Disclaimer: Is it normal for a disclaimer to be baring its teeth and wielding a sword in one hand and a 'Die Author, Die' banner in the other?

A/N: Yes! I finally finished editing those damn write-ups. After SO very long. Man, I was about ready to jam my own pencil into my eye rather than read one more of those evil, evil creations! I even went on a week-long road trip with a couple of my friends and I had to bring those stupid things with me! If I ever see another write-up again, I swear it will be too soon...

So anyway, shoutouts time! You might wanna borrow a chainsaw from ishandahalf. This may take a while... ; )

~ vagabond, Lucky439, T., LinkinPark4ever, Nina, TrinityC, V, Sakura Scout, Sujakata, Jean1, girlonthem00n, Rupeshwari, , The Green Goddess, Kanshisha Tenshi, Alwaysright, Bunny Angel, Wishful Thinking, lovelyaceinthehole - (Man, try saying all that in one breath! : ) Thanks for the words of encouragement! And as always, all death threats and wishes of pain and injury to my person will be transferred to my muse. (He upgraded his suit of armor recently, so he should be good for the next couple of chapters...)

~ An Underpaid Critic - I love your screen name! If I could get away with it, I'd probably steal it right out from under you! : ) I know what you mean about the flashbacks and Remy's POV; I had the same concerns back when I was planning Chapter 1. The thing is, I needed Susanne to explain why they had to leave New Orleans - Remy was only 7 at the time and wouldn't really know the specific details of it all - and I wanted to show Marie's side of the story as well. And in order to do that, I needed their perspectives to shine through - even though it's Remy who's doing the reminiscing. Hey, if they can do it in movies then I can do it in fanfiction! ; )

~ Disturbed Courtney - *looks on innocently* You say I'm evil like it's a bad thing... ; ) Forgot to hit the blue button before you left, huh? That got me laughing! : )

~ ishandahalf - 1) I know! Bill Gates should've figured out how to send stuff through emails by now! I mean, they can do it on Star Trek... : ) 2) Actually, the machete broke in half. Nearly took my head off with it, too. 3) Hmm... Lord of the Flies... If you ask me that whole movie was disturbing. We had to analyze it for one of our college classes. I'm sorry, but I hate that movie. It freaks the hell out of me, especially that part when they accidentally kill one of their own... *shudder* 4) I'm a Cookies 'N Cream kind of girl myself, but anything having to do with cookies and ice cream works for me! 5) So I didn't make your March 7 deadline but you're off in Europe anyway so you can't kill me... oh, you're back...? *gulp!*... Did you find a Remy lookalike over there? You did, didn't you? You did and now you don't want to share! *starts rummaging through suitcases* C'mon! Where did you stash him?!

~ Randirogue - I'll have to try that thing with the update list you were talking about. That is, if I ever work on more than one story at a time. I try and complete one before developing another because I'm afraid I might abandon a fic right in the middle. I can't give in to those fluffy plot bunnies... and all those nice, fresh ideas they keep pelting me with. *bunny dangles idea teasingly in front of face* No, dammit! I have to be strong! : )

~ Christy S - I thought we were all "positively bonkers" already? ; )

~ Bitchy Little Pixy - Ooh! The history of The Lord of the Rings book set. Wow... Learn anything interesting? : )

~ Eileen Blazer - You actually did review this chapter before. But far be it from me to complain about getting an extra review! ; ) *curtsies formally* I thank you for both, madam... : )

~ missy42, jelispar - Lots of questions in your last reviews... Guess how many of them I can answer... ; ) Hey, you would keep your mouth shut too if you had the bunnies breathing down your neck! On other notes... missy... reliable directions? From a dragon? I don't see how that can work... (Btw, just to let you know, Draco did hear that. I hope you've brushed up on your dragon-slaying techniques... ; ) And jelispar... rallying the troops to strike against me? I'm shocked... speechless! I don't know what to say! ... Can I join too? ; )

~ Flitz - Hmm... Raven... interesting... *quick conference with plot bunnies. Scratching and hissing ensues. Returns with a bandaged arm* Yeah, that would be a 'No comment' on that front... : )

~ Marvel - "Disney is the devil." *gasp!* No! Say it ain't so! I'm a Mouse-House baby! Loyal to the last Mickey ear! I have plans of living in the Happiest Place on Earth! ... It was the duck, wasn't it? Donald's got a temper that would make Ursula the sea-witch blush! Seriously, I don't know what Daisy sees in him... : ) Well, the plot of the story is already planned out so even if you did ask me to do something different it'd be hard to squeeze it in. The bunnies have been controlling the show thus far and I don't think they have plans of relinquishing that control any time soon... ; )

~ SLH - Wow, someone else who's brave enough to tread through all this A/N nonsense! You are a brave soul, my friend. : )

~ Cris-X - LOL! Your review had me laughing! I'd do the same thing if there was some ice cream in front of me! : )

~ Kia Purity - Ooh! More Chibi Gambit plushies! *sets collection all in a line and starts counting* Now I have the one in his cool original costume... the one in his Xtreme costume... the one in the lame 'Assassination Game' costume with the weird red bandana around his neck... But hey, it's still Remy and we love him - even though that was the most hideous costume I have ever had the misfortune of laying eyes on... ; )

~ Marie - Go ahead! Leave your job! Hunt me down! I dare ya! ... uhh, you're not actually going to do that, are you? ; )

*wipes brow* Phew! Would you look at that... we actually survived!

CHAPTER 6
No One Understood

It wasn't the first time he'd seen the inside of the police station.

Remy LeBeau had been in and out of the one-story building more times than he could count. It was like a second principal's office for him. But he had never been inside one of the jail cells before. He was beginning to wonder if anybody really had. Hazard wasn't exactly the crime capital of Nebraska. That much was evident by the size of the town's jailhouse. The entire floor area was only slightly bigger than Remy's home. The two holding cells were located in the farthest corner from the door, directly across from the deputy's desk. The sheriff's office was at the opposite end, the only section of the room that provided any privacy.

The cot he was perched on was uncomfortable. Not that he took much notice of it. In fact, everything else in the building seemed to fade away into silence. The footsteps of the deputy moving about the area, the scratchy sound of the old radio in the corner, the persistent drip of a leaky faucet, the inebriated mumblings of the town drunk – all were lost to him. His eyes were glued to the clear plastic bag sitting on the desk a few feet away… and the contents within.

A single silver chain.

Marie's necklace.

They'd found it by the river, some ways from their cove, caked with dirt, as if someone had unknowingly ground it into the mud with the bottom of a shoe.

They'd found the necklace, but they hadn't found her. They hadn't found Marie.

From what he could understand, they had no idea where she was or what had happened to her. But for some reason, they thought he did.

He'd remained silent on the way to the station. Though he'd never been arrested before, he wasn't stupid enough to go shooting off his mouth and perhaps getting himself into even deeper trouble than he was already in.

When they'd stepped down from the sheriff's vehicle, life on Main Street seemed to have stopped. All eyes were focused on Remy's form being lead into the jailhouse, escorted by the two law enforcers... silver handcuffs clinging to his wrists.

The townsfolk didn't even think twice. His guilt was decided before he even set foot in the building.

- oOo -

"For God's sake, Marie, you're not even paying attention to the game."

Marie jumped as a hand waved in front of her face. She shooed it away irritably. "What're you talkin' about, Lauren? Ah'm watchin'."

"Then how come you've stayed glued to that spot while the rest of us have been screaming our heads off whenever the school team makes a touchdown?"

"Well, somebody's gotta stay sane in all this craziness," Marie replied, as the crowd around them erupted into another round of roaring cheers. The chaotic vibrations from all the foot stomping and hand clapping were jarring through her system. It felt like her backside was perched on a bass-shaking speaker rather than the bleachers of a neighboring town's football field.

"What's up with you, anyway?" Lauren asked, as the people around them settled back into their seats. She leaned in closer and whispered, "It's Remy, isn't it?"

"It's not Remy."

"Yes, it is."

Marie glared at her friend. "Yoah way off base, Lauren."

"Am I now? Well then, where is he? How come he's not here?"

Marie shrugged. "He's not much o' a football fan."

"I know that. The whole school knows that. But he shows up anyway, to every game, because you like them."

"That's not th' reason why he comes."

Lauren raised a questioning eyebrow, but let the comment go. "You two still fighting?"

"We are not fightin'," Marie answered defensively.

"Well, what would you call it then?" Lauren took a sip of the cold drink in her hand. "Something's definitely up with you guys. Everybody's noticed it. You used to be joined at the hip. But for some reason, you're all awkward around him now, almost as if you'd like to run in the other direction whenever he's around. What happened?"

"You really got th' whole psychological analysis thing down pat, don'tcha, L? Maybe you should think about majorin' in that, come college time."

"You're sidestepping the issue."

"An' yoah creatin' one that ain't there."

"Argh! That does it!" Lauren hissed. She took hold of Marie's hand and yanked the other girl to her feet. "Let's go." Excusing themselves through the crowd, they made their way down the bleachers and toward the parking lot.

"Where are we goin'?" asked Marie when they had climbed into Lauren's jeep. "Th' game's not over yet."

"We're heading home. Clearly, you aren't paying attention to the game. And frankly, watching Josh strut around, showing off for you isn't as much fun if you don't even notice him doing it."

"He wasn't showin' off fo' me."

Lauren rolled her eyes. "Honey, he nearly pulled a hamstring in that last quarter. I could see Coach Riley tearing into his hide on the sidelines for sashaying around like a peacock."

Marie tried unsuccessfully to suppress her laughter. The thought in itself was flattering, but the image of the popular quarterback embarrassing himself in public was simply too funny to ignore. "Really?"

Her friend nodded. "You should let him down already. Tell him that someone else has taken over your heart."

Marie stared at her in surprise. "What are you talkin' about? Brian an' Ah have been over fo' months now – "

"Not Brian, you loon." Lauren stole a glance at the other girl from the corner of her eye. "Remy."

"What?! Are you crazy? He's mah best friend!"

"Who you happen to like."

"Ah do not!"

"Then why wouldn't you set him up with Pamela like she asked you to?"

"Ah tried! He said he didn' trust mah matchmakin' skills."

"More like he's in love with you."

"Yoah talkin' out o' yoah ass again, Lauren," Marie said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Ah don' even know where yoah gettin' all this."

"Hey, watch the mouth, preacher's kid." She maneuvered the jeep through a right turn. "And I have two eyes, you know. I see things."

"Or yoah jus' imaginin' things. Remy an' Ah are friends. That's it."

"Man, you're stubborn. When you're in denial, you really take it to the next level, don't you?"

"Ah don' wanna talk about this anymore," Marie stated, staring at the scenery passing by her window.

"Fine by me. You can sit there and listen while I talk."

"Lauren – "

"Hush!" she scolded, sitting up straighter in the driver's seat. "You're going to hear this, unless you want to jump out of a moving vehicle. I was kind of hoping you'd get it on your own, but apparently you need things spelled out for you. Remy. Is. In. Love. With. You."

"You were dropped on yoah head as a child, weren't you?"

"You know, I have half a mind to commit suicide right now by driving us over a cliff," Lauren growled in frustration. "Unfortunately for me, there aren't any cliffs handy at the moment." She shot another glance in her friend's direction. "Girl, why're you trying so hard to convince me that you don't like Remy in that way? And why don't you want to tell me what happened between you two?"

Marie's shoulders sank in defeat before she uttered softly, "How come yoah so sure somethin' happened with us?"

"Because I haven't been able to get rid of you for the past couple of weeks."

"Excuse me?"

A smile colored Lauren's features. "I don't mean that in a bad way. We have our moments. It's just that, when you and him were tight, I hardly got to see you. And when I did see you, Remy wasn't that far behind." She pulled onto the bridge that marked the entrance of their town. "And now all of a sudden we're hanging, without the Cajun counterpart. It kind of makes a person wonder, you know?"

When she didn't respond, Lauren sighed heavily. "You really don't want to talk about it, do you? Fine. I'll drop it." She parked the jeep along Main Street. "You want to get some fries over at the diner?"

"No, not really," Marie replied, as she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed down from the vehicle. "Can we jus' walk instead?"

Lauren agreed, but was soon smirking as they strolled down the deserted streets. "You don't want to go to the diner because there's a possibility Remy's there."

Marie snorted. This was Lauren's idea of 'dropping' the topic? Five minutes hadn't even passed and she was back on the subject of Remy.

"You don' quit, do you?" she demanded. "Why do you care? You don' even like Remy all that much."

"I know. Nobody in this town does." She sensed her friend stiffening next to her. "I'm sorry, Marie, but it's not like you didn't know that already. Remy's kind of the black sheep of the town."

"More like th' scapegoat, with th' way folks accuse him o' things that aren't even his doin'."

"Well, you can't really blame everyone for being scared of him. Not with what he can do," Lauren added in a hurried whisper.

Marie wanted to roll her eyes. She couldn't believe that after all these years, people still spoke of Remy's mutant powers like they were some dirty little secret that shouldn't be discussed in 'civil' conversations. It was absolutely ridiculous.

"You know, Ah'm a mutant too."

Lauren waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, but that's different. You're Reverend Johnson's daughter."

And there it was. The sad truth of it all. Remy had been living in Hazard for more than half of his life, but he was still an outcast. Marie had moved into town only a few years before. But because she was a preacher's daughter, her mutancy wasn't an issue. The injustice of the situation brought tears to her eyes.

"Ah don' understand you, L," she said, using her hand to shade herself from the afternoon sun. "Yoah scared stiff o' Remy, you freely admit you don' like him that much, an' yet yoah pushin' me ta confess that Ah have feelin's fo' him."

"So, you're saying that you do have feelings for him?" Lauren asked slyly.

"Now who's sidesteppin' th' issue?"

"All right," she relented, stopping to sit on the bench outside the local barbershop. The streets were all but empty, with most of the town cheering on the high school team at the game. "I never said I was scared of him... Well, not scared,scared. I think he's an okay guy, fun to hang out with and everything. But I don't want to get too close to him. He still makes me nervous, knowing what he can do. Did you know he made a couple of trees blow up when he was younger?" She snapped her fingers. "Just like that. One big pile of smoke and ash. It makes you wonder if he can do the same to people."

"Remy wouldn't do that."

Lauren shrugged. "Maybe." She crossed her legs and leaned back against the bench. "I don't know, Marie... You're kind of like a guarantee that he won't do anything funny." At the questioning expression on the other girl's face, she explained, "Before you showed up, Remy was pretty much a loner. The only interaction we had with him was in school. But other than that, there wasn't much. All the adults would tell us to keep our distance... just to be safe.

"But then you came along. Everybody was shocked that you'd befriended him, and right off the bat too. People figured that it was because you hadn't heard the stories yet. But even after you were told everything, you still continued with your friendship. I think everyone relaxed a bit then, seeing as you were spending all this time with him and nothing bad was happening to you. So, we started to warm up to him a bit – but just a bit. Most kids our age won't approach him unless you're around."

Marie could only stare in disbelief. That was insane. Completely and utterly insane. It was one of the stupidest pieces of logic that she had ever heard. Did the folks in Hazard think that she was some kind of magical medallion that could somehow keep Remy in check?

"What about Susanne?" she asked Lauren. "Or Maggie or Jim? They've all been around Remy a lot longer than Ah have, an' nothin' happens ta them."

"Well, Susanne's his mother. I think it's safe to say that he isn't going to do anything to his own mother. And Margaret has always been a little on the eccentric side. If she wants to deal with the devil, no one could convince her otherwise." She turned to Marie. "But if you look closely enough, you'll see that even Jim is wary of him. I'm pretty sure he was having doubts about hiring Remy at the garage."

Marie frowned. Though she didn't want to admit it, Lauren's words did have a ring of truth to them. There were times when a hint of caution seemed to creep into Jim' s eyes, but she had always passed it off as her imagination. If Jim Travis had any reservations about being around Remy, he hid it well behind a polite and amiable demeanor.

"You still haven't answered mah question," she said. "Why are you so curious about mah relationship with Remy?"

"You're my friend, Marie," Lauren responded. "I'm forever curious about your relationships. Besides, you and Remy are best friends. Best friends always make the best lovers."

Marie heard the words, but found them hard to believe. "That's not it," she declared, forcing Lauren to make eye contact with her. "At least, that's not all o' it. There's somethin' you ain't tellin' me..."

Lauren wanted to squirm in her seat. She hated it when Marie turned on her with that icy green glare. It was as if all the heavens above were demanding the truth out of her, and they would immediately know if a lie passed over her lips.

"You... you don't know what you're saying. Can't I just think that you two would make a nice couple?"

"See that," Marie pointed listlessly at the girl beside her, "that jus' gave you away, right there. That pause. Now Ah know there's somethin' more."

"Marie – "

"Ah want ta know, Lauren," she said sternly, leaving no room for argument.

Her friend sighed. "All right... but don't get mad. Promise?" She refused to go any further without Marie's confirming nod. Once she had it, after several reluctant moments, Lauren continued. "Some people think it would be a good idea for you and Remy to get together because you're kind of... 'God-guarded.' Being a reverend's child, he can't hurt you. And you could keep him out of trouble."

"Out o' trouble?"

"You know," she made a rotating gesture with her hand, "maybe if he were happy with you, he wouldn't be so much of a town problem."

"Ah see." The way in which she drew out the sentence made it seem longer, and more menacing, than it actually was. "So, Ah'm th' 'solution' ta th' town's 'problem.'" The bite in her voice was unmistakable.

Lauren shook her head, emitting a soft 'tsk, tsk' sound. "See, I knew you'd get upset."

No, she wasn't upset. She was furious. Not only did they brand Remy an outcast, they were now trying to essentially 'marry him off' to the preacher's daughter. As Lauren had put it earlier, she was their guarantee that he wouldn't do anything "funny." After all, a devil's flame couldn't singe an angel's wings, could it?

It would've been so easy to hate Lauren in that moment, to get up from the barbershop bench and storm off in a huff. But Marie knew it wouldn't solve anything. She could walk away from Lauren and her twisted views, but she would just run into someone else in town whose thoughts were exactly the same. The narrow barriers of prejudice were next to impossible to break down.

Knowing her friend's true point of view cemented Marie's decision to keep her feelings for Remy to herself – as chaotic and confusing as they were. She no longer felt comfortable talking about it with Lauren, even though she was Marie's closest friend after Remy.

But if Ah did tell her, what would Ah say?she wondered, squeezing her eyes shut against the sunlight. Would Ah tell her that Remy kissed me?

Just thinking about it brought a shiver up her spine. She could almost feel the soft pressure of his lips, his tongue slipping into her mouth, slyly meeting with her own. If she had allowed it, a small whimper would have escaped her throat. The memory was still so vivid in her mind.

Would Ah tell Lauren how absolutely beautiful it was? How perfect an' sweet. Straight out o' a Hollywood movie.She frowned slightly. Complete with a Hollywood plot twist, too. Ah still haven't been able ta figure out what that kiss meant. Was it jus' Remy goofin' around an' showin' me how good he was at stealin'? Or were there actual feelin's behind it?

Inwardly, she sighed. Lauren wasn't kiddin' when she said Ah've been wantin' ta run in th' other direction ev'ry time Ah'm in th' same room with Remy. It's like Ah don' know how ta act around him anymore, an' that scares me.She mentally growled in frustration. What in th' world is th' matter with me? One li'l kiss an' Ah'm over-analyzin' ev'rythin'! Ah am so close ta kickin' a particular Cajun's backside fo' causin' me so much trouble.

Marie tried to calm herself, attempting to face the problem that had plagued her for the past several weeks. But maybe Ah wouldn't have had this much trouble if Ah didn' feel somethin' fo' him. If Ah didn'... love him ta a certain extent?The more the thought swirled around in her brain, the more she felt pulled to believe it. That couldn't be it... could it?

Before she could answer her own perplexing question, she heard the distinct sound of hard footfall pounding against the concrete. Her eyes flew open to see Jacob, a fellow junior in their high school, running furiously down Main Street.

As he was about to pass them, Lauren called out, "What's the matter, Jake?"

The tall, sandy-haired boy skidded to a halt when he heard her, almost surprised to see them back in town. His eyes were wild, seemingly scared, as he fought for breath.

"D... doc..." he panted, clutching at his chest. He squinted his eyes as the lack of oxygen caught up with him.

Marie rose from the bench and, stepping off of the sidewalk, joined him on the street. "Take it easy, sugah. Get some air first before you try ta talk."

Jake shook his head frantically. He grabbed her upper arms, tightening his grip and giving her a slight shake, as if the gesture would help him regain his ability to speak faster.

"Doc... Doctor Russell?" he managed to rasp out. "... game?"

Both girls stared at him in confusion.

"What?" asked Lauren. Two seconds later, it dawned on her. "Is he at the game?" Jake nodded, releasing his grip on Marie. "I didn't see him. He's probably in his office."

"What's goin' on?" Marie put in before he had the chance to take off. "What happened?"

He shook his head again, as if to say he didn't have the time to explain. "Need... to find him..."

"Jake!" Marie yelled, as he continued on his race to the clinic.

He looked over his shoulder long enough to shout, "Market!" before rushing down the street.

With a raised eyebrow, Lauren turned to Marie. "What the hell was that about?"

"Ah don' know," she replied, wondering what could possibly be happening at the general store that would make such a commotion. "We should take a look. Maybe we could help somehow."

The two friends set off in the direction Jake had come from. As they were passing the garage, still several feet from the market, Marie tried to keep her gaze away. But something managed to catch her eye. A wrench was lying just outside the main entrance. It was difficult to see really, nearly blending in perfectly with the dull gray of the concrete flooring, but every now and then the sun would shine off the metal surface. What surprised her the most was that it was even there. Jim was particular about his tools. He liked them all present and accounted for. To see one lying out of place, and technically outside of the garage, was cause for a second glance.

Remy said he'd be workin' t'day. That's why he didn' come ta th' game.

"Marie!" Lauren called. She was a number of feet away, and obviously annoyed that the other girl had stopped.

Why would he need ta bring a wrench outside, when all th' work ta be done is inside? Marie's eyes widened as a thought suddenly struck her. Oh mah God! Remy! Somethin' must've happened ta him. He must've rushed out o' th' garage inna hurry an' dropped th' wrench!

She turned back and made for the direction of the general store with renewed vigor, overtaking Lauren in the process. Marie could hear her friend's protests at being left behind, but she no longer cared. She had to get to Remy and make sure that he was all right.

Although the distance between the garage and the store was short – not more than a handful of buildings in between – it might as well have been the Grand Canyon to Marie. She felt like she was running in slow motion with leaded shoes. Each step was a painful reminder that she was not quite there yet. As she ran, she could hear the blood throbbing in her ears, sweat forming at her brow, and then trickling down her face. There had been only one time in her young life when she had prayed as hard as she was doing at that moment.

Finally arriving at the front of the store, she vaulted over the few steps to the entrance. Bolting past the open doorway, she was greeted by what looked like an empty shop. She peered over the shelves to the back of the large area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the familiar russet locks. Voices to her left caught her ear. She rushed down several aisles, only to be met by a small crowd of women blocking her path. She forced her way to the front of the group, and then came to a dead stop.

Remy was there, looking wild-eyed and weary. Next to him was Mr. Ryan, the owner of the market.

Together, they were frantically administering CPR to an unconscious Susanne.


* Yes, I know. I'm a mean little writer. It's been about six weeks since I last updated. Real Life was holding me hostage, I tell you! And unfortunately no one was willing to post bail... But hey, look at the timing! Today's my birthday! *does little birthday dance* No one gets to say I look stupid because I got birthday rights!

* Hi to everyone on the HIT LIST! I love saying that. It makes me sound like a gangster or something... Damn! I didn't just say that! Now everyone'll know that I'm part of the Fanfiction mafia! Not that that really matters considering I'm both the founder and sole member of the organization... but still! ... Man, I need to get me some people. It's sad when you're the only person in your organized crime ring... ; )

* If you want to be added to the Hit List/Update List, just leave your email on the Review Board! : ) See you in the next six weeks! Just kidding... I hope... : )