Tiny Smiles

Chapter Six

A/N: I'm just going to put this right here...

Oh...and No Beta! Pointing out mistakes and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Tears streamed down Ororo's face. Her nude body lurched trying to heave up the contents of her stomach. She sat on the cold tile floor of her bathroom wishing for the numbing feeling drugs used to give her. But she was better than that now. At least she thought she was. At this moment she couldn't say for sure. But she'd come too far to go back to that. She wanted to be the type of woman her daughter would be proud to call her mother…be the type of mother she never had. Who was she kidding? She'd never be that. She was an addict who'd prostituted herself for a brief high and for a no good man she'd thought she loved. She was worse than the mother she had. At least N'Dare wasn't a junkie.

Logan leaned against the doorframe. "It wasn't that bad was it, darlin'?"

Ororo looked up at him. He stood naked and proud, watching with perverse satisfaction with a lopsided cocky grin gracing his handsome stubbled face. He was really proud of himself.

She saw his dick twitched at the sight of her distress. Sick Bastard. "Get out," she croaked out between stomach clenching gags.

His smile broadened. "I was just leaving anyway. Nothing else you can do for me." He turned to leave then stopped. "By the way, darlin'," he chuckled, "your ex should be contactin' you soon."

"What?" What did he say? What did he mean?

"Yer ex, darlin'…the one that hired me to find you. LeBeau," he said as if he were trying to jog her memory, "He'll be callin'."

"But you said…"

Logan walked over to her and squatted down looking her in the eyes. He reached his hand up and gently stroked her hair. "He made me an offer I couldn't refuse, sweetheart." He gave her a sympathetic smile that didn't reach his sparkling brown eyes. "The first time he paid me my usual fee…5 large. You topped that…in more ways than one." Ororo's stomach churned at the sound of another of his low rumbling chuckles. He was laughing at her. She was a joke. Her life was a joke to this sadistic prick. "But this time, darlin,'" he continued, "you couldn't beat him…ten thousand to take the case and another ten when I delivered the information. That's not even including the travel fees."

"You promised…" Before she could get her pleading words out he tightened his grip on her hair. She made a squeaking sound and squeezed her eyes shut fighting against the pain of her hair being pulled from its roots.

"I never promised you anything." He wrenched her face towards him then kissed her hard. "It was nice doing business with you. I'm kinda sad to see it end."

Ororo's cry filled the tiny bathroom echoing off the floral papered walls. Her fist balled and she attacked Logan with everything she could muster. "Bastard!" She shouted. Logan's laughter infuriated her more as he easily dodged her strikes. There was nothing she could do with him. He outweighed her by at least a hundred pounds of nothing but muscle. He caught her wrists in each of his beefy hands and squeezed them, cutting off the blood circulating to her fingers.

"You ready for another round of fun, sweetheart? Huh?" He jerked her towards him. Ororo saw the color of his eyes darken and the lines of his handsome face deepen, instantly morphing into the hellish creature she endured the night before right before her eye. Somehow it managed to frighten her more in the harsh light of the bare bulbs over them. "You want it rougher than last night? Don'tcha? You're a trooper!" She could feel his erection against her stomach and her body heaved finally releasing the bile that had been threatening to come up for the last few hours with the force of a spewing geyser. "Got dammit! Fucking bitch!" he shouted, releasing her with a hard push causing her to fall flat onto the floor, her head narrowly missing the corner of the vanity.

Ororo lay on the floor sobbing, wrapped in only her misery. Logan stepped over her and got into the shower. Steam and the fruity scent of her body wash filled the room. The moisture of the shower and her tears caused her hair to matte to her face. The smell of the body wash mixed with the odor of her vomit assaulted her nostrils causing her even more nausea but she still didn't move. She couldn't. She could only cry. Cry harder than she ever had before.

The water stopped and the shower curtain opened. Logan moved about the bathroom grabbing one of the decorative towels off the rack as he exited the bathroom. A few minutes later she heard her front door open and close. When he was finally gone her tears began to subside. She sat up wiping at her mouth and pulling away the hair clinging to her face.

Remy knew all about her. Sadie knew all about her. About the things she'd done. She'd prayed this day would never come. God didn't answer her prayers. He seemed to never answer her prayers. Her grandmother had always told her to pray. She'd prayed long and hard only asking Him for one thing…to never be found. God didn't love her. No one loved her. She didn't even love herself.

Reine said goodbye with a wave to her boss, Mrs. Ortiz. Mrs. Ortiz was seventy-five years old with a mind like a steel trap. She didn't need computer or a complicated inventory to know what was in her store or what she needed to order. All she needed was a calculator, a safe and a change drawer. And she was so glad to have Reine working for her. In her fifty years of running the store she'd gone through so many incompetent workers. Either they stole from her or couldn't count change back. Reine was an honest, smart girl and was always on time. If Mrs. Ortiz didn't feel obligated to her good for nothing kids she'd gladly hand over the neighborhood store to her.

Reine knew she should pay better attention while walking in the big city. The news was always full of stories about missing people, assaults and rapes. But there was always so many people bustling about. There was no way she could keep an eye on all of them. That's why the sudden appearance of Julian had caught her by surprise. "Ay, chica," he said from in front of her halting her progress.

Reine's brows dipped in both surprise and bewilderment at his presence. He'd never met her outside work before. "Hey," she said, her voice puzzled. "Is something wrong?"

He flicked his hand in a dismissive manner as he sucked his teeth. "Naw, girl. I just need you to do something for me right quick."

Reine frowned. "What?" she asked skeptically.

"I need you to take something to somebody for me." Something about the expression on his face and slight quake of his voice reeked of desperation. This was trouble. Even thought neither he nor his mother had never came out and said he sold drugs but she definitely knew he did. She was naïve not stupid.

"No way," she said and started walking again.

He grabbed her arm and she winced at the firmness of his grip. "I get you a job and the first time I ask you for something you say no? I keep your moms off your ass and you say no?" he asked incredulously while gripping her arm even tighter.

"Ow," she winced. "You're hurting me, Julian."

He let her go and had the nerve to look ashamed. "I'm sorry, chica, but I need you to do this for me. Come on…I've done a lot for you and I ain't never asked you for nothing back."

He was right. He did get her a job and take some of the heat off of her, especially when N'Dare was in one of her moods. "What is it?"

His body relaxed and he smiled showing off perfect white teeth. "Don't ask any questions, chica. I just need for you to give something to someone for me. That's it. Nothing else."

"That's it?" she asked skeptically. "Why can't you do it?"

"Because I gotta do something for my moms. I can't be two places at the same time. As a matter of fact…" he looked at his heavy gold watch. "I'm running late right now."

Reine knew he was lying. But he wouldn't do anything that would get her into trouble. Right? "Okay."

He smiled at her broadly. "Here," he said as he handed her a sealed yellow Tupperware bowl. It was one of her mother's. "Don't open it!" he said when he saw her fingers about to do just that.

"What's in it?" she asked again.

"Dang, you nosey, girl. It's just something for my boys."

She knew this was a bad idea but she owed him. She nodded her head as she listened intently to his instruction. They were simple enough. Take the Tupperware to the apartment building a block over from her mother's, up two flights to apartment 216. Easy.

At least it was supposed to be easy. Three hours later she found herself in a holding cell waiting to be arraigned. The likely charges…possession with the intent to deliver. At least that's what the cop who drove her to the precinct had told her.

"So what are you going to do, little brother?" Claude asked.

"Merde," Remy said under his breath. He called his brother to see if he could answer that very question. "I honestly don't know," Remy said into his cell phone. He wiped his hand over his face. When he opened his eyes they landed on the photo of Sadie he displayed proudly on his desk. "She wants to know her mother. She deserves to know her mother." Remy stood and walked to the window of his office overlooking the harbor and leaned his head against the cool glass watching the boats ferrying their hauls.

"Look," Claude sighed, "I can't tell you what to do. But Sadie's a smart girl. She can handle the truth. The real question is how does her mother feel about having Sadie in her life? She did abandon her…"

Remy cut his brother's words short. "I've told you…Reine wouldn't do that. There's got to be more to the story. She's not that type of person," Remy paused thinking of the pages of police reports that had arrived through express mail the day before. "She didn't used to be that type of person. Besides, she seems to have cleaned up her act. She's a social worker now."

"Well, that's something. Maybe you should talk to her first," Claude suggested.

"Qui, you're right." Remy said then changed the subject. "How're my niece and nephew?" Remy listened to his brother talk for fifteen minutes. Claude and his long-time partner Jeremy were proud parents of a feisty five-year-old, Abigail. And to her younger and thankfully more subdued brother, Abraham, who'd just turned three. Remy let his mind wander but supplied "uh huh's" and chuckles where necessary as his brother rambled on about the latest antics of his pride and joys.

Logan had supplied him with all the information he needed to contact Reine. Her address, phone number and even where she worked. All he had to do is reach out and touch her. How would she receive him? What if what Claude implied was true? What if Reine wanted nothing to do with Sadie? She could have easily found him over the last sixteen years if she had wanted.

But he knew her. She'd never abandoned her child.

Remy waited for Reine at the bus stop. It should be there at any moment. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel as he waited. He'd been waiting for this moment all day. Her boss had told her not to come into work that night as previously scheduled. Apparently customers had seen one too many bugs creeping among the goods. The place needed to be fumigated. Remy guessed he'd have at least five hours to spend with her.

He chastised himself for being excited but damn it he liked her. He really did. When she'd smile he found himself smiling back. It was a chore not to acknowledge her at school. It kind of perturbed him that she was so good at it. From a strangers point of view she didn't even know he existed while he took second and third glances whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Remy straightened in his seat when the city bus stopped and she bounded off. He watched her as she looked around for anyone she may know and walked briskly towards his car. Once she was inside she graced him with a dazzling smile that somehow managed to be shy and inviting at the same time. It quickly melted away all his previous annoyances. Before she could speak he reached over and pulled her to him kissing her until her lips had swollen and plumped to his satisfaction.

Reine swallowed and attempted to slow her pounding heart. She didn't think she'd ever get used to what she assumed was his passion for her. She wasn't experienced but she knew he was the only person that had ever looked at her the way he did. Like he was a wolf and she was his prey. It scared her and excited her at the same time. "What was that for?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"Because you're beautiful." As usual when he complimented her she tried her best to hide her smile. And each time she did she unknowingly endeared her self to him even more.

After a trip through a burger joint drive through they headed to one of her favorite places, Fountainbleau Park. After eating they sat at one of the picnic tables watching the kids try to make the most of the fading daylight hours on the play sets. Reine sighed. "I love kids." Remy said nothing. He only tilted his head and watched her intently. "They're tiny and perfect. I can't wait to have my own family…kids."

Remy glanced over at the playing laughing kids then back at her. "You're serious?" he asked.

She turned to face him. "Sure. Who wouldn't?"

"I wouldn't."

"But they love you unconditionally."

Remy snorted his disgust. He knew she was right. Even though he thought his father an enormous bastard and his mother weak he did love them.

A breeze from the rapidly changing season sent a chill through Reine and caused her body to shiver. Remy noted that her dark sweater she wore over her uniform was worn. Without a second thought he removed his jacket and placed it on her shoulders. Before she could protest he also wrapped his scarf loosely around her neck before pulling her braided ponytail from underneath giving it a slight playful tug as he did.

She smiled. She had a feeling he pulled a lot of ponytails as a child. She'd gotten to know him a bit better over the past couple of weeks and had the opportunity to see past the stern façade he wore so well. Underneath his stoic demeanor his eyes portrayed tenderness. Subtle gentle gestures like the one he'd just made spoke louder than the negations he made toward himself. "I think you need kids. Then you'll realize that you aren't such a terrible person," she laughed at the look of aversion on his face. "You'd probably smile more too."

One side of Remy's mouth reluctantly tilted upwards. He wanted to tell her it was her that made him smile and that she was the only thing in his life that actually made him feel anything other than apathetic. But if he did she would also know how vulnerable he was to her. Instead he said, "I don't like kids."

Reine gasped then smiled. "Because you don't like to share?" she asked teasingly.

Remy's eyes looked thoughtful for a moment before he responded, "Why should I?"

"You don't, I guess," she said then looked back at the children playing. "Do you want to get married some day?"

Remy shook his head, "No."

"I do. I want to marry the love of my life and have a big family," she said still not looking at him. "We'll eat dinner together every night and take vacations during the summer."

Remy hummed an acknowledgement of her words and wondered if he should tell her his family did those things but it didn't make a bit of damn difference. They were the textbook example of dysfunctional. He'd rather be alone than to bring disappointment to some disillusioned woman and any doe-eyed children that happened to enter this godforsaken world. He kept quiet. He liked Reine's dreamy smile. He didn't want to see it disappear because he thought he understood how the world worked better than she did.

Reine stood suddenly, taking off his offered coat. She walked toward the group of children trying to get the merry-go-round going. After they'd all climb on board she spun them and laughed with them before hopping on herself.

Remy watched unable to keep the sounds of their delights from reaching his lips.

End Note: So...it's been about a year. In all honestly, this chapter and half of the next has been written since the last chapter was posted. It's just that with each chapter I get more and more afraid of this fic. What's in my head far exceeds my writing abilities. So over the last year I've been reading, rewriting, butchering and reassembling this damn thing almost obsessively when I wasn't avoiding it at all cost! And then I decided to not do that anymore. lol So here it is and hopefully more to come in a timely manner.

Thank you for your patience.