Hi everyone!

I'm happy to report that I am currently writing the final chapter of this mammoth of a story. I swear, when I started this years ago it was only going to be twelve chapters and only have a few OCs instead of the twenty I've written in!

I hope you like the scene with Duke and Ella, it's one that's been in my head for years! literal years!

Anyway, enjoy!

TFG

Chapter Thirty-Three

The next few weeks were a blur for Ella. There was so much going on at the university that she barely noticed anything that was going on around her. The only thing that she noticed was the occasional presence of Duiken or Lex at the Scene, obviously being sent by Duke to keep an eye on her.

They rarely interacted with her though. They would just sit in the Scene and do whatever task they had been set. Occasionally, Duiken would try to engage her in mindless conversation in their first language, but Ella tried not to be too drawn into it. She wanted to just ignore their presence and get on with her work.

It didn't help that Zina had noticed these two drakes, and had begun to ask about them. She had even contemplated talking to Wildwing about the two who seemed to be stalking Ella in the Scene. But Ella had assured her friend that everything was okay, and that the two were just old acquaintances that weren't causing too much of a threat.

During this time there was also the final game of the season for Wildwing and Canard, which DuCaine won in a shutout. Which meant that both Wildwing and Canard were named to starting positions on the main team for next year. Canard was even named the team captain for the main team, which he gracefully accepted as they took their photos next to the Mallar University Championship trophy.

The party that night was wild and raucous, with lots of drinking and dancing and other hens trying to get off with the newest starting members of the main team. Canard, of course, took up a few hens on random make-out sessions as he was once again off again with Amy. Wildwing, of course, brushed off every advance and spent the entire with either his friends or Ella. She never felt any insecurity towards Wildwing and other hens. If he left her it would be for the secrets that she kept, rather than another hen. He was just not the type to cheat.

The exams then went into full swing, with Wildwing and Canard trying not to stress out too much about them. If they stressed too much, they would overthink their answers and then would do really poorly. Luckily, they both had such great grades that a bad final exam wouldn't have that huge of an impact. It would still be bad, but it wouldn't be as bad.

So, they spent most of their nights studying, now that practice was finished. Most of the times, they would study in Ella and Wildwing's apartment, as it was quieter with a mostly stocked kitchen. Occasionally, Wildwing would invite other students to their apartment for study groups. He would always ask Ella for permission to do this, even though she kept on telling him that it was now his apartment too and he could do what he wanted.

Ella had even gone to Dip and Petra and asked that Wildwing get added to the rent agreement. It took a little bit of negotiating, as Ella was getting a very discounted rate for rent as she worked full time for Dip. Eventually, they settled on an agreeable amount, with Ella having the rent taken out of her pay cheque and the bill for the utilities being put in Wildwing's name. But this would be after the summer, when Wildwing no longer had to pay for accommodation at the university.

Once the exams were over, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. They had been quite difficult that year, according to Wildwing, but as these exams were being counted towards his degree classification this might have been why. The only one who wasn't yet finished was Zina, as she was doing her Master's programme which was thesis based rather than exam based. So, she was working most days with Ella rather than cramming for an exam.

The thing that everyone was looking forward to though was the End of Year Ball, which would be the final formal dance of the year. This was always the highlight of the year, as some this was often the last even before some students left the University for the Real World. It also signalled the end of the season's hockey matches and the complete end of exams and the scholastic year.

That year, Ella had decided to wear one of the dresses that had been recently sent to her by her brother. She didn't want to, but when she mentioned that she wanted to go shopping for a new dress both Zina and Amy told her to stop being ridiculous. They then marched her into her own room and made her try on several of the expensive gowns that were now hanging in her closet, still in the garment bags that they were delivered in.

It was only Tia who understood why Ella didn't want to touch any of the clothes as she was the only one who still understood everything about Ella's past. But she did agree that it would be easier to pick one of the dresses that she already had, instead of getting a new one, as well as a lot cheaper. Especially if she was planning on going on vacation with Wildwing that summer, which would probably be quite expensive for two young ducks with minimal financial security.

"You guys are going on vacation? Like, just the two of you?" Zina asked, as she also tried on some of the new dresses. Ella had persuaded them all to wear one of her new gowns, as she had twelve of them and would most likely have no occasion to wear all of them. It also made her feel more comfortable wearing one if everyone else was wearing one too.

"Yeah, we're planning on renting a cabin up at Crystal Lake, and just spend a few nights there. Maybe do some hiking, or skating, or something," Ella replied with a shy smile, pulling out some more formal wear.

"Or something. You guys are barely going to leave the bedroom! Don't look so shocked, it's totally true! You two are so into each other it's practically nauseating! I mean, how often are you guys actually having sex, with your work schedule and his study and practice schedule? Its mind boggling that you two have enough energy!" Amy said, with a loud laugh, as she began to pour glasses of wine.

"I resent that remark. It's not like we can't keep our hands off each other or something," Ella said, accepting the glass of wine, but putting it straight down without taking a drink. She had completely gone off it since her disastrous meeting with her brother.

"Then tell me this, how many times has someone walked in on you two getting it on?" Amy asked with a smirk, knowing the answer already. Ella had told her every time that they had been disturbed during sex.

The blush that crept across Ella's beak was all the answer the rest of the girls needed. They all burst out laughing as they tried on all the formal wear that was littering Ella's room. Even Tia tried on a few, despite not going to the dance. They had offered to get her a ticket, but she had declined, citing her work schedule as a reason, but she was rather happy to be invited to the female bonding session. Especially as it involved beautiful, expensive gowns that she would never be able to get her hands on otherwise.

By the end of the afternoon, the three hens had decided what they were going to be wearing. Not all of Ella's things fit everyone, as she was quite tall and willowy, but Tia managed to make a few adjustments so that everything would fit well enough. They were not permanent changes so that Ella could fit into them again if she wanted.

Between the four of them, they had enough accessories to complete their outfits. So, it was setting up to be the cheapest dance any of them had ever been to. The only thing they had to buy were the tickets.

For the dance, Amy was planning to wear the black and white duchess satin gown that she had fallen in love with on that first day. She had tried on a few other items, but always came back to that first gown. A pair of black shoes would look fantastic with it, and she could wear the pair of elbow length evening gloves that Ella had also received. It would make her look very classy and she was hoping her new boyfriend would enjoy the look. She was also secretly hoping to look a lot better than the girl that Canard was taking, despite Amy and Canard still being good friends after their last break-up.

Zina had decided to go with a black, lace mermaid gown. It had to be adjusted to fit her shorter stature, but she planned on wearing a very tall pair of red heels with it, so that it didn't need that much adjustment. The lace hem would trail the floor behind her, but Zina felt confident that she wouldn't' trip over it or ruin the material. Ella had tried to get her to wear some of the jewellery that she had also received, but Zina had refused, saying that the gown was more than enough for her.

The gown that Ella had decided to wear was the deep purple silk gown with the sweetheart neckline and beaded bodice. It fitted her perfectly, like a glove. She had a feeling that Lex had managed to figure out all of her sizes, which disturbed her greatly, as she was sure they were not written down anywhere and he would have had to measure photos of her instead.

She was also wearing a pair of designer shoes that had been part of the delivery. They were silver, which would give a little flash of colour every time she moved. She had also been talked into wearing the expensive sapphire necklace and matching bracelet, as everyone thought they were too beautiful to stay in the box.

Amy had also argued that she couldn't wear a really beautiful expensive gown with cheap or jewellery that she wore regularly. She had to wear something special, and if she didn't wear them at the formal dances then when else would she be able to wear them?

"At their wedding, obviously," Tia said, as if it was the simplest answer anyone could give and was surprised no one else thought of that.

"We're not engaged!" Ella exclaimed, putting everything away.

"Yeah, but you've been dating for years. You've moved in together. You're both on the rent agreement. And, you're going on vacation together, plus you've met all his family and been invited to all his family's special events. Marriage is totally the next step," Zina explained, to which everyone agreed.

The next topic of conversation for that evening was the topic of dream weddings. It was a very involved conversation that had everyone drinking deeply from their glasses. Except for Ella, who still didn't feel like drinking, the guilt of still keeping the secret of her past from Wildwing when everyone suspected that they would be married soon was making her feel a little sick.

The night of the formal dance, Ella was taking out the jewellery from the overflowing jewellery box. She was considering getting a new box, with special compartments for certain types of jewellery, rather than just the cheap box she had picked up at a thrift store.

"Wow, that looks really expensive," Wildwing said as he attempted to tie his bowtie.

"Yeah, just a little bit," Ella replied, suddenly looking at herself in the mirror as she was trying to clasp the silver and sapphire bracelet.

She suddenly felt a little sick at herself. She had actually started to fall into her brother's world, accepting these gifts and bribes. She instantly took off the jewellery, almost throwing it back into her cheap jewellery box, and put on the charm bracelet that Wildwing had been building her over the last three years instead.

Unfortunately, she couldn't change the dress, as she had nothing else to wear and had no time to get something new. She put on her mother's pearls again, as she felt more comfortable with them and the well-worn shoes that she often wore to the formal dances. She didn't look as fancy as she had originally planned, but she felt a little better about herself.

"That's a fantastic dress, but what happened to the bracelet and other things?" Wildwing asked, once he noticed that his girlfriend was wearing her regular jewellery.

"I just didn't feel comfortable wearing something so expensive. Especially with the amount of drinking and craziness that usually happens," Ella brushed off, coming over to help her boyfriend tie his tie. It wasn't exactly a lie, as she did feel uncomfortable wearing them.

Wildwing accepted the reason, as it seemed simple enough. He then poured Ella and himself a glass of wine, they were planning to meet up with several other third years later that evening in one of the dorms, so it was just them in the apartment that night. It felt nice to get ready, just the two of them rather than having a big event.

Ella accepted the wine and took a tiny sip; she still wasn't feeling that great and alcohol seemed to make it worse. No one really noticed though. As long as she had a drink in her hand, they would assume she was drinking it. This way no one would ask her what was wrong.

Even her boyfriend had not noticed how nauseous she had been feeling, he was focusing on trying to calm down her emotional turmoil that a physical symptom had completely passed him by. She seemed to have calmed down a little during the exam period though. Enough that Wildwing thought she might explain what was going on, but she hadn't yet. He hoped that she would when everyone left for the summer and it was just the two of them in their apartment.

When they were finally ready to go, Ella threw on the black coat that Tia had made her for her last birthday and Wildwing threw on his suit jacket. The two then walked towards the dormitory that Wildwing should have been living in, but had practically moved out of. The majority of the hockey players lived in this dorm, so the common room was overrun with players and their dates, all drinking and celebrating their wins as well as the end of exams.

It was a great pre-event party. It was even better as Ella knew more people and felt more comfortable around them. She even managed to tolerate Deck, the obnoxious team mate of Wildwing and Canard, who still asked her out occasionally.

Forgetting everything that was going on, Ella and Wildwing enjoyed the dance together. They spent a lot of their time on the dance floor, as Ella had been teaching Wildwing how to dance. Not that many of the other students actually danced proper ballroom dances during the ball. But it made Ella happy to be held close and to go through the steps she had committed to memory as a child, so Wildwing indulged her.

It was past midnight when they finally made their way back to their apartment, still dancing slightly and high from the good time. As soon as they were inside Ella kicked off her shoes while Wildwing threw away his tie.

"You did look wonderful tonight," Wildwing said, taking his girlfriend in his arms again, as his beak nuzzled her bare neck.

"You didn't look so bad yourself, I do love you in a suit," Ella replied, her fingers already undoing the shirt. She loved the feel of her boyfriend, and she loved feeling him touch her. She had never thought that she would enjoy being physical with another duck, but she loved being physical with Wildwing.

"Gonna have to wear them a few times this week, got a few interviews lined up," Wildwing explained, his nimble hands finding the tiny zipper of the gown. That was when he realised that his girlfriend was not wearing a bra, the thought going straight to his groan.

"Interviews for what?" Ella asked, a little confused.

"I have a few job interviews for the summer, to stay here. Then I've got an interview for a job placement at the Bardon Police department which Detective Abacot helped me set up. I might have also gotten an assistant coach job for part of the summer. Apparently, some of the local schools send their students here for an intensive hockey camp, which is why we're all thrown out of our dorms really quickly."

"So, you'll be here all summer?" Ella asked, her smile widening.

"Got to go home for a little while at the start, or my mom will kill me. So, will Nosedive. We can both head over there for a few weeks, then we can head to Crystal Lake before coming back. What do you think, you ready to put up with me all the time, without having a huge break from my snoring?" Wildwing answered, with a small smile, his hands roaming across Ella's bare back.

She didn't need to give an answer. Ella just stood on her toes so that she could caress Wildwing's' beak with her own, each touching the other gently. Until it got a little firmer, and a little more sensual. And then it got a lot more passionate, as they hit the doorframe on the way into the bedroom.

When they eventually made it to the bed, the frame shook as they made almost frenzied love. Neither cared that they had left a trail of expensive clothes going towards the bedroom, or that the neighbours might complain. They were ecstatic to have even more time together and to be moving forward in their relationship.

They made love to each other several times again, collapsing naked on the bed. They finally passed out, holding each other close. They didn't even bother to get dressed for bed, they merely threw the covers over themselves and went to sleep.

Ella should have been utterly exhausted, and she was. She should have been completely dead to the world. But years of intense training and then her time spent in juvenile detention made her a very light sleeper. So, she knew as soon as someone opened her fridge and sat down in her kitchen.

Her eyes shot open, taking in the dark apartment. All the curtains were still opened, as she never minded having the natural light from the moon or the streetlights streaming in through her windows. She could feel the deep, steady breathing of Wildwing on the back of her neck, and one of his arms holding her close. She could feel the warmth of his body down the length of hers, his feet lower on the bed than hers and his head above hers.

She was able to shrug out of his embrace easily enough. He was absolutely dead asleep; all he did was hum something unintelligibly then snuggle deeper into the pillows with a slight snore. She then grabbed Wildwing's jersey and cotton shorts that were lying next to her pillow, figuring that she shouldn't walk into her living room naked.

Calling upon her years of training, she silently made her way out of the room, closing the door behind her. As she looked up, she could see her brother's silhouette sitting at her kitchen table, the moonlight illuminating him from the open window.

"He is always here. Why is he always here?" Duke asked with disdain in his voice, taking a sip of the wine that he had obviously poured himself.

"That's because he lives here. And he has a name," Ella replied coldly.

"Like I care about some college jock's name. He isn't important in the grand scheme of things."

"He's important to me. What are you doing here Duke? I told you, I never wanted to see you again."

"I feel we got off on the wrong foot the last time. I wanted to speak to you again, about our future."

"We have no future together Duke. My future is currently sleeping peacefully in the next room, completely oblivious to your presence. And I want to keep it that way. Now, since you managed to let yourself in, you can let yourself out," Ella said, turning around and hoping that when she looked back her table it would be empty.

"Wait, kiddo, I have something for you," Duke said, reaching down to the side of his chair.

Ella was sure that Duke could hear her eyes rolling. She did not want another gift from him, her entire apartment was already filled with gifts from him. It was only because Wildwing was in the next room that she didn't scream that in his face. Instead, she calmly turned back round to tell him to calmly go and screw himself, but stopped herself in surprise.

Sitting on the table, lying on some dark velvet, was the intricate silver helmed sabre that had once belonged to her mother next to the expandable Bo-staff that Duke had had made for her. Ella was almost dumbfounded at seeing the two instruments of thievery on her table that she didn't know what to say. She was absolutely sure that she would never see either again, as they were both taken as evidence when she was arrested.

"I thought you might like these back. Try not to lose them again, especially the sabre. I don't think mama would appreciate it," Duke said with mirth in his voice.

Ella barely even noticed that she had sat down opposite her brother. Or that she had reached out and taken the sabre. She had almost forgotten how it felt in her hand, the familiar weight and the smooth metal feeling right in her hand.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed the instruments back towards her brother, telling him that she couldn't accept them. But it seemed that Duke was not going to let her give them back, merely pushing them back and telling his sister that they belonged to her.

"One job, kiddo. That's all I'm asking. One job. And after that, if you it's what you really want, I'll be gone. Never to darken your door again," Duke explained calmly, gesturing around the apartment.

She considered what he was saying carefully. The air so silent and tense between the two siblings that she could hear the faint sounds of snoring still coming from her bedroom.

She should have held firm to Duke, telling him to go and screw himself again. She should have made him leave her apartment. She should have walked back into her bedroom and snuggled into her boyfriend's firm body and pushed all thoughts of her brother from her memory.

"One job. And then what?"

"Well, that's up to you kiddo. We could either part ways, never to see each other again, or we can figure out how to repair our relationship. Personally, I'm hoping for the latter, but I will respect your decision as the bright hen you are," Duke said evenly, taking another sip of his wine.

"I'll have to think about it."

"That's fair, kiddo, but there is a slight time crunch to this. I'll be here, at this address, tomorrow at eight o'clock," Duke said, putting a small business card on the table and sliding it towards his sister, "If you don't show up, then, I will be disappointed, kiddo, can't lie to you. I will be very disappointed, but I'll respect the fact that you'd rather spend your time with the jock, working menial labour than living an extraordinary life with me."

Without another word, Duke got up out of his chair. He threw on his full length trench-coat, and turned to leave. He hesitated slightly, then leaned down and nuzzled his beak lightly across the front of his sister's mane-line. It was a sweet, familial gesture of sibling love that both Duke and Ella had missed.

Ella could barely move during her brother's loving gesture. She couldn't even look up, merely staying still. She didn't move for a long time. She had heard her brother leave and close the door, and she still didn't leave her seat.

It must have been twenty minutes after he left her sitting in the kitchen that Ella finally moved. Her hand going forward to take the business card off the table. It seemed to show the address of one of the large warehouses just on the edge of the city. Just like the place that they first met the crew for their failed theft of the Mallar Emerald.

Getting up out of her chair, Ella walked towards the chest next to couch, where she kept the spare blankets and pillows. She put both the business card and the instruments that Duke had just given her between some of the blankets and closed the lid. She then made her way silently back towards her bedroom, stripped off and got back into bed. Her boyfriend was still dead to the world and didn't notice.

Ella grabbed Wildwing's arm to encourage him to move and hold her again, to which he sleepily complied. His arms were slack though, as he was still fast asleep, his breathing evened out almost instantly and his light snores filled the room.

It felt like he was mocking her with how peacefully he was sleeping. Ella wished that she had never gotten out of bed, she should have just ignored her brother until he went away. But now, she was stuck with too many thoughts going through her head and an inability to sleep.

By the time she managed to fall asleep due to sheer exhaustion, the alarm went off. It instantly woke up Wildwing, who had a fantastic and uneventful sleep. The drake got straight out of bed, pulled on his boxer shorts and dropped to the floor to do fifty press-ups.

This was a routine that Ella had only come to know after Wildwing had moved in. She should have guessed that he did something like this, as it would explain his broad frame and strong arms. Once he was done, he got up and got into the shower.

Ella, meanwhile, was still curled up in bed, having no desire to move from the cocoon of warmth. She listened to the shower in the bathroom, then the off-key singing that started to ring out from it. He seemed to have no worries in the world, and that made Ella feel sick again.

"Hey, Ella, are you okay?" Wildwing asked as he came out the shower, a towel fastened over his hips.

"Not really, feeling a little sick and tired," Ella replied, pulling the covers up to her chin.

"Really? You didn't drink that much last night. Maybe it was something you ate? Do you want me to stay here today? We can veg out on the couch and watch terrible daytime TV?" Wildwing asked, sitting down on the bed.

"No, it's okay, you have stuff to do," Ella replied with a small smile.

Today a lot of ducks would start moving out of their dorms, and would be for the next few days. As a residency advisor, even though he had technically moved out, Wildwing would be needed to take back keys and do room inspections. In the case that damage was found in a room, he would have to document it and give a student a bill, and if the bill wasn't paid it might prevent the student from graduating.

It was not a great job to do, and all residency advisors hated it. Some of the rooms were an absolutely tip, and some were infested with insects as some students had never had to clean their own rooms before. There would be many complaints that the residency advisors were being unfair and some students would even try to bribe them to get out of trouble.

Last year, one student had thrown a book at Wildwing's head, annoyed for the bill to replace the carpet. If it wasn't for Wildwing's quick goalie reflexes, the book would have taken out one of his eyes. Luckily, it only bruised the tip of his beak.

Before Wildwing left for the day, he asked again if Ella needed anything, to which she declined. He rubbed his beak to hers and left the apartment with a friendly goodbye, leaving Ella along with her thoughts.

The apartment was absolutely silent, the weight of Ella's secrets feeling like a heavy blanket. Getting up, Ella made her way to the shower to try and clean of the sense of betrayal. The hot water felt great against her body but the smell of Wildwing's shower gel did not agree with her.

Before she could even contemplate what was going on, she on her knees in front of the toilet throwing up stomach acid. She rinsed out her beak from the bathroom sink faucet and hoped that that would be the last of the sick feeling.

But it didn't go away, she still felt sick. And did for the rest of the morning, as she lay on her couch staring at the large chest that contained her sabre. It felt like it was calling to her, telling her to take it out and try it.

After several tense moments, Ella reached into the chest and pulled out the Bo-staff, the sabre and the business card her brother had given her and began to examine each one. The address was definitely a warehouse on the outskirts of Bardon. She remembered it being one of the places she had squatted the first few weeks that she had arrived in Bardon. It was one of the places the station master had recommended to her, as one of the empty warehouses were just used to house homeless hens, to keep them safe.

When she gripped her sabre though, she felt right. Like something had been missing for a long time without her realising what it was. Turing it over in her hand, she could see all the details that she had memorised long ago. The intricate design in the curved silver handle, creating a beautiful laurel design. The weight of the mechanism balanced perfectly in her hand so it wouldn't disrupt the movement.

Activating the energised, retracting blade, she watched as the silver blade materialised with a green shimmer. It looked just as sharp as it had done ten years ago. Flipping it out of her hand and catching on one finger, she saw that it was still perfectly balanced.

"Just so," Ella whispered to herself, echoing what her brother had said to her when he presented it to her when she was five.

She quickly made her way to the door and put the latch, and the chain, on it. So, if Wildwing did come home, he would not be able to enter without her letting him in. Once the apartment was secure she pushed her couch backwards towards the kitchen and the coffee table towards the bedroom. She then rolled the colourful square rug off to the side to reveal the training circles that she had painted on her apartment floor years ago.

Over the three years that she had lived at the apartment, she would unveil her training circles every few weeks and go through the motions that she had learned as a child. She usually used a thin cane, as she couldn't get a sabre of any kind without arising suspicion.

Standing in the middle of the circles, she closed her eyes and started to move. It was like a dance, a beautiful dance that her brother had taught her, and drilled her mercilessly until she was flawless. It felt natural and wonderful and freeing. It made her feel something that she hadn't in many years.

When she had finished, she was sweating greatly but smiling widely. Her right arm was extended in a final thrust that could have gone through a body like a hot knife through butter. Her arm was perfectly straight and her body taught and right.

Ella deactivate the sabre and took up the Bo-staff. It was not a usual weapon of the Brotherhood, but her brother had wanted her to master it, to give her extra reach when she was a child. He had then made sure that she was proficient in both, and ambidextrous, so that she could wield both at the same time.

She extended the Bo, and started to go through those quick movements. It did not come as easily as the sabre, but after a few moments she was going through her drills with just as much proficiency. It was like she had never stopped.

When she was finished her movements, she put both the sabre and staff down on her couch. She looked at them both very carefully, wishing she had not felt as right as she did holding them. But, what she really wished was that her brother wasn't right.

She missed it, she really did miss it. She missed the meticulous preparation. She missed finding a solution to a problem that no one else could see. She missed the adrenaline rush of being mid-job.

Ella had always thought that she didn't care about the job, that it was something that her brother had cared about and she was just along for the ride. But, she did. She took pride in what she could do and how exceptional she had been. And, she had always wanted to see just how far she could go when she was locked up.

Over the last few years, she had managed to dampen those feelings and replaced that drive with something else. She had worked towards getting her GED instead of becoming faster at cracking safes. She had created a group of friends rather than a group of professional contacts. She had worked on her relationship rather than worked on her partnership.

Before she knew what she was doing, Ella had changed out of her leggings and baggy t-shirt into black jeans and a dark sweater. She tied her mane back and pulled on her boots and light jacket. She then grabbed her bag and threw in her keys, wallet, sabre and Bo-staff and was out the door and walking the street before she could talk herself out of it.

As she walked through the park she looked up to see the dorms being emptied of students. Ella knew Wildwing was probably busy in one of the dorms, being the responsible upstanding drake that he was.

Changing direction Ella made her way towards the Scene, which was mostly empty. All the students and staff were too busy trying to clear out the buildings to sit down for coffee that day.

"Ella, what are you doing here?" came the surprised voice of Zina from behind the counter. She was staying at the University over the summer to work on her master's thesis. She was also renting a private apartment, so that she didn't need to worry about being in dorms.

"I don't really know. I'm having a little bit of a crisis, and I don't know what to do," Ella answered, sitting down heavily at the counter, the weight of the sabre and Bo-staff weighing heavily in her bag.

"What's wrong?" Zina asked as she poured her young friend a free cup of coffee.

Looking up, Ella realised that she needed to at least partially unburden herself or else she would make herself sicker. The smell of the coffee wasn't helping her uneasy stomach.

"I, you can't tell anyone, not even Wildwing, please Zina I need this kept between us," Ella said, to which Zina's eyebrows shot up into her mane-line instantly thinking Ella was going to disclose an affair.

"I promise, Ella. But, whatever you tell me, it would probably be better if you told Wildwing."

"I know. I, I saw my brother recently. We had dinner and he told me, he asked me, to come back to him. He wants me, he wants me to work with him again. And, I'm afraid that if I do, I might not be able to leave him again, even for Wildwing. The work my brother does, it isn't exactly compatible with living here at the university with a boyfriend," Ella explained, trying to be as vague as she could but still explaining the situation.

"Well, I'm honestly ecstatic that it's a problem with your brother. I was really worried you were going to tell me that you and Canard or someone were having an affair. But, as to your actual problem, well, what's to say that you can't try to work things out with your brother. Maybe meet him and try to find a compromise or try to work with him again? He is your brother Ella. You'll kick yourself if you don't try to fix what went wrong between you, especially since your brother took the first step. And, I'm sure, if you explain it to both Wildwing and your brother, you could sit down and work it all out so you'll have both of them in your life."

Looking up into her friends dark eyes, Ella could see that Zina was trying to be as positive as she could. She was a little upset that Zina thought she was having an affair with Canard, of all people, but she understood why her mind went there. It wasn't often that someone had this kind of problem with a family member, an affair was a more common thing.

"What happens if I can't leave him? What happens if it ruins what Wildwing and I have?" Ella asked, her eyes glossing over with tears.

"What happens if you don't try? Do you really want to look back on this moment and realise that you could have had both of them instead of choosing? If you have to choose, then that's a bridge you can cross later. But, for now, listen to what your brother has to say. And talk to your boyfriend! I promise, I won't tell him, but you need to talk to him."

"Thank you, Zina," Ella said with a small smile, to which Zina smiled back.

Ella drank the last of her coffee and picked up her bag from where she had dropped it. She waved goodbye to her friend and walked out the door. It was getting quite late now, and she would need to make her way towards the metro to get to the other side of town before eight o'clock.

By the time she made it to the last stop of the metro line, the sun had already set. The warehouse district was almost deathly quiet as Ella walked through the darkened buildings. She could see the security guards and cameras watching her as she walked by each until she managed to make it to the last warehouse on the street.

It was a very plain looking warehouse. It was a dark colour, and had working security cameras but no guards. It also didn't have a locked gate, so Ella was able to slide it across fairly easily. Walking through the open gate Ella noticed the expensive motorcycle parked to the side of the building, signalling that he was in the building and alone.

Taking a very deep breath in, Ella pushed open the large doors of the building without announcing her presence. Duke probably already knew that she was there, so there was no need to announce it. She then stepped into the well-lit building to see her brother standing in the middle of the empty building.

"Knew you would come, kiddo," Duke said with a cocky smile, already infuriating his sister.

Her brother was standing, with his hands behind his back. His black eyepatch with the red laser point looking towards her as she walked in. Ella could see that he was wearing a dark trench coat, with dark form-fitting training pants and shirt. She could also see the sabre on his hip, an easier place for him to reach rather than the bottom of her bag.

"I almost didn't. What do we do now?" Ella asked looking towards her brother.

"Let's see how much you still remember," Duke answered, throwing off his trench coat and revealing the two training sabres that he had behind his back.

He threw one to his younger sister who caught it with ease while he dropped into fencing position. Ella barely had time to adjust her position before her brother moved offensively. She almost missed the block and begun being pushed back.

In no time though, Ella began the familiar dance of fencing with her brother, matching every thrust and parry. She was able to make a few hits, though not as many as he did. He pushed her into near exhaustion but she never made a mistake, he was simply better than she was.

"You did well for ten years of inactivity, Ellie, I'm impressed," Duke said after several hours of fencing.

"Is this why I'm here? To be your fencing partner?" Ella asked, slightly annoyed.

"All in good time, kiddo, got to see how much you can still do before I let you in on this job."

"I never said I would take the job," Ella quickly said, grabbing both her bag and sabre.

"Then why are you here? Anyway, that's enough for tonight. Same time tomorrow, kiddo. And I don't want you to take the metro here alone, the bike out front is yours. Rick is gonna pick me up tonight. Now, you better get going, before your, jock, gets worried," Duke said, tossing Ella the key card for the bike and turning his back so that she couldn't argue about the gift.

So, she just took the key card and walked out the warehouse without looking back. She didn't close the warehouse door behind her, thinking her brother would probably leave soon as it was quite late. Though, she didn't see any cars that could belong to Rick or Duke nearby.

Coming toward the sleek, black bike, Ella was impressed by her brother's taste. It was not the kind of thing she would have bought herself, but she appreciated the beauty of the bike. And, it was a more practical gift than anything he had given her so far.

Throwing her leg over the chassis and starting the engine, Ella drove cautiously back towards DuCaine. She had gotten her licence last year, after Dip had made her start running errands for the Scene. Though she didn't have her own mode of transportation, she would usually use Dip's car and just rely on public transport.

When she arrived back home, she parked her new bike on the street and made her way upstairs. The apartment was already dark, though she could see a lot of pamphlets and papers spread out on the table. She quietly made her way to the bedroom where her boyfriend was already fast asleep.

Stripping off quickly and throwing on one of Wildwing's jerseys, Ella crawled into bed next to the sleeping drake. She snuggled into his warm body, who responded sleepily, snuggling back. She happily fell asleep in her boyfriend's arms, hoping that tomorrow she would know how to confess all her secrets.

Hi everyone, thanks for reading!

Starrat: thanks for reading.

Palacegirl: Duke is essential someone who always gets what he wants, and won't take no for an answer.

BlaBlaCat: Thank you for your praise, I'm not about letting it be translated into a language that I can't speak. Could you PM me and let me know more?

Thanks

TFG