Amy Diaz walks into the office of Bastiana brandishing a small bouquet of flowers. Bastiana takes no notice, assuming the flowers are for one of the women.
"Hey boss," Amy says happily. Bastiana startles, seeing that she has stopped in front of her desk.
"What?" Bastiana looks confused at her, wondering what is going on.
"A special someone has sent you flowers!" Amy is sure the flowers are from the Agent himself.
Bastiana gingerly takes the bouquet; it is beautiful but appears to be an odd mix of flowers. She sets it on her desk, unsure what to do with it. Bastiana stares at them blankly. "Um…should I go thank him?"
Amy looks at her in pity, "You have to read the card first, Sweetie."
"Oh." Finally seeing the card, Bastiana slowly opens it. Expecting sweet from her brothers, she gapes at the actual words."I think you own me dinner after my brilliant idea which save your case. A.H"
Amy grabs the note and reads it. She, too, is shocked by the words. All the possible scenarios, lawyer, CEO, prosecutor, judge, the declarations of love and hate, stopped and she sighed heavily.
"How is he?"Amy asks knowing the answer but the secretary wanted to heart it from her boss.
Bastiana looked up. Surprise registered in her eyes. She immediately tried to change her whole demeanor; to appear stoic.
"From a friend"
Amy shook her head"You don't have friends. Enemies and ex-lovers, yes but not friends."
"I don't need friends."Bastiana said quietly."Alone is what I have, alone protects me."
Amy gave a weak smile. Bastiana felt uncomfortable talking about her feelings.
"Anyway."Bastiana says out of blue."Tell my schedule."
"You have a skype appointment with Maximillion Pegasus at 10:07, another skype appointment with Kaiba Seto at 11:30, Forstman wants to call him eminently, the president of Zakolia firm would be in line 4 at 12:00, some new associates screwed a case which mean you have to look at it again, Lucifer Morningstar sent the papers for the new club, Wilson is angry at you and.."Amy was speaking no-stop.
"Amy take a breath."
Amy paused and smiled.
"Tell Wilson go fuck himself, I will deal with Forstman later, Zakolia firm won 190.00000 million which I can see the reason why he must see me, fire those associates, I accept Kaiba and Pegasus and what about my brothers?!"
Amy looks scared at the grim faces all around her. "I lost them for a few hours but I tracked them down again."
"Un. Next time you lose track of them, make sure you call me. I would be… less than pleased if you managed to lose my brothers somewhere." Meaning that if you EVER lose track of my brothers again, I'll fucking kill you so fast you won't even know that you're dead… again. Again? Hmm.
Amy blinked rapidly moving her head away from her. Amy's mouth opened and closed a few times before asking"Speaking of your brothers, have we a less Ross in our lives?"
FLASHBACK
"What can I do for your sister!" Carisi asked after he'd closed Bastiana`s office door behind himself. He watched Bastiana seat herself on the edge of her desk.
Bastiana raised her eyebrows. "You are late!"
"People have died, " Carisi says flatly, staring Bastiana.
Bastiana blinks rapidly at him. "That's what people do,"
He crossed his arms in response. "You must stop hanging out with James Moriarty"
She crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes. "Sit your ass down."
"No, thank you," he muttered, halting in his pacing to stare at her incredulously.
There was an awkward silence as Bastiana stood in front of her brother who was sitting on the couch, not even looking at her.
Sonny could not speak and he was sure he would have a panic attack and Bastiana believes that.
"What the hell were you thinking, boy?!"
Sonny flinched at the incredulous anger and disappointment in his sister's tone, feeling much like he had when he'd accidentally broken their mother's favorite vase as a child. It had been the only time Bastiana had yelled at him, the vase has been a gift for their parent's anniversary, a protective ward for the house.
"I don't know what you are talking about"
"Don't lie to me!" She growled, anger flashing across her beautiful features.
Sonny gulped nervously and backed away, but Bastiana stalked towards him. 'I... I... that is-'
"How dare you?"Bastiana asked as she reached her brother. She grabbed the detective by the jacket and shouted, 'You fucking lied to me. All of you!"
"I can explain. "Sonny insisted.
"Please tell me."Bastiana stated angrily."Actually, you may strategically place your wonderful lips upon my posterior and kiss it respectfully because I don't care!"
"My boss is saying "kiss my ass" like a lady"
Amy's voice is clipped and professional as it booms over her speaker, and Bastiana filters out another breath before replying.
"Not now Amy."
Sonny felt his throat close up."We wanted to protect you"
"It is my, job not yours," she yelled back.
He stumbled backward slightly in shock.
"Your job is to help me, not to screw me. For months I was blind for Neal`s real job while you and he were playing the super detectives."She said softly staring at him as though daring him to deny it," I am 7/24 in the day upon a phone waiting for a call to tell me that you or Mike or Spencer fund out that is a frund or shoot or worst died."
Finally, Sonnt looking tired sank into the chair sat opposite hers; dejectedly he placed his head in his hands.
'You don't even realise, do you? You don't even realize.. that I had two heart attacks at three last months." she said smiling pityingly at him.
She watched as Sonny blinked.
"What?. You had..." He stared over at her as though fearful for her sanity, 'you cannot be serious?'
'I wish it were a joke. Do you know when I saw photos of you to had a close brush with death when Sgt. Cole pointed a gun right at you with a seeming intent to shoot. It was almost killed me." she whispered turning back to look at him.
Sonny looked away from her looking guilt-stricken, running his hands through his hair in frustration. He opened his mouth to speak but she raised her hand to stop him, '"Who else knows about it?"
"Mike, Spencer, Dana and I, "Sonny said, his voice cracking slightly.
"How long?' She asked, looking as though she was dreading the answer.
'From the beginning,' he said solemnly watching Bastiana's head jerk back as though it had been slapped."Dana found out three weeks ago."
"From the beginning."She repeated dismally, 'All this time I was played like a poppet. "
Sonny whirled around to face his sister.
Get out," she muttered. Sonny hurried to obey, shutting the door behind him. When Sonny was out of sight, she took out her cell phone and dialed a number.
"It's me. Listen carefully; I want you to find that bastard, Keller. You know what to do and get back to me ASAP!" She then hung up. She decided to take a walk to blow off some steam.
END FLASHBACK
A broken laugh escapes Bastiana as she shakes her head in disbelief, not bothering to open her tired eyes.
Bastiana was about to respond when her phone began to vibrate. She already knew who it was and stood up. She walked toward the door but Amy stopped her.
"Where are you going?" Amy asked.
The lawyer ignored her because she was Bastiana fucking Wolf and does not give explanations to anyone.
Hey brother! Do you still believe in one another?
Hey sister! Do you still believe in love? I wonder
Oh, if the sky comes falling down, for you
Bastiana really didn't want to answer her phone. She was well aware that it was Specter and she didn't want to hear anything that he had to say. It was bad enough that she was having a headache from Hotch`s flowers and she must do some dirty work. She stood out of her firm and after the third call, she decided that if she didn't answer Harvey would just get angrier and do something stupid. "What do you want Specter?" Bastiana asked into the phone.
Harvey's voice was nice at first. "Good morning to you too sweetheart." Then it suddenly changed, becoming biting. "What about start calling me by my first name and from now on you answer your phone when I call. I'm not going to tolerate being ignored."
Bastiana had known that this was coming. It was Specter after all; he was probably the biggest control freak on the planet. More so even than her. "Fine Harvey, is that all? I answer when you call me? Okay good, nice that we had this chat." Bastiana said rapidly getting ready to hang up.
"Not so fast Bastiana. I did actually have a reason for calling you." Harvey said almost scoldingly. "I did originally want to wish you a good morning. And to tell you that I've thought about it and I really want dinner, after all, I got your brother to work for me"
At first, Bastiana thought that she must have misheard him. There was no way he had said what she thought he did. At that, she couldn't help but laugh.
"I'm serious Bastiana. "Harvey said into the phone.
Bastiana almost snorted. "You've got to be kidding me, Specter." When Harvey didn't say anything she continued; now realizing that Harvey wasn't joking. "You're not kidding. Oh my god, Harvey, there's no way I'm agreeing to that. In fact, that defeats the whole purpose of our little arrangement, doesn't it? And how dare you to use my brother against me?"
Harvey thought about it for a minute; Bastiana's points were valid. He was stupid for not realizing that she was entirely too smart to be manipulated by him. It was one of the things that drew him to her. He liked to be in control of every situation, every relationship and Bastiana was something he had no control over. It was intoxicating to be challenged and talked back to the way she did. Using Mike was a low hit but he wants dinner with her."Okay Bastiana you win this one; I am sorry for using your brother"
She was rolling her eyes. How could he have been stupid enough to think that he could win that argument? She was just glad that he had given in quickly; it would have been annoying to continue the argument. "Okay good, so are we done now? I'm almost at my work ."
Harvey could help but smile. Bastia. a obviously had no idea that he was parked across the street from Wolf-Wilson law firm in a town car. "Yes, Bastiana we're done for now. However, I am having something sent over for you today; be sure to wear it tonight. I'll pick you up at eight." Harvey continued watching as she approached her car completely oblivious to his presence and seemingly to the fact that he had just spoken to her. He loved just watching her walk. The way her hips swung back and forth made heat rise up below his gut. This woman was going to be the death of him; he was sure of it. He was lost in his thoughts of her; watching her speak to her various subjects like the Queen she was. Still, on the phone with Bastiana, Harvey got out of the car to watch her ascend the stair steps of the school. "Bastiana are you still there? Did you even hear what I said, I'll pick you up at eight."
Bastiana couldn't help but smirk as she spoke next. "Yes, Specter I heard you. Is that what you're wearing tonight on our date because if it is you might want to change your pants."
Harvey was confused what was Bastiana talking about what he was wearing and changing his . . . "SHIT!" Harvey cursed into the phone as he felt someone bump into him and something steaming hot soaking his pants; specifically in the area of the crotch. He looked towards a giggling group of girls that he recognized as some of the very subjects he had been thinking about previously. Over the phone, he could hear Bastiana laughing. By this time she was at the top of the stares. "Fucking bitch." Harvey spat into the phone.
Bastiana turned around to face him as she spoke; her voice cold and challenging. "That's the second time today Specter that you have thought me less observant than I actually am. I don't suggest doing it again." With that, she snapped her phone closed and continued into her car.
Harvey watched as Bastiana Wolf continued into her like the Goddess she was. Most men would have been pissed off at her at that moment but instead, he was incredibly turned on. Oh yes, he was looking forward to tonight.
Bastiana walked to a secret location where her guards told her where they were. There, sitting in a chair beaten and tied up, was the reason his brother is under threat. The mere sight of him made her blood boil. She almost snorted in disgust, having gotten a whiff of alcohol coming from the man.
"Who the fuck are you?."
She smirked. this was going to be fun.
"I do apologize," she said in a bit of a sarcastic tone. "Perhaps you should watch television more often; the name is Bastiana Wolf and I am here to teach that no one lays a finger on my brothers and lives."
The man swallowed and looked over his shoulder before looking back at the lawyer.
"Oh, you mean Neal Caffrey."Keller said, finally getting his courage."When the others find out that Neal is fake they will kill him."
Bastiana chuckled."You mean like you?. "
"You think you can just waltz in here and take over?"
"I can and I have, "Bastiana stated before turning away.
"I will kill him,"Keller informed her.
"Bastard. My brother is completely fine. You're going to get what's coming to you. Unfortunately, I am not going to kill you. I am allowing you to keep your life for two reasons; one I want you to suffer, and two an example. You are going to be living proof of what happens to people who cross Bastiana Wolf." Bastiana stated harshly.
"Miss what would like us to do?" one of the guards asked
"I don't give a damn what you do...just don't kill him. Get creative. Oh and Keller it would be useless for you to go to the police. What evidence do you possibly have against me? I, on the other hand, have enough on you to make you disappear" she smirked
"You bitch. That your is gonna die along with you and the others"
Bastiana hit him so hard that the impact injured her own hand.
"Get rid of him...make sure that no one recognizes him."
"Yes miss"
"She was good?",Barba asked.
Liv gives Rafael a quelling look. "We are not having this conversation."
"Oh, come on," Rafael teases. "I can't be the only one in this friendship dumb enough to want to snog lawyer."
Liv laughs and shakes her head. "Yours wasn't a lawyer when you met him."
"So?!" Barba asked nonchalantly.
Olivia sighed. Yes, she was good. And now that Olivia thought about it, he hadn't had the chance yet to share her sexual pleasure with anyone, so screw it… It might as well be her best friend.
She appeared from behind her hands. "Oh yeah."
Barba riggled.
"Is she was more romantic or dirty?", Barba put his head on his fist.
"She had a range of moves", Olivia answered diplomatically.
He wooed and Olivia's cheeks burned. How old was she?
"So she had moved?", He asked curiously.
"Yes", Olivia surrendered.
"Don't be so specific, Liv", Barba rolled his eyes.
"Let's say she knows how to use her tongue", Olivia wished they were going to be content with that for her taste not enough vague of an answer.
Indeed, Barba giggled until her cheeks flushed. "Like kissing or…?" And Barba seriously pointed her eyes towards Olivia's vagina.
Despite her outrage, Olivia tried not to blink while holding eye contact. "I meant kissing… but yeah, also during other activities."
"Carisi sister is something else"
"Jessica Person,"Olivia informed him.
FLASHBACK
It was around 2 am when Olivia strolled through the streets of New York. Olivia usually went home and took a glass of wine there but for some reason, she didn't feel like being alone. She felt a bit more comfortable with people around her and most of the people in this bar lived in the neighborhood so she knew them anyway.
"Hey Liv." Said the man behind the bar. "Everything okay?"
A smile curled Olivia's lips when she heard that voice. It was the man who lived below her and he was one of the nicest people. He was gay and probably the funniest person to hang out with. Always flirting... Even with straight, married men.
"Hey, Danny. I'm fine. Just a glass of red wine and then I'm off home again." She smiled and said on one of the crutches in front of the bar and took her coat off.
"On the house..." Danny said while placing a glass of wine in front of her. "We all know you've been through a lot lately and we're here to support you. We've got your back... At least, I do."
Olivia took the glass in her hand and smiled softly. Danny was probably somewhere in his 30's and he was a really nice guy. He was being funny most of the time but he could be serious at the right moments.
"Thanks... I appreciate that."
Olivia took a sip of her wine and looked up when the door of the bar opened again and a tall figure walked inside.
Danny looked up while he was cleaning some glasses and he licked his lips.
"Hmm... Hottie, 12 o'clock." He said while narrowing his eyes a bit.
"Ooh god..." Olivia laughed as she turned her eyes on Danny again. "She is a woman."
"Gay. Not blind"
"Danny... She is a lawyer. One of my team member`s brother works at her firm."
"What's his name?" A grin appeared on Danny's face and that usually meant he was up to something.
Olivia knew that look and narrowed her eyes. "Uh- Not sure if I should tell you 'cause I don't trust you... Jessica Pearson."
"Yo Jessica!" Danny yelled. "Liv here thinks you're hot!"
Olivia's eyes got big and she hit Danny's arm. He seriously was a child sometimes and secretly she loved it but at this moment she just wanted to disappear and never come back again.
Of course, Jessica had heard what Danny said and she laughed when he noticed Olivia. She was still a black suit and she saw Olivia scanning her body. Olivia never really liked lawyers but she couldn't deny the fact she was sexy... And tall...
"Well hello, detective. What're you doing here so late?" She said while sitting down on the crutch next to hers.
"We had a tough case goin' on and we just finished so yeah, it got late. What about you?"
"Same..." Jessica started. "I was in Chicago for a few days and just got back to New York. Not in the mood to sleep yet so why not grab a drink, right?"
Olivia nodded. "You're right. What do you want? Wine or something?"
Jessica shook her head and grinned while looking at Danny. "A beer whiskey."
Danny was totally flirting with Jessica and checking her out while filling a glass with whiskey. "Everything for you... On the house."
A laugh escaped from Olivia's throat. If Danny did this with everyone, the bar would have to close soon. The group talked about everything and nothing for a while but when Olivia had finished her wine, she got off the crutch and put some money on the bar. Even though Danny always said it was in the house, she always left some money. It wasn't a very busy bar and he needed to make a living as well.
"I think we have a common friend."
"Who?!"Olivia asked disbelievingly.
"Bastiana Wolf!" Jessica announced.
It became easier after that – talking that was. Like some sort of barrier had been torn down that up until now had prevented them from really talking to each other. Olivia told Jessica about her son and her team and Jessica opened up about her childhood, the mother she had adored, and the overbearing father with the high expectations that had weighed on her since she could remember.
I'll see you guys later, okay? It's late, I'm tired and I just want to go home..." Olivia grinned and put her coat back on. Before she could even take one step towards the door, Jessica opened her mouth.
"Olivia?" Jessica said while carefully holding her arm so she wouldn't walk away. "Let's have a drink again tomorrow. It was nice spending some time together, right?"
Of course, Olivia was surprised when Jessica asked that. Yes, she had enjoyed their time here at the time bar but she never expected her to ask something like this. "Uh- Yeah, sure. Why not?! I'll let you know when I'm done for the day, okay? Pretty sure you can find my number somewhere."
"Of course... I'll see you soon. Take care, Olivia." Jessica let go of her arm and smiled when she left.
END FLASHBACK
"You´re definitely going," Barba commented.
"Why should I?" Olivia – and she definitely did not pout – asked.
"You deserve to be happy."Barba stated with a 'duh' expression that looked like she doubted Olivia ´s sanity. "I have seen Jessica Pearson on TV she looks way hotter than Rollins."
Olivia blushed and wanted to protest, but then she had to admit that Barba was in the right.
"I guess," Olivia conceded, trying to sound nonchalant.
"See," Barba smirked, "I knew reason would prevail."
"Anyway," said the woman, trying to change her subject. "We have a new body, this time without signs of sexual abuse, but the central authorities said that BAU and SVU must work together as the mayor wants an arrest ,soon. Prentiss and Finn talked to the parents of the victim while we found out that the clothes which the victim was wore was not hers, it has her size but with a salary likes her was not able to buy shoes 900 dollars and a rolex 27.550,00 dollars. Rollins with Agent Morgan went to the crime sence and Sonny is with his brother talking about some new evidence"
"Carisi will probably be up soon, though." As if on cue he walked through the door. "Speak of the devil."
"I'm not the devil."
"Eh, close enough," Mike teased. Carisi just shook his head and laughed
If only looks could kill, Mike Dodds would already be dead, mayhap even gutted.
It isn't that Barba doesn't like Mike Dodds.
The young is confident and stands up for what he believes in, whether it's in work or his personal life. Time and time again, Barba watches him win cases that seem impossible while facing opposition from the whole world except for SVU. He stands up to criminals who threaten him with a cocky smile and unwavering voice.
He's caring and sympathetic to victims with a level of patience Barba still hasn't achieved. He's used to fast-paced interrogations and reluctant witnesses, not delicate traumatized victims. Mike, however, knows what to say in every single situation.
He talks about his husband with the softest smile on his face and doesn't worry about what might happen. Barba envies that, and he envies that Mike's boyfriend is the bubbly, eager blond detective/lawyer.
While four of them were talking about the case ,Reid was in front of a board with victims' photos. Different women from 5 different neighborhoods and no common between them ,without any sign of sexual abuse but no one of those women were wearong their clothes. A secretary, a judge, a waitress, a barwoman and their new victim Lila Victors ,42 year old working as a cashier at a local market and the same flower in a hand. They found a red rose together with the body and it was the only common which the five girls had.
''Blue eyes and brown hair''said a familiar voice from behind him and prayed to see either of the brothers. The young dodctor was never fan of the blonde espexially after she lied to him about Prentiss and flirt knoweing that he was engaged.
''These five women they could meet where?''Reid asks walking towards the board wanting to put a distance between this and the female agent.
At a bar''JJ answered as the answer was expected. Reid stared at her for a moment, absolutely disbelieving, before he dissolved into laughter, leaning into JJ's side.
''' I can understand that the secretary, the cashier and the other two women could be held in the same place but I have a different opinion of the judge''
JJ frowned, pulling the document closer to his face before looking at Reid. ''Why that?''
"Why that?," Reid repeated, huffing a laugh.''The salary of a judge is three times more higher that a cashier or a waitress , the woman must had lived at Upper East Side and not know that WallMark is.''
JJ scoffed as he walked towards her, hand outstretched. ''You are talking by experience''
''Of course.''He breathed out, holding the document up as laughter bubbled up inside of him.''My sister-in-law buy every week three diffrent pair of shoes and clothes while my sister buy cars for fun and throw away a new pair of louboutin because it is out of season.''
"What about your wife" She called out.
"Lola?" Reid asked softly and JJ felt a thrill of absolutely binding jealousy.''Lola spend money for books and clothes and maybe her salary is not so high like Bastiana or Dana but close enough ,my dear fiance can spend a lot of money when is at a shopping trip with my sister and Dana.''
''Oh''She murmured.''It is sound so worng. Just because they have money they can spend them like that after all your sisters exploit and manipulate people.''
Reid frowned, for a moment wondering if he'd misheard her. "Excuse me?"
"I know it's inappropriate," she conceded.
"Very much so."
"Oh, I know."
Her voice was low and husky and before she could think it through, her hands cupped his startled face and her mouth crashing down on his.
"Keep your sister in line"
Neal chuckled his eyes going brighter than Peter ever saw them.
"I'd have a greater chance of draining the Mississippi with a straw,"Neal said passively. Peter looked at him as if not understanding causing to Neal to chuckle again."I can control my younger brothers but not Bastiana. She's a bit more of hands-on kind of woman. Lets just says my sister is even more so lethal, venomous if you will. Anger her, piss her off, or cross her, if she sees fit, one bite and you'll be begging to have never been born."Neal said cheerfully.
Peter smiled and nodding as if he understood, trying to hide his nerves. "She almost used FBI."
"I did not expect nothing less from my sister."Neal answered simply.
Peter shook his head."How is Dana?"
"Putting up with her ex , helping Lola with the wedding plan, hopping trips with my sister and be fabulous at courtroom, I think she is ok" Neal told Peter with a raised brow.
"So"said Peter hesitating as he didn't want to ruin the calm atmosphere in the room."You talk with Keller?"
FLASHBACK
"Who the hell do you think you are? Did you honestly believe you could blackmail me into stealing from Woodford using to expose me?"Neal yelled
"No I didn't but I said to myself...'what the hell it was worth a shot'. This is exactly why I had a plan B." Keller smiled
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Well I might as well tell you although it's probably too late now." He looked up at Neal and smiled.
Neal grabbed the man by his collar and lifted him off his feet.
"I don't have time for your games Keller!" he yelled
"Now...Now, violence is never the answer Mr. Caffrey, but I will say this; you might want to go check on your wife." He smirked
"What!" Neal dropped the man and without a second thought, he ran out the door.
END FLASHBACK
"He has a bad habit" Neal deadpans, his voice laced with just enough venom to make Peter nervous.
Neal was more than pissed. The worst part was Keller?'s words kept playing over and over again in his head. 'You might want to go check on your wife' he more he thought about it the madder he got. He clenched his fist together trying his best to keep calm.
Peter stares at him a bit and seems to come to a decision, even if not a pleasant one by the way Neal looks pained before speaking.
Peter frowned, "I really don't like knowing that you're working with him. We should still call off this operation."
"No! Peter, we can't," gasped Neal. "My freedom depends on busting the Panthers. We can't stop now when I'm so close."
Peter nodded unhappily, "Okay, I just hope I'll be able to protect you. Your sister will kill me if something happen to you! "
Neal smirked."She will put your head on a spike and watch as the crows feast on your eyes."
Peter asked suspiciously,"She can do that?"
Neal was ready to give an answer when his phone rang.
Ne pulled his phone out of his pocket and looked at the Caller ID, which read wife.
"Hi babe, everything okay?"Neal asked worried when he answered his phone. Getting a phone call from his wife while on a case always meant that something happened to them. He was usually calm and collected, never showing emotion, never feeling emotion. But when it came to his family, he was always worried.
"Stay late"
..
"Difficult case"
..
"I love you too "
They finally hung up and Neal let out a breath.
Peter went out of his office while Neal picked up the two folders in front of him – cold case art thefts, with his assignment to see if he could recognize any patterns or signatures – and stood up. It wasn't much, but at least Peter had given him something. And that was definitely something…
Freedom was near.
· Peter walked back to his office to call Elizabeth; rushing in he almost bumped into Diana.
"We have a problem."She uickly put forth.
Peter swore under his breath."What is going on?"
Diana hesitated briefly."Keller is dead!"
Having stayed at the office a while, after everyone else left, as there were a couple of things Neal wanted to do, he is finally arriving home.
Dana was still in her office working in the Whittaker case and they spoke a few hours ago informed that Dana will stay upon late tonight.
Having taken off his jacket and tie Neal walks over to his drinks cart and pours himself a drink, just as he takes the first drink there is a knock on the door.
Wondering who it could possibly be Harvey puts his drink down on the bench and goes to answer the door. To his surprise, and joy, Neal finds Sonny on the other side, and it only takes him a few seconds to realize something is wrong.
"Sonny? What's wrong?" Neal asks, as he steps aside and lets his brother into his apartment.
"We have a problem. "Sonny reveals, his voice full of worry, as he walks into the apartment."
"WHAT?" Neal asks, sounding shocked, "Why? What happened?" he asks, honestly being completely confused as he really wasn't expecting that.
"I need a drink," Sonny says, purposely avoiding answering the question.
"Sure, off course." Neal says, heading to the drink carts to pour Sonny a drink, "Here, drink, talk." Neal says, as he hands Sonny the drink, and after taking the drink Sonny downs the entire thing in one mouthful, and Neal refills it, and Sonny drinks it in one mouthful again, "Talk, what happened?" Neal asks, not refiling Mike's glass on purpose.
Sonny couldn't hide the worry from her eyes, but he recovered quickly. "It's Bastiana."
''Bastiana' 'Neal softly spoke, his eyes tender for his twin.
Sonny rolled his eyes in annoyance and jealously. He hated that his twin siblings were so close. He knew Bastiana loved all her brothers, would die and murder for them no matter what. But he hated that he didn't have the close bond the two had. He wanted her to treat him as she did Neal. Their bond had always been different since they were born. As infants, they cried if not in the same room as each other.
Sonny shifted uncomfortably in his chair, trying not to make eye contact with his older brother. His mouth and nose scrunched first up and then to the side, he looked like he didn't want to answer.
"Bastiana" Sonny squeaked as he fidgeted with the books in front of him. The thing about Sonny is that he is a terrible liar. He gets all squeaky and vague, Neal doesn't even know why he bothers trying to do it; even a four-year-old could tell if Sonny was lying.
Drawing his eyebrows down, Neal glared at Sonnet waiting for his answer.
Sonny ran his hand through his messy hair obviously delaying. He was probably trying to come up with an elaborate story.
"Dominic, what is going on with our sister?"
Sonny finally looked up meeting Neal's eyes.
"Man, I really don't think you want to know. You know self-preservation and all that shit."
Now Ne was starting to angry, cause there was a very short list of things that Derek probably didn't want to know about when it came to Bastian. A really fucking shortlist.
"Tell me" Neal growled through gritted teeth.
"Dude, you promise not to kill the messenger?"
"I'm going to kill you if you don't just spit it the fuck out."
Sonny backed himself as far away from Neal as he could in his room before speaking. Which was a fair reaction to have when the older brother mentions that he might kill you?
"She knows, " Sonny said while making a face like he was expecting to get punched. A loud thud followed his words.
"WHAT?"Neal screeched."About Pink Panthers?"
Sonny scoffs."No, that Kim Kardashian ass is fake."
Neal didn't respond, he was too focused on keeping his body completely still.
Oh god.
Bastiana knows.
He knows Bastiana knows.
Neal was lucky they were related by blood, considering Bastiana was already plotting to kill them.
Neal took a deep breath and then another. He needed to internalize this shit, right here and now.
"You!"Neal breathed as his eyes switched to Sonny. "You told her."
"Now brother," Sonny cautioned as he began to back away from her, holding his hands in front of him. "It's not that bad."
"Not bad?" Neal repeated slowly as he swung his legs to the floor, narrowed eyes watching every move. "Not that bad? Compared to what?"
"We are still alive!" Sonny tried to reason with her. His voice desperate as his eyes searched for a place to hide.
"No, that was preferable to this," Neal told him. "The way the media is going the next announcement is going to be that Bastiana Wolf kills her brothers."
"That's good. Look at the bright side," Sonny told Neal with a smile. But it disappeared when he growled, baring his teeth at Sonny. "Come on Neal. You've got to admit that there is humor in this."
"I'm not seeing it," Neal told him as he rose off of the couch and began to stalk him." We kept it secret from Bastiana because we don't want her to have a heart fucking attack or worse to take the law in her hands hunting down all the members of Pink Panthers."
"Come on Brother," Sonny tried again but it ended on a yelp as Ne pounced. Neal hands wrapping around Sonny`s throat and his legs wrapping around Sonny`s waist. Sonny's blue eyes bugged out in surprise, losing his balance and crashing to the floor.
Both of them were focusing in their fight ignoring Dana, who was standing at the doorway.
"Neal!" Dana yelled and ran over to them, trying to pull Neal off of Sonny.
"I'm busy," Neal told her as he shook her off and continued to pound Sonny's head into the floor.
"She called me in her office asking me about it. "Sonny said with a straight face.
They went at it for a good five minutes before Dana could finally get their attention.
"Guys!"
"What?" The two said in unison to Dana with a look in there I that said 'I'm gonna kill you'.
"What is going on?!
"Sonny told Bastiana about Pink Panthers!" Neal says.
"I was you or me brother," Sonny said.
"I'm sorry brother," Neal said with an expression on his face that looked like a pout.
"For what Neal?" A bemused Sonny asked.
"For yelling at you." He said with his head down.
"We are both do blame," Neal said while touching his brother's face.
"Yeah but it was I who started it"
"And it was I who continued it."
"Fine we are both at fault" Neal finally said.
"Well can we both forgive each other?" Sonny said gaining a small grin on his face knowing what Neal's answer would be.
"Of course" Neal smirked at his little sister.
"How do you do that?" Dana asked a bit confused.
"Do what?" They asked in unison looking as confused as Dana.
'"Yell at each other for a good ten minutes then act like nothing ever happened between both of you then try to take the blame for it?"
"Oh that, we'll have you fighting with us than acting like nothing ever happened I no time." Neal said holding back a laugh of his own."You must see Bastiana and me when we fight."
Dana's eyes widened. Getting between those two in a fight was the last thing he needed; their arguments were legendary.
"I can't believe this, I'm as excited as a high school freshman on her first date.' thought Bastiana Wolf as she put the final touches on her make-up.
Bastiana changed her outfit a total of seven times before deciding on one, and even then, she was still unsure. She couldn't pin why she was being so indecisive, or why she even cared about her appearance. It's not like she didn't care about her appearance on a regular basis. It's that this just requires a little something extra. Then, at promptly seven o'clock sharp, a knock came at Bastiana's door.
Harvey breathed in deeply as she continued her descent. "You look stunning Bastiana and it was worth every minute you were late to see you look this incredible."
She raised her eyebrows and smirked as she reached the floor. "I'm never late, everyone else is simply early. And of course, I look stunning." Bastiana was taking control of this situation whether Harvey liked it or not so he better hold on tight.
He shook his head a little before simply submitting. "Of course. Now, unfortunately, that is not the motto of our restaurant of choice this evening so we have to go if we want to eat." Harvey said holding out her coat for her;
Harvey allowed him to help her with her coat before taking the arm he was offering her and stepping into the elevator. They rode the elevator in near silence, but not an uncomfortable one really. He walked her to Ferrari 365 GTS4 and opened the door for her which she appreciated. So he could be a gentleman after all. "Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Bastiana asked sharply after he had joined her in the car.
"Well if you must know, I'm taking you to Le Bernardin on 7th for dinner," Harvey said politely. He would have never taken this type of treatment from any other woman before Bastiana wolf but she seemed to be the exception for all of his rules. He watched as her eyebrows went up once again, he knew he had done well to reserve a spot at that restaurant. To do so was difficult even for the likes of the Upper East Side Princess. "Then I thought we could head over to The Modern for dessert." Harvey adding smirking. Modern had one of the best desert menus in town.
Bastiana was starting to think that the evening might be tolerable until she heard him say, "Then I thought we could head over to The Modern for dessert." The flashback was so strong she felt like she was there again, Neal, Bruce, the Cotillion. It all came rushing back so quickly. That she moved as far away from Harvey as possible.
Harvey didn't know what was going on, one-moment Bastiana actually seemed to be enjoying herself the next she was reacting as though he said that he was going to take her back to his place to make a sex video
Bastiana was more than a little embarrassed as she calmed herself down. Regardless of the fact that she hated Harvey, she didn't have any sort of excuse for her actions just then.
Harvey reached over and placed his hand on her arm. "Is everything all right Bastiana?"
She answered quickly. "Everything's fine Harvey, I just remembered something strange."
"About an ex-lover?" Harvey asked quickly.
Bastiana looked at Harvey curiously, "No, what would give you that impression?"
Harvey simply shrugged and answered. "I just thought that if you remembered something it would be from there since that seems to be the only gap in your memory."
Bastiana took his arm once more as they were stepping out of his car. "No, just last year before the Cotillion, Neal said those exact words to me, 'Then I thought we could head over to The Modern for desert.' It just threw me back to hear them again."
They walked into the restaurant and were seated immediately at the best table in the house.
Once again Bastiana found herself to be a little impressed with Harvey, but for all of his charms, she couldn't let herself forget that she wasn't here because she wanted to be. They spent most of dinner talking about unsubstantial things, where she has been all those years, Bastiana's parents, her plans for the future, anything to fill the awkward silence that would take over if they allowed it.
Harvey was enthralled by Bastiana, the more he learned about her the more he wanted her. For him, dinner flew by. As they strolled down the street to the Modern, he had picked a close desert bar for a reason, he put his arm around her.
"Tell me something about your life?"He said, disinterested in the current conversation.
"There's not much to say," Bastiana shrugged with a bored tone. Truthfully, Bastiana didn't find anything about herself being conversation-worthy, but these last several months she didn't find herself worthy of anything, not since she realized the enormity of what she'd done in her past.
Harvey leered at her seductively. "Come on, there must be something interesting to say about the elusive Bastiana Wolf I've heard about? There must be something you want in life," Harvey pressed, hoping he could figure out if Bastiana wanted what he desired.
"You don't have the right stomach to hear it."She said ruefully.
''Our parents'' said Bastiana and Harvey turned back to reality. ''Neal and I..''
There is a hesitation in her voice and Harvey had been through this many times before from working as a lawyer. Victims would come in and have to retell their story, but it never got easier the more they had to tell it. Sometimes it would take a little bit for the victim to open up and actually tell their story.
''We were born under terrible conditions. They never wanted a kid. They weren't made to be parents. My father and mother had us when they were still teenage having fun not ready to settle down. Kept us in the family so we lived with Adam Collin. Our grandfather was an authoritarian monster and he learned that emotions are weak and that we should never make mistakes. We learned the art of the lie and pain management. I-If we did something wrong he would hit us with his cane, not let us eat dinner. He learned to my brother how to hide and to escape difficult situations, stealing and laying became his second nature. Our parents were coming to see us but I just always remember them being drunk or stoned. They argued a lot and they left a lot. I spent most of my time alone or at school. There were no birthday or Christmas gifts. I didn't even know when my birthday was until I looked it up in public records in the library when I was five. At the age of five, Neal went to live with our father's sister Ursula and when it started, when he hit me for the first time. I never told anyone. I didn't have to tell my mom, because she was standing right there when it happened. She didn't stand up for me or ask if I was okay. She just looked at me like I deserved it. It got worse the older I got. Every morning he would look at me and say, maybe today's the day. The day he would kill me. And he almost did, a lot of times."
"Didn't anyone at school notice? Your grandmother?" Harvey asked hurt to know that Bastiana had been neglected and abused by her grandfather.
The woman decided not to answer his question and continued the narration.''The night my brother left, Adam got home he drank a whole bottle of whiskey and took it out on me. For six months afterward I was the only one there and he was pissed. Six months he would beat me every day. He would lock me out in the storms, lock me in the dark closet for days. Then that night happened." Bastiana said as a single tear rolled down her left cheek.
"What night is that Bastiana?" Harvey asked gently.
"He came into my room in the middle of the night. He was drunk, he was always drunk. That night was different though. That night he didn't just want to beat me."
"He tried to kill you," Harvey said.
"No. Sometimes I wish he had. I remember everything. My mind remembers everything and it never forgets. Even the smallest detail I remember it. I can still see it perfectly like it's happening all over again.'' said Bastiana. ''If I was not me, maybe will be Neal and I could not stand it''
"What happened that night Bastiana?" Harvey gently asked once again.
"He um... he raped me." Bastiana finally softly admitted with shame in her voice.
"What?" Harvey asked with pain in his own voice. That is not what he was expecting Bastiana to say. He was expecting that she took a really bad beating and she wished she was dead from the pain. He was not expecting that at all.
"He was really drunk, but so pissed at me for no reason. I didn't do anything wrong. I stayed in my room and I cleaned the house like I was supposed to and I cooked him dinner. I didn't break any of his rules that day. I never felt pain like that before. I thought I was going to die in the middle of it. I counted the seconds in my head. I recited a novel that I had read in my head. I did everything I could think of to block out what was happening, because then maybe I wouldn't remember any of it. It didn't work though. It's still burned in my mind. Every painstaking second of that hell I can recall perfectly." Bastiana said with deep pain in her voice.
Bastiana had been raped. Bastiana Wolf had been hurt in one of the worst possible ways, and he had voluntarily taken this on to save Neal from such a fate. Worst still, for all of these years Bastiana had been dealing with this alone.
''When Sonny was born gave him away like us but when Spencer was born my parent were older kept him. When we were 11 Neal and I moved back in taking Sonny with us' said Bastiana
Her mother all day long told horrible words to her. Her father always has a blank face looked at him. When he looked at Sonny his face showed joy. At least her father loved Sonny. But she was more a parent to Sonny than their parent. They never played with him. Never hugged him. Teach him words and read him a story at night. Just be with him without doing something else.
"Bastiana, you never told anyone?" Harvey asked hurt.
"Wasn't anyone there to tell. Couldn't go to the cops, he made sure I would never do that. Didn't grow up in the best area either, cops were the enemy. When I finally did have someone that I could tell I was too afraid and ashamed to say it. I couldn't handle if they didn't want anything to do with me. So I kept quiet and just dealt with it."
"You don't seem like the type of person who lacks courage."
Bastiana rolled her eyes and bit back a smile. She couldn't believe she was buying into this flattery. A cheap play on words and she found herself suddenly melting. This conversation felt so familiar. Harvey was easy to talk to and nothing was forced. There was a feeling of trust. It's why she told him a slim partial truth about her past.
Harvey could see her mind at work, and quickly interrupted her."I would like to thank you that you shared your past with me!. You are not going to regret trusting me."
"I doubt it." She mumbles to herself as she waves a bartender over. "A large glass of red wine please." She orders.
The bartender nods, "Yes, miss"
This bartender seems a lot politer. She gives the man a tip once he's handed the glass over.
"Th-thank you, miss." The bartender stutters nodding vigorously.
She's on what he thinks is her second glass of wine. Harvey looked at Bastiana with pity in his eyes.
"Don't you dare."Bastisna growled at him."You pity the fool because you don't want to beat up a fool! You know, pity is between sorry and mercy. See, if you pity him, you know, you won't have to beat him up. So that's why I say fools, you gotta give another chance because they don't know any better. That's why I pity them!"
"Self-pity, a dominant characteristic of sociopaths, is also the characteristic that differentiates heroic storytelling from psychological rumination. When you talk about your experiences to shed light, you may feel wrenching pain, grief, anger, or shame. Your audience may pity you, but not because you want them to." he said, and Bastiana glanced over at him.
Bastiana looked startled. "Chill-out Aristotle.."
"My father wsa saxophone player. He sat in with everybody because everybody loved him. He believed in love at first sight, and unfortunately... his first sight was a groupie. I was 16 when I caught my mother cheating. I knew if I told my dad he'd... next two years went by, I didn't say a thing, and she went right on just... making him a fool. Look, this is all to say that, I lived in a house surrounded by family, but I know what it's like to be totally alone."Harvey confessed." I never settled down with anyone woman and always just had flings and hook-ups because of my issues with trust and commitment stemming from my childhood when he saw my mother cheating on my father for many years."He smiled wistfully. "I show that my only real commitment is towards my work and the firm. I am loyal to both my boss and protégé."
"To shitty childhood," Bastiana mock toasted.
"Yeah, to those," Harvey agreed. She trailed her lips across his cheek, stopping at his ear to whisper "take me home."
Bastiana smoothed her hands down over his chest, catching and straightening the lapels of his suit jacket. Harvey reluctantly let her go, his touch remaining until she'd moved out of reach. He followed her every move intently during the few minutes that it took for her to pack up her bag and pull on her coat.
A few minutes later, both of them found themselves in front of Bastiana`s building.
"You want to kiss me!"
"So," Harvey shot back, "what are you gonna do about it, huh?" Bastiana`s grin took on a predatory glint as Harvey posed that question."Guys should mess up your lipstick, not your mascara"
"They mess up my lipstick and people watch their body get scooped out of a river on the news" Said Bastiana and when Harvey released her they laughed and Bastiana was standing too close again in Aaron's personal space, with 'the flirty eyes'. The agent felt swept away at the moment and before he could stop himself he moved forward and brushed his lips against Bastiana's in a very brief and very light kiss. He allowed his lips to hover over Bastiana's though, feeling Harvey's breath against his mouth and hoping for more.
"Goodnight, Harvey," Bastiana said, understanding that he'd have been disappointed.
She turned and Harvey regarded the slightly exaggerated sway of her hips as she walked away.
Harvey turned and stormed to the car, not caring that it made him dizzy. He just needed to get away from her. It wasn't his fault. He knew it wasn't. His brain had other ideas though. It howled in agony at what they had done, but Harvey didn't care. He wouldn't let it best him. He was the best closer in the city. He was in control and he wouldn't lose himself. Not over somebody woman. Not ever over someone like Bastiana. Bastiana wasn't special. He didn't need to be treated like it. He didn't like Bastiana. He didn't like Bastiana. Harvey repeated that mantra in his head till to the house and sleep finally reached out and claimed him.