"What are you doing here, Thief?" Scott Boudreaux demanded. The teen grinned up at him, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. His teeth gleamed white in the moonlight.
He held up a small neatly wrapped package. "I'm here to pick up Bella for her birthday party." Scott shook his head.
"It's late, Remy," the older man replied. He was twenty-three, but acted older. He had taken on many responsibilities after his brother's death and during his father's recent illness. "Bella's curfew is in ten minutes. And take off those glasses. I know what your eyes look like."
The fifteen-year-old pushed the glasses to the top of his head, holding back the unruly mop of red hair. He winked one crimson eye. "You wouldn't turn her in on her birthday, mon ami. Besides, she's been with your family all day. How's a boy supposed to treat her when you keep her to yourselves?"
They spoke easily in Cajun flavored French. Scott considered. "Thirty minutes, and no further than the gazebo. D'accord?"
"Oui. Merci, Scotty."
"Don't call me that." Scott went in to get his sister, Belladonna. She had been moping since the end of her birthday celebration. Everyone at the party had been family or members of one of the other Assassin Guild Clans. Bella's friends had not been invited. It was barely tolerated that she had friends outside of the Guild. The tenuous peace could erupt at any moment, and to bring an outsider, especially a Thief, into an Assassin's party would tip the scales.
Yet, Bella was a stubborn fifteen-year-old girl. She wanted a normal party with her friends, not a political statement.
Bella ran down the stairs to Remy's hug. He gave her the present and they walked down to the gazebo in the back yard. Bella opened the gift and took out the delicate white gold and emerald ring. Remy took it from her fingers.
"I want this to be a promise from me to you. When we get old enough, I'll marry you, Belladonna Boudreaux."
"Oh, Remy. My father will never accept it," she said as he slid the ring on her middle finger.
"Your father wants peace as much as mine does. E can unite the Guilds. At least here in N'awlins."
"Like Romeo and Juliet. Oui, Remy LeBeau, I will marry you."
"Happy Birthday, Bella." He kissed her hand, then her cheek, eyelids, nose and finally her lips. She placed a hand on his neck and deepened the kiss.
Scott cleared his throat and they separated with a start. "Get going, LeBeau." Remy grinned at the older man and Bella's brother smacked him on the back of the head affectionately. "And I could have killed both of you while you were kissing, Idiot. Don't get distracted."
"Knew it was you. No one else wears that cologne." Remy danced out of the way of a flashing kick.
"Get home before I remember I'm supposed to hate you."
"Night, Scotty. Goodnight, Bella. Sweet dreams." Scott shook his head as the teen pulled down his sunglasses and wandered on to the street.
"Is that the ring, Remy gave you?" She nodded holding it up for his examination. "Pretty. Come on. It's time for bed."
"I'm not a baby anymore, Scott."
"But you do have lessons in the morning." She rolled her eyes. She danced up the stairs to her room. Scott stayed outside and caught Remy before he could scale the back gate. "Home, Remy. Home. It's down the street. Don't come back tonight, or I will have to do my duty as Bella's big brother and beat the devil out of you."
"Others have tried," Remy said standing straight against the accusing glare from behind ruby shades.
"Oh, but I've got more training and more motivation. Go home."
"Fine. Fine. Tell Bella I'll see her tomorrow, non?"
"No, tomorrow is full. Try on Saturday. Don't you have classes?"
"Not during the day."
"Then, you go fleece tourists or something. If I hear you're near the house..." Scott smiled.
"Relax, Scotty. Bella's safe with me."
"I know. I taught her to protect you." Remy stuck his tongue out. "Go home, Oliver." Remy blinked at him. "Oliver Twist? You can read right?"
"Oui. Remy can read."
"I'll lend you the book next time you come over."
"Okay. See you Saturday then." Remy went home then. Scott shook his head. He went back inside and checked on his father.
"Was that Bella's pet Thief?" Marius asked. "Jean-Luc's street rat?"
"Oui."
"What did he want?"
"To tell Bella happy birthday. He brought her a ring. I'm not going to ask him where he got it."
"Heh, Thief-scum. Tell Bella I don't approve."
"But, Father, you made me promise never to lie to her." The older man laughed. "Candra is not pleased with Bella's alliance with those creatures. She has made it plain that if Bella is to marry the boy, she will withdraw her support of the clans."
"And the Thieves as well. Is it worth being enslaved by a mad woman to be invulnerable?"
"I am beginning to doubt that, 'Tite. I am beginning to doubt that. We must work together to survive in this new world. You know that we can no longer survive the new technology without the knowledge that the Thieves can bring us. And the Thieves can not survive without our protection any longer. New Orleans will be the first. You and Henri LeBeau will make this happen. And when the brat marries my beautiful daughter, their children will be raised as both Assassin and Thief. Promise this to me, Scott."
"I promise, Father."
"Remy, where have you been, chile?" Tante Mattie chided. "I know you didn't have an assignment tonight."
"I went to see Bella." Mattie sighed.
"Your pere will not be happy about that, 'Tite."
"Henri likes Bella and so does Papa. They just won't admit it." Remy straddled a chair by the table. His homework assignments stared at him. He touched a finger to the book and the cover began to glow pink. Mattie smacked the side of his head. He sighed and reabsorbed the charge. "Why do I have to learn history anyway?"
"Because the past can always repeat and the future can become the past in short order." Remy snickered. "Don't laugh at me, Boy. I've seen things that would turn that hair of yours whiter than your teeth."
"Yes, Tante Mattie."
"And if you don't do your lessons, you'll be grounded until next weekend," Jean-Luc said from the doorway.
"Papa! You're home early. What's wrong?"
"There's nothing wrong, Remy. I just finished earlier than I thought I would. Now, do your work, or you won't be going out this weekend." Remy sighed. It was impossible to sneak out of a Thief's house, especially when the ones who were training him were also the ones watching him. Then again, Remy had never backed down from a challenge.
"Oui, Papa." Remy gathered up his books and went to his room.
"You sulking, Little Brother?" Henri asked as he breezed into the younger man's room.
"Non, just writing homework. I'm bored. Want to go out?" Henri laughed.
"Non. What sort of big brother would I be if I let you get into trouble. Finish your work. Then maybe we can go out. Oh, Papa had me nail your window shut today."
"What?!"
"Just kidding." Henri left the room. Remy stared out the window at the moonlight lawn. The lights in his room were lower than the rest of the house out of deference for his light sensitive eyes. In the middle of the summer he sometimes felt the urge to curl up and not get out of bed until the days shortened again. But summer nights were some of the best times to fleece the tourists. The N'awlins nights hid a myriad of secrets the tourists would never know. Wars were fought under the moonlit skies. Vampires and ghosts haunted the steamy streets. Sometimes Remy thought he could see the ghosts flitting in and out of his vision. He could feel them at times, just like he could tell what marks were good and which were bad. Henri told him that it was called empathy. It was Henri's forte. He was teaching Remy in private to use it. It was more difficult to tame than his charging powers which he had been working on since he'd been adopted. If he worked harder he might not have to wear gloves any longer.
The next afternoon, Scott took up his father's hand. The raspy breathing was getting worse by the day. "Father?"
"S'alright, Scott. I know I'm dying."
"I could go to Candra."
"Non! I don't want to be beholden to that woman any longer. I am tired, Scott. And you are well liked and respected enough to take over the clan. Tell Bella I want to see her." Scott nodded.
"Oui, Papa." Bella was working at her lessons. Her sword moved deftly around in perfect forms. Her master watched her carefully. As she finished her highest form and bowed, he gave her a curt nod. He nodded to Scott. "Bella, Father wishes to speak with you." She nodded and went to change quickly. By the time she made it to her father's side, she was wearing the uniform of the teenager, jeans and a tee shirt.
"Bonjour, Papa!" she said brightly, giving him a hug.
"'Alo, petite bonbon. And how are you?"
"I'm fine, Papa."
"Show me this ring your brother told me about." She showed off her new emerald ring. "Very pretty. Belladonna, I want you to do something for me. I want you to bring your Thief to meet me."
"Father?"
"I want to meet Jean-Luc's street rat."
"He's coming over tomorrow. I'll bring him up then. Is that okay?"
"That will be fine. Now, tell me about your lessons."
"And where might y' be goin' t'day, Remy?" Tante Mattie asked, with a grin that said she already knew.
"I'm goin' t' see, Bella." He grinned at his guardian. The phone rang. "'Alo, LeBeau residence," Remy answered it.
"Remy, it's Scott."
"Oui?" The younger man's voice was apprehensive. Scott grinned. He toyed with the idea of telling the boy that he couldn't come over, but shelved it.
"Father wishes to meet you." Remy couldn't stop the panic.
"Mon Dieu!"
"Wear something appropriate. I don't want there to be a fight just because you're wearing jeans."
"D'accord, Scotty. I'll speak with Papa and find something to wear."
"We'll see you by lunchtime then."
"Oui. Till then." They hung up at the same time. "Tante, is Papa in his office?"
"I think so. What's wrong, chile?"
"I'm going to meet M. Boudreaux," he said softly before running to his father's office. He knocked on the door.
"Oui?"
"Papa?"
"Come in, Remy." The young man looked at his father warily. There had been something off in his voice.
"Papa, are you alright?" Jean-Luc looked up. Two empathic sons; what sins had he committed to deserve *that* he wondered, then chided himself for the thought. Remy was standing in front of his desk a little frown beginning on his face. The Guildmaster of the New Orleans Thieves Guild pulled on the poker face he'd trained into both of his sons. The frown deepened. "What happened?" Trust Remy to not let it lie.
"There's been talk in the Guild. The Clans are tired of the Benefactress." Remy nodded.
"I've heard that. I don't like being beholden to her myself. I'm not taking the Elixir if it's offered to me." Jean-Luc stared in shock at his youngest child. The crimson and black eyes stared back at him. The regard was even. "I've thought about it. I don't want to be addicted to the Elixir any more than I would be addicted to cocaine." After a long moment, Jean-Luc nodded.
"That is your choice. But that is not what you came to speak with me about, is it?"
"Non, Papa. Scotty, Bella's brother, he called and he says that M. Boudreaux wants to speak to me."
"And you want to know what to do."
"Oui."
"Sit down, I'll talk you through the meeting as much as possible. Wear your colors."
"Merci, Papa."
Scott Boudreaux was not pleased as he looked down at his little sister's boyfriend. Remy had the gall to be wearing jeans and a tee shirt to meet with the Guildmaster! He frowned at the young man who was grinning at him. He noticed the backpack slung over his shoulder. He was wearing his usual trench and gloves on top of the raggedy outfit. Remy was pleased at the red flush that had come into Scott's cheeks. His grin broadened. That'll teach him t' give me orders.
"Can I use your room to change, Scotty?" The young man took a deep breath and nodded. He resisted the urge to strangle the young Thief then and there. He led the way to his bedroom. Bella was waiting in the hall for them. She gave Remy a kiss on the cheek. Remy could see the faint worry forming a line between her brows. "Don't worry, Chere. If he wanted me dead, I'd be dead." Scott nodded at the assessment, but he gave the younger man a quick squeeze on the shoulder.
He opened his room door and hissed. "Anything goes missing and you lose a hand, understand?"
"Oui, Scotty." Remy rolled his eyes. He dropped his pack onto the bed. He pulled out the cape that would replace his trench. He took off the coat and the jeans and tee. He changed his shoes to the calf-length formal boots of the traditional Thief Colors. He spun his collapsible staff so that it was at its full length and shifted the leather sheath so that his dagger was at his hip.
Bella's eyes widened in appreciation of Remy in his traditional green body armor. The hunter green leather set off his hair. The cape gave him a fairytale highwayman flair and he stood straighter. He looked Scott dead in the eye. "Do I meet your approval?"
"For a Thief, you'll do," Scott stated with a nod. Secretly, he thought the younger LeBeau wore his colors better than his elder brother, but that was probably because he'd just earned his ranking.
"Merci. Now, if I could just shake the feeling that I'm walking around with a target on my chest..." Bella stepped forward and handed him a lace edged handkerchief. He swept her a bow and kissed her hand as he took her favor.
"Time for battle." He tucked the slip of fabric away with a quick sleight of hand. Scott reached over and took off the dark sunglasses. Remy winced at the too bright light.
"The lights are low in the bedroom and the shades are drawn. You'll be fine."
"I just have to get used to the light." They stood before the bedroom door. Remy leaned on the adamantium bo staff for a moment and ran through the ritual in his mind.
"Ready?" Remy nodded and Scott felt an almost paternal pride. He wondered if the LeBeau's had noticed that their prince's fighting skills weren't typical Thief training yet. "Guildmaster, Thief LeBeau is here."
"Enter," the Guildmaster stated. The young Thief was now on his own. He bowed formally to the seated figure.
"Guildmaster Boudreaux," he said formally, "I come in peace."
"Thief LeBeau. I offer protection in these walls from my guild."
"I lay down my weapons in trust." So saying, Remy placed the staff and his dagger on the floor, followed by a pack of cards. Then, he bowed once more. "I place myself in your care, Guildmaster."
"Your father has trained you well, Thief. Come, sit by me. I wish to speak with you."
"As you wish, Sir." Remy settled down on the indicated chair. He sat with the still patience his apprenticeship had trained into him as the older man gathered his thoughts.
"I have known your father for many years, Remy. We began as enemies, rivals over a woman and a town, but the guilds became our lives. We are not enemies. The Benefactress has held the Guilds under her thumb for years. There is no need for Thieves and Assassins to be enemies. We must work together if we are to survive in this world.
"You are aware that the mutant rate in the Guilds is one in ten?"
"Oui," Remy nodded.
"The rest of the world finds mutants once in every million births." The crimson eyes blazed.
"Mon Dieu," he whispered. "Then the government has even more reason to want mutant registrations."
"Yes. The government would have us segregated. We have to protect ourselves. The Benefactress will not do this. This world is not her world. I am not the man I was a century ago and neither is Jean-Luc. We know that the world is leaving the Guilds behind. Our traditions. Our clans. Our feud. There must be peace in N'awlins, Remy. Do you understand?"
"Yes, M. Boudreaux. I understand. Henri and Scotty are not friends, but not enemies. My brother has been trying to show the others that the violence is not necessary. Still, the fights come. Can it be stopped? Can we change the years of fighting?" Marius smiled. The boy was still so young. He spoke as if he were older, but he was still a child. A child who was a full Thief and was rumored to be challenging for Master status, he reminded himself.
"I think you and Bella can change it." That startled the boy. He cocked his head to the side.
"Sir?"
"You asked her to marry you. She's been planning the wedding for the past two days. She hasn't said it aloud, but I remember my wife's eyes after I asked her. I give you her hand, Remy Etienne LeBeau. I fear I will not make it to see your wedding."
"Sir?" Remy felt the wash of fear and resignation and automatically reached out to take that fear away. "You are unwell, non? Do you wish to return to your bed?"
"Non, Remy. This must be kept formal. The rules must be followed." Slowly, the youngest Thief Prince nodded. Even here they could not be sure that they weren't being monitored.
"M. Boudreaux, Guildmaster of N'awlins, I ask for your daughter, the Princess of Assassin's, hand in marriage."
"M. LeBeau, Thief Prince of N'awlins, I grant you my daughter's hand." Remy knelt by the old man's chair. Marius placed a hand on his head. "If you hurt her, I will come from the grave to have my revenge."
"If I hurt Belladonna, I will be in the realm of the devils already. Thank you... Father."
"Go now... Son." Remy went to his weapons.
"Guildmaster, do you give this humble Thief leave?"
"Go in peace, Thief. My protection will last until you leave my home." Remy bowed and went down on one knee to collect his weapons. He left the room on cat-feet. As the door closed, the Master Assassin bent his head and let the tears fall. His own gifts had shown the future. His daughter would be blooded before the children were wed. And Marius, her father, cried for the wedding he would not live to see.
Remy felt the sadness as he closed the door. He sagged against it trying to send calmness towards the dying king. He felt useless. He'd felt the joy as Bella's father had agreed to the marriage. But he was unable to ease the pain and fear the old man was emitting. The emotions were overwhelming. He felt Scott's hand on his arm and realized that he had been very far away and could have been hurt. He cursed himself for the loss of concentration. Scott went in to check on his father. Remy collapsed his staff and went back to Scott's room. He sat on the bed for a long moment.
"Remy?" Bella asked, sitting next to him. She was scared.
"He gave me permission to marry you, Chere." She threw her arms around him and squeezed.
"I'll start looking for a dress right now. I have to tell Marie!"
"Wait." Remy went down on one knee. He smiled up at her. Her blue eyes danced. "Belladonna Boudreaux, will you marry me?"
"Remy LeBeau, I will marry you." He kissed her hand. "Now I have to tell Marie. She'll kill me if I don't." Remy raised a brow. In this house, a threat like that could be literal. Bella laughed and left him to change. "I'll meet you for lunch?"
"Oui, mon coeur." Remy had folded his cape and boots back into the pack and was pulling on his jeans and sweatshirt when Scott came back. He knocked before entering.
"Well, I suppose this means you're a part of the family now."
"Oui. I think so. According to your father, non?" Remy looked up at the elder mutant. "How is he?"
Scott sat down. "Not well." Remy nodded. "He won't see the wedding. He won't even see Bella Challenge for her Master class."
"I'm sorry, Scott." Remy put out one gloved hand. Scott took it.
"Thank you, Remy. I've been meaning to ask, what's with the gloves and coat?"
"I get cold. I have to be able to touch my cards to charge them, so I cut off the first and last finger. But I lose heat constantly. Tante Mattie thinks it's because I use up so much energy when I'm charging things."
"You have gloves and a coat. I have glasses." Scott nodded.
"Bella said you got hurt when you were a chile?"
"Yeah, I can't control my powers without the glasses or a visor."
"That's rough."
"Better glasses then being blind."
"Oui."
"And now, as Bella's big brother I have some ground rules for this engagement." Remy sighed.
"This is going to take awhile isn't it?"
"Shut up and listen, Oliver."
"Yes, Fearless." Remy sketched him a salute and got a stern frown.
"Number one. No sex."
"Aw."
"Number two. If you cheat on my sister, I'll make sure there's not enough left for you to have sex." Remy winced.
"Number three. If you break her heart, I'll kill you. No second chances."
"Scotty? What if the sex is to get to a pinch? If it's for business?"
"That doesn't count. Number four. You will train with me."
"I didn't think you cared."
"I don't want you to get my sister killed because you aren't as good a fighter as she is. Do you understand?"
"I won't hurt her, Scott. I give my word. I love her. You know me, Scott. You know what I am. You know I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't."
"That's true. You impressed Father, you know. He thinks you're better prepared than he was at 15 to take up running the Guild. And for marriage. He wants a grandchild." A single tear tracked from Scott's eye. Remy sat cross-legged on the bed. "He won't even see the wedding."
"Then maybe we have to have one for him. Before Bella and I do our Challenges. We can't be married until then. The Guilds won't accept it. But we can have a small service."
"With one of the maman's. That's a good idea. Then, the official ceremony, with all the politics, later. After the mourning is done."
"Oui." Scott smiled.
"I hate planning for his death."
"I know." Remy thought about his own adoptive father. "I don't know what I would do if Papa were ill. If the Guild acted as if he was already dead."
"You'd survive. You're good at that."
"As are you... brother?"
"I like the sound of that, brother."
Remy dropped tiredly into the visitor's chair in front of his father's desk. "He said yes."
"Merci Dieu. How are you?"
"I'm... okay. Now. He's dying. Scotty says he won't make it to the wedding. We thought we could have a ceremony, just for him. That way he'll be able to see her married."
"That's a good idea. Have you gotten her an engagement ring?"
"Not yet."
"Then, I believe we should find one for her. Come along, 'tite." Remy groaned and hid his face in his hands. His hair was slipping out of it's ponytail. Jean-Luc couldn't resist. He pulled on the tail.
"Papa!" The squeak was accompanied by the hurt puppy-dog eyes that had gotten him out alive after having the temerity to try to pick the pocket of the Thieves' Guildmaster. The answering smile made the young man smile. He dragged himself to his feet and was summarily led to the most exclusive jeweler's in the city.
Marius Boudreaux lived four days after seeing his daughter wed. His oldest rival and thereby his best friend had promised to watch both of the children. His new son had sat by his bed and listened to all the stories and lore that his father-in-law could tell him. He saw his lawyers. He held his daughter close and made her promise to remember him. He held his adopted son and passed on the Guild fully. He spoke to his wife, fifteen years dead, and his first love fifty years dead. He cursed the Benefactress that came to gloat on his last day and expired as he shut his lips to the elixir that could have saved his life.
Belladonna was heartbroken. She locked herself in her room and refused to eat. Out of frustration, Scott had Remy pick the lock on her door and charm her into eating the gumbo he'd made himself. Scott was in a frenzy, organizing everything. His emotions were more shock than sadness. Remy was a silent support at times, taking care of business that Scott didn't even realize had to be dealt with. Bella went shopping for an appropriate dress for the funeral, instead of the wedding dress she'd been dreaming of. Remy had found an old mourning veil in the attic and attached it to her favorite hat with a hat-pin he'd shoplifted from a local antique store. In the midst of it all, he and Bella were still required to train by their masters.
Aching, bone weary, and bleary eyed, Remy stared at his homework. The grief at the Boudreaux house had battered at his meager shields and left him feeling somewhat like a rock beaten down by the sea. He wanted to curl up and sleep for a week. His brother settled down on the bed behind him. "So, how's Bella holding up?"
"She's eating again. Scotty's in shock. I'm tired. I didn't think that it would take that much out of me. I mean, Marius is not Papa."
"It's the outside emotions. You're picking up on Bella and Scott's emotions." Henri spoke with calm assurance.
"Prob'ly." Remy rubbed at his eyes. He stared at the English book. It was better than history, but he still wasn't happy. He could read and write, what more did he need? He idly charged up a wad of paper from an abandoned essay draft until it burst into flames and was reduced to ash. "What's worrying you really, mon frere?"
"The Guild is sending you to Paris next week." It took a long moment before the thought fully processed through his brain. His jaw dropped. "To Challenge for Master status. You need to do international work... Remy, get back here!" Henri watched as his younger brother streaked out of the room and into the back yard. He was headed towards the swamp. He followed slowly, knowing where Remy was heading. Not too far away from the house, in the midst of the swamp was an old tree. There was no doubt in Henri's mind that he'd find the teen curled up in its branches.
The funeral was morbidly traditional. Remy was not in attendance, not at an Assassin's funeral. Actually, he was perched on the roof of the church, dressed in traditional black. His trenchcoat flapped around him like wings as the winds of a storm swept in. Bella was dressed in an old fashioned dress, with long black gloves and her mourning hat. She and Scott sat stiffly in the front row of the church, oblivious to the presence of the Thief above them. The procession to the graveyard was wind whipped, but the rain held out until Marius Boudreaux was interred in the family crypt. Slowly, the guests dispersed, the Guild members to the house for the wake, the others to their homes. Scott and Bella stood for a long moment, flanked by their honor guard. Remy perched on a grave and waited.
Bella saw him first and glanced at her brother who gave her a sharp nod. She moved towards her husband. He kissed her hands and embraced her. "I have to go to Paris, chere. I wish... You be strong for Scotty, non? The Guild wants me to Challenge." Bella nodded.
"I'm being sent to Moscow next month. To Challenge. Good luck. I love you, Remy."
"I love you, Belladonna." He kissed her hands once more and as she turned to her brother, he slipped away. He was gone when she looked over her shoulder. She took Scott's hand and they returned to the house and obligations.
Scott looked out over his lawn. It was strange to think of the mansion as his. It was almost sunrise and the sky was just beginning to lighten in the east. It lit up the weeping willow that stood next to the gazebo. It was a Saturday morning. If all was right with the world, Remy and Bella would be sneaking in right about now. He leaned his forehead against the glass and sighed. His guards were changing. The household would be coming to life soon. Remy had accused him of being a morning person once, but the accusation was unwarranted. He seemed to be up at all hours of the morning because he actually slept for three or four hours and got up at one in the morning. Remy just stayed up until that time and slept until noon.
All was not right with the world. The irritating Thief that had stolen away his sister's heart was somewhere in Europe. His sister was in Russia. He was not happy. He was wearing clan colors almost constantly now. He was glad they were red and black. Bella always said that he could have any woman in the City if he'd just wear his colors out. Black leather pants, with a red leather jacket or long black leather coat was the modified Guild outfit he wore. Henri LeBeau had modified his greens as well. His father had retired and the Guilds were firmly in the hands of the next generation.
Scott let his mind drift. He wondered how Belladonna was doing. He wanted to lock her up in the house where no one could ever touch her again, where she would never be hurt. His heart ached. It was a strain to keep up appearances when there was no one he could trust to talk to. His personal assistant was more loyal to his father than to him. His advisors were bucking the changes as he tried to bring the Assassins into the modern world. He wanted to have a training session that wasn't a way to kill him and have it be a convenient excuse to have him die in an accident. He didn't want to hear any more complaining about Bella being engaged to a Thief. He didn't want to face Henri over a table in the back of a blues bar to hammer out a peace agreement. He wanted his family back.
He straightened, adjusted his glasses habitually and turned before the door opened. He crossed his arms and frowned at the man who had the gall not to knock before entering his office. The skinny man who was currently his assistant smiled over wire-rim glasses. "Good morning, Guildmaster," he said in his nasal whine. Scott decided that as soon as it was reasonable he would clean house and replace his Guild staff. He settled himself behind his desk and went to work.
Bella looked around. The square was one she'd seen many times in the spy movies she and Remy used to sneak into. Moscow. It was cold. She wore a simple black pantsuit with a long black coat with red buttons. No one looked twice at her as she tied a scarf over her blond hair. The young man following her was wearing a red leather jacket with black jeans and combat boots. He was whistling. His black hair moved with the breeze. He winked at her covert appraisal and changed the tune he was whistling. Bella's head raised carefully at the familiar tune. It was a Guild signal. She settled herself on a bench and waited for him.
He sat down next to her. "Hi, I'm Alexi Ivanov," he said in English.
"Belladonna Boudreaux. A pleasure." She made sure that her accent was correct. Both she and Remy had been taught to speak without accents when they were dealing with other guilds, but it was difficult to remember.
"My teacher said I'd find you here. I was wondering if you had plans for the evening."
"No. Was that an offer?" She gave him a coy smile. She'd spent enough time with Remy to enjoy just flirting.
"Well, I was hoping that I could show you around the city and then take you to dinner."
"I'd like that." They left the square.
Paris was nice enough, Remy supposed, but he hated Parisian French. They sounded as if they'd eaten something sour. The softer cadences and differing grammar made him stumble when talking to the general population, but never with guild members. That could be signing his death warrant career-wise and he knew it.
The young woman he was talking with was a twit. Oh, he'd never say it to her face, but after Bella's sharp wits and sharper tongue to deal with, this woman was just vapid. Her father liked him, but merely because he was a Prince. The man thought only in terms of advantages. His daughter didn't have even that type of intelligence.
Remy on the other hand, understood that he was being used as an inter-clan pawn. The Guildmaster of Paris despised the Doucheneuxes. Remy was a convenient tool. However, as he sat in the middle of a parlor with a cup of tea on his knee chatting with a pretty doll, he despised that. He didn't like being used, although he knew a show of loyalty was necessary. To steal from a Thief would also prove him worthy of master status. He knew he was being watched and when he walked the streets he made a habit of tagging his followers with notes in their pockets in place of their cash. He thought they were too slow and foolish to be Guild Thieves. Or else N'awlins just had a higher incidence of pick pocketing.
What was the woman prattling on about now? Oh, the current British Guild troubles. Remy nodded sympathetically as he listened to her discussing the failing health of the youngest child of the Guildmaster. He'd never met them, but it was sad when a child fell ill. He clucked to himself. Tante Mattie would have something to help and he decided to send her a note about it. He wondered what Bella was doing as he flirted with Genevieve.
Scott and Henri were in the middle of a very nice argument in Russian, when their guards snapped to attention. Well, they didn't straighten so that anyone else in the bar would recognize it, but the argument was immediately silenced. Four pairs of eyes searched the recesses of the bar. "Boys," a woman purred as she set down a tray of drinks and grabs a chair.
"Raven," Scott and Henri greeted. She settled on a chair.
"Tell the kiddies to calm down, we have to talk."
"Stand down," Scott ordered his guard. Henri dismissed his guard as well.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them," she purred. The Thief, Assassin, and Terrorist spoke long into the night.
It wasn't good news.
Bella and Alexi were having fun. They'd been teaching each other fighting moves and practicing their languages. Alexi was showing her a hideaway he'd found in a local church when he on impulse kissed her. She looked at him and lifted a necklace out of her shirt. Two rings hung on the end of it. "This is my promise ring. And this is my engagement ring. Don't ever kiss me again. Now, show me that locking mechanism again."
Genevieve looked up at Remy with adoring eyes and Remy smiled down at her sweetly. He knew her feelings were genuine, but he didn't care. She was a job to him. Funny, he hadn't even been attracted to her when he'd first seen her. She was his type, physically at least. Now, he tucked her in and kissed her forehead as he snuck out of her room. She assumed he was sneaking back to the place he was being kept, that is, where he was staying. He didn't like being under surveillance at all. He slipped open the safe quickly and removed the object of his desires, a delicate necklace with a stone with few rivals in the country.
He slipped it into his pocket and replaced everything. No one would notice anything had been disturbed, and the Guildsman would never see the blip in his security system. Remy went on alert when he got back to his room. He recognized the clothes on the other bed in the room as being his brothers. He also saw the note that was tacked to his wall with a knife. His first thought was that it was an Assassin's trick. Then, he saw the note. "Notre Dame. Bring the jewel and the bitch and your brother live. - V.C."
He sucked in a breath. He didn't even bother to lose his tails as he raced to the cathedral. He climbed the stairs quickly and promised himself to settle back into the running regime that Scotty had created for him. He came onto the roof and saw the frightened eyes of two people on him. Victor Creed pushed them over the edge holding two ropes. "Give it!" he hissed.
Remy tossed him the jewel. "If you wanted it, why didn't you just ask me?" Genny said.
"Think fast, punk. You'll only be able to save one." So saying Creed dropped the ropes. Genny screamed. There was no choice. Remy hauled his brother up and looked down with regret at the young woman broken on the ground. He released Henri's bonds and shivered.
"De police..."
"We'll take care of this, Master LeBeau," one of Remy's tails said. "Guildmaster LeBeau, we got your message too late. This is our responsibility now." Remy looked up and saw the Paris Guildmaster's second in command was the one who had taken his arm. "Go back to the townhouse, Remy." Shakily, the young Thief helped his brother up.
Scott's temper was short. The DC Guildmaster was a pompous prig. But that didn't change the fact that he was not following protocol in the admission of Assassins to his Guild. The Guildmasters had gathered to judge him. It was worse than Mystique had implicated. The DC Guild was allowing non-guild members to perform assassinations and that could not be allowed. Scott hated the full ritual gear. It was black and red and looked like it came out of the seventeenth-century. Actually, except for the material being kevlar instead of leather, it had. His red-edged cape was held up by a dagger pin. The ritual judgement was boring as well. They all knew the man was guilty. He had practically told them himself. He wasn't old, just stupid. He was barely forty. For some reason all of the DC Guild members seemed to go mad.
The Guildmaster of DC took the judgement calmly. He took up the dagger that had been given to him on the eve of his inheritance. His son watched with a flat face as he drove the knife into his heart. The boy, who was fourteen didn't react to watching the man slump. His mother stood beside him. She would take over the Guild now. Hopefully, she wouldn't succumb to the same problems that had plagued the men. If she did not, the lineage would continue to her daughter or the woman she appointed as her heir. It could never be said that the Guilds didn't believe in equality. If you underwent the training, you were equally qualified as any other member.
Joanna Matrix took her position in the front of the crowd. She took the sword from the floor. Solemnly, she pronounced the words that would secure her position. "I swear on my blood loyalty to the Guild of DC, regardless of Clan or blood. I swear to uphold all Guild rules and to be swift and just in my punishments. I swear to protect the secrecy of the Guild and all it's participants." She cut her hand and let the blood fall on the corpse of her husband. "Matrix has ascended."
If this had been a normal ascendancy, there would have been a party afterwards. Since it was not, no one suggested it. The Guildmisstress' guards quickly dispatched the ex-Guildmaster's men. Two of the women took their place by her side as the others removed the corpse and turned it over to the clean-up crew.
Henri LeBeau was on the plane back to N'awlins before the end of the night. He'd known that going to warn Remy about Victor Creed was a risk, but he'd had to get out of the City. Scott Boudreaux was stalking around the City like a vampire. His nerves couldn't take the creeping, gnawing grief and worry. And the fact that Mystique had taken it upon herself to notify them of mutants that the government was experimenting on turned his stomach. The woman was usually colder than Candra, but even the terrorist was sickened by what she had seen. She had been sending him information and he was sure Scott was receiving it as well. All he knew was that he had to get them free and protected. The City wasn't prepared for an influx of refugees and they'd need medical care as well. He was half tempted to sell his soul to the devil with the diamond in his head that Remy had dreamt up one Halloween to scare the children he'd been forced to watch.
He wanted to talk to Scott, but he knew that the power base of the Assassin's Guild was still shaky and the other man needed to concentrate on quelling the ripples that the loss of his father had sent out. Actually, he knew that Scott just needed to kill someone and being in his way was not the best option, not without Bella there to dispell his anger. Or Remy there to spar with him and take some of the anger in bruises. Henri stared out the plane's window at the clouds. If Jean-Luc ever found out that Remy was getting Assassin training, he'd explode.
Bella smiled as the dart hit the mark on the back of her target's head and dissolved as it was supposed to. She hadn't relished having to find the dart before the cops showed up. The man gripped his heart and stumbled. If her research was correct, bless Remy's hacking lessons, he had a heart condition and was on digitalis for it. A few extra drops and he was dead. The drug suited her perfectly.
The monitor in hand indicated that he was dead. The arrival of his assistant and her frantic attempts to resuscitate him confirmed it. Bella broke down her weapon and stowed it away in her pack where it looked like common things for a teenager to be carrying. From a hairbrush to batteries for her walkman. She flashed a hand signal at her watchers and went to meet Alexi for a game of gin.
Remy stood still in the flickering candlelight. He was in full colors, staff in hand. His eyes shimmered in the low light and he knew that he was one of the few in the room who could see almost perfectly. The ring of people around him seemed to form into a solid wall as the voice of the Guildmasters' voices droned. He was disappointed that Henri was not there, but he knew that would unbalance the power structure. Master status was obtained out of the home Guild for a reason. That way no one could challenge his talents. Still at sixteen, Remy wanted to have his father there. He wouldn't be walking in any graduation ceremony for High School because of the need for home schooling. But it wouldn't do to get too reliant on someone else. The bottom line is that thieving is a solitary profession.
The chalice of wine was cold against his lips. He sipped at it and a gentle but firm hand wrapped over his and tipped it back until the chalice was drained. The dizziness overcame him seconds later and the same hand took his and led him as a little child to the altar. He knelt. He felt the weight of his cape lifting and the loosening of the laces on the side of his leather and kevlar armoring. He'd toyed with the idea of simple leather, but Scott had argued him out of it. The weight was unusual and the Guildmaster of Germany grinned and made a note to ask the teen about it when he recovered from the drugs. Soon, his back was revealed. A fine tracery of whip marks where there and the Parisian Guildmaster growled. He'd have to talk to Jean-Luc it seemed. If these scars were created by a guildmember there would be Hell to pay.
"What was in the wine?" the boy asked softly.
"A sedative, relax."
"Non!" he sounded panicked. "No' a good idea t' drug me. Don' react right t' dem."
"Your father suggested this."
"Fr' Tante Mattie den." The boy relaxed and his eyes glazed over. It would keep him still for the rest of the ceremony. A cut at the base of his spine was filled by molten gold. Remy hissed. The drug kept him still, but didn't prevent him from feeling the pain. Now he was assured it was his Tante. It was a zombie potion. She didn't dare give him painkillers, but he had to be kept still when they took out his tonsils, so she'd bespelled him. He couldn't scream under the influence of the drug. A fact he now was very pleased by. The gold hurt more than the silver guild mark. He had no way of knowing that that was because of heat rather than the amount. The gold cauterized the wound and would leave a line of gold that could not be hidden. No one could take his rank from him now. He fell over the edge of oblivion and passed out.
Bella wished that there was more than one woman Guildmaster in Europe. The room was lit by torches and draped in black velvet. An open fire burned in the center of the room. The hypnotic chanting drove the teenager into a trance. She thought of her brother and her lover. She thought she heard her father's voice among the Guildmasters who were chanting, but it had to be an illusion. She was on her knees in front of the flames. Her colors rested on the floor beside her. She was naked except for the necklace with her rings. That had amused the Guildmasters, but they said nothing. Her Guildmark glowed in the flames. The brand was studded with steel. It could not be hidden or easily removed. But if she ever failed in her duties, it would be removed. If she died in the process no one cared.
Her blue eyes were dazzled by the flames. She concentrated on shutting off her pain receptors. It was a trick that always amazed Remy. She thought of Remy. She wondered where he was and how he was. She hoped he'd made his challenge so that they could be together soon. The Guilds would be willing to let the wedding happen if they were both Masters. She stiffened as the cadence changed. The branding iron seemed white in the room an instant before it was placed Bella felt her arms pulled to the side and she was held. The brand went deep. She didn't scream. She passed out before the ruby was placed in the center of the target.
Scott put a hole in the punching bag with his fist. He was alone in the training room. He considered the options available. He knew someone had to die and quickly. He just wasn't sure who. He'd grown up with his father's honor guard. He knew all of them. He'd been baby-sat by most of them. He wished his Tante Louisa was still alive. She always knew who was honest and how to deal with those who weren't. Just as the thought struck he knew he was being stupid and reckless, but no one would question him. He knew what to do.
Tante Mattie looked up. She saw the frowning countenance of an Assassin. But it was not a dangerous one. He wasn't wearing his colors. Well, not overtly. He was dressed in black, but as he was in mourning, she was willing to overlook it. He was actually wearing his old letter jacket from high school and Mattie grinned. Unlike Remy he'd been able to go to a regular school despite his "condition." He looked very much like a teenager until you looked at the dates on his jacket, but in this city it was the best disguise he could have had. He was a visiting college student.
"Sit down, Chile!" Mattie said impatiently. He settled himself in the indicated chair after a quick look over his shoulder. "Dere ain't no one dat's gonna follow y' inta my shop," she assured him. "Now, tell Tante Mattie what wrong."
"Stress. I," he drifted off. "I don't know who to trust."
"Ya jus' a fool, Chile. You know what need t' be done, but y' afraid. Dat's no way. You an Assassin, act it, Boy!" she chided. "Y' keeping vipers in y' house an' wonder dat dey try t' bite y'." Scott sighed and rubbed at his temples. He nodded.
"It's figuring out which ones be poisonous dat be bot'ering me."
"An' headaches, non?"
"Oui, Tante." She bustled around the room mixing up herbs and Scott just watched. A small amused smile crept across his mouth. He propped his chin on his fist and watched her move around the little shop. He felt the tension between his shoulders relax. He didn't feel like he had a target on the back of his neck. The fact that there was no clear shot into the shop helped, but Mattie and Louisa had been twins. They shared mannerisms. She handed him a packet.
"No, go do what y' know y' have ta do, Boy." She flicked his ear. "Dis will take care o' de headaches. Shoo!" He gave her a smile and left the shop, resolve driving his steps forward.
Henri LeBeau hung up the phone. The information from Mystique was not good. There was major research going into the reversing of mutancy. Henri tapped his dagger on the desk as he thought. His eyes were drawn to a movement in the shiny surface of his lamp. He dropped to the side and the bullet banged into the lamp, shattering the shade. Damn, that was Tiffany! He thought as he rolled low towards the door. He dropped the metal shades over the windows and cursed. It was the second attempt in two weeks. He knew Scott was on the warpath, but this wasn't his style.
"What in the Hell are you up to, Boudreaux?" he hissed into the phone. Scott didn't answer for a long moment.
"I'm cleaning house, LeBeau. What's gotten you so uptight?"
"This is the second attempt in two weeks!" The long pause was what made Henri sure the problem was internal. He heard the flipping of pages.
"It's not one of my people. If I find out it's a freelance, I'll remove them. Tell Remy, hi, when you talk to him." Scott hung up.
Henri sat down on the floor and contemplated the shattered stained glass. The red looked like drops of blood. Time to clean house, he supposed. Unless, the thought shook him, this was connected to the information he was collecting from Mystique. He'd have to lower that profile immediately. And take precautions. Where had he left that bulletproof vest anyway?
Remy was hyper. The odd feeling of the gold in the small of his back still woke him at night as it healed. He'd checked the papers. Genevieve had been considered a suicide. That was a shame, but Remy couldn't find it in himself to care. It was enough that he'd been forced to choose. He wanted to find the bastard who'd had the gall to kidnap his brother and leave a note in Remy's books critiquing his essay. That just rankled. If he'd found it earlier, he'd have been tempted to follow the murderer. As it was, he'd been sequestered almost as soon as he'd arrived back home. Henri hadn't even been allowed to say goodbye.
He settled down in the smoky dark club. He wondered if the waitress would believe he was 16 and let him buy a beer without having to show her ID. The man on stage was singing good old-fashioned blues and that had drawn him into the club. It was a small taste of home. He was alone finally. There was no one following him. When the redhead asked if she could join him, he smiled. It would be nice to talk to someone that wasn't connected to the Guilds for once.
Bella and Alexi were celebrating in his room with a bottle of vodka they'd smuggled from his master's chambers. Alexi teased her about being a thief and she smacked him. He'd laughed and poured her another drink. The moonlight in the room made Bella feel wistful. She thought she'd never be warm again. It didn't seem to matter that it was Summer to the Russian weather patterns. They'd spread the papers out looking through the obituaries.
Alexi pretended to translate them, making outrageous claims about the dead's families. Bella laughed. It felt good not to be pretending to the judges that she was an adult when all she really wanted was to laugh at sick jokes and play Truth and Dare.
Across the continent two minds held the exact thought as they woke in the arms of their lovers: "Merde! Scott's gon' ta kill me!"
Scott Boudreaux was busy improving his life. He'd executed his assistant first. The man had very neatly slid into the swamp in the middle of the night to pass on information to the Cuvier Clan about his latest plans. That was useful. The ruby quartz dart hit accurately, piercing the man's eye and sliced into his brain. He fell dead. The man he was meeting turned in surprise, searching the area. His dart sailed through his ear and into the brain. He collapsed as well. Scott waited two hours and then, went to push the bodies deeper into the swamp. The Guildmaster slipped back into his home without alerting his guards. That was unforgivable. The guards were disemboweled by his sword an hour later. The blood splattered onto the tarp and he wrapped the bodies. They were removed by the clean up crew that Scott knew was loyal only to him and always had been. They were street kids he'd taken in and trained, against the wishes of his father and without the Guild's knowledge or approval. Since they weren't trained Assassins, no one would challenge him on it now.
Scott walked the streets of the City. He was looking for green. He was getting paranoid. He hadn't seen a Thief in a week. Come to think of it, he hadn't even spoken with a Thief in a week. He was sure that if there'd been a massacre, he'd have heard about it. It was time to make a few phone calls. "LeBeau," he stated into the pay phone.
"Bonjour, Boudreaux. What's up?"
"Where are your people?"
"I'll explain when they get back. They aren't in town."
"Good."
"Thought you'd like that. Be careful."
"I'm always careful."
"Bullshit. You've been beating up on Remy for years. Do you know how fast he's had to talk to keep Papa from going after you?"
"That's his choice. He wants to marry my sister, he's going to be able to defend himself."
"You don't have to explain it to me," Henri said in amusement. "Good luck, Scott." They hung up at the same time. Scott considered his next move. Ah, yes, the Cuvier masters. There were three if he remembered correctly: Etienne, Jean, and Merci, the Clanhead's son, nephew and daughter, respectively. Scott was wearing the modified colors he wore on the streets, over which he'd pulled on his letter jacket. The jacket hid a multitude of sins, er... weapons.
Merci would be the first. She was the most dangerous of the three. She didn't even realize she was being watched from the shadows. She was finishing up her latest assignment when he decided to move. He let her get off the grounds of the office building and head back towards town when the dart pierced her heart. She fell unmoving to the ground, a puppet with broken strings. He settled her into the body bag he'd brought. She was pretty, he decided as he removed her mask. He posted the mask to her father before he dumped her body at the morgue, all identifying information removed, like her hands and head. Those he buried in the acid baths the Guild kept in an "abandoned" warehouse.
Jean next, Scott decided. Jean was finished with the assignment he'd been given. He moved carelessly towards the University where he lived. The dart severed the nerves in the back of his throat and he fell to the ground. His mask was sent to Cuvier as well.
The last was the best. Cuvier's eldest son was caught at his girlfriends. He and his girl were both killed. She was an Assassin as well. And one of Scott's staff members. The first dart caught the woman in the throat. She drowned in her own blood before the shock could kill her. The second killed her boyfriend through the eye. His mask was posted to his father. She was stripped of her rank before her body was dumped.
Scott settled back on the couch to watch the nightly news. He looked through candidates for honor guard as he listened to the television. "Police are unable to explain the sudden dip in property crimes in New Orleans. There have been 77% fewer reported muggings this week and 89% fewer reported pick-pocketing incidents. Five unidentified bodies have appeared in the city morgue. No one knows who they are, or how they got there. In fact the night shift at the morgue has been asking for any information on the identity of the bodies. Four of them are without heads. One is complete. If you have any information please call: 555-9089. In national news, the Center for Disease Control had announced that several vital specimens have been stolen from their Georgia and Virginia sites. If you have any information that would lead to the recovering of these specimens call 1-800-555-6790." Scott snickered. He had a good bet as to how those specimens had disappeared.
The airport was crowded and Bella was tired. She muttered under her breath as she moved towards the luggage carousel. She was regretting not having her back to a wall. The crush of people bothered her. She rubbed at jet lagged eyes. She couldn't understand why she was able to go three days without sleep, but traveling tired her out. She snarled at the young couple that got in her way. They looked into her bright blue eyes and saw murder and gave her a space at the carousel.
"Help y' wit' y' bags, miss?" a familiar voice asked from right behind her. Bella swung around and into his arms.
"Remy!" He brushed the hair out of her face. He kissed her. The crowd gave them a little space, heckling them with cat calls and whistles. The noise grew as he dipped her and grabbed one of her bags off of the carousel. She grabbed the other with her hand and Remy straightened them out. A round of applause brought them out of the half-trance they'd been in. Remy cocked an eyebrow at her and she grinned. He gave a theatrical bow as she curtsied. A respectful aisle moved out of the way as they left the area. Remy carrying her two suitcases, while she took her carry-on.
"And where is my dearest brother?" she asked, using Russian out of habit.
"He's waiting impatiently at home. He loaned me his car. Mine is not up to his specifications yet," Remy answered in Parisian French, for much the same reason. He rolled his eyes as Bella laughed.
"He wants full security on it?"
"Oui." They ignored the strange looks they were getting from the people they passed as they talked. The oddness of their multi-lingual conversation didn't hit them until they reached the car and the driver spoke to them in English as he opened the trunk.
"It's good to see y' back, Miss Bella."
"T'anks, Paul. Good t' be back somewhere warm," she answered. Paul had been with her family since before she was born. She wondered if he'd taken the Elixir as some point in his career, but he grew steadily grayer as the years rolled by. His face was no more or less lined than it had been in her youth. Granted that was only about ten years ago, she conceded, but it didn't seem normal. Remy handed her into the car and climbed in after her. The red head sat defiantly in the back of the Assassin's Guildmaster's car. Bella realized he'd chosen to wear Thief colors. Black jeans and a green tee shirt, beneath his usual green leather trenchcoat. His dark sunglasses hid his crimson eyes and Bella plucked them off. "I want to see your eyes again," she reverted to Cajun French.
Crimson on black eyes met hers. He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. "I've missed you too, Bella. I love you, Belladonna."
"Did you arrange with the church?"
"Yes, chere. The church is reserved and so is the reception. Both secure and agreed to by Henri and Scotty. They're the ones who decided on the places anyway. The date is October 15."
"Two months? How am I supposed to get a dress in that amount of time?"
"Money. I drew up a couple of designs when I was in Paris. One of the girls was in the fashion design program at University and she did up some patterns. If you like any of them, that is. We can get a seamstress to do the dress in that amount of time, I think."
"Probably. I think Marie would be able to suggest someone. Are the designs at home?"
"They're in your room."
"How long have you been back?"
"About two days... I think." He checked his watch. "My flight came in at a weird hour. Yeah, almost two days. And I haven't had a lot of time to think about anything. Then again, in Paris, I didn't have much else to think about. They didn't like me to go out on the town. They have very high tensions right now."
"At least we have a farce of a truce for the most part."
"Tell me about it," Remy switched to English. "So, like, what are you doin' tonight?" he said with a false Californian accent. Bella laughed.
"Sleeping... Alone, Remy."
"A'course, Sas," Remy sniffed. She pulled on his ponytail.
"You're wearing your colors to the wedding."
"Of course. The invitations are at your house as well. It seems that while we were away our brothers conspired to take over the proceedings."
"Did you expect anything else?"
"No. Somehow, I was just hoping that we'd have some say in it."
"Not in this lifetime. Our witnesses. That's our say."
"Right."
"I know, Volu. I didn't get any say in that either. I can't even have Marie with me because she's not a Master class."
"I can't have Lapin either. For the same reason."
"Why did this have to cause so much trouble?"
"Because we're destined to make history." Bella cuddled into Remy's shoulder. He leaned his cheek against her hair. He breathed in the scent of her perfume. It was the best reassurance that he wasn't dreaming about being home again. The linked hands as Paul took the long way to Bella's home.
Two months later, the police were in an uproar. They hadn't been able to get an invitation to the wedding of the year. For the first time in N'awlins' history a Thief was marrying an Assassin. If it had been that fact alone, it would have been enough. However, the Thief was a Prince of the Guild and the Assassin was the Princess of hers. All rumors pointed towards a unification of the Guilds. The Chief of Police was grumbling. The head of Homicide, Charles DuPont was resigned and the head of Robbery, Robert Blanchette was privately laughing his head off. He knew that DuPont was an Assassin. DuPont knew Blanchette was a Thief. They were both invited to The Wedding.
The Guilds were in an uproar, but it was a happy uproar. There were a few old-line members that decried the whole mess, but the rest of the Guildmembers were in the twentieth century. There was no need for Assassins and Thieves to be fighting. There was enough to worry about with the increasing scrutiny from the authorities and rapidly expanding technology. For the two months that Belladonna and Remy had been in N'awlins there hadn't been a single inter-guild incident.
The Police set up outside the church with cameras to catch the attendees' faces. The surveillance team was frustrated as the stream of people exited from rented limos, in full Guild colors and full masks and cowled capes. There were men. There were women. One could tell because the women's formal colors included a short overskirt and highlighted their curves. There were children who were masked and dressed either in all green or black and red. The bride's dress was in the vestry of the church. The groom's formal colors were indistinguishable from the rest of the members.
Inside the church, Remy paced. His cape was held up by a ceramic playing card inscribed with the herald of the LeBeau Clan. Scott and Henri were actually laughing together for once. The young man striding around in seventeenth century clothing with Ray-bans hiding his eyes was just too much for their stressed out senses of humor to take. They dove in opposite directions as the card exploded with a pop between them. It wasn't enough to do more than scorch the wall, but it got the point across. They toned the laughter down to sniggers. Jean-Luc LeBeau strode into the back hall and looked at his sons. Remy stood with one hand on his hips, his head cocked to the side and a glowing card in between the first two fingers of his free hand. "Guildmaster Boudreaux."
"Master LeBeau," Scott greeted the man formally. "I'm going to check on Bella. Get this one in front of the crowd if you would."
"We'll do our best," Henri assured. Remy put away a slightly singed card. Jean-Luc held out his arms and his youngest ran to his hug.
Belladonna was pacing. Remy's design had modified her Guild colors. Instead of the short overskirt, there was a long red overskirt with a long train that could be bustled for later. Her witness, Shauna DuPont was pacing in step with her to keep the train from getting ruined. "There you are! Where the fuck have you been, Scott?" Bella snapped.
"I've been making fun of your groom. We have a few minutes. The ushers are tightening security and closing the doors. And don't even think of embarrassing me up there by refusing to say the lines."
"Sure. Fine. I agreed didn't I? It's not even like this is for us. Remy and I have already hammered out this damned relationship. We were doing fucking great until everyone else decided they knew better!" She fiddled with the dagger pin with the Boudreaux clan mark. And settled the cape over her shoulders.
"I know you're nervous, Sis, but don't take it out on me."
"Who else should I take it out on!"
"Tonight's your honeymoon. Think about it." She gave him a small smile. He hugged her and carefully pulled the hood of her cape up until it shadowed her face. She took up her cascading bouquet of irises and orchids. She evaluated Scott in his Colors and took his offered arm. She stood nervously at the door as the music began. The room fell silent and all eyes turned to the center aisle. Henri and Shauna proceeded down the aisle. Bella saw Remy at the alter. His eyes glowed in excitement beneath the shadows of his hood. She couldn't see his face as she swept towards him, but that didn't matter. She stood with Scott until the priest spoke.
"Who gives this woman away?"
"I do," he said as he handed her off to Remy. The Thief gave her hand a brief squeeze. Through the touch he pushed all of his love. The answering squeeze assured him that she knew. The words of traditional wedding were exchanged. In the front row, Candra wiped away a tear and slipped out the side door. The Guild vows would follow and she didn't want to hear those.
Jean-Luc took over the witness position of as his son, Henri took the altar with Scott. The united Guildmasters were a sight to behold. They had a similar arrogant tilt of the head that showed that they knew they were the center of attention. Scott spoke first. "The Guilds have always maintained the safety of its Clans."
"In order to preserve the Clans' safety those newly wedded are required to additional vows," Henri stated. The shrouded figures bowed. Bella handed off her flowers and drew her dagger. Remy beside her did the same.
"As a show of perfect trust and love,"
"The blood of the two shall be joined." Bella took Remy's, for once, bare hand and cut his palm. He did the same to her. Their blood was allowed to mingle in a small silver bowl.
"Do you swear loyalty to the Guildmasters here joined as one, Belladonna Boudreaux?" Henry asked.
"I do."
"Do you swear loyalty to the Guildmasters here joined as one, Remy LeBeau?" Scott asked.
"I do."
"By the blood spilled here,"
"May your union be joined." The Guildmasters guided the couple's hands together, so that the blood mingled. Their hands were wrapped by two scarves, one green, one black. Then, and only then, did the priest step forward again. He took their bound hands in his.
"By God's Will may you be joined unto death." He unwrapped the scarves. "You may kiss," he informed them. Bella removed her hood as Remy removed his. They moved carefully together and kissed. It was a warm kiss, but not what they really wanted to do. The priest turned them to the crowd when they broke apart. "I present Belladonna Boudreaux and Remy LeBeau, joined now in Holy Matrimony, until death."
The cheer echoed off the walls of the church. It was so loud that the cops stationed across the street could hear them.