A/N: I know this seems Remy/Bella heavy, but have patience. Our favorite sassy Southern gal shows up next chapter!

Chapter 1

24 years later

Bella Donna moaned as her lover grazed his teeth across her neck, his hands wandering to places he knew well from experience. As she reclined on the bed and wrapped her legs around his waist, she ran her fingers through his silky long brown hair.

The danger of her secret relationship with her father's enemy only heightened the excitement. One wrong move, one slip of the tongue and her father would know that not only was Remy LeBeau her longtime boyfriend but that she'd been sleeping with him since they were seventeen. He was her first everything. And if she had her way, he'd be her last. She was living her own version of Romeo and Juliet.

But that's where their problems started. Belle had been after Remy for years to run off to Vegas together. If they got married before her father found out, there would be no way he could have the marriage annulled. Remy, however, would have nothing to do with it.

He'd promised over and over again that he loved only her and yet he wouldn't make that ultimate commitment. If he really loved her as much as he professed, why was it so hard to marry her? And that didn't even touch on the tired old story he gave her every time she brought it up. It always ended with him not wanting to hide any longer and being completely open with both his family and hers and blah, blah, blah.

When she'd push too far, he'd distract her with sex. Oh, Remy was very good at the whole seduction technique. He swore to her that he'd never been unfaithful. But he also wouldn't tell her exactly what he'd done while on contract to obtain something for the Thieves. Not to mention the times when they were on hiatus and free to date (or fuck) other people. When they were nineteen, they'd been officially broken up for an entire year.

And it wasn't like Belle had been his only lover. She certainly hadn't been his first. His cousins were fond of stories that Remy had been fourteen when he had his first sexual encounter, not that he'd ever admit to it when she directly confronted him. Still, she'd long ago figured out his method of distraction was usually sex.

So here she was, instead of moaning in delight at all the wonderful things Remy could do with his talented tongue, Bella Donna was faking an orgasm to get him off her. Then she could go sulk in silence without causing him to disappear for days after one of their more violent rows. She never could be sure how faithful he was during their short spats. Their longer breaks were indicative of his lack of commitment.

After a particularly false cry, too dramatic even to her own ears, Belle suddenly refocused. She winced when Remy stopped his ministrations and sat up.

"What's de matter, Belle?" He asked, not bothering to hide his frustration as he ran his hands over his face.

Attempting to pull him back down to her, she quickly answered, "Nothin', cher."

"C'est des conneries!" Remy shouted as he climbed off the bed and strode to the other side of his French Quarter apartment. It was their secret hideaway he'd secured after his Tracts of Passage.

He slammed his fist against the wall, irritated not only from her attitude but the pent up sexual tension. He'd caught onto her game too. He knew she figured out his distraction technique to stop conversations about getting married. But he didn't care if she faked it so long as he didn't have to talk about a wedding. Of course, that was also when he could overlook her pretenses and still get off in the end. Recently, she'd become lazy and even he couldn't find release when she laid there like a limp fish.

"Tell me what's goin' on wit' y', Belle." Remy pleaded as he leaned against the wall, hanging his head in the space he created with his arms.

With a sigh, Bella Donna confessed for the umpteenth time: "Remy, I just want t' be yo' wife. Why is that so hard t' give me?"

The truth was that Remy was head over heels in love with her. She was his first love, his only love. And he couldn't imagine a day in his life without her by his side. But he also knew his father had been trying to work out a deal with Bella Donna's father for years now, working so that the plan seemed like it was all Marius' idea instead of Jean-Luc's or Remy's.

It was actually the only thing that had kept him alive after Marius found out he'd taken his precious daughter's purity. Bella Donna was a fool if she thought her father and her brother didn't know they'd been carrying on together all this time. If it had been up to Julien, there would have been a duel to the death over Belle's lost innocence.

"For once, can't y' just let me do somethin' in my own time? My own way?" He asked as he spun back around to face her.

It bothered him that she was always pushing for them to get a quickie marriage. Girls may have dreams of their perfect wedding day that boys never even considered, but he'd always thought that he would at least be able to propose when and how he wanted.

Remy had actually bought her an engagement ring, a five carat fancy yellow radiant solitaire lined with white pave set diamonds. It was a gaudy thing she'd picked out, "fit for a Boudreaux-LeBeau" because she insisted her name would be hyphenated. But he'd been waiting for a reprieve from her nagging, hoping she'd drop it long enough for him to surprise her with it. That reprieve had initially been six months, whittled down to three, then one, then two weeks, before he finally settled on a handful of days. And yet the only time he ever got a break from her marriage talk was when they had one of their days-long fights.

"Quéquette! If I wait for 'yo' own time', I'll be an old maid!" Bella Donna shouted back, no longer caring if she saw him any time soon.

Not wanting to fall prey to one of her screaming matches, Remy grabbed his trench coat and headed toward the door.

"Y' have absolument no patience." He answered as he flung the coat around his shoulders.

Scrambling off the bed, she quickly followed him. "An' just where do y' think yo' goin'? I wasn't finished talkin' yet!"

Remy opened the door, but turned around to face her one last time. "Bon for y', petite, 'cause I'm finished talkin' for de both of us."

Without waiting for one of her scathing retorts, he stomped out and slammed the door in her face. Bella Donna stood there for a moment before she let the tears well in her eyes. How stupid of a lovesick fool was she to hang on to Remy's every word, even the harsh ones when he left like this? When it was obvious he wouldn't be back anytime soon, she brushed away the few fallen teardrops, straightened her shoulders, and headed out of the apartment. She was the Princess of Assassins. And no man would take away her power, much less her self-esteem.

(X)-(X)-(X)

With seemingly no place else to go, Remy showed up at the LeBeau Manor an hour after leaving Bella Donna. He'd cruised around on his motorcycle for a short time as he tried to clear his head, but his troubled mind had unconsciously taken him to the only place he'd known true solace.

If only Marius would agree to the arrangement Remy's father was presenting. Belle would be off his back about marriage, they wouldn't have to sneak around any longer since their relationship would be in the open, and hopefully the Guilds would find some peace.

Jean-Luc would step down as the Guildmaster while encouraging the Council to elect Remy as his replacement. Marius would then abdicate and bequeath the Assassin's throne to Bella Donna, much to her brother Julien's displeasure. Each Guild would remain controlled by their respective heirs and only the marriage would serve as the unifying factor.

Marriage. That was the other problem with Belle's bitching. Sure, Remy loved her. He had ever since he'd first laid puppy love eyes on her. But he was young and had hardly gotten to enjoy life outside of the Guilds. Somehow, he always thought he'd get to live more before settling in to take Jean-Luc's place.

Not to mention that despite what she thought, Bella Donna was pretty much the only girl he'd ever been with. That's not to say he didn't have sex with other women, but always only when they were on the outs. Besides, sex was different than a relationship and Belle had been the only one with whom he'd actually tried to make that work. If their current state was any indication, how was he ever going to make a marriage work?

"Remy! Where've y' been, frérot? Père has been tryin' t' reach y' for de last deux hours." His brother Henri asked as soon as he walked in the door.

Still sour after leaving Bella Donna, he snidely asked, "Pourquoi?"

"Because, Marius an' Julien Boudreaux showed up trente minutes ago an' have been locked in Père's office ever since." Henri tried to instill the urgency in his brother.

Remy's mouth popped open as he rushed down the hall, Henri in tow. "Quoi? Pourqoui?" He asked.

"Don' know. Père received de call an' said we should only let you in once y' got here." Henri answered when they arrived at Jean-Luc's heavy Brazilian Kingwood door.

Pausing for a moment to calm his racing heart, Remy reflected on all the times he'd stood in front of the intricately carved door. As his eyes traced over the lines of the Thieves Guild crest, he thought about how many times his life had changed in this office, how many more times this room would affect him. With his best poker face schooling his features, he firmly knocked on the glossy lacquered door.

"Entrez." His father's strong voice called.

Pressing his palm against the brass hand that served as a handle, he swung the door inward to find his father, Marius, and Julien sitting in the antique leather club chairs surrounding the marble fireplace. It was late spring, so the staff had placed fresh sprigs of red pepper irises in the hearth.

The last empty chair remained next to his father. The seating arrangement was not lost on Remy. Normally, anyone visiting his father would sit at one of the chairs in front of his desk, his father remaining in the position of power behind it. But this scenario called for equals: two Guildmasters, two heirs. Marius and Julien sat on one side while Jean-Luc and Remy mirrored the image on the other.

"Remy, mon garçon. I was just explainin' t' Marius that y' were on yo' way back from Guild business." Jean-Luc greeted, his eyes never leaving his guests.

Remy answered as he slid into the empty chair, "Oui, Père. Got held up in Vieux Carré."

"Ouais, fais mon sœur." Julien whooshed out on a breath as he raised his bourbon glass to his lips.

"Suffisamment!" Marius quietly chastised. "That is not how we greet famille."

With a look that belied his apologetic words, Julien smartly answered, "Bien sûr. Excusez-moi."

Remy's heart skipped a beat before he worked to keep his composure. Was Marius really implying that he'd finally agreed to Jean-Luc's arrangement? As his eyes surreptitiously took in both men's body language, he'd never been more thankful for his thief's training than in that moment.

As usual, Marius' posture was stiff, uncomfortable. Paying a visit to the Thieves had always been looked down upon by the Assassins. The killers for hire always viewed themselves as the royalty above the petty street scum criminal. Not only did the Assassin Patriarch look inconvenienced, his domineering countenance actually brought a foreboding atmosphere to the meeting.

Accepting a drink from his father, Remy glanced over to Julien. Bella Donna's brother had been his rival for as long as he'd been a part of the LeBeau family. Always the first to defend him, Belle often reminded Remy that her family was just looking out for her best interests.

But Julien's self-entitled attitude seemed to extend beyond just being the heir of the Assassins Guild or simple brotherly affections. She was always teling Remy how she had been interrogated by Julien after one of their rendezvous, almost to the point of a sick obsession. All Remy knew was that if he had a sister, he wouldn't be near as interested in her personal life as Julien was about Belle.

Seeing the older man languidly relaxed in the leather seat while sipping some of Jean-Luc's finest bourbon was more than out of character. The twinkle in his eye and near imperceptible smirk tugging on his lips told Remy that Julien had something up his sleeve and couldn't be trusted, not that he ever did.

"Now that Remy is here, I feel we can finally get down t' business. After all, he is de subject of our discussion t'day." Marius said as he set aside his glass.

"An' 'bout what exactly is this discussion involvin' mon fils?" Jean-Luc asked.

It was another carefully measured move. Even seemingly meaningless meetings between the Guilds were about politics: what was said; how it was said; who said it. All of these things played a large factor in any compromise between the warring factions. In this case, Jean-Luc was forcing Marius to say exactly what the Thieves had been wanting for several years now.

"I'm tired of de fighting, mon ami. An' if I'm t' have any peace at home, it means we must first have peace between our Guilds. I believe it is time t' join a son of LeBeau wit' a daughter of Boudreaux." Marius intoned.

Remy couldn't believe his ears. He and Bella Donna could finally be free and open about their relationship. But there was always a catch when dealing with either Guild. Both were masters of deception in their own rights.

"So y' accept Remy's offer of marriage t' Bella Donna?" Jean-Luc reiterated.

"Not quite. We have some provisions." Marius' words dumped a proverbial bucket of cold water on Remy's head.

As he sat quietly to observe, his father continued the negotiations, "An' what might those be?"

"Since this is so momentous an occasion, y' won' begrudge that de ceremony take place at Sacred Heart of St. Cecilia." Marius's statement was genial, but his tone was demanding. Unsurprisingly, it was the Assassin's and Boudreaux's cathedral.

"Of course not." Jean-Luc appeased with a tight smile.

"Nor that Archbishop D'Arceneaux will witness de marriage." Another thinly veiled demand.

"As y' said, dis is a momentous occasion. Who else but de archbishop should witness?" Actually, Jean-Luc would have insisted on this term himself if Marius hadn't already brought it up.

"An' that de archbishop obtain de Rite of Marriage and Consent," Marius absently twirled his glass before looking up to Jean-Luc, "For validity purposes." He added.

This request gave the thieves pause. In a Catholic ceremony, the couple normally came to the marriage giving their own consent. It was not out of the question for the archbishop to obtain the consent through questions, though it was uncommon. Remy looked to his father and in a silent exchange that comes from being family, agreed to the term.

"If that is de only unusual stipulation, then we have no objections." Jean-Luc conceded.

"There is just one last thing. Once de happy couple is wed, de bride and groom will live exclusively at de LeBeau Manor t' honor their marriage vows." Marius commanded with a steely gaze leveled at Remy.

Jean-Luc also focused on his son as he waited for an answer. Without needing it spelled out, Marius was basically telling Remy that there would be no jaunts down to the apartment in the French Quarter. No late nights out playing poker. He would be expected to stay home and bed his wife to produce an heir. Once that happened, things would ease up.

And if he and Bella Donna had a fight, they would have to stay and work things out instead of storming away from each other. Or at the very least, he would have to find a couch in one of the drawing rooms or his father's office.

There would also be no divorce, not that Remy could ever see wanting one. So any infidelity on either his or her side would result in a break of the tenuous alliance their marriage would bring. And the underlying consequence at best was exile and at worst was death if any cheating could be proved.

All of these factors were heavy for a young man in his prime to accept. But Remy loved Bella Donna. And if committing to all of these terms meant he was allowed to formally and publicly declare that love to her, he was willing to do his best.

With a slight nod to his father, he looked straight into Marius's face as he agreed. "Oui, that is not a problem."

Jean-Luc gazed back at Marius. "De Thieves find these provisions acceptable and, accordin' t' protocol, officially recognize this proposal."

Everyone rose as they drily chuckled at the play on words, but the tension was not alleviated. While Jean-Luc and Marius clenched each other's forearms in agreement, Remy noticed for the first time that Julien was grinning like the cat that ate the canary.

"Didn' think y'd be so happy that I'm marryin' yo' sœur." He observed.

Julien slapped his hand a little too hard against Remy's shoulder. "Au contraire, beau-frère. I cannot wait for de big event."

Keeping his features schooled, Remy simply smiled back at Julien as he tried to figure out the assassin's game. He and Julien had never gotten along. So why was Bella Donna's brother so amenable now? Marius broke his concentration by clapping him on the back.

"I take it y' won' object t' a week from Sunday? I'm sure yo' père and I can pull a few strings." His smile was genuine, but the twinkle in his eye matched Julien's mirth.

It was quick but Remy was sure that once she got word, Bella Donna wouldn't want to wait a moment more than necessary. "Non, monsieur."

"None of that now, gendre!" Marius waved him away. "What are y' waitin' for? Go break de news and propose t' ma fille."

"Bien sûr!" Remy beamed. In less than two weeks, he'd be married to the love of his life.

(X)

C'est des conneries – This is bull shit

Quéquette! – Dick!

Quoi? Pourqoui? – What? Why?

Vieux Carré – Cajun name for the French Quarter

Ouais, fais mon sœur. Yeah, with my sister.

Suffisamment! – Enough!

Au contraire, beau-frère – On the contrary, brother-in-law

Gendre – son-in-law