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Chapter 2

Anna stood waiting with her arms crossed as Remy and Damon argued who would sit alone in the back. She regretted letting Remy talk her into driving down south. He had explained that it was in everyone's best interest for any of their names not to appear together on an airplane's manifest. Anna longed for the days when they could stealthily travel in the Blackbird, in and out of cities all over the world.

Anna watched the two tall men in front of her argue like they were children in a candy store, fighting for the last piece of rock candy. She decided that she had seen enough. Anna grabbed the keys from Damon's hand, causing the fight to stop momentarily.

"Hey," Damon objected. "What do you think you're doing with my keys?" He had a truly puzzled look on his face. After all, he was driving, like he always did. He was having a hard time connecting the pieces.

"I've had it with all the arguing. You two are acting like three year olds," Anna replied. Remy and Damon gave each other a guilt-ridden look. Both men felt immediate remorse and gave Anna their full attention. "This is how it's going to go until you two learn to behave with one another. I make all the decisions, and I don't want to hear a peep about it. You hear me?" They nodded in unison like trained seals. "Good. I'm driving." Damon opened his mouth to object, but Anna shot him a look of warning. He instantly stepped back in line. Remy peered over at his opponent and gave him a "haha" sort of look. "Now, the two of you are sitting together in the back. If you're going to act like children, then you're going to sit in the back like children."

"But, chere. He started." Remy had not signed up for a twenty-hour drive next to Damon Price. Anna, however, ignored the protests and walked directly to the driver's side of the car. The two men were still staring at each other, although the verbal arguing had stopped.

Remy and Damon eventually conceded to Anna's request and climbed slowly into the back seat of the jet black Ford Expedition. Anna laughed inwardly as she watched the two men through her rear view mirror. Remy and Damon sat as far away from each other as physically possible. She thanked the heavens that they were not making the journey down in a small compact vehicle. They would have never agreed to this seating arrangement.

"Buckle up, kids," she joked before turning the key in the ignition.

Now Anna wasn't completely masochistic, as she was willing to share the driving with the others. Anna actually found herself pleasantly surprised by the lack of fighting that had occurred between Remy and Damon. After a whole day on the road together, it was as if all three saw the light at the end of the tunnel when they crossed the city limits into New Orleans.

Remy was at the helm when they arrived, which proved to be a blessing. They were able to avoid loads of traffic by taking back streets known mostly to locals. The trio pulled up to a hotel just after noon. Remy and Damon walked up together to check-in while Anna waited.

Anna had left the hotel accommodations to Remy and wasn't surprised by the lavishness. After she told him that the Bureau would be footing the bill, Remy's face lit up like a child on Christmas morning. She sat in one of the chairs in the lobby and ran her hands over the soft suede cushions. From the ceilings, there hung two extravagant crystal chandeliers. Brookes was not going to be a very happy camper once he saw the expense report for this trip.

"Okay, we're all set," Damon said as he and Remy walked back to Anna. "There aren't any adjoining rooms, but we were still able to get a pair right across from each other. Remy you can stay in this room. Anna and I will bunk together."

"Watch it, homme," Remy answered possessively.

"Just kidding," Damon smiled. All the while, Anna shook her head at the never ending dueling for her affections. She did care for Damon, but she wished that he would understand that she was with Remy now. They followed the bellboy to the elevators and up to the twentieth floor.

Remy tipped the young boy, despite the fact that Remy disliked how he was staring at Anna's breasts the entire ride up the elevator. He chalked his graciousness up to proper etiquette, but Remy swore he'd teach him some manners if it ever happened again.

"You booked us a suite?" Anna's jaw dropped once the doors were opened. "Brookes is going to kill me." She buried her face in her hands.

"Hey," Damon shrugged. "What's done is done. We might as well enjoy the rooms while we're here."

Remy roped his arms around Anna's waist. "Listen to your partner, chere. It's the first intelligent thing he's said all day. Once Brookes gets his man, he won't even think about the bill." Remy walked over to the windows and opened the curtains, letting the afternoon light in. "She's tres belle, non?"

Damon walked over instantly, joining Remy, to appreciate the view of the French Quarter. Anna, on the other hand, reached for her suitcase to unpack. She packed lightly, as she always did when travelling for a case. After securing her files in the room's safe, she walked into the bathroom to freshen up. She couldn't help the urge to whistle as she marveled at the décor. The entire room was covered in wall-to-wall black and gray marble tiling. She walked past the shining Jacuzzi, over to the separate glass shower. On the wall hung two pristine, plush bathrobes. Anna ran her fingers gently over the bath towels made from the softest Egyptian cotton. She wished that she and Remy were staying at the hotel under more pleasant conditions. She sighed deeply; maybe one day. By the time she walked out of the bathroom, Remy was on the phone.

As Anna walked over to her partner, Damon placed one finger over his lips, gesturing her to remain quiet. She sat beside him as they watched Remy pace back and forth in the other room.

"Apparently, your boy's already been spotted by his fellow guild members. Not quite sure who's on the phone, but it doesn't sound friendly. Heard him say your name and that you two are here on vacation together." Damon leaned back on the bed onto his elbows. "You going to call Brookes, or am I?"

"Why don't you do it," Anna replied. "In the meantime, I'll talk to Remy and see what's up."

Damon simply nodded before silently creeping out of the room. He gave Remy a quick wave before shutting the door behind him. Anna fell back onto one of the most comfortable beds she had even felt. It was as if the entire thing was made of clouds. She placed her hands behind her head. The wear and tear of the road trip had not caught to her until now. She closed her eyes in hopes of getting some rest.

In the meantime, Remy nodded as he listened to his brother, Henri, lecturing him on the other end of the phone. "You should've stayed here at the manor. You know it's more secure for us to talk Guild business this way." Remy understood exactly what Henri was saying. In fact, he agreed with him one hundred percent. However, if Remy stayed at the Guild's manor, he would not have been able to sleep next to his lover at night. The Thieves Guild was a suspicious bunch by nature. Although they knew Anna, they had never met Damon. Had he been a mutant, it would have been easy enough to explain his presence as just another member of the X-Men coming to help. But, Damon was human with no redeeming qualities in Remy's eyes. Having him tag along would have just raised too many red flags.

Remy finally finished his conversation with his brother and went to look for Anna. Henri would be sending a car for them around six. That gave them more than enough time to unwind and prepare for dinner with his family. He turned around the corner of the door frame to the bedroom and saw what he thought was an angel. There she was, lying out on the large bed, like a present waiting to be unwrapped. Her pinstripe charcoal suit pants fit perfectly around her waist and thighs. She had already removed the matching suit jacket, leaving only a white silk button-down. The fabric lay perfectly on her tight stomach and round breasts. Even though she looked unbelievably hot, Remy wasn't a fan of her new sense of style. The clothes were the perfect stereotype of a federal agent. But, it just wasn't his Rogue. He missed the green and yellow skintight uniforms.

Without a sound, he made his way over to Anna and lay beside her on the bed. She had let her hair grow out again, leaving only wisps of her white hair as bangs. Remy leaned in closer, unable to resist temptation any longer, and placed his lips onto hers. He kissed them gently at first, half expecting Anna to resist. Surely he would be lectured for trying something while they were there on business. To Remy's surprise, Anna had not objected, and reciprocated his affections. They continued to exchange the soft brushing of lips at first. But, their kisses lengthened and deepened with every passing second. Remy shifted his body so that he now lay over her, supporting his weight on his right elbow. His other hand began to explore her body, first over her thighs then her taut little stomach. His hand finally settled over her breasts, massaging them gently, as he began to kiss her neck.

Remy was taken aback when Anna pushed him onto his back, with her now straddling his waist. No words needed to be exchanged; they were going to let their hands do the communicating. Anna slid hers under Remy's black t-shirt, pulling it over his head. She began tracing the lines of his muscles, sending chills all over Remy's skin. She bent down to give him another brief kiss. Anna sat straight up again, this time to remove her own silk shirt. Remy waited impatiently as she slowly undid button by button, revealing a lacy cream-colored bra underneath. Remy sat up, unable to keep away any longer. He made a trail of kisses that led from Anna's neck, down her shoulder, over her collarbone, from one breast, and to the other. Anna let out a gentle sigh as Remy ran his fingers up the small of her back.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Merde," Remy bit his bottom lip. "We don't have to answer that, ma cherie." His words were useless. Anna had already jumped off the bed, and was starting to button up her blouse. "I'm going to kill the poor bastard on the other side of that door."

"Shush, Rems," Anna replied. "It's probably Damon. He went to check in with Brookes."

"Like I said, I'm going to kill him." Anna didn't know that Remy was only half-joking.

She finished getting dressed and ran into the other room. Knock. Knock. Knock. "I'll be right there! Just hang on a minute. Geez, Damon…" Anna paused as she opened the door. Anna narrowed her eyebrows together when she saw that no one was standing in front of her. She stepped halfway out and looked to her left and right, hoping to find an explanation for the knocking. Nothing. The hall was absolutely empty, not even a cart for the cleaning staff. As Anna stepped back into the room, she noticed a black envelope on the floor in front of the door. She picked it up and brought it back into the room.

"What's that, chere?" Remy asked. He, too, was fully clothed again.

"Don't know. Just found it sitting on the floor," Anna continued to examine the black envelope. She walked over to the desk and found a heavy silver letter opener next to the hotel's embossed stationery. Her eyes widened upon seeing the contents of the envelope. "It's us," she whispered.

"What?"

"It's a photo, of us. It looks like it was taken when we were standing in the lobby," Anna explained. She turned the photo over, reading a message written on the back. "I've been waiting."