Disclaimer: EVERYTHING BELONGS TO MARVEL. THIS FIC IS NON-PROFIT.

Jean Luc was not a perfect father. As the King of the Thieves of New Orleans, he had to keep his guild safe and happy, and knowing how to quell riots was very important. He had made many mistakes in his past and had paid dearly for them, driving his son away. Banishing him from New Orleans had been the safest thing for Remy, if he had stayed he would have been killed. But despite the distance, Jean Luc had always made sure he could communicate with his son.

When Remy joined the X-Men, Jean Luc had investigated them all. Just as he investigated Rogue when Remy kidnapped her when he, Jean Luc, his father was kidnapped by the Assassins' Guild. He didn't really need protection, the squabbles between the Thieves and Assassins Guilds had been going on for too many years, but any excuse was good to see his son.

Remy was always attracted to dangerous women. Belladonna was proof of that. And those women always ended up hurting him. Rogue had been no exception.

Ever since Jean Luc read what Rogue had told Shield, that Remy was not trustworthy, that he could never fully trust him, Jean Luc knew that Rogue was not the partner Remy needed in his life, because if the person you love says that behind your back when a respected group of heroes wants to sign him on their team, would you fully trust her? If she really loved him that much, shouldn't Rogue encourage the Avengers to sign Remy on their team so that he could also become a hero and leave the life of crime that Rogue so detests?

Jean Luc had talked to Remy about the subject, but his son, always the stubborn one, had not wanted to hear anything his father had to say about his relationship with Rogue. No matter how hard he tried to explain to his son that a relationship with a strong woman didn't mean she could hurt him whenever she wanted, that trust had to be mutual, that they both had equal rights in the relationship and that he shouldn't be treated as inferior just because she wanted to change her way of being, because she was ashamed of Remy, of his origins, of his family and of what he did for a living. That was the kind of girlfriend Rogue was, no matter how much she tried to deny it, to hide it, she couldn't fool Jean Luc.

But nothing he had said had been enough to convince Remy to stay away from Rogue. He was infatuated with her! And he didn't see what everyone else saw in the way she treated him.

Henri, Mercy, Tante Mattie... they were all worried about Remy.

It was no secret among the Thieves Guild that Jean Luc didn't approve of Rogue as a girlfriend for his son. He respected her for being strong and having valuable powers, true, but once he saw with his own eyes what happened when Remy and her argued, he had decided that wasn't enough to want her in the Guild, much less as a daughter-in-law.

But this? Seeing his son lying in bed, inert, fighting for his life against frostbite because his girlfriend had left him to die in the cold of Antarctica? And a boy Jean Luc had never met had shown more empathy for his son than his own girlfriend, if the pronounced dark circles under his eyes were any indication of the care Remy was receiving.

When he received that fateful call about Remy's condition, Jean Luc had left for New York on his private jet without hesitation. Of all the X-Men, Jean Luc had never expected it to be Deadpool who would contact him, he had expected it to be Storm because of the friendship he had with Remy. But apparently he had been wrong about her as well. Remy was surrounded by traitors and Jean Luc had been powerless to keep them away from his son, because Remy thought that he would eventually be accepted, that all that was needed was for the X-Men to get used to him.

He was now at Aunt May's house, according to what Deadpool had told him. Jean Luc had never heard of her, but the nice, hospitable, friendly old lady who had taken care of them was completely harmless and his son was well taken care of, so Jean Luc would make sure that she received a good reward once his son regained consciousness, something that would happen relatively soon with the care he was receiving from May's nephew. They had even called in a nurse friend of the family named Claire Temple to better care for Rémy's medical needs, when they clearly couldn't afford a doctor's visit!

"I'm taking Remy to New Orleans," Jean Luc told Peter. "My son will be better off surrounded by his family."

Peter nodded and rubbed his eyes with his hand. He was clearly tired. Jean Luc hesitated. Showing anyone the Guild was forbidden. It was something the Assassins' and Thieves' Guilds agreed on. But Peter Parker? He was totally harmless. Jean Luc doubted that if things got really bad, Peter would stand a chance against the Thieves' and Assassins' Guilds. He could cut Peter off from that whole world, but the boy's tiredness was an indicator that he needed to rest and the way he had taken care of Remy made Jean Luc think that perhaps he had done it out of something more than duty and responsibility, as Peter wanted him to believe. Besides, he doubted that the boy would ever agree to go to New Orleans, he was too attached to his aunt. Jean Luc had nothing to lose.

"Do you want to come with us?" Jean Luc asked, pretending to look at Remy. He was actually looking at Peter to see his reaction. "My family will treat you well, boy. It's my thanks for what you've done for my son."

Peter hesitated. Jean Luc could see it on his face. He wanted to smile at how easy it had been to read him. The boy couldn't lie even if he tried hard, but no matter how hard Peter thought, Jean Luc knew Peter's answer.

"A trip to New Orleans might do you good, Peter," May said, bursting into the room with hot food and some drinks.

Jean Luc looked at his plate. Simple food, but plenty of it. Warm water, coffee, and hot tea.

"Thank you, Mrs. May," Jean Luc said, looking at May. The old woman was looking at him, scrutinizing him, evaluating him. He, who was the King of Thieves, felt small and self-conscious under her gaze. There was something about this old woman that made you want to earn her respect. "My invitation extends to you as well."

"An old woman like me? Oh, no sir, thank you very much!" May said. "Besides, it's not good for my Peter to be constantly looking after an old woman like me. I'd rather stay here!"

When Peter Parker agreed to go to New Orleans with them, Jean Luc wasn't surprised. Aunt May could be too pushy and, Jean Luc suspected, just as manipulative as he was if she wanted to be. When Wolverine and Deadpool of the X-Men helped Jean Luc get Remy onto the plane, he somehow wasn't surprised either. Nor, of the close relationship they seemed to have with Peter Parker. There was very little that could surprise Jean Luc.