Disclaimer: I do not own these characters except by right of conquest.

Rating: Rated M for strong language, sex and violence.

Author notes:

Summary for this chapter: Raven turns up; Betsy gives Anna a check-up; Remy wrestles with his conscience; he and Anna get ready to head to Muir Island. Thanks again to my beta extraordinaire jpraner for once again helping to make sure this chapter is the best it can be! :)

Ana Xpert: I hope you enjoyed the champagne - and your husband's services (LOL!). And thank you so much for the well wishes. We've had a rough few weeks here in the UK. But we are doing okay, I think. Solidarity! :) x Spasticatt: Well, I'll take that as a compliment, m'dear! Glad you liked! ^-^ Hardkandy: Sorry you had to wait an entire week for an update! But don't worry - this definitely won't be the last time these two give into their passions. ;) Guest: Thanks for the greetings from Down Under! :D I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and yes, there may well be some curveballs thrown - but don't worry, cos our fave couple have to get together in the end, right? ;) LEGNA: *hugs* Thanks for loving, and don't be too sad for them. They will be happy. I promise. :) ishandahalf: I love how you always get the little things, ish, like them taking their power play into the bedroom, and how they'll both try not to let this change their relationship. But we know better about how that's gonna turn out, don't we. They'll try their darndest though ;) Guest: LOL! You're welcome! So glad you -ahem- enjoyed it! ^-^ PKS: Thanks for taking the time to review, dear. They'll tell themselves this was just a fling, of course, but we know better. ;)

Thanks, hugs and props to my other fantastic reviewers, Warrior-princess1980 and bustedflipflop - love you guys! And thanks also to all my faithful readers! Hope you enjoy this chapter too! :)

-Ludi x

- 52 PICKUP -

Chapter 21

Anna awoke from a deep and untroubled sleep to sunlight and the aroma of fresh coffee.

It was a pointed source of irony to her that her head felt clearer now than it had in weeks. She felt… good. Light. Unburdened.

Huh. I musta really needed to get laid, she thought humorously to herself.

The space beside her was empty but still warm, and the scent of him – them – lingered on the sheets. It made her hungry for more – much more.

She breathed deep and stretched languidly, a complacent little smile on her face. For a good long moment she allowed herself to bask in this unfamiliar feeling of complete satisfaction. For so long she'd been a coiled wire wound up tight, and now she felt unravelled, unwound, smoothed out straight.

She closed her eyes and let out a low, soft, contented purr.

There wasn't a single man she'd met who hadn't surrendered to her in the bedroom, who hadn't ceded dominance to her when she'd played for it. But he had refused to back down, and for the first time since Cody she'd been with a man on equal terms. It was the kind of lovemaking she'd cordoned herself off from for years… but it had felt good. She still wasn't sure exactly where they stood on anything else at the moment, but that seemed unimportant right now, superfluous. As a compromise sex made perfect sense.

Sure, but that boy is the worst mess you're ever gonna wade into, gal, she told herself sternly.

He had, after all, left his grieving wife for entirely selfish reasons, had killed her brother in a moment of violent despair that had landed him in prison. Murder and seduction was just a way of life to him. And worst of all, he worked for Essex. Essex, whom she knew would pay a pretty penny to have him steal her back.

But my God. Just the thought of what he did to her… it made her stupid and reckless enough not to care.

She bit her lip. Her body ached with the tender bruises he'd inflicted upon her, memories of a different kind, ones that would fade with time, just as real memories did. There was an odd dichotomy in the fact that she both admired and resented the effect that he had on her. As a man she liked him. As a partner-in-crime, she barely trusted him. As a lover, she didn't think she would ever get enough of him. And navigating all three strands of that relationship… it was treacherous. A potentially fatal liability even.

Still… it felt nice, pleasant, to wake up to someone else's presence in your home, someone that you felt comfortable with. It was a long time since she had had that pleasure, and she realised now how much she missed it.

Her thoughts were only interrupted by Remy entering the room, dressed only in his boxers, a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. He paused at the door when he saw she was awake.

"Hey," he greeted her with only a hint of something more than 'we're-just-casual-acquaintances'.

"Hey," she replied.

He gave a flicker of a smile and finally walked on over.

"Was gonna come in and wake you," he said as he placed the drink on the nightstand. "It's gettin' late. We've got a flight to catch."

So they were back to being accomplices. It wasn't exactly where she was ready to be right now, but at least she knew where they stood. She shifted up against the pillows and into a sitting position.

"Thanks," she said.

"And I printed out some more research I did on Dr. MacTaggert and her institute," he added matter-of-factly. "Figured we could do with some light reading on the plane."

"Right," she agreed. He nodded towards the coffee on the nightstand.

"You should drink up, chere. B'fore it gets cold."

He turned to walk away, but before he could she put a hand out, slid it round the inside of his thigh.

He stopped short.

"I want more," she told him seductively. "Don't you?"

For an aching moment she wasn't sure what he would do.

And just as he had pivoted back round to face her, the doorbell buzzed.

They shared a look.

"Ignore it," she murmured.

The smile he gave her in reply was wry, almost apologetic.

"That'll be Raven, chere. It's her shift."

"Oh."

She didn't much care. Her hand wandered higher, distracting him momentarily – at least until the buzzer sounded again. He pulled away slightly, frowning.

"She is gonna fuckin' kill me. Was s'pposed to call her when you woke up… But for some reason, it completely slipped my mind."

"Hmmm. Shocking," she mused wryly. He grinned; and the buzzer went again.

"I'd better go answer it b'fore she kicks the door down," he quipped humorously. "She already thinks I have less than noble intentions where you're concerned."

She laughed sexily, stroking him sensuously with her thumb before finally letting her hand fall.

"Well, she would be right. You don't."

"No," he agreed, letting his gaze wander over her shamelessly. "I don't."

He let the words hang there for a moment before heading to the door.

"Ya better get ready, p'tit," he told her flippantly. "We got a coupl'a hours b'fore we need t' be at the airport. There're people expectin' us."

"Sure," she replied, and he left the room, shutting the door behind him to give her some privacy.

Anna sighed and threw back the covers.

No more fun and games, gal. It's back to business.

She slid out of bed and began to get dressed.

-oOo-

Remy headed for the front door, pausing momentarily as he got there.

He glanced back over his shoulder at Anna's room, overtaken by the sudden urge to head right back in there and have his wicked way with her again.

The urge was only dispelled by the buzzer going off again.

"A'right, a'right, I'm comin'."

He undid the lock and threw open the door to a scowling Raven. He didn't think it possible, but the moment she laid eyes on him her scowl grew even deeper.

"Ugh, LeBeau," she complained, sweeping past him and into the lounge area like he wasn't there. "Can't you get some clothes on? I have enough to deal with on a Tuesday morning."

"Sorry," he apologised without making the effort of sounding apologetic at all. "You woke me up."

"Never mind that," she ploughed on brusquely. "How's Anna doing?"

The words had hardly left her mouth when she suddenly noticed the trail of clothes leading to the bedroom.

"I take it she's okay," she concluded, deadpanning the sentence admirably. He was about to make some off-colour comment when she held her hand up, saying, "That didn't require an answer, LeBeau. Even if I'd wanted to hear one." She glared at him. "You were supposed to call me when she came out of the coma."

"Yeah, well." He shrugged helplessly. "I kinda forgot. Sorry."

She crossed her arms and regarded him like he was something contagious.

"Would it be too much to hope," she wondered out loud, "that now that you've got what you wanted, you might just pack up and leave this place for good?"

He wasn't sure whether that required an answer either, but he didn't have time to give one, as Anna chose that moment to appear, dressed in jeans and a sweater, her hair caught up in a messy ponytail.

"Raven," she greeted the other woman neutrally. "Hey."

"Anna." Raven's tone was dry. "Nice to see you're back in the land of the living. You should've called. But then I guess you had other things on your mind." She looked aside at Remy with a pointed expression that said a whole wealth of things – get gone being one of the primary ones. He stirred, reading between the lines effortlessly, and glanced over at Anna.

"Anna, can you toss me my pants, chere?" he asked her. "I need t' go out, have a smoke."

She gave him a look, a little quirk of the lips and the eyebrows that said, smooth, before heading back to her bedroom and returning shortly with the pants he'd worn the previous night.

"Just don'tcha litter my hallway," she warned him.

He gave her a mock salute, pulled on his pants, made a grab for his cigs, and went out the front door to leave them to it.

There was a chill outside, and he wished he'd asked for his shirt as well as his pants. Still, pessimism wasn't his thing, especially not after last night. He leaned against the wall outside her front door and lit up a cigarette, checking his phone absently. There was a single message on there – Milbury was wanting a progress update.

Shit.

He fired off a non-committal text that he knew wasn't going to fly, not in the long-run. His pursuit of Anna had been a costly distraction from the task at hand, one that had he'd allowed to foolishly get the better of him. It had made him sloppy.

Well, ya got what ya wanted, he thought sternly to himself. Now that that's outta your system it's time to get t' work.

Remy let the smoke spill from his mouth slowly.

The truth was, he still had two chips to get his hands on – three, depending on which way the wind was blowing – and he didn't trust himself not to get distracted by her again. He didn't trust himself to spend the next few days or weeks in her company without wanting to touch her again.

Merde.

He scrubbed his face with his hand and breathed deep.

This was fucked.

Sleeping with a client was a bad idea, and whilst he hadn't been particularly bothered about that in the past, she just happened to be a little something else closer to home. Something a little more high risk.

Not that it was the first time he'd slept with a mark either.

Ugh.

He wasn't going to stop thinking about it, so why should he bother trying? She wanted more – so did he. And truth be told, more than just a little part of him wanted to know what sex with her would be like if he handed back all the control he'd wrested from her the night before. He felt pretty sure he would be in for a wild ride.

Hell, he wasn't done with her. Not by a long shot.

He straightened slightly when he heard the elevator pull up to his left, his senses suddenly alert – but when the doors parted he saw that it was only Dr. Braddock.

"Remy," she greeted him with a small smile. "How're you doing?"

He pushed himself off of the wall.

"Pretty good actually, Betts. You?"

"I'm great. And how's the patient?"

"'Wake." She looked surprised at that and he saw she was about to make some remark when he interrupted her. "Yeah, I know. I forgot to let you know. Raven's already chewed me out about it. She's in there already," he threw a thumb in the direction of the doorway. "Havin' a private chat."

"I see," Dr. Braddock replied. "And how is she doing otherwise?"

He pulled on his cigarette and considered his reply.

"Hm. Lemme see. 'Feisty' comes to mind."

"No adverse effects?"

"Well," he blew smoke. "She was pretty grumpy yesterday. Had some bitch of a headache apparently, which she tells me is normal after… y'know, these 'episodes'. Nothin' a decent meal couldn't fix though. She, um, seemed pretty relaxed this mornin'."

"Good to hear it. She'll still need a check-up though. Physically she might be fine, but a neural scan might still show up some anomalies."

He nearly made a remark about her definitely being physically fine, but he restrained himself.

"Yeah, you should head on in," he agreed. "Door's unlocked. Might wanna knock and announce yourself though, first. If Raven thinks you're me there ain't no way in hell she's gonna let you in."

Betsy raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sounds intriguing. Have you been a bad boy?"

He gave a lopsided smile, shrugged.

"Can't remember a time I wasn't, if that answers your question."

She looked him over again none too subtly, before remarking in her usual dry tone, "Hm. Maybe one day I'll get the chance to experience just how bad you really are first hand," before turning, knocking on the door, and entering the apartment with the air of having made no remark at all.

Remy gave a self-deprecating little grin and took a final puff of his cigarette, filing away the comment for future possible action. The past few days he and the British mem-therapist had pursued a lazy flirtation that, as yet, had only gone in harmless circles, seeing as his attention had been firmly placed elsewhere. He felt pretty certain, however, that Betsy Braddock would be up for some light entertainment at some future unspecified date.

Remy sighed and walked over to the nearest window, twisting his cigarette out on the sill thoughtfully.

Right now Anna knew far too much about him than he was comfortable with, but she didn't know the most important things, and he was going to have to be careful if he wanted it to stay that way. It didn't help that Raven was what she was, and that she was suspicious of him. He was going to have to tread lightly round that particular woman.

All in a day's work.

He grinned tightly to himself and headed back inside.

-oOo-

As soon as Remy had left the room, Raven turned back to Anna with a grave expression on her face.

"How are you?" she asked.

Anna shrugged, moving about the room to pick up last night's incriminating clothing from the floor as she did so.

"Good, actually. Better than I've felt in a long time." She threw the clothes into the laundry basket just inside her bedroom door, before re-emerging into the lounge and adding; "Remy told me about the coma Dr. Braddock put me in. Looks like it did the trick. Was it your idea, or hers?"

"Hers," Raven replied, almost frostily. "And by the way – don't get any ideas that this is some catch-all solution you can use anytime you get caught in a stutter. There was no guarantee it would work, for one thing."

Anna had expected Raven's disapproval, but not on this point. She felt thoroughly chastened. "I know," she said quietly, so much so that Raven was almost pacified.

"Just what were you thinking of, Anna?" she questioned her earnestly. "Interfacing twice in four hours? What did you expect to happen to you?"

She hesitated, briefly considering telling her mentor – the only friend she had – everything. But she couldn't. She knew she wouldn't understand.

"I don't think I was thinking," she answered in a low voice. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"Won't it?" Raven looked unconvinced. "Dr. Braddock is right – you're addicted to the mem-tech. What you need is more therapy."

"No."

Her reply was forceful – memories of the pain the therapy entailed made the word jump out more harshly than she'd intended. She checked herself quickly. "Look," she continued in a more pacifying tone, "the therapy isn't working. We can both see that. And the amount of pain I haveta go through…" she paused, swallowed, "sometimes it's hard to take."

Raven's expression softened a little.

"So what do you suggest?"

Anna lifted her shoulders wearily.

"I don't know…"

There was silence. Raven seemed to sense she would get nowhere with this line of conversation. She took in an agitated breath and walked over to the desk, sitting on the edge and eyeing Anna critically.

"Did you get my texts?"

Anna glanced over at her.

"Yeah. I did."

"And you read the files?"

Anna nodded.

"And did you find what you were expecting?" Raven asked her.

Anna looked aside with a small laugh.

"About the only thing I didn't expect to find on there was the fact that he had a wife. All the other shit," and she waved a hand vaguely, "didn't surprise me much. What I would've really liked to know, was why exactly he ended up working for Essex."

Raven grimaced.

"Believe me," she spoke dourly. "I'm working on it."

Anna cocked her head to one side, curious.

"You still think he could be working for Essex?"

"Why? Don't you?"

Anna frowned and blew a white lock of hair out of her face.

"I believe it's possible…" she returned in a murmur.

"Which obviously didn't stop you from sleeping with him," Raven observed sourly, to which Anna merely smirked.

"That was just sex."

"Was it?"

Anna glanced over at her with surprise.

"What are you so worried about? You did exactly the same thing – in case you've forgotten."

It was a pointed jibe that had the opposite effect of the one intended.

"Yes. Exactly," Raven said.

There was a momentary silence before Anna spoke again.

"That was your mistake. Not mine, Raven. Sure. Remy LeBeau is a thief, a liar and a murderer. But he ain't so different from you or I in that respect."

"I know that," Raven answered shrewdly. "And it isn't what he's capable of that makes him dangerous. It's your attraction to him, Anna. It makes you vulnerable."

"Oh," Anna replied softly. "And are you speaking from experience again? Is that what Essex did to you – make you vulnerable?"

She'd only half meant to goad Raven with these questions – there was a part of her that would have liked to have known the story behind Raven's relationship with the genius neuroscientist, even if she knew, instinctively, from the arctic expression on Raven's face, that no explanation would be forthcoming.

As it was, the tension in the room was cut short by a curt knock at the door, quickly followed by Dr. Braddock entering.

"Sorry to interrupt," she greeted them. "But I heard the patient was awake." She smiled in Anna's direction. "How're you feeling?"

Anna was more than just a little glad for the interruption – Raven had a particular knack for making her regret her decisions, and right now her decision to trust the Cajun wasn't one she wanted to re-evaluate.

"I'm fine," she answered, "and thankful for what you did to keep my mind intact." She had learned that it always paid to be diplomatic, especially with the one who held the keys to your meds. "I take it you're here to give me a check-up?"

"If you don't mind." If anything Dr. Braddock looked relieved to have a willing patient for once; and Anna had no inclination to keep either her or Raven here any longer than was necessary.

I have places to be, she thought with a growing sense of urgency, fully aware that the plane to Edinburgh would be leaving in a few short hours. So she made no protestations but sat down willingly on the sofa and rolled up her sleeve, wondering as she did so just where Remy had stashed all the gear she'd bought for their trip yesterday. Just as the thought had passed her mind he walked back in, flashing her a knowing smile which she did her best to ignore.

She wished he'd put a shirt on.

The sight of him walking around topless was doing all sorts of things to her blood pressure.

"Remy, where's that stuff I got yesterday?" she asked him with careful nonchalance as Dr. Braddock attached the sensors to her temples. "I don't see it. Did you move it all?"

"Oh, I put it in the closet," he said with pitch-perfect disinterest as he headed to his room and came out again with a towel. "I'm gonna grab a shower. Mind if I use your bathroom, Anna?"

She mumbled a "no", on the one hand glad that he could play things so calmly, and on the other relieved that he'd hidden away their gear somewhere. She knew Raven would get suspicious if she saw it.

The test turned out to be less conclusive than Dr. Braddock would've liked.

"Your brainwaves are still showing some significant fluctuations," she said as she shut down the machine and unplugged the sensors. "Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"Fine." Anna shrugged. "I had a bad headache when I first woke up… you know… the usual… But it went after a few hours."

"Hm." The doctor opened her case again and took out the familiar orange and white bottles. "Best take it easy over the next few days. No running around, no stressful activities, and definitely no interfacing. Your mind's in a precarious state, Anna. I know you don't like to hear me say it but…"

"Yeah, I know. I keep this up and I lose my mind. That's what they've been saying since I was fourteen."

Dr. Braddock's smile was faint.

"The effects of interfacing weren't so well understood back then. Now we know much better. You've certainly pushed the boundaries, Anna, but I think even you're approaching your limits." She looked up at Raven. "Keep an eye on her."

"Of course," the older woman nodded gravely.

Dr. Braddock handed over the meds.

"Don't take more than you're supposed to," she warned her patient. "Please."

"I won't," Anna lied. She thought the doctor knew it was lie, because she stood up, sighed and left with a curt goodbye. Raven looked down on her disapprovingly.

"You'd better not OD on those fucking tablets," she chastised her.

"Please. Don't start." She leaned back into the sofa and massaged the bridge of her nose. "I'm tired. I need to rest."

"Oh, so now you're tired." Raven rolled her eyes and crossed her arms with flagrant sarcasm. "Don't worry – I know you want me gone so you can play some more with that thief."

"Hm." She thought it best not to disabuse her of the assumption. "Figure I should make the most of my new toy before you go and find out he's some serial killer or somethin'."

A shadow of a smile crossed Raven's lips.

"Lucky for you, that happens to be unlikely. But if I do find anything of interest…"

"You'll keep me informed," Anna finished for her blithely. "Thank you."

"You can thank me when I figure out what he's really up to," Raven replied breezily, heading for the door. When she got there she turned back, passing her young protégé one of her rare looks of genuine affection. "Take care of yourself, Anna. And call me tomorrow, when you get the chance. Keep me informed of your condition."

There was such sincere feeling in her voice that Anna almost felt guilty for her deception. She gave a watery smile that was as reassuring as she could make it.

"Don't worry, Raven," she said. "I will."

It seemed to be assurance enough. A few seconds later and she had left.

As soon as she heard the door click Anna got to her feet and checked the time. It had just gone eight. That left four hours before their flight.

She went into her room and began to pack.

A few minutes passed before Remy emerged from the shower.

"I think there's some hot water left for you," he told her.

"Oh, thanks," she replied sardonically. It was hard to ignore the fact that he was only wearing a towel. Her only way of dealing with it was to level the playing field, and she openly began to strip off down to her underwear, right there in front of him.

He merely leaned against the doorframe and admired the view, an inscrutable little smile on his face.

"Did you tell Raven about the fact that you hired me?" he questioned her as she threw off her sweater and unzipped her jeans, obviously refusing to make any comment about her impromptu striptease.

"No," she replied, pushing the jeans over her hips and down her legs. "Should I have?"

He shrugged.

"Just wonderin' whether this thing here is jus' between you and me, is all. Best to have our stories straight in case it comes up in casual conversation, neh?"

She stepped out of her jeans and undid her ponytail.

"Right."

He still hadn't moved from the doorway. In the end she was forced to walk right by him and into the bathroom – and even then he still didn't move, turning towards her as if expecting her to invite him in.

A part of her was still sorely tempted. Unfortunately, time was running dangerously short.

"I wanna be outta here in thirty," she told him silkily instead. "So you'd best be ready by the time I'm done, or I'm gonna leave without you."

And she shut the door in his face before she had the chance to change her mind.

-oOo-