Okay, so it looks like people wanted to see a couple things before we jump forward, so I'm going to do a few more chapters to cover meeting Belle and starting college. As for the guys from last chapter, don't worry, that wasn't the last you'll see them or hear about this! It does tie in more later, I promise. I wasn't going to just leave you guys hanging ;)

All things considered Spencer had to admit that it was kind of surprising that he didn't meet Remy's girlfriend until he'd been living in the LeBeau house for just shy of six months. That wasn't to say that he hadn't heard about her. Remy talked about her all the time when they were in the privacy of their room; he just hadn't met her. Then again, it wasn't really that surprising once he stopped and thought about it. Unless they went out during the day with a guard, they were on what Remy had grouchily referred to as 'lockdown'. Jean-Luc had restricted Spencer and Remy both to the house until Spencer was better trained. "Y'r a target out dere, Spencer. People are gonna look at y' and see a way to get to m' Remy." He'd told them. And Remy had surprisingly agreed. Oh, Spencer knew the teen slipped out here and there. He'd seen him do it a time or two late at night, coming back in just as the sun was starting to come up. But for the most part they stayed in this house and things settled down into the easy routine.

Something told Spencer that no one else but him had any idea that Remy had been sneaking in and out of the house. He had a feeling that Jean-Luc would've put a stop to it if he knew. But Spencer hadn't told on him. Their friendship was still in its early stages yet and he didn't want to do anything to jeopardize it. Much to his surprise, he was finding that he was really coming to like Remy. Not just him, either, but the whole family. And they seemed to like him too. They never once treated him as anything other than a part of the family. Jean-Luc acted like Spencer had always seen other kid's parents act. He looked out for the boys, all of them, made sure they were safe and happy and healthy. He talked to them, laughed with them, and he made sure to try and draw Spencer into almost everything they did. Even when Spencer just stayed quietly in the background, Jean-Luc still made a point of bringing him in.

Spencer had no idea what it was like to have a sibling, but he sometimes thought that maybe that was what he was gaining with Henri. A big brother. The man teased him to no end, picked on him, defended him against Remy if he felt the need, trained him, and he sure acted like he cared. A part of Spencer still worried that that's all this was—an act. But he was slowly letting his guard down.

Brotherly wasn't how he'd describe his relationship with Remy. Really, he didn't have any words for it. He didn't know how he'd describe it. They sparred together. Some nights, Spencer helped Remy with his homework, tutoring him through the few places he got stuck, and in return Remy helped him with learning the Guild history and the sets of rules and protocols that Jean-Luc said he had to know. He helped teach him customs, how he should act around high ranking Thieves, what would be expected of him. They also talked a little, about themselves. Spencer didn't often speak of his past and Remy seemed to respect that. He did talk, though, about what he wanted to do with his future, about the booklets for college that Jean-Luc brought him, and Remy encouraged it, fully supportive. Just as Spencer was supportive of Remy and his quiet relationship with Belle. It was why he'd so far let them get away with sneaking out to see one another.

Only, tonight was different. Tonight, close to the six month mark since Spencer had moved in, there was a feel in the air that had Spencer on edge. He wasn't the only one, either. Before Mattie left that morning, she made a point to pull Spencer aside. "Dere's somet'ing goin' on today, petit."

"I know." Spencer murmured. That weird sensation was prickling along his skin just on the edge of his senses.

Mattie nodded at his confirmation. "I t'ought y'd be feelin' it too. Dere's somet'ing dat's gonna happen. I can't stay close today; Suzie's gonna have dat bébé b'fore nightfall an she's gonna need me dere. Y'r gonna have to keep y'r eye out. An don't let Remy outta y'r sight, y' hear! Wherever he goes, y' go. I already warned Jean-Luc." Reaching out, she pulled Spencer in for a quick hug. "Watch over him."

"You know I will." There was a simple honesty in his words. He'd made a commitment to protect Remy, to look out for him, and that promise only grew stronger in him with each passing day.

He hugged her back briefly before letting her go. Once she was gone, Spencer wasted no more time in going to find his friend.

It really wasn't that hard to stay with him through the day. Jean-Luc made it simpler by making sure that they had combined afternoon lessons, the both of them studying old Guild treaties to 'better understand our laws'. It wasn't until nightfall rolled around that Spencer realized keeping an eye on Remy might not be so easy.

Just shy of ten p.m., Remy started preparations that Spencer had become all too familiar with. The young genius looked up from his book and watched as Remy changed into one of his nicer shirts. One that he'd told Spencer once that Belle liked on him. He was slipping out to see Belle. Immediately Spencer folded his book down into his lap. "You're slipping out tonight."

Remy didn't even look over at him. "Oui. Gonna meet ma chere fo' a bit."

"Does it have to be tonight?"

Now that question was enough to have Remy looking up. He'd gotten to know Spencer well enough to know that he didn't just ask idle questions. Curious, the Cajun cocked his head and looked at Spencer searchingly for a long moment. "Is dere somet'ing y' wanna tell me, Spencer? Have y' seen somet'ing?" He had a great respect for any of Spencer's visions. More than anyone Spencer had ever met.

"No." Spencer said slowly. He hadn't seen anything; not yet. It was just… "There's just, something in the air. I don't know what it is."

Remy regarded him carefully for a moment longer before turning back to his dresser. He started to add things to the pockets of his jacket. "Remy'll be fine, mon ami. Y' worry too much. Dis Cajun knows how to take care of his'self."

"If you won't stay, then take me with you." Spencer blurted out.

Surprise flashed over Remy's features. Then it melted away to that amused smirk that still triggered the need in Spencer to either growl or smack the teen. "Listen, Spencer, we want a lil alone time, if y' catch m' drift."

Spencer furrowed his brows for a moment before realization settled in. It flashed across his face, followed quickly by a hint of embarrassment and then the disgust that only the youth show for those carnal acts. "You mean sex."

His blunt words had Remy rolling his eyes. "Why don't y' say it a little louder, cher? I don't t'ink de neighbors heard y'."

"Why would I want the neighbors to hear me?" Spencer asked curiously.

This time Remy rolled his eyes so hard it was a wonder he didn't give himself a headache. He let out an exasperated sigh and shook his head. It was too easy to forget that Spencer didn't often get the finer points of sarcasm. He spoke plainly and expected the same in return. Remy tacked on 'sarcasm' to the list of things he had to teach the kid. "Never mind, Spencer. De point is, I don't need y' along fo' dis. I aint exactly into having an audience. So y' just stay here, read a book, go to bed, whatever. I'll be back b'fore de sun comes up."

Spencer sat up a little straighter, his chin coming up in a gesture that the whole LeBeau family had quickly coming to recognize as his stubbornness kicking in. "Mattie said I'm not to let you go off anywhere alone."

That actually had the young Cajun pausing. If there was one thing he'd learned in his years since being adopted into this family it was that Mattie's orders weren't to be taken lightly. She knew things, felt things, and Remy had grown up living on the streets where he'd been taught a healthy respect for people like that. If she'd made a point of telling Spencer to not let Remy go off anywhere alone then it was probably for a damn good reason, even if she hadn't seen fit to tell anyone what that reason was. But…he didn't want to take Spencer along with him while he met up with Belle! The kid was, well, a kid, for one, and he had barely six months training under his belt. He probably couldn't even get out of here quietly, let alone move as quietly as Remy did to get to his meeting spot. He was still in the awkward stage of growing an didn't always seem to know quite what to do with his long limbs. He'd probably get them busted in an instant. Remy couldn't just skip out on going, though. Not just because he wanted to get laid—he was a teenager, for God's sake, of course he wanted to get laid—but because Belle wasn't exactly the most laid back of women and she'd take it out on his ass if he just left her there.

Spencer could practically see the thoughts as they crossed Remy's face. Just as he could see when the teen finally settled on his decisions. The tension in Spencer's spine lessened a little before Remy even spoke the words. "D'accord." Remy said, slightly grudgingly. "Remy'll bring y' along. Mais y' better not get him caught, y'hear? Or dis boy's gonna kick y'r ass."

The threat didn't scare Spencer as it once would've. Remy might get a little rough in their sparring but the young teen was coming to realize that Remy wouldn't really hurt him. Not intentionally and not maliciously. It was a wonderful thing to be so sure of.

Smiling, Spencer scrambled up off the bed, putting his now closed book on the nightstand. Remy watched him and shook his head. "Merde. Must be couillon, me." He mumbled. Then he gestured at Spencer with one hand. "Get y'r ass over here, Penny. We're gonna at least get y' dressed so y' don't stand out like a sore fuckin' thumb."

Their escape from the house was surprisingly easy. Remy had been impressed with how quietly Spencer moved. It also helped to have someone who could read auras and sense the presence of other people. Using that, it wasn't hard to avoid anyone who might be watching. They'd actually made it out of there quicker than Remy usually did. From there, it didn't take them long to get to this little hideaway. Spencer stayed a mostly silent shadow behind Remy the whole way there. It wasn't hard to do. His friend had helped to dress him, making sure to give him a look that wouldn't draw attention but that would enable him to keep hidden. His pants were black, normal for him, and the t-shirt he had on was a simple green, but over that Remy had given him a special sort of dark blue sweater to wear. The sleeves had holes for his thumbs to slide through, ensuring that the sleeve would stay down. It not only had a hood, it also had a built in muffler that he could pull up over his mouth to hide his face even more. Because of the hood, Spencer opted not to wear a hat, simply tying his hair back out of his face, but he did make sure to slip on his sunglasses. It was rare for him to go anywhere without them.

Thirty minutes after they left, they were slipping through the back door of a tiny little house that Spencer hadn't even known existed. According to Remy, it was Henri's, often used for the same reason that Remy was going to use it tonight. It was secluded, out of the way, no one knew about it, and it made for a perfect place to slip in with someone without anyone knowing and slip back out again.

Spencer knew before they even stepped inside that someone was already there. He knew, though, without even having to see, just who it was. Slipping in the door behind Remy, he shut it carefully and then turned to get his first glimpse of Bella Donna Boudreaux.

She was pretty, he thought to himself. Nothing real special, but pretty. Blond haired, blue eyed, in good shape. The type of girl that probably turned heads all over the place. Even dressed in just plain blue jeans and a t-shirt, sprawled out on the couch, she gave off the image of beauty—and trouble. That, more than anything else, was what came through to him. Trouble. This woman was going to be a lot of trouble. Spencer looked at her as she pushed up off the couch and rose gracefully to her feet and for a moment he saw a flash of something there. Something, like a hint of white—a dress? A white dress. And…tears. There had been tearstains on her cheeks. Not happy tears, either. Tears of pain, of anger. Spencer blinked his eyes and the images were gone just as quickly as they'd come. The crying woman was replaced with a smirking teen who was looking over at him with one eyebrow arched and an expression that was full of mocking amusement. "So, not only are y' late, y' brought an ami wit' y' too, huh cher?" She slipped up close to Remy, pressing herself against him and splaying one hand over his heart in a gesture even Spencer could see was meant to be possessive. "Aint y' gonna introduce us, Remy?"

Remy looked down at her with a fond sort of exasperation. Rolling his eyes, he flashed Spencer a smile. "Don't mind her, cher. She t'inks she's being clever. Spencer, dis is m' Belle. Belle, dis is Spencer. He's playin' at guard duty t'night."

Her smirk grew a little. "Oh! So dis is y'r new pet everyone's buzzing bout."

That term didn't get as much of a reaction as it had used to; still, it was enough to make Spencer flinch internally. He didn't like hearing it and Remy knew that. "He aint no pet, cher. Quit trying to rile de boy." Remy warned her.

Sharp blue eyes ran Spencer over from head to toe. Her gaze was bright and assessing and left Spencer feeling like an animal on an auction block. That feeling only got worse when she turned her face up towards Remy and gave him her best smile. "I like him. He's cute. How much y' want fo' him?"

This time Spencer wasn't the only one to tense. Remy's body snapped taunt and he glared down at her. "He aint fo' sale."

"Are y' sure? He seems much more suited to my work dan y'rs. He looks s' sweet an innocent an shy, aint no one gonna suspect him till it's too late."

One of Remy's hands suddenly gripped tight in Belle's hair, forcing her head back so that she was staring up at his face. "De boy is mine." He snarled lowly, a curl of deep green snaking through his aura, giving his words an extra layer of possessiveness. Without taking his eyes off Belle, who was smirking up at him, he said "Spencer, go on an wait outside, jus' like we talked about. I'll come fo' y' when I'm done here."

"Ooh, Remy, so commanding!" Belle purred. She pressed in against him, hands fisting in his shirt, and she let out a smoky laugh even as Remy pulled her head back even more.

That was most definitely Spencer's cue to get out of here. Without having once said a word, he ducked back out the door and closed it behind him. There was no one close that he could sense yet he still tried to move as stealthily as possible as he went to the end of the yard to the tree that Remy had pointed out to him. It was cloaked in enough shadows to provide cover for him and was far enough away from the house that he wouldn't have to listen to anything he might not want to hear. At least, that was the plan. Spencer quickly discovered as he settled himself down onto a nice thick branch about halfway up that sound carried far more than he wanted it to. He wasn't old enough to understand that the volume of the moans and laughter coming from the house was intentional. He didn't understand the games people play. He didn't even realize there was a reason for the game; the idea of Belle being jealous of him, of her wanting to assert her claim here, never even crossed his mind.

He tucked himself far back on the branch, braced against the tree, and pulled his hood and muffler up so that he was almost a part of the shadows. It amused him a little to look at himself right now, perched in a freaking tree to stand guard over someone that he had promised to protect with his life, someone he had only known for almost six months. If someone had told him about this all those months ago, before he ever came here to New Orleans, he would've shaken his head and thought them crazy. Him? Scrawny, geeky, awkward Spencer, the one that no one wanted to talk to? The one that people jokingly said would was the only person to trip over thin air?

Training with Henri and Remy was teaching him to use his body in ways he hadn't ever thought possible before. Sure, he was still awkward a lot. He wasn't quite yet fifteen; his body still had a lot of growing to do. But he had gained a lot better balance and a lot better control. He was even learning more and more to defend himself. Sure, he was still getting knocked to the mats, just like in the early days. But even Remy was telling him that he was improving. Henri had told him "Y'r getting good. Dat brain of y'rs just seems to soak it all up. Y'r only problem is dat y'r holding back. Until y' learn to let go and let y'rself move, until y' can stop being afraid of what y'r gonna do, y' aint never gonna be ready."

Yeah, right, just stop being afraid, huh? Spencer didn't know if he could do that. He knew Henri was right, too. That fear was holding him back. But he didn't want to hurt anyone. Sure, he'd defend himself if he had to, and he'd defend Remy, but a part of him wanted to still be able to exist in the world where he could defend with words, not with fists. He wanted to pretend just a little longer that he could protect his friend without having to hurt someone.

Even with his clairvoyant powers, Spencer had no idea just how much that thought would be put to the test tonight.