3 –

The cars pulled up in front of a huge chalet a nice drive outside of Paris. The place was awash in lights, and people were getting out of other cars in front of them.

"Can I just say Wow?" Juliet's eyes were huge, taking in the unfolding spectacle.

"I know we've been to some fancy parties, but this one is…." Calvin was as stunned as Juliet.

"The fanciest?" Nikko finished Cal's sentence.

Calvin got out of the car first and Nikko followed, helping Juliet out. The other car pulled up behind, and Solomon helped Maggie out, while Vincent helped Kate.

"So whatcha think boy?" Solomon said quietly to his son.

"Juliet said wow before, so I think I'll go with that too."

Kate came over to them. "You got the invite? I think we need to give it to the major domo over there."

Solomon pulled the envelope out of his coat pocket. ""Yeah, I see him." He looked at everyone for a moment. "Ready?" Each of them nodded their consent. "Then let's go."

They walked up the outside staircase to where the major domo was handling the invitations. He had one of his footmen escort the team into the chalet, and into a huge ballroom.

"The Veritas Foundation, New York office." The footman's voice boomed across the ballroom, audible over the small orchestra presiding at the other end of the ballroom.

Each member of the team was scanning both the crowd and the room for any familiar faces, both friendly and hostile.

Kate groaned. "I just saw my mother and her lapdog son Tollan."

Solomon barked a laugh. "Yeah, I just saw Bella Nicholson. Things could get interesting."

Vincent squeezed his wife's hand. "You can finally meet Gyatso."

Kate smiled up at her husband. "I can't wait."

Calvin came up behind Juliet and Nikko. "I see Ali Hassan Rif here, so you better be careful," he whispered in their ears.

Nikko glanced at his buddy. "And Cosimo deMedici is here too."

Cal's face hardened. "I'd like to show him.…"

Solomon clasped Calvin's shoulder. "There are more than a few people we'd like to hurt, but that's not why we're here. Now mingle and find out why we've been invited."

Solomon turned around and was immediately enveloped into his mother's arms. "I couldn't wait another minute!" Victoria Zond declared to her son.

"You mother's been itching for you to get here." Alexander Zond pointed out to his son as they embraced.

"Kate's been the same way. She seems to think something's up." Solomon told his dad as they watched Vicky and Kate admire each other.

"Don't blame the girl for being a bit paranoid."

"She's more than a little paranoid." Vincent waded into the conversation.

"Hey, Vincent, been watching my family's back?" Alex shook Vincent's hand.

"Tonight like always." Vincent had to laugh at the man who felt like his father-in-law.

"Is everyone going to just stand here or are we going to mingle?" Paul Taylor and his wife Theresa came up to join the Zond/Cayce family fray.

Kate looked at her uncle. "I just have a funny feeling…."

"A funny feeling about what, Katherine?"

Kate closed her eyes and tried to count to ten. "Hello, Mother," she got out between clenched teeth.

"Katherine, you are looking quite splendid tonight." Alex was trying to be nice to his former friend.

"I was rather surprised to see the Foundation on the guest list. I didn't realize that you socialized in these circles."

"Mother, we were invited by Madame duPre herself." Kate baited her mother.

Katherine looked shocked. "The old bat invited you herself? She seems to be letting in all kinds of rabble these days, like that Rif character." She looked over Kate's shoulder. "There is someone I really must greet. Please excuse me?" She practically ran over to another couple who were talking with her son Tollan.

"Good riddance…." Kate muttered under her breath.

"You really shouldn't say that about your mother, Katie." Vicky admonished.

Kate looked her aunt in the eye. "She may have given birth to me, but she abandoned me a long time ago. I think of you and Uncle Alex, Uncle Paul and Aunt Theresa and Haley and Solomon as my parents."

Vicky dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. "You are going to ruin my makeup, you know."

Kate hugged her aunt. "But it's a good thing."

Meanwhile…. Nikko and Juliet were swept up in the merry atmosphere, and had joined the throng on the dance floor. There were waltzing passably well when Nikko felt a tap on his shoulder.

"May I cut in?" Rif asked politely.

"I don't think the lady wants to dance with you." Nikko challenged.

"Boy, I could have you taken outside and beaten…."

"That won't be necessary, will it?" Juliet moved between the two men.

Rif looked at her for a moment, and then turned his back and walked away.

"You didn't have to play knight in shining armor, you know."

"Who knows what he would have done to you if I hadn't?"

Juliet batted her eyelashes at Nikko. "We are in the middle of a huge party. Nothing could have happened."

Nikko pulled her closer. "Don't be too sure."

Across the room at the buffet table, Calvin was sampling some of the dishes when he realized someone was standing next to him. He glanced over, and wanted to grab the man next to him and shove his face into the table.

"You are very restrained this evening, Mr. Banks," Cosimo deMedici observed.

"I am resisting my instinct to kill you for what you did to Sophie."

Cosimo laughed lightly. "You think you could lay a hand on me, boy? I have bodyguards nearby who would prevent you from ever touching me."

Cal straightened up and then walked away, muttering "I don't need this."

A few feet away, Solomon was accepting a flute of champagne from a liveried footman when a woman's hand grabbed the flute from him.

"You shouldn't accept alcohol from strangers, Solomon." Bella smiled as she tipped the flute to her lips.

"No just not from you."

"I was a little miffed that you stole the skull from me."

Solomon threw back his head and laughed. "That's rich, Bella. I just prevented you from double crossing me."

Bella pouted. "I wasn't going to do that. You just can't trust me, can you?"

"I wouldn't trust her if she held the key to my life." Heinrich Cordova came up behind Bella.

"Why don't I leave you two to catch up?" Solomon began to edge away from the coming fight.

In a small privacy alcove, Vincent brought the two most important people in his life together.

"Master Gyatso, this is my wife, Kate." Vincent bowed to his mentor.

"I am so pleased to finally meet you. Vincent has told me so much about you." Kate was in awe of the man before her.

Gyatso smiled. "And I have heard much about you. Your husband is very proud of your work."

Kate smiled back. "And I am very proud of him, also."

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