~ New York – 2000 ~

Logan sighed and stretched as best as he could, trying not to
disturb the boy sleeping so blissfully beside him. It was hard to
believe that this young man sleeping next to him was the same boy he
had taken in a decade before; the same boy he had taught to read and
write, to speak English and, most importantly, to trust. The kid had
come so far and grown up so much that it was nothing short of
amazing. Smiling, Logan stroked his fingers through Remy's wild
bangs, snorting softly at the little whimpers of pleasure the boy
made in response.

Logan had been right, the boy was beautiful; wild cinnamon
hair, big ruby and ebony eyes, long, dark eyelashes, high cheekbones,
pouty lips…the kid was a work of art. The improvement in the boy's
living conditions had apparently had an effect, Logan noted with a
smirk; the kid was nearly a foot taller than he was now.

Sexy as hell, too, Logan mused, cock stirring in response. Next to
him, Remy stirred with a moan, woken by the rush of desire, nuzzling
the other man's neck. Logan groaned and tipped his head up, giving
the boy better access. He hadn't meant to wake the boy up, but he
wasn't about to complain now that Remy was awake.

Turning the tables, Logan grabbed a handful of the boy's silky hair
and pulled his head away, grinning at the look of frustrated desire
on the boy's beautiful face. "Want something, Rem?"

"You know I do, cher," Remy whined, cheeks flushed with desire.

Logan grinned in response, flipping the boy onto his back, and moved
down to suck at the boy's hardened nipples, tugging at the steel
barbells that pierced them, evidence of the boy's wild side. Remy
moaned in encouragement, letting Logan know that he wanted him to
continue.

Sure that this was what the boy wanted, Logan dug through the
nightstand drawer, retrieving a bottle of lube and flourishing it
with a grin. Remy closed his eyes with a sigh, letting Logan's
desire wash over him, reminding himself that this was Logan he was
with and that he was safe.

Logan hesitated, noting Remy's tenseness, unsure whether he should
continue or not. "You alright, kiddo?"

Remy nodded, he didn't want Logan to stop, he just needed to get his
bearings.

"Open your eyes, Rem, look at me," Logan whispered, stroking the
boy's tearstained cheek. "You want me to stop?"

"No, don't…I'm fine," Remy said urgently, eyes wide, afraid that
Logan would want to stop.

"You sure?" Logan asked softly, real concern in his eyes.

Remy nodded urgently, he needed this. He needed to be touched,
needed to know that he was wanted, he could master his fear. He'd
done it before and he could do it this time. He genuinely wanted
this and wouldn't let his fear get the better of him.

"Okay, Rem," Logan answered, kissing the boy gently on the lips.
Opening the lube, Logan squeezed it into his hand, holding the boy's
gaze the entire time. Seeing nothing but desire and determination on
Remy's face, Logan coated his aching cock with the clear gel,
grinning as Remy whimpered in response, sharing Logan's pleasure
through their empathic link. "Ready?"

"Oui," Remy whispered, pulling Logan to him.

Logan steadied the boy's hips and thrust in slowly, gratified when
the boy moaned and arched his hips to meet him, eyes closed and mouth
open in a soft "O" of pleasure. Groaning, Logan set a slow, steady
pace, encouraged by Remy's soft cries of pleasure.

It felt incredible, but Logan wanted more; careful to be gentle,
Logan unlaced Remy's fingers from the back of his neck and twined his
fingers with the boy's, pinning Remy's unresisting hand to the pillow
and earning a startled gasp. Seeing the boy's eyes fly open in a
confusion of anxiety and lust, Logan pressed his lips to the boy's in
a gentle kiss, reassuring him, then repeated the gesture with Remy's
other hand, careful to give the boy enough space that he didn't feel
threatened.

Using his increased leverage, Logan thrust deeper, rubbing his belly
against Remy's straining cock and making the boy cry out in startled
pleasure. Even after all this time, it still surprised Remy that sex
could be pleasurable and he greeted each sensation with a surprised
gratitude that made Logan's heart melt with love for the boy. He'd
never met anyone so appreciative of the little pleasures in life
before and had never thought that anyone could approach life with
such wide-eyed amazement rather than the jaded cynicism that Logan
would have expected from someone with Remy's background.

"Please…more!" Remy cried, squeezing Logan's fingers tightly.

Groaning raggedly, Logan thrust harder and with less control.
Sensing how close the boy was, Logan crushed his lips to Remy's,
silencing him, and thrust deep, earning a muffled scream as the boy
climaxed, pulling Logan over the brink with him. Fighting the urge
to scream, Logan thrust harder as Remy's shields slipped and flooded
his mind with the boy's ecstasy.

-------

"I've got some work to do, Rem. Don't stay in bed all day,
alright?" Logan asked softly, several minutes later, rubbing the
boy's shoulder.

"Mmm-hmm," Remy mumbled noncommittally.

"Get some breakfast and I'll catch up with you later, okay?"
Logan said with an amused snort. Knowing Remy, he wouldn't get out
of bed unless the boathouse was on fire and probably not even then.

"Mmm-hmm," Remy mumbled, pulling the covers over his head
with a groan.

Shaking his head with a defeated chuckle, Logan headed out of
the room; he had a lot of work that needed doing and no matter how
tempting it was to climb into bed and sleep the day away like Remy,
he couldn't.

-------

Remy sat on the couch in the mansion's rec room, idly
watching cartoons on TV and eating breakfast in spite of the fact
that it was well past noon. He hadn't wanted to get out of bed, but
hunger had gotten the better of him. Hearing footsteps in the hall,
he shifted his gaze from the TV to see who was coming in. Rogue.
Remy groaned inwardly; he didn't like the girl. Generally, he loved
women and craved their company, but Rogue was different, she was…
threatening. She made him uncomfortable.

"Hey, it's the witchdoctor!" she called cheerfully, sitting
down on the arm of the couch.

"Sorry, sugah, didn't mean ta upset ya," she continued, seeing the
glare Remy shot at her, and laid a consolatory hand on his shoulder.

Remy jerked away from her touch as if burned. "Don't touch me."

"Geez, calm down. Ah was just tryin' ta be nice, that's all," Rogue
groused, rolling her eyes.

"Don't…touch…me," Remy reiterated, eyes blazing with anger.

"Fine!" Rogue snapped, standing up and storming out of the room,
muttering under her breath.

Remy listened to her go with mixed relief and fear. He knew he
should try and be nice to her, but he just couldn't. She was too
aggressive, too threatening and too pushy. She scared him.

"I'd watch what I said if I were you. You're only here
because Logan feels sorry for you, you'd better be careful or you'll
be out on your ass."

Remy whipped around to see who it was that was talking,
meeting Warren's ice blue gaze with wide, startled eyes.

"You're just a charity case…a stray. Logan doesn't love you,
he just feels sorry for you," Warren spat venomously, glaring at the
boy.

"Yes he does," Remy answered softly, tears starting in his
eyes.

"No, he doesn't. You're just a whore, that's all. He'll get
tired of you soon enough."

"I'm not a whore," Remy whispered vehemently, cheeks flushed.

"Once a whore, always a whore," Warren said with a snort of
derision.

-------

Warren was taken off-guard by Remy's first punch; he had
never seen the boy show even the slightest hint of aggression before;
Remy was gentle to a fault and never so much as stood up for
himself. Thrown off balance, Warren stared disbelieving at the boy
standing in front of him, unable to comprehend the turn of events,
nose dripping blood onto the carpet.

He barely had time to dodge the next blow Remy threw, only
avoiding the blow by the scantest of margins. Now that the shock had
worn off, Warren was furious. With a snarl of anger, he threw
himself at the boy, knocking him to the floor, bloodying Remy's nose
with a savage punch.

Barely thinking, Remy elbowed the older man in the jaw,
splattering blood across the carpet. He was beyond thought, lashing
out in unthinking anger, furious and scared. He could hear footsteps
in the hall, someone running, but he didn't care; right now all that
mattered was the anger he could feel burning deep inside him.

Remy was crying, tears mixing with the blood running from his
bloodied nose and split lip. He vaguely registered someone yanking
on the collar of his t-shirt, trying to pull him off of Warren and
without thinking lashed out, fist connecting with a loud crack.

-------

Swearing, Scott let go of the back of the boy's t-shirt,
holding his hand up to his nose to keep the blood from dripping onto
the already spattered carpet; it was obvious he wasn't going to be
able to break this fight up.

*Jean, call Logan and tell him to come down to the rec room and get
Remy. Now!*

*What's wrong?*

*Just do it!*

-------

*Logan, Scott needs you to come down to the rec room and get
Remy.*

*What's wrong, Red?*

*I don't know, but Scott said to hurry.*

-------

Rushing in the front door, Logan tore down the hallway to the
rec room; there had been no mistaking the worry in Jean's voice.

Almost running into Scott who was just coming out the door of
the rec room as he was coming in, Logan stormed into the room and
swore under his breath. "What in the hell's going on?" Logan yelled,
rushing over to Remy and pulling the boy off of Warren, pinning his
arms to his sides, having to fight to hold onto the boy as he fought
and kicked, sobbing loudly.

"I don't know. I just came in and they were going at it like
that," Scott answered, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Alright. I got him, Slim. You take care of Warren," Logan
growled, dragging Remy into the hallway.

-------

Logan had to fight Remy every step of the way to get him back
to the boathouse. The boy was hysterical, fighting and kicking and
sobbing uncontrollably and it took everything Logan had to keep him
from hurting himself. Shouldering the door open and slamming it shut
behind them, Logan dragged Remy into the center of the living room in
front of the fireplace and sat him down on the floor, holding the
boy's arms tight against his body as he fought to break free. "Rem,
listen to me…listen! What's wrong?"

"Warren…he said…and…I don't want you to go!" Remy sobbed,
gasping, wiping his bloodied nose on the sleeve of his shirt, leaving
a dark red smear and starting the blood flowing again.

"Calm down…come on, Rem…listen to me, okay?" Logan said
softly, rocking the boy back and forth slightly. "Now what did he
say?"

"Said I was a whore…that you wouldn't want me anymore…I don't
want you to go! Don' leave, please!" Remy sobbed, coughing and
trying to catch his breath, his nose bleeding heavily onto the front
of his shirt.

"Shush. Calm down," Logan whispered, trying to calm the
terrified boy. "I'm gonna let you go, okay? I gotta get something
for your nose. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Hesitantly loosening his grip on the boy's arms, Logan swore
as Remy immediately broke free from his grip and scrambled onto his
knees, pulling his well-worn rosary from the pocket of his jeans,
smearing it with blood.

"Deus meus, ex toto corde paenitet me omnium meorum
peccatorum, eaque detestor, quia peccando, non solum poenas a Te
iuste statutes promeritus sum, sed praesertim quia offendi Te, summum
bonum, ac dignum qui super omnia diligaris." Remy sobbed, clutching
his rosary in bloody hands, tears and blood dripping onto his shirt.

Seeing that Remy was going to stay put, Logan let the boy
finish his prayers, padding out of the room silently to get a wet
washcloth for the boy's nose.

"Ideo firmiter propono, adiuvante gratia Tua, de cetero me non
peccaturum peccandique occasiones proximas fugiturum. Amen."

Coming back into the room, Logan moved to sit in front of the
trembling boy, tipping Remy's chin up so that he could clean the
blood away. "Everything'll be fine, kiddo. I'm not goin' anywhere
and you're not either," Logan whispered, forcing Remy to meet his
eyes.

"Don't leave me, cher. I don't wanna be alone!" Remy cried softly,
tears streaking his cheeks.

"Remy, look at me. I'm not going anywhere," Logan answered
vehemently, "I'm not sending you away."

"Bel did," Remy whispered brokenly, breaking into fresh sobs.

"Oh, Rem…you know that wasn't because she was mad at you. She wanted
you safe so she sent you to me. `Souviens-toi que je t'aime
toujours.' Remember?" Logan asked, earning a nod from the shaking
boy. "I'm always gonna love you, kid, nothing's going to change
that."

Gently, Logan moved to take the boy in his arms, rocking him back and
forth, Remy's head tucked under his chin.

-------

Logan carefully lifted his head to peek at Remy's face. The
boy had finally quieted down, shushed by the comfort of Logan's arms,
and was now sleeping, his mahogany lashes wet with tears.

Carefully shifting so that he could lift the sleeping boy, Logan
stood up and walked to the stairway, taking each step as gently as
possible. Reaching the bedroom, Logan laid Remy down on the bed,
smiling softly at the whimpered protests the boy made at the loss of
contact. Unlacing the boy's sneakers and pulling them off, Logan
carefully covered Remy with the boy's favorite patchwork quilt and
lay down beside him.

"No matter what happens, you've got me, Rem. Don't ever forget
that," Logan whispered softly, wrapping his arm around the boy.

TBC

~ TRANSLATIONS ~

1) Deus meus, ex toto corde paenitet me omnium meorum peccatorum,
eaque detestor, quia peccando, non solum poenas a Te iuste statutes
promeritus sum, sed praesertim quia offendi Te, summum bonum, ac
dignum qui super omnia diligaris.
Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee and I detest
all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because
they offend Thee, my God, who art all good and deserving of my love.

2) Ideo firmiter propono, adiuvante gratia Tua, de cetero me non
peccaturum peccandique occasiones proximas fugiturum.
I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to sin no more and
avoid the near occasions of sin.

~ NOTES ~

1) The Latin prayer is the Actus Contritionis, or the Act of
Contrition. It's typically said after confession as a show of
repentance.