L.A.X., Los Angeles, CA., Present Day
The line for the baggage check counters was so long even six-foot tall Etienne couldn't see the end of it. They felt like they'd been standing in line forever. They already had their plane tickets, they just need to check their bags and then go wait at the gate. They were still amazed that Yvonne and Nadine had paid for the trip, but they stopped questioning it weeks before. Even more amazing was the fact that Yvonne and Nadine were both standing in line with them, in spite of the length of it.
After what seemed like an eternity surrounded by impatient teenagers, screaming children and adults who seemed lost in their own world, it was finally their turn to check their bags. Once they had done so and found out what gate they were to go to, they went to the security check stop.
"We can't go any further," Nadine said. "Only people going on the planes can go to the gates."
"I'll wait for you guys on the other side of the security check," Etienne told the girls, knowing they probably wanted to talk to their mothers in private. He took off every metal object he had, including his police badge, and handed it all to the security people. They had decided to take the badges with them, just in case they were needed. They thought it was best to be prepared for anything.
Dani and Rory looked at their mothers. This was the first time either of the two girls had been away from Nadine and Yvonne aside from the six months they spent training at the Police Academy in Seattle.
"You're in for an interesting two weeks, for sure." Yvonne said. "New Orleans is a lot different from Los Angeles, you'll realize that very quickly. I just hope the Guild doesn't end up being opposed to your coming."
"The Guild won't oppose them, I don't think, Yvonne." Nadine argued. "After all, Claude and Genard are members of that Guild."
"We'll be fine. Don't worry about it. We can take care of ourselves if anything goes wrong. We're trained to do that kind of thing." Rory reminded them.
Yvonne hugged her daughter. "We know. Would you do us a couple of favors, though?"
"Sure." Dani replied, following Rory's lead and giving her own mother a good-bye hug.
"First, call us when you get there, so we'll know you arrived okay." Nadine said. "Second, say hello to Claude and Genard for us, tell them we love them, and we think about them every day."
"No problem." Rory said. "Anything else?"
"Oui." Yvonne replied, reverting briefly to French. "Take lots of pictures, so when you get back, we can see what our boys look like."
Dani and Rory laughed. "Okay. We can do that." They said in unison.
"Hey girls!" Etienne yelled from the other side of the security system. "We gotta go! C'mon!"
The two girls said final good-byes to their mothers, took off all the metal objects they could find, badges included, and easily went through the security check.
The three friends walked down the endless hallways, following the signs to the gates. When they found the gate they needed, they sat down on the benches and waited for their plane to show up so they could board and be really on their way to Louisiana.
"Can I have your attention please? Flight 107 to New Orleans, Louisiana will be ready for boarding in fifteen minutes. Please have your boarding passes ready." The attendant announced over the P.A. system half an hour later.
"Thank God." Rory said. She hated waiting for anything, and waiting on an uncomfortable airport bench surrounded by rambunctious children was driving her crazy.
"Hard to believe we're finally going after all these years, huh?" Dani commented, checking her pocket for the seventh time to make sure she still had her boarding pass.
"For Pete's sake, Dani, you haven't left your seat in half an hour! You haven't lost your pass!" Rory exclaimed, giggling at her friend. "And yeah, it is hard to believe. I just hope we're not disappointed."
Etienne, who had been strangely quiet since they found their gate, looked at his two friends and smiled. "You won' be. Your brothers are good people. Hell, dey're all good people. Dey jus' happen to be t'ieves."
"Et, are you anxious about going back?" Rory asked suddenly.
Etienne sighed. "A little. My uncle, Jean-Luc, who was de patriarch of de Guild den, I'm not sure if he still is now, sent me here to protect me after I failed at de job dat would have gotten me into de Guild as a full member. He told ev'ryone I was dead, as far as I know. He even told my brother an' my two best friends dat. I didn' t'ink I'd ever go back, mais Jean-Luc said he t'ought I would someday. An' I guess he was right."
"It'll be fine, Et." Dani told him, taking his hand in hers. Etienne was like a younger brother to both girls; the three were partners in the S.I.U., and closer than best friends. Ten years of living and working together did that to people. Etienne had commented once that the Guild was like that too. The members were as close as siblings, not merely friends or teammates.
"Would you like to purchase headphones so you can watch the movie?" The stewardess asked.
"What movie are you playing?" Dani replied. She, Rory and Etienne looked at the stewardess curiously. They had a long flight ahead of them and were hoping it was a good movie that they'd actually want to watch.
"Today, we're playing Raiders of the Lost Ark." The stewardess told them with a patient smile. She must have been asked that question at least fifteen times since she started handing out the headphones.
The three friends looked at each other and then back at the stewardess. "Cool!" they said in unison.
"We'll take the headsets. How much are they?" Rory asked.
They bought the headphones and settled back to watch the movie. When it was over, they were served lunch. They stared silently at the plates that were put in front of them for a few moments. Finally, Etienne said,
"What is dis stuff?"
"It's food, Et." Dani grimaced.
Etienne rolled his blue eyes. "I know dat, Dani. But what is it?"
"Looks like chicken." Rory contributed. "Do you think we should eat it?"
"I'll eat de roll an' de rice…" Etienne said. "But I don' know 'bout de rest of it."
"Sounds like a plan." Dani agreed, as Rory nodded. The three ate the food they dared to eat, and left the rest to be taken to the garbage bin. If there was a garbage bin on the airplane. They weren't sure about anything on the plane at that point.
New Orleans International Airport, New Orleans, LA, Present Day
Two and a half hours after they ate their 'meal' the plane landed at the airport in New Orleans, and the passengers were starting to depart. Dani, Rory and Etienne followed the other passengers out of the plane, all of them feeling a bit apprehensive about what they were doing. They hadn't been all that nervous before, because they had things to occupy their minds. Now that they were actually in New Orleans, it was quite a different story.
As they stepped out into the bright New Orleans sunshine after collecting their bags, they stopped at the curb and looked around.
"Well, this is it." Rory commented, squinting. She almost laughed. It was ironic that the sunshine in Louisiana should cause her to squint when the sunshine in California hardly ever did. And it was the same sunshine.
"Et, do you know where…?" Dani's voice trailed off as a cab pulled up.
"Oui. I know jus' where we should go. Get in." Etienne told them. When they got into the cab, the driver looked at Etienne.
"Where to, mon ami?" he asked in a thick, pleasant Cajun accent.
"276 Esplanade Avenue." Etienne told him.
"Who lives there?" Rory asked, buckling her seatbelt.
Etienne smiled. "A very kind old lady who won' mind if we show up at her door lookin' for a place to stay."