If it was possible to drown on air Lucie surely would have at that moment. Her eyes felt like the size of saucers as she could only stare at Michael, speechless.

"What?" Lucie asked in disbelief. She watched the Archangel intently as he made unwavering eye contact with her. His dark eyes like knives and she was their sheath.

"She told me everything that has happened from the time I was in the infirmary."

'About damn time,' she thought as he got up from her bed and began to observe her room. His expression was once again unreadable as he went on the other side of her bed and walked towards her desk where her journal lay in a special place in her drawer. Lucie grew panicked as he suddenly opened the drawer and quickly as possible walked over to where he was and touched him on the shoulder. Which proved to be a quick distraction as he turned around and her other hand shut the drawer. Although she didn't right in it as frequently as she used to, it contained private thoughts and ideas that no one could read. One person who definitely could not see it was Michael.

"What did she tell you?" She asked to take both their minds off the drawer and back to probably the main reason he was in her room.

"That she had met you in the infirmary after the guards had found you sneaking around and you tried to fight her." He said breaking off her touch as he walked away, irritably. 'Fight?' Lucie stared after Michael frustrated and confused at the Consul's lie.

"Michael, I didn't fight her. She attacked me if anything!"

"I've seen her wrist, Lucie! She didn't tell me sooner because she didn't want to ruin our acquaintanceship!" He claimed pacing back and forth now.

"And you've seen my wrist! She did that Michael and I did that to her because she wouldn't release me! Did she tell you that? Did she also tell you what happened at the engagement party? Did she tell you I slipped something in her drink?" Lucie asked furiously, seeing that Michael truthfully believed Becca and her lies. However, at her last question Michael turned to her and looked up looking sensible again.

"She put something into my drink that night. I don't know what she gave me but she is responsible for my unconsciousness. She told me herself! If she tells you anything different then she is a filthy liar and you are just her foolish follower!" Lucie almost shouted remembering her family was sleeping.

"Lucie-"Michael began walking back towards her. Lucie backed away and cut him off before he could speak again.

"Get out of my room! Get out of my room and find the truth for yourself because I'm tired of the lies that leave both of her and my lips!" Lucie pointed towards her balcony but Michael wouldn't move as he kept his eyes on her shaking form.

"Get out now!" She shouted and as if on cue Michael's wings came out and he left without another word. She followed and slammed her balcony doors furiously. A knock on her door came quickly after and Lucie, startled headed towards the sound and opened the door to find a guard standing in front of her with a cautious expression.

"Is everything alright Miss Whele?" He asked eyeing the obviously shaken girl below him.

"Yes sir," she replied quietly. His eyes peered around her room and then came back to her.

"Are you sure?" He asked. Lucie repeated her reply again as the guard nodded his head.

"Please alert any of us if something is wrong," he said and stalked away down the dimly lit hallway. She shut her door and went over to her drawer to rediscover her journal. She lay back on the disheveled sheets and rested her head on her now cold pillow to find solace in her writing and the belief that Michael would no longer be lied to.

It was relatively quiet when Lucie woke up very earlier than usual the next morning, most likely because David was bedridden and there wasn't an interrogation about last night's events. Instead, the piercing sound of broken glass came from downstairs was what woke her up. Wearing a light snowy robe Lucie trekked across the hallway, down the staircase, and towards David's office where the sound's resonance came more profoundly. She was expecting her ill father to be in there but instead she saw the person she least likely thought would be drinking his liquor.

"I think it's a little early for that William," Lucie said humorously watching William down an entire shot glass and then refilling it again.

"Good mornin' sissster," William slurred with a smile as he continued to drink. He rose his glass towards his sister. "Do ya' want to join me?" Lucie shook her head as she glanced on the floor and saw a pile of shards that could've made four perfect glasses.

"I think I'll pass. Come on back to bed William, I don't need you drunk the rest of the day." William took another sip before he threw the glass to the floor like a madman in a china shop.

"I can't go back to bed! I'm getting married soon and father is sick!" He exclaimed with light chuckling after which made Lucie laugh.

"Yes, you're right," Lucie walked into the room. "Now come with me before father finds out you drank his whiskey and broke his glasses." She avoided all the shards and outstretched her hand towards William.

"He can't know!"

"He won't know if you are quiet and come with me," Lucie brought her finger to her lips and William mimicked the motion and took her hand as she guided them through the pools of whiskey and glass and to the stairs where the guard from last night stood along with a maid.

"Oh, good morning Miss Whele," he said. "I see you found your brother."

"More like heard him," the maid chuckled at Lucie's statement before walking past them and towards David's office as the guard followed behind.

"Who was that?" William asked.

"No one William, let's go upstairs." For being drunk William was surprisingly coordinated as he headed up the stairs easily, walked all the back to his room without stumbling, and lay back in his bed drifting off. Lucie slowly closed his door and walked back to her room until she heard a faint grunt coming from her father's cracked door. She pushed the door away and saw her father pitifully try to get up from his bed. Being startled by her presence he almost fell over until Lucie quickly brought him back up and back into his laying position as he released another grunt.

"What are you doing?" She asked. He only looked away and grumbled again. Lucie sighed as she looked over her father for the first time since she recovered. He looked awful, with unkempt gray hair going everywhere, his legs curled up, and his entire body looked frail and hollow.

"You can't get up," she said hearing a motherly tone in her voice. "You could hurt yourself if you keep on trying." He said nothing. Lucie was the one who grunted this time.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked. Silence. Lucie turned on her heel and began to walk out of the room until David's gravelly voice stopped her.

"William,"

Lucie turned around at her brother's name.

"What?" She asked coming towards her father who was looking at her with bleak eyes.

"William." He repeated quietly. His hands went to his nightshirt and he struggled with the buttons. Lucie taking the hint joined his hands and began to undo all the buttons until she saw a gruesome sight. With a small gasp she saw her father's chest colored the darkest shade of black and blue. Her fingers moved to examine but David flinched and moved away before Lucie made any contact.

"You don't have pneumonia?" Lucie asked already knowing the answer. He shook his head and moved back to button his shirt in haste. She took hold of his trembling hands and began to do it for him, after the task was done she shut his door and walked back into her room determined to speak with William later.

Author's Note:

Hello readers! I just wanted to clarify that if there is any confusion the previous chapter takes place after 'Black Eyes Blue' and the beginning of this chapter takes place the morning of 'Ouroboros'. The next chapter will be after the events of 'Ouroboros'. Thank you guys for your continuing support and thank you for reviewing, favoriting, and following this story.

-ACGamer