Out of breath, Remy came to a stop behind the shop. "Hey-... Bella..." He panted.
"Can't be anywhere on time, now can you?" She smirked and slid down from the tree branch she was sitting on. To untrained yes she might look like one of the spoiled brats, the kind that cruise the city in expensive cars and dress only in the most expensive clothes. She actually did do both, but she also spent hours everyday training martial arts and every other week she would do a "job", the kind of job that would damn you to hell in any normal christian's eyes, the kind that left some family short a member and grieving. To be able to do that work, one had to have a heart of stone, and she definitely did. Luckily for Remy even an Assassin's stone heart could have some room for a few people, and Remy was one of the few that were accepted into Belladonna's.
She gave him a peck on the cheek and waited for him to return the favor. He kissed her softly, but she had other ideas, before they could get any further he pulled away and brought up what was in his opinion the elephant in the room.
"So, what was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"What gave you the idea that I wanted to tell you something?" she said coyly and grinned.
He made a questioning expression and decided to play along. "You're saying this is just a booty call?"
She rolled her eyes and grabbed him by the hands. "No, stupid! Come on, we both know why we're here, so let's celebrate!" **She** clearly knew why she was there. Bella raised one her hands, still locked with Remy's and expected to be twirled around. The she once again looked at his face and cocked her head at his confused expression.
Remy shook his hands loose and took a step back. He didn't know what good news she had. He hoped that she wasn't insensible enough to try and celebrate what-happened-a-week-ago with him!
"I don't know what you're talking about." He whispered, not really trusting himself not to yell angrily. It wouldn't be fair to just immediately yell at her because of a worst case scenario playing out inside his head.
"What? Remy? Didn't your father tell you?"
Of course she didn't know! He had just assumed that the Assassins' spies had already gotten the news, but apparently Henri's campaign to keep what-happened-a-week-ago from leaking out into the criminal grapevine was actually succeeding. But if the Assassins were at fault, why didn't Bella know? She was high up enough to nearly know everything going on in her father's Guild. Maybe somebody else did it? Some exiled Thief with a grudge, or an overly eager Assassin's apprentice?
Bella gave him a small hopeful smile. "Just in case you actually don't know: We're getting married." She once again pulled him to herself.
"What? How?" Remy was flabbergasted.
"Our fathers arranged it over a week ago! *Père* said Jean-Luc would tell you too! Darn, Remy I gave you an entire week to call me up so we could celebrate! Aren't you happy?" She was talking a million miles a minute now. "Isn't this what we dreamed of? I can't believe you are just ignoring our dreams lining up in front of us! We just have to grab them and they'll all come true. And you- you just-..." By then she was fuming. Nobody could possibly accuse her of being boring or predictable. She glared at her boyfriend and saw his confusion. "You really didn't know? Why didn't your *père* tell you?"
In Remy's head little wheels were turning. Was that the news is father had wanted to tell him? The reason he had been called to his study that fateful day?
"Bella?" Remy's voice was small and quiet. "You can keep a secret, *non*?"
"What secret? ... Yes, I can! We've been keeping each others secrets for nearly a decade, Remy!"
"You can't tell anyone, not even your *père* or your diary..."
Bella huffed. She was an Assassin! She didn't have a diary! She saw the serious expression on Remy's face and rolled her eyes.
"Cross my heart and hope to die! Now out with it." She pulled him to sit on the tree branch she had occupied while waiting for her ever-tardy Thief to arrive.
"Bella, *mon père*, he was killed a week ago." It still hurt to say it out loud.
Bella actually didn't know what to say for a moment.
Remy continued quietly. "I think he wanted to tell me, but then..."
Bella hugged him close. She had known Remy for longer than he had had the LeBeau name, and she knew just how much Jean-Luc had meant to her friend. For that moment she wasn't his girlfriend or fiancée, she was his best friend, whom he had known since they were both six years old.
He held onto her for a moment, but then wiped his face on his sleeve and smiled weakly. "I guess I should get you a ring, then."
She recognized the change in topic and followed his lead. "Yeah, maybe steal me one?" She smiled back at him.
He chuckled and nodded. "One of the really old, clunky ones?"
"Exactly!"
They quietly looked at each other for a long minute. Then he slid off the branch and gave her a small wave. "I think... I should get going now."
"Yeah. Bye. *Je t'aime*."
"*Je t'aime aussi, mon chéri*." And off he went.
Belladonna just sat there for a moment. Some may have been afraid to stay alone behind a shop, away from the public eye, but a nearly grown woman with two hidden throwing knives in her purse, two more in her boots and the knowledge and skill to use them had little to fear, even if she weren't a trained Assassin that could kill with her bare hands.
She sighed. Just half an half an hour ago she had thought everything was alright and that her dreams were all coming true, but she should have known better. Nothing is ever that easy. The Guildmasters could have pulled the unification of the Guilds off, the marriage being a symbolic contract, glue for the shaky union, but the new Thieves' Guildmaster, most likely Henri LeBeau, would have to work long and hard before he could dare such a feat. If he would even want to. She, like any member of the two New Orleans Guilds, knew how much they distrusted each other and that if a Thief died, the Assassins would be blamed. The deal was probably off. That didn't mean she couldn't at least hope.
She slid off the tree branch and headed home, her mood much darker than when she had left it earlier.
Bella entered the dimly lit house loudly banging the door closed after herself. She heard her brother chuckling.
"Oh, shut up, Jerkface!"
Julien jokingly made an appalled face. "I assume your meeting with the dirty Thief didn't go too well?" Bella just wanted to wipe the stupid shit eating grin off of his face.
"Did he hurt you, *ma chère sœur*?" He still grinned like an effing Cheshire Cat. She sneered and stomped away. When had their relationship turned that sour? She didn't know for sure. But she did know that Julien had... unclean... thoughts about her. The Guilds may not be the most faithful catholics to grace the world with their presence, but they had their own way of practicing their faith, and their own values. And Julien's thoughts were against all of that! Still, he was her brother, and she still loved him like one and would never throw him to the dogs!
With him being... like he was, he had disliked Remy right from the beginning of their friendship, and started loathing him the movement he had found out they were dating.
Without her noticing it, her feet had brought her to her father's office. Subconsciously, she wanted to tell him about what happened, but she reminded herself of the promise she gave Remy. But it already was too late, and her father had heard her.
"Who is that?!" His suspicion was understandable. Few people should be coming near his office, and the few that were supposed to be there, usually wouldn't make so much noise walking.
"It's me, Bella. I'm just wandering around a bit."
"*Ma fifille*, if you're here already, then come in."
Bella rolled her eyes at the nickname and entered.
"What's wrong? Didn't your meeting with the Thief-boy go well?"
"Ah, that went well," she lied "but Julien is an infuriating idiot."
Marius Bordeaux chuckled and shook his head. "Siblings' quarrels... So enraging when they're happening, but still something to cherish." Bella knew what he was thinking about. All his siblings had died even before Julien was born. At his fifty years, Marius already was an extraordinarily old Assassin. When Bella thought about it, 'Live fast, die young!' could've been their Guild's slogan. It was part of the reason Marius had hoped to make peace with the Thieves. If the Guilds stopped killing each others members, the life expectancy for active Assassins might actually come a bit closer to 40 years than the current pitiful 36.5.
Marius came back to the main topic of the conversation. "Did the Thief mention anything strange?"
"*Non*, he didn't." A lie, again. She really hoped her father wasn't looking for one, otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to hide it. "Why?"
Her father frowned briefly, as if he did suspect something being off, but didn't point it out.
"The older LeBeau-Boy rescheduled my meeting with Jean-Luc. I clearly remember Jean-Luc being positive that nothing would come up, but apparently something came up, and it was even more important than the peace. And why did his son call me, and not he himself? Is he trying to purposefully disrespect me?"
Belladonna longed to explain to her father what was truly happening, but she once again refused to break Remy's trust.
"I'm sure he has a good reason. Now that I think about it, Remy did mention times being tense and chaotic..." She hadn't lied that much to her father since he had given his blessing for her and Remy to date openly.
Her father huffed and looked like he was deep in thought again. Bella took the opportunity and slinked out of the room.
"See you around, *père*..."
She hoped she hadn't just made the situation worse.
A/N: Another Chapter uploaded on time. I'm way to happy about this...