Thanks again to everyone who's reading and a big thank-you to the swift reviewers who've been loyally sticking to this story. I might not get to review replies tonight, but I'll make time tomorrow for them for sure!

This chapter is a little more angsty than previous chapters, but there's also a hint of mushiness too, so I hope it helps to balance it a bit. Oh and FYI I tweaked Remy's history a bit. Yes, I know he was still technically married after he was exiled from the guild, but since it's fanfiction, I'm exercising my creative license here. Oh and I kinda borrowed one part from the beginning from one of the Rogue limited series books. I've changed the character (from Storm to Kitty) and it's kinda different, but I don't want to take all the credit for an idea that was heavily inspired by something else.

As always, enjoy, and drop me a note telling me what you think if you have the time!

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Deconstruct to Reconstruct: Regrets and Trust

Anna was just walking out of her room when she noticed Kitty, Jean and Kurt bringing in groceries from the institute's weekly shopping trip. She noticed that Kitty struggling a little with her load and had nearly dropped it a couple of times. Anna jogged down the stairs, "Stop, Kitty, let me help you with that."

"What? Rogue?" Kitty asked as she saw Anna approach her with her arms outstretched. In a moment of irrational panic Kitty jerked back, "No wait! I don't have…" The items Kitty was carrying tumbled from her hands. Anna managed to catch most of it, but a carton of eggs that was balanced on top crashed to the floor in an oozing mess.

"Kitty! I told you that you were carrying too much!" Jean scolded from behind her. "It's a good thing Rogue was there to catch everything else or we might have a bigger mess on our hands."

"I'll get the mop," Kurt said before disappearing in a cloud of blue smoke.

"But Jean, I wasn't… I mean…"

"Don't blame Kitty, it was my fault; I startled her." Anna shrugged lightly despite the load in her arms.

"No, you were only trying to help," Jean sighed. "Kitty, why don't you help Rogue with some of the stuff she's carrying and show her where it goes."

At Kitty's slightly nervous expression at the mention of getting near her again, Anna spoke up, "It's okay Jean, I've got it. I'll just bring it into the kitchen and Kitty can put it away while I help you guys finish unloading the van." She couldn't stop her face from falling at Kitty's slightly relieved expression, so she turned as quickly as she could and made her way to the kitchen.

"Thanks, Rogue, and sorry for freaking out, I guess I… I mean…" Kitty groped for the right words, feeling a little embarrassed at her actions.

"Don't worry about it," Anna cut her off and waved her hand. She offered a weak smile and promptly left the kitchen. Unloading the rest of the groceries went off without incident, but she couldn't help but notice that Jean and Kurt always gave her a wide berth of space whenever she passed. After she brought the last load to the kitchen, Anna slipped out without a word and made her way to the library to sit by the big, bay window.

She plopped herself down and stared at her gloved hands. Don't take it personal, they're not used to being around people with powers like yours, she tried to reassure herself. Living with someone who could turn her powers off made her forget just how frightening her powers could be to other people. Suddenly Anna became aware of exactly how big of an adjustment not having someone to touch would be. Something as simple as a caress or a kiss was now out of her reach. It was like having it ripped away all over again. Unless… Unless I go back… Was her independence really worth total loss of all physical contact with another human being? She shook her head, not just your independence, your safety, she told herself. You know full well that if you go back, it's only a matter of time before he goes too far and you wind up dead. But was a life without touch really worth living? She put her head in her hands and bit her lip to fight off the tears that threatened to spill. A warm weight rested on her shoulder. When she looked up, her eyes met a pair of glowing, red ones.

"Chère?" his voice, soft and gravelly called out to her. "Is everythin' okay?"

Her shoulders slumped as she exhaled. "Yeah, I'm fine," she forced an unconvincing smile. His hand lifted itself off of her shoulder and Anna found that she missed the warmth of his touch almost instantly. He settled himself down in front of her on the window seat.

"You sure? Looks like somethin's eatin' at you," he probed gently.

She cast her head downward, "I guess just all the feelin's about everythin's that's happened the last little while have just caught up to me at once." She looked back at him and saw that his expression was soft, concerned.

"Funny how that works, huh?" he said with a sympathetic smirk. Anna just nodded and dropped her eyes back into her lap. He placed his fully gloved hand on her knee, causing her to look up. His smirk had grown into a warm smile. "It's a good thing, then, that I know jus' the thing to cheer you up."

Anna quirked an eyebrow, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." He stood up and offered his hand to her.

"What are you up to swamp rat?"

"It's a surprise, come on. Trust me, you'll like it." He extended his hand further, urging her to take it. Her eyes flicked down from his face to his hand before hesitantly raising her own hand up and placing it in his grasp. Remy pulled her up, and still gripping her hand, he pulled her away toward the garage.

About an hour later, the stopped in front of a little ice cream shop. Remy knew it was risky, taking her so far away from the mansion like this, but she needed to get out and do something fun for a change. Anna pulled off her helmet and stared up at the shop. "That was an awful long ride just to get some ice cream," she said sceptically.

"Not jus' any ice cream chère, this happens to be some of the best ice cream you can get 'round these parts." He smiled and held the door open for her. "Wait 'till you try it; it'll be near impossible to enjoy any other kind of frozen treat after this."

~oOo~

Although Charles was mildly annoyed to see Remy drive out of the mansion gates with Rogue without telling anyone where they were going, the distressed he sensed from the young girl earlier told him that maybe it was something that needed to be done. Besides, it would be easier to call a meeting with the X-Men concerning Rogue if she was not in the mansion at the time. He watched as the team filtered in and took their seats.

"You wanted to see us Professor?" Scott asked.

"Yes, I have some new information on Rogue that I thought we should all be aware of," Charles began. "I found this in my office this morning." He tossed the envelope on the table. "Just shortly after we found Rogue, Mystique paid me a visit. She was concerned for Rogue's wellbeing because of some visions Destiny had about her."

"What kind of visions?" Ororo asked.

"She didn't go into detail, but the long and short of it is that Rogue may be in danger. I gave Mystique the name of Rogue's husband knowing that she would seek him out and get as much information on him as she could."

"And this is what she came up with so far?" Jean asked, reaching for the envelope. She held it open and pulled out the note and the photo. Scott and Kitty leaned in and looked over her shoulder. After reading the note, she passed it over to the other side of the table.

"What do you notice about the photo?"

It took a moment, but finally Scott spoke, "They're touching! I mean their skin is touching." Kitty and Jean's eyes widened as Jean passed the photo over to the eager hands across the table.

Charles nodded, "It appears that whoever this person is, he's found a way around her powers."

"Which would explain why she hasn't used her powers in so long," Kurt mused out loud.

"And probably why she married him in the first place," Kitty added.

"And why she let the bastard toss her around," Logan grunted.

"Now, Logan, although it is one possibility for her injuries, we don't have any concrete evidence to support that theory," Charles countered. Although he himself believed it, he didn't want to jump to any conclusions too soon.

"I don't need evidence; all I need is my gut. And my gut's telling me that this guy," he pointed at the photo, "is the reason she's in any danger at all."

"So what does this all mean, Charles?" Hank spoke up.

"I think that Rogue's husband, this Augustus, might be looking for her. When Remy picked her up from work early this morning, he said that he felt like they were being watched."

"Asshole wants his punching bag back." Charles didn't even bother chastising Logan for his comment.

"At very least, this photo shows us what he looks like so we can keep an eye out for him. We should probably make sure that she doesn't leave the mansion alone. It shouldn't be too difficult since she isn't able to drive herself anywhere." Charles said.

"Where is she right now?" Kitty asked.

"Out with Remy. I saw them drive through the gates earlier. I don't think we need to be worried right now, since I'm sure he will be careful not to let anyone follow them back here should he sense someone watching them again." He continued, "Besides, I sensed some distress coming off of her, perhaps she needed some time away."

Kitty cast her eyes down at the professor's last statement. She still felt guilty for overreacting earlier. It hadn't occurred to her that Rogue's feelings might be hurt until after the damage had been done.

"Hank," Logan called out to the blue, furry doctor, "how are her injuries healing?"

"I've scheduled a check-up with her for tomorrow, why?"

"Maybe it's time she had a little training of her own, at least so that she can defend herself when we're not there."

~oOo~

"Mmmm, oh my God," Anna groaned. "You weren't kiddin' Cajun. This is better than anythin' I've ever experienced."

"Anythin' chère?"

"A know exactly what you're referrin' to, and it does not hold a candle to this," she looked at him from the corner of her eye.

"Well then maybe you haven't experienced it with the right person," he said wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Whatever you say, I still think if I had to pick one or the other for the rest of my life, I'd pick the ice cream." She put another spoonful in her mouth and closed her eyes as she swirled it around on her tongue. Remy laughed briefly before they fell into a comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So what do you like to be called?" Remy broke the quiet.

"Excuse me?" Anna looked over at him wide-eyed.

"Everyone at the institute calls you Rogue, but I never heard you actually introduce yourself as that. I know it's not your real name, but is it really what you like to be called?"

She shrugged, "It was a nickname I earned as a kid, but mostly I just went by Anna. When I lived here before, I had everyone call me Rogue. Maybe I was trying to create a new identity for myself or something. Everyone at the mansion must just assume that's what I still want to be called. When I met Gus, he started callin' me Marie, and that's who I've been for the last few years."

"And what about now?"

"Now," she sighed, "I guess I'd just like to be Anna again."

"Well, Anna, I think that's a mighty pretty name to go with a mighty pretty femme, " he smiled.

Anna smiled back. "Snake charmer," she said as she nudged his shoulder.

"So, if you don't mind me askin', what's the deal with this husband of yours anyway?"

Anna's smile fell away and she looked off into the distance. It was only a matter of time before someone asked her, so she decided to divulge the information. "I met him when I was seventeen, just after I ran away from the Brotherhood house. He took me in, and at some point I discovered that he was a mutant too."

"What're his powers?"

"He has the ability to turn off other mutants' powers." Remy's eyes widened and he nodded. "I thought it was a dream- come-true. Here I was, the untouchable girl, findin' someone who could touch me and I could touch back." She chuckled lightly and shook her head. "About a year later when he asked me to marry him, I was naïve enough to think I was getting my fairy tale ending. We eloped that weekend. I didn't even have a proper wedding dress, or a party or anythin' really, but I still felt like Cinderella finding her prince charmin'."

"Really chère, the whole big weddin' ain't all it's cracked up to be. Doesn't make the marriage any more real."

"You know from experience?"

Remy nodded, "Arranged marriage to end some long, standing family feud."

"What happened?"

"Just after the ceremony, my new brother in law wasn't exactly thrilled about our union. He challenged me to a duel – dead man loses – and… well as you can see, I'm right here. As a way to keep peace 'tween the families, it was agreed that the marriage be dissolved and that I be exiled from N'Awlins."

"Wow," was the only response Anna could muster. She knew there was much more to the story, but she decided he would fill in the blanks when he was ready to.

"What about you? What happened to turn your fairy tale sour?" Remy asked.

Anna shrugged again, "Turns out that he wasn't such a prince charmin' after all." She fell silent for a moment before continuing, "At first, things were good, and then little things would set him off. Before I knew it, almost every argument we had would end with me flyin' into a wall or slammed to the floor. He only hit me in the face once, but never did it again once he realized that it raised too many questions with my co-workers."

Remy's face held a mixture of disgust and disbelief. "Why did you stay?"

"Like I said, he's the only person I know of who can touch me. I just always thought that he was the best I could ever have. It was either stay with him, or wind up alone for the rest of my life."

"What changed your mind then? Why did you leave in the end?"

Anna inhaled deeply and held her breath for a moment before continuing, "Despite how often he'd rub my nose in the fact that he's the only one who can touch me, Gus is still a jealous man. The last fight we had was over me workin' late one night. He was convinced there was somethin' funny goin' on between my boss and me. Long story short, this fight ended with me unconscious, at the bottom of a flight of stairs. Luckily I got away with only a few bruises and fractured ribs, but I guess I realised that one day I won't be so lucky…" she trailed off and looked down at her, now empty, ice cream bowl. His gloved fingers cupped her chin and lifted her head up to meet his gaze.

"Anna, you have to know that it was the right decision to make," he said, as if reading her mind.

"I know, but…"

"No buts," he cut her off. "So what if he can touch your skin? He was only usin' it to trap you – to make you believe that you couldn't leave because there was nothin' else for you. And that's simply not true chère." He brought his other hand up to cup her face and used his thumbs to wipe away the tears that were beginning to fall. "You deserve so much better than what he was giving you." He pulled her into his embrace and held her as he spoke. "Tell me, Anna, when was the last time that husband of yours just held you? When was the last time he showed you love without touching your skin, or at all for that matter?" He could feel her body tremble as she quietly sobbed. All the while, he held her tightly, pressing the side of his face against the top of her head.

When they finally separated, Anna spoke, "Remy… I…I don't…"

"Hush chère," he put a finger to her lips. "I know…. I know." He grinned at her to let her know he understood that she wasn't ready yet. Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he was ready. He felt so comfortable opening up to her that the words and feelings just tumbled out before he knew it. She held his eyes with her own and nodded.

~oOo~

He stared out into the empty parking lot as the last few patrons trickled out. She wasn't here tonight, but there was always tomorrow night, and the night after. He would wait until the time was right to claim what was his, and God help anyone who got in his way.