Chapter 8: Ghosts

"I am representing the parents of Ipati Pechkin," the man said, handing Victor the envelope, "They are seeking custody of the Pechkin children."

Despite the instant burning anger he felt at the unwelcome intrusion and the reason for it, Victor was all too aware of the possible consequences of showing too strong a reaction.

"I see," he said quietly, looking into the attorney's eyes as he accepted the envelope.

"I also need to inform you that the Pechkin family is seeking an order to place the children in their care while the case is decided."

Victor's gaze hardened.

"And I am sure that you know that this is not what Patya wanted. He left the children in the care of their maternal grandparents, and they are the children's guardians until the custody hearing."

"We are contesting that."

Victor bit his lip gently and took a soft, tremulous breath.

"What is your name?" he asked calmly.

"I am Berzin Aristov," the man answered, "I work for the law firm…"

"Mr. Aristov, do you have any understanding of what these children have just suffered?" Victor inquired, "They have lost their mother already to a physical illness, and now they have suddenly lost their father. Letya's parents are the only grandparents they know."

"Yes," the attorney agreed, "The Pechkin's told me that you used your influence over their son so that he cut them out of their grandchildren's lives."

"I did no such thing," Victor objected, carefully controlling his voice to keep it calm, "Patya made his own decisions. I was not, in any way, involved."

"But, that's not true. You were his close friend and confidante…some would say that you had great influence over him. Perhaps, too much influence."

"That is something that the courts will have to decide," Victor replied shortly, "I will only ask that you show respect for everyone involved by scheduling the hearing after Patya's memorial."

"Of course. When will that be?"

Victor stared at the attorney icily for a moment.

"Someone will contact you when the preparations are completed," he answered in a clipped tone, "In the meantime, you and your clients are not to set foot on my property again, nor to annoy the children or their grandparents."

The attorney gave him a hard look and nodded stiffly.

"Mr. and Mrs. Pechkin have no intention of annoying anyone. They only ask that they will be included in the service for their son."

"They are not going to disrupt Patya's memorial," Victor said stridently, "They can attend, if they wish, but they are not to interfere with anyone there."

Aristov nodded briefly.

"They only wish to say goodbye to Patya."

"Then, it's fine. The details will be sent to you."

"And I will see that you receive the hearing information," the attorney answered, "Thank you for your time, Victor."

"Hmm."

Victor watched guardedly as the man turned, walked back to his car and drove away. He closed the door and turned back, dropping the envelope he had been given into a small stack of mail on a table near the door. He walked back to the kitchen, where he found Yuuri and the children cleaning up the modeling clay. Yuuri read his expression and gave him a questioning look.

"Are you okay?" he asked, "Who was at the door?"

Victor glanced meaningfully at the children.

"No one important," he replied, "But…I will still need some time with…"

He and closed his eyes, covering his face with his hands for a moment, then a long, ragged sigh escaped him.

"On second thought, I need to skate a little. Let's go on to the rink. I will talk to Filip and Eva after I relax a little bit."

"Okay," Yuuri said bracingly, "whatever you need."

Victor gave his husband a gentle smile and a tender kiss on the mouth.

"Thank you, Yuuri," he said gratefully, "You don't know how much I appreciate everything you are doing for the children and for me."

Yuuri tightened his arms around Victor and his smile warmed.

"I'm not doing that much, really. I wish I could make this all easier for all of you."

"I know, and that means everything to me," Victor assured him.

He turned his attention to the waiting boy and girl.

"Will the two of you please go and change?" he requested, "We'll be going to the ice rink to skate for awhile."

"Yes, Uncle Vitya," the two answered, heading off to collect their things.

Victor looked solemnly in the direction the two had gone.

"They seem to be doing well, considering," Yuuri commented, following his partner's troubled gaze.

"Well, children are resilient, although…I don't really think we've seen Liev and Akilina's recovery yet. It's just that they are focusing on other things and we are diverting them. It will take time for it to settle in on them what losing both of their parents really is."

Yuuri's brown eyes softened sympathetically.

"You would know about something like that, because of your own experience," he commented, "You lost your parents while you were still young."

"Yes," Victor acknowledged, "Like Liev and Akilina, I reacted strongly, but Yakov, Lilia and nearly everyone else encouraged me to focus on rebuilding my life and moving forward. Patya was different."

He paused, closing his eyes for a moment as he remembered.

"He made me feel safe. I felt like I could talk to him about anything. We were best friends and we loved each other. And even though I was afraid of being close to anyone after all that I'd lost, I was already too close to Patya to let go. I never imagined how things would turn out. I know I did everything I could, but Patya was broken inside, and that wasn't something I could fix, no matter how hard I tried."

"Well, I'm sure you did all that you could," Yuuri said, hugging Victor and kissing him on the cheek, "If you couldn't help Patya, then no one could."

"That is…very kind of you to say," Victor said appreciatively, "Thank you again, Yuuri."

"That's what friends are for, right?" Yuuri said, squeezing his hand, then letting go as the children returned alongside their grandparents.

Victor gave the two kids a gentle smile.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked, "Do you have your skates?"

"They're at home," Akilina recalled.

"Hmm, well, it's close. We can get them on the way," Victor suggested, "Come."

The six headed out to the grandparents' van and Yuuri and Victor took places in the middle seats, while the two children climbed into the back. Eva rode in the front passenger seat, while Filip drove. Victor and Yuuri turned slightly to look over their shoulders as they talked with the children.

"Have you two been doing any skating recently?" Victor asked, "I've been busy with skating competitions, so I haven't been around to go with you."

"I go to the ice rink a lot," Akilina answered, "but Liev stopped going because some of his friends started teasing him about it."

"Shut up, Akulya!" Liev snapped, "That's not why. Maybe I just don't like skating that much as you do! I don't have to."

"No," Victor agreed, "you don't have to like skating if it isn't what interests you. But, if what Akulya said is true and you are being teased, just remember that I was teased for the same thing when I was younger."

Akilina's eyes widened and Liev blinked in surprise, then he turned his head slightly to hide his reaction.

"Really, Uncle Vitya?" Akilina asked, "You got teased for being a skater?"

"I did," Victor confirmed, focusing his eyes on the young girl, but aware that her brother was stealing little glances, "The boys who were my age were mostly into other things, and they thought that a boy doing things like ballet and dance, and a boy who had long hair and wore the clothes for those things that I did was somehow wrong for being different than they were. So, one day, some of those boys cornered me on my way to school, and they started to hurt me."

"What did you do, Uncle Vitya?" Akilina exclaimed worriedly, "How did you get away from them?"

"I didn't," Victor said, locking eyes with Liev, who froze, staring back at him, "They beat me up pretty badly, then they held me down and one of them was going to cut away my long hair. But, just then, someone started yelling at them to stop, and he pulled them off of me."

"Daddy?" Akilina asked hopefully.

"Yes," Victor affirmed, "Patya started fighting with them, and I was so inspired by his kindness to me and his courage, that I got up and helped him. Not very much, because I was kind of a mess, but they saw that Patya wasn't going to let them hurt me anymore, and they gave up and ran off. Patya took me to his house that was nearby. His parents were already at work, but he had a house key. He cleaned up the mess they'd made of me and gave me something to wear, so that we could go on to school. And when we were late and had to go to the headmaster's office, he told them what happened, and the boys were called in and punished. From that day, Patya and I were friends. There was never a better friend to me than he was."

Victor made a sound of surprise as sudden tears welled up in Liev's blue eyes.

"If you were such good friends, then why didn't you stop him from falling?" the boy accused him in a hurt tone.

"Liev…" Victor began.

"If you and Dad were friends, you should have helped him like he helped you!" Liev shouted.

"I wish so much that I could have helped him," Victor answered in a shaky voice, "I swear that if I could have been there, I would have been."

"Did he tell you that he was feeling sad?" the boy asked, still in that accusing tone, "Did you know? The news said that sometimes people hurt themselves because they're sad. Did you know if he was sad?"

"I…ah…" Victor stammered, paling visibly.

"Liev," Yuuri interjected solemnly, "even if Victor did know if your father was sad about something, there is no easy way to know a person is sad enough to take his own life. And the truth is, the police don't know if Patya did try to take his own life or if he just had a very unfortunate accident."

"Why don't they know?" the boy demanded, "They should know if he fell on accident or if he fell on purpose!"

"It's complicated," Victor explained, "because Patya had been drinking alcohol at the wedding reception. You know that alcohol affects both a person's mind and his body."

"Then, if he was sad, he shouldn't have been drinking," Liev said angrily, "But he drank because of your wedding, and then he fell! This is your fault, isn't it? It's your fault that Dad died?"

Victor stared wordlessly at the boy with a bewildered expression.

"No, Liev," Yuuri said firmly.

"What do you mean?" the boy demanded, "Uncle Vitya was Dad's best friend and he knew Dad was sad about something. But he let Dad drink and he left him alone and Dad fell!"

"That's not the way it happened," Yuuri insisted, "Victor and I both saw your father before he went up to his room for the night. We did not think that Patya was sad about anything when we said our goodbyes, isn't that right, Victor?"

"That's right," Victor said, nodding, "He was smiling when we said goodnight. I didn't see anything to tell me that he was sad then. Liev, I would not have left Patya alone if I thought something was wrong. I promise you, I would have talked to him."

The boy looked ready to argue, but he was stopped by the arrival of the van at the Pechkin residence. The four adults frowned, then Victor made an angry growl and jumped out of the car as it pulled into the driveway. He ran to the open front door and confronted the uniformed officer who stood on the porch.

"What is this? What are you doing in Patya's home?" he demanded.

"Victor Nikiforov?" the officer inquired, his eyes registering recognition, "Mr Nikiforov, I will have to ask you to wait outside for now."

"But why?" Victor persisted, "You can't just go into a man's house like this without permission. Even though Patya has died…"

"We are conducting an investigation into his death," the policeman explained, "The information forwarded to the Saint Petersburg office left questions about Mr. Pechkin's state of mind at the time of his death. I am sure you understand the importance of gathering all of the pertinent information."

"I do," Victor admitted grudgingly, "I suppose it just…feels wrong to see someone else going through his home."

He sighed softly, glancing back at the van, where Yuuri waited with the children as Filip and Eva approached them.

"What's going on, Officer?" Filip asked.

"They are investigating Patya's death," Victor explained in a half-hearted tone, "The international investigation could not make a final conclusion about his state of mind when he died, so…they are looking for clues here."

"I see," Filip said quietly, meeting the officer's eyes, "I understand, of course, but this is upsetting for the children."

"I am sorry," the officer said sympathetically, "Our officers will try to leave the home in an acceptable state."

"Thank you. But could we be permitted to go inside, only to take the children's ice skates? We are going to the rink together, and we need them for that."

The officer nodded.

"Just be sure not to disturb the areas where the officers are conducting their search."

Filip nodded.

"Of course."

He started to enter, but paused at the sound of Victor's voice.

"Why don't you let me?" he offered.

"All right, Vitya," Filip agreed, "We will be in the car."

Victor stepped into the house and came to a stop in the entryway, his mind going back to the last time he had stood in the same place.

Patya smiled at Victor as the two stood in the entry with the door open to the brilliant sunset outside. Patya's arms shook very slightly as they embraced him.

"The next time I see you, you will be about to marry Yuuri Katsuki. I am… so very happy for the two of you."

"Thank you," Victor sighed, hugging him back, "That means a lot to me."

He looked out at the setting sun for a moment, then back at his friend.

"Patya, it also means a lot to me that you are happy. I want you to smile. And more than anything, I want you to fall in love again someday."

"Oh…no, no, no," his friend laughed wearily, "I've been lucky to have you and Letya. It would be sinful to ask for more, and really…no one could replace either of you. You know that, Vitya."

"Stop it," Victor said, shaking his head, "No one said anything about replacing anyone."

"You know what I mean," Patya persisted, "I'm not good for anyone. And I have Liev and Akilina to consider. I need to do what's best for them."

"This is what's best for them. What's best for you is good for them too. They would understand."

"Vitya, no…"

"Mr. Nikiforov?"

Victor blinked, suddenly seeing the detective that had approached him as he daydreamed.

"S-sorry," Victor apologized.

"It's okay," the dark-haired man said, looking at him curiously, then extending a hand, "I am Denis Markov. I am the lead investigator on Mr. Pechkin's case. I won't ask how you are. I imagine this has been very hard for you, if not because you and Ipati were friends, then because of your prior relationship?"

"Yes," Victor affirmed, "Is there something I can do to help you, Denis?"

The detective nodded.

"If you will come with me?" he asked.

"S-sure. Just…I can't keep the children and their grandparents waiting for long. We're going skating together."

"This will not take long. It's just that I found something in Mr. Pechkin's room and I wanted to get your perspective."

"Okay," Victor said uneasily, following the detective to the bedroom door.

"I will warn you that while what I've found is not disturbing on the surface, you may have a strong reaction. Would you like to have someone with you?"

"What is in there?" Victor asked, paling slightly, "What did you find?"

"I think you need to see to understand. And just so you know, I did not move anything. Everything in the room is just as Mr. Pechkin left it."

"Okay."

"I'll ask again, because I think you may be surprised, should someone come with you?"

"No, it's fine," Victor said, swallowing hard.

His teeth clenched as the detective took hold of the door handle and swung the door to the master suite open.

Victor's breath froze in his chest at the sight of the pictures and letters laid out all over the bed. For a moment, he couldn't make his legs move, then he stumbled to the bed, nearly falling onto it as Detective Markov caught him around the waist to steady him.

"Are you all right?" Markov asked.

Tears flooded Victor's shocked eyes as he took in the pictures that traced his life, from when he was a child and he and Patya had first met, to the last picture of Victor and Yuuri on their wedding announcement. Next to the last picture was the beginnings of a letter.

Dearest Vitya,

It's hard to believe that in a few days, I will stand with you and watch you finally marry someone who can make you happy as I could not. Before that happens, I want to tell you that…

The words ended abruptly, and the last looked smudged, as though something wet had fallen on it.

"Victor," the detective said solemnly, "is there anything that you want to tell me about your relationship with Mr. Pechkin?"

Victor closed his eyes, but a large tear escaped and rolled down his face.

"What is there to say?" he asked in a shaky voice, "I think it's clear, don't you? Patya was in love with me all along, through everything. Everything else, his leaving me, his marriage to Letya…everything…it was all a lie."

The detective placed a supportive hand on Victor's shoulder.

"You…didn't know?"

"I suspected," Victor confessed softly, "But Patya was plagued by ghosts that I could not chase away. His parents hated that we were lovers a long time ago. They…while he was young, they sent him to a conversion camp. They said horrible things to him. They…hated me. I think they still do. Patya broke under the pressure, and he made excuses and he left me long ago. But, I made peace with everything, and I accepted the lies, because I didn't know what else to do."

"Victor, looking at this, it's clear that Ipati Pechkin went to your wedding with all of this weighing on him."

"I know," Victor agreed, his voice breaking, "and I will carry that to the grave."

The detective looked down at his notes and then back at Victor.

"I can't conclude anything more than the Denmark authorities did. It's clear that Ipati was in a depressed state, but the evidence around his death is unclear. I also with have to leave the question of whether it was an accident or not unanswered."

"Victor?" Yuuri's voice called from the bedroom doorway, "It's been awhile. Is everything okay?"

His eyes widened and he looked at the detective for permission to enter, then rushed to Victor's side.

"Victor!"

"I'm all right," Victor whispered, "but I need to go home. I feel…sick."

Yuuri looked down at the display on the bed, then he turned in front of his husband to block the view.

"Let me take you back to the car."

"But we were…"

"It's okay. The kids will understand. Come on."

As the detective watched through sympathetic eyes, Yuuri led Victor out of the room and back to the car.