Young street-thief
Remy LeBeau met Bella Donna Boudreaux when they were children, and the pair soon became friends. Unbeknownst to them both, they came from rival Guilds (the
Thieves Guild and
Assassins Guild). As they grew up and the rivalry between the Guilds increased, their fathers arranged for a marriage between the two in the hopes that it would unite the Guilds. Immediately after the wedding, Bella Donna's brother Julien lashed out in jealousy and challenged Remy in a fight to the death. Remy won, killing Julien. As punishment, Remy was exiled from the New Orleans' Thieves Guild. A few years later, Bella Donna seeks out Gambit to help fend off the
Brood, who are attacking the Guilds. Using her new psychic powers, Bella Donna follows
Psylocke into the astral plane and expends her energy, before collapsing in Gambit's arms. Believing Bella Donna dead, Gambit tells the Thieves Guild to take care of her. Bella Donna survives, but is left comatose.
Rogue accidentally touches Bella Donna, causing her to lose her memories. Bella Donna does not remember who she or Gambit are. Bella Donna's memory slowly returns, and she felt as if her soul had been violated. In revenge, she has Rogue's boyfriend Cody Robbins kidnapped. Cody is killed in the ensuing fight between Rogue and
Candra. Gambit returns to
New Orleans, ignorant to the multiple hits put up against him in the meantime. Bella Donna had taken one of the contracts, though she had no intention of killing him. Instead, she arranges it so that she could meet with him and sort out the conflicting emotions she had about him. After Gambit is elected viceroy of the Unified Guilds of New Orleans, he transfers his position to Bella Donna and returns to the X-Men. Bella Donna intends to unite the Thieves and Assassins Guilds in wake of
Nate Grey's devastation of the X-Men and the
mutant population. Candra later offers Bella Donna and Gambit a choice between her and Rogue as a sacrifice in exchange for power or exile. Gambit opts to free Rogue while working out a new deal between his clan and their enemies. ==Powers and abilities==