A Story For The Ages

Part Three: Rebuilding

Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

Standard Disclaimer: Don't own anything related to or similar to Gaia Online, this is a story made for fun.

Prologue: Into The Sunset

It hadn't been long after the events of the Ball, no less then a couple of weeks at the least, but it seemed like many months had actually passed. Days had gone by without incident, nothing to indicate that anything was wrong anywhere in Gaia's Territories. There were those that were talking about the night had unfolded in front of them, recounting countless times what had happened to those that had missed the last few hours of the Ball. Soon, they had grown tired of it, telling those that didn't want to stop asking questions to check the news for anything that might repeat itself. They didn't care anymore about what had happened in the past, but what was going to eventually happen in the future.

Nothing else seemed to have happened since then, nothing that was note worthy for the news to report or anything that watchful Gaians could jot down. At least, where people weren't exactly looking directly at or hadn't seen so many times before. They overlooked the two that were sitting in the rubble that had once been the Gambino mansion, wishing that the rubble really wasn't there. They hadn't noticed that Johnny K. Gambino sat in the middle of the mess, looking out into the ocean that surrounded all sides of the island. He was oblivious to the world that passed him by, while it ignored him just as much as he ignored it. There was nothing to do but watch it leave him in the dust and not even look back at him when he was down. Not even some of his followers seemed to care, although many had stopped to comfort him as best as they could without feeling as though they could do more then just watch him sit there, lonely and dazed.

He wasn't really alone in the physical sense, not when he had Gino by his side even if he stood just a few feet away, picking through the rubble that once had been his home. Johnny had scolded him several times in the months after Christmas not to dig through the remains of something that his father had worked so hard to build, but after the Ball he stopped caring. But he couldn't tell the public that his loneliness wasn't cured by his son's presence, not when he wasn't completely there. The memories of the past hadn't resurfaced since the Ball and that gave him all the more reason to find a way to get his riches back, even if it took the rest of his life to do so.

Gino, after being kicked out of the Von Helson mansion in Durem along with his father, had an ever increasing interest in the remains below him, whereas he hadn't before. He had picked up almost every piece of wood, brick, nail, and rock that had made up the former Gambino Mansion, looking at it with interest as his father watched him carefully. Johnny wanted to smile at his son's sudden curiosity, hoping that this was the beginning of the return of memories, but couldn't find the strength to even muster a small smile. The innocence that was displayed in front of him was something he could cherish for the time being, until the memories of the past came back, father and son truly reuniting once again.

Johnny sighed, placing his hands upon his chin as he turned towards the island itself. The coldness of winter was slowly fading away and the warmness of spring was beginning to come up. The Easter holidays were just around the corner, excited Gaians chattering as they went by him, about what prizes they would be awarded with and who was going to be the Easter Bunny this year. He knew the only two people in Gaia would be throwing the party this year and they would do it regardless of what was happening in the rest of Gaia's Territories. They would throw around the money that they had inherited from their father so unwisely that it made Johnny feel even more depressed then he already was.

What else had depressed him so, was the fact that he had not found any other means of getting his fortunes back since the Ball. Anything that he had left over from what little riches he had left from Halloween, and from the things he had sold that others had given to him during Christmas, was all gone now. It hadn't been much at any rate, not when there were times that he had to force himself to steal food just to survive. Most of it had gone towards Gino, who looked more ragged then his father did. That was not what was on his mind, but rather the fact that nothing was coming in that caused him to look away from those that had more then he did.

His exile from Durem had hit him hard, as it not only left him without a way to regain his son's memory back, it also gave him one less way to keep Gino warm from the elements. They had been in the city countless times since Christmas without any memories, that was true enough as it was, but it was something at least. He was seven separated from two of the only people who could have helped him the most, the only two that wanted to help, and now it was hopeless to even think of what their thoughts would eventually turn to. The sisters would most likely turn any doubts Edmund had towards their favor, Vanessa most likely following suit shortly thereafter. It was a lost cause, one that he had stopped trying to fight.

These moments sitting on the beach without a home around him, reminded him of the days that he had spent in his early years, working hard to build up his own empire of fame and fortune He had arrived on the island so long ago, nothing to his name and not a single gold piece to spend on it. Battles had to be won in order to survive, to be on the top rung of a very tall ladder, and to be considered a person that couldn't be taken down. Oh, how the world had twisted itself around him so, from him being the richest man in Gaia to the poorest person alive, without anything but a son for a vegetable.

Johnny lifted his head some, his eyes lighting up with an idea that he hadn't realized was right in front of him. Even though he had no gold to his name now, not even enough to buy bread, the rest of the population did and plenty of it. If he recalled from the earlier part of the Ball, there had been so many Gaians that were willing to sacrifice hundreds of gold to him, even their own clothing, just for the sake of Gino if not for the name of Gambino. So many Gaians did it on a daily basis, asking the richer of the population to donate gold and items to a cause that they long since should have abandoned. If they could do it, why couldn't he?

If there were those that were willing to give up a small portion of their gold for him, for any reason at all, then bringing Gino back to him fully would begin.

****

Gino had stopped shifting through the rubble of the mansion only moments before, what was left other then a few planks of wood and bricks that hadn't been torn off by looters, and had moved over towards the beach, hardly noticing that there was a change in his supposed father. He sat down upon the soft sand, bringing his knees up to his chest as he wrapped his arms around them. The salty air went up against his face, blowing his hair behind him as he stared out into the wide ocean beyond the shore. It was still cold out, but not as cold as it had been before, not with the warm air from the south beginning to come towards the island. That gave him less shivering and a more of a wondering curiosity that he wanted to tame.

This gave him a calmness he couldn't get anywhere else but in the man's arms after nightmares that would wake the boy from a sleep, a calmness that he couldn't describe to himself. He knew this place held something inside of it that gave him a sense of completeness, but he couldn't make out the fuzzy images that were trying to force their way into the front of his mind. If he could ever make out the images that were trying to make themselves clear to him, then he could remember the man that had tried to do so much for him in so little of a time frame. The man that he couldn't remember despite everything he had done.

Gino rested his chin upon his knees, thinking back to the last few weeks since the Ball. The mansion he had been in had been so warm, so inviting that he had hoped that he would have been able to see what the rest of the home looked like instead of the little that he had seen. If the rest of the mansion was anything compared to what the ballroom looked like, then he wouldn't have been disappointed to say the least. He hadn't been able to get a chance to see what it looked like, not with the man by his side at every waking moment and the fact that he had gotten them both kicked out of it before he had a chance to explore.

He had been angry with this man, angry that he couldn't walk off and talk with those that had gathered around them, but he could barely even breath without his assumed father watching him. Gino had a feeling that something had happened to the man before he had met him during Christmas many months before and that was why he didn't want to let the boy out of his sight. It scared him at times to think that the stranger that sat not far from him could be nothing less then a murderer or something even worse then that, just waiting for the right moment to do it. But it didn't seem like the rest of Gaia was even the least bit scared of him, so why should he have to?

Gino wanted to find out what was so familiar with this man, something that made him stay awake at night, thinking about it. Every moment of every day, he had heard people comment on the way that he looked so much like the man that sat in the rubble or how much he had changed since Halloween. What had happened during Halloween, was his guess; not even the stranger seemed to want to talk about it, dismissing it as something that was beyond even his memories. But when Gino looked into the man's eyes after that, he saw a silent pain in the deep purple orbs that made him wonder if he knew something else. Something that he just wasn't willing to talk about just yet.

Still, there was something familiar about the man who claimed to be his father and everything else that was around him. What it was, he didn't know, but he was going to find out, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

****

Meredith had looked out of the Bank countless times that day, just to see if Johnny and Gino were still in the rubble, looking more lost then anything else. Every time she had that day, they were still there, with Johnny looking more battered then he had after Halloween and Gino wandering aimlessly through the rubble before sitting by the ocean. had this scene been closer to last Halloween, and the boy had not been there, she would not have felt compelled to do something about it. Even her anger for Johnny had dimmed to a dislike, something that she thought would never happen.

It was true that she didn't like Johnny as a whole, that much she would admit to anyone that was willing to listen to her rambling and ranting. It was no secret that there were those in the Gaian population that wished he had died on Halloween rather then staying alive, but that was one thing she couldn't even bring herself to even think, much less say to anyone else. She wasn't that cruel of a person to wish death upon a person, although several thoughts had come close enough to it.

Meredith sighed, turning her attention back to the tower of paper on the counter that now sat in front of her. This kept her busy between people buying passes and wishing to see into their vaults and the daydreams she had. It was a busy day for her, even without the daydreaming she had spent a good portion of her morning doing. That was an old habit that she had to get out of and something others did not need to know about.

"Looking off into space again, I see," A voice said from behind her. Meredith jumped and spun around, expecting to see someone standing there, waiting for help. She only found Agatha standing there in front of her with a half smile on her lips and a small, black box in one of her hands. "Not hard to do when it is starting to become warmer out. I much rather be on the island's beach then my shop." She watched Meredith from overtop her glasses, taking note of the shocked expression that was slowly fading away from her face. "What's wrong? Surprised to see me?"

"No, you just scared me that's all. I didn't hear you come in." It was true, she hadn't heard anyone come in. Her hearing was good enough as it were, but with her looking into the clouds it was something that she tried not to look ashamed about. Her eyes then dropped down to the box that Agatha held, not surprised to see at all for the woman's visit. She often came into the Bank to put things into her safe, for things that customers in her shop wouldn't be able to pick up for a few extra days. "What's in there? Something for one of your customers that needs to be held?"

"For Logan, actually." A twinge of pink came upon Agatha's cheeks, something that the other barely caught herself. She smiled a wicked smile, her eyes lighting up in understanding.

"It's for his birthday, isn't it? I still can't even get him to admit his age, much less anything else," She said, eyeing Agatha with a wider smile. "Even Ruby has a hard time."

"Don't look at me like that. I'm not saying a word. You'd have to be twice as good as Ruby to get anything out of me that has anything to do with that man," Agatha said with a short laugh as she walked to the counter and placed the box upon it. She turned to face Meredith fully, her smile faltering slightly. "It's getting harder to keep things hidden from him, especially during the holidays. No, he doesn't go looking through anything of mine to find things, but somehow he knows things better then anyone else. Yes, even Ruby. This is the only safe spot in Gaia that Logan won't even bother to ask me about."

"I'll keep it in your safe until you need it," Meredith said, attempting to keep one eye on the box and the other on Agatha. She was becoming more interested in knowing what was in the box, no matter how small it was. "It sounds like you are interested in him very much so, just from the way Vanessa talks."

"Odd, isn't it? Me and Logan," She added when she took note of Meredith's stare. "I don't know what it is that I like about him, I honestly don't. Maybe it is just because he is the only one I can hold a conversation with and he'll understand more then anyone else."

Meredith smiled at the faraway look on Agatha's face, a look that she knew all too well herself. It had been a while since she had that same look on her own, a little too long perhaps, but it was worth waiting for. It was just something to hear for herself, a connection between two people that were so different but could find something in common without even trying. That made her feel slightly better, a little less worried about the two that sat outside in the still cold weather.

"I better get back to the store before I have someone knock down the door again. You'd think that the population could wait ten minutes for something so small and cheap," Agatha said with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head. Meredith nodded as she turned around and went for the door, smiling towards a pair of Gaians that had just walked through the Bank's doors. Meredith sighed, blinking back the daydreams that she couldn't dwell on, not when there was so much that she had to do already.

So much to do, so little time to do it in.

****

If others could get easy gold by asking for it and by begging, then he could just as easily do the same thing to the same population. He was readily aware that he would have his back turned on his son for the most part, but there was a very small chance that anything would happen to Gino as long as no one was always aware that he was half hidden by what was left of the mansion. Even he could barely make out the small figure of the boy as he sat by the ocean , staring out into the wilderness that laid just beyond his reach. Of course, that didn't mean others couldn't see him just as well, but he felt like there was no chance in all the hells that someone would take the time to kidnap him. After all, they weren't like the sisters and weren't stupid enough to try to take Johnny Gambino's son away from him.

Johnny had positioned himself in front of the former entrance to his mansion, eyes looking over the Gaians that were wandering the streets of the island. There weren't as many out as he had hoped there had been before, but it was enough at the moment to start something small at least. Word would eventually spread around that he needed gold, lots of it if possible, not for himself but for his son. That story would be the focus of getting his donations even if there those that had heard it before, until he was able to rebuild the mansion at least. The sisters would hear of it eventually, but that was the least of his worries at the moment.

He barely had sat down upon the cracked pavement when three girls approached him with slight caution. They were barely above the age of seventeen, their eyes looking down at him, faces surprised at the fact that he had moved from the center of the mansion to the former doorstep, and mouths opening with questions on more then just on why he had moved from one spot to another. Johnny stared at them with a nearly blank expression on his face, unable to keep up with the amount of questions they were asking him. He hardly could get a word in before he raised a hand to silence them, something that worked just as effectively as raising his voice when he needed to be heard.

"If you have a few minutes, I'd like to see if maybe you could help me out," He said softly, his eyes looking longingly up at the three. They looked at each other as if they were unsure as to what this man was going to ask of them, but only nodded at him when their eyes turned back to his face. Johnny smiled gently, one hurdle overcome but several others to knockdown; it was a start, at least, to have someone to listen for a moment or two. That was all he needed.

And then he plunged into his sad story.

Until Next Time