A/N: This is a sort of AU fic loosely based on the X-Men trilogy and Origins. Remy, however is not as old as he would be following the time lines from the movies. Rough estimates put him around 24 and Anna just shy of 21. Also, there are no powers/mutants in this fic.

Chapter 1

Anna. That was the name on the young woman's nametag that adorned her pale yellow uniform. Although she looked no more than twenty, she had lived through more than women three times her age. Her life experiences were hidden well under her radiant smile and mesmerizing green eyes. Anna's auburn hair was pulled up into a high ponytail. She kept a streak of white hair, which she had for as long as she could remember, tucked behind her right ear. Anna had a beauty to her that many people called radiant simplicity. She was no super model, but she possessed a sort of "beautiful girl next door look" that made boys want to marry her on the spot. However, there was a dark past that no one in the quaint little diner called "Wolvie's" knew about. That was exactly how she liked it.

It had been six months since she moved to New Orleans. Shortly after moving into the Big Easy, she was given a job by the diner's owner, James "Logan" Howlett. Logan, as everyone called him, had found the young woman digging through the diner's dumpster late one night. Taking pity on the girl, who refused to give her name, he invited her in and offered her a real meal. Only after eating, did she finally speak. "Rogue" was the name she first gave him. Although he thought it odd, Logan didn't question her. She explained that she had run away from home, and had no place to stay. Logan, who also owned the small apartment building next to the diner, offered the girl a place to stay. In return, she would work for him as a waitress at Wolvie's.

Anna had seen Logan as a savior. Dirty, scared, hungry, and alone, Logan was the only person to ever show her any sort of kindness since she stepped off the bus from New York. She worked hard and never missed a shift. It was the least that she could do for this kind man, who she secretly held in regard as a replacement father figure for the one she had left behind in New York.

"Hey, kid," Logan called out to Anna from the kitchen. "Come in here and give this batch of soup a taste."

"Sure. I'll be right there, Logan," Anna replied as she finished placing the napkins in the shiny, silver holders. "Should I grab a tall glass of water now?" Anna teased her boss.

Logan had been in the military and had lost his sense of taste as a result of an injury he obtained during the war. Anna always thought it was strange that a man with hardly any sense of taste would open a diner, but she eventually found out the history behind Wolvie's. Logan initially opened the diner with his wife, Kayla, who did all of the cooking for the diner. She was a wonderful cook, and business was booming. However, one night after working at the diner, Kayla was mugged and murdered just blocks from their home. The thought of closing down Wolvie's tore Logan apart. He couldn't find the courage to shut its doors for good. In his eyes, closing Wolvie's meant letting go of his love for Kayla.

"Just taste it, kid," Logan mumbled. Anna hesitantly took the teaspoon and tasted Logan's batch of baked potato soup.

"Hmm, needs… something," Anna replied. She shuffled to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of heavy cream, then went to the pantry to get the salt and pepper. She stirred in the cream and added some of the spices. Anna grabbed a new teaspoon from the counter and tasted the soup again. "Much better," she smiled.

Logan looked on with awe. He loved having Anna around. She reminded him so much of his wife. Anna didn't know it, but Logan saw her as the daughter he and Kayla never had.

Outside Wolvie's, they were two loners in their private lives, but here, within the walls of the diner, they were a family.

~oOo~

Remy LeBeau eyed the greasy man that sat across from him at the poker table. He prided himself in his ability to sniff out a bluff when he saw one. Remy took another peek at his hand. The community cards showed two aces, two kings, and a three. He had the nuts, only question was, how much money could he milk from the fat pig that sat in front of him.

Remy continued his bet, "twelve grand." A small, safe bet, at least at this table it was - enough to put his competition at ease. He watched the man shift in his seat, a small smirk formed in the corner of his mouth. Most people would have missed it, but not Remy. Perhaps this man really did have a hand.

"I raise. Fifty grand," the sweat machine fired back. Remy knew he hooked this fish. He wanted to finish this. He couldn't stand the sight, or smell, of the blob in front of him for another minute.

"Monsieur Dukes," Remy feigned uneasiness, "you must have one hell of a hand. I don't know if I can stay in this hand if you continue betting like this. What is it that you have? Pocket threes perhaps?"

"You'll just have to pay to find out, Cajun," Fred Dukes snorted.

Remy faked hesitation for a few more seconds before playing another raise. "Oui, perhaps I do. I raise, One hundred grand."

The excitement on Dukes' face could no longer be contained. He jumped up from his seat, "All in! Two hundred fifty grand! Well LeBeau, you got the balls to call that?" Dukes was starting to high five the on lookers; the smell of victory was almost as sweet as the smell of bacon to Fred Dukes.

Remy ran his fingers through his chestnut hair. He sighed. "Well, Dukes, I have no other choice." Dukes began to reach for the chips, thinking victory was his. "I call."

Dukes' jaw dropped as he turned over his cards.

"You were right, Cajun," Dukes smiled proudly. "I had a pocket pair. Pocket kings! Full house, kings full of aces." Again Dukes reached for the chips.

"Not so fast, Dukes," Remy interrupted, finally showing a smirk of his own. Slowly he began to turn over his own cards. "That is one hell of a hand. I've got to give you that." Dukes' eyes just about popped out of his head as Remy turned over his final card. "I had my own pair, you see. Which, if I count correctly, gives me… one, two, three, four aces." Dukes, infuriated with his loss, practically jumped the table to come after Remy. The security guards at Foxes, the elite underground poker club, jumped in immediately. "You tried to play a small gambit that just didn't work out for you. Desole, mon ami."

"You'll get yours one day, LeBeau," Dukes spat as he was escorted out of the club.

As Remy collected his winnings, a busty brunette snaked her slender arms around Remy's waist. "You're amazing," she whispered into his ears.

"Merci, chere," Remy smirked. "Want to see what else I can do?" That was all the invitation she needed before she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

"Let's say you and I get out of here and get a little more acquainted," Remy breathed deeply into the woman's ear. His deep, sexy voice sent chills all over her body. She bit the corner of her bottom lip and nodded in agreement.

As they walked out of the club, Remy continued to fondle his new friend, all the while describing every detail of what he would do with her that night. He knew their celebration would be cancelled that night, however, as Remy was greeted by an all too familiar face of disappointment.

"Henri, dear brother, what brings you to Foxes tonight? I didn't realize you were a gambler," Remy teased.

"You never answer your phone," Henri, Remy's older brother, responded in a cool, yet stern tone.

"Not true, mon frère," Remy teased, turning to his female friend. "I just don't answer when I see his name on the caller id." The woman giggled like a schoolgirl, irritating Henri even further. He walked over to the girl and grabbed her by the arm. He dragged her over to a cab waiting nearby.

"He's drunk. You're drunk. You'll just wind up regretting this night after you wake up, and my brother is long gone. Do yourself a favor and go home," Henri lectured the girl. He pulled out his wallet and threw fifty dollars at the cab driver. "Take her home."

"Henri," Remy growled, "what the hell are you doing? She and I had plans."

It was Remy's turn now to be dragged by his brother. The two LeBeau's walked over to the stretch limo and stepped inside.

"Remy, just shut up," Henri yelled. "When are you going to grow up? You're a LeBeau, god dammit. You have certain responsibilities. At some point you're going to be in charge of pere's company."

"Maybe I don't want to be the heir to Jean-Luc's real estate empire!" Remy fired back. "Maybe I just want to live my life how I see fit!"

"Get your head out of the clouds," Henri scolded. "You aren't a kid anymore. You have to leave your playboy days behind you."

"You care so much about the company, then you take over," Remy argued. "You're the older brother anyway."

"You and I both know that isn't what pere wants. He's always envisioned you to lead the company," Henri whispered.

"Bah," Remy simply replied. They rode in silence for a few more minutes before Remy recognized the street they were turning on. "Wait, Henri, where are we going? I thought you were driving me home."

"Je suis desole, mon frère," Henri answered. "I told you that you had to leave your playboy days behind you. And, in an attempt to accomplish that, I promised a certain femme that I would bring you to her tonight."

"Non," Remy whined. "Not tonight. I can't deal with Belle tonight."

His objections were useless, however. He had been delivered right into the hands of Belladonna Boudreaux, Remy's on-again off-again girlfriend of nearly ten years. Their relationship first began when they were both young. Their fathers were business partners. The relationship was nothing but convenient. Both were physically attracted to each other, and late night meetings between their fathers provided ample opportunity to explore their teenage desires. Belladonna, or Belle for short, was a tall blonde. She had a very athletic build, which she was very proud of. She trained rigorously everyday, and could probably literally kill anyone that crossed her. Remy and Belle dated all throughout high school and college. The first of many breakups occurred when Belle had cheated on Remy while she was away at college. Remy had never fully forgiven her, having his own string of affairs as a form of revenge.

Belle's father eventually used his business connections to win himself a seat on the state senate, making him a very powerful ally for Remy's father, Jean-Luc. In turn, Jean-Luc would handle many of Marius Boudreaux's more shady business deals. After all, a state senator could not be associated with such matters. And it was because of their fathers' mutual dependence on each other, that Remy and Belle were forced to continue their loveless and toxic relationship.

Remy's quickly dodged a vase that came flying through the air as he stepped into Belle's condominium.

"Who were you with tonight?" Belle shrieked as she stormed toward Remy.

"No one, petite," Remy sighed, not even trying to act innocently.

"Liar," Belle yelled. "I smell perfume, and you have lipstick all over your neck. You asshole!"

"Fine, Belle," Remy answered. "I'm terrible. I'll just leave, non?" This would have been too easy, Remy thought to himself.

"No, no, mon cher," Belle flipped immediately. "Come here to me. I'll make sure you never think of that slut again." She wrapped her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers through his hair. Remy wanted sex? She would give him exactly that. After years of bedroom antics with Remy LeBeau, she knew exactly what made him happy. She would make sure Remy never yearned for the arms of another woman again.

~oOo~

Anna climbed into her bed after a long, hot shower. The days at Wolvie's were long, but she needed every little tip to survive. She pulled out a romance novel that she had borrowed from the library that afternoon. She sighed as she read through pages of love, lust, and deception. She had convinced herself long ago that "true love" didn't exist outside the pages of a book. Still, whether she knew it or not, a little part of her still yearned that she would find it for herself.

Okay, so what do you guys think? Should I continue with this story or just focus on my other fic?

Feedback please!