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Chapter 6.

"Anna, are you o.k. in there?

Anna had been in the bathroom for some time, disappearing as soon as he had come out after his shower. At first Remy had been preoccupied by the news Claude had delivered, that they were making enquiries about him in his hometown. 'They', meaning government agents, had been unsuccessful in their attempts thus far; those people who knew of him knew better than to say. It was the law of the land: informers aren't tolerated. The Thieves were keeping tabs on them; nonetheless, they were still there, waiting for him perhaps? Claude warned him that now was not the time to go back, especially with the situation with the Assassins as it was. While most people wouldn't interfere, there's no telling what the Boudreaux family might do. He had been planning on leaving at 7 a.m., the time the curfew was lifted in Louisiana, but it was already 6 a.m. and he still wasn't sure which way to go.

She emerged a few minutes afterward, hair damp and loose, wearing clothes of her usual style. Well, if five days could be indicative of her style, then the pair of jeans, fitted black long sleeved top and boots, were it: practical, low key, smart, sexy. His mind flashed back to what she had worn the previous night, the thin plain sheathe had looked anything but plain over her curves, a fact he couldn't help noticing at dinner, despite his mood at the time.

"So what's the plan now?" Anna spoke abruptly.

"Je sais pas encore. I'm still thinking 'bout it. Are you all right?" She had fallen asleep while he and Claude had been talking the night before, and seemed a bit distant this morning.

"I'm fine." Anna didn't look at him as she passed.

After Claude had interrupted, she had a chance to think, sadly too late, about what she had done. She had feigned sleep, so she wouldn't have to face Remy when he came back to bed. But he hadn't. He had gone back to the couch, after checking on her. She kept picturing Joseph in her mind, looking hurt and betrayed, until she finally fell asleep, exhausted, in the early hours of the morning. Over and over, she wondered what he would think of her?

He would think I'm an evil, uncaring slut. And he would be right. He's only just gone, and I've already jumped into bed with someone else. It didn't even have to happen, I initiated it. Luckily things hadn't gone as far as they could have. What was I thinking? Obviously I wasn't. She couldn't help but find Remy physically attractive, to put it mildly. Even when they were at each other's throats, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to grab him and strangle him or kiss him senseless. Somehow, both their defences had been lowered last night, and she needed to make sure it didn't happen again.

"Why don't you just let me go now?" Anna was busy packing her bag, so it took him a moment to register that she had spoken, and another few to realise what she had said.

It made sense. It hadn't been Remy's idea to drag her along in the first place. He had been violently opposed to the idea. And by now, he didn't believe she was a threat, to him, or the others. But if he were honest to himself, he didn't want her to leave. He was usually very good at being detached. However around her his emotions seemed to operate at full tilt in either direction, alternating between anger and irritation, or desire and… who knows if there was something more. He decided not to dissect his feelings at that particular moment. It was too soon to tell.

"And then what?" he asked slowly.

"We just, go back to our normal lives - whatever that means." She was carefully folding a black sweater. She was taking way too long. She hadn't packed that many clothes.

He moved until he was standing right beside her. She took a while before turning to face him, hands folded across her chest.

"Does that mean you no longer want to see me rotting away in prison, chère?" His tone was mocking.

She looked away, and then sat heavily on the bed. "Remy, I owe you an apology. I don't know what came over me, when I thought up that whole plan." She covered her face in her hands, before dragging her fingers roughly through her hair. "I saw when you and Piotr arrived at the motel, and I heard you called Gambit. Once I realized that you were the one who…well, it was completely impulsive and idiotic." She was on the verge of tears, and she felt exhausted. "God, I'm just so tired."

Remy nodded. He wanted to reach out to her, but he wasn't sure if that was the best thing to do. With Anna it was always difficult to tell.

She waited for him to say something, anything, but he wasn't even looking at her. Sighing, she leaned back on the soft pillows and closed her eyes. Fatigue fighting to overcome her and giving in was beginning to feel like a good idea. "I'll just take a little nap while you make up your mind."

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Anna checked her watch. Five p.m. "Unbelievable." The light streaming through the room's western windows were another indication that she had slept through the day. She sat up slowly, and realised Remy was not in the room. She was starving, and she needed to go the bathroom badly. After taking care of the most pressing problem first, she groggily realised that Remy's bag was gone too.

"Un-fucking-believable" Yes, she had suggested they go their separate ways, but she hadn't expected him to sneak off like a thief while she slept. She groaned as she realised what was wrong with that thought. Suddenly remembering, she quickly put a hand to her throat to realise that the thin inhibitory collar was gone. That should have made her happy, but instead she felt herself getting angry. That son of a bitch left me here. Pacing the length of the room a few times, she realised she had a phone call to make. Raven was waiting.

Anna was directed to the telephone in the large parlour downstairs by the housekeeper she saw as she exited the room. She quickly dialled the number and waited.

"Hello?"

"It's me. I was in a bit of a situation but its ok now." She quickly ran through what had happened, omitting any details of her interaction with Remy.

"I'm still upset that the little twit just decided to run off with someone she barely knew." It was exactly the reaction she would have expected from Raven.

"Don't be mean. You know Kitty. She's a romantic. She's been dreaming of finding her soul mate since she was out of diapers. Especially now that she doesn't have a family, it was probably more important to her not to be alone. I can certainly understand her wanting more. As long as she's happy, so am I. Besides I like him. He seems nice. I think they'll have a lot in common."

"Hmph! You are partly to blame for this. You've always encouraged her, rather than point out the realities of life. Anyway, we can discuss this further when you get here. When is that going to be?"

"I'm not sure. I need to see about transportation. I'll call back later and let you know."

"Rogue, you know full well I can see to that. Just tell me where -"

"I can take care of myself, Raven. Whatever happens, it's already pretty late, and it doesn't make sense for me to leave here now. I'd only have a few hours of driving time, and then I'd have to find another place to stay. I'm just going to leave tomorrow morning bright and early. I've got to go find the owner guy. Talk to you later. Bye."

Anna gave a sigh of relief as she replaced the receiver. She stood up leave, but found herself mulling over their conversation in her mind. Something Raven said had struck her as odd.

"So this is where you been hiding out?"

Anna jumped. She could hear people laughing and talking in the dining room across the hall, but she hadn't heard anyone enter the room.

"Dammit! Didn't your momma ever tell you not to sneak up on people? She snapped. "Oh. Right. I keep forgetting what you all do. Your parents must be really proud of you". "What are you doing back here anyway? I thought you were long gone."

"I wasn't gone, chère, I just had something to take care of."

"What made you so sure I would be here when you got back?"

"I asked Claude to keep an eye out. Besides you looked pretty tired this morning."

"Some ladies man you are. Don't you know you should never tell a woman she looks tired? I'm surprised you ever get any."

"I dunno 'bout that, chère. It seemed to work fine on you." He drawled, a slow grin spread over his face.

She shot him a dirty look at that point. "Well, you're reputation is certainly undeserved, if you have to resort to seducing worn-out, tipsy women."

He smiled. He could comment on her 'worn-out comment' but she would probably knock him out. "a. We both know you weren't tipsy chère. And b. Trust me, if I was trying to seduce you, you would know. I would never call myself God's gift to women, although others have."

Anna laughed derisively. "More like his curse. You certainly have an unearthly ability to annoy the hell out of unsuspecting women. Tell me, how many Hail Mary's do I have to say for you to just go away?"

"That was supposed to be a joke. In poor taste, maybe, but I don't think I deserved that. What the hell is your problem?" He grabbed her by the shoulders, his anger obvious in his unnaturally glowing eyes. Anna seemed to have some sort of mental shields that prevented him from feeling her emotions. It was frustrating since he had come to rely on his empathic abilities in responding to challenging people.

"My problem is last night was a mistake, and I'd prefer if we didn't bring it up again, especially not in casual conversation." She spoke softly, but there was an edge to her voice.

He looked at her hard for a few moments before announcing simply "Done." He released her shoulders and left to the room without looking back. As he walked alone, his cell phone rang. He expected either his brother Henri, or Scott to be on the line. Without checking the number, he impatiently barked out a response.

"Gambit?"

"Oui. Who is this? Remy asked suspiciously

"This is Mystique."

"How did you get this number?"

"I told Cyclops I needed to contact you urgently and he was kind enough to oblige me, albeit somewhat reluctantly."

He couldn't figure out why Raven Darkholme would need to talk to him. Although she was a very resourceful and valuable part of the resistance, they had very little contact with each other. If she needed something, it seemed unlikely that he'd be the one she'd call, considering her connections; he vaguely recalled that her former husband had been someone of importance.

"I'm calling about Rogue."

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An hour later, Anna entered her room, and was surprised to see Remy lounging comfortably on her bed. She was surprised he hadn't left after their conversation, or at the very least, got his own room. After all, there was nothing forcing them together now

"It took you long enough."

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting, master." Her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Excuse me for asking, but what are you doing in my room?

"Actually, technically this is my room. I procured it and I paid for it; I believe you were sleeping at the time. So, if anybody has the right to be asking questions it's me."

Anna shrugged, but didn't reply.

"So here's the plan. We set out for New Orleans tomorrow morning. We won't be staying long enough to be noticed, in and out in a few hours; I just need to pick up… something. Then we'll be headed to New York, where your godmother will join us."

Anna had a stunned look on her face. "You mean Raven?"

"We know her as Mystique; and I'm sure she has a variety of other aliases."

Anna sat down hard at the foot of the bed. "Well, I wasn't expecting that, but it all makes sense now." As she thought about it, knowing Raven as she did, the pieces all fit together; including just now, Raven's targeted questions during their conversation. It had puzzled her that Raven had wanted such specific information over the phone as the names of the three mutants she had met. Those were hardly pressing concerns, since Anna was seemingly, at that time, out of the situation and free to return home.

"I can't believe she kept it from me." Anna was hurt that Raven hadn't trusted her enough to tell her.

Remy said nothing for a while, although he watched her furtively as he continued played his game of solitaire. "What kind of a nickname is Rogue?"

"Sorry, what did you say?" She has been lost in thought. He repeated the question.

"I've had it as long as I can remember. My grandmother started calling me that because she said I gave too much trouble for a little girl. She would call me 'her little rogue,' and then at some point along the way, it got to be just 'Rogue.'"

"It suits you, I guess."

"Remy, since we're going to be spending a little more time together, maybe we could extend that truce. I really don't particularly relish the thought of fighting for the next few days."

"That was more your fault than mine, but I'll let it go. O.k. chère, we can be friends." He had a smirk on his face as he stuck his right hand out.

"What are you in the third grade?" But after rolling her eyes, she shook his hand anyway.

"Since you seem to be new to the whole friendship thing, Remy will give you pointers along the way. First, if you keep insulting your new friends, they might not want to talk to you anymore."

"Well, it probably wouldn't affect you much. You strike me as the type who enjoys his own company, considering the amount of time you spend playing with yourself." She smiled as she motioned to his cards.

"You know, chère, you're not a very nice person. I don't mind that; just don't be mad when I retaliate."

"I think I can handle it, Cajun." She scoffed.

He raised one eyebrow, but just gathered up the pack of cards and piled them on the nightstand. He pulled back the covers, and settled in.

"What are you, going to bed already?" she wasn't even mildly tired.

"Unlike certain people, I didn't sleep the whole day. We might have some problems tomorrow; best to be well rested, hein. You can turn off the light whenever you're ready." Remy flopped over on his side, so his back was facing her.

Sighing Anna switched off the light beside her, and lay on the other side of the bed. She hoped she would fall asleep soon.

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Let's just call this the quiet before the storm. Remy thinks he has it all worked out, but there's trouble brewing in the Big Easy.

Roguechere: You're right. It was moving fast, but that's because Rogue and Remy have a very chemical relationship. As you see now, it doesn't mean Rogue has gotten over Joseph. Also, we don't know the details of Rogue's relationship with Joseph yet; it might not be the way you think. ;-)

Liliane: That's an awesome compliment. Thank you.