The commitment that Spencer made that night stuck with him through the years to come. It stayed in him, growing more and more with each passing day, each moment that he spent with this family. The bond between him and Remy grew and so did Spencer's commitment to protect not only that bond, but the man it connected him to. Even as he himself changed, that commitment never did.
Jean-Luc had lived up to his promise of enrolling Spencer at the local college. There were conditions, of course, and Spencer had come to accept them because he knew he wouldn't be able to go otherwise. One was that he had a security detail. Between Spencer, Remy, and even a bit of arguing from Henri, they managed to convince Jean-Luc that one guard would be enough to keep him safe at school. One would have a better chance of being discreet and passing as just another student in class and wouldn't draw too much attention to the young teen. Spencer's workload was also kept a bit lighter than he'd really like. Jean-Luc didn't want him overloaded, he said, though he promised to reassess things after he saw how Spencer handled this schedule. But he wanted Spencer to still have time for training, both physical and with his powers, and he didn't want the teen to be completely drained trying to do it all. So his workload was light, but Spencer was sure he could handle it.
With those conditions in place, Spencer finally got his dream—he got to start college. It was everything he'd wanted and so much more. With a bodyguard in place, he didn't have to deal with the same drama that he once had dealt with at school. Add in the fact that he was officially Spencer LeBeau, it gave him a sort of untouchable air. There weren't many in New Orleans who were dumb enough to mess with the LeBeau family. Spencer didn't really care what it was that kept him protected. He just enjoyed the benefits of it; for the first time he was able to go to school and not be afraid.
Under the care of the LeBeau family, Spencer grew and prospered in more ways than they could've hoped for. He grew up from the terrified and closed off young boy into the start of a man that made Jean-Luc proud every time he looked at him. He opened up to his new family slowly but surely, won over by their sheer love and their perseverance, and in reward they were granted his love and loyalty, two gifts he didn't give easily. But the LeBeaus earned them, each one of them.
In them, Spencer found a father he could rely on, one who cared for him and who he cared about in return; an aunt who loved him fiercely and who wasn't afraid to teach him and scold him and hold him when it all became too much; a big brother who cared and protected and teased him in ways no one else had ever done before.
And then there was Remy.
Spencer didn't have the words to describe what had grown between he and Remy. They were closer than friends, closer than brothers. The only person Spencer cared for more, or maybe equally, would be his mother. Remy was Spencer's world. Ever since that day that Jean-Luc had changed their schedules to be together, the bond between the two had only strengthened. The only time they were apart was when Spencer was at college, earning his way through his first doctorate, and in those moments where Remy and Belle stole time to be with each other. Though, technically, Spencer was still there. He just wasn't in the room.
There were bonds that held the two together that couldn't be seen by the naked eye but that Spencer's other senses saw clearly. Bonds that grew thicker and tighter as time went by. Spencer was Remy's—his boy, his property in the eyes of the Guild—but between them Remy was also Spencer's. His to care for, his to protect, his to look after. Spencer studied during the day for his doctorate in mathematics, but in the privacy of their home he also continued his other studies, studies that once would've terrified him. Studies in how to be a better thief, a better fighter—a better killer. There was nothing Spencer took more serious in his life than the vow he'd made to keep Remy safe. That vision that told him that someone was coming for the brothers had only reinforced that need to keep Remy safe.
Spencer had been right that night he'd gotten injured when he'd told Remy that this wouldn't be his first scar. It wasn't. He earned a few more over the years, working from the shadows to keep Remy safe. It wasn't easy work; it was dangerous and potentially deadly and always a challenge, but it was worth it. When the end of the day rolled around and Remy was alive and well, when Remy smiled that bright smile at him as he talked about what he and Belle were going to do, or about the up and coming engagement that was being arranged, Spencer would watch him and smile to himself and know that it was all very much worth it. When Remy finally became engaged to his love and the wedding was being planned, Spencer watched it all, still there in the background, Remy's shadow, protecting and supporting his friend through this important time, and making sure that he stayed safe.
The threat of the Raven, as Spencer still called this man in his mind, was always looming over them. Only once in these past two years had someone tried to come for Remy. One attempt had been made on his life outside of what was sadly considered the 'usual trouble'. During that instance, Spencer had fought off the attacker, who had run away as soon as backup started to arrive. In that instance, and in the other minor things, Spencer had only ever needed to injure an assailant. He'd never had to murder a man. That was one bridge he had yet to cross.
The night before Remy and Bella Donna's wedding, that all changed.
The attack on Remy the day before his wedding wasn't any real surprise. This was the perfect situation for an assassination attempt, sadly enough, and security was high because of it. Spencer stayed even closer to his friend's side than normal. It wasn't hard to do; this was a Guild affair and as Jean-Luc had once warned him, the Guild saw him as no more than Remy's property, bought to be his companion. No one outside of the house had any idea about the things that Spencer had done for Remy. They had no idea about his training or his abilities. Spencer was their secret weapon. Though he'd just recently turned sixteen, his body had only just started to grow and he still looked quite a bit younger, giving him an extra air of youthful innocence to him.
Spencer had woken up that morning with a sense of foreboding in him that didn't go away. If anything, it got worse as the day drew on, leaving Spencer perpetually on edge. He felt like he was constantly watching around him waiting for something. He just wasn't sure what.
It wasn't until their rehearsal dinner that things finally came to a head.
For the duration of the day Spencer had kept close to Remy's side. That wasn't uncommon, especially with all the people there, so no one really thought anything of it. At the rehearsal dinner he was even seated beside him. Remy had been insistent on that and Belle had sided with him. Though to an outside it probably looked as if Spencer were simply Remy's second shadow, following him without ever really saying much, in reality Spencer was on almost constant guard. He couldn't chase away that feeling inside of him. It had him on alert, viewing every person around them as a threat, trying to keep not only his eyes but his other senses open as well to try and pick up on whatever this was.
The sixteen year old was quiet as he sat at Remy's side at dinner. He ate almost mechanically, not even really paying attention to the food he was putting in his mouth. Half of his focus was on Remy at his side and the other half was focused around them, trying to figure out why that bad feeling was growing stronger. He ducked his head down a little and for once was just a bit grateful that he wasn't allowed to wear his hat at the table. It meant that his silver hair was free to fall down and shelter his eyes from view. No one could see as his eyes once more scanned the room around him. He took note of all the guards here, both thieves and assassins, as well as the people who were around the table. Why was he feeling like this? What was going on? Remy was one of the most protected people right now. The only person more protected was Belle.
Remy's knee brushed lightly against Spencer's under the table. That small touch had the young genius turning to look at his companion curiously. Ever conscious of those around him, Remy didn't say anything, didn't openly question Spencer, but the small tilt of his head and another nudge of his knee were enough for Spencer to read the silent question—Are you okay?
He flashed a small smile and nudged him back. I'm fine.
It was when Spencer turned back towards his plate once more that it hit him. His eyes reflexively scanned across the wall opposite the, with the tall windows that looked out onto the bright New Orleans night, only to have his other senses suddenly on high alert. The past two years of training with Mattie had helped hone his skills. He could see more now and understand more of what he saw. Not just in auras, but in visions. It was a vision that washed over him now. Just a glimpse of what could be; what would be if he didn't move.
The vision was there and gone again so quickly, no one around him even noticed that anything had happened. Not even Remy noticed the little hitch in Spencer's movement. He'd been too caught up in his conversation with Belle to notice.
Spencer didn't have any time to waste. He pushed his chair back from the table and rose, pausing halfway to put his hand on Remy's shoulder and murmur in his ear. "I'll be right back. Stay here, please, and be on alert." With that warning, he rose the rest of the way, ignoring Remy's reflexive reach for him. No one else seemed to pay any attention as Spencer left the large dining room.
Billy and Jonathan, two thieves that Spencer knew, were guarding the door when he slipped out of it. They weren't two that knew about what Spencer could truly do and so he said nothing to them as he slipped away and made off as if he were going to the restroom. Only, instead of making a right down that hall, he made a left, heading towards the door that led him outside. Without anyone the wiser, Spencer slipped outside.
Remy felt on edge almost from the moment that Spencer left the table. He kind of felt he was a little justified in that. Spencer didn't often leave him, most especially when they were in a crowd like this, and his warning as he'd left hadn't exactly been the most reassuring. Oh, sure, he'd probably warn Remy to be alert even if there wasn't trouble, simply because he didn't like leaving him alone. The years had only served to make Spencer more and more protective. But, in a setting like this the only way that Spencer would willingly leave Remy alone, without something coming up and calling him away, was if he'd felt or seen something that required his immediate attention. And the kind of attention that Spencer would provide wasn't going to be nice.
With all that in mind, it was logical that Remy was on edge a little. He kept calm, though. His father had taught him well in the art of diplomacy…even if Remy didn't always use it. He put his hard earned skills into practice now and smiled charmingly at Belle, carrying on a regular conversation, even as he kept a sharp watch around them.
It was that vigilance that alerted Remy just a split second before the loud crash of broken glass. Only a half a second later, there was a loud thud as a large crossbow bolt landed in the table just inches from Remy's hand.
The whole room erupted into motion. Remy and Belle both dropped in a flash, down under the cover of the table. Around them, everyone was moving, orders being shouted and people trying to secure the room. It took almost no time at all—Remy had barely gotten a handful of cards at the ready—before security was there to usher both him and Belle out of the room. It was no surprise that Assassins took Belle one way while Thieves took Remy another. The two had just enough time for a kiss before they were pulled apart. It was a safety protocol to separate them. If the target were both of them, separation would force the assassin to work harder. If it were one, separation would keep the other safe.
In short order Remy found himself in his father's office, one of the most secure places in the entire house. His father, Mattie, Henri, Raymond—their head of security—and ten different guards were all there as well. Remy strode in without any sense of concern for his safety. His eyes fixed right on his father as he marched forward. "What de hell's going on, Papa? I thought we had dis place locked down!"
The look Jean-Luc gave his son made it clear he wasn't pleased with Remy taking that tone with him. "We did." He answered, just a bit sharp. His eyes drifted behind Remy to the usual spot that Spencer took and when he found it empty his gaze snapped back to Remy's face. "Where's Spencer?"
Conscious of the others in the room, Remy made his answer discreet. "He went to de bathroom right b'fore t'ings happened." He had to have seen something; Remy was sure of it. Why else would he have left like that or given the warning he had? A chill ran down Remy's spine. Had Spencer been up there with this shooter? Could that bolt have been aimed somewhere else? If it had…Jesus. If it had, it meant Spencer had saved his life. Again. Remy made the sign of the cross and said a soft blessing for the day that Spencer had been brought into his life. When he looked up, he saw that he wasn't the only one who had made that gesture.
A low rap at the door, three short and one long, interrupted them. All heads turned towards the sound just as the door opened. Remy didn't give a damn about the guard that came in first—all he had eyes for was the silver haired one behind him. "Spencer!"
Spencer was looking at him even before Remy called his name. Over the years, Remy had gotten used to the sensation of Spencer's eyes on him, those uniquely opposite eyes almost always fixed on Remy somehow even if it appeared he was looking at something else. He'd gotten used to the intensity that could be in that stare or the way that sometimes they left him feeling like Spencer was looking at him and seeing so much more than human eyes could see. The look that he saw in them now had his worry going sky high. There was a hooded sort of look there that Remy knew well meant pain; that was further backed up by the very deliberate way he was walking, something he usually did when he was hurting. But there was also worry there, and guilt. Lots of guilt. That was what had Remy worried the most. His greatest fear was that one day Spencer was going to have to kill in his self-imposed quest to protect Remy's life. The idea of this sweet kid having to kill someone…it ripped him up inside. He didn't want that. Some days he looked at Spencer and he still saw the terrified, alone little boy that had first come to them instead of the lanky, sometimes awkward sometimes scarily graceful genius that he was now. Remy didn't want to have to see the man Spencer would become if he had to get real blood on his hands. Not just harming someone, but taking their very life. He was afraid of what it would do to him.
It wasn't any real surprise that Spencer moved straight to Remy instead of towards the others like anyone else might. Remy reached out the minute that Spencer got close. He didn't think anything of it as he caught Spencer up in a hug. Burying his face in against that mussed silver hair, he breathed out a sigh of relief. "Don't y' scare me like dat, cher."
"Sorry." Spencer murmured right against his chest. He brought his arms up to hug Remy back and if there was a slightly desperate air about the embrace, well, neither one commented on it.
Remy heard as his father dismissed the others from the room. When the two finally broke apart, only Jean-Luc, Mattie, Henri and Raymond remained—all people who knew about Spencer's training and what he could do.
Jean-Luc came up first to hug Spencer as well. "I'm so glad y'r okay, mon fils."
"I'm fine, Jean-Luc." Spencer reassured him. The young genius let the other two hug him as well, but he extracted himself a bit more quickly than normal and slipped back into what he, and sometimes Remy, considered his customary place at Remy's side. His body straightened up and the expression on his face was that of one much older than his sixteen years. "I'm sorry I didn't warn any of you beforehand. I saw something when I was at the table and I didn't have time to do much but move." He cast a guilty look over at Remy. "I was almost too late as it was."
So, the bolt had been aimed differently. Spencer had saved him—again.
"We understand, Spencer." Jean-Luc said. He leaned back against his desk and watched Spencer carefully, concerned yet, as always, steady. A leader. "Tell us what happened."
"I saw someone in the distance with a crossbow and bolt. Up on the southeast corner of the wall, hidden by the trees. I got there in just enough time to knock him off balance. Once he missed, we wrestled for a bit." Pausing, Spencer licked his lips and his gaze dropped down and away briefly. "I hesitated, sir. I had him right there, but I hesitated, and he managed to knock out my legs and escape. I'm sorry." The way that Spencer stood, shoulders back and spine straight, that guilt just oozing off of him, he was so obviously ready to accept what it would appear he considered a due punishment.
Remy smothered back the sigh of relief he felt at the knowledge that his best friend hadn't been forced to kill, for him.
The guilt hadn't gone unnoticed by their father. "Y' did good, mon fils." Jean-Luc said. "Y' saved Remy's life t'night and dat's what matters. Did y' learn anything about de man?"
"He works for the Raven."
That was all he said. That was all that he needed to say. Jean-Luc shook his head and sighed. As Remy watched his father, he noticed for the first time that the man had aged lately. Not much; a few extra lines around his eyes, a bit of tension in his shoulders. Stress sat heavily on him an made him look just a little bit older. It left Remy feeling slightly guilty. His wedding to Belle probably wasn't helping. It was what Henri jokingly called a 'political nightmare'. The stress of that probably sat heavily on Jean-Luc's shoulders. Add in his worry for his sons because of the Raven's attempts and the poor man had a lot on his plate.
Jean-Luc drew in a breath and squared his shoulders. His gaze was steady when it came back to his sons. "Dere aint much else y' can do here. Belle's been taken safely away till de wedding tomorrow, an all y' boys are here and safe—thanks to y', Spencer." He spared a second to smile at Spencer, who even after all these years still flushed under the attention, never really all that comfortable with praise. That blush made Jean-Luc's smile warm a little more. When he looked at Remy, some of his tension had faded. "Take him upstairs, make sure he's all right, and den I want de two of y' to get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow."
Those were orders Remy could easily follow. He had absolutely no trouble gathering Spencer up under one arm, tucking him against his side, and leading him out of the room. Guards were waiting for them outside and they escorted the two upstairs. It wasn't until they were inside their room—once it'd been checked to make sure no one was lying in wait—that he finally got a chance to turn to Spencer and show the worry that had been plaguing him ever since he'd realized where Spencer had gone.
Before he could even open his mouth, Spencer rushed to reassure him. "I'm fine, Remy. A few bruises, nothing major."
"Y'r sure?" Remy took enough of a step back to be able to look him over. He knew Spencer well and knew that the teen wasn't above hiding injuries to keep Remy from worrying.
A smile touched Spencer's lips. "I'm sure. Bruised ribs, a few bruises on my leg, one on my shoulder. Nothing serious. You've done worse damage when we spar."
There was nothing but honesty in Spencer's tone. Hearing it, it relaxed Remy, let some of his tension fade away. Spencer was here and he was okay. They were all okay. Meeting those two tone eyes, he smiled, one hand coming out to brush a bit of hair behind Spencer's ear. "Merci Dieu y'r all right." Lips quirking, he brushed his knuckles over Spencer's cheek. "At least he didn't mark up y'r pretty face, oui? Y'll still be gorgeous fo' de pictures t'morrow."
Spencer laughed and gave him a light shove. "I'm not the one that needs to look pretty for the pictures."
"Don't t'ink y'r getting outta dem, cher!" Remy wagged a finger at him. "Y'r m' right hand man—y'r gonna be right dere with Remy. Y' and Henri, m' best men."
"Joy." Spencer said dryly. He'd developed that sense of humor of his over the years, though it still rarely came out around anyone that wasn't family, and it came out more around Remy. He could have a very dry wit sometimes that never failed to make Remy chuckle. It showed now as the teen sat down on the edge of his bed and bent to start removing his shoes. "Who would've ever guessed it? Le diable blanc, getting married—and in a big, fancy church wedding, too!"
That nickname from anyone else might've carried a sting to it. It'd been thrown at Remy for a long, long time, a taunt and an insult. From Spencer it carried nothing but fondness and affection. Remy didn't mind it in the least. He dropped down onto his own bed and folded his hands behind his head as he stretched out. "De church won't know what hit em. Le diable blanc and le diable argenté, both in de church. People gonna be crossing demselves all over de place."
He grinned when he saw Spencer roll his eyes. His companion liked to pretend sometimes that he hadn't earned himself any sort of nickname or reputation by being at Remy's side. Sometimes, he seemed more like he was content to just fade into Remy's shadow, hiding away. In reality, that only helped fuel the rumors about him. Plenty of people had taking to saying that le diable blanc had found himself a demon of his own in the child. That's how Spencer had earned his own nickname right alongside him. People saw them together and whispers often followed them. Remy had already had his own reputation long before Spencer had come along. Having Spencer at his side had only helped fuel that reputation and spread it to his companion.
Remy lay there and watched through half-open eyes as Spencer went through the familiar ritual of preparing for bed. There were probably so many words that could be said between them right now. Reassurances that they were okay or that Spencer had done the right thing. He knew his young friend was still feeling guilty, and he knew now that it wasn't because he'd killed someone—it was because he'd hesitated and let him get away. But he also knew that as much as Spencer liked to use words, he didn't always like to hear them. Sometimes he just needed Remy's steady presence there with him to help center him. No words, no big conversations. Just his presence nearby could sometimes be enough to help Spencer find his footing again.
Without even realizing it, Remy found himself slowly starting to drift as he listened to the familiar sounds of Spencer's movements. Sounds that had been a part of his night for a little over two years now. He drifted off to sleep, only barely registering it as Spencer came over and removed his boots. Any other touch and he would've been up in a heartbeat. But he'd long ago learned Spencer's touch and presence. By the time his boots were off and Spencer went to shut off the lights, Remy was asleep.
Hours later he was still asleep when Spencer woke with a gasp. He didn't stir as the teen carefully slipped out of bed and drew on his clothes, nor as the bedroom window was opened and Spencer slipped out into the night.