Hi, here is the next chapter. I am determined to finish this mammoth by the end of this month, and with three chapters already written and two more to go, hopefully, it seems I am on track with that goal.

I hope everyone is staying safe furling this time. Please, social distance, wash your hands regularly, and wear a mask.

TFG

Chapter Thirty-One

It started with a bunch of flowers that had been delivered to The Scene. It was a huge bouquet of white roses and lilies, that was almost as white as freshly fallen snow. It took up almost the entire counter, and every waitress looked at it longingly, wishing that it was for them.

"Hey, Ella, you got a giant bunch of flowers," Zina said when the girl walked in for her shift. She had the afternoon and evening shift that day as Wildwing had a late practice.

"Really, those are for me?" Ella clarified, looking at the beautiful flowers.

The flowers smelt wonderful, almost filling up the entire counter area with their floral aroma. They also looked so expensive, and Ella wished that Wildwing had not gone to the trouble of spending so much money on her, especially when she loved the colourful bunches of tulips and daisies that he usually chose. But, it was nice to have something special.

When Wildwing and Canard walked in, complaining of how harsh their practice was, Ella practically jumped into her boyfriends' lap. She instantly started nuzzling his beak, whispering what she was planning to do to him that evening to thank him for being so wonderful.

"Ella, not that I'm not dying for you to strip me naked and take care of all my sore muscles, but I didn't send you any flowers today," Wildwing admitted, ignoring the looks that Canard was sending him.

"Who else would have sent me flowers?" Ella asked, looking up at the giant bouquet on the counter, confused about the turn of events.

"Did you check the card?" Canard asked, looking up at the flowers as well and taking note of what kind of bouquet would cause that kind of reaction.

Getting up, Ella walked across and looked around the bouquet, asking Zina if there was a card. The older hen came over, and pointed to the cream coloured envelope that was tucked into one of the green ribbons around the glass vase.

The card didn't say who the flowers were from, but Ella instantly knew. On the card it read 'Eleanor L'Orange' in a pretty cursive script.

Seeing those two words made Ella's blood run cold, rushing so quickly that it rung in her ears. She hadn't even realised that she fainted, until she woke up cradled in her boyfriend's arms in the backroom.

"What happened?" Ella asked, looking up at Wildwing, Canard and Zina.

"You just passed out," Wildwing answered, dabbing Ella's face with a damp washcloth.

"I've called Dip already, he said that you should just take the day off, and if you don't feel any better, then you should take tomorrow off as well," Zina explained. The older hen was only meant to work that afternoon, as she had her master's thesis proposal to work on, but she had no problem covering for Ella if she wasn't well.

Wildwing helped Ella up off the floor, keeping in constant contact with her as they walked back to her apartment. Opening up the door to Ella's apartment both ducks were surprised to see the flowers that were decorating the entire place.

"What the actual fuck has happened here?" Canard asked, dropping the bags that he was carrying. Since Wildwing was practically carrying Ella, Canard had taken all their bags.

All Ella could see was the blood money that her brother had now desecrated her apartment with. And she knew that she couldn't stay there that night. She asked if she could stay in the dorm room with Wildwing instead.

Her boyfriend, of course, agreed, since it was obvious that Ella was freaked out. He also made a mental note to ask her what was going on, when she was a little calmer. Instead, he helped her grab a change of clothes and some of her toiletries to pack an overnight bag.

Usually, Wildwing would stay over at Ella's apartment. In fact, most of his belongings were now in her apartment. During the summer and winter vacations, most of his stuff would migrate over to her apartment for storage, and when he arrived back, he would take back fewer and fewer things.

There were several of his knick-knacks decorating the light-coloured walls. There was even a picture of his father sitting on her large bookcase. They had had to buy a second wardrobe to accommodate most of his clothes, and there were several of his textbooks doted around. And, on the table were some of his unfinished papers.

If truth be told, Wildwing had moved into Ella's apartment during his second year, when he was studying for his finals and found the dorm too noisy. He would only spend the night in his dorm room when he was required to do it, due to his position as a residency advisor.

While Ella packed her small overnight bag, Wildwing also had to gather some items for the night. He was sure that he didn't have any of his own toiletries in his dorm room, or any clean underwear. Ella's building had its own laundry room, so there was a smaller chance of getting their clothes stolen. As a result, most of Wildwing's clothes were in Ella's apartment.

Grabbing all their bags, the trio made their way across the park towards the male dormitories. There was usually a strict no overnight guests' policy in the dorm, but as Wildwing was one of the people who enforced that rule, it was easy to let the rule slide.

They had to walk past the drake that was on duty that evening, who happened to be a masters' student, but he just waved them on. Everyone knew about Wildwing and Ella, and some students had even started a new poll about when Wildwing would propose.

The room that Wildwing now had as a third-year student, and a second-year residency advisor was a lot nicer than the room that he had shared with Canard in their first year. For starters, it was arranged more like an apartment rather than a single room. There were three rooms, with double beds, that shared a small common area and bathroom.

It was still decorated as most of the rooms in the dorms were, a dingy and bland beige. But they did have a large table, a fridge, a microwave and a sofa and small TV in the common area. Not that any of them actually had time to watch much TV.

Arriving in the room, they saw a note from their third roommate informing them that he was going to back late. After some embarrassing issues that they had had in their first few weeks in the shared space together, they had all agreed to write their schedules on a large whiteboard in the common room, to avoid any more mishaps.

The bags were dropped on the floor, while Canard called for some take out noodles. They had all missed dinner in the dorm, and Ella had not eaten dinner yet. He also grabbed some bottles of beer that they had chilling in the fridge.

Their dinner that night was rather subdued, as both Canard and Wildwing were concerned about Ella, but didn't know how to ask her what had happened. And Ella, she was descending into her own personal hell.

She was desperately trying to figure out how her brother could have found her after so many years. Or, it might have been one of his many enemies. She knew there were several people who wanted them both dead.

She had been so careful over these years; she had kept her head down and not drawn any attention to herself. But, she realised, she hadn't been that careful. Over the last few months, she had made a few hits in upscale neighbourhoods, which had been where Duke and she had started when she was a child.

If Duke was looking at these kinds of crimes in the paper, or through one of his contacts on the police force, then he could have easily found her. Or, the police officers that she had been made to help out over this last year could have fed something back to him.

There were so many possibilities, and each one would put not only her in serious danger, but they would put everyone she loved in danger too. If it was one of her brother's enemies, they could easily try to kill her as a way to get to him. But if it was her brother, she knew that he could ruthlessly cut through her friends or boyfriend to break her and bend her to his will.

There could only be one conclusion, which was the most heart-breaking thing Ella could think of. She would have to disappear. It was the only way to keep everyone safe and to keep her freedom. If she left now, she could be out of the district within hours. She had enough money to keep herself afloat for a while, and knew enough to be able to change her identity fairly successfully.

And, if she disappeared, she would be starting off on a clean slate somewhere else. She could forge enough documents to be able to enrol in a local and find another job to support herself. She now knew enough to be able to get through an interview.

But she would have to leave Wildwing.

Looking up into the face of her boyfriend, she knew that she could never leave him willingly. He had her whole heart now, and if she left, she would be leaving that behind with him. She could always build her life up again, but she would never be able to find this kind of love again.

Ella grabbed Wildwing's hand and pulled him into his room, completely dumbfounding Canard due to the sudden change of mood. She practically threw Wildwing onto his own bed, while she slammed the door close.

"Ella, what's going on?" Wildwing asked, confused about the complete one-eighty turn that his girlfriend had just done.

"I love you Wildwing, so much," Ella said sincerely, standing before him.

"I love you too, but Ella, what's wrong?"

"I'm not really sure, I don't know who sent those flowers, or who did that to my apartment. I have an idea though, and it's scared me."

"Do, do you want me to call the police, or get Cal involved?"

"No, I want you to hold me, and make love to me, and to stay with me," Ella said taking off her shirt in one swift move.

"Ella, not that I really don't want to do this, cause I really, really do, but what's going on?"

"I want to tell you, and I will, I promise, I'll tell you everything, once I've figured it out," Ella said with a small smile.

"Everything?" Wildwing asked, looking up at the beautiful, half-naked hen in front of him.

"Everything. Wing, I love you and I want us to be open and honest with each other, because I don't ever want to lose you. I've had some really bad things happen, when I was younger, and I'm afraid that once I tell you, you'll not want to stay with me," Ella explained.

"Ella, there is nothing that you can say that will make me not want to be with you. Just, just tell me what's going on and we can work through it," Wildwing said forcefully, standing up to grab her hands.

"I hope so, Wing. But I need to deal with it first, on my own, and then, I'll tell you absolutely everything. I promise," Ella said, leaning up to nuzzle her beak against Wildwing's softly.

"I can accept that, just, if you need me, let me know."

"I do need you, right now, I need to feel you close to me," Ella said, her fingers deftly undoing Wildwing's button-up shirt.

"How about this, we move in together, so that you can feel safer? I've only got another month or two here in the dorm. Then, we could officially live together, what do you think?"

"I think we should celebrate one of your last nights in university dorms," Ella said with a sly smile, unbuttoning Wildwing's jeans.

He didn't need telling twice, he allowed his girlfriend to unbutton him and pleasure him before she stripped off the rest of her clothes. She then climbed on top of him and sank down onto her very willing boyfriend, enjoying the needy groan that escaped Wildwing's beak as he felt every bare inch of her.

When they had satiated each other, they collapsed into a sweaty heap under Wildwing's blue covers. It took no time before Wildwing fell asleep with a happy smile on his beak as he spooned his girlfriends naked body.

Ella didn't fall asleep as quickly as Wildwing. She lay there, feeling content in her boyfriend's arms. His steady, warm breath on her neck soothing her troubled mind. This was exactly where she wanted to spend the rest of her life, in Wildwing's arms while he slept soundly behind her.

The next day, after Canard gave them both a hard time for the noise they made the night before, Wildwing told his best friend his plans. And, when Ella had escaped to the bathroom, he then explained to his best friend that he planned to find a summer job in Bardon, rather than spending the entire summer in Central.

It didn't take that long to move the rest of Wildwing's stuff into Ella's apartment. Or to throw out the florists that had taken over Ella's apartment. Though, Canard did steal a bunch to present to Amy in apology. After three years they were still in an odd on-again, off-again relationship. They were currently in the off-again stage, again, as Canard had recently gone out with another girl.

Over the next few days, Ella seemed quite on edge. She had placed one of Wildwing's large hockey sticks next to her front door, plus her trusty kitchen knife. In fact, Wildwing was convinced that she was carrying the sharp instrument with her when she left the apartment.

She seemed almost paranoid on the walk from the apartment to the Scene, and would be constantly checking around her. It had made Wildwing and Canard slightly paranoid as well, as she was making them keep an eye out too, in case someone came to approach them.

This was something neither of the drakes needed, as they were headed into their third-year finals and final hockey matches of the year. Their grades could make or break their degree, and possible future academic pursuits. Not to mention their positions on the main hockey team, which had taken Wildwing a long time to earn.

Ella had even requested that Nosedive not visit during this time, not until she felt more comfortable. Which was upsetting to the young drake, as he loved to visit his brother and surrogate brother. Wildwing didn't even tell him that he had now moved into Ella's apartment and he definitely didn't tell him that he would most likely spend the summer in Bardon rather than in Central.

He was going to go home for a little while at the start of the summer, which wasn't that far off. But, would then travel back to Bardon. He made a plan to ask his coach if there was a summer camp in Bardon, or near Bardon for him to be a counsellor at instead.

He would still need to go to Central for part of his summer vacation though. His mother would never forgive him if he didn't visit home in almost two years. Hopefully, Wildwing would also be able to convince Ella to join him for part of the visit too.

At least with Wildwing sleeping mostly at Ella's apartment it calmed her down. And, when he was stuck on R.A. duty, Canard would sleep on Ella's couch. Not that he was complaining, he found he got a lot more work down in Ella's quiet, private apartment. The dorms were so noisy and busy, that even when he wasn't on duty, he was still regularly disturbed.

Ella was incredibly thankful to both her boyfriend and her friend. She had not told anyone else about what was going on. She didn't want to worry anyone else, as she knew both Wildwing and Canard were a quite disturbed about the sudden turn of events.

She told herself, on the way to her parole officer, that she would give it a month before she explained to Wildwing what was happening. That way, she would not impact his exams more than she already had. But, if Duke made contact before that time was up, then she didn't know what she was going to do.

It would probably be a good idea to talk through what was going on with her parole officer, thought Ella. Or, she might be able to get in contact with Detective Abacot. He did tell her that if she needed anything that she could contact him.

She could also contact Cal Thunderbeak, Canard's father, who was the chief of detectives for Abacot's department. Over the years they had developed a good relationship, and since she was Wildwing's girlfriend he would probably try to help her.

Sitting down across Laurel Flocks, Ella was a little taken aback to see the normally calm parole officer practically bouncing in her seat. Before Ella could even say a word about what was bothering her, Laurel burst out that she had amazing news.

"So, I've been in contact with the Higher Court Judge Xue, and she has agreed to finally seal your record as a juvenile offender!" Laurel practically gushed out.

"Okay, what does that mean?" Ella asked, entirely forgetting the problem that she had wanted to speak to Laurel about.

"It means that, in a few weeks, it'll be like your conviction never happened and no one can look it up. Now, this doesn't mean that your conviction has been overturned or excommunicated. You will still be on parole, and required to check in with me regularly. But it means that you can apply for jobs and schools without having to worry about them looking into your conviction," Laurel explained with a large smile on her beak.

It took Ella several moments of complete shock and awe before she fully realised what Laurel was saying. This meant that she could finally apply to schools for other courses besides introductions. She could also apply for other jobs, and with two years supervisor experience you could actually be accepted.

And then she realised that she could finally do what she really wanted to do. Ella could finally apply to do a degree in education. If no one could see her conviction it meant that she could finally work with children.

"So, how does this make you feel?" Laurel asked, a little nervous about the length of time her parolee had been silent.

"It's wonderful. I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say," Ella replied honestly, tears were starting to form in her green eyes as she looked to a future that she and Wildwing could have together.

"I know it's a lot to think about. Its entirely life changing, but this is all down to your hard work. You've been a model parolee over these last three years, as well as a model prisoner when you were detained. You've even complied with the ridiculous request of the Bardon police department. I have to tell you; I was really worried that might have made you turn back to your previous life. But, I'm so glad that I was wrong."

The smile that Laurel gave Ella made the younger hen's stomach churn in guilt. If she mentioned her night time excursions it might actually break her parole officers' heart. And, if she mentioned that she thought Duke had found her that might be looked at differently and cause her file to stay open.

"So, do you need to tell me anything?" Laurel asked, smiling.

"Not really. Wildwing moved in the other day."

"Really, that's wonderful, Ella. And, have you spoken to him about your past?"

"A little bit, I plan to tell him soon."

Laurel smiled at that, telling Ella how happy she was. The parole officer then made a few notes in Ella's file, which had changed colour from orange to blue. They chatted for a few more minutes, with Ella explaining how work was going, and her plans for the summer. Now that her records were sealed, Ella asked if she could apply to be a camp counsellor.

"I think that's a great idea. I believe there are a few summer camps around Bardon. I can make some inquiries about what positions you could take. Is Wildwing going to work at the Camp around Central this year, or will he be looking into being at a new camp near Bardon?"

After they chatted for a few more moments, Ella left the parole office with a pack full of information. Laurel had pre-empted what Ella would ask and had collected a few brochures about different colleges and universities.

That afternoon, Ella had a long shift at the Scene. Since they had entered the final period the Scene would once again become a twenty-four-hour place. And, with several of the other waiters and waitresses were students, Ella would be putting in a lot of overtime to cover those shifts. This meant that Ella would be earning a lot of overtime pay.

Over the years, Ella had saved a lot of money. It was nowhere near the amount that she knew she had waiting in the offshore bank accounts that her brother had set up for her. But it made her happy to know that she had earned that money legally.

It was now enough to cover a few years tuition. It did help that Ella didn't need to pay her full rent, and if Wildwing was going to be living with her from now on, he would start contributing to the utilities and groceries.

The thoughts of future domestic bliss occupied so much of Ella's mind that she didn't notice anyone who was in the Scene. She merely walked past the counter to back room to get changed. She threw on her work shirt and tied the apron before she walked back into the coffee house.

"Hey there, Ella, you speak Rouenin right?" asked Amy when Ella came round the counter.

"Yeah, why? Is someone having issues with their Rouenin paper?" Ella asked with a giggle.

"Not yet, but that'll probably happen again soon. No, it's that old guy in the corner. He kept asking to speak to someone in his native tongue, and I told him that you would be in soon and would most likely enjoy chatting to him. He ordered an espresso if you want to take it round to him," Amy said, handing her the already made coffee.

Ella just smiled and grabbed the coffee. She knew that Amy had enough Rouenin to speak with someone but was probably just anxious to get home and study. Not that Ella could blame her, the paper that Amy had to write was worth a quarter of her third years grade.

Walking to the corner, Ella looked up and finally saw who the coffee was for. She hadn't seen the older drake in ten years, but she could never mistake him. He still had the same dark plumage across his body, with the wide scar across his face.

There were more scars on his body now though, Ella could see them on his forearms. His designer shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal the still firm arms. He looked just as trim as he did all those years ago, and he was just as well dressed.

"Mademoiselle L'Orange," Master Duiken said with a wide smile across his beak.

"Master Duiken," Ella said as neutrally as she could. She knew there were several ducks in the Scene who were friends with Wildwing, and if things got out of hand, they could easily tell the drake what happened.

"It's wonderful to see you again, my dear. Please, sit down and join me. I'm sure your colleagues wouldn't mind if you spent some time talking to an old drake," Master Duiken said in Rouenin, with the wide smile still on his beak.

"I'd rather not," Ella replied, still neutral.

"Come now, my dear, if you continue to stand while glaring at an old drake, people will start to wonder why and ask questions. You wouldn't want any of this to get back to your male companion," Duiken said, gesturing to the seat opposite him.

Taking a deep breath, Ella sat down across from the old master, knowing that he was correct. She didn't want to, in fact, she wanted to run out the door. It was taking all her self restraint to stop from doing something stupid.

"I must say, you do look the spitting image of your mother. I can see you're still wearing her pearls. They look lovely on you."

"What do you want, Duiken? You can't buy me with a roomful of flowers."

"I'm very sorry about that. I didn't realise that Duke had sent all those flowers. I told him that I was the one who should make contact with you first."

"I don't want to see him. I don't want to see you either. Please, just leave."

"Come now, Eleanor, he is your brother. Your only family. Please, just meet him, and see what he has to say. From your recent night time excursions you might be interested in what he has to say."

"Get out."

"Okay, I will leave you for today. But I doubt this will be the end. You know that your brother will not give up now that he knows where you are. It might be in your best interest to see him and get it over with," Duiken said with a smile. He sipped the last of his coffee, grabbed his jacket and left her with a smile.

And it seemed that Duiken wasn't wrong. The next day, as Ella walked to work, she spotted a familiar blue mane. She didn't have to backtrack to get a better look at the drake to know that it was Lex, who was once the hacker that she had worked with.

The drake was sitting on a bench in the park that she walked every day, reading a book and drinking something hot from a thermos. He looked so inconspicuous amongst the other students doing the exact same thing, that Ella was sure that he had been there before.

And, sure enough, when she walked that path again that evening, she saw the grey feathers and broad shoulders of Rick, her brother's driver. If she looked hard enough, she could probably spot Jesh, the explosives expert somewhere. He would most likely blend in more easily around some of the professors or other members of staff.

When she got back to her apartment, she found both Wildwing and Canard sitting at her dining table, all their books spread out as they were drilling each other. There were notecards, and diagrams in front of them, that looked to be handmade.

"Hey there, Ella," Wildwing said, standing up to take his girlfriends' bag.

"Hey guys, how's the studying going?"

"Don't ask, it's been brutal today. We did a mock test and, if that had been the real exam, we would not be back next year," Wildwing replied with a grimace.

"Don't say that, and don't they usually make those practice exams harder than the actual exam? To incentivise you?" Ella said, spooning out a bowl of stew from the pot that was sitting on the stove.

The two drakes got back to studying, as Ella sat down to read the most recent book from Mr Trill. It was an enthralling tale that managed to get Ella's mind off of her troubles. She didn't even notice that Canard had left until she felt Wildwing sit on the couch with her.

"You okay?" he asked, as he placed her legs across his lap.

"Medium. Just a lot of stuff on my mind," Ella replied, putting the book down and curling up next to her brother.

"Is this anything to do with whoever sent you the flowers? Cause you got another bunch today, along with a package," Wildwing said, reaching behind the couch to pull out a bunch of brightly coloured roses and a black velvet box.

Without opening the box, Ella knew what the contents would be. She had received so many of those boxes when she was younger that she didn't even need to look. She told Wildwing to just throw it out, to which her boyfriend just stared.

He pressed the box more firmly into her hands, telling her to stop being silly and just open it. And he continued to look at her, until she pulled the ribbon off of the long velvet box and flipped it open, revealing the beautiful silver and sapphire bracelet that was resting on the padding.

"Wow, that, that looks expensive!" Wildwing said with a whistle.

"$250," Ella said plainly, handing her boyfriend the receipt when he looked at her with confusion.

"Who, who buys a gift and leaves the receipt?"

Ella didn't want to tell him that the reason the receipt was there was to prove that it had been bought, rather than stolen. But that would mean explaining to Wildwing about her past and her master thief brother. Which she really didn't want to do that evening.

"Don't worry about it, I'll just return it to the store. I have the receipt, so it shouldn't be that difficult," Ella said, standing up and going to place the box on the bookcase near the window.

As she did, she looked out and saw someone sitting on the bench across from the building. She couldn't see them very well, but she knew that they were looking at her apartment.

"What did the delivery guy look like?" Ella asked, not taking her eyes off the person staring up at her building.

"Um, tall, and thin. He had a blue mane, I think. Didn't say much, just asked for Eleanor. Hey, there's a card here," Wildwing said, pulling out the card that was attached to the bunch of roses.

Ella couldn't help but feel relief at the description. It sounded a lot like Lex, who would most likely report everything back to Duke. She had been worried that it was Duke who had been at the door, just like she was worried it was Duke sitting on that bench watching her. She knew he had to be somewhere, lurking around, but she didn't know where.

Turning from the window, Ella walked back across the room to accept the card that Wildwing was holding out. She saw that it just had her real first name, written in Duke's elegant script on it. She didn't even open the card, she only threw it in the trash, tearing it up into little pieces first.

"Um, Ella, what's going on?" Wildwing asked, concerned for his girlfriend's wellbeing.

"It's nothing. Someone who I don't want to talk to, he's found me and is trying to badger me into talking to him."

"Is it your brother?" Wildwing asked, turning his entire body to look at his girlfriend.

If he hadn't been so close and knew Ella so well, he would not have seen the way she tensed. Or the short, sharp intake of breath. Nor the way her eyes suddenly glassed over with pain and fear. In an instant he had pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

Relaxing into Wildwing's arms, Ella tried to let her fear wash away. It was rather difficult, as she knew that one of the Brotherhood members were downstairs at that very moment and she would probably see another one of them tomorrow. And the next day, and the day after that, and every other day until she listened to what her brother had to say.

"Do you need anything? Can I do anything?" Wildwing asked, softly stroking Ella's back.

"Just keep doing this," Ella replied, holding Wildwing tighter.

After several moments of just holding each other on the couch, Ella gripped Wildwing's hand and lead him into the bedroom. That night, they made slow, sensuous love to each other, proclaiming how they felt with each touch and caress.

They both fell asleep in each other's arms. It was in the dead of night that Ella woke up and got dressed in Wildwing's practice jersey. She walked into the living room and looked out of the window again to see the member of the Brotherhood still sitting on the bench across from the building.

Throwing on both her coat and boots, Ella quietly left her warm apartment and made her way downstairs. She passed by a few ducks that were still coming and going, it was finals period they were probably either drunk or high off of caffeine from studying.

When she left the building, the figure on the bench stood up. He was too short to be Duke, and too skinny to be Duiken, so that made her fell a little better. She started to walk slowly towards the figure, the street lights finally illuminating their face.

"What do you want, Lex?" Ella asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good evening to you to, Ellie, how you doing?" Lex said courteously, even bowing slightly to his employers' younger sister.

"Cut the crap, Lex, what do you want?"

"Well, I want to be in a warm bed with a gorgeous girl next to me, but I see that position is already occupied. Just kidding, but I would prefer to be indoors right now."

"Get to the point then," Ella said curtly, already annoyed at being outside when she could have been being spooned by her boyfriend.

"Sorry, Duke's made me sit here, every night for three weeks. It's not very comfortable. He wants to see you kiddo, he wants to talk about things."

"If he wants to see me so badly then why are you sitting on a bench at four in morning?"

"Because it's Duke. He wants to do a big thing."

"If I speak to him, then what?"

"Like he would tell me, I just do what I'm told and mostly hack stuff. You'll have to ask him yourself, in person," Lex answered, suddenly fishing around his pocket for something.

After a few seconds, Lex found what he was looking for and handed Ella a heavy envelope. It was the same cream card that had been on the bunch of flowers and had her name written in Duke's cursive handwriting.

Accepting the card, Ella opened it to find very little information. It only had a place, a date and a time written on it, nothing more. She even flipped the card over to see if there was anything else on the back.

"This is a pick-up?" Ella asked, holding out the card, as the place listed was her own apartment.

"Be there, at that time, Rick will pick you up and take you to Duke. He wants to speak to you in person, properly, his words not mine."

"Okay, I'll meet him. This one time, but I don't want to see any of you again until this time. If I even catch a glimpse of any of you, the meetings off, got it?" Ella explained plainly, not wanting to give her brother any wriggle room.

After a few moments Lex nodded his head in agreement. He then reached into his backpack and pulled out another velvet box that matched the one in Ella's apartment. Opening it up, Ella saw that it was a matching necklace to the bracelet that she had already received.

"You've got a few more gifts coming, but I'll arrange for an actual delivery guy to deliver them. Have a good night," Lex said, putting on his backpack and picking up his book from the bench.

Ella watched as the hacker walked down the street and turned the corner. Taking a deep breath, Ella pocketed the necklace, wishing that she didn't have to deal with anything that had suddenly been dropped on her plate.

Thanks for reading, please rate and review.

Palacegirl: yeah, I toyed with the idea of whether Nosedive knew or not, but found it funnier if he knew. The, they don't know we know they know we know kinda thing.

TFG