Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or basic storylines from the X-Men. I do, however, own Matthew. And yet, still I am poor beyond belief.

Authors Note: Wow, when my writer's block breaks it really breaks. I think it has to do with the stress of the semester finally being over with. (And for everyone that I know cares, I passed with 3 A's and a B and bought a new outfit to reward myself for it.) Oh, and for those who were wondering, they never proved Belle had anything to do with Matthew's death cause it looked like an accident. This is just more along the lines of mothers intuition and yeah, Remy wanted to leave cause he believed Rogue above all else, but I go into why he couldn't in this chapter. Anyway, thanks again to the reviewers. You guys really mean the world to me. And on to the story and finally Remy has decided to join us.

Matthew

Chapter Three: Heartbreakers Past

Remy LeBeau, the legendary Prince of Thieves and Prince of Hearts, woke up with a smile on his face at the warm arms wrapped around his abdomen. For a moment he allowed himself to think he was still back in his old bedroom down in New Orleans, with the girl he loved clinging to him like she always did first thing in the morning. But like every other morning over the past four years, that smile quickly faded as he slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the nameless stranger lying next to him. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive; on the contrary, she was quite pretty with bright red curls set against pale skin and a beautiful build. But, like so many others before her, she just wasn't her.

He sighed and ran a hand over his face, wondering what she'd think of the goatee he'd grown, before looking over at the clock. '3:36? Figures,' he thought as he detangled himself from the woman's arms and climbed out of bed, pulling on his boxers and pants and began to gather his other cloths. He sometimes had trouble remember the last time he had a good nights sleep. Well, that wasn't true. The problem didn't lie in the fact that he couldn't remember, but in the fact that he did. He pulled on his boots and rose from the bed, pulling his shirt on he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and paused mid-button. He looked like hell, unshaven, bags under his eyes, his long hair pulled back haphazardly into a ponytail and worse, another nameless stranger lying naked in the bed beyond him. He shook his head to clear it and finished buttoning his shirt and grabbed his trench coat and the keys to his bike on the way out the door, leaving another woman to wake up alone and hurt.

It wasn't until he got back to his small apartment on the outskirts of Chicago, had washed up, dressed, shaved and had a good strong cup of coffee in his hand to help fight his growing hangover that he thought back to the last night he'd slept straight thru. It had been, funny enough, on the couch in the living room of his old home, the night before his son went missing. His girlfriend had been sleeping just to the side, between the back of the couch and him, her head resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around her waist while their son slept peacefully on his Daddy's chest. Remy's other arm was wrapped around the boy and his fingers were intertwined with her own. He looked up at the fridge and saw the photo of his cherie and their son. She was waving at the camera and helping the then eight-month-old little boy to wave at his father with the camera. Both were smiling and looking at him happily, as if nothing could ever touch them or mar the beauty of the moment. Remy still remembered the day he took it, and how wonderfully it had ended. He smiled sadly at it and kissed his fingers, placing them against the photo before heading into the living room and turning on the morning news.

As he flopped down on the sofa he wondered if the problems of the world might be able to drown out his own for a bit before his mind quickly pushed that thought aside and brought his problems straight to the surface. Her birthday was tomorrow, and that just made him miss her that much more. Soon his mind began to wonder at what precise moment his life had went to hell, although he already knew the answer to that. It was the day Matthew had gone missing. Both Remy and the boys mother had been a wreck, searching the bayous night and day for three days before Remy had found a small boy about the right size, water logged and face down in the swamp water, wearing the outfit his mother had made for him.

He could still remember the day they buried him with clarity. His cherie, his Rogue as he so affectionately nicknamed her when they were children, stood at his side clinging to him and sobbing uncontrollably into his chest. Both of them were struggling to be strong for the other to no avail. She hadn't been able to bring herself to admit the baby they buried was hers at first. In fact, the small boy hadn't looked much like their son at all, but the doctors explained that it was normal for a child who had been in the swamp water for that extended period of time to look water logged and unidentifiable.

Still, it had been hard for the both of them. Afterwards her parents and his father had ganged up on them, rushing Rogue farther into Mississippi without telling Remy where and forcing him towards Belladonna, who Rogue believed was responsible for what happened to their child since Jean Luc had discussed it with both the guilds, and was going to offer one of Remy's cousins in place of him at the wedding, since he had a family and a son to worry about. It was never proven of course, and Rogue was pushed away before the idea could be explored, but the possibility never seemed irrational to Remy and he had found out two years ago just how right his amore had been. Still, despite the accusations, Remy's father reminded him that he had obligations to his family, and leaving would dishonor them all. Besides, Remy had no idea where they had taken Rogue to and was forced to sit around and wait.

Fortunately, his Tante Mattie had been on their side, finding new and interesting ways of postponing the wedding until she found out where they had taken Rogue. By the end of the day she found that information out, Remy was standing on the front porch, being told by Rogue's father that she had become "one of those filthy mutants and no daughter of his" and had run away soon after. The response hadn't surprised Remy, since it had been very similar to the one the older man had had when they told him and Rogue's mother that she was pregnant. Remy was pretty sure the only reason that he took her away after Matthew died was because both the guilds offered him an extensive amount of money to do so.

Remy let out a sigh and took another drink of the foul liquid in his cup. The only thing that sent him back to the Thieves Guild, besides them finding him and dragging him back, were their extensive connections and sources. He had hoped he'd be able to find her thru them and then take off again and bring her home, but unfortunately, he didn't have that kind of luck and even now, after being away from the guild for two years, he was still no closer to finding her than he was then. That's when the drinking began, and the women. He sometimes thought that if he got drunk enough than any woman he saw could be her and he could lose himself in her again. Be whole again. But it was never as good and he always woke up to a stranger so that after awhile, it just became a game and a way to piss of his father and Belladonna.

Mattie once again began her crusade to push back and cancel the wedding and succeeded in buying him another two years before it was determined that come hell or high water, Remy would marry Belladonna on February 14, 2004. Then, as luck would have it, three weeks before the wedding was going to take place Remy discovered a latent mutation. He'd always known he was a mutant cause he could always tell what people were feeling and manipulate that. Empathy was what a psychic told him once, and it seemed to fit. But this mutation was much different.

That night at a poker game, Remy blew up a handful of cards as well as his future brother-in-law in the process. What had made the situation worse however was that it had been a winning hand at the time.

There was immediate guild uproar and the Assassin's demanded swift and immediate justice. It was then that he found out, thru Belle's own confession that she was responsible for the reason he didn't have a son. He'd flown at her, and would have killed the chienne if his brothers and cousins hadn't rushed him out of there. In an effort to keep the peace between the guilds, Jean Luc exiled Remy, which the Ragin' Cajun had to admit, was better than the death that awaited him if he stayed in New Orleans.

So Remy left and for the past two years had been working solo, doing odd jobs for different corporations and independent parties, putting his whole soul into stealing. He spent most of his free time playing poker, drinking, seducing women and searching for her. Unfortunately, when Rogue didn't want to be found, she made sure she wasn't.

Remy took another drink, staring down at his now red on black demon eyed reflection, wondering, not for the first time, what she'd think of what he had become. That thought just made him wonder if maybe he should stop looking for her. If perhaps she was better off wherever she was without him. He pushed that thought away like he always did and looked back up at the television, ready to listen to the problems of the rest of the world, and dropped his cup of coffee on the floor.

There, staring back at him from a news tidbit on the Presidents latest pro mutant campaign, standing in the background behind that Xavier guy that was always all over the news, were the green gems he'd been searching for. Remy quickly grabbed the remote & shoved up the volume, listening to what the young Asian reporter had to say.

"Yesterday, President McKenna and Professor Charles Xavier, of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters, announced their answer to the Mutant Registration Act, which has once again presented itself in Congress this past week. This plan calls for…" as the picture changed to a shot of a pro-mutant rally, Remy quickly shut it off and hurried to his laptop. He'd found her. He quickly pulled up the Xavier Institute homepage and scribbled out the New York Westchester address. It would be cutting it close, but if he high tailed it, he could make it there on her birthday tomorrow. He was about to sign off when a link at the bottom, "Students in Action," caught his eye. He clicked on it and was rushed to a photo page. Scanning the pictures he clicked on one that had the caption, "Rogue can smile," underneath it. The photo enlarged to reveal his cherie, her hair long and pulled back in a ponytail with two white streaks in the front. She was smiling as she held a pile of books in front of her chest and stood next to a boy about her age, slightly taller with dirty blonde hair and ice blue eyes who stood making faces at the camera. One thing Remy could tell about that smile was it never touched her eyes. He quickly printed the picture off and shut down his machine shoving it into his case.

Within ten minutes he had everything packed up and on the back of his bike. Since the apartment had come furnished there hadn't been all that much to pack anyway, and his notice was turned in.

'No wonder Ah could non find her,' he thought as he raced down the interstate. 'Shoulda known t' try Rogue.'

He smiled behind his helmet as he took the exit heading towards New York. Finally, they'd be whole again.

Authors Note: I'm on a roll ain't I? No Romy yet, but soon. Very soon. Hopefully. That is if I can keep up this regular update schedule. Oh and Ishandahalf, thanks for the review. You made me laugh so hard. Do it again, do it again!