A truce had been made.

No more arguments, no more button pushing. From the outside it looked like just two roomies cooking up a bite to eat.

The extra company made Anna Marie grit her teeth. She would grin and bear it, however, she told herself. She was not one to be outdone. If he can be cordial then so can I.

In fact, once again Remy proved to be quite the gentleman. Once it was determined that he wouldn't be thrown out for the night, his countenance brightened and his helpfulness increased threefold. He went above and beyond, microwaving both of their dinners, sorting them out onto plates, and even taking Anna Marie's drink order and making it the old-fashioned way.

The aroma of the cider bubbling happily on the stove made her feel nostalgic for cold nights past. She was warm and delightfully full of food and yet also feeling like she should heave a certain helpful tall man straight out the window and into the night. After all, how dare he be charming now, when she'd already decided to dislike his presence here during her alone time? What a pain.

Remy sat a steaming mug in front of Anna Marie. He sat across the table from her with a cup of his own and suddenly Anna Marie had the feeling of being in an interrogation room. Would he bring up the topic of their date? Would he get angry and upset? She didn't think she was one to back down from a fight, but this wasn't a fight really, it was more of a potential ambush. She found herself wishing for the strategic cover of darkness.

"Want to take this little shindig outside?" She asked throatily. Maybe it was a panic move, but fresh air seemed required. Remy looked surprised but nodded. They picked up the mugs, grabbed a couple blankets, and headed out to the fire pit.

The odd pairing took stock of their supplies: having a well-stocked dry wood pile was helpful, and all that they needed was kindling.

Remy stacked logs into his arms while his helper looked around. Picking through the immediate area, she found two frogs and a box turtle getting to their homes late in the evening, which she thought made for a pretty successful venture. She was so excited by her discoveries that she forgot what she was supposed to be doing, came back with only a few branches, and had to go back for another pass.

"How we gonna get this fire going?" laughed Remy. "Don't even stop for bears, unless you've finished your chores first."

Anna Marie stuck her tongue out at him, depositing her woody offerings for him to sort through.

Getting the fire started took some effort, but between Remy's lighter and Rogue's childhood Girl Scout skills, they managed to make a small but well-erected set of flames.

Anna Marie settled into her chair while Remy poked the fire, bringing oxygen to the hot logs underneath.

"So what you doin' up here this time of year? Too cold for water sports. Here for the hiking?"

"I wish," Anna Marie smiled ruefully. "I've got an ankle injury— so no real hiking. It's been weighing on my mind lately so I came up here to relax."

"And I just asked you about it. Sorry."

"S'ok. Not your fault." Anna Marie shifted in her seat. "It just came at a bad time, you know? Right when I was really making progress with my training."

I really shouldn't be word-vomiting like this. She had forgotten just how easy he was to talk to.

"So what got you into martial arts in the first place?" Remy asked, still fidgeting with the flames.

Anna Marie smiled in the darkness. "I was looking to get in shape but also discipline myself. I saw an ad for Logan's classes, and we got along well. He's been a good teacher."

"How long until you can get back at it?"

Snorting, she replied, "too long. So I'm up here, 'taking it easy'. Hopefully I've still got some skills when I start up again." She exhaled heavily as she admitted out loud the worry that had been strongest in her mind.

Nodding slowly, Remy said, "If Logan's been your teacher, I'm sure you have a good base of knowledge. I know a little setback won't stop you."

Anna Marie stared into the flames as she contemplated Remy's words. Sparks popped and rose into the night. She tracked their meandering paths until she was looking up, up, up between the tops of the swaying pines to the stars in the inky sky beyond. Well, shit. The sneaky bastard might just be right. She kept her mug in her hands, partly for warmth and partly for something to do.

She was just about to say something for the sake of breaking the silence when Remy said "I was looking for a getaway before I have some family responsibilities to take care of in a couple weeks."

She had been so busy thinking about her training that she had forgotten that he also probably had a purpose for being there. She cast her mind back to their date to remember what he had told her about his family then.

"You have a brother, right? And your Dad is still around?"

Looking surprised, Remy nodded. "Yeah, good memory. My brother is finally moving away from home. I need to help him pack up while running interference on our father who thinks everyone should stay at home for the rest of their lives."

"But you go see your Dad often, don't you? So he gets visits, right?"

"Yeah, but Henri— well. He won't be back. He's not as interested in hanging around at home. But that's what he wants to do, so I've gotta support both sides."

Anna Marie nodded. "I understand. When my brother moved out It was like the baby of the family was leaving — it sent my folks a little crazy. Once he actually was out of the house they settled down and accepted it. I'm sure your Dad will come around too," she said firmly, as if her own conviction was enough to guide the actions of an unknown man a thousand miles away.

Remy smiled as he prodded the flames. "It's hard to be the ones talking the old folks down."

"That's true. How come our siblings didn't have to deal with this?"

"Just the luck of the draw, chere."

Anna Marie stiffened. "Please don't call me that."

Remy looked confused. "Sure, if you say so. Does it bother you?"

"Yes, it just seems overly familiar."

Laughter, deep and warm rolled from her companion. "Just a cultural thing. Same as calling someone you love hon or dear. I just use it for everyone. But as you say."

Anna Marie wracked her brain to remember if she had ever called Remy any of her personal favorite nicknames. She couldn't imagine calling someone "shuggs" on a first date but she couldn't be certain. She was also a bit of a hypocrite if she was being honest with herself, as from the very beginning Logan had been nothing but "hon," even though she had zero romantic designs on him.

"Fair enough. I can understand that."

Her eyes grew heavy in the smoke and peace. The night deepened and a rich roll of noises came from the forest creatures as the night watch came alive. Beside her she heard the scratchy timbre of Remy's deep voice as he hummed lightly to himself.

"What's that you're humming?"

"Not much of anything. Want me to make up some words?" His tone was playful.

She chuckled sleepily. "Sure thing. We could record it and make millions."

"I could make millions. I'd allow you a finder's fee."

She laughed. She couldn't help it. It's just the cozy atmosphere, she told herself. I'm relaxed. It has nothing to do with Remy and his damn dimples when he smiles.

Her mug was cooled off by this time but the cider had been drunk, songs had been (nearly) sung; it was in her opinion a successful campfire. She was overtly aware of Remy's presence in the firelight nearby.

It was impossible not to notice how good looking the man really was. His tan skin shone in the firelight, and the light gleamed off of his long hair. The outdoors suited him, she decided. He clearly had life skills (or at least just a lot of practice wielding that lighter), and Anna Marie felt she was in capable hands out in the woods.

She shook her head to come back to herself. Why was she thinking about him this way, now? She needed to get her head on straight.

Just as she was readying to excuse herself for bed, Remy said quickly, "So I'll bring up the elephant in the room… What happened? If you don't want to tell me, that's fine, I get it. But I thought we were getting along on our date and then, nothing. You run off, ignore my call. Did I do something wrong?"

Anna Marie froze. She had really hoped to avoid this. Trying not to panic, she spoke slowly. "If you're the gentleman I hope you are, then you won't ask me that again." Her brain could supply nothing further.

"Fine." Remy's easy posture of a few minutes ago was gone. He sat stiffly and stared into the fire.

The silence was deafening. It struck Anna Marie that it was dark, and it was late, and the conversation had run out. Time for a tactical retreat.

"Welp. I'm going to call it a night."

"Yep," he said dully. "Not far behind you. Just gonna wait for the fire to die down." In direct opposition to that statement, he idly tossed a stick into the flames. "I'll sleep on the floor, you can have the bed."

Anna Marie blinked. She had assumed they'd share the bed, based on the fact that it was A, practical, and B, October, therefore quite cold on the wood floor. And she had made it clear that nothing would happen between them. Because that was what she wanted. Yes.

"That's ok, we can share the bed, it's big enough. I know my joints would be screaming at the thought of sleepin' on that wood floor."

Rising awkwardly from the low chair, she wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulders. The walk to the cabin door seemed awfully long, and Anna Marie felt she left some things unsaid at the campfire.

As she slipped into grey flannel pants and a matching long sleeve waffle knit top, Anna Marie thought about the odd turn the day had taken. And about the man she'd spent her evening with.

No. Not a man who teased and smirked and looked too damn handsome at every turn. She had no time for that.

Turning out the bathroom light, she tiptoed in stockinged feet across the cold floor and slipped into bed. She wriggled under the down comforter and pulled the quilt up to her chin. Despite her current feelings of being unsettled, the warming sensation was delicious and she wiggled her toes and smiled. What a weird day. She was ready to put it behind her. One night's sleep and her housemate would be gone.

Not just a housemate though — for the night, a roommate. A bed-mate. Her heart rate picked up just a hair. It's nothing, she told herself. Probably laid down too fast. Or maybe she was just developing a rare life-threatening arrhythmia. Clearly it had nothing to do with thoughts of a certain charming fellow outside her window.

After all, sharing a bed didn't need to be sexual. A bed is just somewhere to close your eyes and get some rest: it's completely platonic and impersonal. Like sharing a hospital room: utilitarian and space-economizing. Practical, for everyone involved.

Except instead of a dingy curtain between them, it was a duvet. And instead of two strangers passing like ships in the night, Anna Marie would have a former would-be lover snuggling up in her bed, taking up her alone time: what with all the excitement, she didn't even want to read before bed — knowing he was coming had her all amped up and distracted. She tried a mantra for focus and relaxation: you'll be sleeping. Nothing else. Just sleeping.

And the distraction caused by thoughts of Remy was not a good one — of course not, no. The man was handsome, fine. He had a great body, ok. Had things gone differently on their date, maybe tonight wouldn't be the first time they'd be sharing— But Anna Marie pushed all of that aside for the sake of her mantra. Sleeping, nothing else. She thought for a moment about Remy's handsome cheekbones and then added: Burnt steak, silk shirt. Sleeping, nothing else. Burnt steak, silk shirt...

No other bed-related thoughts about this man were allowed. Not when she'd already decided to write him off.

Anna Marie yawned. Man he was taking a long time to come inside. And he still had to get ready for bed, too. Good grief, I hope the man doesn't wear personalized silk pajamas. She wouldn't put it past him though. If I see a monogram, I'm outta here.

Anna Marie rolled over to face the wall so she wouldn't have to make eye contact when Remy came in. Not that she was waiting. He'll probably take up the whole bed with those darn long legs of his anyway. I wonder if they're as toned as the rest of him appears.

Dammit woman! Sleeping, nothing else. Burnt steak, silk shirt.

Anna Marie snuggled deeper into her pillow. The room became hazy and soft around her. Sounds drifted through the window glass of the great outdoors settling down for the night. Sinking into the unfamiliar symphony of the woods, she allowed crickets, punctuated with the occasional peep of a forest frog, to soothe her mind as she drifted off to sleep.

—-

The cabin was still dark when Anna Marie awoke. Checking her watch, she saw with delight that though it was pre-dawn, it was still a reasonable hour to start her day.

The young woman loved this time of morning. Being up before dawn gave her a feeling of satisfaction, a sense that she was getting a jump on the day while the world around her slept on quietly. Never mind that it only happened in a blue moon; when it did, boy was she pleased with herself.

She looked to her left, and where there had previously been an empty space was… still an empty space. Her brow furrowed in sleepy confusion.

Pausing to regard the blank sheets that could have been Remy, Anna Marie remembered her discomfiture from the night before at the idea of sharing a bed, and her ears burned with embarrassment at the memory of her silliness. Of course he'd avoid sharing a bed with her now, and of course they'd only spend the night sleeping, in fact she had told herself that over and over. But she couldn't help thinking that maybe if…

No! Nope. Morning was here and she would get up and leave the warm bed behind. A traitorous thought slipped through, questioning if he was as warm as the blankets.

Steeling herself for the rush of chilly air she'd encounter with throwing the blankets off, Anna Marie bit her cheek and went for it. That first shock of cold got her heart racing and her blood flowing.

She couldn't help but squint into the darkness of the living area. Remy was there alright, his tall frame awkwardly contorted into one of the easy chairs. He was covered in a mile high stack of blankets. Good southern boy must have raided the closet for all it had, Anna Marie thought.

She didn't want to wake the slumbering man, but she'd be darned if she'd wait for that swamp-rat to start her day — she'd just get up quietly.

As silently as she could, she picked out some clothes from her duffel and tiptoed to the bathroom.

Flipping on the bathroom light was also a rude awakening and she blinked in the brightness. Peering into the mirror, she then took a quick and questionably warm shower, set her hair to rights, and began to dress.

As Anna Marie reached for her clothes, she caught another glimpse of herself in the mirror. She paused to see what she always saw. Her body, strong from fighting. Muscles at her stomach, strength in her chest, and at her arms, power—

—and burns.

The markings ran from wrist to elbow on her right arm, with lines and shiny splotches and rivulets of scar tissue. Varying colors swirled and faded towards the outer edges. Faded, but still there.

She didn't grimace at her reflection, or shy away, or change clothes quickly. Instead she lightly traced a few lines and then reached for the cream she had left on the bathroom counter. Rubbing it into her skin brought some relief from the discomfort and tightness.

It was a ritual she performed nearly every day since that night a few years ago when she had accidentally tipped that pot of boiling oil down off the stove and onto herself. The raw memories of the initial pain had faded somewhat, though the fear remained. Sometimes she even dreamed about it. Cooking on the stove was out of the question — the thought of it happening again stayed with her long after the event itself. She had found a professional to talk to about the lasting trauma, and progress was steady, but slow.

The scars themselves didn't bother her. They were signs that she was a survivor. The only thing that bothered her was the anticipation of others' reactions: what would they say? Would they gasp? Turn away quickly and pretend not to see? She didn't mind looking at her arm, and it distressed her to see others regard her so timidly.

Especially when it came to dating. Waiting for the reaction— well. She sure didn't want to borrow the mentality of anyone who wouldn't accept her ; she couldn't risk pulling those negative thoughts from someone else's brain and keeping them as her own.

Too many times she had let people and their reactions into her mind, and it seemed to her that they stayed in her brain long after the interaction, squatting as though it was their own personal hideaway.

So she kept her arms covered, and she pushed people away when they got too close too fast. Short sleeves and anything resembling a one night stand were anathema to her. If someone had time to accept her scars, that'd be fine — but having that initial shock be early on in an intimate moment was something she wished to avoid. Better to make herself untouchable instead.

Logan knew it, though he didn't fully understand her feelings on the subject. Still it was a relief to have a friend know her one secret.

Humming lightly to herself, Anna Marie completed her toilette and reached for her clothes. She had brought dark heavy jeans in an effort to stay warm. Pulling on a white wool sweater over a t-shirt, she fluffed her curls and posed in the mirror. Smiling and shaking her head at her silliness she added a navy puffy vest to go overtop. Multicolored wool socks enveloped her frozen toes, and hiking boots would support her ankle during the day's explorations outdoors. A warm knitted beanie completed the look.

Walking to the kitchen and turning on the coffee maker as quietly as possible, she went over her morning plan in her head. Go for a brisk walk, yell at Logan, make a hearty breakfast, kick a Cajun out of her cabin… looked like a full day ahead. Perfect.

Percolating finally finished, Anna Marie filled her thermos and grabbed her cell phone. Logan was going to get an earful good and early about her little house guest.

—-

The crunch of stones as she stepped off the porch was as loud as a shot in the quiet morning air. Anna Marie smiled and wrapped her arms around herself in a pleasant shiver. The sky was lightening enough that she could see the forest around her.

She strode past the fire pit with its chairs towards the path that she had seen marked on the map on the living room table. There was a short circuit winding from the cabin that connected with a fire road. She expected the best phone signal to be found at the crest where the two paths met, and she wanted to make sure that Logan heard every word of her call.

While picking her way along the easy and well-marked path winding through the woods, Anna Marie felt the sense of being in a mystical otherworld: set apart from the green and blissfully unaware world below the mountain. As though it was a place that only she had discovered — and she wanted to bathe in the feel of it. Wet leaves and mossy stones and the rotting damp of fallen branches wove their magic into her senses, and she couldn't imagine anything more wonderful.

The bold woman was ready to see what the woods had to offer. Being outdoors took her back to her young life in the rural south. It was the same, yet different: instead of a lazy river with mud and swaying reeds, there were leaf-shedding maples and sap-dripping pines reaching into the path to brush her face. The same beautiful nature, just a different facet of it.

Everything seemed magical: a fluorescent orange newt scurrying along its morning route; a babbling brook smelling of the dawn and life and wet earth; a mushroom trying oh-so-hard to grow taller than its speckled friends; a young deer glimpsed through the trees that tarried for a moment before thinking better of it.

Anna Marie took nothing for granted. Her senses hummed and her heart was full. Her thoughts expanded beyond the every-day to the larger purpose of everything around her. There had to be something connecting it all, she thought. There couldn't possibly be a place this special without some larger meaning. What it was, she didn't know, but it tugged at her spirit all the same.

After a long spell of pondering these wonders, a stiff breeze blew up into her face and caught her off guard. Brought rudely back to the present, she suddenly realized her stomach was growling. Her thoughts turned 180 degrees to decidedly more human concerns.

Coming out of her reverie, she checked her watch and determined it was time to find some signal and get her call done before breakfast time completely passed her by. By this time morning had fully dawned, or at least it was a decent enough hour to expect Logan to answer his phone.

—-

" —And THEN he had the audacity to tell me that you made a mistake! What! I don't know what kind of nonsense that is but let me tell you what— "

"Hold up," Logan interrupted as Anna Marie fumed. "Shit. What's the date?"

"Seventeenth."

"Shit."

Anna Marie blinked. "So you really did tell him he could come up?"

"Yeah, I think I did. Two weeks ago he called and I completely forgot until now. I'm really sorry kid, I know how much you were looking forward to this trip. I'll talk to him an— "

Sighing, Anna Marie said, "Well, it hasn't been bad. We just ate and slept, mostly. More time than we spent on our date."

Logan's voice hesitated. "You never did tell me what was so awful about that date. Care to spill now?"

Sighing, Anna Marie looked around for help from this conversation, but the deep woods stubbornly offered none.

There was nothing for it: Logan was the only person she really trusted to talk to about her personal life.

"Well, he was very flirtatious. I got the impression he was looking for something faster, something less serious. For the love of mercy, he asked me if I wanted to come over and 'see his stamp collection.' And I swear he fluttered his eyelashes when he said it."

It sounded suspiciously like Logan was trying and failing to stifle a laugh. "Sounds like Remy. He never knows when to stop teasing."

Turning more serious, Logan said, "Did you feel unsafe? Unattracted? Nauseous from eating too much cheesecake? And don't say you didn't order two pieces for yourself, I know you too well…"

"I didn't feel unsafe. And darn it Logan, you know he's good looking, I can't deny that. We had chemistry. And the only reason I ordered dessert was because I wanted the date to keep going, but I didn't want to…," she trailed off.

"Ok, so you did like him," Logan said calmly. "Not seeing the problem yet. Anything else?"

"The steak was overdone."

Radio silence.

Anna Marie blushed, with no one in the forest to know it but herself. "I know, I know that doesn't matter. So I guess the date itself wasn't actually terrible. We do have a lot in common with family values and sense of humor and… well, I just —"

Logan waited patiently.

"It was just too much, too fast: it was going too well. So well that I almost skipped the timeline I set in place for getting comfortable with someone before they saw my scars and well — that just couldn't happen." Better to nip it in the bud. If all he wanted was one night, then he couldn't get anything.

She played with her curls, another argument not forthcoming. She was shocked to feel the prickle of tears in her eyes. "I liked him, Logan. I really like him. And you know what? I even liked his stupid jokes! But I guess I wasn't ready for what I thought he wanted. So I bailed, and I ignored his call, and I told myself it was a bad date."

"To protect yourself."

"Yeah. I think I looked for something to go wrong so I could harp on that and feel justified in protecting myself. But I didn't know if he would even want—"

"So ask him."

Anna Marie goggled at the phone. "What?"

"He's there now, isn't he? Ask him what he wants. You may be surprised. I know you have some physical hang-ups about your scars, but don't let that stop you from seeing someone else as they really are. Just ask him."

The rest of the conversation was a blur to Anna Marie. Logan wanted to talk about tournaments and ankles and all sorts of things but somehow she couldn't remember why they were important. All she could hear was the thump in her ears of "Ask him. Ask him. Ask him." It echoed with her heart beat until it lost meaning.