There didn't seem to be much point in making the children stew over the decision, particularly as Klaus himself wanted the matter closed. As soon as Barry left him, he sent for the Sturmvoraus boy.

Tarvek entered his study looking very much as if he'd been ill for a week - grey around the lips, with bruise-blue circles under red-rimmed eyes. Klaus beckoned him close enough to check for artistic enhancement, but Tarvek's face was not only unadorned but scrubbed recently enough to be damp. They regarded each other in silence for a long moment before Klaus said, "I will not expel you."

Tarvek swallowed and had to try twice before he managed, "Thank you." He did not relax.

"Your movements will be more restricted, and not just because your lockpicks have been confiscated." Although in fairness they hadn't been Tarvek's lockpicks. "You will be watched, I suggest you remain where you are expected to be. I will not be so lenient a second time."

Tarvek watched him for a second longer, as if not realising he was finished, and then went... not limp, but less painfully rigid. "Thank you, Herr Baron."

Klaus eyed him. "Were you that eager to stay?"

Colour came back into Tarvek's face in a blush. "I... would rather, Herr Baron. And my father would have been disappointed in me."

"Knowing Aaronev, only because you were caught," said Klaus drily.

"Er," said Tarvek, then after an awkward moment apparently decided that he couldn't argue with a straight face that Prince Aaronev would disapprove of the spying. "That wouldn't impress him, Herr Baron."

"He probably won't approve of the decreased detail in your reports, either," said Klaus, aware he was needling the boy a bit.

Tarvek went red again. "He'll have to disapprove of that at more of a distance, if I'm here. Maybe he'll start asking you directly."

Klaus successfully fought the urge to laugh and less successfully fought sympathy. He remembered Bill, pale and unhappy, aiming a flamethrower at Castle Wulfenbach with his father standing over him. There was a limit to how much he could blame any child for obedience, and he wondered how much Tarvek would really mind having his spying curtailed. "I'd be surprised, but you never know," he said. "You should go back to class." Although it might have been more appropriate to send him to bed, he looked as if he hadn't slept the night before.

Tarvek inhaled as if he hadn't breathed properly the night before either, thanked him again, and fled. Klaus called after him to send Agatha.

-Agatha, on arrival, flung herself around the desk and nearly into his lap before he caught her and held her up at arm's length. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You let Tarvek stay," she said. "I was going to hug you."

"You are meant to be in trouble," said Klaus. "It's going to be very hard to scold you if you're hugging me."

Agatha frowned. "Is it? That's usually how Uncle Barry does it."

Klaus managed not to laugh with some effort. "And how seriously do you take the scolding when it happens like that?"

"We're always very serious then." Agatha certainly looked entirely serious, and completely unconcerned by being held in midair. "He said I'd been careless with your secrets, and that was wrong and I'm sorry. But I'd still like to hug you. Can we do that first and then you can put me down and scold?"

Klaus sighed and put her down on his lap, suddenly reminded of Zeetha although there was nothing particularly similar about the two girls. Zeetha had tended to take scoldings like a soldier, standing rigid until the point had been made and then sulking her way to admitting he was right. Hugs had been for other times. "There," he said.

Agatha flung her arms around his neck, and Klaus somewhat resignedly patted her on the back. "I'm glad he's staying. We mostly had to coax him out anyway." Klaus had his doubts about Tarvek's reluctance, but could hardly pretend that he'd instigated the wandering. And then Agatha slithered off his lap again and went around the desk, where she climbed into the chair Tarvek had used, looked unsatisfied, and stood up on it with her hands behind her back.

Oh dear. Now she really did look like Zeetha about to take a scolding. Zeetha had been copying the warrior women around her, he wondered idly who Agatha was imitating. "I'm sure Barry already told you that you shouldn't have been wandering so far. Some of the places you went were dangerous, all of them were places I reasonably expected to be private. And you did promise to stay where you were meant to be when you joined the school," he said.

Agatha lowered her eyes at that. "We were careful of the dangerous places," she said. "Gil's good at that and Tarvek says you don't put in many deathtraps. I know that doesn't help with the other parts."

Klaus wondered how many death traps Sturmhalten had, and how many were in places where they could catch a child wandering out of bounds. Of course, it was a very old castle, and maybe Aaronev hadn't been able to remove ones that were already there, but it certainly made it more believable that Tarvek had been reluctant. "You're too young to be making those kinds of decisions yourselves," Klaus said firmly.

Agatha sighed, not exactly sulkily but certainly not happily either. "Yes, Uncle Barry said we were all very inexperienced."

For a moment Klaus wondered whether, out of the three of them, Agatha was the one that ought to be punished. The other two had had a bad fright, at least, but Agatha seemed unfazed by any of it. Still, she had turned in her lockpicks, was unlikely to wander off without her companions, and had accepted that she was in the wrong with regards to everything but her own safety. Klaus really hoped that sense of invulnerability would have taken a few knocks by the time she broke through. "You are," he said. "And from now on all three of you will be watched more closely."

She did wince a little at that. "Yes, Herr Baron."

"You may go," he said. "And tell Gil I want to talk to him."

"Yes, Herr Baron." She jumped down from the chair, then pulled herself up by the edge of the desk to regard him a moment longer with big green eyes. "I'll keep my promises better," she said seriously, and then let herself down and went.

Klaus let himself smile when she was no longer there to see it, and then took a deep breath and tried to prepare what he was going to say to Gil.

It was a little bit longer before Gil came in, and not because he walked more slowly than Agatha. Klaus could hear footsteps well enough and knew perfectly well that his son was hesitating just out of sight in the hallway. He was - really - just about to go and get him when Gil let himself in, looking calmer than Tarvek (if not nearly so sanguine as Agatha) but deeply uncertain.

"I suppose you'll have heard that Tarvek is staying," said Klaus, telling himself that was something he needed to establish even as he felt he was avoiding the important things.

Gil swallowed. "Yes. And we'll be staying inside the school all the time."

"Yes," said Klaus. "You'll have your own room, now, so having to stay inside the school won't mean not being able to get away from people," he added, gently, because he did know what had prompted at least some of Gil's exploration.

Gil flushed, though not nearly so dramatically as Tarvek. "They don't take my books much anymore. Um, I mean-" He floundered to a halt there.

"That's good," Klaus said, then, feeling he was floundering as badly as Gil, "I'm sorry having no known family makes things hard for you, there. Being known as my son would have put you in real danger."

"I understand." Gil looked down. "And you didn't think I could keep it a secret."

"Not when you're so young, I always intended to tell you when you were older," said Klaus, aware of...not quite bending the truth, but avoiding the reasons he didn't want to have to explain for leaving Gil ignorant as well as those around him.

"I will, though," Gil said, looking up anxiously.

"I know. I do trust you to keep it a secret, perhaps I should have done so sooner." He looked at where Gil was standing in front of his desk, looking very small. "I expect you have questions," he said. Even if he didn't particularly want to explain Skifander to Gil (you have a twin, you used to be close, no, you won't ever see her again) Barry was right. Gil could miss things he didn't know about, and he deserved to know something about himself.

Gil looked up at him, and asked as if Klaus had reached in and ripped the words out, "Why can't I remember anything?"

Klaus closed his eyes because he should have known that would be the first question and he still hadn't been prepared for it. He swallowed. "Do you know what post-resurrection amnesia is?"

Gil looked rather startled. "Yes." After a second to absorb the implication, "I - I died?"

Is there a good way to tell someone they were dead? Klaus tried to remember what his own mother had said to him after his resurrection, but he'd known, really, what it meant to wake up with stitching. The hard thing to hear had been that his brothers were dead for good. "Yes. There were...some bad people who killed you. After I brought you back I decided you'd be safer in Europa." He sighed. "That was before I knew...a lot of things, about what had happened here while I was gone."

Gil climbed into the chair almost absently, looking a little dazed. "We didn't think it was really Lethean brain worms," he said.

"That gives me some faith in your diagnostic ability," Klaus answered, feeling rather dazed himself.

"Agatha said they'd have come out my nose by now," Gil explained. "I'd never heard of them before." A pause. "I don't think. I - where were we?"

"Skifander," said Klaus and then, because that really couldn't mean anything to Gil, "Mars."

Gil's eyes went wide. "That was Earth. In the sky. On the way back?"

"Almost certainly," said Klaus, feeling his heart skip a beat. "You remember that?"

"Y-yes. I don't think I could've made that up. Shouldn't I..." Gil looked unhappy. "Shouldn't I remember more than bits and pieces, though? I mean... afterward? Is something still wrong with me?"

"Revival can take it out of a person, especially a child," said Klaus. "So can space travel. It took you a while to recover, there's nothing wrong with you now."

"Oh." Gil looked immensely relieved. "Good." After a second he looked startled and added worriedly, "Um, I didn't mean to suggest you hadn't done it right, I just - couldn't -"

"It was a reasonable question," said Klaus. He wondered whether to add that revivification was always risky and people shouldn't be offended at being asked about possible side effects, or whether that would just worry Gil more.

"Okay." Gil pulled his heels up on the edge of the chair, still looking a little stunned. "...Thank you for bringing me back."

"Gil..." Klaus had to swallow, helplessly, at the accidental stab of Gil's words. "I wanted you back. More than anything." He wasn't even sure Gil would believe him when he'd kept his distance ever since.

Gil looked up again, abruptly, hoping. "Really?"

"Yes." It was now or never and Barry would be disappointed if it was never. So would Zantabraxus, if she was in any position to ever hear about this. So would Klaus. "Come here."

Gil looked confused, and still hopeful, and rather like he'd have preferred to climb over the desk but he went sedately around it anyway.

Klaus picked him up, slowly and carefully, as if he was fragile (and he hadn't had any trouble simply scooping tiny Agatha up and dangling her in the air) and set him down on his lap. It felt so awkward to wrap his arms around Gil now, when it hadn't in the past (when a hug had as often as not been the method of choice for keeping Gil out of something he shouldn't be investigating, as well as for comfort, or just because he wanted one). "I've missed you," he admitted. "And would have missed you far worse if I hadn't revived you."

Gil, who had been sitting still and wide-eyed and disbelieving, made a slightly choked noise and then twisted a little and hugged back, face buried in Klaus's neck, clinging with startling strength and not at all as if he thought it was awkward anymore.

He'd missed this, Klaus admitted to himself. Gil small (although not as small as he had been) and warm and very definitely safe, with Klaus's arms between him and anything in the world that could hurt him. He relaxed, now that he knew Gil wasn't confused or resisting, and ran a hand through Gil's scruffy mop of hair. He was going to have to find a pretext for spending time with Gil, something that wouldn't make anyone suspicious.

"I might remember this," Gil said, rather muffled. "Feels familiar. I'd like to, anyway."

I'd like you to as well, Klaus thought. "Barry mentioned you'd said something to him about that."

Gil's face heated just a little against his neck. "Yes." A small hesitation. "He's easier to talk to than I thought."

"He always has been," said Klaus, fondly. "He does it on purpose - he and Bill always believed in solving things by talking to people so they made sure to be good at it."

"Oh. That makes sense. It's probably a good thing to learn..." Gil trailed off and then asked, out of the blue, "What's my mother like? ...Or was? Is she okay?"

"She is remarkable woman, a strong Spark and a Queen," Klaus said, only hesitating for a moment. Maybe later he'd regret being forthcoming about this, but right now he was not in a good position to pretend he could maintain distance. "And I hope and trust she is fine, she's certainly well able to take care of herself."

Gil went alarmingly still. Didn't breathe for a few seconds. Klaus focused on the fact that he could definitely feel a heartbeat. After a moment Gil said, sounding rattled, "I really am a Martian prince?"

Klaus couldn't quite help a bark of laughter, although he wasn't sure it was funny, precisely. "Was that one of your guesses?" Either Gil had a wild imagination or he'd remembered something, after all.

Gil squirmed slightly. "It was my first guess. I didn't know why I thought of it." A little anxiously, he added, "I don't think they took it seriously. We just ended up kidding about whether I was a dragon."

They probably hadn't - it was too ridiculous to seem true - and while he would have preferred not to have the idea planted at all he doubted it was even going to be passed on. "I don't suppose it did any harm," he said.

"We're still trying to build a riding dragon," Gil said. "I don't think it's going to work until somebody breaks through, though." He sat up abruptly. "Oh. I probably am going to be a Spark!"

"It's never definite. But you're showing enough signs that you probably will be. You won't be breaking through for years yet, though." Thank goodness.

Gil made a face. "If we all grow for several more years first, it's gonna be even harder to make a riding dragon that can actually fly."

"But more impressive when you manage it," said Klaus, hiding a smile. "For now maybe you should work on something a little easier. Talking of which, it's about time you went back to class."

"I guess." Gil looked uncertain, then hugged him again and relaxed when Klaus hugged back. Instead of removing him immediately, presumably. "...I know I can't do this very often," he said. Then, "It's too late to pick up Agatha's habit of just grabbing people, isn't it."

"I'm afraid so," said Klaus. "But I'll spend time with you when I can."

Gil pulled back, looking surprised. "But you're busy. And I'm supposed to stay in the school."

"You're not supposed to leave the school without adult permission," Klaus corrected. "You're not being confined there permanently. And I am busy, so I can't promise it will be frequent, but not so busy I can't find time for you at all."

Gil did not look as if this filled him with confidence. "That would be nice. Thank you."

Klaus sighed. It didn't really fill him with confidence, either. "I won't go back to ignoring you again. I promise that. It was easier in Skifander when your mother was the one doing the ruling, but we'll have to do the best we can." It really wasn't fair to Gil to try and reforge this relationship when he could give him so little, now. But he'd have to trust that Barry was right and it wouldn't have been better to give him nothing.

"I'll try," said Gil, looking - oddly - a little more reassured. "I'm glad to know," he added suddenly. "That it's you. And what happened."

Responses like I'm glad you're not disappointed and I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner flitted through Klaus's mind, but they seemed wrong. Too much about his feelings rather than Gil's. "That's good to know," he said, instead, feeling it was a cop out.

Gil smiled at him, uncertain but luminous, and headed for class.

Tarvek crept into class, all too aware people could tell he'd been crying, and tried not to meet anyone's eyes. Agatha and Gil were in their usual seats next to each other, Tarvek's seat on the other side of Gil left open. He wondered whether to look around and see if there was a spare seat somewhere else, after last night, but if this was his last class on the airship…maybe he could say something to Gil? He swallowed and took his normal seat, Agatha looking up to smile at him across Gil, more fierce than happy. Gil hunched down into his seat, focussed on his text book completely. It wasn't unusual, Gil being defensive in the classroom, but this time Gil's hunching put a shoulder to Tarvek's seat. Tarvek was the one being defended against. It wasn't fair, he hadn't hurt Gil. He sat down anyway, pulling out his own textbook, and scrunching down himself, feeling as if every eye in the classroom was on him.

Agatha reached across Gil to grab Tarvek's wrist tightly. Being five, in spite of the hard cushion that raised her to a comfortable height for writing she had to practically lie on the desk to do it. It made Tarvek feel better - not much, but a little, mostly because she wanted to try. On the other hand, Gil scowled, slid deeper into his seat, and tried to hide from both of them.

"Ahem." Otilia gave them a pointed look, though she didn't seem really angry yet.

Agatha gave an exasperated huff and let go of Tarvek, only to ruffle Gil's hair before settling down and apparently turning her attention to the lesson. Between that and Gil's fierce concentration, Tarvek felt he certainly ought to be able to focus on it, but his thoughts skittered constantly off as if the ideas were slippery and got stuck on the Baron's anger and his father's imagined wrath and over and over and over again, on that awful look Gil had given him.

When he was called away to the Baron's office he wasn't sure whether to be terrified or relieved that at least he would know the worst. But the worst turned out to be better than he could have hoped. He wasn't even going to be punished, really, being forced to follow the school rules wasn't a punishment. He returned to the classroom feeling a little sick and shaky with relief, which mixed oddly with the dread that returned when Gil didn't even look up. He leant over Agatha's seat as he passed it and whispered, "He wants to see you now." Then, even quieter, because he didn't want Gil to hear it, not if Gil was going to be disappointed, but it was too wonderful not to tell Agatha who would care, "I'm staying."

Agatha practically lit up. She looked at Otilia, who nodded to excuse her, and then hurried out of the classroom looking entirely too happy for someone who was being reprimanded. Tarvek only hoped that wouldn't get her in worse trouble with the Baron.

Tarvek sat down and actually managed to concentrate long enough to write a few sentences, before glancing around to check people weren't paying attention to them and saying softly, "Gil?"

Gil didn't look up, but he bit his lips and then finally replied, almost inaudibly, "What?"

Tarvek blinked and let his eyes skitter away. "I'm sorry about the spying," he whispered. "I don't see why you're so upset about it. I didn't make you do anything. But I wouldn't have told you if I'd known it was going to be like this."

Gil finally looked at him, frustrated and incredulous and Tarvek had a fleeting thought of At least I'm not the only one but he really wanted it to stop. He kept his own eyes down this time, watching Gil in his peripheral vision until Gil said, "I never should have taken you anywhere."

"There were plenty of places we didn't even see anything. Not like that." The stained glass windows, their redoubt, the gym full of not-really-ice. "I thought it was fun." Did Gil really wish they'd never done any of those things?

"I still shouldn't've." Gil sniffed, and then looked even angrier.

"Why not? It wouldn't have been any different with anyone else." He looked around the room at all the children who also sent coded letters home (he'd read some of them) and weren't in any danger of being kicked off. "Or is that why you don't make friends, because you'd have to get rid of them for not living up to your standards?" He stopped, biting his lip hard, he hadn't meant that. "Sorry!" he didn't even bother to whisper it this time.

Gil raised his head again, looking as if he would like to murder Tarvek, and Otilia appeared by their desks, her great wings fanning up and out. "Quiet, please."

"Sorry, Madame Otilia," Tarvek said, curling over his textbook and feeling a bit like he'd deserve it if Gil did.

Gil echoed the apology, which was odd because he had never raised his voice, and turned a little toward Agatha's empty desk, writing furiously. A moment later, when Otilia was on the other side of the room, he whispered, "Nobody else pretended to care." The nib of his pen snapped, and Gil slapped a hand down on the shard of metal before it could fly off and hit anybody, smearing his hand with ink and a trickle of blood. Of course that got Otilia's attention, and by the time his hand was clean Agatha was coming back into the classroom, more somber than when she'd left but still unafraid, and she directed Gil in his turn to the Baron.

Tarvek resisted the urge to just bury his head in his arms and give up. He could apologise when Gil came back. Probably. If Gil would ever talk to him again.

Agatha tried patting him. Tarvek tried to smile at her and, judging by the concerned look he got, failed utterly.

Gil was gone for an alarmingly long time. But when he came back, he looked relieved, and he slid in between them almost as if nothing were wrong.

To Tarvek's frustration, Otilia kept them busy enough or paid the three of them too much attention to allow any further efforts at apology. But at the end of the lesson, Gil muttered, "I'm still mad at you. But I'm glad you're staying," and then, to complete Tarvek's bewilderment, he got away from them and spent the rest of the afternoon talking to Sleipnir.