Disclaimer: Owny me none.

"…So pretty…"

"…Wonder if…"

"…Where she comes from?"

AnnaMarie's hearing fuzzed, like a broken or untuned radio. She caught only snatches of the conversation and kept her eyes tight shut while the rest of her senses cleared and she was able to asses her situation.

Her home had been broken into, by thieves no less. Though she was sure none of them had taken anything. She had thought they might, until that god-awful man had questioned her on the whereabouts of the princess.

Oh lord! The princess! And Gray, Kurt and Warren. What would her family think? Kurt would most likely never give up till her found her; Warren would delve into early depression and drag Graydon in it with him. And the princess! Good God, what on earth would Belle attempt to do to avenge her?

What would Joey do? Her future companion, her confidant, her betrothed. Would he grieve for his loss? They were close friends after all, and although no love was shared between them the arrangement was convenient, though Belle despised it heartily.

The thought of the Assassin princess drove all other things from her mind and caused her to worry for her again.

Oh God please don't let Belle think I'm dead, please don't let her try to avenge me.

"I wonder if she's kinky?" A lively voice with a Boston accent cut through Anna's thoughts like a knife.

"I shouldn't get your hopes up Sephy." A frosty voice replied. "You don't even know if she's going to wake up, let alone weather or not she likes you."

"Emma." A soft English accent chided. "Let Sephy dream, if she wants to believe white stripes is gay then let her."

"Just why are you calling her that Bets?" the first asked.

It was at that point Anna leapt from the table, seized the nearest person and held her in a hostage-like position while she pressed her hands to said person's temples.

"See!" The woman in Anna's grasp spoke triumphantly. "I told you she was kinky!"

AnnaMarie pulled a disgusted face and looked around. She was in a room lit by candles, a few yards away there was a heavy wooden door, and lining the walls was a row of dressing tables.

There where three other women in the room. The one she held hostage, a tall, willowy woman with a mane of purple hair and a scar across one of her shining blue eyes, and a curvy blonde lady seated at the dressing table nearest the door with eyes like chips of ice.

The one with purple hair chuckled. "Welcome to the world of the living white stripes."

Something about her sentence brought a memory to the surface.

…World of the living.

…When ya get bahck ta the world o' th' livin' look meh up gal, look meh up…

"Sam!" The word escaped her throat before she could stop it, it rung into the silence a reverberated around the stone walls. Unknowingly she let go of her hostage.

"I beg your pardon?" The blonde woman with the icy words asked. "Did you just say 'Sam'?"

Anna's hostage rolled her eyes. " Oh give it up Emma, the two of you haven't been going out in years. Stop being so jealous."

Emma's eye's narrowed into slits. But Anna wasn't watching. She was more preoccupied with gazing at the girls at length.

The purple haired girl was beautiful, scratch that, they all were. 'Sephy' had thick hair that hung in two braids and fell to her waist; Her eyes were a piercing silver gray that turned out to be her most stunning feature.

Emma was a confident seductress; anyone could see it by the sensual way she moved. But she held a dignified air that impressed, imposed, and dominated.

Betsy was a good girl gone bad, or a bad girl gone good, depended on what side you were on. She was a modal of perfection. An actress. Anyone could see that she could play any part you wanted, be it the innocent girl-next-door type, Or the enigmatic, bosky Rogue.

All in all, they were a ruthless kind of bunch.

Anna's kind of bunch.

She settled down, chatted and got to know them a little. And told them a little of her in return, like the fact that she was engaged to be married.

" I've never had a real long term relationship." Sephy sighed.

"Why?" Anna questioned, already liking Persephone the best for her good humor. "You got commitment problems or somethin'?"

"So my girlfriend says." She replied, then grinned. "My boyfriend denies it heartily though, bless him."

Anna laughed along with her as a knock sounded on the door. Betsy got up to answer it; a feral looking man with tanned skin and stormy gray eyes poked his head through.

" Ten minutes gals." He said in a gruff voice, chewing on the end of a cigar. " Henri's got some rich old fellah stoppin' over." Then his steely eyes fell on Anna, still clad only in her thin lace nightgown. He ran his impassive gaze across her form, an amused smirk lighting his lips. "Yer the newbie eh? Creed said ya was a looker."

Fire flashed in the deep pools of green. "How ah look has nothin' ta do wit' ya or anyone else, bastard."

The man's eyes widened. "Ya got a nerve kid, ain't no one ever told ya to show some respect for yer elders?"

"Ah'll give respect when it is earned, so far, you've done nothin' but tell meh of a guy named Creed whom ah've never seen in mah life before."

The gray eyes darkened. "Oh ya seen 'im kid, I tell ya true. Creed's the fucker who brought ya here. The one who knocked ya out. An' lemme tell ya kid, don' matter how much brass ya got, you'd much rather have me then 'im guardin' ya any day."

He turned to the others. "Ten minutes, not a second later. And for god's sake, give mouth over here somethin' half decent ta wear."

Betsy could not hide the grin that spread across her face as she shut the door behind him. She turned and delved into a chest of draws at the back of the room. Throwing Anna a dress she said: "He's right you know, the only reason we're still breathing without a load of unhappy memories of Creed is 'cause of Logan. I tell ya, the guys an animal."

"Yea, well. Tell ya true 'Logan' didn't look to human either."

The girls, Emma especially, chuckled and moved to help her get ready.

XxX

Oscar Rineheart was a powerful man in his sixties, with a headful of silver hair and a wizened expression. He appeared to be a kind, friendly old man who had lost his wife at an early age, and in all fairness he was…when you paid him enough.

He was one of the leaders of organized crime, known to the police department simply as 'bullet-tooth'.

Now he waddled up the stairs, his powerful muscles deceiving anyone into thinking that he was obese and could not contain his fat. The Lebeau's were always nice to him, he'd known then when he first started out as an underling and the King of Thieves took a liking to him. They treated him with the very best respect, and offered him anything he needed. Anything.

He grinned; wondering if that curvy blonde named Leila was still there.

Reaching the heavy, brass-studded door, he leaned into the doorman saying: "Make sure my carriage is seen by no one and you'll be able to feed your family for years on end, the tip I'll give you." The doorman started, nodded enthusiastically, and moved away.

Oscar grinned as he was greeted by Mercy Lebeau with a smile and a kiss. Chatting amiably, she led him down a corridor to their right.

He knew where they were going.

So he smiled.

XxX

Anna was getting frustrated.

She'd asked millions of times, but none of the girls would answer her. It was always, 'Oh never mind that now, they'll be here any second' or ' Shut up gal or you'll be finished with this job before your started.'

Each time AnnaMarie replied hotly that she didn't care how late she'd be for work unless she knew what she was actually doing.

At last it was over and the girls stepped back to admire their handiwork. She was dressed in Betsy dark green gown, with Sephy's being far to short in the leg (though the color suited her better) and Emma being way to busty (But Anna didn't mind that much, most of her wardrobe consisted of to much white for it to be natural for anyone). Betsy was quite a bit taller (Almost half a head) but they'd all decided that it was better to have the long, flowing skirts dragging a little on the floor then have it half an inch to short and above the ankle, like Sephy's was.

She stood in front of them, the jade color of the material brining out her eyes and setting off her wild, flaming hair. At the back went down in a diamond shape all the way to her hips, leaving the cream skin of her hips and the curve of her spine visible. The front was far to low cut for it to be a respectful ladies dress, making her wonder if her new friends' job was what she had feared all along.

She would not be a concubine, she downright refused to.

The girls were tossing around the option of trying to tame her mane of curls when Logan knocked on the door again, coming to fetch them.

He whistled when he saw her. "Jesus." He murmured. "Lookin' like that 't'ain' no wonder where you'll end up."

He and Emma exchanged a knowing look.

They set off down the corridor until they came to the top of a flight of swirling metal stairs, leading down into another room. Peaking her head round the girls Anna could just make out firelight and shadows dancing on the wall, the sound of rich laughter floated up the stairs.

Emma pushing a fan into her hands brought her out of her spying act, the curvy blonde leaned forward and whispered. "I'll look out for you tonight, Logan asked me to anyway. Seems he's got a little soft spot for you. Make sure you use all of the fan signals, you know, close it if you want to speak to us etc. Flirt, but don't give yourself away, don't go anywhere until one of he Lebeau's say you can. And remember, you're a hostess, nothing else!"

Rogue was about to whisper furiously back that she was no one's hostess, that she'd go where she liked and do what she wanted. But Emma had already leaned toward Logan and he kissed her on the cheek then she disappeared down the flight of steps.

Rapidly, Betsy followed and Sephy moved behind Anna to give her a slight push. As with the other two, Logan leaned forward to give her a kiss on the cheek. "It's for luck." He explained, then leaned in further so he was a breath away from her ear and breathed " You don't have to do anything you don't want do down there AnnaMarie."

Anna gasped and cast him a fearful look, to which he smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "How did you…?"

"Never mind now." He shot back when Sephy threw them a puzzled glance. "Just get down those stairs, give me a holler if you need anything."

Dazed, she nodded and began to float down the stairs as Sephy collected her kiss, she had worked out that she could just be silent and blend in, become part of the furniture, she could get through this night as calmly as possible.

How very wrong she was.

XxX

Remy Lebeau, the youngest prince of thieves had many titles. The king of hearts, The Shadow, The joker, Le Diable Blanc. He had a complicated mind, one able to work out the most puzzling factors. And everyone, excepting his brother, Henri, believed him to be a man of complicated tastes and exotic pleasures, surely his latest public fling with the Monroe girl had been proof enough of that?

He was however, an uncomplicated man in his leisure time. He liked his Bourbon cold, his home warm and his women willing. But most of all, he loved the cards on his side.

Not that they ever weren't. He had a gift for cards, ever since the age of three when he could hold them. He didn't get a chance to play much in his younger days, more preoccupied with getting other, less trivial things, like a roof over his head, water to drink and especially food.

But at eight, when he foolishly tried to pick the pocket of the king of the thieves, he had been adopted by Jean-Luc and learnt to play. It was then discovered that he was good at bluffing and being able to spot a bluff.

Scratch that, he was brilliant at it.

Now, at twenty-eight, he drank, smoked and gambled. Earned to title 'King Of Hearts' because of his endless, unaccountable row of flings and lived for the parties that his older brother threw.

The parties were a source of gossip for everyone. Every one had heard of the way one person was invited, taken to a room a gotten drunk. Then the oldest Lebeau would suggest a game of cards to which the guest, already bosky and delighted with the show of woman around him, foolishly agreed. It was then that Remy would proceed to rob them of their money, and the guest would leave with the companion of his choice, his pockets a lot lighter and his companion one by morning.

It occurred to Anna that she was at one of those parties now. And she hoped to god she wouldn't be the companion. Although, she mused, if the guest was that Auburn haired man with Emma in his lap, the one with the unusual eyes that refused to stop staring at her she just might be.

When she had first walked down the stairs all eyes had turned to her. Only a roaring fire lighted the room, as she had first suspected, and a few men sat in a sort of semi-circle. Despite that fact that there was only about five men in the room there was hardly any space to breathe. Not just because there was about fifty scantily clad women around, though that didn't help, also because the rooms windows were closed and the shutters outside bolted together, letting no air inside.

Because of the heat, AnnaMarie had excepted several drinks of fruit punch, that combined with the heady air, was beginning to lull her and fuzz her senses, making her head feel full and heavy on her shoulders. She had sat next to Henri and quietly chatted to him, seeing as he was the only man who did not hold his breath when she ventured downstairs, nor did he leer at her, or make unwelcome, dirty comments. In fact, he was just how she remembered him at thirteen even, polite and considerate. Unlike that atrocious brother of his, what was his name? Blast if she could remember, the heady atmosphere must have fogged her senses a little…

Anna felt a hand on her shoulder a turned to face Emma, who leaned toward her ear and whispered. "God damnit white stripes, didn't you see my fan signals? Remy wants to talk to you!"

Remy, that was it! The perverted little brother!

She looked at Emma through smoky eyes. "Who?"

Emma sighed, agitated and jerked her head toward the man she'd been sitting in the lap of. The one who refused to stop looking at her.

As she watched him he smirked and cocked his head, giving her a look that said 'Succumb-to-my-charms-and-come-to-my-room-tonight'. Narrowing her eyes to slits, Anna called to Emma and said. "Tell Mr. Lebeau that if he wants to talk to me, he can venture across the room and introduce himself in the proper manner. I'm afraid I'm far to interested in the conversation I am having with Henri to notice anyone else at this particular moment in time."

Emma's astonishing eyes went wide as Henri erupted in laughter, waving Emma away so she could deliver the message and he could see his brothers face.

Emma traveled back across the room to relay the message. He stared at he blankly for a minute, then started in shock. And lastly, a grin spread across his face as he gave Anna a toothy grin then raised her glass as if to solute her. AnnaMarie gave him a cold stare then turned back to Henri.

She was oblivious to the fact that Remy had just decided he'd share his bed with no other till he had lain between her legs.

XxX

Half the guests had gone before the cards were drawn out.

As they seated themselves around the table Anna lost sight of Henri, a quick inquiry told him he'd ventured upstairs to his wife and child. So Anna had had no choice but to seat herself on either Remy or Oscar's side.

Just as she was contemplating which she'd rather be with, Sephy came toward her, "Mr. Lebeau requests your presence by his side of the table Stripes."

Looking over Sephy's shoulder she caught sight of Remy regarding her, that hateful smirk plastered all over his tanned, handsome face.

Infuriated once more Anna turned her head back to Sephy, who was gazing at her with apologetic gray eyes. "Tell Mr. Lebeau." She started "That he is lucky I am so merry with drink to be so kind to him in saying only that I cannot join his side of the table for I have already promised my presence to Mr. Rineheart. Tell him though, I said I am sure he should not miss my aura for he has your own, yours and a hundred other women's."

Sephy struggled to contain her grin. "Okay." She said and walked back to her place directly beside Remy.

However after he was told her message he simply gave her a slow, very private smile. She raised a perfect eyebrow before plopping herself down on the seat to Mr. Rineheart's immediate right.

XxX

Mr. Rineheart, she decided, was either very bad at cards, a very stupid drunk, or simply very stupid.

She had an overwhelming feeling it was the latter one.

He was ridiculous at the game he played, dropping cards, throwing the decent ones away and being an all around idiot.

She felt so sorry for him that after the first five games, in which he lost a very sizeable sum, she decided to help him a little.

It started out as her simply coughing a little when he made a wrong move. He caught on to her method immediately. It then evolved to her whispering things such as 'wrong card' or ' Ace of spades'. Till at last it was at the stage where she was giving him instructions.

And the youngest Lebeau child watched her do it. Just sat there while she lost him game after game, that infuriating smirk fixed on his features.

They had been playing near an hour when Henri made his entrance known again. Shock mingled all over his features when he heard the games progress, a shared number of wins and losses between the players. Then he caught sight of Anna and grinned.

"M' dear lady." He said smoothly, his voice like silk "'f y' insist on helpin' so, why not play th' game by y'rself?"

"Ah woul' Henri." She replied deftly, "had Ah the money t' play."

"Y' don' need money Chere." She heard Remy speak for the first time. "Y' got odder t'ings t' bet"

She turned her head sharply. "Ah'd rather keep those thangs t' mahself thanks."

The men chuckled deeply. And Remy's gazed caught her own. He smiled privately, intimately. She raised an eyebrow but didn't turn away from the heat in his eyes, she couldn't.

Fire danced in his gaze, and the heat became primitive…and dangerous.

xXx

REVIEW ME!