Circumstances Beyond Control III
(NOTE: Third in the Thief Chronicles series, this is the story of Genard Alouette. As with all the other stories, I don't own any of the thieves, I'm just borrowing them for the sake of doing what Marvel didn't: give them each a history and a life away from helping Remy. I do own the original characters in the story.)
***
"Hey four-eyes! You gon' pay for your girlfriend's lunch?" one of the boys in the cafeteria called out. His friends snickered.
Fifteen-year-old Genard Alouette sighed and turned beet red. He was used to hearing things like that, and even more used to being called four-eyes. Kids had been calling him that since he started school ten years before.
Genard's companion and one of his best friends, Mercy Cordeau, glared at the boys and whispered to Genard,
"Jus' ignore dem. Dey don' know what dey're talkin' 'bout an' you're better den dey are."
"You know, I always used to t'ink dat by de time we were in high school, dey'd stop hatin' us b'cause of who our fathers are." Genard replied as they got their lunches and searched the cafeteria. Their friend, Henri LeBeau, waved them over to the table he and Emil Lapin had claimed.
"Dat guy is a jerk." Emil commented as they sat down. "He's in two of my classes an' he's a jerk in dem too."
"You know," Henri said thoughtfully. "You'd t'ink dey'd leave us alone. Dey used to. Dey used to be 'fraid dat we'd get our fathers after dem. Maybe we should. Dey're not scared now."
"I t'ink dey are, deep down," Mercy replied. "Dey're jus' bein' normal high school kids who t'ink dey're invincible."
"We t'ink we're invincible. Does dat makes us normal high school kids too?" Genard asked.
"I don' t'ink I'm invincible," Emil rejoined.
Henri laughed. "When you're in front of a computer you are, kiddo. I've never seen anyt'ing like you for bein' a computer whiz."
Genard looked up from his lunch and groaned. There was a girl approaching their table. "Incoming at three o'clock," he warned his friends. They all looked up.
"Um…hi. My friends an' I were wonderin' somet'ing." The girl started. The four thieves-in-training looked at her expectantly and she continued. "Your fathers are in the Thieves Guild, right?"
"Yeah…so? Henri replied shortly. He wondered where this was going and wasn't sure if they were going to like it. He got the impression there was a joke coming up. Nor was he wrong.
"Well, can anyone join?" the girl continued. Henri, Mercy, Genard and Emil all shook their heads, causing the girl to fake a sigh. "Oh," she said. "Dat's too bad, 'cause we were really kinda hopin' to join…we'd love to be losers, jus' like you!" She laughed evilly and walked away to join her giggling friends.
"You know," Mercy commented, shaking her head in disgust. "I t'ink I liked it better when we were little an' dey couldn' t'ink of t'ings like dat."
"You're not alone dere, sister." Genard replied, remembering the jerk from earlier.
"You're awfully quiet tonight, mon fils. Is anyt'ing wrong?" Pierre Alouette asked his son later that night at suppertime.
"Oh, it's not'ing, Papa. Really." Genard replied quickly.
Pierre raised an eyebrow at his son. "I t'ought we told you kids two years ago dat you can talk to us 'bout anyt'ing dat's botherin' you," he commented.
Genard looked down. "You did, it's jus'…"
Pierre reached across the table and took his sons hand. It wasn't easy on him, being a single parent. His wife had died many years ago, when Genard was just two years old. The Assassins had killed her in a raid, and Pierre had been lucky to get himself and his son out alive. "Jus' what?" he asked softly.
Genard sighed. "We were mindin' our own business, eatin' lunch, an' dis girl came over an' said she an' her friends wanted to join de Guild b'cause dey wanted to be losers like us. Den dey all laughed at us." He explained sadly.
Pierre frowned, not liking what his son had told him at all. "I'm sorry to hear dat, Genard. I t'ought Mercy said de kids all pretty much left you alone?"
"Dey used to. Dey still do, for de most part, but some of dem are a little bolder den others. Dey don' seem to care 'bout hurtin' us." Genard replied, looking down at his plate again.
Pierre took his son's chin in his hand and titled the boy's head up. Looking in Genard's eyes, he said, "You an' de others are not losers. You are smart, talented kids, an' no matter what anyone says, bein' children of de Guild does not make you losers. If anyone are de losers, it's de kids who say dose t'ings to you."
"I know, Papa. It's jus' hard to remember dat sometimes." Genard replied with a small smile.
***
THREE YEARS LATER
"I wanted to tell you two first, b'fore de others," Jean-Luc LeBeau, Henri's father, told Henri and Genard when they had seated themselves in the living room of the LeBeau mansion. "Francois, Marie an' Chloe Lapin were murdered dis mornin', by de Assassins."
"Oh no…" Henri whispered.
"Where's Emil?" Genard demanded.
Jean-Luc sighed. "He's in de back yard. An' as you can imagine, he's not takin' it well at all."
Genard got up and headed out into the back yard. Henri stayed behind to talk to his father about the attack and what the Guild would do about it.
Once in the back yard, Genard didn't see Emil anywhere. "Emil?" he called.
"In de tree, Genard," came the reply. Genard shrugged and walked over to the huge tree. He climbed up and sat on a branch near where Emil was sitting. Then he waited for Emil to speak.
"I hate dem," Emil said softly, his voice filled with the tears that were flowing down his cheeks. "It wasn' like dey had any real reason to do it, it was jus' a random attack on us.
"I know," Genard replied, reaching over and putting his hand on Emil's shaking shoulder.
"Genard, I'm scared…an' I feel so alone…" Emil said, looking at his best friend, his grief and fear showing in his blue eyes. He was only seventeen years old, and the idea of suddenly losing his entire family was something he hadn't been prepared for, even growing up surrounded by the Thieves Guild.
Genard didn't quite know what to say. Henri, who had slipped out and was standing below them, said it for him. "You're not alone, Emil. You'll never be alone, de Guild will make sure of dat. An' more importantly, Genard an' I will make sure of it."
"Oui…" Genard continued. "If you need us, we're here. We'll always be here. We're de Three Musketeers, remember? We gotta look out for each other. All for one an' one for all."
As Henri climbed the tree and joined them, Emil cracked a small smile through his tears. "I know," he said. "T'anks you guys. I don' know what I'd do right now if you weren' here."
The support Genard and Henri gave Emil stood strong over the next three days. The entire Guild stayed at the LeBeau mansion to be there for him if he needed them, and he appreciated it, but it was Genard and Henri who gave him the most attention.
The triple funeral was the hardest part to get through. Emil was as calm and stoic as he could possibly be under the circumstances. It helped a great deal that his two best friends stayed by him, one on each side, during the entire ordeal. They were there for him when he needed them, like the true best friends they were, and when it was over they hung out with him in the tree in the back yard again.
When Emil went to bed, Genard and Henri sat at the picnic table in the back yard and talked.
"What's de Guild goin' to do 'bout dis?" Genard asked. "I mean, dey can' jus' let it go without doin' somet'ing. It's not fair. Why'd dey do it, anyway?"
"To answer both questions, I don' know." Henri replied. "Papa didn' know de other day when I asked him. An' as to why dey did it, it's simple. Dey did it b'cause dey hate us. An' no, it's not fair…Do you t'ink he's goin' to be okay?"
"Oui, he'll be okay. He'll go away to dat school in California an' when he comes back he'll be de best computer specialist in de south. He's already halfway dere anyways. He'll survive. Jus' like any of us would if it was us." Genard replied.
"Yeah. Well, I know you're right. I jus' wish dat school was a little closer to home, non? We won' see him for four years. Dat's not a short amount of time…" Henri sighed.
"I never t'ought of dat…" Genard said softly, not liking the idea at all, but knowing it couldn't be stopped.
Two months later, they took Emil to the airport to catch his flight to Los Angeles. He was going away to school and wouldn't be back for four long years. Well, long to the three of them at any rate.
"Okay, you know dat nice little invention called de telephone? Use it. Frequently. Please?" Genard begged as they waited for the plane to empty so the new passengers could board.
Emil laughed. "I will if you will, Genard."
"Deal!" Genard nodded vigorously, glasses sliding down his nose. He shoved them back up so he could see properly as the announcer came over the loudspeaker and told the waiting passengers that the plane was ready for boarding.
Genard and Henri looked at their old friend. They had never been separated before, and none of them liked it much. But Emil was set on going to the school, and his friends supported his decision.
"I guess dis is it, huh?" Henri said.
"Yeah…" Emil agreed. "I should get on de plane…I'm goin' to miss you guys."
"We're goin' to miss you too, Red." Genard replied, silently willing the tears to stay inside his eyes, at least until he was safely alone in his own bedroom and not out in public. "You take care of yourself, okay?"
"You too," Emil agreed.
"Last call for passengers boarding flight 408 to Los Angeles," the announcer said over the loudspeaker.
Emil looked toward the gate then back at his friends. "I gotta…" he faltered, biting his lip. "…Bye…"
Genard and Henri watched the plane take off and then Henri put his hand on Genard's shoulder.
"Dis sucks, Henri." Genard said bitterly.
"I know. Come on. Let's go home."
***
FOUR YEARS LATER
The four years Emil was away at school went by faster than Genard thought they would. He missed his friend dearly, but there was still plenty to keep him and the other thieves occupied, not the least of which was Remy, the ten year old homeless mutant adopted by Jean-Luc six months before Emil was due to return home. Remy was the center of attention in the Guild, especially where Henri, Mercy and Genard were concerned, however when Emil came home from school, Remy found himself abruptly left, as the four young adults went to the movies and didn't take him along.
"Aw, come on, why can' I go wit' you?" Remy asked them, bouncing up and down around them as they got ready to go.
"It's not a movie for kids, Remy," Genard replied, putting his hands on the boy's shoulders to stop him from bouncing. "Besides, we haven' seen Emil in four years an' he's our best friend. We'd kinda like to spend some time wit' him."
"We'll take you wit' us next time, okay, kid?" Henri continued. Remy sighed in disappointment.
Emil leaned down to the child's level and said, "I'm sorry to take dem away from you, Remy, but we'll only be gone a couple of hours. An' tomorrow, I'll teach you how to play a really neat card game, okay?"
Remy's red and black eyes widened and he smiled. Nodding, he said, "Okay!"
"You ain' gon' teach my little brother to play poker are you, Emil?" Henri asked as the four got into Henri's Ferrari and headed to the movie theater.
"Nah, I was gon' teach him how to play slapjack," Emil replied. "We'll let Jean-Luc teach him poker."
As they walked into the theater, Genard suddenly stopped. "Look!" he said, pointing at something inside.
"Dat's Julian! What's he doin'?" Mercy wanted to know.
"I don' know, but isn' de girl b'hind de counter dat one who made fun of us in school a few years ago?" Genard replied. "An' it looks like a few of her giggling friends are here too."
"Let's go in. It looks like Jules is playin' bully. We can' let him have all de fun, not 'gainst dem anyway." Henri said, pulling open the doors.
After paying for their tickets, the four friends walked over to the counter, but not to get popcorn. Recognizing them, the girl and her friends froze, suddenly ignoring the guy who was picking on them. Julian didn't see them coming, and was quite surprised when he heard his name being called.
"Julian!" Mercy said. "What're you doin', hassling dese poor girls?"
Julian whirled around and saw the four thieves standing in a line, arms folded. "None of your business," he replied sharply.
"Seems to us like dey've never done anyt'ing to you, so why don' you leave dem alone an' go watch de movie?" Genard commented.
"Why do you care 'bout dem?" Julian questioned, facing them squarely. He was outnumbered, but he also knew his friends were already in their seats, waiting for him. They would even things up if needed.
"Let's jus' say we have to pay dem back for somet'ing dat happened back in high school." Henri grinned.
"Have it your way. I jus' wanted a coke anyway." Julian said, taking his coke and walked in to find his friends.
The four thieves walked up to the counter. The girl's friends stood there silently, but she was obligated to talk to them.
"Can I get you somet'ing?" she asked, looking extremely nervous. She remembered only too well what she had said to them back in high school and she was extremely nervous about facing them now. Now, they were actual members of the Thieves Guild, not just a bunch of teenagers whose fathers were in the Guild.
"We'll have two large popcorns an' four cokes." Emil gave the order. Then he said, noticing the ring on her finger, "Well now guys, look at dis. De girl graduates from a top university an' rather den getting a big, high-payin' job, she ends up workin' de candy counter at de movie theater."
"Scary, huh? Dat's why I didn' go to university. I couldn' bring myself to end up havin' to say 'Would you like fries wit' dat?' for de rest of my life," Genard joked. "No offense, Emil, but den again, you had your plans made long b'fore you even made it to university."
"Now, now, boys, be nice." Mercy said, taking one of the bags of popcorn and her coke, noticing the blush on the girl's face.
"Oh Merce, don' be such a goody-goody." Genard said, picking up the other bag of popcorn. "Dis is de same girl who called us losers back in high school, remember? I t'ink she d'serves what we're sayin'."
As the four thieves gathered up the rest of their stuff, Henri got in the last dig. "Seems to me dat it isn' us who are de losers. It also seems to me dat de real losers are you. Next time you feel like makin' fun of someone, maybe you should t'ink 'bout de consequences. Have a nice night."
***
SIX MONTHS LATER
"Papa!" Mercy screamed. The thieves and assassins were fighting in the streets of New Orleans, and Jacques Cordeau had just been shot by one of the assassins. Mercy dropped her knife and ran over to where her father had fallen. Kneeling on the ground beside him, tears running down her cheeks, Mercy knew there was nothing she or anyone else could do.
The fight ended and the rest of the thieves joined her. "Is dere anyt'ing we can do, Mercy?" Jean-Luc asked.
Mercy shook her head. "Non…he's dead…unless you can kill all de Assassins, dere is not'ing you can do."
The older Guild members took Jacques' body, and Jean-Luc promised to break the news to Mercy's mother. Mercy was left standing there, surrounded by her three best friends, who were there to give her whatever support she needed.
"You okay, Merce?" Henri, who was also Mercy's boyfriend, asked. Mercy shook her head and buried her face in his shoulder.
"We're sorry, Mercy. I know dat doesn' help, but…" Genard said quietly.
"Yeah…" Emil agreed. "For what it's worth, I kinda know what you're goin' t'rough so if you want to talk or anyt'ing…"
Mercy turned to her two friends with a small smile. "T'anks you guys. I jus'…I don' know what to do…"
"Right now? Be unhappy. But you'll figure out what to do when de time comes." Genard said as the four friends walked down the street.
"I'm so lucky to have you three, you know dat?" Mercy replied. "I don' know what I'd do without you."
"Papa, why do we react de way we do?" Genard asked his father two days later, after Jacques' funeral. Pierre looked at his son curiously.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"We grew up wit' de Guild around us, we know what can an' does happen, an' yet when it does happen, we react like we're not prepared for it. Mais, we should be, shouldn' we?"
"Losin' people, especially people you love, is hard, mon fils, no matter how prepared you is for it."
"Hey Papa? Could you do me a favor?"
"Of course, Genard. What is it?" Pierre replied.
"Be careful."
Pierre sighed. "We always are, Genard. But sometimes bein' careful jus' isn' enough. Now, don' you have to pack? I t'ought you an' Emil were getting an apartment together."
"Oh yeah! We've been focusin' on Mercy so much de past couple of days, I forgot. Could you help me?"
"I'd love to. Are you takin' everyt'ing you own, an' where do you want me to start?"
"Oui, an'…in de closet." Genard laughed as they went upstairs to his room to pack up his belongings.
***
SIX YEARS LATER
"Okay, guys, de security system is down. Go on in. An' be careful. I'll keep an eye on t'ings at dis end." Emil said into his headset. He was sitting at the computer in his room. Mercy and Genard were standing behind him, watching the screens with him. Yes, screens. Emil had quite the elaborate computer setup, as befitting a trained specialist.
"You know, I'm not sure I like dis…" Mercy said.
Emil swiveled around to look at his friends. "Why not? Dey'll be okay, we'll keep an eye on dem from here, an' dey're always careful."
"I know…I jus' have a weird feelin'." Mercy replied.
"Oh don' get started wit' dose feelings of yours, Merce. Last time you got a weird feelin, de Assassins tried to blow up Tante Mattie's house." Genard laughed.
"Oui, but I really do have a bad feelin'." Mercy told them. "I don' like it at all. Emil, keep an eye on dose screens."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Emil said sarcastically, turning back around to face the monitors again. Mercy didn't catch the fact that he rolled his eyes, but Genard did, and he laughed even harder.
Three members of the Guild, Jean-Luc, Pierre and Theoren were attempting to get crucial Assassin information from the Boudreaux mansion while the Assassins were holding a meeting elsewhere. Emil had hacked into the security system at the mansion and had one monitor of his computer keeping an eye on the outside of the mansion, while the other one was scanning the inside, keeping an eye on what the three thieves were doing.
Things were quiet for five minutes. Then Emil noticed some movement outside the mansion. He hit a few keys on the keyboard and a close-up showed that it was Marius Boudreaux and two members of the Assassins Guild coming back after the meeting.
"Uh-oh…" he muttered, switching on his headset again. "Heads up guys, Marius, Gris-Gris and Fifolet are comin' in t'rough de front door. Get de hell out of dere!"
Genard peered over his best friend's shoulder at the screens. "Looks like you might've been right, Merce. Much as I hate to say it."
"Sorry…but I had the feelin' an' had to say somet'ing…" she apologized. "Are de guys armed?"
"Don' know. Didn' ask." Emil replied, shortly, hitting keys like his life depended on it and screaming into the headset. "What are you doin' Jean-Luc…? I don' care if you're sittin' on top of de damned information, get out of dere, now!"
"You want me to talk to him?" Genard offered. Emil shook his head.
"Non, but if dey don' get dere butts out of dat mansion now I'll kill dem myself when dey get back."
"No you won'." Genard laughed.
"Well, okay, no I won', but I feel like it right now." Like many redheads, Emil had a bit of a temper, and the fact that their partners weren't listening to him was about to put him over the edge. He felt they were putting themselves in an unnecessary risk by staying at the Boudreaux mansion when they were very close to getting caught.
"Um…Emil?" Mercy said, pointing at the screen.
"What?" Emil demanded, looking at where she was pointing. "Oh no…damn."
The three Assassins had figured out somehow that someone other than them was in the mansion. They were standing outside the library and had pulled out guns. The library was where the thieves were. And unless Jean-Luc, Pierre and Theoren had guns in their outfits, they were in big trouble.
"Hey! Dey're…dey've got guns!" Genard exclaimed, eyes wide. He suddenly had a very bad feeling of his own in the pit of his stomach, and started silently praying that nothing would happen to his father. "Emil, do somet'ing!"
Emil threw up his hands. "Like what?! Dey've been warned! I told dem! I can'…I mean…dere's not'ing…GAH! Listen. All we can do right now is sit here, watch an' hope dat not'ing goes wrong."
"An' if it does go wrong…" Genard questioned.
"Den it goes wrong. Dere's not'ing we can do…we'd never get dere in time to stop anyt'ing from happenin'." Emil replied. "Now shhhh…de Assassins are goin' in…please dear Lord…"
For the next ten minutes, the three young thieves sat in Emil's room and watched the scene at the Boudreaux mansion in horror. Jean-Luc, Pierre and Theoren were armed, but they only had knives. And knives don't hold up against guns very well in any kind of situation.
Genard's eyes were glued to his father. Praying like mad, he watched every move Pierre made. He was seriously worried about what was taking place at the mansion and felt helpless because he couldn't do a thing about it.
Mercy noticed that he was nervous and put a hand on his arm. "Are you okay, Genard?"
Genard shook his head, causing his glasses to slide down his nose. Shoving them back up, he replied, " Non. I won' be okay until dis is over an' my father is safely away from dat house."
Unfortunately, Genard did not get what he wanted. He watched in silent horror as Fifolet, one of the Assassins, tossed his gun aside when he ran out of bullets, and pulled out a knife. Up until that point, the thieves had been lucky, able to dodge bullets with ease. However, Fifolet was good with a knife, and within minutes, he had stabbed Pierre in the chest.
When Genard saw that scene unfold, he gasped and closed his eyes in despair. He turned away, clenching his eyes shut as tightly as he could and trying to breathe properly. "Is he…?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Jean-Luc?" Emil said into the headset. "Is Pierre…?" When he heard Jean-Luc's answer, he sighed and took the headset off. Then he got up and went over to where his best friend was standing.
"I'm sorry, mon ami," he said sadly, putting a hand on Genard's shoulder as his friend broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Mercy put her hand on Genard's other shoulder and looked at Emil helplessly. Neither one of them really knew what to do. They knew how close Genard and his father had been…aside from the Guild, they were all they had.
"Help…" Genard whispered, tears flowing down his cheeks even though his eyes were closed.
Mercy and Emil both squeezed his shoulders. "We're here…an' de others will be too, you know dat." Mercy said.
Genard opened his eyes and turned to his two friends. "I know," he told them with a sad smile. "I jus' don' know if dat's enough…"
***
FIVE YEARS LATER
When Remy walked into the LeBeau mansion carrying a very dead Henri in his arms, Genard didn't know whether to scream, cry or laugh. Henri had gone to New York to get Remy for the tithing that would take place in two days. And from what Remy was telling them while Tante Mattie tried to see if there was anything she could do for Henri, the Assassins had followed him there and attacked.
"I'm sorry…dere's not'ing I can do," Mattie told them all sadly. Mercy began to cry almost hysterically, and the others divided themselves up between her and Jean-Luc. Emil looked at Genard.
"I'm goin' outside," he said softly.
Genard nodded. "Right b'hind you."
Once the two friends were sitting on the front steps of the mansion, they started talking about the Assassins and what was happening.
"We're being killed off, one by one, did you know dat?" Genard said bitterly. "An' we can' stop it. What if de unification takes place?"
"I know. An' I'm scared it will. Jean-Luc's been goin' over de prophecies lately. I have a bad feelin' 'bout de whole t'ing." Emil agreed.
Genard sighed, shaking his head sadly. It had taken him a long time to get over his father's death, and now he had to deal with the death of one of his best friends, at the hands of the same people. "I shouldn' have let Jean-Luc, Theoren an' Claude stop me from goin' an' killin' Fifolet when I wanted to…at least dere would have been one less Assassin in de world for once…"
"Would you feel better right now if you had been able to do dat?" Emil asked cryptically.
"Non…I s'pose I wouldn'." Genard sighed again. "Okay, so de Three Musketeers now b'comes de Two Musketeers, unless we recruit Mercy. What now?"
Emil looked at Genard. Genard looked at Emil. They chuckled slightly, then said, in unison,
"Be unhappy and den move on!"
"Story of our life, huh, mon ami?" Genard grinned. "You'd t'ink we'd be used to dis crap by now…"
***
THREE YEARS LATER
"How on earth could you say dat?" Emil demanded. "It's great dat you voted for him, but don' you t'ink you could have done it b'cause of who he is, not out of respect for Jean-Luc? Neither one of dem would like it, you know."
Genard sighed, his brown eyes troubled. He'd known Emil wouldn't like what he'd said, but he couldn't help it any. "I had to do what I t'ought was best for de Guild, Emil. At least I voted for him. I t'ink he should get a proper chance to be de leader. Claude an' Theoren don', in case you didn' notice."
"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I jus' hate dis whole t'ing so much." Emil complained.
"You an' me both, Red. De unification was a big mistake, not dat anyone's figured dat out yet, an' dis whole vote of confidence is jus' stupid." Genard replied. "I don' know why t'ings have gone dis way, but I don' like it."
"Do you t'ink Bel wants de leadership?" Emil asked, looking at Bella Donna Boudreaux, viceroy of the Unified Guild and ex-wife of Remy LeBeau, current patriarch of the Guild.
"If she wanted it, she wouldn' have voted for him," Genard said. "I'm surprised she did, I'm glad she didn't vote 'gainst him, but I'm worried 'bout her motives all de same. Dat girl has always hated us, why would she go dis way?"
"I don' know, but I t'ink we should keep an eye on her."
"Me too. But let's start after we get rid of de Neo, huh?"
The next day, Genard did something he had done every year for the past eight years on that particular day.
Opening the huge iron gates, he entered the cemetery with a slightly heavy heart. Life was so screwed up these days…he wished his father was there.
Sitting down in front of the grave, he looked at the tombstone and sighed.
"Papa…t'ings are changin' so much…I wish you were here to tell me everyt'ing will work out, b'cause I really don' b'lieve dat right now. An' I'm also kinda glad you're not here, 'cause I wouldn' want you to have to live t'rough dis. It sucks. I…I'm scared. De Guild…de Thieves Guild…is my life an' I don' want anyt'ing to happen to anyone else. Too many of us have been killed already. Dis unification t'ing…it's like we all signed our death certificates. I jus' hope Remy can keep everyt'ing in order…oh Papa, I miss you so much…but I know you an' de others are watchin' over us all, so maybe t'ings will work out after all. Anyways, t'anks for bein' here an' listenin'. No one else would listen to me ramble on like dat an' actually keep dere mouths shut de whole time. Love you."
As Genard got up and started to walk away, the spirit of Pierre, which had been sitting on the tombstone the whole time his son was talking, floated over and put a hand on Genard's shoulder. "I will never leave you, mon fils. I'll always be by your side, no matter what happens. And I love you too."