A Long Awaited Reunion

'.'

Let the Earth split asunder, driven by his yearning,

Let the sky roar with thunder, that she is returning.

Come forth the cursed, try to halt the advance,

For justice, a thirst, will show in their glance.

.'.

"I don't have time for this," Gale snapped, walking away from David.

"Give me your phone," he ordered, following her stubbornly.

"No."

"Gale," he hissed. "Don't make me angry."

She rounded on him fiercely. "Or what?" she challenged. "Are you going to hit me?"

"You know I'd never hit you," he said almost instantly, as if he'd anticipated her question, and held a hand out to her. "Just give me your damn phone!"

"Shut up!"

He surveyed her quietly. "You were talking to Simon, weren't you?"

"Yes, I was," Gale admitted, defiantly. "Is there something wrong with that?"

David's form seemed to expand, taking over the room and killing the light. His eyes flashed dangerously and her gaze was drawn to his fists. She narrowed her eyes at him darkly, a knowing smile on her face. He looked away, as if he couldn't bear the sight of her, and her insides churned in anxiousness. She swallowed against the lump at the back of her throat.

"I bet you want to kill me right now," she guessed.

"Don't be stupid," he said stiffly, still refusing to look at her.

"I'm not the one being stupid," Gale said, turning her back on him. "Do you know how absurd it is that you and Simon can't even stand in the same room because of me? Do you have any idea how unfair it is that you won't let me talk to my friend—your best friend—"

"He's not my friend," David barked.

"—when I am willing to deal with your visits to Katrina."

"I don't feel anything for the stupid woman!" he roared. "I go for my son! She's not trying to steal me!"

"Isn't she? I bet she's trying more than Simon ever has."

David spun Gale around to look at him. "I love you! I would never – ever – cheat on you."

Gale was incensed by the implication in his words. "I would never cheat on you! I don't love him!"

David's answer was quick, abrupt, and it left her reeling : "Don't you?"

"What are you…?"

"I've known Simon for a long time. I've seen how he makes women fall in love with him. He's a player, he flirts with anything in a skirt – even chicks he doesn't like! What do you think would happen to the woman he loves?"

"Nothing's happened to me," Gale said coldly. "I resent that you think I'm just another bimbo."

"Can you honestly tell me," David said in a soft voice, "that you wouldn't rather be with him, given the choice?"

"Yes, I can," she replied, firmly. "Because I do have the choice. If I wanted to be with him, why would I still be with you?" Inexplicably, David winced but Gale barely noticed. "And you're wrong about Simon. He's gone out of his way to stop anything coming between me and you, he left the country to—"

"We're still arguing, aren't we?" David snapped.

"Only because you're a paranoid—"

Both David and Gale turned to look at the front door when a knock interrupted their argument. She threw him a warning look meant to communicate that he should behave himself in front of their visitor. David glowered and, clearly unable to comply with her request, disappeared through the doors to the balcony.

Gale took a deep breath, ran her hands over her face and through her hair, and walked to the door. Her fake smile faltered when a second, more urgent, knock sounded. Could she pretend they weren't at home? She almost turned her back on it, unable to face anyone in her current state, but the manners that had been so deeply ingrained into her by her parents wouldn't allow it. She took another deep breath and paused to plaster a warm smile on her face before she turned the keys and opened the door.

Her smile died instantly and her heart stopped when she saw who it was. "Simon."

"Are you okay?" Simon asked, worriedly. "I heard David's—"

"Simon, go!" Gale hissed. "You can't be here, David's—"

"I don't believe this."

Gale's eyes closed in resignation but the expression lasted for mere seconds before she turned on David. Her thumping heart increased its pace when she saw the furious way he was glaring over her head. She glanced back at Simon whose own face had hardened.

Don't fight, she thought desperately. Please don't fight.

"Listen, just—"

But David wasn't listening. "What the fuck is your problem?" he yelled at Simon.

Simon looked like he very much wanted to tell David exactly what his problem was but the look he threw Gale made it obvious he didn't want to make matters worse. He glanced back and forth between her and his friend, and her heart turned over at the struggle of emotion that crossed his face.

Get out of here, Simon, she pleaded him with her eyes. Please just leave…

"I'll go," he said in a low voice. "Take care of yourself."

Iciness washed over her; she didn't want him to go, didn't want to be left alone with David. She knew that all she had to do was shake her head, even the tiniest bit, and Simon would understand and a thousand horses wouldn't be able to drag him away. Yet the selfless part of her, the part that her parents had nurtured so thoroughly, told her that that wouldn't be fair. He'd already lost a friend because of her, already done so much for her that she couldn't ask for anymore.

So all she did was the one thing he'd been waiting for – she nodded and cracked a brave smile. The disgusted look he gave David told her he wasn't convinced by her charade but it was enough to make him leave. Gale watched with rising desperation as he turned on the spot to head down the stairs, wishing she could go with him…

And that's when David dived.

"David, no!" Gale cried.

He yanked at Simon's shoulder, swinging his fist back for a punch but Simon was faster – he reacted instinctively, twisting free of David's grasp and ducking the blow. As he spun on the spot, his fingers curled inwards and found their aim in David's stomach who doubled over at the impact. Gale's cries were lost amid the snarls ripping from David's throat as he rose to attack again.

"Simon!" she screamed. "Don't!"

Simon's elbow, which had come close to crashing into David's face, stopped. He gazed at her for a moment, blinking through a red haze of fury and adrenalin. Gale wasn't looking at him though – her attention was fixed on David whose savage expression was frightening her. She recognised that unreasonable, crazed look and when he moved, Gale reacted without thinking; she jumped straight into the path of his attack.

"GALE!"

David's fist slammed into her temple and she crumpled at their feet like a ragdoll. The world exploded before her eyes, fiery sparks swimming amidst black shadows that crept forth from the edges of her vision. A dull ache was spreading through her mind but she didn't care – although only dimly aware of their shouts, Gale was comforted by the sound of their voices.

At least they aren't fighting anymore…

"Keep your fucking hands off her!"

She didn't know who said the words. She was unaware of anything except the soothing hum ringing in her ears now and the sound scared her. Was that Death calling to her…?

"Gale," a soft voice whispered. "Stay with me, baby… We're almost there…"

"No," she breathed. She wouldn't go… She wanted to live… She wouldn't listen to the voice…

"It'll be okay," it reassured her gently. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. Just stay with me…"

"Simon," she breathed, her eyes fluttering open. A rush of colours blinded her and she cried out in pain. She needed Simon – he wouldn't let them take her! He would take care of her… "Simon—"

Her voice died as the blackness crept in again. She was sinking, sinking… sinking into the ocean, misty fingers pulling her under but she pushed against them.

"No, let go of me! I don't want…to die…"

"You're not going to die," it said harshly. "You're not going anywhere."

She frowned. Whose voice was it? What did it mean? Why was it telling her to stay if…Wasn't she dying?

Warm fingers wrapped around her hand and she shivered at their warmth, feeling a sudden fire rush through her.

"Simon," she repeated louder and more desperately. "I need Simon…"

"I'm right here, baby. I'm right here for you."

.'.

Klavier felt a hand settle on his arm lightly and his eyes flew open in shock; Gale was leaning in front of him, her eyes boring into his questioningly. He glanced at David and Simon furtively – both of them still had their eyes shut.

Gale's fingers tightened on his arm, drawing his attention back to her. In the flickering candlelight, Klavier could see the apprehension marring her smooth features and guilt overwhelmed him. He understood that the situation he'd brought her into was unfairly sudden but how could he have prepared her for something like this? And the truth was, he'd not been entirely certain if she would have acceded to such a request. What if Gale had refused to meet with them or answer anymore questions? There was too much at stake – it was vital for Simon and David to see her, to talk to her… to finally be able to rest their hearts and minds. He'd promised her that he would finish what she'd started but he couldn't do that until the wounds both men nursed were healed, until their strength was nurtured by the only person who possessed the power to do it.

So when she shook her head slightly, fear sparkling in her eyes like a dying star, Klavier took both her slender hands in his and squeezed them comfortingly. There was nothing he could do to make the intensity of the coming conversation any easier. They both knew that the moment Simon and David opened their eyes and saw her, everything would have to come out… but by holding her gaze encouragingly, Klavier was letting her know that he was going to be there for her. He knew the truth, he was on her side – and he understood.

I am here for you, he mouthed to her.

Gale's shallow breaths worried him but then she nodded and smiled shakily. Her hands slid out from in between his and she turned to look at the still figures of the two men who'd shaped her life into the exquisite tragedy it was now. Klavier saw her attention fall on Simon first and nostalgic reverence coloured her eyes, glazed with liquid sorrow. Her hand hovered in the air, unsure and scared, like that of a pilgrim longing but unwilling to feel a shrine for fear of tainting it with her touch.

Simon stirred suddenly, frowning, and Klavier saw Gale's breathing stop. She moved back, quiet and swift – and waited with baited breath. But Simon did nothing else.

Gale turned to Klavier then, despondency and dread in her expression but Klavier simply took her hand again, staring at her.

For a woman with such extraordinary courage, you are behaving as frightened as a mouse, his eyes said. The submissive amusement of her smile told him that she agreed. She nodded, calm once more and this time, she approached Simon and David fortuitously. There was no hesitation in her face when she stopped before them, no unsteadiness when she reached out to both of them and no fear when she touched their arms.

Simon and David stiffened. Klavier took a step forward to be closer to Gale but she barely noticed. A sigh escaped her when neither responded and she fell back a step. Klavier worried that she'd lost her nerve again but that fear was allayed when she ran a hand over her face, still staring at them both, and shook her head. An annoyed, ragged sigh escaped her.

And then they opened their eyes.

There was a sharp intake of breath from one of them but Klavier was looking at Gale and didn't see who it was. He moved closer to her, concerned, when she shivered suddenly and her eyes fell to the ground. When Klavier looked at Simon and David, he understood why: they towered over her dangerously, their eyes ablaze with the fires of hell.

Klavier instinctively stepped in front of Gale.

"What do you think you're playing at?" David hissed.

"Would you care to elaborate, David?" Klavier said calmly but he already knew what the problem was.

"Do you think this is some fucking game?" David shouted, approaching him.

"I am afraid I have no idea what you mean," Klavier responded. Gale's fingernails dug into his arms and he could feel her pressing her face into his back. He glanced at her over his shoulder and his heart turned over; her eyes were tightly shut and her pursed lips told him that she was trying hard not to cry. The sight angered him. Gale Sanders had died to save these men and even in death she was unable to find the peace she deserved.

This was the last straw, Klavier thought as he turned a steely gaze on David and Simon. None of them would leave this room until this was resolved.

"You think you can find a look-alike and fool—"

"I beg your pardon," Klavier interrupted, his eyes flashing. "She is not a look-alike."

"Gale is dead!" David yelled. "You showed me her grave!"

"And after that, you think I would present to you a doppelganger?" Klavier shot at him. "For what purpose?"

"'Cause you're a bastard," David bit back.

"You're asking us to believe that you've brought Gale back from the dead," Simon said in a quiet voice but the warning in his words was louder than any shout. He was staring at Klavier with something akin to disappointment. "There's no coming back from the dead."

"I know that," Klavier said.

"Then are you telling me she's alive?" Simon said menacingly. Klavier felt Gale stir behind him. "Because I watched her get stabbed. I held her while she died."

"You did hold me while I died," Gale spoke up suddenly stepping around Klavier; she made her way towards Simon with slow, steady steps as the prosecutor watched apprehensively. "But I'm still here."

Simon looked at Gale coldly. "Stay there," he ordered in an icy voice.

"Or what?" she challenged, unceasing her advance. "What are you going to do?" she whispered and Klavier saw something flicker in Simon's face. "What are you going to do, Signor Lowes?"

There was no mistaking the shock this time but it lasted only long enough for Klavier to identify it before it was gone again.

"What happened to your perseverance, Simon?" Gale murmured, stepping closer still. "Chi la dura la vince. What happened to that man?"

Now Klavier saw the barrier break and recognition spilled into Simon's features, unstoppable and resolute. He watched Simon's jaw slacken and his black eyes caved into themselves like a fragile structure that had been falling apart for centuries. He staggered, throwing his arms up as if to ward off the inconceivable truth, denial etched into every line of his handsome face.

"It can't be…" Simon whispered.

Gale's answer was to pull him close and put a finger to his lips. Time stopped – Klavier saw it. All the songs he'd sung about love, about life and the truth and justice… all of them dissolved into the ether now. He was hit with a love so intense that it had survived death itself and Klavier was left breathless.

Gale stood before Simon as if they'd never been apart and the years of separation melted, giving way to naked longing. She stared at him in wonderment following the path her fingers traced over the planes of his face and, in turn, Simon stared at her – stared with haunted doubt turning to blistering adoration. His eyes, which had thirsted for so long, drank from hers. His heart, that had hungered for her, feasted at last. A shiver shook him when her touch raced over his cheek and he was moved into action, unable to bear the distance between their bodies any longer; he engulfed her frame in his aching arms in a union that was meant to trap her forever.

"How?" Simon breathed into her hair and Gale was lost in his embrace until Klavier could see little more than the white robes she donned. "It's not possible…"

"It's not possible," David said and Klavier looked at him, momentarily surprised. David was scowling at Simon. "Should have known you'd be stupid enough to—"

"Hey thoughtful," Gale said suddenly, turning her head in its place against Simon's chest and David stilled instantly. She was smiling. "What you brooding about?"

Klavier didn't understand why David and Simon seemed to mirror each other's reactions the way they did. The only explanation he had for their synchronised movements was that their past friendship had rubbed off on them. If he was right, it was a testament to how deep their friendship had once been – the way David faltered resonated Simon's reaction such that Klavier couldn't help but stare in amazement.

"There's no way. I don't believe it," David said insistently but he couldn't take his eyes off her. "I saw the—"

"David," Gale sighed. "I told you there was a life after death and you always asked me for proof. Well, here I am."

David was shaking his head. "No. The dead don't just suddenly come t–to possess people!"

Gale looked at Simon and her eyes moved between his questioningly. He nodded at her and his arms unwound from around her, albeit reluctantly. Klavier watched Simon's face when Gale moved toward David and he thought he saw a flicker of insecurity stain Simon's smooth expression.

"Okay then," Gale said, giving David a hard stare. She took one of his hands – Klavier noted that David didn't resist – and lifted it. Her fingers skimmed across the skin of his wrist. "I know how you got this," she said softly, without looking down.

"I doubt that," David sneered but Klavier heard a tremble in his tone.

"You were 12," she continued, undeterred. "On your way back from school, Rafael stopped you. He had his girlfriend with him." David's eyes widened and he took a step back but Gale held on, tight. "They taunted you. They hurt you." David shook his head, not in denial but in alarm, horror colouring his eyes. "When you walked away," Gale murmured, "you had this scar."

"No…"

"You told me that I was the only person who knew," she said, stepping closer and tilting her face so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "You said I was the only one you had ever admitted the truth to."

"It… No…" His voice belied the words; the fight had left him and he had deflated, accepting the truth at last.

"It's me, David," Gale said softly.

And that was all it took.

Overwhelmed, David pulled her into a suffocating hug and he was whispering into her ear, words that Klavier didn't hear but sounded like reprimands, endearments and apologies. Klavier's eyes flickered towards Simon: his features were tight.

"Welcome to the club, stronzo," he scoffed.

David ignored him, pulling back to cup her face. "My God," he breathed. "Gale, I—" He paused, swallowing loudly as he brushed her hair back and caressed her face desperately. "What the hell did you do? What did you…?"

Klavier saw the way she stiffened and the air cloaked them with its disquieting silence. Gale looked at Klavier with a desperate request in her eyes: please don't tell me they know…

"I told them," he said simply.

Gale's eyes widened and her alarmed eyes latched onto Simon's dark ones. "How much?"

"Your plan with Kade," Klavier said. "Your reasons for it." When he saw the growing dread in her gaze, he continued vaguely; "That you did it all to bring Rafael down because he'd threatened the people you loved."

Gale's apprehension lessened visibly when Klavier finished and she took a deep breath, looking down, relieved. David took her by the arms, looking into her eyes.

"What were you thinking?" David asked, his voice breaking. "Why would you do that?"

"He would have hurt you," she said quietly.

"So you decided to take him on yourself? You should have sent him my way! He was my problem, not yours!"

She looked away. "He would have hurt Simon too."

"Did you think we couldn't take care of ourselves?" David bent his head to look into her eyes, shaking her slightly. "He was our enemy! It wasn't your job to protect us!"

"Do you really expect that I would just send him after you? After Simon?" Gale said fiercely. "What was I supposed to do? Say 'hey Rafe, let me just get my address book and then you can go disembowel your brother – oh, and feel free to come back to kill me and Simon'?"

David let go of her, apparently stung by her sarcasm. He looked at her sadly. "Did you think that sending him to prison would be enough?" he said softly.

"No," Gale said. "That's why I had Kade."

"Why didn't you tell us?" His voice was rising, fuelled by his rage and grief.

"I had to protect the people I care about," Gale said defiantly. "And I would do it again in an instant."

David growled, turning away. "You're so fucking stubborn!"

Seemingly, his sorrow touched her because remorse immediately painted her face and she put a hand on his shoulder. David didn't turn around. "I know you're upset," she said gently. "I'm sorry. But I had to do this."

"No, you didn't," David argued. "You chose to do it."

"And you chose to lie."

They all turned to look at Simon who'd remained unusually quiet throughout the conversation - until now. He was watching Gale with narrowed, searching eyes and Klavier suddenly had the awful feeling that Simon had figured something out.

"What?" Gale asked and they all heard the catch in her voice. Klavier knew she was scared now – he could practically hear her heart racing. Her eyes were fixed on Simon's and she was in the grip of naked fear, fear that they all saw but only Klavier understood. The only thing that he'd kept from Simon was the truth of his paternity and only because he deserved to hear it from Gale but if he figured it out now, Klavier knew there would be hell to pay.

"What got you so scared when you found out Klavier had told us everything? Or should I say, when you thought he'd told us everything."

David turned steely eyes on Gale and Klavier, glancing between the two. "He's right," he said sourly. "What's going on?"

To Klavier's surprise, Gale rose an eyebrow at David, her fear nowhere to be seen. "Nosy. I see some things never change."

"I guess they don't," Simon said stiffly.

Klavier knew instantly that Simon was referring to Gale's habit of keeping secrets and he swore under his breath. However, when she spoke, there was no sign of apprehension at all; she was entirely calm. "I know you're angry at me, Simon."

"I'm not angry," Simon denied, taking a step forward. "I just don't understand why you've always operated with such secrecy. Why would you think you had to take on Rafael on your own? Why did you think you couldn't tell me what was going?"

Gale's response was simple, so simple, in fact, that Klavier saw the anger that it triggered in Simon. "I wasn't alone. I had Kade."

"You had us!" Simon snapped, gesturing wildly at himself. "We would have gathered an army to keep you safe! I would have died for you—"

"I didn't want you to die, Simon," Gale interrupted gently.

In a flash, Simon had moved across the room, grabbed her by the shoulders and was shaking her, hard. There was a feral look about him, like an animal that had been caged and tormented for so long that it no longer possessed the capacity for any emotion other than rage and grief.

"I did die!" he seethed. "I died with you!"

Gale didn't answer him – or maybe it was just that Klavier and David intervened before she could do so. The prosecutor shielded Gale while David yanked on Simon's shoulder. The Latino turned on him, breathing heavily, and he looked ready to attack David but then Gale spoke up and, like a spell beyond their understanding, the sound stopped them all in their tracks.

"Stop it, David," she said sternly. He looked at her in surprise but didn't argue, unhappily stepping away from Simon. "Move out of the way, Klavier." He did as she asked and Gale bridged the gap between herself and her lover.

Klavier saw it again – there it was, that inextricable bond, chaining them to each together. Every move she made was slow, tender and riddled with an otherworldly meaning: he knew that love resonated in her actions but it was almost too obvious an observation. There was something deeper, something infinitely mystical about how she looked at Simon. It was as if she had torn down the temple of his body and captured the quintessence of his soul, without the imperfections of his mortal emotions.

"Simon," she sighed.

An uncharacteristic shudder hit him at the sound. He looked at David to gauge his reaction: the man looked uncomfortable. David averted his eyes from Gale and Simon – Klavier didn't blame him. There was something so intensely intimate in the sight that he felt intrusive, as if he had invaded their privacy. When David turned his back on them though, Klavier supposed that jealousy played a greater part in the matter where he was concerned; David still loved Gale as much as he had a decade ago.

"Look at me, Simon," she whispered. "I love you more... than I can possibly say. Dying is nothing compared to what I wanted to… what I want to give to you. I left you, I died and I sacrificed everything I had to protect our love."

Klavier's heart turned over at the words because he understood exactly what she meant but Simon had no idea... no idea that when Gale spoke of their love, she spoke of a breathing, walking, talking representation - his daughter, Lana. Klavier tore his eyes away from the floor to watch them.

She laid a hand against Simon's cheek in comfort and the fire of madness ebbed from his face until all that was left was a mangled layer of misery and helplessness. "I want to tell you the truth," Gale went on. "It's not been easy to keep it from you. And you will know… but not today."

Klavier waited for Simon to protest, for his silence to combust into an inferno of demands and anguish but it never came. The fight seemed to have left him because the only thing that happened was the light in his eyes dimmed and he hung his head.

"Hey," she chided him softly, lifting his face. "I need you to be strong. All isn't lost."

"I've lost you," Simon said wretchedly. "I don't have anything to live for."

"That's not true," Gale said, shaking her head. Her fingers moved back the hair from his face. "You could never lose me. You have more to live for than you know." When Simon seemed unconvinced, Gale smiled gently. "Look in my eyes, Simon. Am I lying to you?"

"I don't know," he answered tentatively. "Are you?"

"Look at me," Gale repeated.

Simon stared at her. Klavier watched the countless moments drift around and past the two, as they stood, unmoving. He'd heard lovers didn't need words – they spoke with their hearts – and he was seeing the proof. Klavier had witnessed love's shrouded secrets, discovered only by these immortal lovers.

Inevitably, his mind turned to Ema. He knew, without a doubt, that she was his first – and she would be his last. He didn't know how it had happened and he didn't know when he'd fallen in love with her despite having been so sure not so long ago. Yet, as Klavier stood in the midst of an old love, he suddenly found his eyes opened to a great many things that he hadn't seen before.

The depth of his love for Ema was unfathomable – even to himself. There seemed to be no end to his spiral of emotions and they were so interlocked, so muddled that he could hardly pull at one without finding that the rest of his soul was bound to it. Where did his infinite love end and burning longing start? What colourful threads tied intense devotion to boundless loyalty? And which of those sparked that hot possessiveness, that need to protect her, to shield her at all costs? Klavier's heart was an intricately woven tapestry of ethereal passion.

And yet he'd thought of it as something new, something he'd discovered in recent times with the help of his friend… To him, it had been an unsullied start to a new life, peppered with fresh opportunities.

But it is not… Klavier thought, his observant gaze still on Simon and Gale. It does not feel new.

Because now that he thought about it, nothing about loving Ema felt unfamiliar. Her touch, her smile, her kiss… Wanting her, needing her, felt as comfortable and old as the age of time. It was as if he had loved Ema forever, a lost lover aimlessly wandering the plains of life whose feelings had lain dormant until he was confronted with the one they belonged to.

Lightning rushed through him, electric and bringing new life to his soul with the realisation. His frown eased into contentment and he smiled at the two lovers, understanding, at last, what had triggered the revelation. They were the epitome of undying love and enduring devotion and it resonated deep within him because it was a reflection of his desired future, the expectant result of his efforts. He was only scratching at the surface of the gift life had bestowed upon him and he knew that he, too, would find the beauty enveloping Simon and Gale. He would find it with Ema.

"I believe in you."

Simon's voice snapped Klavier out of his reverie and he shook his head slightly, trying to clear it of his thoughts. Gale threw Simon a beautiful, sunny smile that Klavier had never before seen and a new strength swept into Simon's appearance. His back straightened and there was a new determination on his face that made Klavier smile triumphantly. He'd been right to bring Simon to her.

"Klavier," Gale said. "David."

David didn't answer and Klavier watched the guilt that crossed Gale's features as she stared at his back. Just as she was about to repeat his name, he turned and his face sported a business-like mask that fooled none of them.

"We need to talk," he said brusquely.

Gale paused before she answered. "We do." She stopped again. "How's Landon?" she enquired and Klavier's heart was warmed by her timid expression.

David rose an eyebrow sardonically. "Kind of an odd time to be asking about him, isn't it?"

Gale smiled feebly. "Nothing like a handful of niceties."

"Landon's fine."

"And Katrina?"

"She's still dyeing her hair every month, wasting conspicuous amounts of my money and littering the house with magazines. So unfortunately, she's fine too," David said in a bored tone.

Klavier and Gale laughed while Simon remained silent, his facial expression blank. "Do you have any others?" Gale asked curiously.

"Yeah." David crossed his arms and threw his head back so he was staring at Gale through hooded eyes. Klavier would have found the behaviour obnoxious but he knew that it hid a deeper emotion, one that David Rainsford was too proud to allow them to see. It hit the prosecutor that, for David, this must be hardest – he'd been confronted with the spirit of the woman he loved, murdered by his brother who still hunted him… and he'd been forced to accept that Simon had irrevocably taken his place.

"Excuse me," Simon interrupted curtly and they all looked at him. "Did I miss something?"

Suddenly, Gale smiled mischievously. "Yeah," she said, throwing David a sly glance. "There are ickle Davids running about."

Simon blinked uncomprehendingly at David, who was scowling. "He's got kids?"

"Ja," Klavier offered, infected by her teasing laughter. "Cute little—"

"If you met Landon, you wouldn't even dream of starting a sentence that way," David said loudly.

"Why?" Gale giggled.

"He's a little bastard – in more way than one," David said with a frown. "He doesn't listen to a word I say."

"Sounds like someone else I know," Gale said, looking at David in amusement. "Like father, like son."

"You have a son?" Simon repeated, looking directly at David. "How old is he?"

Klavier saw the way they looked at each other – Simon, putting it all together and David contemplating whether or not to give him the last piece of the puzzle. "Twenty."

Shock registered almost immediately and Simon looked at Gale in panic, as if he expected her to break down but she was shaking her head. "It's okay. I know."

"Is that why he…?"

"I broke up with David," Gale admitted, glancing at the man in question. "I told him to give Landon – his son – a family. That's why he left."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Simon asked.

"Because I wanted to keep Landon safe," Gale answered. "Imagine what Rafael would do if he found out David had a family. They would all be in danger."

Simon looked annoyed and Klavier could almost hear the man's thoughts: I could have kept it a secret. Gale saw it too because she smiled at him sheepishly and he rolled his eyes at her in exasperation.

"I could have protected them, Gale," David said. "It wasn't your job to look after me or my family. Especially after—" He broke off, his voice uneven. Klavier saw him shake his head and swallow visibly. A deep silence fell around them again and Klavier knew it was time.

He was ready. They were ready.

"Rafael Rainsford," he started in a quiet voice, drawing their attention to him, "faces execution in less than two weeks. His sentence is death by hanging." He looked at their faces in turn. "We have much to do until then."

"What?" David asked.

Klavier looked at Gale. "Your wish was to bring down Rafael's empire."

"That's impossible," David said at once.

"It will take more than just killing him to bring down his organisation," Simon agreed. "Someone else will just take his place. Someone just as bad."

"I know that," Klavier said calmly. "But we have all that we need in order to destroy it."

"Do we?" David said sceptically.

"We have you both," he said nodding at Simon and David. "You both know him, you understand his tactics and you have information about his history. Let me finish," he interrupted a protesting David. "We have something else that makes me confident we can do this." He looked at Gale who cocked her head at him inquisitively. "We have you, Fräulein. Kade and yourself gathered Intel on Rafael and his people, am I right?"

Gale nodded. "Yes," she said. "And there's Kade's journal. Did you get it?"

Klavier frowned, staring at her in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I told you about his journal," she said patiently.

Klavier's eyes widened as her words tugged at the corners of his memory. Just before she had faded away during the first channelling, she had spoken to him of it, instructed him to find it and he'd—

"Don't beat yourself up over it, kid," David said seeing Klavier's horrified expression. "After I found out about all this, I contacted a few people about Kade. I thought to get some of his stuff but we couldn't find any of it. There certainly wasn't a journal. My guess would be that Rafael had Kade murdered and then had anything incriminating destroyed."

"Damn it," Klavier muttered.

"Don't worry," Gale said and they all looked at her, surprised by her light-hearted tone. "I can ask him."

A stony silence met this remark and Klavier was sure that David and Simon were feeling the same uneasiness he was. They had, all three of them, come to accept the idea of spirits, channelling and the knowledge of a life after death but the idea of one spirit talking to another… It proved too much for Klavier's mind to process and he cleared his throat, ignoring the queasiness he felt.

"Is there anything you can tell us?" Klavier asked her. "About Rafael, I mean."

He thought he saw her mouth twitch. "I know a little from what Kade told me but it's hazy."

"That's all peachy and everything," David said drily, "but you need to be able to get to them first. How can you destroy something if you don't know what you're looking for or where to start?"

"That's what you're there for, you airhead," Simon retorted. "Don't you own some big-ass compa—"

"Can it, moron," David snarled, rounding on him.

"That's enough, guys," Gale said exasperatedly, giving Klavier a yes-they're-always-like-this look. "Simon's right though, David. With your connections and your access to Cyrun, we have a good chance at success."

David nodded slowly. "I suppose I could try that. The only problem I can see with it is that Rafael ran Cyrun for a long time so he knows how it works. I'm certain he'll have put something in place disabling access to any information regarding his activities through the company." He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "I do still have some contacts from my time with Romano, though. Maybe I could call in some favours…"

Klavier saw Gale's mouth turn downwards and he wondered if she disliked the idea of David consorting with his old buddies.

"Do you want me—hey!" Simon exclaimed when she suddenly whacked him.

"What I want you to do," Gale ordered with a glower, "is stay out of trouble."

Simon half-scowled, half-laughed. "Yes ma'am." Then, as if something occurred to him, he looked at Klavier. "Your friend Cavatin can help. I'm willing to bet the DA has a crap load of strings to pull."

"Deston?" Klavier said, bewildered by how Simon knew about Deston's transfer to the DA. "I could ask him, I suppose. He is—"

"Hasn't he told you he visited me?"

Klavier's eyebrows shot up. "He did?"

"Yeah." Unexpectedly, Simon smiled. "Ema Skye was with him. Ring any bells?"

"What?"

"They were tracking a crime ring that led straight to Rafael," Simon said in a voice filled with hilarity that Klavier barely noticed. "So they honoured me with a visit because you restricted access to him."

Suddenly, Deston's voice filled his head as he remembered that his friend had made reference to it but he'd been too caught up in his problem with Ema to realise: "Before I forget, I need your help on a case."

"I suppose I will have to talk with him," Klavier said, frowning deeper.

"And Detective Skye, if you know what's good for you," Simon laughed.

Klavier eyed Simon's teasing expression and suddenly felt his stomach tighten. Did he know who Ema was to him…? No, he reassured himself. There's no way. And even if he did, why would he tease him about it? They weren't high-school kids.

Klavier looked at Gale but she was grinning at Simon and even David was smiling reluctantly. He cleared his throat. "I will most certainly discuss this with both of them. If he is tracking the same crime ring, his assistance will be valuable indeed."

"So will her fiery temper," Simon added. "I was half-scared for my life when she entered my cell."

Klavier's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he swept their faces and found the same infectious amusement there – except this time, it wasn't affecting him the right way. "Am I missing something?"

Simon looked ready to answer but suddenly Gale poked him and he nodded submissively, stifling his laughter.

Klavier was irritated. "If there is—"

"Ignore him," Gale said quickly. "He has his immature moments."

"Right."

"What did they want with you?" David said, turning to Simon.

"Mostly, they were asking me about Rafael and his chain of command," Simon replied although he looked at Gale and Klavier when he answered, obviously still unwilling to put aside his enmity with David.

"I remember Kade telling me something about that," Gale said to Klavier. "He said there were others who were just as bad as Rafael."

"They are," Simon agreed. "After all, they're his kids."

"His what?" Astonishment spilled into David's features and Klavier echoed him silently; Rafael had children?

"Yes," Gale said gravely, nodding. "Illegitimate by his design so that nobody can track them. He's trained them well."

David looked horrified. "He's turned them into...?"

Gale nodded. "He has a daughter and four sons. You'll have to be wary of all of them but the girl more than anyone else."

"Why?" Klavier asked, frowning.

"She's the most dangerous," Simon replied, his face taking on an unpleasant expression. When they looked at him enquiringly, he raised an eyebrow. "I met her when Rafael and I..."

Klavier's heart sank when he completed the sentence in his mind: …planned to kidnap Gale.

"She's the next in command," Gale added quickly, sensing the change in atmosphere. She looked at Simon, putting a hand on his forearm and smiling tenderly before continuing. "When Rafael dies, she'll be the one controlling everything."

"To all intents and purposes, she already is."

"So if we break her," Klavier stated, "we break the organisation."

"No," Simon said shaking his head. "There are her brothers to consider. You'd have to get through them. First, they're like her bodyguards. Second, just because she was picked to lead, over them, doesn't mean they're not just as dangerous." Simon sighed. "And even if you manage to get through them all, dealing with her isn't going to be easy."

"You make her sound like Supergirl gone bad," David snorted. "She's just a girl."

"Idiot," Simon muttered. David's eyes flashed. "She was chosen by Rafael. That should be enough to understand that even if she is just a girl, she's just as much of a threat as he is. She's sadistic, heartless and driven by malice – just like her dad."

"That's just what we need," David said, his voice harsh. "More fucking Rafael psychos."

"I don't think she's heartless," Gale said quietly and they looked at her. "She's just been corrupted. Her mother deserted her when she was a teenager and she decided to find her father. When she did, Rafael took her in and after that, all he had to do was play on her anger. Kade thought that maybe her fear of losing her father as well is what caused her to turn into what she is now."

"Kade could have been wrong," David said shortly.

"I don't think he was," Gale said. "He did gather a lot of information. If we only had that journal…"

"Can't you spy on them?" David asked suddenly and Klavier was surprised to see the uncomfortable look on his face. He understood its source straight away.

"Pardon?" Gale said, puzzled.

"You're…" David waved in her general direction and she looked down at herself, confused.

"What Herr Rainsford means is, as you are spirit, you could spy on this woman," Klavier said stiffly, his mouth turned into a downward pout – he wasn't impressed by David's request.

"Don't worry, Klavier. He doesn't mean it in a bad way." Gale laughed, seeing Klavier's expression. "There's nothing privileged about death, David. It doesn't automatically grant you omniscience."

"Sorry," David mumbled.

"Do you know her name?" Klavier asked, glancing back and forth between Simon and Gale.

"Irina Ethans."

"Dalena Than."

Klavier's lips pressed together in an irritated line when Simon and Gale answered simultaneously. "We seem to have a problem," he said.

"Neither is her real name," Simon supplied. "Rafael gives them all fake identities to preserve secrecy."

Klavier nodded slowly, churning the information in his mind. He crossed his arms and looked up at the ceiling, thinking things through. It was obvious that this was going to be a difficult case but there was no doubt in his mind that he would crack it. After all, he had the might of the law on his side, Gale and Simon's knowledge, David's company and Deston's influence with the DA. He would have to speak with his friend, find out what he knew. He assumed that Deston had been following Rafael's crime ring all along.

And if that was the case, did that mean Rafael was behind Ema's attacks? Cold fury rose in him at the thought. If Rafael had dared…

"Klavier?"

He looked at Gale who was surveying him anxiously and he waved a hand to imply he was fine. Clearing his throat, he pushed aside the wrath that had overtaken him, storing it away. "I will speak with Deston about this. David," he said turning to the man. "You should begin to gather all the data that you can. I am sure I do not need to tell you to keep this secret. I would like to know this woman's real name and what her background is."

David looked to Gale. "Do you know her mom's name?"

Gale shook her head slowly, glancing at Simon. "No."

"Never mind."

"Gale, you must do as you see fit," Klavier said edgily, trying not to think about her supernatural conversation with Kade. "I will summon you on the day of Rafael's execution."

She frowned. "Why?"

"I wish for you to be present for it," Klavier said simply. "And on that note, David, I think it's probably best that you do not attempt anything until after the execution."

"Why?"

He paused, looking at them all, this time with a smile. "Because I would like to punish Rafael."

"What are you talking about?" Simon said.

A satisfied smile formed on Klavier's lips as he realised that he could at last put his plan into motion. He unwound his arms and hitched his thumb on his belt, suddenly feeling freer than he had in a long while. Anticipation was running through him like adrenalin and he smirked. Was this what revenge felt like?

"We all agree that the death penalty means nothing to him. He will climb that scaffold with a happy smile because he thinks he has won." They nodded, unable to deny the truth of his statement. He smiled at them widely. "What if I was to tell you that I had found a way to wipe that smirk off his face once and for all?"

There was a long stretch of silence in which David frowned, clearly wondering what on earth Klavier could do to turn the tables on Rafael, Simon cocked his head, intrigued by Klavier's claim, and Gale simply smiled, as if she already knew.

"You do realise what you're saying, don't you?" David said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and laughing a little incredulously. "Have you met my brother?"

"I have," Klavier confirmed. "That is why I know what to do."

Simon's eyes glittered darkly. "Let's bring that bastard down."