Well this may be the last chapter, thanks for sticking with me! This was a lot of fun to write and I'm glad everyone liked Kathy. Thankyou to everyone who reviewed/favorited/ or liked the story, it was all greatly appreciated. Please enjoy this chapter!

That night he phoned the aunt and was disappointed when she sounded pleasant and kind.

"Hello?" She said into the receiver.

He paused and swallowed. "Mrs. Hoffman?"

"Yes."

"I'm calling about your niece."

There was a staticy noise and an intake of breath. "Kathy?"

"Yeah. Have you heard anything about her father?"

More static and a quickening peace of breathing. "Yes. Are you with the police? Have you found Kathy?"

He paused again. "No, I ain't with da police but I found Kathy and seein' as how she don't have anywhere else to go, I was wondering if you'd take her in."

There was a long pause this time, then: "Who are you?"

"That ain't important. What is important is that Kathy's doin' okay but she needs somewhere to stay. I been taking care of her for a few days now but I can't for much longer and she needs a family and all that."

"May I speak with her?"

He covered the mouthpiece and motioned Kathy to come over and take the pone. She did so, holding it up to her face. "Hello?"

He paused, listening.

She smiled a little. "Hi, Aunt Julia." There was a pause. "No, I'm fine. His name is Remy. No, no! He's really nice. He's really nice. I'm okay. Okay. I'll tell Remy. Bye" She looked up, covering the phone as she had seen him do. "Aunt Julia says she wants to talk to you again." She held up the phone and he took it.

"Hello?"

"Your name is Remy?"

He sighed. "Yes, ma'am."

"Remy where did you find Kathy?"

"Some bad men had her, they was keepin' her locked up to make her daddy pay them extortion money."

"My God. They didn't hurt her did they?"

"No ma'am. Not as I can see. She's a bright little girl and sturdy as any I ever known but she needs a family and I may love her but I sure ain't no family."

"Ho far away are you?"

He laughed a little. "Bit outa driving distance but I can get Kathy to you no trouble."

"You'd do that?"

"I took care of her this far didn't I?"

"Yes, thank you."

He hated being thanked, it made him really feel like he wasn't part of her family. "Welcome, it was a pleasure. I can bring Kathy up to you next week." He caught sight of Kathy who was looking up at him sadly. He reached down and stroked her hair. "Would that be alright?"

"Oh, yes. That would be fine. Do we owe you anything?"

"Non. No. I'll get Kathy to you safe."

She made a small noise to clear her throat. "Can I ask where she is now?"

He paused, thinking it over. "New Orleans."

The aunt gasped. "How did she get there?"

"I brought her here. I needed to get in touch with some contacts of mine to find you."

"Oh God, thank you so much! We've been so worried."

He smiled forlornly, at this point there was no reason to keep Kathy from his family. Absolutly none, he couldn't even imagine any up. "You're welcome. I gotta go ma'am. I gotta be putting Kathy to bed now."

"Oh, of course. Of course. Listen Mister, thanks you so much. I though Kathy might be. . . well you know. . . I thought she might be dead! Oh thank you."

He smiled a little, the relief in the woman's voice was a comfort. He was glad Kathy would have such a caring family waiting for her. "It's the least I could do, she's a special girl."

There was a small chuckle and then the woman sighed. "When can I expect you?"

"'Round late-next week. I gotta say good night now though."

"Oh, yes, ok. Good night and thank you again."

He hung up the phone a looked at Kathy who was sitting quietly, her knees tucked under her and her dress pulled over them. "So I'm going to aunt Julia's?" She asked.

"I reckon so. She sounds like a good woman."

Kathy nodded. "I'll miss you."

He laughed and sat next to her on the couch. "I'm sure it won't be the last you see of me." He really didn't want it to be. He ruffled her hair. "I don't go away that easy."

She leaned in next to him, curling against his side. It was peaceful together. Tante Mattie was still in the kitchen cooking something and she was humming a bit. Kathy yawned and tucked her arms under her chin, drifting off. Remy leaned back with his arm around her and stared up at the ceiling, thinking it over.

Tante Mattie came and sat down heavily next to him and put a hand on his knee. "You've got a big heart, Remy Lebeau. Bigger sometimes than's good for you." She looked down at Kathy. "Maybe that's why you get all this heart break. But you do good."

He squeezed her hand, thanking her.

"I just don't know what to do for you. I suspect nothing can be done. You're stubborn and a stubborn good heart is the worst kind. Always leaves you hurting."

He chuckled a little. "Merci."

She tucked his hair behind his ear and kissed the top of his head, a warm moment of affection. "I best be going now. You sleep alright. I'll say a prayer for you and the little one."

The door clucked shut and he sighed wishing she had stayed just a little longer. He looked down at Kathy and a thousand thought of stealing her away sprang to mind, all of them fanciful and happy but then he looked away. It just wouldn't do. I couldn't happen. Not while he was an X-Man or when he was a thief and between the two was so little space. No, He reminded himself. Kathy needed a home.

He scooped her up and carried her to bed, tucking her in and turning out the light. "Bonne nuit, mon petite chere."

The next morning He packed her things but a long walk around the French Quarter prevented them from leaving that day and so he planned again for the next but this time he thought that his bike should get a nice tune up before they left and he spent the day working on it instead but on the third day he was running out of things to delay them and so with one last visit to Tante Mattie and Jean-Luc they finally left, Kathy closing her eyes as they crossed Lake Pontchartrain and Remy steeling his heart.

When night fell they stopped at a hotel and spent the evening in the hotel's restaurant talking and laughing. Tante Mattie's parting gift and been a Voodoo charm and Remy had to laugh at it, although he never would have done so in front of Tante Mattie.

They stopped plenty of times, sight seeing and taking it easy. Kathy didn't seem bothered at all by the turbulent life style he was leading her on although he sometimes thought she was a bit more tired than she should have been. He reminded himself that that was the only kind of life he could give her if she stayed.

They passed through Mississippi. It would have been more prudent to fly but the thought hadn't occurred to Remy or maybe it had and he'd ignored it, he didn't know.

It took a few days to get through Tennessee and Arkansas and into Missouri. Their road took them to St. Louis which he insisted on pronouncing the correct way, much to the displeasure of a few locals he showed her the St. Louis Arch and she adored it. They dallied there a day, they were far to close to Illinois but eventually time passed on and he had to drive on. They drove through Springfield, he considered veering off and taking her to Indianapolis instead, "accidentally" taking the wrong turn and never ending up in Chicago. He could feel Indiana pulling but he stayed on course.

Chicago loomed nearer. Sometimes he tricked himself into thinking a road sign had said it was closer than it was and then all too soon the signs began to read Chicago's name and he began to drive a little slower.

It was night when they reached Chicago. He drove slowly with Kathy seated in front of him and her suit case tied to the bike. They headed into the maze of suburbs. He vaguely thought that he should take her to her aunt's in the morning but knew if he stayed another night with her he'd end up taking her to Indiana. Or Wisconsin or New York or Iowa or Nebraska or Kentucky or Arizona. Hell, even Maine or Alaska."

God he didn't want to let her go. The image of the Christ Child from all those nights ago flashed into his head and he felt like St. Christopher with the infant on his shoulder, the child growing heavier as he went along. Maybe the child grew heavier because he became more attached to him. Of coarse he knew that that wasn't how the story went but it was a nice metaphor.

The numbers on the houses began to grow closer to the one on the paper. They were in her aunt's neighborhood now. It was a nice friendly white picket fence neighborhood. Perfect for a girl like Kathy.

She too seemed to sense that they were growing nearer. She held closer to Remy, gripping his pants leg, even though they were driving slowly. She stared out at the dark street, it was still early enough that some of the houses had their lights on. She watched them pass. Remy stopped the bike two houses away from he glowing windows oh her aunt's.

"Time to go, chere."

She trembled a little. "Remy I don't want to."

He lifted her off the bike. "I know, petite but you gotta." He pointed at the house. "That's your family and they're real worried about you."

She hung her head. "I know but. . ."

He lifted her chin. "It's alright. This ain't gonna be de last you see of me." He gave her chin a sturdy little shake. "I'll come and visit lots. I do a lot of traveling. I'll visit for Christmas and maybe this summer, if your aunt allows, we can take a vacation to New Orleans again. Show you all de pretty houses you liked and maybe I can show you one of de Guild's big plantation houses. I bet you'd like those."

She nodded, a sad glimmer of hope popping up in her eyes. "Really?"

"Sure! And You can call me when ever you want." He reached into his pack and extracted a paper bag. "Look, dis is for you. It's got my phone number in it. You can call me in New York whenever you want." He dug around a little in it for a second and drew out an envelope. "Dis here is a special gift. Remember how much you liked the houses?" She nodded. "Well, now you got one yourself. I bought one a long time ago but I ain't ever used it. I was gonna move in dere wit' a girl but we didn't work out. It's yours now." Her eyes grew wide. "Course, I'll keep paying for it till you turn twenty-five. It's all in a bunch of paper work in there but de point is, when you grow up, if you decide to come back to New Orleans, you'll have a house all ready, waiting for you."

She hugged his legs. "Please don't go."

He put an arm around her and crouched down. "Hey, I'll see you soon. I promise. I'll come and visit you whenever I pass this way."

She drew back and whipped her eyes. "You promise?"

"I sure do. Cross my heart and everything. Now you go on up there an' knock on the door. You give your aunt a big hug and make yourself at home. I promise we'll see each other again real soon."

He gave her a tight hug and let go, sending her running up the street with her suitcase. He watched her climb up the dimly light front steps of her aunt's house and knock on the door. A woman opened it and there was a pause and then the woman bent and hugged her and then she with one last look back out across the street the door was shut and Kathy was gone.

Remy slung his leg back over the bike and knocked up the kick stand. He wanted to get away as fast as he could. His heart hurt but he'd meant what he said, he'd see her again. It wasn't goodbye forever.

Well, thanks bunch.

I know it's not quite the ending some people were angling for but I hoped you liked it any way. If anyone wants, I'll write up a few chapters where they see each other again like a summer vacation or something when she gets older. Tell me if you'd like that! I'm kinda thinking of Remy as a godfather type now (no, not the Al Pacino kind!) I was thinking of writing anything after this with that sort of feeling.