Thanks for being patient, guys! :) This one is kind of short, sorry about that. Oh, and on the last chapter, the reason I chose to use Dormirez-vous avec moi ce soir? instead of Voulez vous coucher avec moi ce soir? is because the first one (the one I used) means Will you sleep with me tonight? The latter (the one from Moulin Rouge) means Do you want to sleep with me tonight? Just thought I'd pass that on for those of you who were curious!
~BQ



Chapter Forty:


"Emil, fo' de last time- put dat stapler down!"

Remy snorted, barely able to hold back laughter, and lifted his portfolio to shield his smirk when his father turned his glare in his direction. He glanced over at his brother and saw that Henri was supressing laughter, as well.

Jean-Luc sighed, rubbing his forehead wearily. "I swear, y' boys are gon' be de death o' me."

"Awww, don' say dat, Oncle," Emil said with a grin. "We don' plan t' knock y' off fo' at least anot'er ten years o' so."

The head of the Thieves Guild narrowed his eyes intently, and his red-haired nephew slumped back in his chair obediently. "Can we get back t' business now, s'il vous plaît?" he asked, giving each of the young men gathered around his desk a pointed look.

"Sure t'ing, Papa," Remy said, leaning forward and placing a folder on the desk. "Dis is de information on de stone, courtesy o' yo's truly. Everyt'ing dere is t' know 'bout it, is in dis folder."

Jean-Luc nodded, taking it and leafing through its contents. "Bon travail, Remy. Dis is jus' what we needed. Y' done good."

"Merci, Papa," Remy replied.

"Henri, Theo?" Jean-Luc inquired, not looking up from the folder he was looking at. "What do y' have t' report?"

"De stone is comin' from de museum in Cairo," Henri answered. "Deir shipping it by plane, wit' a full entourage o' guards. It's comin' straight t' New Orleans, jus' fo' de one night. Dey plan t' move it t' Chicago by train de next mornin'."

"I see," Jean-Luc murmured.

"It's doable t' swipe it from de plane once it reaches de airport," Theo added with a frown. "But it'd be easier t' take it from de Renoir mansion. Less guards t' tangle wit', easier t' cover up our tracks."

"An' what is de security setup at de Renoir mansion?" Jean-Luc asked. "After de job we pulled dere three years ago, dey have surely increased deir methods."

"They have," Lucas confirmed grimly. "From what Tessa has gathered, it's a fortress. Fifteen armed guards, motion sensors, cameras, assault weaponry hooked into the mainframe. You so much as trip one of the thirteen different silent alarms, the entire house seals itself up with iron plating over all the windows and doors."

"Remy could knock dose out wit' his powers," Claude shrugged dismissively.

"Not these plates," Lucas said, shaking his head gravely, pressing a button on the projector on the desk. A holographic layout of the Renoir mansion flickered to life before them. "From what Tessa has learned, these iron plates are reinforced with titanium." He glanced at Remy. "Specially designed to withstand kinetic explosions."

"Tol' y' dat y' shouldn't have thrown does cards at his pere's portrait," Henri scolded his brother.

Remy shrugged. "De hybride deserved it, after tryin' t' shoot Emil's head off."

"Aww," Emil said with a lopsided grin, draping his arm over his cousin's shoulder. "Remy, I didn't know dat y' cared!"

"I don'," Remy retorted with a scowl, shoving him away. "Jus' didn' want t' lose a member o' de team on what was s'posed t' be an easy job."

"One t'ing's fo' sure," Henri said, folding his hands in front of him. "Dis job will be any'ting but easy."

"There is one thing that might help..." Lucas said quietly, glancing at Remy, then back at Jean-Luc. "As you know, Rogue was once a member of a mutant vigilante team called the X-men. She was given extensive combat training, as well as special training in stealth. She could be a valuable asset on this mission."

"Non!" Remy protested immediately, shaking his head firmly. "Rogue is not a t'ief. I don' want her havin' no part in dis."

"You have to admit, Remy," Jean-Luc said thoughtfully. "She could be a great help. With her powers, she could ensure that no one was hurt during the heist."

"She's not a t'ief," Remy insisted.

"Perhaps that should be her decision," Lucas stated evenly, and he did not so much as flinch when Remy favored him with a dark glare. "I understand your reservations, LeBeau. In truth, I am reluctant to suggest it, because I am fond of her, and do not wish to see any harm come to her. But what you must understand is that she could be a genuine help. This is a very important job. We have several bidders lined up that are willing to pay above our asking fee. Rogue could ensure we succeed."

Remy scowled, but didn't reply. Lucas was right, and he knew it, but he didn't like the idea of placing Rogue in such a position.

"Remy," Henri said softly, touching his arm. "Rogue is capable o' takin' care o' herself. Y' know dat we won' make her do anyt'ing dat she don' wan' t' do. So why don' y' jus' ask her, an' if she agrees, den great. If not, den we find anot'er way, bien?"

Sighing, Remy nodded. "Bien."

"Besides," Emil said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Maybe gettin' her involved will give us all a break from all de weddin' chaos, non?"

This earned a collective chuckle from all the men in the room. "De women certainly do seem t' be taken wit' de idea," Jean-Luc noted in amusement. "Mattie's been runnin' 'round like crazy makin' arrangements."

"Don' seem like y' can walk t'rough de house wit'out trippin' over weddin' magazines, hahn?" Claude asked dryly.

"It's like dey gone crazy," Emil muttered.

"Even Tessa seems to be caught up in the planning," Lucas commented with a frown. "She excused herself from attending this meeting on the grounds that she and the girls were going into town to look at flowers."

"Flowers?" Theo snickered. "Lucky you, Remy, dey gon' decorate de church in pink roses!"

"Laugh it up, Theoren," Remy drawled. "Jus' remember dat y' gon' go t'rough all o' dis yo'self in a few months."

Theo's face paled. "Y' don' really t'ink dat Bella's gon' go crazy plannin' a big weddin', do you?"

Eyebrows all around the room went up sarcastically.

"Merde," Theo cursed.

Remy chuckled to himself. In truth, he didn't mind the wedding planning. It was nice to see the glow on Rogue's face, and the light in her eyes over the three months since he had proposed. This was their future that she was creating, and he was just looking forward to spending every day of the rest of his life with her.

Y' gon' soft, LeBeau, he thought to himself with a grin. Never pictured y' t' be de settlin' down kind o' guy.

Then Rogue had come along, and his whole world had changed. Suddenly he'd had a purpose, and a dream- to make that girl his no matter what it took. Surprisingly, it had taken very little. It turned out that she had been as taken with him as he was with her.

"So how does it feel t' know dat in six months y' gon' be a husband?" Claude asked with a grin. "Got cold feet yet, mon ami?"

Remy smiled. "Not in de slightest."

"Dat's good," Jean-Luc said. "I'm happy fo' y', mon fils. Y' an' Rogue, both."

"Merci, Papa," Remy replied. "I'm happy fo' us, too."

Six months, he thought. Had it really been three since he proposed? Everything had flown by so quickly, but in a good way. In six months he would be marrying Rogue, and the fact that she had said yes, that she would want a lowly thief like him, never ceased to amaze him.

Decidedly feminine laughter wafted through the open window from the courtyard outside, and Emil grinned. "Well, I t'ink dat's my cue t' go an' see if dey picked out pink posies or purple tulips fo' y' t' wear on yo' lapel, Remy."

"Rogue wouldn't do dat t' me," Remy replied confidently.

"She might not," Henri replied with a smirk. "But Mercy would."

"Merde."


Translations:

oncle- uncle
s'il vous plaît- please
Bon travail- good work
hybride- bastard
bien- alright