Remy was going crazy with withdrawal. Marie hadn't come to him in what seemed like ages. Not since he'd comforted her in that empty classroom.

Marie was ending it.

He was sure of it and the more he saw Marie and Bobby together, the more he confirmed it to himself. Bobby was much more attentive to her, at least by Bobby's standards, and Marie was eating it all up right from the palm of his hand. It made Remy's heart ache with unrequited love. When had he gotten so pathetic?

It was only yesterday when Shiro had finally asked him when he'd willingly slipped 'the leash and collar' around his neck. If Remy would have just gone out with them that night, instead of forlornly waiting for Marie, they never would have started the conversation.

Both Sam and Shiro knew he was seeing someone, they just didn't know who. He had been ditching them in favour of Marie for weeks now. Shiro demanded to know who he was 'banging' and Sam being the gentleman, only said to him curiously, "Just wondering when the player got himself played."

It implied that Sam knew Remy was with someone he shouldn't be. Remy had answered that he 'didn't quite know' and left it at that. Neither of his teammates pushed the matter further, mostly because Sam elbowed Shiro in the ribs to drop it when he noticed Remy wasn't dealing so well with it right now.

If it was over, Remy needed to see her just one last time, if only to make sure.


While the rest of the staff and teams taught and trained, Marie spent her days running the library. Being a librarian was not her life's ambition but someone had to do it and she was the best candidate. She was no longer a student and currently not a mutant. She spent most of her days alone amongst the books. Students only came in during allotted study times, so her days were pretty boring and she did a lot of reading.

Bobby had yet to make good on his promises, although he did give her more quick kisses when he was briefly with her. She guessed that was Bobby's way of fixing things. She couldn't complain it was safer and better than nothing.

Not better than Remy…

Marie cut that thought off short. She hadn't gone to see Remy in over a week. It was the longest she had been without him yet. As much as she didn't want to, she had decided to quit their little liaison after that Friday when the repowered mutant rate had skyrocketed to eighty-four percent.

She now realized she was a danger to even Remy, the adrenaline junkie. She knew Remy wouldn't care about the percent rate and would continue taking risks with her. He was reckless like that. With Bobby, he was safer and would be careful not to endanger himself around her. It would be better this way.

She had carried things on for too long with Remy. After that Friday when he held her as she cried, she knew they had to end. Not because he'd sought her out, but because afterwards she had wanted him. And not as Bobby.

It was good that she had decided to end things when she did. She had gotten her first headache last night. This morning she had gone straight away to see Dr. McCoy. He ran the standard tests and it was confirmed. Her mutation was returning. Since it was only her first headache and she'd not experienced any other symptoms, Hank estimated that she had maybe two to two and a half weeks left before her powers returned.

She didn't tell Bobby.

In fact, she didn't tell anyone. And she wouldn't.

She would continue on as normal. Which was why she was still here in the library doing her job instead of signing up on the team roster.

She was putting books away on a back shelf when someone cleared their throat behind her. Startled, she dropped her pile of books. No one was ever in here at this time of day. She turned to see Remy standing behind her. Her heart beat faster. If anyone had ever looked out of place in a library it was Remy. She had no idea what he was doing here.

"Did you need something, Remy?" she asked, trying to sound normal. It was surreal to see him outside of his bed and with clothes on. Since she had started visiting him at night, she was careful to avoid him in the day. And now that she'd decided to end it, the situation was even more bizarre to her, especially when he looked so good right now.

"I was jus' killin' time before training, so I thought maybe I'd come check out the library, non?" he answered while trailing his fingers absently along a row of books.

Marie found that it was wonderfully seductive watching his hands move like that in the daylight.

She shouldn't.

She licked her lips.

He cocked his head mischievously to the side.

She did still have two weeks…

Their bodies were together in a heartbeat.

The thrill of being with Remy in broad daylight out of the safety of his room was an adrenaline rush she couldn't get enough of. They could get caught! She'd never felt so alive.

The great thing about Remy was that she never had to make excuses for her behaviour. She never had to be embarrassed about any lustful fantasy. That was what Remy was here for— to indulge her every whim. Impropriety wasn't even a word in his vocabulary. She couldn't resist tempting fate for just a few more weeks.

He hiked her skirt up, hungrily running his hands up her thighs while she desperately loosened his belt buckle. It would have to be fully clothed and quick, lest someone came in. Remy quickly pulled a condom from his wallet and slipped it on. Marie couldn't believe they were actually going to do this here. She couldn't wait.

It was absolutely wild as he pushed her up against the bookshelf, not being able to get into her fast enough. With her arms and legs wrapped tightly around him as he moved, books knocked from the shelf violently. Marie grinned from ear to ear for him, but with Remy's face buried in her neck to stifle his moans, he never saw. Marie bit his shoulder to keep from screaming out his name in delight. She had never done anything so… so naughty in her life. Bobby never would have gone for it.

There was no pretending this was Bobby.

She didn't even try.

This was all Remy and that's what was turning her on.

It was Remy gasping in excited French that brought her to ecstasy, and it was Remy she felt shudder inside her when he reached his peak. It was Remy's breath panting against her neck as he loosened his grip on her and she gingerly unwrapped her legs from his waist and touched the floor, still seeing stars.

It was all Remy.

"Mon Dieu," he breathed, not fully comprehending the significance of this moment.

"You're fifteen minutes late for training," she whispered in his ear.

Remy cringed.

Logan was going to kill him.

Marie was already fixing him back up, smoothing out his shirt and straightening up his hair as best she could, while Remy did up his pants.


He was twenty minutes late by the time he reached the Danger Room.

Logan was already none too pleased, waiting for him outside the door. "You're getting sloppy, Cajun," Wolverine said in a low voice. "Better change clothes fast and before Bobby recognizes her perfume on you."

Fuck. Remy ran his hand through his hair. Logan knew.

"Whatever it is you're doing with her, you need to stop," Wolverine said dangerously.

"Don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," Remy replied.

"Don't play stupid, kid. I've heard her footsteps stop at your door on many nights. I saw her grab your hand in the kitchen, and I saw you go after her. What happens when her mutation comes back?"

"I don't know," Remy said truthfully. He was not sure when Marie would end it.

Logan's jaw twitched before he let out a deep breath. "Look Remy, I like you. You're not a bad guy really, but if she gets hurt, mark my words; you won't like me."

Remy frowned. "Why didn't you say that to her boyfriend months ago?" Remy shot back. "She came to me, Logan."

"Only because you started it."

Remy froze. He couldn't argue that. Or give an answer. He knew he had no right to Marie and he knew he shouldn't have started this to begin with. He had thought for sure he and Marie were done. Now he wasn't so sure.

So, the question was who was going to finish it?