Author's Notes: So finally we're getting into some more stuff here. We're finding out more about our original characters their motivations and we're getting some good A/O in here. About fucking time. I'm still working diligently to get the next chapters ready to go. They're written just in need of some editing and such. Also I found out I didn't pull my calf muscle, no no I pulled my fucking Achilles tendon. Fabulous stuff ahead for me now. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around that amazing movement. But whatever show must go on and it gives me writing time while I wait on that to heal. I've managed to get four chapters written today alone. Trying to make sure everything is wrapped up but we'll see how it goes. It may be longer than I like but as long as the info is there it'll need to be put out there. I've definitely leaning towards some sort of sequel or prequel. Julia is a very fun character for me to write and I imagine she's got a lot more stories up her sleeve that could be revealed. We'll see how it goes though. It would definitely involve the SVU crew if I go that route. But enough of my rambling on to the story!

Chapter 15

"Me?" Olivia asked feeling like the wind had been pushed out of her lungs.

Alex merely nodded her head and looked down. She let her hand fall from Olivia's cheek and sighed. "It's okay Liv. You don't have to say anything."

"Alex, you don't understand. I love you too. I've always loved you." Olivia explained watching as Alex's head shot up, her crystal eyes widening for a fraction before she dove forward pressing her lips to Olivia's.

Olivia barely had to time to think let alone kiss back as she fell to the bed with her arms suddenly full of a very beautiful blonde. She forced her body to react kissing back and slipping her arms around Alex. They kissed for what felt like hours but was actually only a few minutes. When they pulled back, the need for air finally forcing them apart, they just stared at one another in wonder like they were truly seeing each other for the first time. Alex reached up once again cupping Olivia's cheek softly before she smiled sweetly. "Julia told me once that I moaned your name in my sleep."

"I always dreamed about you." Olivia promised. "We've got a lot of lost time to catch up on."

"Yes we do but this isn't the place to do it. Is Elliot still in the sitting room?" Alex asked slowly climbing off Olivia.

Olivia sat up and nodded but didn't immediately release Alex from her hold. Alex slid her feet to the floor standing up carefully and hauling Olivia to the edge of the bed in the process. "We need to get out there Liv. We've been in here long enough."

"Just one more kiss and I'll let you go." Olivia promised with a bright sweet smile.

"Oh god! I've created a monster." Alex moaned playfully but she was smiling brightly when she leaned down and pressed her lips softly to Olivia's. Olivia kissed back loving the affection the small gesture held before she finally released Alex and stood up.

She couldn't help but lay her hand on Alex's back as they walked out the door together finding Elliot sitting on the couch. He looked up when they came in. "Everything okay?" He asked his blue eyes studying both Olivia and then Alex closely.

They both looked at each other smiled, blushed then looked away. "Everything's fine I take it." He added standing up. "Well now that that's finally solved. I think we'd best take off to find Julia. If she's asking blunt questions she could give away what we're after and get us all killed."

Alex brushed at the tear tracks. "Let me fix my make-up very quickly and we'll go find her."

Walking through the gardens wasn't as hard as Alex had imagined it would be after the first time. Perhaps it was because Olivia was at her back as well ass Elliot. She smiled slightly a flush of pleasure coloring her cheeks as she thought about what she and Olivia had finally admitted to one another. She knew Julia would be pleased even if she was angry with them for pushing her like they had. It truly was their right to know what she'd known and chose not to share with them. And it brought them one step closer to their killer.

"Alexandra?" Julia's voice rang out. She was sitting on a bench and kneeling at her feet was Meila. Julia rose to her feet missing the frown on Meila's pretty face as she moved towards Alex, Elliot and Olivia. Immediately she held out her hand taking Elliot's leash and twirling it around her hand. Elliot stepped towards her as the leash was pulled tighter knowing it would jerk him into place if he didn't move beforehand. "What are you three doing out here?' She asked with a soft smile ignoring Meila.

"We came to find you. You left before we got up." Alex pointed out making it seem as though they had all fallen asleep after a fun early afternoon.

"Well I couldn't sleep. I was entirely too wound up. So I decided to go for a walk." She turned and motioned with her hand towards Meila. "Go back to the house. Thank you for coming to give me the message."

She turned back to face them not giving Meila anything which seemed to upset the beautiful girl quite a bit. "So shall we walk the gardens? We have some free time until dinner."

"What message was she delivering to you?" Alex asked in a hushed voice once she was sure the girl was gone.

"Lord Gabriel wishes to speak with me. Said it's very important. I'm going to try and get some more information on Kaira from him."

"Do you not know her real name?" Alex asked.

"Jessica. Jessica Kern. That was her name before she became Kaira. She told me her name the night she came to me about what was going on. I think someone may have tipped Gabriel off and he wants to find out how much I know now that he's got me here. "

"Why not question you when he first had you here?" Alex demanded stopping their walk to force Julia to look at her.

"Because he wanted me to let me guard down, now that he thinks I have he'll question me about it."

"You cannot tell him what you know. He may be the one we're after."

"That may be the case but I'll be able to tell when he talks with me later today. For now let's just enjoy the gardens and I will tell you what I learn when I get back." Julia began to walk again tugging Elliot's leash to bring him along.

"Julia. Come in and shut the door. I'd like for our meeting to be private." Gabriel's voice rang out from his place standing behind a large very fancy mahogany desk. The study was a rich as the rest of the house. Green walls, large marble fireplace, red wing backed chairs and high windows with deep red curtains. It was a very nice place to conduct business but Julia knew this meeting was anything but.

"I figured as much since you sent Meila out to get me." Julia moved into the room closing the door slowly. She walked towards the chairs and settled down in the chair closest to the right in front of the large desk.

"It is good to see you. You look well. That boy of yours suits you."

"He does what I need him to and nothing more." Julia shrugged. "You look good too." She added smiling at him. "What is this all about though? You've never called me in for a personal chat before."

"It's about Lord Romeifellar. I know he's trying very hard to take power from me. I also know he's approached you and asked for your help doing so. And with that girl he favored running off well things have been worse."

Julia shrugged not saying anything to agree or deny. Her face never once changed expressions.

"Things have been very difficult without you. For a long time there was a power struggle."

"I've been gone a long time Gabriel." Julia pointed out. "Besides that if Lord Romeifellar's favorite girl is missing why doesn't he go find her? It would be easy enough."

"He doesn't know where she is. No one does. I've tried to reach out to her and I can't find her either and without you here things have crumbled dramatically. When you up and disappeared things got bad. I could barely hold on to the power I had. I had bastards like Romeifellar trying to stab me in the back at every turn. It was tough but I pulled through. The only reason I kept the power I had was because I had your support and with you gone everything went to hell. I did what I had to do to keep Decadence alive and well until you returned."

"At what cost?" Julia asked softly. "I saw the burn on Meila's shoulder Gabriel. They're not cattle. They're human beings. They're humans that are giving up their autonomy to a greater power. They're willingly letting you control what they eat, where they sleep, what they do, who they do it with. Everything about them you control. You control who comes into contact with them, how they come into contact with them everything. That's a sacred trust that shouldn't be violated but it has been. Surely you realize that not only have you stained what my grandfather and my father worked so hard for but the trust that I gave you that you've broken can never be replaced. You've given up your soul Gabriel; your heart. It's not here anymore. You're not the man I left to follow in my footsteps and that of my family's when I couldn't be here anymore."

"Are you done giving me a lecture on what I've done to my soul? Do you not think I know all of it? Julia I've had to pull this together. What Decadence is now is because of me. These people respect me, they won't put a toe out of line. And that bastard Romeifellar isn't going to win! I will take him down with or without your blessing."

"Don't you dare tell me that you've rebuilt Decadence. You've created a shameless horrible cold ruin of what was once a thriving happy place. When my father and grandfather were in power…"
"They're dead Julia! They're not here to see how the world has changed! Things aren't as they always used to be. Now you have to fight just to stay alive."

"What happened to you? What destroyed you? What did I not do or say to make you think that this is what I wanted."

"Who gave you that scar on your lip?" Gabriel demanded.

"That's not the point at all."

"Who gave it to you Juila?" He practically screamed.

Julia hesitated before answering. "My Father."

"And who stopped him from killing you? I did. I stopped him from beating you to death when you called him out the exact same way you are doing to me."

"I was trying to stop him from creating a monster. Just like the one you've now created and turned loose on innocents."

"And what did you get for your trouble? A broken wrist, three broken ribs, stitches in half your face, and a broken ankle. He nearly killed you Julia but you continue to speak about him as though he was some sort of Saint!"

"He was. What he became was like nothing I've ever seen before. It's the same thing you've become. It's just like looking into the face of a monster all over again." Julia rose to her feet staring down at Gabriel. "I won't stop you. I won't hurt you. I won't come near you again. If you stop what you've done to these girls and boys. No more burning your mark into their flesh. You agree to do the humane thing and let them get the tattoos if they wish for them and I won't ever say a word against you but if I see evidence of you hurting them like that again no power in this universe will stop me from hunting you down and killing you myself. Are we clear?" Julia snapped.

Gabriel gritted his teeth and turned away from her hearing her leaving. "I did what I had to do Julia." He murmured softly again. So softly he thought she hadn't heard.

"And so did I. I made the decision to save my soul before I became like you, like my father. And I have never regretted the choices I've made until now. Until I've seen a man who was like my brother turned into someone I don't even recognize. I loved you Gabriel. I loved you so. You were my family when I had none but I'll be damned if I sit around and watch you destroy the one thing I've ever been proud of." She turned on her heel and slammed the door walking back to her room where she knew Elliot, Alex, and Olivia were waiting.

"Mistress Julia?"

"Meila. What's wrong dear?" Julia asked pausing at the foot of the staircase and turning to face the beautiful dark haired girl.

"Nothing ma'am. I just wanted to say thank you for being so kind to me earlier."

"Why wouldn't I be sweet one? You did nothing but come to tell me Lord Gabriel wished to meet with me later on." Julia's brow furrowed as she studied Meila's beautiful features and soft pouting lips.

"I know it's wrong of me to approach you but I can't help myself. I've missed you so much. You have no idea how horrible it's been without you." Meila's pretty brown eyes were wide.

Julia took a breath, "Meila. It's not a good idea to approach me and ask me to do what you wish to ask me to. I'm not willing to share my bed with anyone here but Elliot and Olivia and only because Alex allows me to play with her when she's there with us."

"But surely your Elliot wouldn't mind if you played with me." Her eyes were wide as she begged to be taken to Julia's bed.

"Meila, I'm sorry. But the answer is no. Now run along. I'll see you at dinner tonight." Julia turned to go up the stairs not seeing the frown on the beautiful girl's face for the second time that day.

Author's Notes: DUN DUN DUN! ALL RIGHT SO NOW WE KNOW GABRIEL ISN'T THAT NICE OF A PERSON, WE NOW KNOW WHERE JULIA'S SCAR HAS COME FROM AND WE KNOW WHAT SHE DID TO GET IT AND YEAH! Tell me what you think? I know I keep twisting you around but I want to make the most out of this sucker. Make it worth the read you know? I hope I'm doing a good job doing so. Let me know what you think as always.