He was sat at his desk reading a newspaper when the call came in. He felt like he'd been waiting so long for this call, and it had finally happened. His source told him that a restaurant in Walford was finally up for sale.

Well, not really a restaurant right now, but it had been one and it was expected to be one again, but fire had ravaged it and transformed it into a blackened shell.

He'd been hoping the owners would sell it since he'd read about the fire in the local papers. He'd been devastated when he'd read them. It made the front page locally as there had been a death involved, not to mention others surviving in what had been trumped up as some sort of 'local hero running in trying to rescue people' story.

But he hadn't rescued everyone.

Alec Banagher had died in that fire.

Alec.

The man looked at the photos on the wall of his study. There was one of him with Alec right there in the middle. It had been taken at some awards function for the first restaurant Alec had owned. And there was another one further over from a few years later at the opening of a second restaurant.

He'd known Alec for years... since University. They'd had a bond of friendship that had sealed it all for them, but one of them liked the other a little more. Alec never knew, or if he did, he never let on, but there had always been hope that one day he might say something and reciprocate.

Something did change. He wasn't sure if it was instant or not but Alec began talking about working out and training and a new name entered their conversations more frequently. Then Alec bought a property in the East End and he hadn't questioned Alec about it. Maybe he should have. Alec began to pull away from him and towards this new life and new area and he should have stopped him. The East End? Really? What was down there?

He found out though.

A man that Alec had fallen for. Somehow this man didn't feel the same way and had let Alec die in a fire.

He'd quit his job over all of this. Luckily, having worked with Alec all these years he had enough money to fall back on and maybe he'd work again in the future, but right now his grief at losing the most important person in his world meant he couldn't concentrate on any other work. Alec had been his main source of income too, really, so it wasn't like he was giving up much.

He felt awful without his best friend, his confidante, the one person he had actually thought he could love if only it was returned.

He wanted Alec back, but he knew it wasn't possible.

He was aware of this East End Restaurant - the Argee Bhajee. He'd organised all the money for the new venture, he knew where it was, and he knew the ins and outs of it from the brief period of time that Alec owned it. He also knew the name of the person Alec had put in charge of it. The same went for that Gym he'd bought too and the person who was in there running it. That building still stood. Alec's will had given these businesses to the managers and he knew their names. He knew their connection to Alec and to each other.

What he didn't know beyond that was where they lived, or what they really looked liked... well, he'd put two and two together with regards to one of them, based on some old fliers he'd seen.

He'd visited Walford a few times in the last few weeks. He'd seen the burnt out building. He'd seen the gym, and yet he saw no one who matched the picture he had in his hands.

But now he'd had this call, the call to tell him the restaurant was up for sale and through this he'd be able to contact the sellers by putting a bid in for it. He'd find out, finally, who these people were that had ruined his life. The two responsible for Alec's death; for if he hadn't become mixed up with them, he'd still be alive.

What was so special about Christian Clarke? And who in their right mind turns down Alec Banagher for someone else? For Syed Masood? A name he was convinced matched some scrawny, little thing that probably wasn't any match for Alec in looks or personality.

It was after conversations through solicitors that he was finally able to trace them. It had taken a stupidly long time since he'd started hunting for them, but when they weren't listed in the phone book he'd had to take other measures and he didn't want to start asking locals. He wanted this to have no trace back to him for now through acquaintances of the pair.

They lived in a small flat above a chip shop. Hardly the Ritz. What did Alec see in this one?

He hung around outside, nearby on a seating area and watched carefully while slowly sipping from a cup of coffee. Eventually there was movement but this wasn't the man on the flier. Going by his ethnicity it must be the other. This one must be Syed.

He picked himself up from the seat and followed him through the streets. He didn't go far, just to a local shop, then to a market stall that he had previously noticed bore the same name as Syed, and he'd stood there for ages watching while Syed spoke to a young man wearing a fishnet hat who was serving the customers. After a while, he'd made his way back to the flat, all the while unaware of being watched.

He shook his head. This man was no Alec Banagher. Alec was blond and light, this guy had much darker features and dark eyes. He was shorter, and though he seemed trim, he didn't look like the kind of man you'd expect to be partnered with a personal trainer. He also didn't think Syed had run a brush through his hair in days, the mess it was in. Urgh, the East End... was it crawling with people like this?

For God's sake, Alec was so much better than this! He was the pinnacle! He'd been successful, debonair, handsome. These people must have done something to him, twisted him up in some way, led him on, it had to be something! Alec was no saint, he was ruthless in business and he'd had a tongue that could cut glass, but to get mixed up here... there was something he was missing in all of this and he needed to know what it was, and the only people who could answer him were these two.

He'd read the lies about suicide in the fire, he'd read the filthy local rags talking about Alec kidnapping a child and about faking a death? He hadn't believed a word of it. If Alec had done anything remotely like it then it had been for a reason and these locals had come together to blame him and not listen.

These two men. It's them! It's them to blame and the world should know!

Alec's good name needed to be cleared.

It was Christian Clarke. He'd started this, he's the one that needed to be dealt with. He's the one who had hurt him so much, hurt Alec and hurt him and Christian needed to know that same pain that was running through his veins right now.

What is it they say? An eye for an eye?

Thanks for sticking with me through another multi-chapter in this universe! I think it's safe to say I'm not done yet. The story continues in Ocean of Debris, beginning soon, with a lovely new bad guy for you ;)

Thanks for all the feedback. I don't often respond (mainly cos I've never bothered to learn how, my bad) but it is truly appreciated and gives me more inspiration!