There was a knock at the door. Emil, who was lying on his bed pretending to sleep, cracked open one eye and sighed. He knew it could only be one of two people: his mother or his sister. No chance of it being his father. His father would be angry with him for a couple more days before he'd decide to speak to Emil again. Not that Emil really minded...he and Papa had a hard time seeing eye to eye these days.

The knock sounded again. Emil sighed for a second time and opened the other eye, silently praying, 'Please let it be Maman....' He didn't move off the bed. He didn't feel like it. Rather than let the person in the hallway knock a third time, he called out,

"Come in."

The door opened and Emil saw that it wasn't his day for his prayers to be answered. He raised an eyebrow at his younger sister as she shut the door behind herself and sat at his desk.

"Chloe, what d'you want?"

Chloe glared at her brother. She stuck her tongue out at him in true eleven-year-old fashion and grinned. "What were you and Papa arguin' 'bout b'fore?" she wanted to know.

"Why don' you ask him?" Emil replied as bitterly as he could. He loved Chloe dearly, she was a cute little kid who had the good fortune of inheriting their father's wavy dark brown hair and hazel eyes. Emil was the one stuck looking like their mother, with thick red hair and blue eyes. Not that he minded his eyes. He didn't. But he really hated his hair. Especially when the kids at school called him "Fire truck" or "Archie Andrews", which they did on a very regular basis. Only the nickname his best friends, Henri LeBeau and Genard Alouette, gave him, "Red", didn't get on his nerves. Chloe called him that from time to time as well, and he didn't mind it coming from her either.

"Emil...c'mon, you know he won' tell me!" Chloe was exasperated, probably at both Emil and their father. "He won' tell me anyt'ing, an' Maman won' b'cause she's 'fraid he'd find out an' get mad. What's up?"

Emil sighed again and rolled over to face her, pillowing his head in his arms. "It's de same t'ing as always. I brought home an application for dat school I want to go to. He doesn' want me to even apply. He doesn' understand...he jus' wants me to be a normal t'ief like everyone else in de Guild. T'ing is, dey don' have a computer specialist, an' dey need one. He doesn' get dat."

Chloe looked thoughtful. "If you like computers dat much, why don' you jus' go to de school anyway, no matter what he says?" she asked.

Emil snorted, then sighed. "Go 'gainst Papa? Chloe, are you nuts? He'd flip. No, I'll jus' have to settle for being like de rest of de Guild. I so did want to be different, t'ough. An' it's not like I'm not already good at doin' t'ings wit' computers, you know?"

"Oui...mais you're right, Papa won' listen. Emil, what would you do as a computer specialist in de T'ieves Guild anyway?" Chloe asked, moving over and sitting beside her brother.

Emil wrapped an arm around her and smiled. "Man, you have no idea, kid. Okay. In de simplest terms I can t'ink of, here we go. Places are protected by security systems. Dose systems are made with computers. A computer specialist would be able to get around dose systems an' allow de t'ieves to get into de buildings an' rob dem."

Chloe blinked. "An' you sayin' Papa doesn' t'ink dat's a good t'ing?"

Emil laughed. "Papa jus' doesn' want me doin' it. He wants me to be like him an' grandpa an' everyone b'fore me. I can' help it if dat isn' what I want."

"Why don' you talk to M'sieu LeBeau?" Chloe suggested. She knew Henri's father was the leader of the Thieves Guild, Emil had told her that one day after Henri and Genard had dropped him off after school. In her reasoning, if Papa wouldn't listen to Emil, and wouldn't let Emil do what he wanted to do, maybe he'd change his mind if the suggestion was coming from the Guild's leader, instead of his own wayward seventeen year old son.

"What makes you t'ink Papa would listen to him?" Emil asked. The idea appealed to him. He wasn't sure if it would work, but something in his gut told him it would. He knew his father held Jean-Luc LeBeau in very high regard. Still, there was a problem...

Chloe crossed her eyes at Emil. "You know he would, silly."

"Oui...mais..."

"But nothing! Papa will listen to M'sieu LeBeau, we both know it, so all you have to do is talk to M'sieu LeBeau about going to dat school an' becoming a computer specialist. You'll get in for sure wit' your grades an' your knack for computers...what's de problem?" Chloe demanded.

"Chloe, we can' afford de school." Emil sighed. "I checked. I t'ink dat's more what Papa gets so mad 'bout, not jus' de fact dat I want to go. We may be in de T'ieves Guild, but he still can' afford to send me. I may as well jus' forget it."

"Emil, non! You have your heart set on dat school, dere has to be a way somehow to get de money so you can go!" exclaimed a very indignant Chloe, hazel eyes flashing.

"Didn' know you cared so much 'bout me gettin' what I want, mon petite soeur." Emil chuckled.

Chloe blushed. "If you leave for a few years, I get to be de only kid in de house..." she admitted. "But I would miss you!"

Emil raised an eyebrow. "Ah-ha! De ulterior motive appears! An' you'd miss me 'bout as much as you'd miss a toothache..."

"Are you gon' talk to M'sieu LeBeau?" Chloe asked, changing the subject slightly to get her brother off her back.

"Oui, I suppose. It can' hurt. But I'm not gettin' my hopes up...dere's no way we'd get de money for de tuition in time for de next semester of classes. Shouldn' you be gettin' ready for bed by now?"

"Probably..." Chloe looked at her watch. "Or rather, more than that, I really should. Papa's still in a mood, he'd get really mad if I'm up past my bedtime. See you in de morning, Emil."

"Bon soir, Chloe." Emil replied, giving her a brief hug before she hopped off the bed and headed out of the room.

Chloe left Emil's room and went to her own, not bothering to tell Emil what she was thinking before she left. She had an idea in her head that once Emil got permission from Papa to go to the school, it wouldn't be hard at all to get the money. Something told her, and she didn't know why she felt this way, that M'sieu LeBeau would help her brother get to that school. After all, it seemed to her that having a computer specialist in the Guild would be a big thing, and since Emil already had a natural flair for computer-related things, he seemed to be the logical candidate. At least to his little sister.

The next morning, Emil got up early. The only other person in the house who was up was his mother, who he adored. Chloe would likely stay in bed half the morning, until Mama made her get up.

"Good morning, Mama." Emil said with a smile as he entered the kitchen. Marie returned the smile as her son sat at the table. She put a plate of bacon and eggs in front of him.

"Emil, I apologize for your father's behavior last night..." she began. Emil shook his head.

"Mama, it's okay. I t'ink I understand why Papa gets so upset wit' me." he told her. "I'm not mad or anyt'ing. Jus' disappointed."

Marie sighed. "I know you want to go to dat school, Emil, but dere jus' isn' any money for de tuition. Your Papa an' I have spent hours tryin' to figure out how to get de money, b'cause we know how badly you want to go. We jus' can' t'ink of a way."

"I know, Mama. Chloe seems t' t'ink dere's a way. Dat's why I'm up so early dis morning." Emil explained while he ate his breakfast. Marie sat across from him with a curious look on her face, her blue eyes showing concern. She had an idea that Chloe was planning something in regard to Emil, and it worried her.

"What way is dat, mon fils?" she asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

"Well, she t'inks dat Papa jus' gets mad dat I keep bringin' up de school. I kind of t'ought dat too, until I t'ought 'bout it last night. Now I know it's de money issue. But she t'inks I can talk Papa into lettin' me go if I talk to M'sieu LeBeau 'bout it." Emil told his mother, silently hoping she wouldn't try to stop him. He knew it would be pointless, but he at least wanted to try for his kid sister's sake.

Marie sighed. "De only t'ing Jean-Luc could do is tell us what we already know. De school would be good for you, an' if you go, it would be a huge benefit to de Guild, but we don' have de money. If you talk to Jean-Luc, an' he talks to your Papa, it will only make Papa feel bad." she commented. "But if you want to talk to him, go ahead."

"Merci, Mama. I know it won' work, but Chloe wanted me to try..."

Emil left his house and, keeping in the shadows and alleys, walked to the LeBeau mansion. He wished he had a car, like Henri did, but it never occurred to him to be jealous of Henri for having so much money. Henri was his friend, always had been, and in the Thieves Guild friendship was much more important than money.

He ran into his friend Mercy Cordeau about a block from the mansion. Mercy was a pretty blonde girl, a year older than Emil. She was also Henri's girlfriend. It was only going to be a matter of time before they got married.

"You're up early, Emil." Mercy smiled at him, green eyes flashing brightly in the early New Orleans sunshine. Emil fell into step beside her and they walked towards the mansion together.

"I want to talk to Jean-Luc 'bout somet'ing." Emil told her as they walked. "I assume you're goin' to see Henri?" he raised an eyebrow. Mercy blushed, but didn't reply. Emil thought it was funny that she could be so modest about being Henri's girlfriend when the whole Guild knew they were going to end up being married.

They paused at the main entrance of the mansion. Mercy hit the button on the intercom to tell someone they had arrived. Much to their surprise, it was Jean-Luc himself who answered the door and let them in.

"Is it safe to assume you're not both up so early to see Henri?" he chuckled. "He's up in his room."

Mercy dashed up the stairs, still blushing furiously. Jean-Luc and Emil watched her go, then Jean-Luc turned to Emil. "Have a seat, Emil. I have somet'ing I want to talk to you 'bout."

Emil sat on the couch in the living room, and Jean-Luc sat in the armchair across from him. While his host pulled out a cigarette and lit it, Emil wondered what Jean-Luc wanted to talk to him about. He was starting to think Jean-Luc had the second sight or something.

Jean-Luc took a drag of his cigarette and blew the smoke away. He then looked at Emil with a smile on his kind face. "Can you tell me why I got a phone call from your petite soeur a few minutes ago?" he asked.

Chloe! Emil's eyes widened in shock. He had not expected his sister to go so far as to contact Jean-Luc for him. Emil looked away, half-angry at his sister, and half-embarassed about the whole thing. "She an' I were talkin' last night...she has it in her head dat you can help me get to de school I want to go to." he answered the question quietly.

Jean-Luc looked thoughtful. "An' what is stoppin' you from goin' to dis school?" he queried.

"At first I t'ought Papa didn' want me to go b'cause he wanted me to be like everyone else in de Guild. But now I know de real reason he keeps gettin' so angry wit' me when I bring it up is b'cause he can't afford to send me an' he knows how badly I want to go." Emil replied with a small sigh. He hated this. Why on earth had he come in the first place? How could he have let his eleven-year-old sister talk him into asking the Guild leader for help?

"Emil, why do you want to go to dis school so badly?" Jean-Luc asked. He had a plan hatching in his head, a plan he knew would please the young thief. Pleasing Francois Lapin would be harder, but Jean-Luc knew he could do it.

"Why do I want to go?" Emil echoed. At first he didn't understand why Jean-Luc was asking the question, but then he clued in. "Oh. Well, I'm already good at computers, an' if I study at dis school, I will learn a lot more. I love computers, I love working wit' dem, an' I want to study to become a trained computer specialist. I don' want to be like everyone else, I b'lieve de Guild can use a computer specialist, an' I want to be dat person."

Jean-Luc nodded. "I b'lieve de Guild needs one of dose too, Emil. I also b'lieve you can do it. So does your sister. I will talk to your father about gettin' you to dat school in de fall."

Emil looked at Jean-Luc with total amazement in his eyes. He hadn't figured it would be so easy. Maybe he owned Chloe an apology. "Do you mean it, M'sieu LeBeau?" he asked.

"Oui, Emil. An' if your father agrees, I don' want you to give another t'ought to de cost. De least I can do for the Guild's future computer expert is pay for his schooling." Jean-Luc replied. "Come, I'll take you home an' speak to your father while I'm dere."

As the two left the mansion and got in Jean-Luc's car, Emil tried to comprehend what he had heard. When it sunk in, he had to smile. "Merci, Jean-Luc." he said. "Dis means so much to me."

"Je sais, Emil. An' in de long run, it will mean a lot to de Guild as well." Jean-Luc replied.

Emil frowned as the car pulled into his driveway. There was something wrong, but he couldn't place just what it was. As he and Jean-Luc got out of the car, Emil realized what the problem was. The door was open slightly, something it would never normally be, even if his family was at home. Members of the Thieves Guild and their families could never be too careful. The Assassins would take any opportunity to hurt them or worse. Emil paused at the door and Jean-Luc nearly bumped into him.

"What's wrong, Emil?" Jean-Luc asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emil jerked his head toward the door. "Door's open. It's never open. Someone's here. Or was here." Emil suddenly felt a surge of panic in the pit of his stomach. Family was important to Emil as it was to the rest of the Guild, and he was very worried about his family all of a sudden. Jean-Luc sensed the young man's worry, and put his hand on Emil's shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Emil. Do you want me to go in first?" he asked.

"Non. It's my house, my family. I'll go in first. But don' be far behind, okay?"

Jean-Luc smiled. "I'm right behind you."

Emil took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then he pushed open the door so he and Jean-Luc could enter the house. The house was a mess...someone had done a very good job of tearing the place apart while they were there. "Mama? Chloe?" Emil called quietly, praying that whoever did the damage to the house wasn't still around.

Together Emil and Jean-Luc headed through the house. When Emil got to the kitchen he stopped, gasping in horror, and hid his face in his hands.

"Oh mon Dieu..." Jean-Luc whispered as he surveyed the scene in the kitchen. He was used to seeing things like this, and he knew somehow that the Assassins had been responsiible for it. Instinctively, he drew Emil close to him, turning the teenager away from the kitchen. Emil was trying desperately not to cry, and wasn't really succeeding. Jean-Luc couldn't blame him. The kitchen was a bloody mess, with the obviously dead bodies of Emil's mother and sister on the floor.

Emil suddenly pulled away from Jean-Luc. "Papa!" he exclaimed, wiping the tears off his face with the sleeve of his shirt. Jean-Luc had a hard time keeping up with Emil as he raced up the stairs to the second floor of the house, searching for his father. Emil opened the door of his parents bedroom and found his father lying on the bed, badly wounded but not dead. Not yet, anyway.

"Papa!" Emil said, kneeling down beside the bed. Francois opened his eyes and groaned in pain. He wasn't going to be able to hang on much longer. He was glad Jean-Luc was there. Emil was going to need Jean-Luc. Breathing heavily, he reached up and took Emil's face in his hand.

"Go to de school, mon fils," he whispered. "b'come de computer specialist we all know you can be. Make me proud of you. Make de whole Guild proud of you."

Tears started flowing down Emil's face again. He knew his father was going to die. He sighed heavily, wishing it wasn't true. "I will, Papa." he replied quietly, silently cursing the Assassins for killing his family.

"Let me talk to Jean-Luc, okay Emil? I have to speak to him." Francois instructed his son. Emil nodded and got up, motioning for Jean-Luc to approach the bed. He then went and stood by the doorway, out of earshot, trying to stop crying. This was turning out to be a lousy day.

"Jean-Luc...he'll never let you or de Guild down...promise me you'll take care of him...he's goin' to need all the support he can get now." Francois said, his voice failing.

Jean-Luc took his old friend's hand and squeezed it. "I promise. For as long as I'm here, he'll be taken care of. Henri and de others will help too. We're a fam'ly, Francois. We look after our own."

Francois smiled softly and closed his eyes. He was in so much pain. The Assassins never did anything half-way, especially killing people. How ironic. He knew he didn't have a chance at surviving, his injuries were too severe, and there was no way Jean-Luc and Emil could get him to a hospital in time to save him. Even Tante Mattie's mystic abilities wouldn't be any use. He let out his breath one last time and felt at total peace as the life drained out of his body.

Jean-Luc felt the tears in his eyes as he watched his friend die in front of him. It wasn't often he felt this helpless and he didn't really know what to do about it. "Good-bye, mon ami." he whispered. Hearing Emil break down in uncontrollable sobs, he realized what he had to do. He walked over to where the teenager stood and wrapped his arms around the trembling body. Knowing it would be of no use to try and sooth Emil, Jean-Luc just held him there and let him cry. The grief Emil was feeling went very deep, and needed to be felt. Jean-Luc didn't want Emil bottling it up inside, that would only make things worse in the long run.

Three days later, the entire Thieves Guild stood at the site of the three graves, a few minutes after the triple funeral. Many of them, including Jean-Luc and Tante Mattie, were standing behind Emil. It was his family after all. However, Emil's two best friends Henri and Genard, stood flanking him, one on either side. Emil's eyes were dry in spite of the stressful events of the day, something that surprised a few people present, but not the thieves or Tante Mattie. They had all been with Emil for the past three days, none of them leaving him for anything, as the funeral preparations were made. They had all witnessed his unbearable grief, and they were all proud of him for holding up so well when it counted.

When everything was over, they all went back to the LeBeau mansion, where Emil had been staying since his family was killed. Jean-Luc had insisted upon it. The entire group went into the living room and sat around it, silently. They were leaving it up to Emil to speak first, and he didn't disappoint them.

"Well..." he said with the sound of unshed tears in his voice. "What de hell do I do now?"

"What did your father tell you to do?" Genard asked. Genard, like Henri, was a bit older than Emil, but age didn't matter in the Guild. The three young men always did everything together, they were a team. Mercy and Tante Mattie called them the Three Musketeers, and for good reason.

Emil sighed. "He told me to go to school...so I guess dat answers my question. Jus' call me de Guild's future resident computer geek."