Jean-Luc Lebeau was pacing back and forth, glancing at his watch. He didn't need this problem right now. The Guild didn't need this problem right now. He had to find a way to make this work…he had to.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
Jean paused mid-step, glancing at the door. It was too soon to be Touley.
"C'min," he growled. Seeing his foster-son strut through the doorway, Jean's spirits lifted immediately. "Remy. Ah'm glad you're here."
The Cajun boy looked older than his 20 years, hardened by the streets and his training. Eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, he wore a long, sweeping trench-coat, despite the stifling heat of the tiny room. Taller than his foster-father, he moved gracefully as he walked, carrying himself proudly. Smirking, he leaned casually against the wall.
"Ah heard rumor dat Touley 'n Jasper ran inta some trouble," he explained, pulling something out of his pocket. This behavior didn't surprise Luc. That boy was always flipping around that deck of cards. "Someone mentioned dat you could use a hand cleanin' up der mess." The scorn in was clearly evident in his voice as he spoke. Touley and Remy had no love for one another, and Remy really wanted to be there to rub it in the man's face when he arrived.
"You her'd right, as usual," the older man confessed. "Dem boys had trouble on a job earlier. Sometin' 'bout a killer girl." Remy snorted contemptuously.
"Dos fools got whupped by some chile, so dey come draggin' der sorry asses back in here to bitch ta you?" He shot the deck of cards from one hand into the other, rolling his eyes behind his shades. "Dey never learn, do dey?"
"'Parently she almost killed Jasper," Jean explained, waiting to see his son's reaction. It was the exact one he expected.
"Knowin' Jasper, he probably deserved it," Remy muttered. "What she do, stab him?"
"Touch him." That got Remy's attention. The ace of spades drifted to the ground as he regarded his father closely from behind his shades.
"You mean," he stared to ask.
"Dat she's a mutant?" Jean-Luc finished for him. "Dat's exactly what ah mean." Jean paused. "And that's exactly why Ah need you here." Remy shot him a puzzled look from behind his frames. His pop knew he didn't like discussing this particular…issue.
"Why?"
"'Cause da other boys, dey afraid o' her," Jean confessed helplessly. "An' she took a pretty good beating, so ah heard. You da ony' one who won' act funny 'cause o'…well, what she is."
"So, dey roughed her up and she happen to be a mutie?" Remy shrugged. " So what? Ain't the firs' time dat pair done somethin stupid like dat." He looked his father straight in the eye. "Jus drop her few blocks from da hospital like dey done before, and be done wit her. Den you don' need to bring 'er here and you don' need me at all."
"You don' get it Remy," Jean-Luc murmured. "Tink boy! A girl wit a killer touch. Who could use someone lik dat?" And then it clicked. Remy bore down upon the man, not believing what he was hearing.
"You gonna take some por' kid off da street, fix her up, and give her to the Assassins?" he demanded. Jean was angry now. He was doing this out of his son's best interests.
"Look Remy, ah got a bad situation on mah hands here, but Ah'm trying to make da best of it," he raged, gesturing broadly. "This foolish feud had gone on for too long," he said, more quietly. "Too many lost…from both sides. And if dis is an opportunity to fix dis whole mess without some weak union, den so be it!" Remy glared at him.
"Ah already 'greed to marry her. To marry any o' dem," Remy said pleadingly, hoping his father wasn't seriously considering this course of action. "I 'greed to the whole ting. So why we need to do all dis now?" When Remy looked at his adoptive father's face this time though, he saw no anger. Only compassion and pain.
"'Cause you don't want to," Jean-Luc sighed. "'Cause Bella didn' want to, and dese other girls don' want to. Well, dey migh', but for da wrong reasons It ain't fair ta force you all into dis," he admitted.
"An' what we doin' ta dis poor girl is?"
"Remy, as yo' father you can hate meh for dis as long as you like, but as your leader, Ah', orderin' you to take be da girl's keeper. Get her well an' ready ta move, keep her from escapin'. Dos are your orders!" Jean looked as if he wanted to shout a bit more, but that was all he got to say before all hell broke lose.
Two men suddenly burst through the door, one carrying a set of legs, the other holding a blood stained head, a prone body suspended between them. Both of them were covered in gear fit to warm a person in Siberia, but despite their protective clothing, neither looked too pleased at being this close to the kid. Bleeding profusely from a head wound, the child was pale and in bad shape.
Behind them, her victim wasn't fairing much better. Jasper's big, black arms were wrapped around Touley's and another man's shoulders, as they hauled him in, feet dragging.
Remy shoved the cards into his pocket and rushed over to help with the first group, wrapping his long arms around the girl's waist and discreetly laughing at the prone Jasper.
"What da hell you done now, Touley?" he chided, shuffling the girl's prone body over to a rusty bed in the corner. "You just goin' 'round beatin' the shit outta innocent girls? Or dey da ones beatin' da shit outta you?" Touley shot Remy an evil glare over his wounded partner's head.
"Don't you jar 'bout what you don' know kid," the toothless thief shot back. Remy felt the blood pounding in his veins.
"What did you call me?" he demanded, hand sliding into his back pocket instinctually.
"You heard me, half-pint" Touley's vicious grin grew with the knowledge he'd hit a nerve. And hit a nerve he had, for Remy had reached the end of his patience with the man. The tension between the two was thick, and silence hung in the air around them for a brief second before…
"Ah'll show you how much of a kid Ah am!" Remy raged, leaping forward and withdrawing a card from his pocket, glowing bright purple. Touley was ready though, yanking the knife from Jasper's belt and rearing back his arm to throw. Remy hit the floor, rolling, just as Touley released. The knife borrowed into the wall, missing the Cajun's shoulder by inches. Mid-roll, the card flew from out between Remy's fingers, exploding in the air and throwing Touley, the unconscious Jasper, and their helper back against the wall with a sickening CRUNCH.
"Enough!" Jean-Luc bellowed, leaping into the center of the fray, just as Touley and Remy we restrained by the stunned onlookers. Other guild members, milling about the usual headquarters, rushed into the room to help/observe the madness "Ah will not tolerate dis kinda behavior wit-in mah own guild!" he fumed, glaring at the older man and his adoptive son where they both struggled to get free and resume killing one another. "Der is enough of dat goin' on with the 'Ssassins already!" But no one was listening to Jean too closely.
"Dat boy is a freak!" Touley was shouting at the top of his lungs, looking slightly singed. "A destructive menace, jus' like dat girl!"
"Ah'll show you destruction, you toothless coot!" Remy hollered, desperately trying to resume his assault.
"Dat's it! You," Jean pointed at the red-faced Touley and his captor. "Get dat bastard outta here. Ah'll deal wit him later. "You two, git Jasper dere over of Momma Cece's. Let her fix 'im up." Jasper was hauled to his feet by two new aides, and dragged out, followed by a loud and vindictive Touley. "You can let 'im go now," The elder Lebeau then informed Remy's restrainer. After all the rearranging, Remy found himself alone with his father and the young girl.
"Ah'm sorry Pop," he said softly, running his hands through his hair. Jean shook his head sadly.
"Look Remy, he had no right ta say dat, but you, well…" and with that, Jean stuck out his hand and smacked his son upside the head, for lack of anything to say.
"Ow!"
"You, of all people, should know how 'portant it is ta keep peace witin da Guild righ' now. Do somethin' stupid like dat again, and you be wishin' Touley's aim had been better." Remy groaned as his father made for the door.
"Wait," Remy shouted as the Guild elder made to leave, "what am Ah suppos' ta do now?" Jean-Luc pointed at the pone, blood drenched figure on the bed.
"Ah suggest you start by getting her cleaned up." And with that, Remy was left alone, utterly perplexed by the sudden turn his life had taken.
A/N: Yay, we got to meet our hero. I wanna thank everyone who reviewed. "Thanks, they make my day." Now go down to the bottom of the page and tell me how much Remy rocks your socks. C'mon. lets see those reviews…