Disclaimer: I Do Not Own The X-Men Or Anything Related To The X-Men. I Also Do Not Own The Song 'Taking Chances' By Celine Dion.
Thank you to everyone who looked at this chapter and the rest of the story. I appreciate you guys and gals taking time out of your busy lives to look at this story. A special thank you to the very kind Mrs. Jehilew who beta read the chapter. Thank yous to my two new reviewers as well. It was very nice of the the guest reviewer and Karen to leave some thoughts on the story. And here is the new chapter:
"Mama…"
The high-pitched voice filtered through Anna's foggy memory, disrupting the small amount of peace she'd mysteriously acquired.
"Mama wake?" A sudden slap on her temple forced the woman to groan and flinch.
In response to a follow-up tap on her forehead, Anna pulled the warm blanket over her head. It was a cozy little cocoon and she refused to even consider evacuating. The voice, on the other hand, believed it was far past time to rise and shine. Without warning, a sharp finger poked her eye through the blanket. She jerked away from the mystery force and sat up, fully awakened from her slumber.
"What the…" She pulled the cover off her face and stared bleary-eyed at a very pleased looking Amelia. After suppressing a more colorful groan, Anna glanced towards the clock on her nightstand. "It's five thirty in the morning."
"Breakfat!" Amelia cheered, not disturbed in the slightest by a possible breach of etiquette.
"It's way too early for this." The tired woman groused as Amelia unsuccessfully attempted to crawl onto the mattress. "Go back to bed."
Anna tried, oh, did she ever try, to close her eyes and block out the chattering kid demanding various breakfast foods while incessantly tugging on her sleeve. In true Amelia fashion, each item on her outlandish list was more sugar filled than the last.
"No, Mama." The giant green eyes decorating Mia's face appeared to grow two sizes as she pushed out her bottom lip and whimpered, "hungry now."
Anna tiredly rubbed her eyes and cringed when she noted a distinct odor of grease and cheese emanating from her shirt. What did they do last night? She searched her memory banks, but could only recall a few traumatic glimpses of some brightly colored pizza and game place, tantrums from both LeBeau monsters, and passing out fully clothed on her own bed sometime past midnight. It was the closest she'd ever come to a completely sober blackout.
The real question, Anna couldn't help but ask, was how had she wound up snuggled under a comforter with her shoes placed neatly by the foot of the bed? It been a miracle she managed to stay awake long enough to make it up the stairs, let alone give a crap about organizing footwear.
"Why don't you ask Rem-" She paused and shook her head as her wits came back to her, "your dad to make breakfast?"
"Daddy not here."
For some reason the explanation surprised Anna. She had no real knowledge of the typical routine in this place, but Remy struck her as the type to be there when everyone woke up in the morning. Where else would a normal person be at five am anyway?
Wait a minute, She thought, did he ever make it back from that mission?
A small drop of foreboding began to fill her stomach and chest. What if something had happened to Remy on the mission? If these kids lost their dad they'd be stuck with her. What good would she be to them? She didn't belong here and she definitely had no freakin' clue what she was supposed to be doing.
"Cell phone," Anna mumbled as she abruptly started patting her pockets and looking under the blanket for the darn thing. All she had to do was call him up and everything would be fine. What were the real chances that this one, out of all the crazy missions Remy LeBeau had gone on through his life, would be the one to end badly? No, she was just overreacting due to the ridiculousness of the hour.
The phone wasn't in the bed or any of her pockets, so Anna moved to the nightstand. She was about to open the drawer when a piece of paper caught her eye. It was amazing how a simple handwritten note could halt her erratic heartbeat almost instantly,
Looked like you had a rough day.
Try and get some extra sleep and I'll take care of the kids when I get back from my run.
See you at one of our favorite date spots.
Je t'aime, Remy.
So it was Remy who'd tucked her in last night? She glanced to the other side of the bed and noticed the covers had indeed been moved and the pillow still held an indent from where his head once rested. A small blush washed over her face as she imagined herself cuddled next to Remy. As unnerving as the idea sounded, she couldn't deny this had probably been her most solid night of sleep in ages. Of course, that had to be mostly due to pure exhaustion.
And what was this secretive favorite date spot he'd written about? She re-read the note with a calmer head and tried to imagine what Remy could be hinting at. Getting a favorite date spot wrong would probably cost her at least three points in this bizarre game of life. Three points she certainly couldn't afford to lose.
"Mama." Amelia's patience had worn thin once more, inspiring her to try and pull Anna off the bed by her hand. "Breakfat. Hungry."
"Okay, okay. But you aren't gettin' a cupcake for breakfast." She stood up and noted that aside from the sneakers, she was still fully clothed in her museum outfit from the day before. "Just let me get a shower and change, then I'll cook you something."
"Now, Mama." Mia whined and hung off of Anna's arm, as if the mere act of supporting herself was far too overwhelming to imagine. "Please, Mama. Food now."
"Why don't you watch cartoons while I get ready, huh? You like cartoons right?" She tried to walk towards the bathroom, but found the weight on her wrist impeding her movement. Bribes of unlimited cartoons appeared to be a poor bargaining chip, since Mia howled louder, dropped her wrist, and wrapped with anaconda like strength around Anna's leg.
Maybe she'd only been a mother for two-ish days, but Anna knew that look of frustration building in Amelia's eyes. It was the telltale sign that whoever dared to displease her was about to get the fool bit out of them. Who knew it was possible for something so small and cute to be so vicious?
"Please, Amelia." She felt ridiculous being so desperate to gain Mia's cooperation. But, honestly, she was utterly desperate for at least a chance to brush her teeth and wash the horrid smell of Walt's Pizza Palooza Palace off. "Just wait five minutes."
Rogue knew the moment those tears began to fall from the corners of Amelia's eyes that she'd been outwitted once again. Of course she absolutely refused to go down without a consolation prize, so while Amelia proceeded to cry and threaten a full-blown tantrum, Anna set the speed record for teeth brushing, face washing, and messy bun hair wrangling.
Once they made it downstairs, the kid who'd supposedly been on the verge of starving to death proceeded to refuse the first five foods Anna offered. When the option of toaster waffles finally came into play, Mia agreed and cheerfully talked Rogue's ear off as they cooked. By the time she was playing/eating with her second waffle the exhausted Anna was already working on her third cup of wonderful caffeine. She'd just set a second pot of coffee on to brew when a warm voice floated through the kitchen.
"Mornin', mon coeur." Remy smiled and held up a paper bag decorated with a bright logo and grease stains, "Wasn't sure you'd be up for our Tuesday morning date."
This was their date? She blinked in surprise as her husband grinned happy as could be. What was so special about coffee and some takeout? Married people sure had strange opinions about what constituted a date.
Remy kissed the top of Amelia's head then strolled over to Anna with a big smile on his lips. She braced herself for another startling kiss, but instead of a full lip lock, he merely pecked her cheek and pulled out a silver wrapped tube, "Spicy sausage and egg burrito for the lady."
"No cheese, right?" The question popped out before her brain even registered the words.
"What you think," He playfully teased, "I'm new here?"
Anna took the burrito and couldn't help but laugh softly. After living in the north for so many years, she was fully aware just how difficult it was to come by good Mexican food. Sure, there were tons of restaurants north of the Tennessee border who claimed they served Mexican food, but the authentic cuisine was only found in the south. One bite into the warm wrap and her smile grew even wider. If Remy had anything going for him at six am, it was respectable taste in food.
"Good?" He shot her a smug grin that caused a light blush to warm Anna's face.
"Not bad, Cajun." She leaned against the counter and took another large bite.
"Not playin' nice this morning, Chere?" He shook his head and stood so close Anna could smell the intoxicating mix of sweat and natural Remy. With his wife distracted, he leaned down and whispered into her ear, "you know we have ways of making you more friendly…" He gave the tiniest nip to the small patch of skin below Anna's ear, forcing the woman's heart to bang erratically around her rib cage.
What the in the world was that? It was completely impossible to remember how to breathe, let alone think up some witty comeback to push him away. He'd barely touched her skin, but it was as if she could still feel the heat of that nip.
She wasn't a complete idiot. Even with poison skin, she'd sat through enough romantic movies and novels to be well aware of things like love bites. Not to mention she'd lived in a boarding house full of over energetic mutants. You couldn't have thrown a rock in the X-mansion without hitting some lovey dovey couple making goo goo eyes at each other.
Yeah, she was pretty much aware of a variety of romantic moves. She'd just never imagined that she, the untouchable one, would ever experience it. If something that small pushed her body into such an intense response, common sense would say she'd probably keel over if he took it any further. Then again, that little troublemaker in the back of her mind seemed to be growing more and more interested in pushing Remy right back. Yup, that proved it. She should never think before ten am.
"Already six thirty?" Remy chuckled as he fully walked away from Anna and turned his attention to the wall clock. He glanced back over to Amelia who was happily making puddles on the counter with the leftover milk in her Sippy cup, "Is Oliver staying home from school today?"
"School?" Anna mumbled in confusion, her blissful mood starting to rip at the seams.
"Those Monday holidays always throw the schedule off." Remy nodded his head, "course we both know Ollie'd be perfectly happy to sleep right past their seven thirty start time."
"Seven thirty start? Crap!" Anna groaned and found her dislike for maternal tasks grow by leaps and bounds. Without a single word to her confused family, she charged out of the room and stormed up the stairs, "Oliver! Get up! We're gonna be late!"
…
As the bulky van maneuvered through the snowy streets and morning traffic, Anna made two strict promises:
One, she'd never make fun of GPS systems again. Sure there was tons to poke fun at (the constant shouts of 'recalculating' being at the top of her joke list), but if it wasn't for the handy little device plastered to her dashboard, she'd never have been able to locate the ultra preppy Eliza Cornwall Academy.
Two, whenever she made it back to the real world, she would never buy a minivan. Yeah, the interior space was extremely roomy and it seemed like the newest model around, but she couldn't get over the basic fact that she, Anna Marie Darkholme, was the owner of a soccer mom's dream car. What happened to the days when all she needed was a motorcycle, old-fashioned paper map, and the open road?
After pulling into the long line leading to the lower school's drop off area, Anna settled herself in for a lengthy wait. Waiting had never been her strong suit, but it did offer certain advantages. If she was going to keep up this whole actually try to be the future Rogue scenario, she needed more details about what she was up against. They hadn't gotten off on the best foot, but so far Oliver hadn't seemed too angry with her this morning. Theoretically, if she was sneaky enough, she could get some extremely needed answers.
"So, Oliver," She patted the steering wheel absentmindedly and watched the boy in her rear view mirror, "about your dad's party."
"Dad party! Dad party!" Amelia shouted from her car seat.
"Shhhh, Amelia." Oliver chastised the girl, "It's a surprise."
"Dad party!" Mia responded, forcing Anna to cover her ears.
"No! It's a surprise! You gotta not say anything!"
"No supper eyes!" The smaller of the dueling siblings pouted.
"It's surprise, Amelia. You're not old enough to understand. You're just a little kid."
"Big kid!" She bellowed even louder, before the two flew headfirst into the noisiest 'Nuh-uh' versus 'Uh-huh' squabble Anna'd ever heard.
"Enough!" Rogue snapped, putting an end to the fight and causing a few people in line to stare curiously at their car. "Yes, the party is a surprise, but since your dad isn't here we can talk about it. Okay?" The pair agreed easily enough, so she jumped forward, "So Oliver, what did I tell you about the party?"
"I know, mom," He sighed as they approached the drop off zone, "I got to dress nice and use my manners."
"Yeah, but did I mention anything about what day the-" Her question was cut short as the car stopped and Oliver unbuckled his seat belt. Before she could pester him further, he hoped out with a simple, See you later! "Oliver, don't forget to shut the doo-" Even her simple request fell on deaf ears as the boy raced off towards the building. "Never mind. I'll get it. Not like I have anything better to do or some giant ass line of cars behind me."
Anna exited the van and grabbed the sliding door handle. When she reached the halfway point, a high-pitched voice called out her name from somewhere nearby. Turning to her left she spotted a tall, raven-haired woman joyfully waving at her from a sporty two-door vehicle. The woman sent her son off towards the school building then waltzed over to Anna on a pair of three-inch stiletto boots.
How in the world did anyone look like that at seven in the morning? Between the immaculate make-up, ankle breaking shoes, and trendy princess style winter coat, Anna was almost certain she was being waved down by a real-life Barbie. A Barbie who didn't give a hoot the people parked behind her car were about to start using both their horns and grown-up words.
"Anna," Barbie walked as slowly as she pleased and attempted to place a hand on Anna's shoulder once she was in arm's reach. When the uncomfortable woman flinched, Barbie pulled her hand back and perched it on her hip, "I just wanted to say how excited I am for the party tomorrow."
The party was tomorrow?! All thoughts of the living Barbie flew out of Anna's head as she tried to ascertain how to throw a party for who knows how many people, at who knows where, promptly at mystery o'clock.
"Do you smell something cheesy?" Barbie scrunched her nose in distaste as the scent of Anna's pizza misadventures drifted over.
She made a mental note to burn the clothes she was unfortunately still wearing, then pushed her internal feelings of inadequacy aside to focus on the bigger problem at hand, "I'm glad you will be able to make it at…"
"Oh, don't worry, my dear," She gave an airy laugh and waved her free hand in the air, "I won't ruin the surprise. I'll be at your house by six o'clock just like the invitation said."
"Uh, good. Thanks." She mentally calculated how much time this discovery left her to prepare for the party. The answer the tired muscle between her ears spat out made her feel queasy. "You wouldn't happen to remember how many-"
The sudden blare of a car horn halted the discussion and forced raven-haired Barbie to waltz back to her own vehicle (still as leisurely as she pleased, of course). Anna sighed and looked back into her own car for a moment to check on Amelia.
The kid offered a big grin and announced, "Supper eyes, Mama!"
…
Despite the heartbreak it offered, Anna curbed her initial plan to race back to the house and shower in favor of perusing various party supply outlets and a maze like grocery store. She decided on spicy chili for the dinner, mainly because even though she had no earthly idea if Remy would like it, she was certain she could make the dish stretch pretty far. Not to mention it was a rather simple recipe, which was always a plus in Anna's opinion.
By one in the afternoon she'd made a significant dent in her to-do list. She'd hidden the various party provisions in the hall closet, dumped the groceries on the kitchen table, and even managed to convince Amelia to go down for a nap after a late lunch. By the time she exited the master bedroom freshly showered and decked out in an oversized sweater and holey jeans, she let herself sink into a feeling of accomplishment.
This homemaker stuff wasn't nearly as hard as she first thought it would be. Some of the errands had even been fun. Amelia'd been in good spirits and participated in their adventure by naming the shape and color of everything Anna put in her cart. Like any good wild animal trainer, Anna had known better then to let the good behavior go unrewarded. She'd even broken her own rule and given Mia a cookie from the grocery bag before she tucked her in for a hopefully lengthy nap.
The plush feeling of the oversized couch was a welcome sensation for the tired woman. She pulled the crocheted throw on the back of the couch down and wrapped herself up in a snug little cocoon. It wasn't as amazing as the comforter version from that morning, but it would do for the moment. She stretched her legs out to rest on the coffee table and noticed some albums haphazardly stacked in the piece's built in shelf.
This was a sign. It had to be a sign that she was figuring this whole thing out a little. Oliver off to school on time, Amelia actually sleeping, errands almost done, and now a chance to see what this version of Remy and herself had been like in the past? Definitely a good sign. The, possibly hazardous, feeling of contentment began to grow as she picked up the first scrapbook and flipped through the pages.
Images of herself clothed in a beautiful wedding gown standing next to an extremely handsome looking Remy in a custom made tux drifted past her eyes. It was surreal to see herself so happy yet have absolutely no memories of this life-changing event. She knew simply from the way the couple in the photograph stared at each other that they were truly in love.
She just couldn't feel it.
Yes, being close to Remy was more exciting then she could have anticipated. Anna would even admit, to herself, that merely locking eyes with him from across the room sent strange shivers down her spine. But love? No, she didn't love Remy LeBeau.
She wasn't this Anna. She wasn't the one who would reconnect with Remy, learn to handle her powers, and ride off into the sunset arm in arm. Her time here was temporary and her role was simply that of a substitute. All she could expect (all she would ever let herself expect) was a few attempts to mimic the real Anna Marie and maybe, just maybe, a few moments of happiness. As long as she kept reminding herself this wasn't actually her life, she would make it out without any problems or, far worse, a broken heart.
Eventually, she thought as she clutched the photo album to her chest, unable to stare at any more moments of fake joy, and let her eyes close, I'll be alone on that icy bridge again and this will be nothing more than a brief fantasy.
…
"Mama! Mia pretty pretty!"
The delighted screech slapped Anna back into the world of the conscious. Her eyes flew open and stared unblinkingly at a tattooed Amelia LeBeau.
"What did you…"
Amelia noticed her mother was finally awake and hopped over to the couch quite pleased with her afternoon activities. The coffee table was almost completely coated with marker scribbles and a few shakily written letters. What wasn't on the table appeared to be all over Mia's hands. The once pale appendages were now stained an ugly greenish brown color due to a mixture of colored markers bleeding together.
"What did-" The repetitive question was cut short as Anna examined Mia's crumb covered face, "Did you eat something?" The hyper girl giggled manically forcing Rogue to say a silent prayer that whatever the kid ingested was non-toxic. "What did you eat Amelia? Tell me, now."
"Cookies!" Came the jovial response proving Anna's threats lacked any importance to Mia. Instead of hanging her head in shame, she pulled out a crushed, lint covered cookie from her pocket and set it on Anna's knee, "Share with Mama."
"Where in the world did you get a cookie?" Anna's head shot up as the realization finally sunk in. "Oh, no."
She leapt from the couch completely forgetting about the blanket tightly wrapped around her body. While Amelia laughed and clapped her chubby hands, Anna fought past the blanket and jumped back to her feet. All it took was one glance at her previously clean kitchen to drown her in a sense of doom.
Over half of the grocery bags had been pulled off of the table. A small tower of boxes that looked to have been either fallen on or used as a makeshift stool sat to the far left. The only description Anna could fathom for the mess on the right side of the room was a sugar disaster. Not only had the boxes of cookies and various desserts for the party been ripped open, their contents had been thrown, squashed, and devoured with reckless abandon.
"Crap." Anna groaned before dropping to her knees in a futile attempt to start picking up the mess. "This can't get any worse."
"Crap, crap, crap." Amelia chanted and gave her mother a big hug.
"Oh yeah," She sighed, "I'm sure everyone will love hearing you say that now."
It took over an hour to clean up a good chunk of the mess and hide the rest of the groceries on a tall shelf in the pantry. Eventually the floor would have to be mopped and the table washed, but she shifted her focus to catching the hyperactive bouncing ball named Amelia. She'd just managed to hold the girl still long enough to wipe her hands and face with a rag when her cell phone began to ring.
"Hello?" She answered out of breath as Mia squirmed and cried to avoid having her face washed.
"Mrs. LeBeau?" The caller seemed uncertain, but Anna wasn't sure if it was due to the earful of Amelia's protests she was hearing or some new problem entirely. Either way, Anna let go of the sugar monster so she could focus on the what was bound to be a whole new predicament.
"Uh, yeah. This is she. Who's this?"
"Mrs. Franklin," She waited as if she expected some response, but when she received silence on the other end of the line she powered through with a more annoyed tone, "your son Oliver's teacher."
"Oh!" Amazing how this strange woman could garner all of Anna's attention with one sentence, "Yes, of course. Is there something wrong?"
"I feel I should be asking you that question, Mrs. LeBeau."
The growing attitude seemed unnecessary, but the strangeness of the situation surpassed any sense of annoyance Rogue felt, "What do you mean?"
"School was dismissed thirty-five minutes ago. Your son has been sitting in my classroom, terrified something happened to you."
Instantly Anna's eyes shot toward the clock on the wall. It couldn't be that late! There was no way it was already three thirty-five. She'd only sat down an hour ago, right? She couldn't have slept that long! But sure enough, both the wall clock and her cell phone glared back at her with the same unfortunate numbers.
"Crap!" Amelia voiced beside Anna as the woman's face grew tight with disgrace. "Crap, crap, crap!"
"Yes, that might be an adequate term for this situation." The cold, disapproving teacher concurred with Mia before disconnecting.
…
Thankfully, the teacher's assistant was the one to greet Anna and Amelia as they rushed into the classroom. The woman alerted Oliver to their presence the moment they charged through the door, but the boy only offered his mother a small frown then walked over to retrieve his backpack. Rogue earnestly apologized to Oliver and the assistant for being so late, but only the older of the two even acknowledged she was alive.
Oliver didn't want to hear anything she had to say and the teaching assistant seemed to find something funny about the whole situation. Anna adjusted Mia on her hip and ushered the sullen Oliver out to the car before she lost her temper in front of the two mini LeBeaus. What could that strange woman possibly find funny about this whole mix up anyway?
Despite Ollie's already upset feelings, the sugar overloaded Amelia continued to talk and sing non-stop as her mother attempted to buckle her into the car seat. After the fifth exclamation that she could do it by herself, Anna stepped back and let the kid try and fix the buckles. Giving up the seatbelt battle for a few minutes worked in her favor since her phone chimed with a different sound then before.
Pulling out the device, she noticed she'd received an e-mail, "Change of plans, guys." Mia smiled up at her while Oliver simply glared, "Looks like we're heading to the airport."
…
Anna could understand her son was mad at her. Heck, she could even sympathize with why he was angry. But would it have killed the guy to tell her who the heck M was? She was almost certain Oliver knew exactly who the mystery message sender was. There'd been just enough flicker of recognition in those green eyes when she mentioned Louisiana and M. Yeah, he knew all right, but ten sincere apologies later and he still wasn't ready to take pity on his substitute mom.
So instead of doing things the easy way, the trio wandered around baggage claim hoping that someone in the crowds of people would recognize them. Anna knew from the note that they were to expect a group of people, at least someone would be called M, and that the plane should have landed ten minutes ago. How hard could it be to find someone with that many clues on your side? Even if Oliver was being stubborn, she would figure out who their surprise visitor was.
They didn't wait very long before Oliver let out a happy sound and raced away from Anna's side. She pealed Amelia away from the baggage claim carousel for the fifth time, and then turned to see who could have evoked any emotion from the sourpuss. Unlike the frozen surprise that instantly coated Anna's face, Mia grinned and squirmed until she was loose from her mother's grasp. The moment her feet hit the floor she took off in her fastest run towards none other than Jean-Luc LeBeau.
The man looked old. There was no real way around that fact. Sure, he was nowhere near as ancient as the regal African American woman standing beside him. But while she exuded wisdom and grace, Jean-Luc appeared sickly and pale. He stood tall and firm, only bending to scoop Mia up from the floor and hug her tightly, but something was off in the slowness of his movements.
Far more concerning then the man's physical appearance was his mere presence in this town at all. What was he doing outside of Louisiana anyway? The last time she'd seen Jean-Luc, he'd been mentally planning all the jobs he could accomplish with the X-Men's powers at his disposal. Even Remy, who'd helped the man out of some undue sense of loyalty, had been able to comprehend the guy was just using his so-called son. Surely, this was the last surprise Remy would want for his birthday.
Then again, she reasoned as both Amelia and Oliver laughed with the strangers, there has to be a reason the kids know them so well.
"Anna," A friendly female voice reached her ears, forcing the woman to turn her head away from Jean-Luc and over to the right. "You know, that mustache really sets off your eyes."
Mustache? She raised a hand to her chin and was mortified when her fingertips came back with faint marker residue. Suddenly the giggles of the teaching assistant and the stares of the bustling crowds made a lot more sense. She'd written off at least one of the two to the bright pink skirt Amelia had strapped on to her yellow and white polka dot overalls. With the new evidence at hand though, she figured it be best to ban both sweets and art supplies from the house.
"Here." The lady gave a bright laugh and pulled a hand wipe out of a travel container from her purse. "This should get it off."
"Mercy," The tall, handsome man standing beside the little firecracker chuckled good-naturedly, "Give the poor woman a break," He sweetly wrapped an arm around her waist and let his hand rest on the slight bump of her stomach, "or we might just end up with a hyper active toddler and one less babysitter."
"True," The woman smiled and laid one of her own hands over her husbands, "And she is one of the few who survived the twin terrors."
"Aunt Anna!" The shout and rush of movement hit Rogue before she could even question the strangers. "Oncle Remy still has no idea, right?"
"Uh," She glanced down at the young man now standing perfectly straight beside his possible parents.
If this group had anything going for them, it was good posture. She'd never seen a seven, or possibly eight, year old stand that still, let alone correctly. It seemed like a safe enough guess to say they were related based on how much he favored the tall man watching the interaction with humor filled brown eyes. The only thing that hinted to the kid's mother was the light blonde highlights hidden throughout his dusty brown hair.
"Of course, he doesn't know," An exact duplicate of the first kid walked up to the group and rolled his eyes at his clone, "You really think our family can't keep a secret that simple?"
"If I know my little brother," The man chuckled and ruffled the second twin's hair, "He's probably too wrapped up in denying what number this birthday actually is to notice any party plans."
"Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, Henri." Quipped the tanned blonde on his arm.
Henri kissed her temple, "Moi? Worry about age? Never, Mercy."
Mercy? The name rattled around in Anna's brain until an ancient memory resurfaced.
Yes, she knew Mercy and Henri. Well, it wasn't so much that she knew them as she somewhat remembered the names from a past absorption of Remy. If they were his brother and sister-in-law, then that meant the lady currently carrying Amelia over to their group had to be Tante Mattie. Was it really possible for this many of the Thieves Guild to leave Louisiana at the same time? Weren't they like British royalty and traveled in separate planes to different locations? At least this answered all her questions about the mysterious M.
"Yeah, cause you're already like a thousand, papa." The first twin gave his dad a cheeky grin and ducked when the man tried to reach out and playfully grab his arm.
"Alright you two, settle down." Jean-Luc spoke up as their half of the group reached Anna. He turned towards the lady and honestly surprised her by giving an almost fatherly expression. Without waiting for any response, he leaned forward and captured her hand for a delicate kiss, "It is always a pleasure to see you again, Anna."
"Nice to, uh… see you too." She stumbled between spitting out an answer and wondering if Remy would look anything like his adopted dad in thirty or forty years. It was almost impossible to tear her eyes from Jean-Luc's face, but she was observant enough to notice the strange grin Tante Mattie kept gracing her with. If Anna hadn't known better, she would have believed that somehow this woman realized what a colossal oddity this reunion actually was.
Anna's phone suddenly rang, thankfully halting any more introductions and hand kissing. This time period's Anna may or may not have been buddy buddy with Jean-Luc, but she wasn't ready to get close or even consider trusting him yet. Biased and confusing as it was, she just couldn't avoid the feelings of watching Remy's father disappoint him on that bayou so many years ago. No one deserved to be taken advantage of like that. Not even swamprats.
The extended family remained silent as she quickly conversed with Remy and assured him that they were fine and heading home in a few minutes. Once he'd been reassured, she hung up the phone and turned her attention back to the group, "Looks like we have to get going so we don't blow the surprise."
"No problem." Mercy spoke up and placed a warm arm around Anna's shoulders. The moment seemed so natural that Rogue's usual sense of social anxiety suffered a delayed reaction. It wasn't until the woman began edging them over to the rental car station, that she began feeling the uncomfortable knots in her stomach, "The guys will pick up the bags and you can leave after Tante and I pick out a rental car. Just tell my little brother-in-law that you decided to take your own sweet time getting home."
"Isn't like he was never guilty of that himself." Mattie concurred and patted Anna's back in a manner that helped soothe her internal trepidations. It was the first time, aside from those few moments of romance with Remy LeBeau, that Anna's heart felt a little lighter in this strange place. The only question gnawing at her brain was how did this woman know right when she felt distressed?
…
By the time she parted ways with the LeBeau clan and drove her own terrible two back to the house, Remy'd prepared a home cooked meal. Actually, he'd prepared it about fifteen minutes before they arrived, but he didn't grumble once while reheating the plates and cutting up Amelia's portion. The man even took pity on his substitute wife and offered to put the munchkins to bed.
It was funny really, how happy he was about everything. It seemed like he was just enjoying their company despite the hour. The only thing that seemed out of place was how quickly he tried to get the kids upstairs. Wasn't like they were in a race or anything. The kids would go to sleep and then so would they. Why be in such a hurry?
She pushed the thoughts aside and rested her head on her folded arms. The position wasn't the most comfortable, but it supported her tired cranium enough for her to let out a deep yawn and close her eyes. She'd rest her eyes for a few minutes and then offer to finish the dishes for Remy. He'd like that, she figured as she drifted off to sleep, it would give him time to go do whatever it was he was in such a hurry for.