Thanx to: Minnaloushe; Chica De Los Ojos Cafe; untouchablegoth; Guarded Secrets; GothikStrawberry; ishandahalf; PyroManiac; Missy; enchantedlight; xmengirlzrule; Night'sKnight; Spyder616; el diablo; and Stormshadow for reviewing the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I've been forgetting to put this is lately. I don't own Remy, X-men, or anything recognizable. Isn't that the most depressing sentence to write?


Chapter Eleven

Almost-Ex-wives and Other Bad Guys

/Sinister's Lab/ Somewhere in New York/ present time

A man and a woman sat in the laboratory, finalizing their plan. The man reached into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a metallic ring. It was made of a thick metal and appeared to be large enough to fit around a person's wrist.

"The syringe with the sedative and this PDB will be hidden in the limousine. I encourage you to use the sedative as soon as possible. It is imperative that you put the PDB on his wrist after he is unconscious."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Ya on'y told me five times." She picked up the PDB, looking at it from all angles. "What's dis t'ing f'r anyway? Ya int' kinky stuff, cher?" She asked, raising a seductive eyebrow.

He fixed her with a steely glare. "I thought we agreed that I would not question your motives if you didn't question my work?" When the expression on her face didn't change, he let out an exasperated sigh. "It is a PDB, Power Deactivating Bracelet. When a mutant wears it, they are unable to use their powers."

"Couldn' dey jus' take it off?"

"It has to be turned off, or it won't come off their wrist. I possess the only control to turn it off. Are we done playing Twenty Questions?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

The blonde lost her flirtatious air, becoming business-like. "Jus' one more: When do I get m' money?"

He handed her a stack of bills. She carefully counted it, her head turning sharply to stare at him. "Dis is on'y half o' what we agreed. Ya t'ink 'm some dumb blonde dat ya can easily trick?"

"No, I'm just ensuring that I get my end of the bargain. You deliver Mr. LeBeau to me and you will receive the rest of the money."

"Deal. Have de driver ready t' pick me up in an hour." The blonde put the money in her purse and began to walk out the door.

"An hour? What do you need an hour for?"

She turned around and gave her 'boss' a coy smile. "A girl's gotta look her best t' meet her husband."

/Xavier's School for the Gifted/ Bayville, New York/ present time

News of the Police Chief's fate spread like a wildfire through the institute. It was no surprise to anyone when the teachers began to tighten security around the mansion and the grounds. The students were informed that all outings had to be chaperoned and approved by the Professor.

Needless to say, this didn't go over well with most of the student population. Huge as the mansion was, it seemed crowded when everyone was stuck inside.

Resigning to the fact that the wouldn't be able to find a place to be alone, Remy and Rogue agreed to join the large group in the Rec room watching movies. They sat in a chair towards the back of the room, hoping for some privacy.

"Rogue? Will ya color wit' me?" Angie stood in front of her father and his girlfriend, a pleading look on her face.

"Sure, Angie." Rogue looked at Remy as she stood up and mouthed 'sorry.'

Remy watched the two walk off with a wistful expression on his face. I gotta teach dat girl better timin'.

/Later/ Front gate/

The blonde Cajun stared at the mansion, comparing it to her own back in New Orleans. Remy sure got himself some impressive friends. She cocked her head to the side. It's big, but mine back home's bigger. Well, here goes nothin'.

She smoothed her clothes one more time and pushed the intercom button. After several moments of silence, the black box crackled to life. "What do ya want?" The voice was gruff and intimidating, not what she had been expecting. Don't be scared, she chided herself, Ya are de sister o' de head o' de Assassins Guild!

"M' name's Belladonna Boudreaux. 'M here t' see Remy LeBeau."

"Is he expectin' ya?"

"Not exactly." At the voice's hesitation, she decided to throw out the only card she had. "'M his wife."

/Foyer/

Logan stared at the intercom in disbelief. Wife? What is Gumbo not tellin' us?

"Hello? Still dere, cher?"

Logan hesitated, his hand positioned over the reply button. "Yeah. A buzzer is gonna sound and then the gate'll open. Come up to the front door."

He waited several minutes until there was a light knock at the door. The Canadian didn't know what he was expecting, but this girl wasn't it. Her blue eyes and blonde hair gave her an innocent look that contrasted drastically with her outfit. She was wearing a red halter top paired with skintight, black leather pants. She gave him a flirtatious smile and he could smell the desire rolling off her. Guess Scott wasn't far off when he said Angie's mom was a cheap whore.

Bella was doing her own evaluation. Cute, but too old. Pity. "So, can I see Remy now?"

"Follow me." With out waiting for her, Logan started down the hall. Bella had to run to catch up with him.

"Could ya slow down? Dese are expensive heels; dey are not designed f'r runnin'." Logan's only reply was to shake his head, slowing down slightly. Damn spoiled rich kid.

/Rec Room/

Remy laughed as he watched Jean and Scott argue over St. John's Charades skills. They had been playing guys (Scott, Remy, St. John, Piotr, Kurt) versus girls (Wanda, Jean, Rogue, Kitty, Amanda) for half an hour and competitive sides were starting to come out.

The noise was so loud that the group didn't hear Logan come in until he shouted. Immediately the room fell silent and all heads turned towards him. "Ya got a visitor, Gumbo."

Remy looked at the Canadian in confusion. "Who'd be here t' see me?"

"Me." The blonde stepped out from behind Logan, revealing herself to the room. "Hey, Remy. Long time, no see."

Millions of emotions swam across his face as he stared, unable to articulate a greeting. After several moments, regained use of his vocal chords. "What de hell are ya doin' here, Bella?"

Bella gave a light laugh. "Not 'xactly de 'hello' I was expectin', but I guess I deserve it." She glanced nervously around the room; it would be much harder to lie to him in front of an audience. "Can we talk somewhere private?"

"Non."

"I really t'ink dat-"

"Non. We stay here."

"Fine. Have it your way." She dug into her purse and produced several legal documents. She handed them over to Remy. "Ya need t' sign dose. No mo' games."

Remy flipped through the papers, looking for anything new. "Right. Who do ya feel guilty f'r sleepin' wit' dis time?"

Bella gave him an indignant look. "F'r ya information, 'm gettin' married in six months. I need t' be divorced t' do dat."

Rogue cringed at the last statement. Busted. She saw many of her teammates, first look at Remy in surprise, then looking at her reaction. Rogue was more worried about Angie. She looked at the spot where Angie was coloring just in time to see the little girl wander over to her dad.

Meanwhile, Remy and Bella were in each other's faces. Their talk hadturned into a shouting match and they were oblivious to their audience.

"It was a fuckin' arranged marriage. Get over it; it wasn' meant t' last f'rever!"

"It coulda worked, if ya an' your pere weren' such fuckin' bigots!"

"Don' ya dare bring m' father int' dis! It was ya own father's fault; he neva said ya were a mutant!"

"See? Ya said it yaself! Ya don' wanna be married t' me cuz 'm a mutant! Ya call dat not bein' a bigot?"

"Don' flatter yaself! I didn' like ya before I knew ya were a mutant!"

"Why? Cuz ya wouldn' be able t' jump int' bed wit' a different homme ev'ry night once ya got pregnant?"

"We were sixteen, dammit! Dat's too young t' get married an' have kids!"

"An' ya couldn' sleep around anymore."

"Bastard!"

"Slut!"

"Je vous déteste!" (I hate you.)

"Je vous déteste, aussi!" (I hate you, too.)

The two Cajuns were breathing deeply, glaring daggers at each other. The room was deathly quiet.

"Daddy?" Remy and Bella both looked at Angie, who was pulling on her father's pant leg. "Who is she?"

Remy lifted Angie up and turned to face Bella. "Why don' ya ask her, petite ange?"

The little girl turned towards Bella expectantly. "Who are ya?"

Bella shifted uncomfortably. In all the scenarios she had pictured, meeting her daughter wasn't in any of them. "Well. . . 'M ya mere, Angelique." She gave the girl a smile, not knowing why she felt the need to be accepted by the five-year-old.

Angie stared at her mother for almost five minutes. No one made a sound, waiting to hear her answer. "We don' need ya."

"What?"

"Daddy took care o' me all by himself an' he loves Rogue now. We don' need ya."

Bella felt a pang in her heart. She had expected to be rejected, but she didn't think it would bother her that much. She was surprised to find tears forming in her eyes.

"I can . . . I can understand dat."

Remy, who had been staring at her for awhile, suddenly went over to the table. Swiftly, he signed the papers and handed them back to here. "Here. Dis is what ya wanted. Take 'em an' go."

"I came here f'r mo' den de divorce papers. M' father died las' year an' m' brother, Julien, is head o' de Guild now."

"What does dat have t' do wit' us?" Asked Remy.

"Ya can come home t' New Orleans. M' brother lifted de ban." She saw the skeptical look forming on Remy's face. "Rem, 'm not a seventeen-year-old girl now. I know I made a mistake wit' ya an' Angie; I'm not tryin' t' make us int' one happy fam'ly or anyt'ing. I jus' want ya t' come home wit' me, even if it's jus' one day."

"Why?"

"Ya father wants t' see ya. He's sick." Immediately, Remy lost his indifferent facade, concern etched in his face.

"When do ya wanna leave?"

Inwardly, Bella smiled. Score! Dr. Essex better start countin' de rest o' dat money . . .


TBC...

Sorry about the cliffhanger! The next chappie will be up VERY soon!