Biography - Page 2
There remains an unstable and emotional element to Rogue’s powers, and it seems she may have subconsciously retained aspects of Belladonna’s memories, cadence and personality longer than her power would normally work. [X-Men (2nd series) #31-38] Bella Donna recovered physically, but there remained gaps in her personal memories, which she came to blame on both Rogue and Gambit. Her connection to Remy was damaged, almost forgotten, by Rogue’s inadvertent actions and Belle grew bitter over her loss. She soon claimed the throne as leader of the Assassins Guild after Marius’ heart gave out and she buried her father. Balancing the scales between her and Rogue was at the forefront of her mind when she ascended to head of the family. [X-Men (2nd series) #39]
At Marius’ funeral, the former benefactress Candra arrived with her Tithe Collector to pay her respects. She used to opportunity to reopen talks with Bella Donna about the future of the 
Assassins Guild and play upon Belle’s feelings towards Gambit and Rogue. With Candra’s support, Belle prepared a plot against those she blamed for the damage to her mind. Her Assassins kidnapped Cody Robbins, a boy who had been in a coma for years ever since he kissed Rogue when her powers first manifested. When Rogue arrived on an annual visit, the Assassins Guild confronted her and Belladonna explained how she intended to take everything away from Rogue.
Belle left Cody in Tante Mattie’s care, but his health was tenuous as a result of the commotion. Mattie tried to talk Belle out of her current course, but Belladonna would not allow her authority to be questioned by anyone, even her old nurse. Rogue and Gambit made their way to New Orleans, dogged by Assassins at every turn. Gambit was captured by the Assassins, and Tante Mattie strung up beside him and Cody Robbins when she tried to warn Rogue.
Rogue fought her way into House Boudreaux, defeating most of the Assassins until only Candra and Belladonna stood in her way. As Belle and Rogue prepared to fight, Candra stepped in and robbed them both of their powers temporarily in order to make the occasion more interesting. Belle was angry at Candra’s intervention but would not be deterred from settling things with 
Rogue. The Assassin chased the X-Man through her house, intent on claiming her revenge. Rogue stood up to Belladonna, reaffirming that their contact had been an accident and pointing out how Candra was manipulating them both. Belladonna didn’t care, claiming she was left with nothing but hate after Rogue took away all her good memories. Rogue rebuked her, as that wasn’t how her powers worked. She beat Belladonna and told her to focus on solving her own problems, instead of blaming others. [Rogue (1st series) #1-4]
[Note: It’s unknown how or when exactly Remy and Bella Donna were divorced or had an annulment. However, beginning with Gambit (3rd series), Bella Donna started referring to Gambit as her ex-husband.]
Bella Donna stayed clear of Gambit and the X-Men after that, and her memories of Remy seemed to slowly return. Her feelings towards him remained complicated, however, as she reflected upon with the dream traveler named Fontanelle, who visited her mind in search of information on Gambit. [Gambit (3rd series) #13] It was something of a surprise, then, when Belle announced the Assassins Guild had accepted a contract to kill Remy LeBeau. Many mercenaries and killers had attacked Gambit in recent days, apparently the result of an open contract after he was named 
the new guildmaster of the Thieves. It seemed Bella Donna had joined the forces aligned against Remy LeBeau. Gris-Gris kept his surprise muted, but Tante Mattie actively campaigned against the idea. More than remembering Remy and Belle’s love as children, she felt that now was the time to reunite the two guilds under both of them, as it had been in the Old Kingdom. Belle Donna simply said an Assassins Guild contract was sacred, and the deed was as good as done. [Gambit (3rd series) #15-16]
The Assassins had plenty of competition, however. They interrupted Bullseye before he could kill Gambit, only for Remy to run off and encounter Constrictor and Deadpool. The Assassins interrogated Deadpool, but Gambit had already fought through Crossbones, Fireballs, Zaran and Batroc before facing the new X-Cutioner. Bella Donna caught up with Remy at a construction site, where her guild kept the X-Cutioner busy. The X-Cutioner’s weapons system went off, sending stray missiles towards the former couple and burying them alive as the building under construction collapsed around them.
Beneath the rubble, Gambit hollowed out a small space for them using his biokinetic powers, but he and Bella Donna were trapped under tons of material. Remy confronted Belle about his suspicions, and she confirmed the Assassins had, in fact, NOT been hired to kill him. Remy’s former employer and rival the New Sun had set the other mercenaries in motion, but Bella Donna and the Assassins Guild were not among them. Belle had used the contract on Remy as an 
excuse to see him again. She needed closure because, despite everything they had been through, she couldn’t understand why she still loved him. Remy let her down easily, as his time with Rogue and personal growth since leaving New Orleans had unfortunately cooled his feelings for her. Belle accepted this, and she agreed to work with Gambit to unite the guilds and work together to understand the prophecies of the Old Kingdom. [Gambit (3rd series) #17-19]
Clan history told of how the thieves and assassins had once been a Unified Guild in the distant past, during a civilization known as the Old Kingdom. The Guild fractured in two and the Old Kingdom fell, but the reunification of the Guilds was built into a prophecy indicating it was the first step in the resurrection of the Old Kingdom. Belle knew the prophecies claimed the return of the Old Kingdom was meant to be “Heaven on Earth,” but she was surprised to hear from Remy and Tante Mattie that the Thieves had always known Remy, “Le Diable Blanc,” was meant to be the harbinger of the kingdom. With Gambit as Patriarch and Belle as Viceroy, they oversaw the ceremonies necessary to officially forge the Unified Guild. The truth about the fall of the Old Kingdom was meant to be revealed to them, then, in another ceremony called the Unveiling where the Casket of All Tomorrows would be opened. The casket was empty, however, leaving the next step for the Old Kingdom in doubt.
Matters became even more complicated as it was revealed that Gris-Gris and Theoren Marceaux, the Thieves’ harvest-master, had destroyed the contents of the Casket at the request of Jean-Luc LeBeau, absent patriarch of the Thieves and Remy’s adopted father. They petitioned for a vote of no-confidence in Remy as patriarch, which Belle was honor bound to oblige. Gambit barely won the vote, and the secret behind the prophecies of the Old Kingdom soon unraveled. “Heaven on Earth” meant the power of a second sun born on the planet through Remy’s bio-kinetic powers, wiping out all life and allowing the Old Kingdom to be reborn in its place. The New Sun was a Remy doppelganger from a second reality who survived the resurrection and had been trying to prevent Gambit from causing the same holocaust. Jean-Luc learned of this wrinkle as well, which is why he prevented the knowledge of the Old Kingdom from being unveiled. Gambit dealt with 
this matter, preventing the rise of the Old Kingdom by casting his excess powers into the New Sun, who was trapped back on his wrecked Earth. Remy had no interest in Guild business after his role in their prophecies was done. Bella Donna was left to lead the Unified Guilds alone, with the promise of the Old Kingdom no longer holding the shaky alliance together. [Gambit (3rd series) #20-24]
Belladonna did her best to lead the Unified Guilds and move on from Gambit. She found a new 
partner with a very similar style named Bandit, formerly of the New Warriors. Donyell had impure motives for dating Belle, however, and wanted to use her to gain power in the Unified Guilds for himself. Many of Belladonna’s confidantes like Tante Mattie and Jean-Luc LeBeau were suspicious of Bandit, but Belle was unwilling to listen to slander towards her new lover. In time, Belle became isolated at the head of the Guilds, having driven away most of her old friends and allies. At one point, Gambit innocently returned to New Orleans to do a few heists and ran across Bandit and Belladonna lifting the same item. Remy spoke with Belle afterwards and, while he teased her at first, he was genuinely happy at Belle for moving on. However, he then did his own background check on Bandit and questioned the man’s integrity to Belle. Belladonna was furious at Remy’s gall for abandoning her and the Guilds only to come back making accusations, and she chased him from her home as well.
Bandit was paranoid that Gambit was in town to retake the Guilds from him. After separating out Guild members he could turn against Belladonna, Bandit rallied them to follow him and murder Gambit. Belle eventually calmed down and looked through Gambit’s research, reluctantly 
accepting what he had uncovered. She tracked down Donyell as he tried to kill Gambit and knocked her now ex-boyfriend senseless. By this point, though, the remaining members of the united Thieves and Assassins Guilds had become fed up with all three of them. They turned on Belle, Gambit and Bandit, forcing the trio to fight together against the mutinous guilds. Gambit and Bandit moved on after that, leaving Belladonna alone to rebuild her family legacy. [Gambit (4th series) #10-12]