Author's Notes: Man I can't get my freaking sleep schedule on to save my damn life. I keep the weirdest hours. I also finished writing this thing last night but it's really rough and unedited. Probably going to mess with it and tweak it some before posting but this chapter was done and ready to go and the next one will be edited by tonight. I've got to do some actual housework and such before I mess with that. Also gotta take my puppy to the vet to get her nails trimmed. As always let me know what you think yeah?

Chapter 16

"Elliot if you don't settle down and stop wriggling about I'll take you into the ballroom tie you up and whip the energy out of you." Julia threatened off handedly. She turned a page in the book she was reading as she continued to sit in comfortable wing backed chair. She'd laid a pillow on the floor for Elliot while she was reading figuring she'd best keep him with her today as it wouldn't do to be around the house without him. It would raise too many suspicions.

Outside the rain poured, forcing everyone to seek shelter indoors leaving everyone to their own devices since most events that were planned were to take place outdoors. Julia was rather content to read as Alex and Olivia whom she learned had finally confessed their love for one another were upstairs exploring their feelings. At least she hoped that's what they were doing. It would do them both a world of good if they did. She could've left Elliot in their rooms but she figured he wouldn't appreciate it and would rather come downstairs even if it was to just sit here with her. She turned the next page of her leather bound book enjoying the quiet of the rain pelting against the window panes so close by. It was a good day to read, she thought. She glanced up when the library doors opened revealing a striking figure.

"Lady Julia?"

"Sir William." She greeted in return not putting her book down.

"May I speak with you Lady?" Sir William asked as he moved to sit in the chair next to hers.

Careful not to appear as though she knew why he was here she slowly closed her book marking her place with the designated black ribbon marker ready for such. "What's on your mind?" She asked noticing that Elliot suddenly seemed to take interest in what was going on although he tried his hardest not to.

"It's about what happened with you and Lord Gabriel yesterday." Sir William started looking over at her trying to judge her expression to such revelations.

"Yes? What about it?" She hadn't revealed the extent of the conversation with Elliot, Alex, and Olivia choosing instead to only tell them what she'd learned about Kaira. Now she wondered whether or not the secrets she was guarding so closely weren't going to come out right here. She couldn't send Elliot away. He couldn't walk the house without her and if he did and got caught by someone else well his cover would be the least of their worries.

"He's very worried that you won't agree to come back. With things as shaky as they are surely you realize just what sort of damage your loss of support could do for him." Sir William pulled his glasses from his face and began to clean them with a soft cloth he pulled from his pocket.

Julia took a breath and released it slowly. "I don't support his actions Sir William. He has done a great disservice to my Father and my Grandfather's memory and violated the trust I so thoughtlessly placed in him when I left."

"I understand your anger towards him Lady Julia but you must understand what he went through without you here."

"And I'm sure it was hard but there was a clear cut right way and wrong way to do things. He took the wrong path and he hurt a lot of innocents on the way."

"You still believe the pets of Decadence are innocent even after all this time?" Sir William set his glasses down looking at her with unreadable eyes.

"Aren't they? They've done what none of us can. They've given themselves up to something greater."

"You admire them so much. I don't understand how one so old to the ways of the world can still see things with such a positive light about them." William shook his head looking at her and then at her pet. "What of him? Is he innocent? Because he gives up his autonomy to you?"

"He is something to protect, to cherish because he gives me the right to do so by allowing me to control his decisions." Julia laid her hand on Elliot's shoulder. "He's very dear to me. Just like the pets of Decadence were when I was still in power."

"And Gabriel cherishes the girls and boys just like you did."

"He terrorizes them!" Julia cried her poker face breaking for the first time Elliot had ever seen. Without a thought he reached out laying his hand upon her thigh looking up at her in concern. Julia took a breath releasing it slowly as she turned to look down at Elliot. She smiled softly at him and laid her hand on top of his larger one. "I'm all right darling. Thank you for the concern." She said softly, her mask firmly back in place.

"Gabriel does what he has to. It's not pretty and it's certainly not kind but he's held power for so long because of your support and then the illusion of it. When you came back so suddenly though we were happy to see you it caused quite a rift to form. Suddenly you were hardly speaking to Gabriel though you spoke with me quite easily. Everyone looked at that Julia and you knew it yet you did it anyway. You were no longer seen as the support Gabriel so desperately needed to maintain the balance of power. Now you've become a pawn in the game he and Romeifellar are playing with each other."

"Romeifellar will not take over the organization my grandfather and father built with their own hands. I won't allow it."

"That's good to hear. We were…"

"But I also won't allow Gabriel to run it into the ground. He's created a monster William surely you realize that. I don't recognize the man he's become. He used to be kind and sweet and very loving. Now he's cold and cruel. Yes I'm cold there is no denying that but I was taught to be that way and I certainly would never do anything to permanently harm an innocent. But he has and there is no forgiving him for that. I appreciate what you are trying to do Sir William but I will not continue to sit idly by and allow him to kill the one thing I have to be proud of. Now if you'll excuse me I think we're done." Julia rose to her feet taking Elliot's leash and drawing him up taking him out of the library.

"Julia? Are you all right in there?" Elliot called worriedly through the door. As soon as they'd gotten back into their rooms Julia had closed herself up in the bedroom refusing to come out even as Elliot knocked on the door. He'd understood she needed time to think but he felt like he'd given her that time and now he was truly concerned about her. He sighed. "Julia, do you want me to go get Alex and Liv?" When he still got no answer he made up his mind. He went to the door and looked out making sure no one was in the hallway before he shot out the door and towards Alex and Olivia's rooms. He only hoped they were decent but judging by how loving they'd been the night before there was no telling.

He was happy for his partner. He wouldn't deny it. Finally she had the woman she'd been longing for. Nine whole years was a long time to go without the love and support of one you wanted as desperately as Olivia had wanted Alex. At the time he'd thought Julia was just as pleased to see Alex and Olivia together though he was still curious about the former's relationship with the mysterious redhead. He kept his thoughts to himself on that one though figuring he'd learn about it when the time was right and not before. It was hard for him to do, his detective instincts were screaming at him to find out everything he could but his brotherly instincts towards Olivia out ruled that and stopped him from doing anything to hurt the two women he viewed as family.

Carefully he pulled open the door to their rooms and slid inside closing the door. "Alex? Liv? Where are you two?" He called not moving from his place by the door should his eyes catch sight of something he wasn't supposed to.

"We're in here Elliot." Alex's voice rang out. "It's okay you can come in." She added.

Elliot smiled pushing away from the wall and heading to the bedroom. Both women had obviously been talking in bed. They were fully clothed but judging by the rumpled sheets and their bedheads a little more than talking had occurred. "Alex I think you need to come to with me." He said softly stopping at the foot of the bed.

Alex sat up looking at him in concern. "What's wrong?"

"Julia didn't tell us the full story of what happened between her and Lord Gabriel. Sir William came to us while we were in the library about what happened and she got upset and walked out on him. I don't know the full story but from what I heard she and Gabriel got into it about what's been going on."

"Do you think It was about our murder?" Olivia asked as she sat up as well.

"I don't know. Possibly but as soon as we got back to our rooms Julia went to the bedroom closed the door and refused to speak to me. I think the only person she'll speak to is you Alex."

Alex sighed softly and nodded, "Okay. I'll try and get her talking. Can you wait outside for us? I need to change and brush my hair."

"Sure no problem," Elliot turned without another word and left the room quietly.

"Julia? It's Alex. Can I come in?" Alex looked worriedly at both Detectives when she got no reply.

"Julia please? We're very worried. Can I come in?" Still no response, Alex sighed and pushed open the bedroom door seeing her former mistress lying in the center of the bed staring at the ceiling with unseeing eyes.

"Julia?" Alex said softly as she closed the door and crossed the room. She stopped on the right side of the bed and sighed softly before making a decision. She pulled her shoes off and climbed onto the bed settling at Julia's side. Carefully, she laid her head in the hollow of her former mistress' shoulder and began to play with her long red hair the way she always would when they would go to sleep at night.

It took a few moments before finally an arm slid around her shoulders and another settled at her hips holding her close and tight. "Don't you know it's a bad idea to crawl into bed with someone who isn't your lover Alexandra?" Julia asked softly glancing down at her finally.

"It's all right. Olivia will understand and if she doesn't then I will explain it to her until she does." Alex shrugged. "You're a very important person in my life. She'll accept it because she loves me."

"I hope so my little sweetheart. You deserve to be happy after so long without it." Julia spoke softly tracing little patterns on Alex's hip with her fingertips.

Alex nodded and sighed softly. "What happened between you and Lord Gabriel? You didn't even mention it and now Elliot says Sir William came to you and you were very angry and upset. He's very worried about you."

"Elliot is very sweet but there is nothing to worry about." Julia shook her head, "I'm fine."

"Julia," Alex paused. "Is Gabriel our killer?" She asked carefully.

It took a while for Julia to reply but she shook her head. "I don't know. He's not the man I knew anymore. He's a complete stranger. I don't know what he's capable of anymore."

"What about Lord Romeifellar? You seemed pretty convinced he may be a part of this." Alex asked twirling a lock around her finger before releasing it and doing it again.

Julia sighed softly, "I don't know dear. All I know is that Gabriel said Romeifellar favored Kaira. He didn't tell me anything more than that. Romeifellar is a brilliant plastic surgeon back in the real world. He would know how to kill someone without leaving a mark on them. And he is prone to violence just like all of us. And I wouldn't doubt that he was capable of it but Gabriel could've easily have done it as well. He's just as prone to violence as Romeifellar and he is trying to use scare tactics to keep everyone in line. It's possible that he killed Kaira as a show of power but it's just as possible that Romeifellar killed her in a fit of rage."

Alex nodded, "Are you all right?"

"I will be. Gabriel just hit a lot of sore spots for me. That's all." Julia forced a small smile for Alex's sake.

"Can I ask what they are?"

"You can but there's no guarantee that I'll answer." Julia replied back easily.

Alex wrinkled her nose and sighed. "I always used to hate when you gave me that answer but I never questioned it."

"You were too well trained for that." Julia agreed. She sighed softly. "Do you know how I got the scar on my lip?"

Alex shook her head. "I would always ask but you would never tell me."

"Gabriel didn't get the idea of burning the mask into the flesh like that on his own. He got it from my father. My grandfather was dying you see. Cancer was feeding inside his body. He was too weak to talk and move. He couldn't do anything. My father went crazy. I'd never seen him like that. He started talking about how if his father had only taken better control over Decadence that the cancer wouldn't have gotten him."

"That's crazy. Cancer would've gotten him anyways."

"You and I both know that but he couldn't function with the thought that a man he always knew as larger than life was so frail and just as human as the rest of us. He began to talk about how he had to keep control, order was essential he said. He would bring everyone into line even if it killed him to do it."

Alex continued her gentle playing with her soft red hair curling it around her fingers over and over again.

"He decided that in order to keep control, he would leave a permanent mark on Decadence that couldn't be removed."

"Branding the pets?" Alex said softly.

"Yes. I had just barely turned sixteen. When he told me his plans, I told him he was insane that Grandfather wouldn't want this. That he could control Decadence just as easy with the trust and care that his father used before him. We were in his study, when it started. My father never raised a hand to me my entire life but suddenly he was beating me as hard as he could. I tried to fight back but he was so strong. I picked up a vase and tried to hit him with it but he grabbed it from me and smashed it into my face. It shattered and that's how I got the scar. He didn't care that I was bleeding he kept hitting me over and over and over again. Gabriel was in the kitchen when he heard the commotion. He came running and managed to get my father off me somehow. He had broken three of my ribs, shattered my wrist, fractured my ankle, and scarred my face for life."

Listening to the detached way Julia spoke about the horrors of her father almost killing her was too much for Alex. Tears poured down her alabaster cheeks. "I never would've known any of that took place."

"There's something in this place, something Decadence breeds into people. My Grandfather was lucky, the cancer killed him before the blackness here did but my father suffered for it. He was killed in a car accident two days after he'd almost beaten me to death. My mother was ecstatic. When she found out what he did, she had divorce papers drawn up and she was going to file for full custody of me. Once I healed, she demanded I move with her to Japan but I refused. I told her I had to stay if only to prove to myself that I could do what my Grandfather did before me. She was proud but hurt that I would choose Decadence over her. It's still a sore spot for us." Julia paused gathering her thoughts before she continued. "Gabriel has it too. The sickness that killed my father, the blackness that eats away at one's soul until it's gone completely. That's why they want him overthrown."

"Romeifellar wants him overthrown to help?"

"No, "Julia said with a wry smile. "No, Romeifellar desires power. Nothing more. He'll seek it at any cost. I don't know what to do or say to make things right anymore Alexandra. Things are so much worse than I feared when I made the decision to come back to this world."

"You did it for Kaira." Alex said softly. "That wasn't wrong. You did it to get justice for her."

"I did no such thing Alexandra. Thank you for trying to give me a noble way out but that's not the case. I did it for you. Because you asked me to, I had no other reason but that to do as I saw fit to get you the answers you sought." Julia's blue eyes met Alex's the way they hadn't throughout their entire conversation.

Alex started to open her mouth to speak when a tapping at the door drew their attention. "Mistress Julia? Mistress Alexandra?" It was Meila's soft voice.

"What on Earth is she doing in here?" Alex asked softly.

"Let's go find out."

Author's Ending Notes: So originally I was thinking about ending it in the next chapter but then I said fuck it and kept it going so this may seem sort of awkward but it will work itself out. I promise. Until tonight peeps. Reviews are awesome!