disclaimer: As everyone knows, I do not in any way own the X-Men. I expect to receive no benefit from the use of these characters beyond the pleasure I receive from writing the story and sharing it with others.

What Might Have Been
by Dizi

Chapter 6

"Alright, girls!" Logan ordered, waiting for his daughters to stop playing around and get out of the Hummer. A regular vehicle just wasn't good enough to transport his pride and joy in. This wasn't the commercially available version either, but the real thing. "Line up!"

His eldest at thirteen, Joy rolled her eyes and, with her arms crossed, defiantly leaned against the large army green monstrosity, as she thought of it. "As if. I'm not a soldier in your army."

Clamping his lips shut, Logan didn't respond, telling himself she was going through a 'phase'.

Ten year old Lillian, otherwise known as Peanut, jumped up and down waving her arms. "I'll be your soldier, Daddy!"

"Me too, Daddy, me too!" shouted Chrissie, short for Christiana, who was eight.

All four of his daughters had their mother's fine silky black hair and almond slanted blue eyes, but his youngest--his baby although five-years-old--knew best how to use them. Giving him her most sweetest, most innocent expression, Elizabeth, or Lizzy, asked, "Do we get to kill the enemy, Daddy?"

"Nah, darlin'. Ya ain't really soldiers. Yer sister's just funnin' with ya." Logan sighed when all three faces became disappointed. Maybe it had been a mistake to start training them so early. Who knew they'd get bloodthirsty? "Listen up. Don't know how long we're stayin', but while we're here yer ta be on good behavior. No beatin' up the other kids. If they start somethin', ya can finish it, only then. Either way, make sure I don't hear about it or anything else ya might do wrong. Got me?"

There was a chorus of "Yes, Daddy!" from three sources and "Whatever" from a fourth. Logan had no confidence they wouldn't get into mischief. It wasn't in their nature. He just didn't want to know about it. Mainly that was because he didn't want to have to punish them. Though there was always a good reason not to.

Last time they were here, the girls had cut a swath through the school's rank. And it wasn't with broken hearts. Later, he'd found out some of the kids had called him 'feral', which he was. The girls had taken it as an insult and defended his honor. How could he punish them for that?

A couple boys had tried to get fresh with Joy. She'd taken care of it. He couldn't punish her for doing what he would have himself, could he?

Peanut and Chrissie had witnessed the school bullies--there had been a group of six--picking on some of the other kids. They had learned a lesson in humiliation, the bullies that is. Logan had been proud of them. No punishment then either. The kids had healed eventually.

And Lizzy? His little angel? Well, it wasn't much, but she'd broken the nose of a little boy who had taken someone else's toy. He'd never found out what that toy had been. A little extreme, but again how could he punish her for it? She'd been 'helping' someone else.

His girls could take care of themselves, and he was proud of that. Logan only wished they'd learn the next lesson, which was moderation. They didn't seem to like that one. Of course, he might be getting a little ahead of himself there. He didn't want Joy to let up any time soon. She looked to be getting a bit too interested in not stopping the boys from getting fresh, and where Joy led his Peanut usually wasn't far behind. It would be a lot of work to scare all those boys off himself. Better to let the girls do it.

Scott seemed to think the girls were sweet. They were pretty and that was different. The man kept practically begging for Joy to be sent to the school. She was young, had Logan's healing-factor and stubby little claws which were still growing, and was better trained in hand-to-hand than most S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Yep, Slim wanted her there bad. If she got suspended from school again, he might get his wish.

Being as everyone of his girls had taken a dislike to Scott--including Joy--Logan had threatened to send her there if she didn't straighten up. Hence, she really was mad at him instead of being just her teenager self. Either that or she was playing games with his mind because she hadn't objected too hard. He suspected it was because of Jean. Red mothered them when she got the chance and since Jubilee had died, Joy missed having a mother.

It was possible Joy wanted to come so she could be close to Jean. If that was really it, he'd let her. It would kill something inside to let her go, but he'd do it. Then Scott would get his other wish because Logan would be a regular visitor to the school. Whether Joy wanted him to visit or not. She would always be his little girl. They all would.

"Now, what's the rule?" Logan demanded before they moved to enter the building.

"You don't want to hear about it!" they said as one, each with a sweet smile on their face.

In Joy's case, it scared him. He had seen that particular smile the last time she had gotten suspended from school. Oh well, if they complied with his orders it meant they were learning strategy. God help him.

Turning, Logan strode purposely toward the steps.

Not moving, Lizzy called indignantly, "Daddy!"

"Yeah?" He held back another sigh, knowing what was coming.

"You're supposed to hold my hand." She held her small hand out, waiting for him to come and take it.

And he did just that. His heart melted as always when she rubbed her cheek on the back of his hand and whispered, "I love you, Daddy."

A smile on his worn face, Logan looked at them all, especially Joy who he was afraid he would soon lose. "I love ya, too."

"Is this someone's bedroom?" Elise looked around the dusty attic room with cloth covered furniture except for a large antique bed.

"Not anymore, chere. Dis be 'Ro's room before she leave. She be de sister of Remy's heart, his little sister." Pulling the sheet off the old-fashioned vanity, Remy began digging through drawers for what he needed. Ororo had left many personal items thinking she'd at least come back to visit, but she'd never gotten around to it and at this point it was likely she never would. Some of those items were accessories for ladies hair, she'd always had quite a collection and brought not even half with her.

"Will she get mad at you for taking her stuff?" The girl's eyes almost glazed over at the wide variety of barrets, ribbons, scrunchies, and clips. She loved playing with grown-up hair things. "Rey gets really angry when I play with his stuff."

"'Roro like to share." A mischievous half-smile graced his lips. "'Sides, she not here to complain, non?"

"Why did she leave?" Sadness visibly flitted through her briefly. "Was she like my momma and couldn't do things anymore?"

Wondering how much she knew, deciding it was best not to ask yet, Remy shook his head. "She wanted to go home, she t'ink she needed dere more den here."

"Wasn't this her home?" She picked up a ribbon, liking the shiny sheen to one side.

"Dat one not match your dress. How 'bout dis one?" Holding up a similar ribbon of a different color, he quirked one brow.

"Ooohhh! I like that one too!" Elise snatched it from his hand, running her little fingers over it and holding it to her dress so she could see that it did match, which she hadn't thought to check before.

"Now we need a brush." Opening a different drawer he picked through an assortment of combs and brushes. "What you ask?"

Dragging her eyes from the new treasure trove, Elise had to think about it. "Wasn't this your sister's home?"

"Oui, but she from Africa an' dey got mutant's dere too but not any dat know about trainin' dem, so she go dere to help." And had been busy ever since, Remy thought to himself. Brush in hand, he gestured to a chair. "Remy reach your head better you stand on dis."

"Nuh-uh, you're supposed to sit down and then I stand in front of you, that's how Momma and Mrs. Gataki do it," Elise informed him authoratively. As he obligingly followed her instructions, she warned, "And you can't pull, that hurts."

After doing little more than look in on Rogue/Anne, Logan refused Scott's offer to go back to his office so they could talk. Instead he insisted on going outside so he could smoke a cigar.

"Yer sure the kids don't come ta this area?" Logan demanded for the third time.

"This is one of the parts set aside for adults only. Students have access to the main area and some of the woods," Scott explained, leaning back against a bench in one of the mansion's many gardens. Since Ororo had left, a gardener had been hired. He knew it was sentiment because the man hadn't changed a single plant, but the place didn't have the same feel it once did. "What does it matter?"

"My Peanut's taken ta gettin' on me 'bout smokin'. Throws a fit if she sees me with a cigar," he grumbled back, unamused by Scott's snort of laughter. The things couldn't kill him and it wasn't like he blew smoke in the girls' faces, he didn't even smoke in the house, but his daughter was adamant in her efforts to stop him. He was just as adamant in NOT quitting. "Now, tell me ya beat the crap outta the sonuvabitch."

"I wish." Scott's voice was almost as much of a growl as Logan's could be. "Getting her out of there and taking care of the kids was priority."

With a grunt, Logan nodded understanding. He would have preferred to have done all of the above, but he understood. "The boy manifested?"

"Rey, yes. Zelig started his testing, he's in good hands there. Wanted to do it myself, but... duties of an administrator."

"Not sure what ya want me ta do with the girl--uh, Elise? I take her back with me an' Rogue wakes up, she'll have a fit that her little un's gone. Other way's a problem too. Mama wakes up an' the kid ain't here fer it, she'll probably make herself heard loud an' clear." Shaking his head, Logan asked, "Ain't there a class fer younger mutants ya can put her with?"

"Not anymore." The other man sighed mournfully, though inside he was happy to have an excuse to bring the Wolverine back to the school. "Moved them to Snow Valley with Cable and Domino three months ago. They needed a break from training teens and young adults after seeing so many get hurt or die. She doesn't want kids of her own but they do well with them, they're more patient than I am. Back to basics, you know? So they're even further away than you."

"Well, the girls' teachers were grateful I kept 'em outta class fer the day, but cain't have 'em miss too much. We can stay the weekend, I guess. IF there's no trouble." Logan didn't hold out any hope for that, figuring the girls could keep him ignorant only until evening at most. "Nothin' else, we can take her overnight, come back while the girls're in school, an' such like that. Maybe go see Jenny."

"What?!" Scott stared at him, flabberghasted. "Take her to Jenny? Elise is about the age Liese was when she died. I can't believe you'd be so cruel."

"Ain't gonna leave the kid there, just take her fer a visit. Lizzy's that age an' Jenny's fine longs she's not in charge of her. Gotta pay attention fer when the memories get too bad." Logan met Scott's dazed eyes. "Ya fergot who yer talkin' 'bout. Jenny's strong an' loves kids."

"She was kinda delicate for so long, maybe I did forget," he admitted, thinking his own family should take a short twenty minute drive in the near future. "Back to Elise-"

'SCOTT!' Jean shouted via their telepathic link, interrupting him.

'Yes, dear?' Scott sent back. 'I'm talking to Logan. What's wrong?'

'Elise is GONE!' She expanded her broadcast to include Logan. 'Zelig said he left her in the library, so I went to check on her and introduce Logan's girls... she's not here!'

"Oh shit!" he moaned out loud before reassuring her, 'I'll take care of it!'

"How long did ya leave her there?" Logan demanded.

"Um, at least an hour..." Scott mumbled, getting up from the bench.

"Ya left a six-year-old girl all alone fer an hour?" His voice was incredulous. "Would ya leave yer boys alone fer that long? An' in a library?"

Flinching, an image of the library engulfed in flames while his sons watched it burn flashed into Scott's mind. Not that it would happen. His sons couldn't stay put for more than five minutes. "I was busy! I forgot! You try running a place this size!"

Eyeing the half-smoked cigar clenched in his fingers mournfully, Logan let out a heartfelt sigh. Carefully, he stamped it out and stashed it under the bench to be resumed later. "Alright already, but I still think ya shoulda known better. Find me somethin' o' hers an' I'll track her down. This ain't a good way ta begin."

Though unseen behind his glasses, Scott rolled his eyes. "Figured that out already. C'mon, I'll see if I can find the bag she brought. Maybe she left it lying around."

They followed the stone path back to the building, Logan much less tense than his former leader. His daughters tended to get curious and wander off. If he got too worked up each time, he'd have gone insane long ago. He couldn't help feeling the same way about Elise doing it.

Almost at the side entrance, Logan remembered something. "We oughta include the Cajun in this particular hunt."

"Remy? He comes here less than you do. In fact, he hasn't been to the mansion since..." Stopping in his tracks, Scott realized what he'd been about to say.

"It's alright, ya can say it." Logan's voice was soft, filled with a remembered pain that would never go away. "Not since Jubes' funeral. Don't know 'bout that, he visits Jenny couple times a year, sometimes more, an' we see him then. Gumbo stayed with her maybe four months year after Kurt an' Liese died. Maybe he don't come ta the school, but he comes 'round. And I know he's here now, smelled him on the porch when me an' the girls arrived."

The two men continued up the path, Scott's nimble mind turning over the new information. Reaching the side entrance, he opened the door and held it for his old teammate. "You know, I'm not really sure where Elise's bag might be, but the front entrance isn't far from the library. Do you think...?"

"Do ya think the sun's gonna come up in the east tomorrow? I think ya oughtta ferget the kid's bag, it'll be easier ta track down Gumbo."

Despite Elise being eager to have Remy make her hair pretty, she was a normal six-year-old. His experience mainly consisting of somewhat older females and taking their hair down instead of putting it up, he was having a little difficulty compensating for a child that couldn't hold still for three whole minutes. Over and over again he'd be almost done and Elise would move, causing him to lose his grip on her fine hair. What he'd thought would be only a few minutes was quickly turning into half an hour.

Though Remy had to fight not to sigh each time he started over, he was enjoying himself. Once Elise had decided he was her new special friend, she began to chatter without end. He learned all about her teacher, schoolmates, and favorite subjects. Then the girl moved on to talking about her neighbors, her toys, the park she played at, the church she went to, everything about Mrs. Gataki from next door, and anything else that popped into her mind and out her mouth. The only thing she didn't talk about was what he really wanted to hear: her family. Remy couldn't bring himself to ask.

Whether it was due to his repeated reminders to be still or Elise simply became too busy talking to move around much, Remy finally finished putting her hair into a sleek French braid and tied the end with the ribbon.

"Dere now, all done." Desperately wanting a cigarette after all the work, Remy's heart lifted a bit as he watched the little girl run to the mirror and preen. Elise turned her head back and forth, touching here and there, fascinated by the results. She then tilted her head and smiled, her eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that was pure Rogue. It was a punch to the gut. He had to take several deep breaths before he could speak again. "You like it den?"

"I look just like a princess," Elise breathed, still staring at her image. Suddenly, she ran to Remy and threw her arms around him. "Thank you! You did it better than my momma!" Realizing what she had said, she pulled back, looking at him very seriously. "But we can't tell her that, it might hurt her feelings."

Seeing the pain mentioning her mother created, Remy was glad he hadn't brought up the subject of her family. "It be our secret."

Finding Remy's scent wasn't a problem. It wasn't the sort of thing Logan could forget. Passing by the Security Room, the place reeked of the Cajun thief. They exchanged glances at the three monitors still set to view the med-lab, library, and Danger Room. The trail led to where Logan had originally smelled him at the front entrance and on to the main staircase.

There the men paused at the sound of little feet pounding on the hardwood floor as Lizzy ran toward them, fast as her little legs could go. As soon as she saw them, she shouted, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy! Wait for me, Daddy! Wait for me!"

Letting out a heavy breath, Logan hoped with all his heart that someday soon his pretty little girls would understand what the words 'enhanced hearing' meant and stop shouting to get his attention. Bracing himself, he was prepared when his youngest barreled into him at full speed only to cling to his legs, bouncing up and down in excitement. "Thought ya was with yer Aunt Jeannie."

"She said you were looking for a girl my age and we can play together." Lizzy aimed her big blue eyes his way and used them to her best advantage. "Can I go with you to find her, Daddy? Pleeeeeeeeaaassse!"

In answer he removed his beaten-up old cowboy hat, swung her up onto his shoulders, and plopped the hat on her head. As she tucked her sneakers into his armpits and gripped his long sideburns, Logan found himself asking, "What are yer sisters doin'?"

Giggling, Lizzy contorted herself so she could look at his face. "I can't tell you, Daddy! You said you didn't want to know."

"Good girl."

And they continued up the stairs, Scott hiding a grin with his hand.

In the main part of the attic, just over from Ororo's old bedroom, sitting at a table with a towel on it to cover the deep scratch which had consigned it to the attic in the first place, and holding an empty cup he pretended to drink out of, Remy wasn't exactly sure how he had ended up playing Tea Party. Much less how he had come to do it while wearing a ladies straw hat decorated with flowers and a pink ribbon. Remy certainly didn't remember agreeing, it had just turned out that way.

Trying not to frown, to attempt to get some kind of understanding, he asked, "Why Remy wearing de hat again? You not wearing a hat."

"Because there were only two hats. One for Marianne," Elise gestured to the doll sitting in a broken chair, almost completely covered by an old-fashioned bonnet, "and one for you. I just got my hair done and don't want to mess it up."

"Oh." When Elise said it so cheerfully, it somehow sounded reasonable. But then so had setting up the chairs and table for Tea Party, until it became apparent he would be drinking imaginary tea too. Actually, Remy didn't mind that part. Something in his manhood objected to the hat. Considering he was the man who in the past wore pink body-armor for years, he decided he could live with it. As long as no one he knew--that was an adult--saw him with it on.

"And I'm a princess, remember?" Elise continued, smiling brilliantly. "This is a Royal Tea Party."

"Ah, dat make sense." Being as it was only him and Elise, Remy began to genuinely join the 'party'. "Remy t'ink Mademoiselle Marianne need more tea."

Beginning to almost glow with happiness, she tilted her head to the side and scrunched her nose. "What does that mean?"

"Mademoiselle? It be like 'Miss'." Reaching over, Remy folded back the brim of Marianne's bonnet. "She be Mademoiselle Marianne, you Mademoiselle Elise, and Remy be 'Monsieur'," and he added before she had the chance to enquire, "dat be like 'Mister'. Remy t'ink dis be a Formal Royal Tea Party."

Pleased, she sat up straight in the chair. "Monser Remy, would you like to pour the tea?"

"Why, Mademoiselle Elise," he bowed his head and placed his hand over his heart dramatically, "Remy be honored."

Picking up the 'teapot'--a tarnished gravy boat--Remy proceeded to pour 'tea' into the cups--which actually were teacups, only mismatched--with great flourish.

And that was when the door creaked as it slowly opened to reveal a grinning Logan leaning on the wall outside. It didn't help that Scott was standing beside him with his lips twitching and a wide-eyed Lizzy was staring at them, still wearing her father's cowboy hat.

It was the hat that inspired Remy. Unwilling to show his embarrassment at being caught drinking imaginary tea poured from a gravy boat while wearing a ladies hat trimmed in flowers and a pink ribbon, he stood and gave a perfect bow. "Mademoiselle Elise, we be having guests for our Formal Royal Tea Party. Would Mademoiselle Elizabeth be want'ng to join us?"

Uncertain exactly what she'd been asked, Lizzy blinked at him. However, Elise wasn't willing to let a possible new playmate get away. "What he means is, do you want to play?"

"Oooohhh! Yes, I want to play too!" Eagerly, she ran to the table. "Are you Elise? My name's Lizzy. My Aunt Jean said we could play together because we're the same age and she thinks we could be friends, but I've never played this before."

"It's easy. I'm a princess because my new friend made my hair so pretty. See?" Elise turned her head around to show off her hair with the ribbon at the end.

"It is pretty! My Daddy says he can only do ponytails, but we only had time to brush it today because Joy was going through her phase again." Lizzy said it pitifully, fingering one long black tress.

"Dat be okay, petite. Remy let you wear his hat, it be pretty." Satisfied he'd found a legitimate way to remove the thing from his own head, Remy replaced the cowboy hat with the straw ladies hat.

"This is Marianne," Elise introduced the ragdoll patiently sitting in the chair. "Because this is a Formal Royal Tea Party, we call her Madamgazell Marianne and you can be Madamgazelle Lizzy. Oh! You can be a Duchess..."

Moving slowly so as not to draw attention to himself, Remy backed away until he was outside the doorway. Then he shoved the hat against Logan's chest, muttering, "Better hurry or dey get you to play too. Remy need a cigarette, he exhausted."

"No problem, I only drink coffee," Logan returned in dry amusement.

"Oh, and Remy?" Scott's voice was filled with laughter. "I can't believe you gave up that hat so easily, it really brought out the color of your eyes."

"Remy never realize how much work little girls be." Taking a deep drag on his cigarette, he threw a half salute in the general direction of the opposite bench. "Got new respect for you, homme."

"Huh." Logan gestured back at him with the hand holding his precious cigar. "That was nothin', she didn't do anythin' wrong. Bad 'nuff when they're doing somethin' they KNOW they're not supposed ta, but it's worse when ya gotta explain to 'em they're doin' wrong. Then ya run the chance they're gonna cry."

"Hey, boys have they're own problems," Scott protested, ready to defend his own circumstances even if he would have liked to have had a daughter too. "My two are smart on top of being trouble-makers. Not only do they know more about what goes on around here than I do, they can always come up with a reason why any rule they break is because the rule is in the wrong not them. They make a damn good case too! And Jean always makes me handle it, saying they're MY kids as though they don't look just like her."

"Miss the days when I could do that ta Jubes," Logan commented idly, just to get on Scott's nerves. Which worked as he'd planned.

All three were silent with the two fathers taking pride in their offspring despite their parental issues. While the third couldn't help wishing he'd had the opportunity to experience those problems with the little girl who'd always had a place in his heart. A place which had grown tenfold over the last couple hours.

"Ya know, we cain't hide here too much," Logan warned after a few minutes. "Adults only area or not, if my girls want me they'll find me. Imagine Elise will turn out ta be the same."

"You can bet she will," Zelig responded from the path, only Logan unsurprised by his sudden appearance.

"Have a seat, Z-man," Scott invited, teasing his protege by using the 'codename' Zelig had insisted on as a child before he'd manifested.

"Yes, sir." Gratified to be so easily welcomed by the older men, he did as instructed. "Aunt Jean told me where you were. I thought it would be best to give an updated report while you were all together to avoid repeating it."

The relaxed atmosphere turned tense, the men not needing to be warned the subject of the report was Rogue. Remy straightened his posture, Logan clenched his cigar more firmly, and Scott's expression became serious coupled with a soft but no less serious tone. "Good thinking, son. Let's get it over with."

"Yes, sir," Zelig repeated, very aware of having their full attention. "Hank said Anne had some internal bleeding he quickly took care of with the assistance of the Shi'ar technology. She also has a concussion, cracked ribs, and a bruised kidney. The real problem is the possibility of damage to her left eye. As you know, the alien technology does have some limitations. The main one being its inability to repair some nerve damage, the optic nerve in this case. Hank won't know how bad it is until she wakes up and can do some tests while she's conscious."

As expected, Logan's eyes went hard. Remembering the child he'd seen playing in the attic, a child much like his own daughter, and knowing she'd witnessed her father doing this damage to her mother made it that much worse for him. He sincerely wanted the chance to 'meet' with Donald Willis.

For his part, Scott wished he'd had the time--or taken it--to teach the man a lesson he would never forget. X-Men took care of their own. It would have been 'therapeutic' for everyone.

Similarly, Remy was affected but he'd felt a deadly coldness intensify the longer Zelig spoke. The man, her husband, had possessed everything Remy himself wanted, loved. He had not only thrown it away, but tried to destroy it. His actions were unforgivable by any standard and would not be forgotten.

"She'll be out for two days while Hank does all he can for her. Until then, I'll be watching Rey very carefully. Based on what I've seen and the readings we got, the boy needs regular influxes of energy to maintain his health. Very possibly, he'll store energy like a battery to be used as necessary. It's important to find the limit of what Rey can hold and any types which might be harmful to him before testing for other ways he can use that energy--if there even is another way he can use it. But that's normal training and evaluation, it will take more than a couple days." Zelig barely paused, moving on to the last family member. "From what I understand a permanent solution for Elise can't really be decided on, it's not our place."

Blinking in surprise, Scott realized a permanent placement was exactly what he had been ultimately trying to figure out for the girl. "You're right, but I'm still not sure how we can take care of her while we wait for Rogue to make a decision."

His mouth quirking a bit, Zelig pointed out the obvious, "Sir, it's Friday. In fact, we're almost halfway through the day with only a few classes left. Over the weekend it shouldn't be a problem to switch off taking care of Elise."

Throwing his head back to blindly look at the clear sky, Scott groaned. "I forgot the day of the week again, didn't I?"

"Yes, Uncle Scott, you did." This time Zelig let a full blown smile come through.

Having considered all that had been said, Logan nodded and promised as he hadn't originally, "Me an' the girls'll stay the weekend, which ya might not like if'n they get bored an' start bein' themselves more'n they have been--they're on good behavior right now. But if I can handle four, we can handle one easy. Hell, it'll be a vacation."

Himself, Remy thought it would be a dream come true and a nightmare at the same time. For years, he hadn't let himself think about his feelings for Rogue and her children. Now, he'd be spending time with them, letting them deeper inside, without knowing whether he would have to give them up. Even if over thirteen years Rogue had harbored feelings for him, she might decide it was better for herself and her children to go somewhere else without reminders of their past. Somewhere they could start a new life away from her husband. A life that wouldn't include him either.

"Just one last thing." Zelig's eyes shifted. It was an effort to keep his tone normal rather than enthusiastic. "I thought I'd pick up some flowers for Anne. Hank wouldn't want them in the med-lab, I know, but she'll see them when he releases her."

"Flowers?" Logan's eyebrows shot up. "Wouldn'ta come up with the idea myself. I'll contribute ta the cause."

"Mom liked it when I sent her some." A flush threatening, the younger man held it back with sheer willpower.

"And Jean couldn't stop talking about the ones you gave her for her birthday last month," Scott commented dryly, remembering his wife going on and on about how he didn't think of things like that anymore. "Count me in too. Surprised if Remy doesn't already have plans along those lines."

"Remy not thought dat far, other t'ings on his mind." His response subdued, Remy acknowledged to himself he had been distracted by Elise and would have gotten around to it sooner or later. A memory flashed through him from long ago of learning his love's preferences by trial and error, along with the way her green eyes had lit up with appreciation for his efforts. Reaching into one of his pockets, Remy pulled out a money clip and peeled off several bills. "Roguey like mixed bouquets wit' lots of tigerlillies, color don't matter."

Accepting the money and the advice, Zelig stood to complete his new objective.

"Well, I suppose we should get inside before your daughters start hunting you down." Scott gave a half-smile, clapping Logan on the shoulder.

"Ya wouldn't think it's so funny if'n it was you." But Logan was already on his feet and preparing to go back inside. "Ya comin', Gumbo?"

"Non, Remy stay here little while." Lighting another cigarette, he made it clear he needed some time.

No one objected, the last he was aware of them was Zelig's whistling of 'You Are My Sunshine' fading in the distance..

Remy's thoughts and feelings were in turmoil, tinged with that cold rage. He wanted it fully under control before he followed. Other thoughts and emotions needed to be considered and controlled as well. Having gambled with his life time and again, Remy had only truly gambled his heart on one woman. After protecting his heart for so many years, he was risking heart and soul for the possibility of a second chance. He hoped he would survive it.

to be continued.

note: Hi, all! Did you think I'd forgotten this one? Not a chance! Actually I've had it mostly written for a long time, I just did a rewrite of the ending. I decided to add more of Zelig to the story, I really like him if you couldn't tell. Though I think of this chapter more for Remy and Logan (his 'girls' crack me up!).

To be honest, I haven't even started the next chapter. Well, not really. I have some ideas for it. Rogue started to speak to me while I was riding the bus one day, but then she got quiet by the time I got hold of pen and paper. Then another story popped it's head up... So, again, this one MIGHT be a little while. But it will get done! It would bother me like crazy to not know how it ends.

Just as a reminder, if you don't log in or don't leave an email address, I can't reply to your review. I really and truly do appreciate each and every one I get, and I respond appropriately. Sometimes not so promptly but I do respond to every review.

Thanks for reading and the support!
Dizi