Hi all! I am so sorry for the delay in updating this story. Nothing particularly Earth-shattering happened, but just a few little things piled up leaving me very little time for fanfiction. (Seriously, I have like 20 alerts in my inbox on stories that I haven't had a chance to read yet!) Thanks again for everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter! I have to say that I'm not terribly happy with this chapter. It's a bit of a slow start and I'm worried that it might be just plain boring in parts. I majorly suck at writing action sequences, so I hope the end isn't too anti-climactic.

WARNING for my dear readers: there is a scene in here that involves some sexual violence that some might find disturbing. I hesitate to put the word mild or minor in front of that just because stuff like that really isn't taken lightly, but it's not a rape scene or anything that extreme.

This is pretty much the last full chapter except for an epilogue that will follow later. So enjoy, and leave a comment if you're so inclined. Sorry in advance for spelling and grammar errors, I didn't have too much time to read it over too thoroughly.

Disclaimer: see chapter 1

Deconstruct to Reconstruct: Haunted and Hunted

Remy found himself feeling conflicted. This evening, he and Anna had shared some very personal stories about their pasts. And while Remy's intent was not at all to fish for information about the enigmatic southern belle, he knew that some of what she told him would allow Professor Xavier and the X-Men to piece together the mysteries surrounding the woman known to them as Rogue and, in turn, help them to better protect her. However, some part of him felt that to tell would almost be a betrayal to Rogue. Anna, he mentally corrected himself: beautiful, sassy, strong Anna. There was a time, in the very recent past, where just the idea of a woman who could not be touched would have him turn to look for the next bimbo with a pert bottom and perky set of tits. What was so different about her then? Was it her unconventional, yet alluring appearance with those deep, green eyes, perfect hour-glass, full and pouty lips, and wavy chestnut hair with an exotic shock of white? Or was it the way she shrugged off his advances and refused to swoon at his charms, lighting a spark of excitement inside him, encouraging him to try that much harder to get under her skin? Maybe it was the damaged parts and her vulnerability that called to his inner knight in shining armour to sweep her away from the danger and to the happily-ever-after that she (and everyone else, really) wants so badly. Remy sighed and pushed his hair from his face when he realized that it was likely all three, and then some, that urged him to hand his heart over to her, and filled him with the hope that she might accept it if and when he did.

Anna was definitely a challenge, but there was no game. And even though there was no prize to be won, that didn't mean that there wasn't much to gain. He already deeply cherished the bond that was weaving between them: friends, and now, even confidants. But the bond was still thin, and easily broken. And as with material goods, the small, fine pieces were always the hardest to mend. Which brought him back to his original dilemma – to tell or not to tell? If he told the professor the key bits of information, she might feel like he was simply sent on a mission to get the whole story from her leaving her suspicious of any future attempts to extend the hand of friendship (or anything more) from him. At the same time though, he couldn't live with himself if something happened that could have been prevented had only the X-Men had knowledge of it in the first place. He grit his teeth and tugged at his hair.

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. "Come in," he called from his perch on the corner of the bed.

The door opened to reveal Logan chewing on a cigar. "Prof. wants to see you," he jerked his thumb back and to the side, "says it's important."

"Be there in a minute homme," Remy replied as he rose. Let things stay quiet for now, maybe the professor already knows somethin', he thought to himself.

~oOo~

It had been nearly a week since Remy was sent on his mission, and Anna was finally ready to admit that she missed him. Since she wasn't a part of the X-Men team, all she was told was that it was a surveillance job. She could guess that it had something to do with Robert Kelly's organization promoting mutant registration since anyone who was on the X-team went silent and watched attentively any time the news showed anything about it. He was organizing a press conference and Anna figured that the X-Men wanted to get as much information on it as possible beforehand so they could anticipate any possible fallout. It made for a tense atmosphere around the mansion.

The others at the institute were nice enough and usually invited her to join them in whatever they were doing, but she missed the after-work banter with Remy and maybe even a little of his flirting. Of all the residents of the mansion, Remy was the only one who was never afraid to get physically close to her while others were always mindful of keeping a safe distance away. The first time he invaded her personal space she shoved him away and asked him if he was trying to get killed. He simply responded, with that lazy, mischievous smirk, and slow, gravelly, Louisiana drawl, How much fun would life be if we only did what was safe? To which she simply rolled her eyes and replied before stalking off, Whatever swamp-rat, it's your funeral. He'd been pushing her physical and emotional boundaries ever since, and God help her, she let him. The night he took her for ice cream was the first time she'd ever completely opened up to anyone. Even when she'd first met Gus and he asked why she ran away, she kept her answers vague, telling him that she didn't want to talk about it, that it was a part of her life she would never revisit anyway.

Anna gave a short, slightly bitter laugh. And here she was, back in Bayville, where four years ago her family's charade of love and caring was exposed as deceit and manipulation. Never in her life had she ever felt so alone than on the day she absorbed Mystique's memories. The only two people in the world that she completely trusted had lied to her and wanted to use her powers as a means of gaining the upper hand on both the X-Men and anyone else that got in their way. And then she left and created what she thought would be a better life where she would not be used as a weapon in a fight spurred by hate and a general clash in ideologies. Instead, she became a subservient fuck toy and punching bag to a man who had her convinced that she owed him her life because he was the only man she'd ever be able to touch.

Momma woulda slapped me up the head for bein' so naïve, she mused. It was only a matter of time before Mystique tracked her down and confronted her. The question was how would Anna choose to receive her adoptive mother? Would she be willing to listen to Mystique's and Irene's side of things? Despite what happened when her powers manifested, the two women had given Anna a relatively happy childhood, and never once, until the day she touched Mystique, did she ever doubt their love for her. But what about know?

She sighed as she tugged on her gloves and gave herself a final once-over in the mirror. She decided it would be best to cross that bridge when it was upon her and just follow her instincts. She grabbed her purse off the dresser and headed down to meet Logan. It was Friday, and sure to be a busy night. No time to clog her brain with maybes and what ifs if she wanted to make some decent tips tonight.

"Hi Logan, ready to go?" she asked as she jogged down the stairs. He was already waiting in the foyer for her. He just nodded and led the way to the garage. Logan was an interesting character, Anna decided after the first few times he drove her to work. He wasn't one for idle chit chat and so their time in the car was often pretty quiet. On the outside, he looked like the meanest, toughest S.O.B.'s you'd ever meet, but in her short time at the mansion, Anna could tell he was nothing but a big softy under all those layers of rough and tough. She had called him on it once, and instigated a little verbal spar between them that earned a slight smile and short laugh from him.

"So have you put any thought into what we talked about earlier this week?" Logan suddenly asked a little while into the drive.

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I thought about it."

"Hank says that you should be ready for a little bit of light activity next week, so I thought we could start with some basic moves. Nothing too strenuous to start, just enough to get used to some of the motions."

"Sure, I mean, whatever you think is best. I used to know some basic fightin' moves, but it's been so long since I've used any of them that I'm sure I'm a little more than rusty."

"You'd be surprised how quick it all comes back. Who knows, we could be jumping from basic self-defence to advanced technique in no time."

"Ha!" Anna laughed. "I really don't think that's likely."

"Well I guess we'll just have to see how quickly I kick your ass on Monday then," Logan said.

"Oh is that how we're goin' to gage my progress? The length of time it takes for you to lay me out?"

Logan shrugged, "It's as good a measure as any."

Anna rolled her eyes and laughed as the car came to a halt. "I'll see ya later Wolvie."

Logan nodded. "I might stop in for a beer later. The kids are having some kind of movie marathon in the rec room tonight. I'm not sure I want to stick around for that."

"Just plan your escape route ahead of time and you'll be alright," she said as she stepped out of the car. "Bye!" She waved before turning around and entering the pub.

~oOo~

He watched as the familiar vehicle pulled into the parking lot and in front of the doors. It was the short, gruff man again. Has the slut already ditched the one in the trench coat? Gus could see her laugh at something the man in the driver's seat said and narrowed his eyes. If he could only get his hands on her now, he'd slap that smile straight off her face and show her physically how much it hurt him emotionally to see her make time with other men. It would be a lesson in fidelity that she wouldn't soon forget. And if things went as planned, she'd be learning that lesson very soon.

He had checked out the building a few times and found a way in through the back. It would be a busy night so no one would notice him sneaking in and hiding out. She was in for a hell of a surprise at the end of her shift tonight. "You've been a very bad girl Marie," he said to himself, lips curling into a tight grin. "It's time to take you home and show you why you shouldn't break your promises."

~oOo~

It was late, but finally Remy was on his way home. He had gathered a significant amount of information about Kelly and his mutant registration plan: names of people and companies that were providing financial support, dates, meetings and even copies of a few documents. Hopefully it was enough for Professor Xavier to accomplish what he wanted to with all the info. There was no doubt that the professor would want to meet with him and discuss his findings, but Remy really hoped that the meeting would be brief. If there was enough time, he was going to surprise Anna at work. Although the mission kept his mind fairly occupied, in the times it was allowed to idle he found his thoughts drifting to her. He wondered for a moment if she missed him too.

He sped through the opening gates of the institute and parked his bike near the entrance. Pulling off his helmet he pushed the doors open and stepped into the mansion's large foyer. He paused for a moment to take comfort in the familiar sights of home. Remy's head whipped to the side at the sound of a squeal, followed by one of the younger boys racing out of the rec room. Two young girls ran from the same direction, no doubt in hot pursuit of the boy. Remy just grinned and shook his head before making his way to the professor's study.

~oOo~

They should have been proud of him, really; he lasted all the way to midnight before taking off. Besides, he spent a number of years looking after the senior X-Men when they were still kids, it was only fair that they got a taste of what it was like to be the responsible adult in a house full of mutant teens. Ororo would probably lecture him later about letting children be children and so on. If this is what children did, then they could do it way the hell away from him. It wasn't that he didn't like them, honestly, he would dive head-first into hell to make sure they were safe, but sometimes their antics got to be a little too much, and there's only so many danger room sessions you can hand out before they're all practically living in there. So really, it was for the better that he went away for a bit; both for his own sanity and to keep him from irrationally snapping a kid's head off (which would no doubt earn him another lecture with a side of guilt).

He walked into the pub and nodded at the bouncer at the door. The place was pretty full, but that was to be expected on a Friday night. He managed to find an open dart board and perched himself on the stool in front of it.

"Wow, you lasted longer than Ah thought you would," the familiar, slightly exaggerated, southern accented sounded next to him. "Ah was half expectin' to see y'all here at least by ten." She set a beer down on the table next to him and handed him a box of darts.

"Give me some credit. They're kids, not a mob of terrorists."

"Sugah, sometimes Ah wonder if you know the difference," Anna winked and laughed a little when he glared at her. "Holler if you need anythin'. Ah got a few more tables to tend to," she said, motioning to the other drinks on her tray. Logan watched her move to the next table before opening the box of darts in his hand. She probably would have been a good kid. A little mouthy maybe, but if they had managed to recruit her that first time, she could have made a good addition to the team.

~oOo~

When it was close to closing time, he snuck in the back entrance. There was a space just big enough for him to slide into between a row of lockers and the wall. He waited patiently in the dark corner for her to get her things for the night. She was always one of the last to leave, which meant the chances of getting her alone were fairly good. But he brought some extra insurance just in case someone did get in the way. He could feel the revolver press into his back from where it rested in the waistband of his jeans. It only held six rounds, but it would be plenty. If things went according to plan, he wouldn't need to use it at all and he had a good sized pocket knife that could serve as extra back-up if he needed it.

He froze for a moment when the door opened. He heard two female voices, neither of them Marie's. They were likely the blond and black-haired waitresses since those two were always the first to leave. Next would be the other blond waitress and then the bouncers. He was so close he could almost taste her.

~oOo~

"'Night boys! See y'all tomorrow!" Anna called to the security guards as she emptied the money from her apron and handed it to Jerry to count. "Well I think that's it boss, anything' else before I go?"

"Naw, go on home and get some rest. Fight's on tomorrow so it'll be packed in here," Jerry waved her off. Anna just nodded and pushed the back door open. She let out a sigh as she got to her locker and began to turn the dial of the lock. She didn't have time to scream when a hand clamped over her mouth and an arm strapped her against someone's body.

"Not a sound Marie, not a fucking sound," the man behind her hissed. She knew instantly who it was and what he wanted. Anna tried desperately to control her breathing and keep the tears from spilling. Gus slowly released is grip on her face, "If I so much as hear a squeak come out of your mouth I swear to God I'll kill you." He motioned to the gun in his other hand to drive the point home. He dug his hand into his pocket and pulled out a thin, gold ring and held it up to her face. "Remember this? You forgot it when you decided to go on your little trip. And from what I've seen in the last few days, you've also forgotten about everything that goes along with it. Do you know what this ring means Marie?" He shoved her into the lockers. "Do you?"

~oOo~

Jerry counted the money again. Something wasn't right; she was over by about twenty dollars. "Anna," he called and went back to try counting the money again. After about a minute with no response, he called again. He looked at Logan slowly began to stand up. Jerry pushed open the door to the back room. He barely saw inside the room when he was pushed back by the sound of two, loud blasts followed by white-hot pain in his left shoulder and upper arm. The shriek that emitted from the room barely registered in his brain. His body collapsed to the floor and his mind refused to allow him to focus on anything else besides the biting pain.

Skint! Logan's claws were popped and he jumped over the bar, practically flying into the back room. He saw Rogue held tightly by a man; the same man from the photograph that Charles had shown them – her husband. "Logan no!" she cried out to him. Gus shoved her into the ground and aimed his gun at Logan before firing off four rounds. Three of them connected and Logan dropped to the ground. "Gus stop! You'll kill him!"

Something's not right, Logan thought when he realized that his body was not healing itself and that his heightened senses weren't working.

Gus roughly picked Anna up and shoved her into the wall, hand on her throat. "Shut the hell up! You have absolutely nothing to say right now, especially after what you did to me!"

~oOo~

Remy was relieved when he saw that Logan's car was still in the pub's parking lot. He dismounted his bike and approached the door to see if it had been locked yet. His body momentarily froze at the sound of gunshots. Shaking himself loose of the shock, Remy sprinted to the door and walked in just in time to see Logan jump, claws out, into the room behind the bar. He was about to give his friend some back-up when he heard four more shots fired followed by Anna's distressed voice. "Gus stop! You'll kill him!" And that's when he remembered what Anna had told him about her husband's powers.

Gotta shut this guy down quick or else Logan really is gonna die. Stealthily he got behind the bar and noticed Jerry on the floor in a pool of blood. He leaned down and checked to see if he was still breathing. Still alive, Remy thought. "Shut the hell up! You have absolutely nothing to say right now, especially after what you did to me!" He heard Gus shout. He inched into the room and saw Logan in a crumpled, bloody heap on the floor. His eyes scanned up to the back wall of the room where Gus held Anna by the throat. As much as Remy wanted to rush in and save her, he knew he needed to take his time to do this right, or else Anna might get seriously hurt or killed.

"You have two choices, either you come back home with me and fulfill the promise you made to me with this ring, or," he reached into his pocket and brought out the pocket knife, "I make you fulfill it in a different way."

"Gus, please, don't do this," Anna sobbed.

He hooked the edge of the blade against the neckline of her shirt and pulled downward. "Oh my sweet, beautiful Marie," each word dripped with false tenderness. Anna felt his hand against her abdomen pushing the torn fabric aside. She flinched when she felt flat side of the cold blade touch her stomach and travel up, just under her breasts. "Tell me, what more could you have possibly wanted from me as your husband?" He slid the blade under her bra and turned the blade outward, cutting open the centre of her bra. She closed her eyes and sobbed as he lifted each bra cup out of the way, exposing her to him. He crushed her lips with his own and forced his tongue in her mouth while his fingers circled and teased one of her nipples. "Didn't I take you in when you had nowhere else to go?" he said upon releasing her mouth. Folding the knife back up and putting it away, his hands slithered back down her stomach and down to the waistband of her jeans. "Didn't I," he unhooked the button and pulled down the zipper, "show you what it was like," his fingertips dipped into her panties before shooting downward and roughly hooking two fingers inside of her, "to be touched in a way you would have never experienced if it weren't for me?" Anna cried out at the intrusion and fought to choke down the sobs that were bubbling up in her throat. "Wasn't I faithful to you? Didn't I take care of you?" He was shouting now. "You promised to be mine forever, Marie!" He pulled his hand out of her pants and brought it up to join the hand at her throat. "And I plan to make sure that you either fulfill that promise," Anna suddenly felt her airway close as his hands tightened, "or at least make sure that you can't belong to anyone else! 'Till death do us part Marie! What do you chose?"

All that would come out of Anna's mouth was a strangled gurgling. She closed her eyes against the pain when she heard the sound of metal hitting flesh and felt Gus' hands drop from her throat. Air came rushing back into her lungs with an audible gasp causing her to cough and fall to her knees. She felt something drape over her shoulders.

"Anna? Chère?" Remy gently held her shoulders and urged her to respond.

"Remy?" she managed out between coughs as she looked up into concerned red and black eyes.

He put a gloved hand on her cheek, "Did he hurt you? Are you alright?"

"I'm okay, I think," she stammered, then her eyes widened. "Oh my God, Logan… and Jerry …are they…?" They heard a groan come from the doorway.

Remy put both his hands back on Anna's shoulders and helped her stand. She pushed her arms through the sleeves of the trench coat and pulled it tight around herself. "I think Logan's goin' to be alright, but we'd better call an ambulance for Jerry," he replied. He put an arm around her and tried to usher her out of the room. They barely made it to the door before they heard a voice behind them.

"You son of a bitch!" With surprising quickness, Gus stood and lunged at them, knife in hand. Remy pushed Anna behind him and held his staff out to block the attack.

"Anna! Go call the police!" Remy commanded.

"But..."

"Just do it!"

"Don't you dare Marie, or I'll kill this one too!" Gus yelled as Anna disappeared from the doorway. It was a weak attempt at a threat, but it was all he had left. Remy kicked him in the gut and caused Gus to stumble back. He jumped at Remy again and they began a series of strikes, weaves, and dodges. Gus caught Remy by surprise and nicked him in the arm before backing him into the lockers. "You don't get to touch my wife." Gus spat at Remy, holding the knife to his throat. "Marie belongs to me!"

"Anna," Remy said spitefully.

"What the hell are you…" Gus' statement was cut off by his own scream of pain. Remy looked down to see Logan's three claws sticking into the back of his calf. Skant! He retracted his claws and Gus fell to the ground.

"She likes to be called Anna," Remy continued. "You'd figure that of all people, her husband would know that." Gus looked ready to respond when he let out another scream and grabbed his head before passing out. Remy and Logan both looked toward the door to see Scott and Jean walk in.

"That ought to keep him out until the police get here," Jean said lowering her fingers from her temple.

Scott bent down and helped Logan up, "Come on, let's get out of here."

"What about Jerry? And where's Anna?" Remy asked.

"He'll be okay, the ambulance will be here any minute, and she's already in the van. Hank's checking for injuries," Scott replied.

When they got to the van, Remy immediately went to the back. He saw Anna sitting with his coat pulled tightly around her. He sat down beside her and tentatively placed a hand on her shoulder. "Chère?" She looked up at him, tears still tumbling out of her eyes. To Remy's surprise, she buried her head into his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. He firmly returned her embrace and whispered into her hair, "Hush now, it's all right. He won't hurt you anymore."

"Is… is he…"

"Non, petite, he ain't dead. But when the cops match the bullets in Jerry's shoulder to his gun, he's gonna be goin' away for a while at least." Anna just nodded and stayed in Remy's arms as the van started its journey back to the mansion.