Hi guys, thanks for the reviews and reads, it means a lot that some people are still reading this.

We're coming to the wrap up soon. I honestly believe I will finish this with 37 chapters and I'm currently writing chapter 35. After I finish this I'll use this momentum to finish One More Night, so that these are finished before I start publishing my story of my OCs life during the Puckworld occupation.

TFG

Chapter Thirty-Two

In the three days between talking to Lex and meeting her brother, Ella did not see a single one of her brother's associates. Though, she knew they had to be somewhere close. There was no way her brother would let her out of her sight before he had a chance to see her. He wouldn't want to risk her disappearing again.

Not that Ella could disappear. She had built a life here, and was not willing to throw it completely away just because her brother had descended upon. She might have been willing to do that several years ago, when she had neither nothing nor nobody. But now, she had a home, a job, friends and someone who loved her. She was not going to be chased out by the ghost of her brother.

In the meantime, Ella received a gift every day. Most of them were left on the doorstep of her apartment. Then, one day, there was when a huge delivery that arrived for her. That afternoon was one of the few that she had free, and she was hanging out in her apartment with Canard, Amy and Wildwing. The three students were taking a break from studying to watch a hockey match on TV and Ella was just enjoying the time with her boyfriend and friends during their busy period.

The firm knock on the door got the attention of Ella, as everyone else was engrossed in the game. After all these years she was still not that sure of most of the rules of hockey, but at least she was skating near proficiently. It was her shocked screams and yelling that got the three other ducks' attention. And then the parade of delivery guys, each bringing in garment bags and boxes got them all to turn off the game.

"What is the world is all of this?" Wildwing asked, looking dumbfounded at the bags from Birdgorf, a really upmarket department store in Central City that he had never visited. His mother had told him that she was sure that you could run up a credit score just by stepping through the doors.

"Bribes, which can all be sent back! That means stop bringing them in, I'm not accepting them!" Ella yelled at the delivery-drake, who was trying to get her to sign for everything. The poor drake looked exasperated as he held out his touchpad, trying to get Ella to sign for the delivery.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I was told that I couldn't take any of this back, even if you said so. The gentle-drake who purchased all of this was very clear about that," the delivery-drake said, still holding out the pad for Ella to sign.

"Well, I don't want any of it!" Ella practically screamed. It was Wildwing who took pity on the delivery-drake and signed for the shipment, confirming that he also lived at the property.

"What, oh come on, there's got to be thousands of dollars' worth of designer clothes here!" Amy exclaimed, looking through some of the bags, many of which were catching her eye.

"Twelve thousand, eight hundred and ninety-seven dollars, excluding delivery. He was also very specific that I give you the receipt and invoice for all of this. Have a nice day," the delivery drake said, signalling the other four delivery drakes to leave and handing over the folder that contained all the information.

"If you don't want some of this, can I have it? I've never had anything designer before," Amy asked, pulling out a black and white duchess silk gown from its garment bag and holding it next to her to see if it would fit, really wishing that she was the same size as Ella.

"Is it from your brother again, do you want me to have a talk with him?" Wildwing asked, looking through a large box of hanging shirts, but mostly looking at the price tags that were all still attached to the garments.

"I don't have his contact information. And I really don't want to acknowledge this pile of bribes that he was too cowardly to deliver himself," Ella replied, kicking her way through the ridiculous number of boxes.

"So, I can have this?" Amy asked again, holding out the same gown that she seemed to have fallen in love with.

The look that Ella shot her friend was both terrifying and hilarious. It was only Wildwing that managed to calm her down, and convince her not to throw everything out immediately just to get it out of her apartment. He told her that she should probably look through it all, and keep some of the things and give up the rest, as she still didn't have that many clothes and it would take years for her to accumulate even half this wardrobe.

That was how Tia came round to Ella's apartment after Wildwing, Canard and Amy had left to get back to studying. Canard had to practically drag Amy away from the beautiful collection of clothes. She seemed to have fallen in love with so many of the garments, and if they were to get back to work, they would have to leave before any more of the boxes were open.

The two former cellmates worked through all the boxes, with Tia taking a very detailed inventory and checking it against the invoice. She was going to sell some of the things from her grandmother's store, while some of the other, less flashy things, were going to be donated to Allenview for girls who were like Ella. The ones who could not wear out the clothes they wore into the juvenile centre.

"You sure you don't want the cash? That's at least a years' worth of utilities in all of this," Tia asked, as she catalogue another gown, this one a violet, beaded gown with a sweetheart neckline.

"I don't want anything from him," Ella replied, writing down the description of a cashmere pinstripe suit.

"I can't believe he sent all of this, stuff, this is real silk and I'm pretty sure these are Swansea crystals on this bodice. Do you know how expensive those are? And don't show me the receipt again, it was a rhetorical question," Tia said with a slight guffaw.

That did the trick of making Ella laugh. Something that she hadn't felt like doing in a while. All she wanted to do was curl up with her boyfriend and forget everything that was happening. It had been almost three years of peace of mind, and now it was completely broken.

"What did Wing say about all this?" Tia asked, holding up another dress, this one more of a day dress but still exquisitely made, the beautiful large floral print would easily brighten up the simplest of dates.

"Not much, I haven't explained the situation fully yet. I wanted to wait until after his exams before shattering his view of me and the world he thought he knew," Ella replied, moving the dress into the 'give to Tia' pile.

The sound of Tia laughing out loud made Ella feel better. It was nice to be able to talk about all the craziness that she had gone through with someone. She was looking forward to finally being able to talk about it with Wildwing, if he forgave her for keeping the secret as long as she had.

As they were working on the pile of clothes, there was suddenly another firm knock on the door. Both hens looked up, afraid that it was another delivery. They had only managed to work their way through about a third of the packages over the last hour.

Ella cautiously walked to the door, grabbing the kitchen knife on the way, while Tia grabbed hold of the hockey stick that was leaning against the wall. There was the unspoken fear that it might have been someone connected to the Brotherhood, or even against the Brotherhood. Looking through the peephole, she was entirely shocked to who was on the other side of the door.

"Mademoiselle Eleanor, look at you!" came the happy squeal of Madam Isa once Ella had put down the knife and opened the door.

"Madam Isa, what are you doing here?" Ella asked automatically in Rouenin, as the older hen threw her arms around her former employer.

"Well, your brother sent me. He said you had a large delivery and he wanted to make sure that it was all put away correctly, oh this is a lovely apartment! Did you really do all of this yourself? Hello there, Miss Tia, how are you today?" Madam Isa said as she walked into the apartment as if she'd been there many times before. She knew to switch back to Mallarish for Tia, as she had heard about her from Ella.

All Tia could do was wave dumbly though, as the old hen moved around, picking up things and putting them down. She had known about the older hen, but had never actually met her and was very shocked that she knew who she was.

Both cellmates were too shocked that she had shown up, not that Madam Isa noticed, she looked like she was having the time of her life. She had begun to pick up the photos that were placed on the bookshelf, commenting and asking questions about those in them when Ella finally came to her senses.

"Madam Isa, not that I'm not happy to see you after so long, but why are you here? I thought you said you never told Duke about visiting me?" Ella asked, as she took the photo of her and Wildwing form Madam Isa's hand.

"And I never said a word, young Miss. From what he has told me, you said to Master Lex that you did not want to see any of them. But he thought you might like to see me after so many years. And, to be perfectly honest, I was very happy to see you again. I have missed our visits. When they told me at Allenview that you had been released, well, I was overjoyed for you. But you never left a forwarding address. I was afraid that I was never going to have the opportunity to see you again, as I knew you would not seek me out for fear that your brother might find out," Madam Isa explained with a sad smile.

This made Ella feel horrendously guilty. She had almost forgotten about the one person who kept on visiting her at Allenview. But she didn't know where she was going to end up, so she couldn't leave a forwarding address.

"And, I would like to help you get you ready for your big dinner with your brother. It will be in a very fancy place tomorrow, so he wanted to make sure that you had enough things to choose from, which is why he sent such a large delivery. I told him not to, that all of this would be too much, but he wanted you to have the choice that you should have had," Madam Isa explained, pulling out some of the items and folding them or moving them to a hanger.

At that statement, Tia suddenly looked up. Ella had not explained to her friend that she had agreed to meet her brother. She had also not admitted to her that she had started stealing again. It was something that Ella knew that Tia would be against, as a lot of people held Ella up as an example of a model reformed prisoner. Both Ella and Tia were just staring at each other, each waiting for the other to say something first.

"Oh, this is a precious photo. Master Duke had not mentioned that you had a boyfriend. He is rather strapping! Now, let's see your closet space and we can start hanging things," Madam Isa said as she made her way into Ella's messy bedroom before either Tia or Ella could stop her.

"Oh, there are a lot of boy's clothes here, does your young man live here with you?" Madam Isa asked as she walked around the room picking up the dirty laundry that Wildwing had tossed on the floor, "Or did you get married during these few years?"

"Madam Isa, I'm only twenty and We've only been together for two and a half years," Ella replied quickly. It was true that they had talked about marriage a few times, but they hadn't settled on anything yet. The plan most likely being to get married after Wildwing had completed his training at the police academy.

As Madam Isa began to wax poetic about marriage, and what beautiful babies Ella would have in the future, Tia began to quiz Ella about what the older hen had said. The concern evident in her voice, as she didn't want her friend to suddenly be in trouble with the law again.

Ella tried to quiet her friends' worries, which were her worries as well. She promised her friend that she had not actually met her brother yet, only his subordinates. She said that she didn't plan on going back to her brother at all, and that she was only meeting him to end their relationship once and for all. That she had no desire to return to the life she once led and that she had so much promise for a good future.

"You better remember that. You have a great boyfriend who loves you no matter what. Friends who support you in whatever you do. Your record is finally sealed so that you can go to school and become a teacher. Do you really want to throw all that away for a drake who abandoned you as a little girl and is trying to buy his way back into your good graces?" Tia explained firmly, her hand gripping Ella's bicep tightly.

Ella once again promised her friend that she knew. That she would never jeopardise what she had for her brother. That she had nothing but contempt for the drake. It was only when Madam Isa began to command the two to help her clear out Ella and Wildwing's closets and start bringing in the new clothes that Tia let go of Ella's arm.

With Madam Isa's help, the packages were all put away in Ella's closet, her old clothes were now hanging in Wildwing's new closet to have room for all the new items. The older hen would not hear of Ella giving away any of the items that had been sent to her, as she had been the one to help Duke pick it all out. This guilted Ella into accepting all the items, which was probably why Duke had sent Madam Isa to her that day.

By the time that Wildwing arrived home, all the boxes were being broken down and tied together to take them to recycle. He had been at practice for the last few hours and was really tired, but was wide awake when the old hen in his apartment had practically rushed him to meet him.

"Oh, you look just as handsome as your photos!" Madam Isa gushed as she grabbed hold of Wildwing's hands, squeezing them tightly.

"Um, thank you? Who are you?" Wildwing asked, looking up at Tia and Ella, who were trying to get everything organised.

"Oh, this is Madam Isa, she used to work for my brother when I was a kid. She wanted to come over and see me, and help organise all these, things. Could you take this stuff out to the recycling as I say goodbye?" Ella said, handing over some of the packed down boxes.

He was entirely confused, he was currently living in a perpetual state of confusion, but he didn't want to cause a problem. He was waiting until after his exams, then they would have a long talk about everything. So, instead he grabbed several of the tied boxes and left with Tia.

"It was really good to see you again, Madam Isa. I hope that we're able to see each other again soon," Ella said with a sincere smile.

"I am so proud of you, young Miss. You've built a wonderful life, with a wonderful boy and lovely friends. Don't let your brother pressure you into leaving all that you have. I will see you again soon, I hope, as I want to help you plan your wedding. The way that boy looks at you, I will not be surprised if it's sooner rather than later," Madam Isa said, pulling on her coat and hugging the young hen.

With a wave and smile, Madam Isa was out the door. A few minutes later, Wildwing returned, a blush clearly visible across his beak. When Ella asked what it was from, he mumbled something about Madam Isa, a promise, a threat, and a pinch.

As Ella laughed, Wildwing tried not to think about the short conversation he had just had with the older hen. As she was leaving, he asked Madam Isa for contact information about Ella's brother. But the hen merely told him to not try, for his own safety.

It was so ominous that Wildwing didn't know what to think. The more he had started to learn about Ella's past the more he was starting to realise why she kept it a secret. The look of fear on Madam Isa's face as he mentioned Ella brother disturbed him. But it was nothing compared to the look of hate, anger, fear and grief that often passed over Ella's beautiful eyes whenever her brother was mentioned to her.

Though, it didn't stop him from wanting to meet the drake. He did still plan to ask Ella to marry him next year, and he still wanted the drakes' blessings. He hoped to heal the wedge between the two of them that obviously could not be fixed with expensive gifts.

"So, what happened with all the clothes?" Wildwing asked, trying to distract himself from his inner monologue.

"And the shoes, and the boots, and the bags, and the jewellery, and the other miscellaneous crap that suddenly took over our apartment? Turns out Madam Isa picked out most of those things so I couldn't throw out any of it, or give it away. It's all currently taking up space in the hallway closet and the one in the bedroom. Until we get a second one you can't bring over any more things," Ella replied, sitting down on the couch.

"Most of my stuff is here already. The only other stuff I have is the stuff in Central, so I won't be bringing that until after I head home for the summer. Doubt my mom will let me be here all summer without at least a short visit. And she'll probably make me leave some of it at home, cause I don't think she'll be happy about me moving out just yet," Wildwing replied, sitting down next to Ella and throwing his arm around her shoulders.

"That's fair. You sure you still want to move in, with all this craziness going on? I would understand if you wanted to wait a little while, at least until things calmed down."

"Can't think of something I want more than this. Except, maybe a little vacation somewhere. How about it? We could go somewhere other than Central for a bit of time during the summer? We've both got some money saved up, we could go somewhere nice for a long weekend? There's some really nice cabins and things near Crystal Lake, we could skate and hike and just relax out there," Wildwing asked, looking up hopefully.

"That sounds wonderful. Is the end of year formal still in a few weeks? Oh, by the way, I'm going to be busy tomorrow night, if you don't mind," Ella said, hugging her boyfriend around the middle.

"Yeah it is, you can wear one of your new dresses. Though I do love you in that green one from first year. What are you planning on doing tomorrow?" Wildwing asked, his hand swiftly moving under Ella's shirt and bra.

"Your hands are cold," Ella said, squirming slightly at the sensation.

"And you're very warm. You avoided the question by the way," Wildwing stated, his other hand coming up to caress Ella's legs.

"You distracted me. Just having to go meet someone, nothing special. Now, how about me and you rechristen this couch, before you get too stressed out again," Ella replied, throwing off her shirt and starting to undo Wildwing's pants.

Wildwing didn't need to be told twice, he was feeling stressed and needed a way to relieve that stress. And, over the last few years, he had not found anything better than making love to his girlfriend. It was especially gratifying to be having sex in the apartment they now shared.

That night, they managed to have sex in several locations in the apartment, something they hadn't done in a while. First it was the couch, then it was the shower, then it was multiple times on the bed. They finally passed out, exhausted, naked and satiated.

The next morning, Ella had left for work before Wildwing woke up. Something that always annoyed him, he wished he had time in the morning to have a repeat of the night before. Or, at least a good morning kiss. Instead, he got showered and dressed and made his way to his study group.

"Everything going okay?" Canard asked when they took their first break.

"It's going okay. She still hasn't told me what's wrong, but she's planning on doing it after the exams end," Wildwing replied, taking a long drink from his coffee. They were all sitting in the library, rather than going to the Scene, which was overrun with stressed out students.

"That's cool. How's the brother plan going?" Canard queried, looking at his notes.

"Bit of a snag, met someone who knew her as a kid though. Which was weird, to say the least, and no help on the brother plan," Wildwing replied, trying not to think about the old hen pinching his butt.

The rest of the day, Wildwing and Canard jumped from study group to study group to practice. By the time they finished for the day, both were exhausted and desperate for a long shower. They were planning on having a games night that evening, in their dorm room with some of the guys from one of their classes. They did it fairly often, when none of them were on duty or had practices to get to.

It was as they walked past the park that they spotted Ella sitting on the bench across from her building. She was wearing a beautiful black satin A-line dress, with an embroidered black jacket. Her mane was up in a very classic chignon, with light make-up on her eyelids. On her feet were the simple, black court shoes that she often wore.

She looked very beautiful in a classical sort of way. She had never dressed this way before, Wildwing thought. She usually liked to have her mane down, flowing down her back. And she usually liked to wear splashes of colour next to black. Currently, she was only wearing black, with the string of pearls being the only thing that wasn't black. It was a very classy look for her, that did suit her but she didn't look happy in it.

He was about to go up and ask Ella what she was doing when a black town car pulled up next to her and stopped. A drake in a suit then jumped out of the driver's seat and greeted Ella warmly, which she did not return. He opened the door for Ella and even helped her into the car, with Ella giving him very little gratitude or acknowledgement. This was very strange behaviour for Ella, as she was normally very warm and friendly, if a little shy.

"That was kinda odd, don't you think?" Canard asked, as they watched the car pull away.

"Yeah, I've never seen her look like that, or act like that. Where do you think she's going?" Wildwing asked, still looking at the car as it drove down the street.

"How should I know, she's your girlfriend. I can barely keep up with what's going on with my own girlfriend," Canard replied, to which Wildwing started to inquire about Amy and when they suddenly became a couple again.

While Canard and Wildwing tried to figure out the strange behaviour, Ella was sitting in the back of the luxury town car being driven by Rick. For her dinner with her brother, she had chosen to wear one of the dresses that he had recently sent. The simple black, satin A-line dress was something that would be approved of by any member of the illustrious guild of thieves. It gave her a very demure and professional look, especially with the light make-up and up-do that she was wearing.

But, to make her feel more like herself, all the accessories she was wearing was special to her. She had the charm bracelet that Wildwing kept on buying charms for on her right wrist. She wore the shoes that she had broken in over the last two years of parties she had attended. To keep warm, she had on the coat that Tia had made special for her last birthday. And, she had on her mother's pearls, to give her the confidence and protection of her mother.

"You look really nice, kiddo," Rick eventually said, his blue eyes reflecting in the rear-view mirror.

"Thank you," Ella said quietly, not wanting to interact much with the Brotherhood member.

"There's wine in the side panel, there, plus chilled glasses. If you want to have a nice glass before meeting the Master," Rick said as sweetly as he could.

Ella tried not to wince when Rick referred to her brother as the Master. She understood that it was a mark of respect given to the leader of such an infamous group of thieves, but to hear it said so seriously about someone who once read her bedtime stories was unnerving.

She did take the glass of wine, which was the same wine she had last shared with Duiken on the way to the symphony ten years ago. It was a delicious white wine, but she could only take a sip of it before she felt a little nauseous. Her nerves about meeting her brother were clearly getting to her, and she hoped that she managed to make it through dinner without throwing up.

The car ride wasn't as long as her first car ride to meet Duiken, they were obviously going somewhere local. They arrived in the most upscale neighbourhood of the upscale city of Bardon, where the rent and housing prices were ridiculously high. The cars that were lining the streets were all luxury cars, and she could see people walking around in designer clothes.

The car stopped outside of a very elegant looking bistro, with fairly lights in the trees outside. She could see a few couples eating at the tables under those trees. She hoped that she wasn't going to be eating outside, it didn't seem Duke's style though. He was more of a private room with personal service type of drake.

She was handed out of the car by Rick, and he even accompanied her into the restaurant. The driver spoke to the maître de quickly and quietly, and then left Ella in his care. But, before he left, Rick whispered good luck to Ella and gave her arm a quick squeeze.

The maître de, who seemed a little flustered in her presence, walked her briskly to the back of the dining room, where there was a private room. Upon opening the door, the head waiter bowed out and allowed Ella to walk into the room where a tall, not so skinny anymore, drake was waiting for her. He had his back turned to her, and seemed to be occupied with pouring two glasses of champagne.

When the door closed behind her, the drake turned around to give Ella the first glimpse of her brother in ten years. And the years had not been as kind to him as they had been to her. Ella had to use all her composure not to scream out when she saw what had happened to his once handsome face. The prosthesis over his eye was startling with the red laser that obviously helped him with his sight. And the missing part of his beak looked fresh and jagged.

"Ellie, kiddo, look at you. Your even more beautiful in person than you are in your pictures," Duke said, warmth in his smooth voice.

The drake came over to hug his younger sister, but as soon as he got close she stepped back. She could see a split second of hurt come over his face, then it was gone, lost to the mask of the Leader of the Brotherhood that he had been wearing for so long.

"That dress really suits you, kiddo. The years have obviously been really kind to you, you've grown into a very beautiful hen," Duke said cordially as he walked back towards the glasses of champagne he had just poured.

"I can't really say the same about you. What happened to your eye?" Ella asked, looking her brother up and down to see what else had happened. She could see some scars peeking out from under his clothes, and hoped they weren't as bad as she thought they were.

"Don't worry about it, kiddo, it was taken care of," Duke replied handing her the glass of champagne.

"Like Kee?" Ella asked, accepting the glass but having no desire to drink it. Her stomach had suddenly dropped, being in close proximity with her brother. She didn't feel any warmth or kindness towards this drake.

"Just like Kee," Duke replied, without any hint of emotion.

It was enough to make Ella feel more nauseous than she already was. It was one thing to know that her brother had done vile and atrocious thing, it was another to hear him brazenly admit it without any remorse.

"Enough about that though, how about we eat. Got all your favourites lined up. And I bet you haven't had a meal like this in years," Duke said with a smile that would have been handsome, if not for the missing chip in his beak.

"Not since you let me get arrested," Ella countered, taking the offered seat at the small table and wiping the smile from her brother's face.

The meal was wonderful, though very tense. As a result, Ella didn't feel like eating most of it. Which was a shame, as Duke had remembered all her favourites from when she was a kid. And, she saw, there were a few things that recently had become her favourites, showing that Duke had been keeping on tabs on her for a long time.

"So, not that this isn't lovely, notwithstanding the complete invasion of privacy, but what do you want Duke?" Ella asked, putting down her silverware and looking up at her brother.

"To catch up with my beloved sister. You were not easy to find," Duke replied, taking a drink from his glass.

"There was a reason. I told you that I never wanted to see you again. And I meant it."

"I remember. I would have hoped that desire would have softened over the years. Especially after everything I did for you. I mean, who do think funded the case to get all the guards prosecuted?"

A new wave of nausea suddenly overcame Ella. If Duke knew about what the guards had done at Allenview then there was very little chance that all those guards were still alive. She had heard some rumours that some of them had disappeared, but she had just thought it was a rumour mill making up a juicy story to why several guards had quit or stopped going to work.

"What did you do?" Ella asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be.

"I took care of it," Duke answered again, with no emotion either on his face or in his voice.

"I think I want to go now," Ella said, putting the napkin delicately down on the table and getting ready to storm out and get a taxi.

"What, we've hardly had a chance to talk, kiddo," Duke said, shocked and dismayed, the first signs of emotion all night.

"We don't have anything to talk about. Please, I've met you again, and now I'm asking you, leave me alone to live the life. Just like I've been doing these last three years. I don't want to get messed up in any of this again."

"Wait, kiddo, please, just, just sit down. I do need to talk to you about some things," Duke said, coming to stand in front of his sister so she couldn't leave the room.

Ella didn't want to listen to him, she wanted to walk out of that door and never see him again. But she knew it wouldn't be that easy. Duke clearly wanted something, and he was unlikely to let her go until he said his piece.

So, Ella sat back down at the table and gestured for her brother to do the same. He smiled but didn't sit back on his side of the table, instead, he brought his chair around the table so that he was sitting next to Ella. He then took her hands and let out a deep sigh.

"You look so much like mama, you know. When I saw you standing there, I thought she had come back to me. But you coming back, I always hoped that I would get to have you in my life again. I know I messed up, and I promise to make it up to you. Everything can go back to way it was, if you just come back home."

"You got my records sealed, didn't you?"

"I may have, donated some money to the District Attorney's re-election campaign to incentivise him to close those records. That way, you could leave that menial labour job and actually live the life you deserve. A life of luxury, with your family. Where every whim is catered for and there is nothing out of your reach."

"You've learned nothing, in ten years you've actually learned nothing. Duke, I never wanted that life with you. I'm finally in a position where I can live a normal life, go to school, have friends, have a real family, why would I want to give that up to live the life of luxury at the Brotherhood seat?"

"Then why are you falling back on bad habits? You think I don't know what you've been up to, kiddo? The late-night trips out here. The safe that you cracking, and improving your time with? You miss it, don't you? The thrill of the chase? Trying to beat your own personal best? Think how great it would be to be back in the big leagues. To be doing something no one has ever done before."

"This is all about a job, isn't it?" Ella said, realisation suddenly coming over her.

"It's always about the job, Ellie, you never get over the thrill of the job, and you're always eager for the next big one. You seriously can't tell me you're satisfied with your domestic little life, with that boy of yours and the menial job in a coffee house? Ellie, you're fair better than all of that. If you were you wouldn't be out prowling this neighbourhood. This is what we were both made for, bigger and better things that regular people can't even imagine. All you'd have to do, is just come back. And we can live that life again."

Ella was thinking about it. She was thinking about bouncing from hotel room to hotel room, each one more impersonal than the last. She thought about the daring, dead of night escapes to avoid law enforcement and other professionals. She thought about not being able to have any ties or possessions, other than what she could carry in her own bags.

Then she thought about Wildwing's strong arms and warm eyes. She thought about the camaraderie with Canard as they played cards. She thought about the shopping trips with Amy and Zina. The afternoons spent helping out Tia in her grandma's store. The trust that she had from Dip and Petra as she ran the Scene.

"That's not the life I want. We're done here, Duke. Please, don't contact me again. Don't even think about me again," Ella said coldly, getting up from her chair and grabbing her coat and bag on the way out. There were a line of taxis waiting just up the street and she marched straight to them. Her brother not even trying to stop her.

On the ride home, she tried not to think about what her brother had said. She knew that she was satisfied with her life. She loved her friends, and her boyfriend, and now she could finally start doing what she wanted to do. She didn't need to be drawn back into the dangerous web that was her brother's world. She had a life that was worth more than all the jewels on Puckworld.

By the time she got home, Wildwing was already back from his game's night in the dorms. He was already dressed for bed and was just lounging on the couch watching a movie while he obviously waited up for her. He looked up from the TV as soon as she walked in the door, a small smile gracing his beak as he took in Ella's appearance.

"Hey, how was your evening? You look lovely by the way. Very, classic cinema," Wildwing said, as he watched Ella take down her mane appreciating how she looked even more. He watched as she toed off her shoes and took off her coat, hanging it up over a chair.

"Awful. Just awful, as I knew it would be, but hoped for better. How was your practice? Feeling confident for the last game of the year?" Ella asked, coming towards Wildwing and climbing onto the couch with him.

"Yeah, we've had enough practice. With any luck, I'll be named starting goalie. But we don't have to talk about any of that. We can talk about something else, if you want," Wildwing said, to which Ella replied that she didn't. She merely wanted to lie with him and do nothing.

Ella nuzzled into Wildwing, as they watched the silly movie on the TV. It was soothing and comfortable, and exactly what she needed. She hoped that this would be where she could remain forever. She might not be though. She still needed to tell him more about her past. And, as it was currently circling around her uncomfortably, she hoped that she would be the one to tell him rather than him finding out some other way.

Hi!

Palacegirl: she is definitely her own worst enemy in this story. But, my older brother is a social worker who deals with children released from juvenile detention, he says that some of those kids feel this way, that they don't want to disclose their detention.

Rocky704: thanks for returning, during this time I was a little worried. Everything on Earth right now is trying to kill us!

TFG