Hi everyone who is still reading my random fanfic from a fandom from the early nineties!

Exciting news, I'm litterally only a few chapters from the end of this mammoth that I started over a decade ago. I still also have my side story, which needs to be finished before I can start posting the sequal, set during the Saurian occupation and mostly dealing with my OC's fight for life.

Other exciting news, my province had not had an active covid case in four months! And, as a result, I'm being allowed to go back to work. I have been working online, but it's really not the same. My city has had some of the strictest quarentine rules in the country, and I'm in China, there were times when I couldn't even get back into my apartment.

I also have a new cat, which my friend rescued from a car engine. She was abandoned and hiding in the engine of a car, which my friend needed to crawl under the car to get. Her name is Luna and she's doing really well now.

Anyway, enjoy.

TFG

Chapter Twenty-Eight

It had been over three years since Ella had started working in The Scene. She could still remember everything about that day. The smell of her own clothes, how good the water had felt when she finally got a shower, how her hands hurt from the heat of the coffee machine and how relieved she felt when she got to curl up on a hard floor under an actual roof for the night.

She would never be able to tell Dip just how grateful she was that he had taken a chance on her. She would never be able to repay his kindness, especially since the apartment that she was only meant to have for the year became hers. It was still in Dip's name, but she was allowed to keep renting it, the money coming out of her pay cheque each month. And, Ella knew that Dip was charging her far less than he should have done.

Her first year as a free duck was real roller-coaster for Ella. She spent the first few weeks afraid she was going to be sent back to prison. Then, when she finally secured a stable job and accommodation, she was afraid that she was going to be found out by everyone she worked with and made to leave. When that fear subsided at least a little, as she more than earned her keep, she started to fear that her brother would finally track her down.

By that time Ella was sure Duke would have heard about her release and would have been searching for her. Not because he was her brother and he loved her, he had proved the night she was captured that all he cared about was himself. He was searching for her because no one leaves the Brotherhood, and no one leaves him without his permission.

During her time in Allenview she had heard new stories of her brothers' cruelty. The D.A. had delighted in telling her all about the informants that had gone missing and ducks found murdered at his alleged crime scenes. Even the rumours around Allenview painted her brother in the worst light possible. It was as if the brother she had known, the one who let her curl up against him when she was scared, was now dead and buried. He was replaced by a cold, calculating, criminal mastermind, who had no regard for life.

But, Ella had now found her own make-shift family. Dip had definitely become the father figure that she had always wanted Duke to be. He actually protected her and fought for her. He had come to her defence when she made the requests to get her tracking bracelet off and would come with her to parole meetings as support.

His wife, Petra, would most definitely be her step-mother. She didn't seem to be very happy to have her around; but over the year they learned to have a mutual respect of each other. She would not come to Ella's defence often, but when she did there would always be a reckoning.

Both Zina and Amy became her sisters and friends. They would often spend their days and evenings together, chatting and watching movies. They helped her learn to enjoy new things and start to become a normal girl, which was something that Ella had never expected.

Canard and Nosedive became her new brothers. They were always riling her up and making fun of her. But they cared deeply for her and would help her if she needed it.

And then there was Wildwing.

Ella had never expected to find someone who she would love as much as she loved him. He was everything that she had ever needed but didn't know that she wanted. He was brave, and kind, and strong. He held her in the night when her nightmares took her over and would often bring her a simple flower just to make her smile.

The first summer that they had been separated was hard for Ella. Almost everyone she had come to rely on was gone, except Dip. And she had to continue working in what felt like a ghost town. The Scene only kept a skeleton staff during that time, mostly of people who actually lived in Bardon year round. There were still professors and postgraduate students in the university, though not as many as during term time.

It was during that summer that Ella got her first surprise visitor. She had been working all day when a very loud and familiar voice called for her. She had turned around in absolute shock to see Tia standing in the doorway and causing everyone else to stare at her.

"Oh my gods! You're really here!" Ella had called, running from behind the counter to embrace her friend.

"I'm here! Just got in today, had to drop my things off at my grandma's place then register with my parole officer, but after that I came straight here! Had to see how you were doing!" Tia exclaimed, a giant smile on her beak.

It was unfortunate that Ella was the only one working that afternoon, or else she would have taken the afternoon off and spent the time with her friend. It was fortunate, however, that the place was so dead that the two could chat freely as Ella worked, with no fear of anyone overhearing. She set Tia up with a free coffee and a slice of cake at the bar as she continued to serve the few customers that trickled in and out.

Tia had only needed to serve ten months of her sentence in Miltaka before she was eligible for parole. The parole board granted her release, for good behaviour and that she already had employment and accommodation guaranteed. Her record was then sealed, as if she had never been imprisoned at all.

She was going to start working at her grandmother's shop, with hope that one day she could take it over when her aunt became too old. Her grandmother was also sponsoring her to take her high school equivalency so that she could have some sort of diploma. That way she could take some local business courses to help her run the store.

"My grandma, she even approached Allenview about starting an apprenticeship programme there. She said that she wanted to make sure no other girl ended up like me. I'm sure she'd take you on as well, if you wanted," Tia said between mouthfuls of cake.

"Thanks, but I use a stapler to sew on a button. I doubt I'd be of any use to anyone," Ella laughed at her own inadequacies.

"So, what are you going to do instead? Work as a barista for the rest of your life?"

That had been the problem that Ella had begun to encounter. What would she do for the rest of her life?

She had had many conversations with Laurel so far about what she could do. But, it seemed that until her records were sealed she would be haunted by her past. The only thing she could do was start to prepare for a future that was entirely uncertain.

So, she continued to study for her high school equivalency test. Once she had that she could begin to decide what other classes she could take at the local college. That would then help her start to narrow down what she could do in the future.

And, since she had very little to do over the summer, she studied hard so that she could take her test in the autumn. She even had Dip quiz her when they were stuck doing inventory together. He was very supportive and was starting to suggest she take some business classes with Tia when she was done.

Despite having both Dip and Tia around for the summer, Ella had begun to miss her new friends and Wildwing. She was allowed to visit some of the other cities, since she had proven she could be trustworthy to the parole board. But, as both Wildwing and Canard were working as camp counsellors for the entire summer, and Amy was in the Southern Islands, there was very little point in travelling anywhere.

She did get a surprise visit from Nosedive around the middle of the summer. He seemed just as bored and lonely as she was. He burst through the door of the Scene like a tornado and spent six days with her. He only actually went home when his mother called and told him to come home.

But, it still wasn't Wildwing. She had no idea how much he had buried into her heart. When she slept at night she was plagued by bad dreams and nightmares, with no one to hold her. She didn't realise how well she slept when he was sleeping in the same bed as her.

And those last few nights together were wonderful. They held each other and made love to each other all night long. Some time it was slow and tender, and other times it was frenzied and frantic, with each screaming and calling for the other as they were pushed over the edge.

It took Canard knocking on Ella's door, which Wildwing answered in his underwear, to get him out of her apartment and to his dorm room before his mother arrived. But, if Cal's laughter and Magda's blush was anything to go by, everyone knew exactly where he had been for the last few days.

It was a few days before the start of term when the university started to get a bit busier. The first year students start a little earlier than the other years and the students who were going to help them would arrive just before them. This included the residency advisors.

Ella had finished a long shift, where several older students and associate professions kept on making advances on her. She had gotten used to this, but the frequency was irritating her. They had kept calling her back for the tiniest things, just so they could continue to try and flirt with her. That was why she was soaking her feet as she read a book on her sofa.

The knock on her door startled her, as she wasn't expecting anyone. So, she picked up the knife that she would often grab whenever there was an unexpected knock at her door before she had a quick check through the peephole.

As soon as she saw who was on the other side of the door, she dropped her knife and flung it open. She then through herself at the tall, broad shape of her boyfriend. Who let out a squeak of surprise before he gripped her tightly and pushed her against the door to close it.

There were no words said, just a frenzied removal of only necessary clothes. Then there was nothing but grunting and screams of pleasure as Wildwing fucked his girlfriend against her closed door. Only stilling when they were both satisfied, but still holding her tight against it.

"Hi," Wildwing eventually said, once his breathing had returned to normal.

"Hi," Ella replied.

"I was not expecting that," Wildwing said plainly.

This caused Ella to laugh out loud, especially when she realised that he had just dropped his bags at the door. They were still outside and would need to be brought in before her neighbours knocked on the door to ask her to clear the corridor. It seemed he had come straight to her apartment, once he had arrived in Bardon.

"Shouldn't you have more things than just that?" Ella asked once he had brought his things into her apartment. All she saw was his massive equipment bag, and one holdall.

"Well, you see, I missed you. And I really wanted to see you. So, Canard and Cal are gonna bring my stuff by tomorrow when they come across. Oh, and I think my mother is coming too," Wildwing answered sheepishly.

"You want to stay the night?" Ella asked, as sweetly as she could.

Wildwing once again didn't answer, he only grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder. All the while, Ella shrieked and giggled, even as he tossed her on the bed and stripped her of her clothes. She stopped giggling when he was buried inside her.

It was a fantastic reunion. One they were loath to end, but life had to start. And, with Wildwing taking a position as an alternate on the main team as well as being on the second year team. Plus, he had to maintain his high grade point average to keep his scholarship and spot on the team and he had to keep regular office hours as a residency advisor. This made his time quite precious, and his free time a lot less frequent.

This saddened Ella quite a lot, but it was to be expected. When she finally passed her high school equivalency exam she began to spend some of her free time taking night courses at the local college. And, since she was paying for them herself, she had to pick up as many shifts as she could to pay for them.

It was on one of those busy days, about three months into the start of term when Ella's past began to catch up with her. She was making a very strong coffee for a PhD student who was editing his thesis while having a minor panic attack when Laurel walked in accompanied by two drakes in cheap suits.

Even without Laurel's explanation, Ella could tell they were both police officers. And that they knew exactly who she was. They looked at her like she was nothing more than trash on the street. As if she wasn't worth the chance to stand behind a counter and make coffee for minimum wage.

Before Laurel could pull Ella aside, the tallest of the police officers addressed her by her real last name. It had been so long since she had been called that and it made her nervous. She felt safe in the Scene and in Bardon. To suddenly have the name she had tried to shake said so causally was a recipe for disaster.

"It's Piedléger now, and I'm afraid I can't help you. I've not had contact with anyone from my family for a long time," Ella said coolly, trying not to lose her temper. That could really end badly.

"You misunderstand, L'Orange, we are here to recruit your talents. After all, you have great skills with locks," the tall police officer replied with a sneer, barely containing his contempt for the girl in front of him.

"Please, we did ask that you address Ella by the name she's chosen. Especially when in public. And Ella, let me explain this request to you, a bit more privately," Laurel said, trying to diffuse the situation that was already brewing.

Taking the two police officers and Ella to the side, once the latter had a break, Laurel explained that there had been a murder recently of someone who was suspected of being linked to a crime ring. They expected that a lot of his paperwork which could be used as evidence was in the safe that they had found hidden behind a painting in his home. Unfortunately, the safe seemed to be too complicated for anyone at the Bardon police department to open. They had even called in several locksmiths, but to no avail.

"So, you want me to open it? I'm sorry, but I don't do that anymore," Ella said simply. She had no wish to return in any way, shape or form to her former life.

"And here, I'm afraid is the problem. You really don't have a choice L'Orange. I am asking you, in an official capacity, to open a safe to aid in an investigation. Failure to comply would be against your parole order, which states that you are to aid the police department in all manners that you can," the tall officer replied with a nasty smirk on his beak.

Ella looked over to Laurel, hoping that she could refute this. Alas, the parole officer looked resigned as well, her shoulders falling in defeat. It seemed that they were both in a bind. If Ella refused the officers could say she was obstructing an investigation which would be in direct violation of her parole. But, if Ella was to help, it could leave her vulnerable to the life she had tried so hard to leave behind. She had no idea how she'd feel after opening the safe, for she knew she could open it even after so many years of inactivity.

With a defeated sigh, Ella agreed to help the police officers. She hoped that if she did this one job, then they would see that she was reformed and leave her alone to try and get her life figured out. She was taken to the home of the murder victim once she had finished her shift. And she opened that safe within twenty minutes with only the basic tools that she was provided astonishing the assembled officers.

She left without even looking in the safe, feeling that that would be too much like her past life. She tried to forget how good it felt to flex her skills in front of so many. She tried to move on, hoping that she would never need to do it again.

And then she was asked to open another safer three months later. And then another and another and another. And each time it was as if she was in competition with herself to see if she could get better.

And she did.

Eventually, after helping the police department for nine months she had managed to get her times back to what they once were when she was in her prime. And it made her fingers twitchy. She could barely keep her impulses down. She began to notice the open bags left by the side of chairs, or the belongings left unattended on the tables of the Scene. She could see the pockets laden with expensive items that would have been so easy to life unnoticed.

She would try to find different things to occupy her fingers. The keyboard that her friends had bought her helped a lot, as it allowed her fingers to make complex movements. She had also taken Tia and her grandmother up on the offer to help in her store. She had taken her time learning the skills needed for working in the shop, as hand stitching and embroidery did keep her fingers busy too.

Physical exercise would help. She would run, and run as far and as fast as she could. She would try to skate, though she still wasn't as sure footed as she hoped to be. She would clean everything available, making it gleam with an almost unnatural sheen.

And, of course, she had sex with her boyfriend. Often, and as vigorously as she could. Every time they collapsed in each others arms after they had reached their peaks, Ella would finally feel as peace and relaxed. As if she had found a place to belong.

It was during these moments of reprieve that Wildwing would try to talk to Ella about what was bothering her. He would ask her if she was hiding anything, or if there was something she needed to speak with him about.

She would try to speak to him. She would try to explain to him about her past. She was in constant fear that he would find out some other way, especially with the two police officers coming by so frequently. But every time the words were on the tip of her tongue, she would lose her resolve and climb on top of her boyfriend again, to feel the closeness.

It was when everyone left for that second summer that she felt almost completely lost. Especially when she had finally figured out where she wanted her life to lead only to come up with a brick wall so high that she could never hope to climb it.

It was during this summer that Ella finally realised what she wanted to do with her life. She had gone to visit Wildwing in Central City for two weeks. It was the break between the two sessions of the summer camp, and Ella was staying in the Flashblade home.

They had been home about five days when Cal demanded that Canard, Wildwing and Nosedive help him at the station. A recent summer flu outbreak had made several support staff members call in sick and they needed some able bodied drakes to help in the police garage. This left Ella in the care of their mother, who also needed some help at her workplace due to the same flu.

Ella had tried to protest, saying that she wasn't qualified to help in a hospital. And Magda just waved it off, saying that she didn't need a qualification to sit with sick children. The entire drive to the hospital had Ella protesting, as she knew it was against her parole order, she couldn't work with children. But she couldn't tell Magda that.

As soon as they arrived, Ella was marched straight into the children's ward and asked to keep the children entertained. The nurse there then called all the children over so and handed Ella a story book. She told her to read to the children while she organised and cleaned the ward. They had been working with half the staff, it was hard to keep a children's ward organised when you had half the staff but the same number of children.

At first, Ella felt really uncomfortable. There were twenty wide eyed kids and teens all looking at her as she sat in front of them. She tried to take a deep breath and started to recite the story based off the pictures. It wasn't until a brave, balding teenage boy squeaked up that she was speaking gibberish.

Closing her eyes in frustration, Ella realised that she had slipped into Rouenin. But, instead of being annoyed, the kids all seemed intrigued. They asked her to continue with the story in Rouenin, and they all made a game of it. Trying to guess what she was saying based on the pictures of the book. The young children loved it and the older children asked more complex questions.

The nurses all found it fascinating that the children seemed so interested in learning. They asked Ella to do some quick lessons as well reading and keeping the children entertained. Before she knew it, the day had ended and Magda came to collect her.

The next day Ella came back with some ideas for lessons, and games that she had had during the night. She had worked on them till the wee hours in the morning while Wildwing lay sleeping next to her. It was one of the few nights where she didn't have to exhaust herself to find peace.

That was her routine for the rest of her trip to see her boyfriend. She would read to the children, in one of the languages she spoke or she would just read a story to them. She would then help with different lessons, math, Mallarish, Rouenin, science. Anything that she could teach, she would try.

"You have a real knack for teaching you know," Magda commented when she came to pick her up. They would be heading to dinner in town, as Wildwing would be heading back to camp the next day and Ella would leave the day after.

"You should really consider teaching, I think you'd be good at it," Magda said with a caring smile.

She knew that Magda was trying to be caring and considerate, but the sweet way that she said it felt like a spear of ice piercing her heart. Ella had really loved being with those children, and she felt so proud of them when they would greet her in Rouenin when she entered. Just like how she had felt an overwhelming sense of pride when Nosedive showed her his prize for his Rouenin essay.

It was something that was going to be constant heartache. Knowing exactly what you wanted to do with your life by never being able to achieve it. That was what Laurel told her at least, when she checked in with her. With her record still open she would be unable to pass a police background check, even if she had the support of several people in that profession.

A few days after Ella returned to Bardon, Magda had called her and told her that she had arranged an interview with Bardon Children's Hospital. It was for a volunteer position, as a teaching assistant for the children in long term care.

"I'm sorry Magda, but I really can't do a volunteer job at the moment. I need to save money for school, so I'm picking up as many shifts as I can," Ella had replied. It was a very plausible excuse, for an orphan girl living on her own.

That night, with nothing else to do, Ella had walked the streets in the richest neighbourhood of Bardon. She had stopped at the biggest house, and assessed the security there. For, if her past was going to completely dictate her future, why shouldn't she just give in to the easier path.

It was a simple system. She had learned to bypass a similar system when she was six years old. The cameras were all looking in the wrong directions, giving blind spots so large that you could drive a bus through them. There were no guards walking the grounds. And it looked like the alarm was only for show. She could be in and out in under an hour with a handful of valuables, even if there were still people in the house.

She ran as far and as fast as she could that night. She felt like she ran a full lap of Bardon city. When she arrived back at her apartment she uncovered the training ring that was on the floor and practiced with her wooden cane until her fingers and toes bled. She needed to get those thoughts out of her head, and the impulses out of her body.

During the third year of her release, Ella had begun to lose hope about the future. She had no desire to go to school if there was nothing she could do. The only courses that she had been allowed to attend were simple classes that would be of no use to her.

She had applied to business classes, so that she could at least advance and maybe one day have her own business. She was rejected due to her criminal record. Ella had discussed this many times with Laurel, who had given her a glowing recommendation, but it was to no avail.

"Maybe, we could get a few more recommendations? I bet if you asked, um, Calford Thunderbeak and Magda Flashblade, as pillars of a professional community, their word would go a long way."

It was good advice, which was why Ella told Laurel the truth. That she had yet to inform her boyfriend or any of her friends about what had happened in her life. She had told no one but Dip and Petra about her past.

She could see the disappointment and disapproval in Laurel's eyes. She had seen it in Dip's eyes when he told her the same thing. He was constantly telling her to tell her boyfriend the truth, or else she would lose him forever.

And she did try. She really did. She was always afraid though, that she would no longer see the love in his eyes anymore. That was part of the reason why she did everything she could to not fall back into her old life. She didn't want to lose his love.

She knew that it would have been so easy to call her brother and tell him where she was. Then she could have her family by blood as well as the millions of dollars that she owned. The dollars that were sitting in offshore banks gathering interest and accumulating more dollars each year.

The only thing that gave her hope and kept her from returning to that life was some of the things that Wildwing started to talk about. He had begun to drop hints about the two of them moving in together for his final year and to possibly stay in Bardon for longer.

"I started thinking about doing a masters programme. It would give me a better chance of making detective," Wildwing said over coffee in the Scene, sometime in the spring of his third year. He had once again made the main team, but he still wasn't the starting goalie.

"And, what will you do after the masters' programme?" Ella had asked sweetly, trying to make coffee as if she wasn't interested in what the answer would be.

"I think I'll join the police force, here, in Bardon. I think I know somewhere I could get cheap accommodation. And I could probably get a job, the postgraduate team doesn't play as regularly after all, so I could contribute to rent and utilities quite easily."

She tried to keep the joy from bubbling up. Ella knew that Wildwing had wanted to join the Central City Police Force. The same one that his father had joined. To know that he was willing to change his life plans to make sure that she had a part in them was heart warming.

She was so involved in her conversation with Wildwing that she failed to notice the very well dressed drake sitting in the corner. The one who as soon as he received his coffee from Amy began to take notes and photos of the girl behind the counter.

He had a long file about Mademoiselle Eleanor L'Orange, younger sister to Duke L'Orange, leader of the Brotherhood of the Blade. As Duke's personal lawyer, Harry Golden, it was his duty to know as much about the missing heiress to the Brotherhood as possible.

It was not actually Brotherhood business that brought Harry Golden to the Scene that day. His reputation as the most brilliant criminal defence lawyer in the whole of Mallar had given him a guest lecturer position that year in the in the law department of DuCaine.

When he had caught sight of the girl, he couldn't believe his eyes. She was the spitting image of her mother. He had seen that portrait hanging in Duke's office long enough to know. And those green eyes, the ones that stared at him in complete and utter cold hatred, he would never forget those.

And they were looking at some white coloured, college jock with such unwavering admiration. Someone who Duke definitely would not approve of. While making and serving coffee. A job that was so far below her that the worms in the ground should not even dare to imagine it.

He spent hours watching her, not making himself known. Only ordering from one of the other waitresses and absolutely nothing too complicated to draw attention to himself. He had to be sure it was the girl who Duke would give a fortune for.

It was clear that the girl hadn't noticed him. As she only had eyes for the dull jock beside her, wearing a stupid university team jacket while she wore a plastic nametag. Then again, Harry was ten years older than the last time that she saw him, and he now certainly looked it. His plumage had greyed and his eyes had weakened, though his mind had sharpened.

It was only when she started to speak Rouenin that Harry was sure that this was the girl who was once Eleanor L'Orange. He had no idea who she was now, as they would have found her if she was still Eleanor L'Orange, but at least he knew where she now was and it didn't look like she would leave anytime soon.

Leaving the Scene, Harry took his private town car back to Central City. Usually he would spend the night in Bardon, in a luxury apartment by the park. But, as he had news that could not wait, he felt it prudent to get back to the Brotherhood.

Arriving at that ancient seat, he was shown into the private office of the Master of the Brotherhood. The office hadn't changed much in ten years, but the drake who sat behind the large desk had. He no longer had any softness in him. He was all cloaks and daggers and hard edges. His years as the Master of the Brotherhood had changed him into a ruthless leader.

The years had stolen one of his eyes. Taken by an attempted assassination by a rival gang while he slept next to the assassin. He slit the girl's throat as she try to plunge the dagger into his head. He had then taken the head of the leader of that gang as punishment and left his body for his son to find.

The chip out of his beak had been taken by that son, who had marched up to the Brotherhood the next day and demanded justice by one on one combat. The boy had been gutted like an animal while Duke only had a chip from his beak.

Harry would be lying if he said he didn't fear sitting in Duke's presence. The drake could easily have him killed or kill him himself if the mood struck him. And, if the information he gave him proved to be false he would be killed. He had seen Duke kill for less, and it had been his job to defend him over those last ten years. A job that has made him richer and more famous Harry could have ever hoped for.

"So, Harry, what the hell you doing back? Don't you usually find yourself some high priced whore to warm your bed for the night when you're in Bardon? Or, did you decide you'd rather have your wife tonight?" Duke asked from behind his enormous mahogany desk.

"I've brought some information that I thought you might be interested in. I encounter some bright green eyes today; ones that I haven't seen in a long time, and I thought you'd like to see a picture of them," Harry answered with a wide smile on his beak.

This seemed to intrigue Duke. He probably thought it was one of the other assassins that had tried to pierce his heart in the night only to escape. Harry was quite good at finding them through his endless supplies of private investigators who would turn in their own mother for what he was paying them.

Harry handed over the folder he had created on the way there. He watched as Duke opened the folder and stopped in disbelief. His hands shaking as he went through every photo that was taken, staring at the young duck in the photos, his own dark eye lighting in something that Harry had not seen in years; hope.

"When did you take these?" Duke asked eventually, his fingers touching the face of the duck in the photos.

"Today. In Bardon. At a cafe called the Scene," Harry answered.

"She always loved Bardon. I should've looked there. Why couldn't anyone find her before?"

"Most likely because they were looking in the wrong places for the wrong type of girl. This girl here, she's a waitress dating a student by the looks of it."

"I want to be sure. I want to make sure that this is Eleanor."

"I'll get my best investigators on it."

"No, I, I want to make sure. I'll get drakes I trust. No offence Harry, but I want to be absolutely sure that this is her. I need this to be her."

Harry didn't argue, he merely nodded his head and left the room. He knew better than to argue with his Master. He still remembered the night when he had gone to Duke and informed him that his sister had left Allenview five months ahead of Judge Noose's original schedule and that she hadn't just been transferred to Miltaka early. That she, in fact had been released on parole and was in the wind with no one able to find information about where she was or what she was doing.

He had had to replace three junior associates that day. The sheer efficiency of Duke's rage was something that would haunt his nightmares forever. And the calls he had to make to those drake's mothers. He had told them that they died in a car crash and that their bodies were so mangled that they couldn't possibly see them.

He would fear for this girl, if he didn't know that the sister of Duke L'Orange would be made of something stronger than steel. He hoped that this girl would be able to come across, and maybe, this would melt the ice that seemed to have formed into his Master's veins.

Nodding, Harry left Duke in his office. The Master of the Brotherhood poured himself a large glass of whiskey and then walked through his large empty house. He stopped at the room that was opposite his. A room that no one but himself and his housekeeper could ever enter.

His sister's room was in absolute pristine condition. The walls were freshened up every few years, the furniture was highly polished and of the best quality. He would regularly send Madam Isa and Madam Tryst out to replace the linens and silks.

The wardrobe was constantly updated. With the finest clothes that move could buy being added each season. They had to guess at her size, but anything could either be replaced or fitted quite easily.

The jewellery that was in the cases and boxes were some of the finest on the planet. Though, nothing was as fine as the string of pearls that their mother left her. But, he couldn't find those in Allenview, he assumed that Ellie took them with her.

This room was fit for the heiress of the finest crime dynasty the world had ever seen. When she came back she would want for absolutely nothing and she would become exactly what she needed to be. She would be the best jewel thief in the world, next to him.

Duke had no idea why Ellie had not come straight to him. She was probably under strict conditions for her parole. He would, of course, pay those he needed to off so that Ellie could finally come home to him. And this time, he would not let her go.

Starrat and Crystal-Wolf-Guardian-967: thank you very much, I'm trying as best as I can.

Rocky704: I hope this chapter helped to answer your question, it's all gonna go down soon.

gwencarson126: that'll give away plot points! You'll have to keep reading to find out!

Palacegirl: thank you, I'm sending my prayers out to everyone.

hoopsandyoyo42: I wouldn't call it art, but it's now a labour of love!

Thanks

TFG