroom that fit only a full-sized mattress, a kitchen that housed a refrigerator, sink, and stove, and a bathroom that had a stand-up shower, toilet, and another sink. It was miniscule, but suit her just fine. Logan was kind enough to let her stay there for a mere 300 dollars a month. The rent averaged out to just under a week's pay for Anna. Since most of her meals were from Wolvie's, Anna was able to put most of the rest of her money into a savings account.

Anna's dream was to eventually earn enough money to put herself through culinary school. Her love of cooking didn't just start after working for Logan. No, cooking was a passion for her as she grew up in the Xavier household. Charles Xavier, a prominent doctor in the New York area, and his wife Moira had adopted Anna when she was only seven years old. Anna had come from a very abusive household, and the memories of her youth still haunted her to this very day. Soon after her adoption, Anna began to develop some very violent behaviors towards her classmates at school, particularly boys. She was often described as a rogue because of her rough exterior and loner ways. Charles and Moira took Anna to a therapist, who thought that perhaps picking up a hobby would be beneficial in her recovery from the abuse. Since Moira had been a successful restaurant chef in Manhattan, she took Anna under her wing in the kitchen. Anna learned immensely from Moira before Moira's untimely death. The cancer spread so rapidly, leaving Charles alone with Anna and her four siblings. The Xaviers had adopted two others before taking Anna into their home. Early in their marriage, Moira was told that they would not be able to conceive any children. Scott, who was seven years older than Anna, had a rare eye condition that the doctors said would eventually leave him blind. Next, there was her sister three years her elder, Ororo, who the Xaviers had found in an orphanage. Ororo was found locked alone in a closet by the police. Her biological parents were shot to death in a drug deal gone wrong. Ororo's trauma still manifested itself from time to time in the form of claustrophobia. Two years after they adopted Anna, a miracle occurred, the Xaviers conceived their own children, the twins – Kurt and Kitty. As she wiped away the soapy streaks on the mirror, a photograph in the reflection caught her eye.

Anna placed the Windex and the moist rag onto her coffee table and picked up the picture frame. It was a family picture of the Xaviers taken a few months before Moira's death. It was the last vacation the family had taken together. There they all sat, with huge smiles on their faces on the sunny Long Island beach. Moira had already been diagnosed with breast cancer and was going through the rigorous effects of chemotherapy. Her mother looked so frail and weak in the photo. The image was so unlike the lively and strong chef that Anna thought of fondly. As a tear began to form in Anna's eye, she placed the photograph face down on the coffee table. She bit her lower lip and turned her attention to her laptop.

Anna logged into her email account and scanned through the junk mail until she saw a familiar name: Ororo. Anna sighed as she clicked on the link to open the message:

Hey sis,

Hope you're doing well. Dad misses you terribly… we all do. Kurt and Kitty moved into the dorms this week, so he's been extra lonely lately. Scott's doctors said that it's only a matter of time now before he loses all his vision. He keeps saying it's just getting darker and darker. I wish you would just tell me where you are. I worry for you every day.

Bobby still asks about you every time we see him. He knows that you and I communicate through email, so he's been tormenting me to give him your new contact information. He's such an asshole. I don't know what you ever saw in him, or what Kitty saw for that matter. But, I hope you two will be able to get past this roadblock in your relationship. Never forget that you are sisters. I know you don't really need for me to say this now, but I told you he was bad news! J/K ( But not really…)

Hope to hear from you soon.

'Ro

A knot of anxiety grew in Anna's stomach. Anna hated that she was putting her father through this pain, but she needed to get away for everyone's sake. Anna picked up her family's picture once again, and stared at it for about five minutes. She turned her attention back to the laptop and clicked on the "Reply" button in her email. Her fingers tapped on the keyboard, but never actually typed any words. The fact was, she didn't quite know how to respond to Ororo's message. Anna glanced up at the clock and noticed that it was almost 3 o'clock. Her shift at Wolvie's started in fifteen minutes, and she hadn't even showered yet. Anna decided to push off her letter to Ororo for another time, when she could carefully word her response. Anna shut the screen of her laptop and ran into the shower to get ready for the early dinner shift.

~oOo~

Remy was not having a good night at Foxes. He was down to his last ten thousand dollars. The events of last night and the long day at work had put him out of his element. He thought that a night at Foxes would be a treat, but it turned out to be the opposite. Bad hand, after bad hand had put Remy into a foul mood. He didn't even desire any female companionship for the evening, despite multiple offers from various beauties.

After losing the last of his money, a half-drunken Remy had decided to call it a night. It was nearing midnight, and Belle had been flooding his cell phone with calls all night. Remy hit the ignore button so often that his voicemail box was filled to capacity. As Remy walked out of Foxes, he took note on how the weather was still so perfect. Since he lived only a few blocks away, Remy decided to walk home and take advantage of the beautiful night.

As he walked through the streets of New Orleans, Remy's thoughts drifted to the double shot of lectures delivered by his father and brother. Perhaps they were right. Remy was going to be twenty-four in less than six months. By the time his father was this age, he was already marriage with two sons. Although Henri was not yet married, at least he was engaged to his girlfriend of ten years, Mercy. What did Remy have to show for his life? A jealous, psychopath of a girlfriend, a reputation of being a womanizing gambler, and his devilish good looks. Remy smirked to himself. Hey at least he was hot, right? After reveling in his self-serving compliment, Remy looked up at his surroundings, only to realize that he must have made a wrong turn somewhere on the way home from Foxes.

Having grown up around the most successful real estate mogul in New Orleans, Remy was quite familiar with just about every neighborhood this city had to offer, both good and bad. The particular one he was in at this very moment was in the middle. The streets were lined with trees, and he estimated that most of the residents of the neighborhood were of middle class. He wasn't too far from his own condominium, only about eight or nine blocks. But, instead of turning around to head for home, Remy decided to further explore this quaint little section of the city.

Remy imagined that the streets were filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. He pictured families in the now empty playground that he walked past. A smile came to his face, but he wasn't quite sure why.

"Remy," he whispered to himself, "you better get your drunk ass home now." As he turned on his heel to walk home, he noticed a small little diner out of the corner of his eye. The flashing neon sign indicated that it was still open. "Hmm," Remy contemplated to himself, "on second thought, perhaps some coffee first."


Phew, okay here's some more! Thanks for the support guys… really appreciate it! Hmm… I wonder what the name of that little diner is?

As always, please review. :D