Anna-Marie did not follow directions or take orders (unless they were for coffee or eggs, and even then, she might give a diner customer something she thought they'd like better). She had the tendency to disregard manuals and instruction pamphlets, and instead dive head-first into a project; she'd probably figure it out as she went along, she reasoned. So instead of following Remy's advice of sticking to Bishop's side, she went off alone, deciding if she was going to hover over Lucas' shoulder, she should at least wash off the smell of mothballs, dust, and cat. Her first priority was a shower.

Anna-Marie had seen the elevator permits in Scott's very neatly organized desk when Remy had riffled through its contents. In the very neatly organized key closet, she found the tiny key to the little cubbies that held the permits inside the elevator cars. She took it upon herself to remove the key, take the permits, and post them in the elevator cars. Calling each elevator to the ground floor, she used the tiny key to open the window, tack up the new permit over the old, and relock the window. After each of the three elevators had been recertified, she felt a sense of righting a wrong. Anna smiled to herself, recalling her initial interaction with Remy LeBeau, who at the time, with his wild hair, his sloppy jacket, and the cigarette hanging off of his lip, looked the very definition of the word 'Trouble'. Remy had noticed that the elevator permits were out of date when, in an effort to distract him, Anna had pointed out the 'No Smoking' sign.

At the thought of the 'No Smoking' sign, Anna-Marie experienced a creeping sensation of want, no, of need. For a cigarette—which she had never before considered trying. Now she could envision the ritual of opening a pack, bringing the cigarette filter to her lips, lighting the end with the touch of a finger, inhaling…

Anna-Marie gave a full-body shudder, shaking off the sensation. She was still experiencing flashes of Remy's persona, long after it should have faded. Anna wondered if this was the result of having touched him for so long. She hoped it wasn't permanent. There was no way she was going to take up his filthy smoking habit. Though, instead of a milk-lightened sugar-sweetened mug of coffee, a dark-roasted black Guatemalan-blend was becoming more appealing…

"Stop it," she said aloud, hunching her shoulders as if fearing a blow. "Quit that."

In the lobby beyond, Lucas looked up from where he was studying the monitors and asked: "Is everything all right, ma—uhm, Marie?"

"Oh. Yes. Sorry, just got the feelin' someone walked over my grave," she said. "See anythin' in the footage yet?"

Lucas' brows drew together in consternation. "Just a glimpse of the past," he muttered, staring at the monitors. Lucas stood. "I need to check in with Xavier," he told her.

"Good news! You can save yourself the hike. The elevators are all ship-shape now," she gestured to the nearest elevator car. "I'm just gonna take this one for a spin. Catch up later?"

The elevators were once again legally operational. Though she'd posted three permits in each of the elevators, it seemed she had one extra. She shrugged, folded the permit, and stuck it into her bag. Anna hoisted her bag onto her shoulder, stepped into the nearest elevator, and took it to the ninth floor.

As the elevator began its ascent, Anna coiled a lock of hair around her gloved finger, recalling the feeling of Remy's hands in her hair. Though he knew about her powers, he didn't flinch or shy away. Even with the threat of her Knowing him, he treated her just the same as he had before (equal parts aggravating to charming). At first, he had been alarmed by her confession, confused and guarded, but he quickly became reassuring and understanding of her situation. Maybe due to the fact he couldn't control his own powers so well, he was more forgiving of her own lack of control. His suggestions of how her powers were a benefit and not a detriment weren't necessarily her ideal, but it gave her something to consider. She could be a spy, easily learn state secrets; but that was how her troubles started in the first place. In Anna's mind, what had happened at the conference was an accident, a big misunderstanding. But maybe her encounters at the conference weren't entirely unanticipated.

Remy's comment of her being the perfect informant reminded her of what her mother had said all those years ago: They say you know things. Things no one else could know. It's an excellent talent to have. Was Raven issuing a compliment, or an evaluation? Anna-Marie knew her mother was an ambitious person, that she might take extreme steps towards achieving her own goals. But would she purposely put Anna in harm's way? Anna-Marie would have to confront her mother when she saw her again. Dare she consider touching Raven and finding out her motives for certain?

Once on the ninth floor, Anna-Marie stuck her head out from the elevator to peer up and down the hall. Seeing no one, she hastily trotted up the hallway to 9G, casting nervous glances over her shoulder. She quickly opened the apartment door, slipped inside, closed the door quietly, and locked it. Anna took a bracing breath. See, she told herself, nothing to be frightened of. Anna-Marie then pushed the couch in front of the door and stood with hands on hips to study her handiwork. Reassuring herself that no one was following her, she turned to study the rest of the apartment. It looked even worse than when Remy had originally been tasked to clean it. Scott would not be pleased.

With a dustpan and broom, Anna-Marie swept up the bits of foam and fabric left from the couch cushion. She restacked books and boxes. There was a clutch of cardboard tubes that had fallen over in the corner. When Anna picked them up to lean them against the wall, she saw the tubes contained blueprints. Out of curiosity, Anna removed one and unrolled it over the lid of a box. She instinctively scanned the document, looking purposefully for exits and entryways, utility rooms and corridors, storage closets. Stop casing the joint, she chided. Anna shook her head to dispel the thief's thoughts. She was about to roll up the blueprints and restore them to their tube when she noticed something on the west elevation. There, as if the side-exterior of the building had been peeled away to reveal its inner skeleton, was a long rectangular space leading from the top of the building to the basement. An elevator shaft, she realized, led from Xavier's top floor apartment to the lowest levels. There were four elevators in the building, which explained the extra permit.

Leaving the blueprints aside, Anna surveyed the apartment and its various piles. Thinking it stuffy and dusty, she shuffled down a narrow path through the debris towards the window. She hoisted the window open and found the fire escape just outside. Anna (or probably Remy) wondered where all the cats had gone. The metal landing was empty, as were the cans of tuna abandoned there. She leaned out the window to look down at the alley. From directly below came a clang of metal on metal. Anna peered through the web of gridwork that made up the fire escape, but could not see anyone in the alley, just the metal service door that gave access to the cellar. It was closed. After staring at the alley for a moment, Anna-Marie retreated back into the apartment to start her next task.

Kneeling on the floor, she lifted the stack of picture frames that had fallen face-down on the floorboards. The first photo was of Remy's "Aunt Marge," who was, in fact, named Charlotte Xavier. So, one of Charles Xavier's relatives, Anna guessed. There was a small brass nameplate on the bottom of the frame with the woman's name, who judging by her hair and glasses, was probably photographed sometime in the 1940s. There was a set of dates beneath her name, too short of a timespan to be birth and death dates given her age. Behind Charlotte's portrait was another. This one was of a couple, Brian and Sharon Xavier. They too, had plaques with their names and dates. Anna speculated the dates signified the time during which they had owned or managed The Graymalkin. The following photo was of Kurt Marko, who unlike the other portraits, bore no familial resemblance to Charles Xavier or the others in the portraits. He was accompanied by a thinner, wanner-looking Sharon Xavier. Marko's dates only covered a brief period of time. At last, Anna found a portrait of a younger Charles Xavier. Though he appeared in his twenties, he was still as bald as a coot. He too, had a pair of dates beneath his name for a period of just five years. Anna found this odd, as he was still the owner of The Graymalkin, as far as she knew. There was a final portrait in the stack, however. As Anna lifted it, she gasped.

The portrait was of two men, Charles Xavier, seated with a tartan blanket over his lap, and another man, standing just behind Charles' chair. Anna recognized the standing man, dressed all in silver-gray, his thick white hair bright against his deeper complexion. His steely gray eyes stared out from the portrait. Anna-Marie looked from Xavier, whose expression was serenely composed with a hint of a placid smile, to the gray-suited man, whose countenance was stern and imposing. Anna's eyes went to the plaque. 'Charles Francis Xavier and Erik Magnus Lehnsherr' read the plaque. Anna's mouth opened in surprise. Lehnsherr was the very man she had met in San Francisco, the one who had sent her to The Graymalkin. Anna wasn't the only one familiar with the face in the picture frame. She could feel Remy's thoughts recoil with sudden fright at the image, sense his bafflement and surprise. Pressing into his thoughts further, Anna understood: the gray man had also sent, no—ordered—Remy to The Graymalkin. To keep eyes on the residents, to be a spy.

Anna-Marie stood, brushing her gloved hands on her jeans. Who was this person in the photo, whose hand so casually rested on his seated partner's shoulder? Anna had thought him a rescuer of sorts. Remy thought him a tyrant, while simultaneously regarding Xavier with a mixture of respect and gratitude. In Anna's muddled memories, she recalled her encounter with Xavier with an anxious foreboding. The memory of Xavier walking toward her down the hall, his eyes glowing, his shape changing, sent shivers down her spine. But that was just a dream, she reminded herself. The other people in her dream, however, were not imaginary, they were very real personalities. She rubbed at the gooseflesh on her arms. That was enough cleaning for today, she decided.

Anna showered, and with a certain kind of satisfaction, watched as dirty water swirled down the drain. She pondered hers and Remy's situation. They shared a connection with Lehnsherr, though Remy's thoughts painted him as a sinister and threatening figure. Anna attempted to convince Remy otherwise, reasoning that it was Lehnsherr who had freed him from prison. There was still the idea that Remy was to report on the residents, to befriend and keep close to Anna-Marie. Remy thought, for nefarious purposes. But perhaps, Anna thought, for her protection. Remy's opinion ran contrary to her own, this Lensherr guy was out hunting for powered people. Lehnsherr knew about the patient files and possibly suspected that Remy still had them. He was the only other person who knew, except for…

Anna-Marie turned off the water, and though steam filled the shower stall, she was chilled. The only other person who knew about the research, who knew of the patient files, was an imposing red-headed federal agent. The agent knew Remy had the files, as he'd confessed and agreed to give them to her. Agreed, that was, before he'd found himself suddenly freed by Lehnsherr. Again, Anna's and Remy's thoughts were at war with one another. That agent was a vicious cold-hearted bitch who had cost him his freedom and the only home he knew. She was also Anna's mother, who had taken her in and given her comfort and stability.

"And don't call my mama a 'bitch,'" Anna-Marie scolded, her voice echoing in the shower stall.

She's using you…you're a means to an end. Anna wasn't sure this was her thought or Remy's and she was made numb by it.

Anna-Marie needed to find Remy, the in-the-flesh version, and share what she'd learned. Anna was shocked to learn that Remy had encountered Raven before, and that the mysterious Erik Lehnsherr had sent them both to The Graymalkin. They needed to organize their thoughts and put together what the other knew, which seemed easier said than done. Anna-Marie was literally of two minds at the moment. While Anna considered herself determined, she'd heard it said on multiple occasions that she was 'obstinate.' Remy, who was a lot more flexible, was also temperamental and scatter-brained. She wondered if they could form any kind of agreement.

Anna stood in the bathroom nude. Unfortunately she had no towel, and would have to sort of air-dry before putting on her clothes. She caught sight of her figure in the fogged mirror over the sink and impulsively grasped the shower curtain to conceal herself. She self-consciously looked away from her reflection and searched her bag for her clothing.

"This is so awkward," she mumbled to herself. Anna was acutely aware of the absurdity of being physically attracted to her own reflection. She was flooded with intrusive amorous responses, not her own.

"Think of something else. Anything else," she attempted to steer the thoughts away. Caught in the sway of desire, the image of helping Remy put on his shirt suddenly popped into the forefront of her mind. Of being near to him as she lowered the hem of his pink tee over his head, so close as to smell his warm masculine scent. Of being seared by his heated gaze when his face reappeared through the collar of the shirt. The suggestive smile on his mouth as he spoke playfully in his deep voice. The feeling of her hands gently and slowly searching under his shirt, mindful of his injury. Of running her palm over the flat expanse of his chest to his shoulder...

Anna slapped her hands over her eyes. "Oh mah gawd, not that!"

She dressed herself quickly, her clothing clinging to her damp body. Turning back to the mirror, she ran her brush through her wet hair. Her face was still very pink. She could feel Remy's giddy amusement at her reaction.

"You're no better'n a peeping tom!" she told her reflection. She could feel Remy's personality subside and retreat. Not so much chastised as willing to give her privacy. He went…wherever the others went. Back to his apartment, she assumed. Anna wondered if the others were still there, hanging out inside her head in their own apartments, going about their daily lives in her mind.

Anna wondered if she might be going a bit crazy.

Before she exited the apartment, Anna picked up Remy's coat, where it had been left on what remained of the couch. She pulled it on, feeling its reassuring weight on her shoulders. Though the odor of cigarettes lingered in its folds, the coat still had a comforting scent. Her hands went to the interior pockets and found a deck of playing cards and a single poker chip. Another pocket contained a pack of cigarettes and a wallet. She checked the billfold and found several bills. That solved the problem of how she was going to pay for the snacks for the meeting. Normally, she would feel squeamish about taking money that wasn't her own, but Remy had no such compunctions.

She left The Graymalkin for the city, constantly looking over her shoulder for anyone suspicious. Admittedly, she was not the best at figuring out friend from foe, but some of her newfound knowledge lent her some street-smarts. She purchased several dozen muffins from the bakery and had the boxes bound in white twine. Happily continuing her shopping spree, Anna stopped at the coffee shop, wanting an afternoon pick-me-up. The barista looked up hopefully when Anna-Marie arrived at the counter to pick up the familiar order. The barista's look quickly became sullen when it was only Anna in a borrowed jacket who stepped forward to pick up the 'Gambit' and the 'Rogue.' Anna smiled cheerfully at the girl as she put both cups into a cup carrier, snug side by side, letting the barista draw her own conclusions.

Checking her watch, she realized she had little time to spare. The meeting would be starting soon. Anna-Marie arrived at the front stoop of The Graymalkin and attempted to juggle the two stacked boxes of pastry with the coffee cups balanced on top. Peering through the dusty glass, she could see Lucas' desk. The guard, however, was nowhere to be seen. Putting the bakery boxes on the step, she opened the door, held it with her foot, then shouldered her way inside bearing her packages.

"Lucas?" she called, her voice echoing in the lobby. There was no answer. Anna peered over his desk. She could see black and white security footage frozen on the three monitors behind the desk. Casting another glance around, she placed her boxes onto the desk, then snuck around to look at the screens for herself.

Anna sat in Lucas' chair and clicked his keyboard. Each of the three monitors was split into quadrants, depicting the stairwell landing of each floor. The nearby laptop displayed the lobby, the central courtyard, and an empty darkened space that might have once been a ballroom. Chairs had been arranged in rows in the ballroom, probably for the building meeting.

The three monitors were still, free of movement. From the timestamp on the bottom corner of each screen, she could see the footage had been paused in the very early hours of the morning. Anna-Marie leaned close to study each quadrant. The stairwells were empty, save for one. It was the twelfth floor, the one that Emma lived on. There was only one flight higher, to the corner turret leading to Xavier's penthouse. The figure captured from behind was definitely not Emma or Xavier, but a large man with ragged blond hair. Anna unpaused the video feed and watched as the man circled the turning in the staircase and disappeared to the floor above. Anna's eyes looked at the other monitors, but there appeared to be no camera on the top floor. The man's features were blurred in the grainy footage, but even from his rough appearance, Anna felt she didn't recognize him. What business did he have up on Xavier's floor anyway? Perhaps this was the reason Lucas had left to speak with Xavier.

Jiggling the mouse, she searched for the controls to forward and reverse the footage. Anna rewound the footage to see the man reverse down the staircase. He descended several flights before arriving at the ninth floor to disappear through the doorway. Anna felt a chill. The man had stopped on her floor. Was this the man who had entered her apartment? Anna forwarded the footage, then slowed it to watch the man reappear on the landing. The large man had stopped, raised his head and cast about for direction, as if scenting the air. He bared his teeth in a grimace. Anna-Marie was very glad she had not run into this guy at night, or any other time of day.

Forwarding and reversing the footage and studying the various feeds told her nothing about how this mystery man had gained access to the building. He never appeared in the lobby, courtyard, or public access ways. Anna rewound the footage back several hours, searching. She spotted herself and Remy on the landing, Remy leaning drunkenly into Anna's side. There was the encounter with the girl, Katherine, Remy had said her name was. Anna and Remy continued up the staircase. A few moments later, Katherine returned and threw open the seventh floor doorway before charging through it. Anna felt victorious, her suspicions about the jealous girl were confirmed. Katherine was clearly in a snit and looked like a woman on a mission. She must have entered Remy's apartment using the key Anna had forgotten there, then set to demolishing his few belongings. Anna-Marie continued to rewind the footage, reviewing the night's events. She spied Scott several times, ascending and descending the staircase. No wonder the man was exhausted. It also appeared that Emma had paid him a visit in his offices, dressed to kill. Anna's eyebrows raised: late night for Scott, she thought with a smile. Anna saw Scott and Lucas in the lobby, both helping clean up the fallen ceiling tiles from Remy's tumble from the ladder. She saw herself again, emerging into the stairwell for her appointment with Xavier. Anna slowed the footage to watch herself weave unsteadily down the staircase to the seventh floor. Anna did not remember deciding to go to Remy's apartment, but she seemed to instinctively seek him out in her addled state. Anna paused the footage again when she spotted Cecelia leaving for work. Anna watched as Cecelia stepped onto the stairwell and took the stairs downwards. She followed her descent, but it seemed Cecelia did not stop on Remy's floor, as Anna had expected. Anna was confused; didn't Cece drop off painkillers at Remy's apartment? Remy wouldn't lie about where he'd obtained the drugs, would he?

A flash of light fell over her as the front doors to the lobby opened. A man with a leather satchel over his shoulder and a harried expression on his face approached the front desk. Caught in the act, Anna-Marie instinctively began to rise from behind the desk, but then thought that might look suspicious. She sat herself back down as if she belonged there. The man approached her.

When Anna failed to greet the man, he prompted: "I have a delivery…?" He looked at his clipboard and frowned. "For a LeBeau? Remy LeBeau? …That can't be right. That sounds made up."

"Oh!" Anna-Marie started. "No, that's right. He's on seven. I can take it."

The courier looked over Anna's clothing and a pensive look crossed his features. She certainly wasn't dressed like a security guard in her teeshirt, jeans, and borrowed jacket.

"Our guard is on break," she told the courier apologetically. "I'm the receptionist. Usually in the back."

The man was nodding as he unbuckled his leather bag. "Right. I'll need you to sign this." He handed her his electronic clipboard along with a small brown envelope. Anna scribbled her name in the space, only belatedly realizing she'd written her real name and not her alias. When she returned the clipboard, her smile was wooden.

The courier studied the clipboard. "Is that 'Anna-Marie Adler'?" he asked as he began typing out her name.

"Uhm…"

"Thanks, got it," the courier said, already departing. "Have a good one."

"Shoot," Anna muttered, watching him go. She looked at the small brown parcel. These must be the drives with the patient files. Anna slit open the envelope and looked inside. There were five small thumb drives nestled in the bottom. A small folded note included in the package read: Knowing you, the reward will be well worth the risk. Anna tucked the parcel into the interior pocket of her borrowed coat, wondering who they could trust with this information: her mother, Xavier, or the man in gray. Anna-Marie hoped the note's sentiments were right, that whomever they wagered on was the winning bet.


Next time: Remy is in a bit of a bind.

A/N: I had to write up the next three chapters because a lot of stuff happens at once and I am hoping I didn't forget anything in the process. I ended up having to chop the end off this chapter and move it to another one to make the story have better flow, so I'm glad I didn't post it earlier. In retrospect, there's a lot of stuff I would go back and change/tighten up. Hope when I'm done all the questions are answered. I saw ff . net acting weird and I don't trust it anymore. I've saved my old stories and deleted a few. I think after this story is done, I'll only be on AO3 from now on.

Thanks everyone for your reviews and notes. I really appreciate the encouragement. Thanks too, to my guest reviewer. I'm glad you think my stories are funny, and I'm not just sitting here cracking myself up. :)