Ray stood off to the side sipping his wine and smiling pleasantly at those who passed, his eyes on his cousin and Laila. He smiled when the Countess leaned closer and gripped Michel's arm, thankful that she'd found him first. He was a little annoyed that she'd sent Florian off with Alais, but the second act would start in ten minutes. Perhaps he'd move his chair a bit closer and try leaning forward a little. Not too much, of course, just enough to get a better view of the stage.

Setting his empty glass on a small table nearby he rejoined his friends just as Florian returned with Alais. He held back a little, watching as Florian handed Alais back to the Countess with his most charming smile and deftly avoided the Countess hints that he invite them to watch the second act from the box. Good thing, Ray thought, visualizing the six of them in such a space. Besides, he had plans that didn't involve the Countess and her efforts to find Alais a husband.

"Ladies," Ray moved forward and bowed. "Forgive us for keeping you. I'm sure you'll want to return to your seats before the curtain rises."

"Yes, of course..." The Countess cast one last hopeful look around the group before admitting she wasn't going to get the invitation she wanted. She took Alais' arm a bit roughly and towed her away with just the barest of courtesies.

"Shall we?" Michel offered Laila his arm and she batted her eyes at him in such an absurd manner that he laughed all the way to the box. Florian and Ray trailed behind, highly amused.
XXXXX

As the opera neared the dramatic finale, Florian felt a cloth brush against his hand. Through misty eyes he looked down at the handkerchief, then up at the face of his lover who was pretending to be focused on the opera. Florian took the cloth with a murmur of thanks and dabbed at his eyes, very thankful that Michel has asked him to trade seats when they'd returned to the box after intermission. The view of the stage was still excellent and this seat had the advantage of more privacy. He'd pushed his chair close to Ray's and several times during the intense drama, he'd dared to touch Ray's hand.

When the curtain fell, he wiped at his face one last time, squeezing Ray's hand gratefully before slipping the damp cloth into his own pocket. He applauded enthusiastically for the duration of the curtain call and remained seated, still looking at the stage even after the houselights came on and the murmurs of the departing crowd filled the theatre.

"May I... sit here just a moment? I'd just like a little time alone." He looked up at Ray with slightly reddened eyes that weren't sad at all, instead they were bright with joy. Ray couldn't deny him such a simple request so he merely brushed his hand against Florian's shoulder and told him to meet them in the lobby. It would take a while to find a cab and Ray was sure the Countess would make one more attempt at pairing Alais with Florian before the evening was over.

Another week and Ray, Florian and Laila would return to Paris. Hopefully the Countess would travel elsewhere, or at least remain here in Brussels. Ray had business to keep him busy and there was a backlog of correspondence waiting for Florian's attention now that the mysterious illness had been taken care of. Perhaps Ray would find another hotel for the duration of their stay, just to be cautious.

As for the appearance of the sapphires, it seemed as their benefactor, if indeed that's what this person was, would find them wherever they were staying. He'd managed to track their movements throughout the city seemingly without much effort.

It would be late when they returned to the hotel and Ray had plans for a few nighttime activities before bed, but first thing in the morning he intended to examine all of the sapphires and perhaps determine if there were, as Laila suggested, two Pleiades necklaces.

"Where's Florian?" Michel asked when he returned from the gentleman's lounge, his eyes scanning the crowded lobby. People were slowly leaving in pairs and small groups but there was still a lot of milling around and conversations as people socialized or made plans for a late visit to a nearby restaurant.

"Still upstairs." Ray checked his pocketwatch. "I should go get him. He has a tendency to lose track of time." Ray made a face - surely the blond didn't manage to get lost in a place like this. It was true that Florian had absolutely no sense of direction, but even he couldn't get lost between the box and the lobby.

"Here." Ray shoved Laila's wrap into Michel's hands. "She should be back soon. Wait here while I get Florian. I don't want to have to look for you too." Ray took the steps as quickly as he could without attracting too much attention. People were still lingering on the stairs and in the hallway leading to the boxes and he had to excuse himself several times to get around them. Finally reaching the box he opened the door, ready to tease his lover. He didn't expect to find the room empty.

"Florian?" Ray checked the small space even though it was clear Florian wasn't there. Annoyed, he left the box and retraced his path to the lobby wondering how Florian had managed to pass him without them seeing each other. "Have you seen him?" He asked Michel and Laila but the pair just shook their heads, unconcerned. They were used to Ray looking for the blond.

"Perhaps he's in the gents?" Michel suggested. Shall I look?"

"No, we'll wait. The crowd is finally clearing out. He can't be much longer." Ray's expression didn't quite match his words and Michel took pity on him.

"No bother, I could stand to move around a bit. Sitting for so long after that meal; I'll have a bad night's sleep if I don't walk a bit." He hurried off before Ray could object leaving Laila and Ray to exchange worried looks.

"I should stretch my legs too. Why don't you take a walk over there and I'll go here. We'll meet back here in a few minutes." Ray just nodded and walked off, stopping briefly to converse with a few people and asking each if they had seen Florian. When he returned to the meeting spot, Laila and Michel were waiting with equally worried expressions.

"I'll find the manager," Michel offered, taking off before Ray could object. He and Laila watched as the lobby emptied and staff headed towards the upper floors to clean the boxes and balcony. A few stray groups wandered down the stairs and the lobby emptied even more. Soon there were only eight people remaining √ a group of six that seemed unable to decide what restaurant they wanted to go to, and Ray and Laila. The group was just leaving when Michel returned with the manager, a tall, thin man with a pleasant but longsuffering expression on his face.

"Madame, Count." He bowed to them then gestured towards the stairs. "I am Henri Telsonne. Count Courland tells me that your companion is missing. I assure you, these things happen all the time. Some of our patrons are so overwhelmed by a performance that they actually fall asleep once it's over. If you'll come to my office, you can have a seat while my staff checks all of the boxes. This way, if you please."

"Thank you, but we'll wait here. If, as you say, Duke Rochefort has simply fallen asleep he'll be joining us in a matter of minutes." Ray's tone was pleasant but firm and the manager acquiesced without discussion. Instead he extracted a large set of keys from his pocket and selected one. He inserted it into a recessed panel and a door opened revealing a supply of chairs and other oddments. He dragged three chairs out, waving off their offers of help and offered them to his guests.

"Now then, please be comfortable and I will join the search for your companion. I will be back shortly."

Indeed, Henri was true to his word, returning a mere ten minutes later, wiping perspiration off his forehead as he descended the stairs. The trio had given up any attempt at conversation and were waiting in silence as he approached.

"Perhaps the Duke was distracted by the crowd and has already returned to his lodging." Henri offered with a weak smile. It wasn't the first time that had happened, and he hated being the target of the inconvenienced parties' irritation. Thankfully, this group didn't seem the type to scream and throw things.

"Perhaps," Ray responded neutrally, knowing Florian would never leave by himself. He was a bit scattered, but he was never inconsiderate. Ray stood and handed the man a card on which he'd written the name and address of the hotel where they were staying. "You will contact us if he turns up?"

"Of course, sir." Henri accepted the car and tucked it into his breast pocket before bowing formally. "My apologies for an unfortunate end to what I hope was a pleasant evening."

Ray simply nodded and left, heading out of the lobby towards the carriage that was waiting for them. His mind was working furiously as he determined his next course of action. He was sure Florian's disappearance had something to do with the sapphires. Now all he had to do was solve the riddle and find his Amethyst. Again.

And this time, damnit, he was putting him on a leash.
XXXXX

"I've done what I can for now," Michel told Ray when Laila let him into Ray's hotel suite. Michel took his jacket off and tossed it across the back of a chair before loosening his tie and tossing that on top of the jacket. "I've sent word out to all my local contacts. Now we wait."

There was a long, awkward silence and then Michel asked, "May I see them?" He didn't have to elaborate, they knew what he was referring too. Ray hesitated a moment then retreated to the bedroom. He returned a moment later carrying a velvet pouch containing all of the sapphires.

Ray pulled a small table closer and spread the gems out across its' surface.

"Those are the sister stones?"

"That's all of them," Laila confirmed. There were fourteen all together, including a few late additions that had appeared carefully placed among Florian's underwear. The blond had been more upset at the thought of an unknown someone seeing his undergarments than he had at the appearance of more rare gems.

The sapphires looked different, spread out across the table. There was even a set that looked suspiciously like the ones from Noel's bear.

"So they are twins." Michel shook his head at the sight of the rare sapphires arranged to match Laila's sketch of the Pleiades. "Now what?" He wondered, and they weren't sure if he was talking to himself or asking a question. He pulled a chair up next to Laila and studied the gems.

"Now we examine them." Ray answered, laying out his lock picks and other instruments that might be useful in examining the gems and their settings. While he prepared, Michel reached over and picked up one of the largest gems. He fumbled it and it fell, bouncing off the edge of the table before landing on the floor with a soft thud.

"Oh dear!" Michel had picked up the stone was now holding it out to show Ray that it had been loosened from its setting. The backing was nothing special √ just a plain, slightly battered silver oval with four prongs to hold the sapphire. One of the prongs had broken when it fell and now the stone was loose. As Ray looked at it, Laila gasped and reached out to take it. She tilted it and shook it until a hint of yellowed paper was visible. She scanned the desk for something to help free the paper and laughed when Ray handed her one of his lock picks. The thin instrument worked and soon the paper fell into Ray's waiting hand. It was very old and stiff and Ray had to unfold it carefully for fear of it cracking.

"My curse is this: two hearts forever separated." Ray read the note out loud, squinting to make out the badly faded writing. It was a written in a flowing, feminine hand and Ray wondered if it was Madame de Villiers or Minette who put it there, or even if it was someone else. It was only then that something else occurred to him: according to Laila, Minette and Odile both had the mid-sized white sapphires. Why had Minette kept one of the smaller stones for herself and given the largest one away? And who had she given it to? What had happened to them? Was there anything in Laila's research?

"I wonder who had this after Minette," Laila said, as if she was reading Ray's mind.

"We should check the other stones," Michel said as he picked up one of the mid-sized stones and peered at it intently.

"The note was under the largest stone." Ray picked up the large bluish-purple stone. "Let's see if there's one under its twin."

He worked carefully while Michel and Laila watched. Laila was surprised by how calmly he was handling Florian's disappearance. It was the look in his eyes and the set of his jaw that told her how upset he was.

Determined to help in any way she could, Laila excused herself for a moment to return to her room where she retrieved two notebooks and a thick volume she'd brought from home. Settling into her chair again, she handed one to Michel and instructed him to write down everything he could about the stones, starting with the smallest. "Trace each one, then describe it as fully as you can √ size, color, clarity. Describe the setting too. Imagine that someone has to read your description and then pick that stone out from among this lot." He took the notebook and set to work with a comforting smile.

Laila took the second notebook and the book and opened it at one of her many markers. She scanned that page and several after it before moving on the next marker. She was concentrating so fiercely that she almost forgot about Ray's task until he let out a cry of triumph.

"My wish is this: two souls united." He read, squinting to make out the faded ink on the ancient bit of parchment.

"Look!" Michel grabbed Ray's wrist and turned the paper over. When the light caught it at the right angle another bit of writing appeared, so faded it was almost gone. Ray took up his jeweler's loupe and studied it, turning the paper several ways before finding the best angle. "It looks like a name: Estelle."

"Check the other one!" Laila hopped up out of her seat with excitement. She was paging through the book frantically, searching for something she half-remembered reading for her research.

"There!" Michel pointed to the faint blur and he and Ray huddled over it trying to make it out. "It starts with an 'E'." Michel looked up. "Maybe it's the same person - Estelle."

"No, there's an 'r' at the end and it looks like a 't' in the middle."

"Esther." Laila said confidently, her finger on a line in the book. She looked at them both then read the line out loud: It was rumored there was a half-sister, Esther, but there is no mention of her in any of the de Villier's family records."

"So the Grande Dame who had the Pleiades may have had a half-sister named Esther but no one in the family would acknowledge her. I don't suppose there is any way to track her especially since we don't even know her last name."

"We would have to be very lucky to find her." Laila confirmed Michel's statement with a nod. A yawn caught her and she hurried to cover it. "Sorry."

"Not at all." Michel checked his pocketwatch. "Perhaps we should all get a few hours rest. We'll get an early start tomorrow. I'm sure we'll have Florian back by dinnertime."

"I don't..." Laila hovered beside Ray uncertainly, wishing she could offer her dear friend some form of comfort. She knew from bitter experience that her comfort wasn't what he wanted. The only person who could soothe Ray was the very one who was missing. She blinked away the first mist of tears and turned to Michel. "A few hours, no more."

"Ray," Michel waited until the man finally looked up. "Rest while you can. Florian will need you at your best tomorrow." He knew that Ray wouldn't listen, but he felt obligated to say the words anyway. Michel held his hand out to Laila but she leaned close and pressed a light kiss against Ray's cheek before taking the offered hand.

"Good night, Ray." She said softly before she let Michel lead her away. She wanted comfort tonight, although she felt guilty for having it while Ray went without. But she also knew it would do no good to stay with Ray, he needed time in private to grieve and rage so he would be able to think clearly when their search began.
XXXXX

It was after two in the morning when Ray abandoned his study of the sapphires. His eyes kept blurring, obscuring the clues he was desperately searching for. They would have to wait. Everything would have to wait, no matter how much he resented that fact.

Stumbling into the bathroom, he went through his nighttime routine by rote, then changed into his nightclothes and climbed into the cold bed alone with a sense of loss so intense his body vibrated with it. He reached out and gathered Florian's pillow in his hands, pulling it close as if to hug it. At the last second, with a scowl of self-disgust, he shoved it under his head. Shifting to get comfortable he realized what he was hearing - the faint crinkle of paper.

Sitting bold upright he grabbed the pillow and tore off the case, throwing it aside before snatching up the paper that fell into his lap.

As he scanned the note, his throat tightened. It wasn't possible.

Leaping out of bed he threw open the wardrobe and tore through his attache case carelessly, extracting the battered accounts book he always carried. It was a record of Florian's debt and it had become both an object of irritation and a memento of affection between them.

With shaking hands, Ray opened it to the latest entry and read the number, then re-read the note. It was true then, or else it was a very, very sick joke. He folded the note and tucked it into the book, not wanting to see those words one second longer: debt paid in full.

Dropping onto the edge of the bed, Ray considered waking Laila but immediately dismissed the idea. What could she do at this time of night? In the morning he would go to the bank and check his account, and Florian's, but he knew he'd find everything as the note indicated. His precious Amethyst was no longer his.

A shiver of realization passed through him, making Ray dive for the book and note again. He stared at the writing, concentrating, seeking confirmation and hoping for denial. He got confirmation: he'd recognize Azura's handwriting anywhere, no matter how much time had passed.

Clutching the note in his hand, Ray strode to the window and moved the curtain aside to stare out into the darkness. His lover was out there, with Ray's dearest childhood friend, the very man who wanted Florian dead.

:end part 13: