Sweet Little Lies

Trish Tilby's office

Dark Beast had to admit that he'd never have thought of Remy's plan, instead he'd have simply killed Trish. Killed her just like all those other friends and acquaintances of Hank's. One more death of a woman that Hank loved dearly might well have been enough to break him and McCoy would have enjoyed the murder. This however was likely to hurt Hank just as much and he was enjoying himself immensely. Yes Remy's plan, to disguise himself as Hank, visit Trish in her office and pretend to be him that he would have thought of. Telling her how much he'd been thinking of her, flirting with her while at the same time seeming vulnerable and in need of comfort. That he wouldn't have thought off. The kiss had seemed to come naturally, he pictured Emma Frost in her mind and that made it easy.

He didn't force her, let her make the first moves and he acted like a perfect gentleman. He knew this wouldn't be rape, he'd be gentle, tender, just like Hank himself, let her choose it and make it as pleasurable as possible for her. He'd pretended mild shock at her suggestion, let her slowly talk him into it and in the end he'd shrugged his massive shoulders and agreed.

"Are you sure that this is what you want Trish?" he'd asked her that many times.

"Yes I am Hank," had been the reply every time.

In the end he was just holding her, cradling her gently in his arms as she sighed with pleasure and very gently stroked the soft blue fur. McCoy had surprised himself with how easy it came to him being gentle, tender. He'd thought of the only woman he'd ever felt tender towards Emma Frost, imagined that Trish was her and it had come so easily. Evidently Trish had also enjoyed it as she gave him a spontaneous and rather passionate kiss, she seemed surprised so obviously she seldom kissed the real Hank like this. Well that made it even better; he'd wanted the experience to be as pleasurable as possible for her.

McCoy couldn't resist a grin; oh this was going to break Hank's heart when he found out. It must be so much worse to find that the woman you love has slept with a monster and never realized the difference, never mind enjoyed the experience so much. Far crueler than simply killing her, yes he could have killed her, could kill her now but he wouldn't. Instead after putting his clothes back on he embraced her again very gently and kissed her tenderly on the cheek.

"I'm afraid I'll have to get back now dear but I'm glad we had this time together Trish. Perhaps you could give me a call later and we could maybe arrange to do lunch together?"

"I'd love that Hank; you know I think that was the best we've ever had together. You're so gentle and tender, you really know how to make a woman feel loved," she was smiling.

"I'm glad you think so, goodbye Trish."

Smiling he adjusted his image inducers and walked out the office door, Trish's last loving gaze leaving him feeling somewhat warm and fuzzy inside. If she only knew the truth, still she'd never know how close she might have come to death that day. Better for her sake to let her believe the sweet little lie that the man she loved had paid her a surprise visit. Sooner or later Hank would know the truth and it would break him. McCoy smiled, really everybody was a winner, Remy got a little payback on the X-Men, he got to hurt Hank and Trish had just spent a very pleasant half hour.

"Well curse my stars and garters, I really am a bad boy," chuckled Hank.

A rooftop not too far away

Rogue was alone now and she could finally let the tears come with no one around to see her grief. Nate had offered to stay around but she'd lied saying that she was fine and that he didn't need to stay with her. He'd sensed the lie of course but nevertheless he'd respected her wishes and left her. He wouldn't be too far away though, he'd come running if he sensed she needed him but he also knew she needed time to come to terms with things on her own. She would come to terms with it wouldn't she? She had turned back regretting her decision after she'd left him but she'd seen no sign of him. She even thought she'd heard his voice in her head telling her to leave him that he didn't want to be saved. Had it been though that he'd already collapsed, she just hadn't looked for him hard enough and was the voice just something her imagination had constructed to try and ease her guilty conscience? It was strange that her guilt seemed to have been growing recently, and the feeling that Remy had somehow escaped and returned but that he'd changed.

"Oh Remy ah'm sorry and ah think ah'll always be sorry fer the rest of mah life. If I never see yah again, even when I'm old and gray ah'm going tah miss yah and I reckon ah 'll cry mahself tah sleep every night with mah guilt."

If she closed her eyes she could still see him, those red on black eyes glittering and that easy grin of his. He'd always claimed to love her but she'd never been able to bring herself to entirely believe him. She knew he could lie, tell you what you wanted to hear, charm you with that gaze of his and beguile you with pretty words. He would and had used women in the past, charming them and even loving them before in the end abandoning them after stealing their hearts. Belladonna, Genevieve, Candra, all had been either victims or enemies and she'd clashed with Candra many times. Still she knew now that she'd been the exception, the one woman he'd ever really loved and that he would never have betrayed her. She'd been the one who'd been false and betrayed him, too afraid to fully commit, too frightened to be touched let alone kissed. He'd told her so many times that he'd be willing to take the consequences just to kiss her once. Then in the end she'd betrayed him and left him to die,

"All mah fault, ah abandoned yah, all mah fault, forgive me Remy, ah'm sorry, forgive me Remy, ah love yah."

A predator lay crouched observing her, growling a little and nodding to himself in satisfaction. He recognized this woman, the white streak was very distinctive and he took a moment to admire her beauty. She was the woman Remy had loved; Rogue would be the way he would get to Remy and in turn to Dark Beast. Listening to her talk it was plain she was eaten up by guilt about him; he could use that and make her a pawn in his scheme. He quickly constructed a story in his head, that Remy was being controlled by the Dark Beast and that she could help to save him. She'd desperately want to believe and she'd fall for it hook line and sinker and he'd have gained a powerful ally to use against Remy. It didn't feel right using the woman like that but you did what you had to in his line of work. Puma wouldn't enjoy this but he'd do it to get the job done, only after the job was over could he allow himself the luxury of regret.

"Excuse me miss, I heard you crying and I wondered what the matter was. May I help you in some way?" asked Puma trying hard to keep the growl from his tone.

He gently reached out with his hand to touch her shoulder, offer her comfort and she flinched away. Puma cursed, he should have turned back to human form.

"Please, I didn't mean to frighten you, I may look fierce but I'm not going to hurt you. Look my name is Thomas Fireheart or Puma for obvious reasons; I'm usually one of the good guys,"

Rogue managed to give him a weak smile, actually she wasn't frightened off him at all and he kind of reminded her of Beast and Wolverine. The eyes were fierce but look close enough and there was some warmth in them, anyway who was she to judge by appearances. After all mutants were regarded as monsters by most people and this man seemed to be simply concerned.

"Ah'm sorry if ah seemed tah be frightened of yah, ah'm not but ah can't touch or be touched. If ah do I'd absorb yah memories and put yah in a coma. Ah certainly wouldn't want tah do that to a gentleman like yah,"

"You cannot touch, that's truly a tragedy for a woman as beautiful as you. Would it be alright to touch you without contacting skin? It would, there,"

He knelt beside her and placed a hand gently on her shoulder. Rogue smiled genuinely this time; he seemed just like Hank, furry with fangs and claws but gentle, compassionate. He seemed content just to sit by her and listen. Soon she found herself opening up to him, telling him about her guilt while he just listened taking in everything she said. He nodded sympathetically at all the right points and hugged her when she needed it and all the time he was condemning himself for using her like this.

McCoy's apartment

"I'm glad you brought me with you Wolvy, hey why are you glaring at me like that?" asked Marrow.

"I'd prefer it if ya didn't call me Wolvie, the only women allowed ta call me that are Kitty, Jubilee, Rogue and a couple of others. Ya can call me Logan but ya ain't going ta call me by that again, don't pretend yer closer ta me than ya really are. I ain't forgot the things ya did ta those folk so don't ya go snuggling up ta me do ya hear?" growled Logan unsheathing his claws.

Marrow flinched and backed away heading back into the kitchen to talk with Remy. Logan shook his head, angry with himself for lashing out at her. He'd just snapped let his temper get the better of him again, too much turmoil inside him from all those mixed emotions. He felt guilt for his part in leaving a team member behind in the Antarctic and anger with Scott, Ororo and the others for their hypocrisy. Then he was having doubts about whether he was doing the right thing, it felt honorable to stay with Remy and make sure he was alright but associating with a person like McCoy left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"I know you've got doubts but believe me Logan, you've got nothing to be ashamed off. Scott and Ororo are the ones who should be ashamed, it's alright for them, the pretty mutants and the ones so blindly devoted to the dream. The rebels though like you and Remy and the not so pretty ones like Marrow, they won't stand by them will they?"

Logan growled at Mastermind, he didn't trust her an inch and her sympathy only served to arouse his suspicion. She chuckled at him and stroked his cheek, immediately his mind was filled with the illusion of a peaceful forest glade, deer drinking from a gently flowing stream, dappled light under the tall trees. Despite himself Logan found himself relaxing, the feral side soothed and the human side fully in control. As Martinique smiled benignly he found himself smiling back.

"Uh thanks I guess darlin," muttered Logan uncertainly.

"You're welcome Logan. Word to the wise, nothing is entirely evil or entirely good, remember that," she whispered. Another enigmatic smile and Logan blinked, opening his eyes he saw she was nowhere to be seen.

"Ya know, yer little antics are getting awfully tiring darlin," he growled.

Kitchen

"My Marrow you're even more magnificent than when I first met you. Who would have thought the little girl that Remy rescued so long ago would turn out to be so perfect. Aesthetically displeasing maybe but you're still young. We can teach you to control the production of excess calcium and to withdraw the bones inside your body. You can be beautiful Marrow if that is your wish."

McCoy softened when he saw Marrow smile; he reached out and patted her head. She had always been one of his favorites; he had a fond memory of coming to her when she'd lit the candles as she prepared for her crusade on the world above. Seeing the awe and reverence she held for the 'First One' had inspired him also, told him it was time to stop hiding and start acting. Now she'd returned to her rightful place at his side and with Remy, he'd have the beginnings of a family. Maybe he'd even call them his X-Men.

"Well I'll be going out again in a little while to see what the X-Men think of our first move Remy. Let's see if that brilliant mind of yours can come up with any more devious notions,"

"Oui mon ami, dis Cajun is de best dere is when it comes to guile and cunning. We make quite de pair non?"

"Indeed we do dear boy, indeed we do," chuckled McCoy.

When they were alone again Remy plucked up the courage to ask Marrow the question he'd been trying to put off. Did she blame him; hate him for the Mutant Massacre.

"Remy you know I perhaps should hate you but I don't. We've both done things we regret but then we can't all be perfect like Storm. Anyway you realized your mistake and you saved my life, how could I hate you?"

"Remy glad dat is true chere, "

Xavier Institute for Higher Learning

Hank howled in anger and swung his fist down on the coffee table, shattering it into pieces, ignoring the pain as splinters dug into his skin. He was going to break McCoy's neck if he ever caught him. He threw the armchair across the room imagining it to be McCoy and swung at the walls, smashing his fist into them and leaving a line of jagged cracks. Finally anger spent, he collapsed in a sobbing heap in the center of the now wrecked room. McCoy had been right, Trish had phoned him and he'd only just managed to suppress the gasp of horror he felt when he learnt the truth. He could never tell her what had really happened, had to pretend it was all fine.

"Stars and garters, I'm going to kill McCoy if I ever get my hands on him, it might have been easier if he'd hurt her, this I don't even want to think about."

"Hank it's alright, I'm here and I'll be with you, it's alright," soothed Cecilia hugging him close.

"You know I thought he would have killed her, I mean screwing with her doesn't seem like him Hank," muttered Bobby.

"No it's not like him at all Bobby and I've got a dreadful idea he was acting on someone else's plan."

In the War Room Scott had finished updating Nightcrawler, Colossus and Shadowcat as well as Angel. The latter had come by as soon as he'd heard Remy was involved. All four of them had suffered badly during the Mutant Massacre, Warren had lost his wings, Kitty had become stuck in an intangible state for a very long time and Kurt and Piotr had nearly died from their wounds. All four of them had little love for Remy now they knew the part he'd played but Warren's hatred was all-consuming. Kitty and Kurt had been hit hard when they heard of Logan's apparent betrayal.

"I say we hunt Remy down like the rabid dog that he is. As for Logan, you know I've never been particularly fond of the runt."

"Wolvie wouldn't have done this unless he had a very good reason," protested Kitty.

"That's as maybe but until we prove otherwise Logan has to be counted as an enemy. If we're all agreed let's draw up a plan of action and take the battle to the Dark Beast," declared Scott.

If they'd happened to look out of the window they might have seen the twitch of a furry ear as McCoy's keen hearing picked up Scott's words. McCoy nodded grimly too himself, yellow eyes glinted as fangs were bared in a snarl.

"So that's how you want to play it Scotty boy? Fine, war it is then."

Somewhere in New York

Nate Grey could sense something major was about to happen, he could sense the psychic disturbance, pick up the faint thoughts of something he never thought he'd sense again, that tangible aura of death that surrounded the refugees of the Age of Apocalypse. As far as he knew himself, Dark Beast, Holocaust and Sugar Man were the last survivors. Was it possible that someone else had come through, survived the destruction of that dark twisted reality?

"Ah X-Man you sense it too, well let them be the witnesses of your final destruction at the hands of Holocaust!"

Nate only just managed to dodge the tremendous blast of energy. He wasn't sure how the son of Apocalypse had managed to evade his detection but he wasn't going to give him a second chance. Nate unleashed the full force of his telekinesis, directing it against the powered containment suit that gave life to his enemy. He cracked it a little but that was all. Holocaust laughed and unleashed another of his energy bolts.

"I've beaten you before Holocaust, I was made to destroy your father remember. I can handle you any day," yelled Nate not feeling nearly as gung-ho as he sounded.

"Foolish insect, your boasts belie your fear. It's grueling that I can't take this opportunity to destroy you but she demanded I retrieve you alive. She said nothing about you being undamaged though,"

An energy blast caught Nate in the chest sending him crashing to earth. Groaning he managed to telekinetically shove Holocaust straight into an office block collapsing it on top of him. He doubted it would hold him for long.

"Mr. Creed, I don't believe it, it's X-Man. Come on we've got to get him out of here before Holocaust kills him," called a voice.

"Yer right, Poccy's boy's way outta our league," growled another voice as a massive clawed hand grabbed him and pulled him to safety.

"Blink, Sabretooth?" mumbled Nate in bewilderment.

"Ya got it in one," growled Creed, nodding sardonically.

Yes it was Sabretooth, the one he'd known, feral but with a look of humanity that the Victor Creed of his adopted dimension could never have. It was him right down to the ponytail and his ever-present companion Blink. She was there just as beautiful as ever with her lavender skin and that look of concern in his eyes.

"I bet you're wondering about us, well since we joined the Exiles, yeah I know Vic, long story so we'll have to tell you later. Come on I'll teleport us out of here," said Blink.

Holocaust howled with frustration as his quarry made it's escape, Selene was not going to be at all pleased.