Hank sat on the bench outside the museum rocking the small sleeping boy in his arms for what seemed hours. The grand clock across the street told him different. Time was going in slow motion. From time to time the small child would move or shutter, telling Hank that he was not in peaceful sleep. Damn it, where is Logan. He startled when the man of his thoughts appeared from around the edge of the museum gardens, staying out of sight of the public.

"Hank, give me your shirt. I don't want to scare Remy." Logan knew he had to be a sight, there was blood on his shirt and all over his hands. He managed to get the worst off his face and arms before jumping from the bathroom window. His pants were stained, but he could pass those off as paint or dye. Especially in the wild looks of the 80's. His main concern was Remy. He didn't want him to be scared of him, or of what he did.

Hank finagled his shirt off from under Remy, trying not to wake him, and not succeeding. Remy stirred in his arm and opened his eyes. "It's alright Remy. We are getting ready to leave. We are going to go back to the hotel."

Remy looked at him wide eyed. "But where's Logan?"

"I'm right here kid." Logan stepped out of the shadows into Remy's view as he latched the last few buttons on his overly large shirt. He barely managed to finish and catch Remy when the boy flew into his arms. He hugged Remy tightly to his chest. "It's alright kid, it's all over. They won't hurt ya ever again, I promise." He felt the small nod against his shoulder. "Why don't ya go back to sleep, I'll carry ya to the hotel." He felt Remy turn his head, laying it against his shoulder, his small hands balled up in the shirt.

---------------

Hank and Logan had walked back to the hotel in silence. Hank was pretty sure he knew what Logan did to those men. He was pretty sure they deserved it, but it was still playing with his conscience. He kept telling himself that it was to protect Remy and the other countless children those perverts have raped and would rape. There was just a voice in his mind that kept telling him it was wrong. X-men don't kill. The thought rang in his mind over and over. When they reached the hotel room Remy was surprisingly still asleep on Logan's shoulder. He would whimper or move on occasion, but Logan would coax him back to sleep.

Logan leaned down slowly and laid the boy on the bed. Remy opened his eyes half way in question. "It's alright, Remy, go back to sleep. We are in the hotel room, your safe." Logan removed Remy's shoes and socks, but decided against removing anything else. He didn't want to scare Remy. He pulled the covers up over the young boy. He was satisfied when Remy curled up and slept soundly. "I'm going to jump in the shower, and get this....." Logan motioned to the blood on his pants. "off me."

Hank gave Logan a disappointed glance. "Yes, you should get rid of the clothing as well. We don't need to be hauled off to jail for murder on our last night here." Hank knew his voice sounded cold, but he was angry at Logan. He had never known the man to kill anyone in cold blood. Hank heard Logan laugh. He looked at the Canadian in disgust. "How could you possible find humor in this?"

"Hank, I didn't kill them." Logan's laughter stopped, his voice suddenly becoming serious. "I hope ya know me better then that. Believe me, I wanted to kill them. Hell, I would've liked to torture them to death. But I didn't. I'm better then that. I'm more human then ya think."

Hank nodded apologetically. "I am sorry Logan. I just assumed that, well, with all the blood and the promise you made to Remy. I just thought that was the only way you could make that promise. If they are not dead how do we know Remy is safe, or any other child for that matter?"

Logan's grin reappeared as he headed towards the bathroom. "Lets just say I made it easier for them to suck their own dick." With that Logan entered the bathroom, leaving a very shocked Hank to ponder.

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Remy woke with a start. He sat up in the bed and found it empty. Panicking he looked to one side of the room to the next, finding no one. Non, they left me. Tears started falling down his cheeks. He didn't know what to do. The past few days were the best of his young life. It was the only time he has ever felt protected and loved. He dreamed that Logan and Hank would take him with them, treat him like family. Now he was alone. "They didn't even say goodbye." He whispered to himselfas he hugged himself and cried.

Logan crept into the room with breakfast. He didn't want to wake up Remy. When he rounded the corner from the short hall to the bedroom he saw that the young boy was already awake. Awake and crying. Logan quickly sat the sacks of food down on the floor and rushed to the bed. "Hey kid, whats wrong?"

Remy heard the sacks hit the floor and looked up to find the source. He was overjoyed to see it was Logan. He threw himself at the older man. "I thought y' left me. I don't want y' to leave. I want to stay with y'. Don't leave me again!"

Logan held Remy, rubbing his small back in circles. This is what he and Hank stayed up all night talking about. How to get Remy to understand they weren't abandoning him. He never wanted Remy to get this attached, but it was obvious now, he was. Making him understand that leaving him with Tante Mattie was in his best interest was going to be hard. "Listen Remy, that's something I need to talk to ya about."

Remy lifted his head off Logan's chest and looked at him. "You're going to leave me aren't y'?" Tears started pouring out of his eyes. "Why? What did I do? Why y' hate me now?"

Logan shook his head. "No, Remy...." He was interrupted by the boy launching himself off the bed at Hank, who just exited the bathroom.

"Hank, y' won't leave me will y'? You're not mad at me are y'?" Remy tugged on Hank's fur, trying to catch his eye.

Hank brushed his hand through his wet hair. He refused to make eye contact with the boy. This was not going the way they planned last night. "Remy, we cannot take you with us." He felt the young boy let go of his fur. When he looked down Remy had dropped to his knees on the floor and started crying into his hands. Hank dropped down on his hunches in front of the small boy, he was quickly joined by Logan. "Remy, please listen..."

"Non! Why? Why can't I have a family like everybody else? I don't want to go back to the streets! If y' weren't going to help me then why did y' bother picking me up anyway?" Remy felt Logan's hand touch his shoulder and he pushed it away and stood. "Non! Leave me alone! Go! Leave! I don't need y'! I don't need nobody." The last came out in a hitched sob. He turned his back to the two men. He clinched his fist determined not to cry. He didn't need them.

Logan stood and sighed loudly. "Now listen here little boy! Ya are gonna turn around, march your little butt over to this chair, sit down, and listen to what we have to say. You throw one more temper tantrum and we will leave ya here." Logan pointed at the chair by the table when Remy turned to look at him stunned. "Now! Go sit."

Hank leaned over towards Logan and whispered under his breath. "Do you think it is wise to yell at him."

Logan smiled when Remy sat down in the chair. "Yep. Remy has a way with theatrics. Obviously a trait he was born with." He whispered in reply. He took a seat on the edge of the bed across from Remy. "Now listen. We're not going to put ya back onto the streets. Ya can't go with me and Hank, we have somewhere very dangerous to go, too dangerous for little boys. We are going to leave ya with someone that will watch over ya." Logan growled lightly when Remy started shaking his head. He waited for Remy to stop and then continued. "We are going to take you to a woman named Mattie Baptiste." Logan saw the small smile on Remy's face. "Do ya know her?"

Remy nodded with a smile. "Oui! When I was here with Jean Luc she came to make sure I was ok. She was nice."

"Good, I'm glad ya like her. We are going to meet her today in town. You will stay with Tante Mattie and Jean Luc." Logan saw the smile fade on the boys face. "What's wrong?"

Remy started chewing on his lip, not sure if he should object or not. "What if Jean Luc doesn't want me? What if he wants to send me back to Fagan?"

Logan looked at Hank and back to Remy. This was a concern of Hank's, something they talked about the night before. Logan reassured Hank that once Remy was in Tante Mattie's hands, and they knew what happened with Fagan, Remy would be safe. They also decided that one of them would try and talk to Mattie first before handing Remy over. If she refused to take him they would find another way to protect Remy. "I'm going to talk to Mattie before ya go with her, she won't let ya be taken anywhere that is not safe. I also want ya to tell Jean Luc what Fagan did, all of it. This way he can be punished for what he did."

Remy nodded weakly. "You're going to come back for me later right?"

Logan sighed. "Kid, I want ya to stay with Jean Luc, he will give ya the family ya need. We are in a line of work that is not safe for ya." Logan couldn't stand the sad look on the boys face. He told Hank he wouldn't give Remy any false promises, but for some reason this one didn't seem empty. "Ya will see me again, kid, later, when ya are older. Don't worry ya are not rid of me yet." He could feel the angry stare from Hank, he didn't need to look at him to see it. The smile that slowly crept across Remy's face was worth the white lie. "Come on, lets get breakfast and then we can go see Mattie." He ruffled Remy's hair when he stood. He just gave Hank a shrug, which was met with an angry shake of the head.

--------------

Logan sat on a small park bench across the street from a mystic shop in the center of town. They were early, and the shop had not opened, so they decided to wait. Remy had talked Hank into going to the toy story when it opened, leaving Logan time to think. Think of what he was going to say to Tante Mattie. Both he and Hank agreed that telling her the truth would probably make her think they were insane, so that was out of the question. Knowing that Remy knew Mattie was comforting. At least they had that on their side. He heard the bell on the toy store door ring. He turned to see Remy run out with a fuzzy blue bear under his arm.

"Look, Logan!" Remy held out the blue teddy bear for the older man to see. "Hank bought it for me. He said it would remind me of him until I saw him again."

Logan raised his eyebrow at Hank. He smiled when the big doctor refused to meet his gaze. The dotor just whistled and looked at nothing in the sky. Logan's hearing picked up the click of a lock on an old wood door. They all turned to see a tall, thin, woman with beaded hair turn the closed sign on the mystic shop to open. They sat there as if entranced by the sign on the door. They knew this was it. The time they all went their separate ways.

Logan was first to break the silence. "Kid, ya stay here with Hank. I'm going to go in and see if she's there." He didn't wait for a reply. He walked across the street and into the shop door. His senses were quickly hit by the strong scents of incense and herbs. He looked around the small store seeing no one but the clerk behind the counter. He turned to leave, assuming that Mattie had not arrived yet. The voice of the clerk stopped him.

"You are here to see Mattie Baptiste about the boy, are you not?" The clerk took in the appearance of Logan. Short, stocky, and very strong. She smiled when she searched his soul. Beyond all the brawn he had a kind heart and a strong sense of honor.

Logan turned to look at the clerk. "How'd ya know that?"

She didn't answer his question, she just pointed to the back. "She is back there, she is waiting for you. She had a vision that you would return the child to her."

Logan slowly made his way to the back room. He never believed Remy when he told him that Mattie could see visions. Thought it was just some mumbo jumbo voodoo nonsense that the kid was feeding him. He made a mental note to apologize for not believing him when he made it home. He pushed the beaded curtain back and entered the smoky room. There sat a heavy set woman with beads in her long black hair, looking no different then when he met her for the first time in his world. "Mattie?"

Tante Mattie looked up at the man. She waved to the seat in front of her and gave him a warm smile. "That is me. You are the one that will bring the child back to me?"

Logan gave her a confused look. "How'd you know that?"

"I know many things. I had a vision of you and your companion with the young boy. I knew you would find me, and bring Remy back to me. We have been looking for the young boy for many months. We found out what happened with Fagan and sought him out, with no luck." She frowned thinking of what those monsters did. She had told them Fagan was not one to be trusted.

"So you will take him in? Ya won't be sending him off to some mob or anything? If ya are, I want to know. I won't take the chance of the child being hurt again." He was determined to know Remy was safe, if he had to take him with him he would. He would find a way.

Tante Mattie smiled sensing his protectiveness and determination. "He will be staying with Jean Luc as part of his family, his son. He will be safe."

Logan nodded, that is what he wanted to hear. He knew Jean Luc was good to Remy. Logan stood. "I'll send him in. I don't have much time and I want to make sure he's in good hands before I leave."

"I understand, you have other places you must be. Your lover longs for you in another place. You must not keep him waiting." Mattie grinned at the look of surprise on his face. "Like I said, I know many things. Now go, send in the boy, you will be leaving soon."

Logan nodded weakly and started to leave the room. He stopped and turned towards the healer. "Listen, I made him a promise. I know I shouldn't have because I can't keep it. I told him he would see me again. Can ya just, I don't know, lie a little. Don't tell him that it's not true. At least for awhile."

"Don't worry, he will see you again. Not you, but the Logan of this world. There are some events fated to a soul. Time and place, not even visitors from the future can change them. Some things are just meant to happen no matter the world. You and Remy are one of those fated events. You two were meant for each other. Soulmates for a lack of a better term. Even if you two beat around the bush for years to admit your feelings." Mattie gave him a wink.

Logan rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound like a certain red-head I know. I'll go get the kid."

"Hurry. You have little time."

Logan took the warning and swiftly walked out of the store to where Hank and Remy sat on the bench. "Hey kid, she's in there. She is going to take ya to live with Jean Luc. No more mobs, no more streets, just a safe warm home with a family."

Remy shuffled his feet and looked at the ground. His chin was slowly pulled up by Logan's hand.

"No tears kid, this isn't goodbye. I have it on good authority I will see ya again, sooner then ya think. Now me and Hank don't have much time, so I need ya to go on into the store, so I know you made it alright." He wrapped his arms around the small boy in a loving hug and then layed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

Remy broke away from Logan and went to Hank. Hank pulled him up into a strong bear hug. He let out a small squeak when the air was crushed out of his chest. "I'll miss y' Hank."

"I will miss you as well kiddo. Make sure to keep Hank the bear safe and with you." Hank felt the small nod against his shoulder.

Logan felt a small tingle in his left hand. He looked down to notice light coming from his fingertips. "Kid, ya need to go on in, your Tante's waiting for ya."

Hank noticed the light and put Remy on the ground. "Go on Remy, go inside." He gave the boy a gentle swat towards the door.

Remy gave them a small smile and a wave and ran towards the store. He was greeted at the door by Tante Mattie who pulled him into another huge hug. He turned to wave to the men who saved him, but found them gone. He was not upset, he knew they had to go. He knew he would see them again.

THE END