As fate would have it, when they finally docked there were horse-drawn carriages waiting for them to take them all to the Oak Alley Plantation. Rogue had lost Mystique in the hustle and bustle of everyone disembarking the river boat and so, was shoved into a carriage at random by one of the escorts.

A masculine hand was held out to her from the interior of the carriage and she took it as the man helped her inside. As she took her seat she looked up to see an older man with sandy blonde hair was the one who had helped her. He looked familiar but Rogue couldn't place his face anywhere.

"Anna-Marie Darkholme, is dat you, fille?" Well he knew her and the man beside him recognized the name. He looked almost identical to the older man and could very possibly be his son. The third man, who was seated next to her was such a dark black that he almost blended in with the shadows.

She raised her eyebrows up, desperately trying to place his face. He was obviously from New Orleans with that distinctive accent of his. She knew Jean-Luc was blonde but it didn't feel right. "Marius Boudreaux?"

His eyes lit up to something that she wouldn't have expected from an Assassin, let alone the Patriarch for the Guild. That must mean the handsome man beside him was his son Julian.

"So ya do remember!" He clapped.

She offered him a small smile. "Jus' barely, Ah was six las' time Ah saw ya."

He nodded and gave a hard pat to the man beside him. "If ya remember me, then certainly ya remember mon fils, Julian?" Rogue had the sinking suspicion that she was being buttered up. But to what purpose, had yet to be revealed.

She turned her eyes to who now had been confirmed as Julian. He was handsome indeed with a long build and broad shoulders and sharp features. He'd come a long way from that skinny kid she could hardly remember. "Not as well as Belle, Ah'm afraid."

"Tha's right, ya two were thick as thieves las' time ya were here." He said rubbing his chin.

They were more like archenemies in shrunken form who often engaged in battles to the death. Marius missed her grimace but Julian didn't and smirked.

"Ah heard from ya mere that SHIELD hires ya out occasionally." He broached.

She was bound by contract not to reveal any of SHIELDs more protected secrets upon pain of lecture from Nick Fury himself. But this was talking shop, perhaps he wanted to get an idea of her skill set before he considered hiring her for a job.

"Yes, Ah'm very good at acquiring information and silently takin' jus' about anyone down." She explained. "This last assignment, Fury sent me ta Madripoor to find Viper and get the location of a few stolen SHIELD weapons she had hidden."

Marius face lit up with interest as he nodded. "An' how'd tha' go? Gris Gris here came across her once a few years ago an' she nearly killed him." He nodded to the black man sitting beside her.

Rogue reached up and rolled down one of her long white gloves to reveal the still healing teeth marks that green haired bitch had imbedded in her forearm. "She bit me." Her voice was full of disdain.

All three men leaned forward to get a look at the teeth marks, some with the stitches still in them. Gris Gris whistled as he leaned back and Rogue tugged her glove back in place. "E'ryone say wha' a chienne she i' bu' no one say how she bite." His accent almost too thick for her to understand, she nodded. There hadn't been anything about her tendency to bite in the file Fury had given her.

"Ya mere neva said wha' ya mutation was." Marius said. Rogue found that odd as her mother was always boasting about her abilities.

"Absorbtion." She said and then clarified because her mutation was so unique she was the only one. "It's in my skin, ine lil' touch an' everythin' about you is mine. Ya memories, physical abilities an' mutation. The memories stay which makes me the queen o' crash courses, but the other two fade after a while."

Marius looked like he might explode in excitement and is was very off-putting to everyone else. Though, to be fair, Gris Gris was probably just nervous being so near to her now that he knew her mutation.

The Guild Leader seemed to realize the unease he was causing and calmed himself. "Why don' ya come by the Guild tomorrow, Ah got a job that could use yer touch."

Rogue smirked at the pun and agreed, no doubt her mother would be thrilled. The ride continued for another minute or so before pulling to a stop by the front gates. Marius was the first to step out and once again held out his hand for her to help her down. She accepted it and stepped down.

She stopped short after when she saw that all the oak trees that lead up to the mansion had been wrapped in white string lights. It was the kind of beautiful you could only find in these parts.

"Belle, ain' it, petite?" Julian, who had been quiet the whole carriage ride asked as he came to stand next to her. She just smiled and nodded her head. "Please allow me ta escort ya ta the mansion?" He asked holding his arm out like a true southern gentleman.

Rogue smirked and took it.

XxX

Julian had been pleasantly surprised when it turned out that Anna-Marie was the one who they shared a carriage with. He had expected some snotty little girl nearly identical to his sister. What he got was a beautiful woman with a mutation that made her more valuable than Belladonna ever was.

Don't get him wrong, he loved his sister to an extent. But he just couldn't deal with her Gambit mania any longer. Not to mention her grander and delusion of skill. She was sub par at best, her only redeeming feature to the Guild were the eggs of potential useful assassins she carried within her womb.

On days she behaved and didn't act like a psychotic child, he would think of betrothing her to Luke Toussaint who was an up and coming assassin, trained by Gris Gris himself. The man had a special skill with poison daggers and had had an eye on Belle fora few years now. Then were the days where she stalked Remy LeBeau and run about the Guild telling anyone who would listen about her plans of marriage to the thief. On those days he fantasized about placing her in a chemical coma and eventually using her eggs to spawn off useful assassins.

From his, so far, brief encounter with Anna-Marie, she didn't seem the same type as Belle at all, though he would keep watch incase she was hiding her cray. He couldn't let more insanity penetrate the Broudeaux family line.

When she linked her arms with his he was pleasantly pleased with the way her body fit with his. Anna-Marie was shorter than Belle with wider hips and a larger bosom. The wide hips would be could for birthing healthy, to term children while her breasts would be for fun. A vision of slipping her gown off crossed his mind causing him to smile. If this woman proved to be sane and of sound judgment, then she would most definitely make a woman worthy of courting.

When they finally entered the mansion, Julian lead the beautiful woman on his arm to the dinning room where dinner would be served shortly. unfortunately, guests were assigned to the various tables around the room. Being the Crown Prince to the Assassin's meant that he, his father, sister and LeBeau and his son's would all be seated at the same table meant for the two Guilds.

Anna-Marie was likely to be sat with her mother at any of the round tables around the room. A beauty such as she would likely attract many a young men requesting her for a dance or two, most notably Gambit. Remy LeBeau's only redeeming feature was his refusal of Belladonna, otherwise he was an insufferable pain in his ass. The thought of him setting his sights on Anna-Maries left a bad taste in his mouth.

They were both considered to be the two most eligible bachelor's in New Orleans, hell, in the entire criminal underground. But, as an Assassin, the future Guildmaster no less, he ranked under LeBeau merely for the fact that he was the best at what he did. The precision he took in a kill was often scary as some had told him. Thus, LeBeau often pulled ahead of him where the ladies were concerned.

Anna-Marie was not just a beauty worthy of being at his side. She was incredibly invaluable with her one of a kind mutation. The possibilities alone were mind numbing. How Raven had managed to hide this jewel away for the last twenty years or so was astounding. Then there were her connections with SHIELD, The Guild had tried to get an in with the organization for years which could now be accomplished through her.

Julian turned to the radiant beauty on his arm as he lead her to her table on the other end of the room. "Save me a dance or two, petite." He said, flashing her a charming smile.

Her already brilliant green eyes brightened and her smile widened just a little bit more. "Ah'd love ta, sugar." She answered, her honey thick voice washing over him.

"Ah'll hold ya to that." He lifted her gloved hand to his lips and placed a gentlemanly kiss upon her knuckles. A faint pink blush lit her cheeks up as he left her to her table.

He'd be sure to keep an eye on her through the night and away from LeBeau.

A/N

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