Disclaimer: I don not own the X-men.

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A/N: Semi-sequel to Pour L'enfant (For the child). I will update once a week. Rated for violence.

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Abandonnerl'enfant (Forsake the Child)

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How much can one moment, one life, affect the future?

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Chapter Thirteen

Xavier's School

Remy was packed and ready to head out before anyone else was awake. He wanted to avoid another argument with his wife over this, and he was unwilling to bend on her coming with him.

He slipped from the mansion, as the sun began to creep over the horizon, and a battered and loud car pulled up to the gates. Remy hid behind the front pillar, to see who it was and to avoid giving away the hide out. Kurt emerged from the car first to install his security code, then they drove up to the house.

Remy watched Kurt and Logan get out and was about to call to them when Victor emerged from the backseat. Deciding then it may be best to wait for their interactions, Remy slipped further into the shadows.

"I don' think anybody's here." Victor stated.

"They're here. Anna said they were, the place is camouflaged." Logan replied, irritation clear in his voice.

"Were they not expecting us?" Kurt added.

"They were and they weren't. Don't think I said when or if I was actually comin. Don't worry, it'll be fine." Logan answered.

"Stop right there!" Remy replied, he was satisfied these were not normal Dogs, but still didn't trust them completely. "State your business."

"My business is that you got my kids in there and I want them back." Victor growled.

"Victor, please, that will not help." Kurt replied. " Ask your questions, please, before we freeze or are spotted." He added to Remy.

"What did you say to me, the night before my wedding, Kurt?" Remy asked.

"I am by nature not a violent man, however, if you drag my sister into any troubles I will make an exception." Kurt replied without pause.

"How did you know where to find us Logan?"

"Anna told me where y'all were headin. She found me by the side of the road and gave me a phone to call with." Logan replied.

"Can you vouch for him?" Remy asked pointing at Victor.

"Nope. But I know it's really him, not a fake." Logan answered.

"Fair enough." Remy replied. " Let me wake Anna, then you can come in."

Remy brought his wife out a few minutes later and she led the others inside. Remy heard the chaos of several children heading toward the kitchen and adults talking. He decided it would be best to leave now, before his wife could notice.

Wanda and her girls came down a moment later. She froze in the doorway, when she saw her husband. Even with what Bobby had told her the day before, she wasn't sure she would ever see her husband again. Luna rushed straight to him however. Kurt picked the child up in a grateful hug, before turning to his wife and baby.

"It's really me Wanda, I promise." Kurt said, as he hugged her.

Everyone quietly left the room to give the family a moment as he set Luna on the counter. " I love you, Luna, and I missed you terribly. You need to promise me something very important though. I need you to promise that you never again break away from your mother to run to me."

"Why?" Luna asked, sounding hurt and confused.

"Because…because there's a very bad man out there who looks just like me. I never want you to be hurt." Kurt replied.

The child nodded, but Kurt wasn't certain if she actually understood the danger. He hoped that whatever Remy and the Guild was planning would work. Wanda stepped forward next to them and continued to explain while Kurt held his younger daughter. For him, it felt like an eternity since he had last seen his children and wife.

Victor, meanwhile, had tracked down his children, who were all together in the TV room. Gregory was wary at first, but was now convinced that this was really their caregiver. The youngest two were actually having the hardest time with his return, after having seen his copies massacre the others. Neither girl would come near him, instead hiding behind Gregory and Clarissa.

Victor sat carefully across from them, trying not to move quickly; both girls were acting much like when he found them, he didn't want to scare them further than they were now.

"I know it's hard, seeing my face after what happened. It must be very frightening and confusing, I can promise you that it's really me and that I wouldn't ever hurt ya, any of you." Victor said quietly. Logan was surprised by the gentleness in the other man's tone, he had never heard it before.

"What about the monsters?" Beth asked, from behind Clarissa.

"The ones that attacked us are gone, can't promise all of em are gone, but those ones are." Victor replied.

"You killed them all?" Hannah asked, peeking around Gregory.

"…I did." Victor said. With that both girls came to him, he pulled them both in his arms, grateful that re-earning their trust had been a shorter process than earning it the first time.

"Has anyone seen Remy?" Rogue asked, walking into the room with Emily in her arms.

"He left, bout an hour ago." Logan replied.

"…Sumbitch!" Rogue yelled, making Emily jump and cry. Gently comforting the baby, Rogue continued in a frighteningly calm voice. "We talked about this. He's goin after Jean, and he went alone. I swear Logan , if anything happens to that man, I'm killing him."

"Why'd he leave you behind if he was going after Jean-luc?" Logan asked.

"Cause the dumb a- butt thinks he's protectin me." Rogue said as Laura led Kevin and Megan into the room to find out why their Mama was yelling.

Logan was momentarily distracted at the sight of Laura, he recognized her right away, despite how much she had grown, but he doubted the girl remembered him. They had only known each other for a few days, when she was very young. This was confirmed when she spoke.

"What's wrong, Mom, where did father go?" Laura asked.

"He went on a mission, just forgot to tell me is all." Rogue answered. "Laura hunny, will you take you brother and sisters to watch tv for me? I want to talk to Logan for a bit."

"…Okay." Laura replied, taking Emily and leading the others back out of the room.

"We're her parents, Logan." Rogue said as soon as Laura was far enough away. "I know that ain't fair to you Logan. You didn't choose to leave her behind. But it wouldn't have been fair to her to leave her in limbo waiting on you either. Same goes for Megan. Even if we somehow got a way to bring her mother back to herself, Megan is our daughter, she has been her entire life."

"I ain't gonna try ta take her back Darlin', you can relax bout that. I do want a chance to know her though." Logan replied.

"I wouldn't deny that to you or her…just…don't upset her. She has enough problems, seen far more than a kid ever should. She remembers the attack at the mansion, y'know. She remembers the smaller attacks after that too." Rogue said. "She has nightmares bout it, just like the rest of us. Lucky in a way that Megan don't, with everything the last few years."

"How long has Megan been yours?" Logan asked, he wanted to ask who she came from, but wasn't sure how to without upsetting Rogue.

"Emma asked me to watch her when she was about six months old. Emma, Ororo, and Bobby wanted to go look into a lead. It wasn't supposed to be dangerous. They never came back. We was Ororo again three weeks later, when she attacked New Orleans as Famine. We knew then, Emma was either captured or dead…or a Horseman. Either way she wasn't coming back for Megan. The first time we saw the Master was a week later." Rogue stated. "She became ours then, we adopted both girls shortly there after."

"And Emma?" Logan asked.

"Emma's a Horseman, you know that." Rogue replied. "Or you should if you ever watch the news."

"…I don't not normally. Sorry ta hear that." Logan replied.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, before Rogue put a hand on Logan's shoulder as she walked from the room. "There's nothing to be done about it, but take our world back…even if we have to lose former friends in the process."

Logan understood. He agreed, in fact. He just wished there was another way; because the way these kids were now, Rogue, Bobby, hell even Remy, they were a lot colder than he remembered. He never wanted to see the face of war on any of them. If only things had been different.

Outside Pestilence Stronghold

Remy sat watching for any sign of the child, he knew he would have to survey the location completely before he went in, but the moment he saw the Horseman step outside into the garden with a small boy, all he wanted to do was rush the place. Once more he was grateful that he had decided to leave his wife behind, even if it did end in a fight when he came home, which he was sure it would.

Anna though, she was even more impulsive than he was, she would have already stormed the garden. That would be a fatal mistake, for her, and most likely for Jean-Luc, which was the only thing keeping him in place at the moment. Remy didn't need to get any closer to know for certain, the boy was his son.

He watched closely as the Horseman and child walked in the garden, it was all he could do to sit still, when he saw his son reach for the woman and her pick him up. Remy had been denied these interactions with his child for most of the boy's life, and this charlatan had the nerve to hold him! She couldn't possibly actually care for the child, Horsemen had no emotion. The X-men had learned this the hard way.

He didn't want to think about that right now, they had come far too close to losing Megan that day, and it was the day he declared that no child in his care would ever again be used as any form of bait or experiment. One of the scariest and one of the happiest days of his life, the day Megan became his daughter.

Shaking himself, and returning his attention to the garden, Remy scanned the area for a weak point. None easily presented itself, but he was confident that he would find one. The child's laugh carried to Remy's hiding place as he slipped from her arms and ran toward the house, She followed behind, laughing as well. A moment later, Remy silently crept closer to the fence for a better look.

He carefully walked the perimeter of the fence, noting the guards and cameras, before heading back the way he came. He what he needed to begin planning his next move. He needed to call the mansion, and the Family, because he also feared they intended to move the child soon.

Xavier's

Wanda approached Logan after the room had cleared of the other guests. She needed to know if he could help find Mercy, or knew someone who could. She still felt responsible for the other woman's capture, the Guilds had trusted her to protect their people, and she had failed them.

"Logan. I heard you talking about taking out the Master, and Death." Wanda began, after she sat across from him.

"Yeah. We did. Kurt was there for the Master and the Dogs, I didn't have nothing to do with the Dogs though." Logan replied.

"They don't interest me right now. "Wanda replied, with the wave of a hand. "What I wanted to know, was didi you find any clue to the hostages or slave pins?"

"I wasn't lookin for em Darlin'. Why?" Logan answered.

"They took Mercy. They took the Guilds' children and wives. They took the Genoshians too. All just a few days ago." Wanda replied. "I have every intention of taking them back."

"I'll talk to Victor, see if he knows anything. Doubt he'd talk to you, hell I doubt he'd talk to me, cept he's still wanting revenge." Logan said.

"Okay. The Guilds are still looking as well." Wanda replied. "I can't imagine they will back down from it anytime soon either, too many have been taken from them, far too many times. Collette will not rest until she's dead or they are."

Logan nodded as he left in search of Victor. He hadn't previously considered it, but the Guilds were Remy's people, certainly Remy would be out for blood as well. This mess just kept getting bigger. Logan thought about diverting downstairs. Maybe he could get Charles to talk to them again.

Everyone had told him that Charles hadn't spoken since the Tunnels, and everyone had tried…except Logan. So he would, but after he talked to Victor.

Guild Headquarters, New Orleans

Collette gathered both Guilds once more, she had received the call from Remy a few minutes ago confirming Jean-Luc was located. They had decided, Remy and Collette, that the Guilds would head to the mansion, along with anyone else they could manage to gather, and teams would be divided there.

No one said it, but they all remembered how badly this plan had ended the last time. It really didn't promise to end any better now either, but it was also the best way to ensure the few remaining children were kept safe.

The logistics of everyone arriving was both easier and harder than last time as well. While the Guilds' existence was no longer secret, traveling as a group would alert the villains they were up to something, and no one wanted to tip their hands at this.

It was then decided, after she consulted her members, that they would travel in small groups, leaving at various times. Everyone would arrive within the next three days. She sent word out through the usual channels, that they would need help. Just as last time, she didn't fear this information going to the wrong ears.

Her daughter would be kept safe with the LeBeau children in the sub-levels of the mansion. Remy didn't elaborate why he was confident that this would work, nor did Collette ask. She was well aware that the X-men had plenty of secrets, and those secrets had kept their children safe through the years.

Horsemen's Meeting

War, Famine and Death arrived as Remy was reading himself to leave. He froze watching the other three walk in. He recognized Famine and Death as former friends, but War was new. Last time he had seen War, it had still been a male.

The fact that they were all here together didn't bode well for anyone, especially when the Doctor arrived moments later. Before anything else could happen, Remy silently slipped away.

Inside the meeting the Horsemen had gathered and were all visibly angry, if the Doctor was angry as well, one would not be able to tell by his appearance. Death growled low in his throat as he paced the room. Pestilence tapped her nails on the table as War glared on and Famine muttered to herself.

"Enough. This anger is simply a waste of time." The Doctor finally stated, the four others in the room immediately freezing to give him their attention. "I am aware of why you are agitated, Death's men were a horrible loss of resources, Pestilence is agitated over the loss of the Master. Again a minor setback. This is simply a setback, that is all."

"I lost twenty five men my lord." Death began. "As well as a dozen Mayors, this year alone."

"We've all lost mayors." War replied with the waive of her hand. " It is of little consequence. What really matters is last nights breakout. Three thousand escaped the slave pins, worse it doesn't appear that they received outside help."

"Enough. " The Doctor replied, before anyone could continue. "This has admittedly been a week of setbacks. I want to know how the slaves escaped. I want to know how Death was beaten by a drunkard. But most importantly, I want to know where Wraith is, and why they haven't been captured yet. He or she is the priority. Nothing else."

The others reluctantly agree as he called the meeting to a close. As they all stood, he stated " I trust the boy is adjusting well to your care, Pestilence."

"He is sir." She replied. " I see no reason to change guardians at this time."

"Really?" He replied. "Are you certain the child is well, or are you simply determined to keep him."

She froze, realizing her mistake. You never offered your opinion to the Doctor. It just wasn't done, by anyone. "Feeling maternal, Pestilence? Starting to actually feel for the boy are you?"

"N-no sir, not at all. Emotions, outside of anger of fear of you are forbidden." She replied.

"Why then the sudden interest in the child?" He replied. "Bring him."

Pestilence nodded and quickly left to fetch the boy. She was gone less than a five minutes, dragging behind her a small tired boy, in his pajamas. The Doctor snatched the boy from her side quickly, and held him away from her, gauging her reaction.

He drew a dagger from a pocket and held it to the child's throat, while looking at her. Despite her attempts not to, she shuddered at the sight. Everyone stood frozen for several minutes during the stand off, Doctor knew now what he wanted to know.

"You are extremely fortunate child, that I still have need of you." He finally stated, putting the knife away. "As are you." He continued pointing to the horseman. :Now. Get out of my sight before I change my mind."

He then sat back down, with the boy in his lap, and began the list of prospective 'guardians' for the boy. No doubt he would have to leave the child in her care for now, unless he took it himself, but Pestilence's newfound attachment was disconcerting. It would certainly be a minor setback if after all this time she was returning to her former psyche. Very well, if she persists with these senseless emotions, I will simply be forced to replace her. How bothersome. He signaled the child's nurse to take it and retreated to the office to make his final decisions on the matter.

Remy's room, seedy motel

He'd been pacing the floor for the last hour. That meeting made him nervous, something was up, and he worried their window of opportunity, both to retrieve his son and to defeat the enemy was closing fast.

Remy had wanted to examine the situation far more thoroughly before calling in the others, but he wasn't sure if that was the best plan anymore. Time was not on their side, but he hated going in blind.

Undecided, Remy chose to call his wife. This was not a decision that he should make on his own for them all. He should at least get his wife's input on it. Unfortunately, not only was she still angry that he left without saying good bye, she was as lost as he was on what to do now.

They agreed finally, to put it to a vote with the people at the mansion, as well as Collette. Anna assured him that she would call him back when they came to an agreement, no matter how late it was.

Remy then sat down and pulled out the thick envelopes of information he had managed to obtain on the place. It wasn't nearly as much as he would like to have, but it did include the layout and where cameras were placed. With any luck that would be good enough, though luck hadn't been on their side in a very long time.

A/N: A horrible thing happened today. My computer crashed, and 'ate' the next few chapters of this story. I will be re-writing them, but it may take a few weeks to update again. I'm sorry for the delay. For any of you who may be reading Adalyn as well, I fortunately will still be able to post as usual, as I had managed to upload a few chapters to a back up before the crash.