I am back from the dead!

Thanks to IchigoMoonCutter, guest, avatarfan82, bitterrose7, G27forever, Kelly Hizuri, kikigirl4321 for reviewing the last chapter! Thanks to everyone hw go has read, favorited and followed! This is literally what kept me going during exams.

A special thanks to my lovely beta, who changed her name from Anya Seneca Primrose to Kelly Hizuri~

No one got the brownie points for the "wine loving bastard" reference! It's from Hetalia if you all watch that. It's what England calls France sometimes.

Hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: All things related to Bleach belong to Tite Kubo.

Rukia had typed out the same thing about seven times, each time shaking her head, erasing the entire thing and starting afresh. She was trying to send word to Byakuya about what had happened between her and Gerard and that she would be bringing the kids over for an indefinite amount of time.

She bit her lip, feeling apprehensive about the entire situation.

"What if Byakuya refuses to help?" she whispered, feeling a mini panic attack coming on.

The first thing she panicked about was Gerard potentially calling Byakuya up and telling him himself, but she later laughed at the thought. Gerard sounded cocky and seemed like he knew what he was doing, but there was a reason there were other people in charge of making sure her way to Byakuya's was hell. Gerard Delacrouix was terrified of Byakuya.

All it took was one look from when they had been dating to make Gerard believe Byakuya hated him.

Course there was no doubt about it; Byakuya would be losing his grip on reality if he didn't hate the man who had not only abandoned his nieces and nephew but broke his younger sister's heart.

With this thought in Rukia's mind, she found the courage she needed to at least finish her message to Byakuya. At first she wanted to tell him the entire story through a text message, but she figured things would go in a better direction if she dealt with things over the phone, seeing as there was no way she was getting to a computer to Skype anytime soon - not that Byakuya had a Skype account.

She read over her message several times, looking to see if everything looked okay. It wouldn't do to worry Byakuya over something that looked like things were a matter of

life and death.

Hey, Nii-sama,

How are things going in Versailles? Hope you're doing well. Would you give me a ring when you get this message? Everything's fine for the most part, but there are some things that you need to know.

When she read through the message, she bit her lip, thinking her message sounded slightly worrisome to the older man. She wanted to rewrite it for the billionth time but later shook her head, knowing that if she continued doing this she would never send the message. She quickly tapped the send button and shoved her phone back in her pocket. Her eyes fell on her children, who were still sleeping soundly beside her. André's head rested on her shoulder, while Gigi's rested on Hisana's. Rukia sighed, immediately thinking of Gerard's message to her. Gerard was many things, but he wasn't a fool. He knew she was going to Byakuya's, so he decided to make things as hard as he could for her.

She slid back in her seat, resting the back of her head on the head cushion of the seat and shutting her eyes. How had she gotten in this situation? How had she gone from a happy newlywed to a soon-to-be-divorced single mother of three children?

The more she thought about it, the more she was confused about it. What had she done to drive Gerard away from her? She couldn't recall a time where she absolutely refused to see his side of the argument. In fact, she was usually the one who forgave him first. After much thought, she really couldn't think of anything she could have done to push him away from her.

She pulled the wedding band out of her pocket and gazed at the diamonds. She had given up so much to be with Gerard. She was so used to cooking Japanese food for Byakuya on occasion; French cooking wasn't as easy as the cooking shows made it out to be. It could be on occasion, but she was so used to simple food, not layers of flavor and texture. Then there was the fact that she permanently moved to France for him. It was mainly little things that she had given up, but when they accumulated, she realized she gave up her way of life for him.

And she didn't even know why he left her.

She racked her brains and thought back to the night she caught him red-handed, the night before. What happened? She had been sitting on the sofa in the living room, playing with her wedding band when he had come in. She remembered exactly how he looked. He carried himself as he was physically worn out, but his eyes - his dark blue eyes were vibrant and full of life. His collar was askew and his hair was tousled. Expensive perfume clung to him, which made her suspicions a reality. All at once, it became clear.

Gerard had tossed her aside for a native French woman because he was bored with her.

The evidence to back that claim up was in their virtually nonexistent love life. She couldn't even remember the last time they made love, let alone told the other they loved them.

This was too much for Rukia to handle at the moment. She wanted to bury herself in a small hole and curl up into a tightly wound ball that wouldn't unravel for many days. She wanted to cry herself to sleep, to yell at everything around her, to pitch her wedding band into a lake or over a cliff.

But she couldn't.

She had to keep herself together for the sake of her children. They didn't have anyone else left in the world. Their bastard father had turned away from them without even a moment's hesitation. What hope did she have that his side of the family wouldn't sever ties with them as well? Until she got to Paris, she would have to tough it out and pretend that she didn't want to fall apart like her marriage.

It was time for her to open up her umbrella and walk through the raging storm.

A light vibration interrupted her thoughts on the matter. Her heart sped up in her chest. The call could have been from two people; it could have been Byakuya or Gerard. To be quite frank, she wasn't looking forward to either call from either man, but if she had to choose between one, she'd take her luck with Byakuya.

She hesitantly pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped on the accept call icon, letting out a sigh of relief seeing Byakuya's name.

"Hi, Nii-sama," she said meekly.

Byakuya's deep base could be heard on the other line. Just hearing it made Rukia feel like a little girl again. Byakuya was truly the brother she never had. "Rukia, it's very nice hearing from you again. I thought you had forgotten about me."

Something that had come with being a widow was that Byakuya was surprisingly lighthearted at times. Rukia supposed it was his way of showing Hisana that he was still happy in the world.

"How could I forget you?" Rukia asked playfully. "You are my nii-sama."

"Hmm. How are the children?"

Rukia smiled, knowing Byakuya was smiling. He absolutely adored his nieces and nephew.

"Hisana, Gigi and André are doing great. A little tired though," she finished quietly.

"Rukia, your message and voice hint at bad news. What's going on?"

Damn his perceptiveness. He was always too smart for her to fool. She decided to be as vague as possible. For the moment.

"Oh, the kids and I are coming to Versailles to visit! Isn't that great?"

"What about… Gerard?" (Byakuya had been trying to call Gerard by his name instead of 'that Delacrouix man'.)

Rukia sighed heavily, giving up on being vague and not knowing how to break the news to him. Byakuya would, no doubt, lose his cool upon hearing what had happened.

"Gerard's not coming," she said flatly. "He's not coming because… because we're filing for a divorce."

The line was completely silent for a moment and Rukia had to make sure Byakuya hadn't disconnected the call. She glanced at the screen, the seconds counting her call still going. She pressed the phone against her ear, slightly worried.

"Nii-sama, are you still there?" she asked softly. "Nii-sama?"

It took a moment, but Byakuya answered her.

"What did that Delacroiux man do?" he asked, his tone clipped.

Rukia mentally cringed, almost picturing the look on Byakuya's face. He was, no doubt, furious with Gerard. She could see Byakuya's eyes narrow and his blood pressure raise through the look on his face. His mouth would form a thin line, showing utmost fury.

"I… I…" She didn't know why she was faltering now. Her heart raced and she had a fluttery feeling in her stomach as if she was preparing to tell a lie. She glanced down at her ringless finger and pressed a hand to her forehead. She breathed in and out, completely unaware of what Byakuya was saying on the other line.

"Rukia. Rukia. Rukia! Tell me he did not physically harm you."

She dropped her hand to her lap, completely shocked - not by what Byakuya said, but by the tone. His voice was tinged with worry and a bit of hysteria, as if he was worried for her life.

"N-no, he didn't… b-but he cheated on me. For seven months," she said shakily.

"Where are you now?"

"On a train to Paris. The kids wanted to visit Momo, Renji and Rangiku first, and I thought it would be easier to get to your house from Paris."

She bit her lip after the words rolled off her tongue. She didn't know if she was pushing her luck or her boundaries, given Byakuya's temper with Gerard, but to her surprise, Byakuya sounded almost relieved.

"Good. Get to Versailles as soon as you can. Make sure you and the kids are safe."

Rukia knew Byakuya was at least happy about the kids visiting. She knew that he loved his nieces and nephew - probably more than he loved himself at times. Suddenly, she felt as if some of the weight on her shoulders was lifted.

"Thanks, Nii-sama."

"Rukia, get to Paris as soon as you can. You sound tired. You need your rest. We'll talk about this later."

She smiled lightly, realizing she missed the sound of her older brother-in-law nagging her to take care of herself.

"I will. Bye Nii-sama."

"Be careful."

Rukia pulled the phone away from her ear and touched the 'end call' button. She slipped the phone back into her pocket and slid forward in her seat, resting her head on the back of her seat, finally content with things going the way they were supposed to.

For a few glorious minutes, she was able to forget about the messages Gerard sent her.

Ichigo was having a hard time falling asleep. He was afraid that if he did go to sleep he would be forced to see his mother's murder flash before his eyes over and over, and he didn't want to see it ever again. He had done everything in his power to move as far away from the site of the crime; he had moved toFrance in Europe. He had no desire to be reminded of how he had brought about his mother's death.

He stared out the window for most of his night, his eyes falling on the many stars that were out that night. Out of sheer boredom, he began tracing the different constellations with his eyes. He was able to find both the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper as well as Draco, the constellation shaped like a snake, but was too impatient to find the rest of the constellations.

He rolled over on his back and stared at the white ceiling before picking his phone up and pressing the home screen button. He squinted at the sudden source of light, quickly typing his password in and turning the brightness down all the way. When his eyes adjusted to the low brightness, he began playing around with the different games he had on his phone.

Playing Temple Run and Flow could only be fun for so long.

He pressed the home screen button again, aimlessly flicking from one page of apps to the other until he saw a red circle with the number one attached to his messages , he tapped on it and saw a message from Senna that had come to his phone around the same time Uryuu talked to him about Senna.

Just because we're broken up doesn't mean we can't talk anymore. Don't forget that.

Ichigo sighed, knowing she was right. He had to admit, he had a nasty habit of keeping things to himself. It was a wonder he hadn't developed one of those permanent mental illnesses like the media always showed in movies.

Hey, you awake?

Within a few moments he got his reply.

Five bucks you just saw my message.

At least Senna was a laugh.

I don't have five bucks now. Come by the cafe, and I'll see what I can do.

You're such a bum. What person doesn't have five bucks?

Someone's being a little mouthy…

Whatever. What's up, Carrot Top?

Sen, I told you to stop calling me that.

You told me a lot of things.

Hmm.

I hate one word answers.

Hmm.

You know, I could just leave and go to sleep now, right?

Alright, I'm kidding. But I do want to talk.

Shoot.

That's a one word answer.

Stop changing the subject, Kurosaki.

He stopped, not knowing what to write next. He knew Senna wanted him to be more open about his feelings, but he had never really done that before. Senna finding out about his mother's death was purely on accident. He thought back to the day, remembering her reaction as though it had happened recently.

Ichigo gave a jolt when he realized he had gotten more messages from Senna while he was reliving the day.

Earth to Kurosaki?

Ichi?

Ayy, Carrot Top.

You know, you could have told me you didn't want to talk anymore.

Ichigo quickly typed a response before he lost her for the night.

Sorry. I've been thinking.

Thinking about the things we talked about today?

*sigh* Yeah.

Ichigo, I seriously think you should talk to your father about this.

He would never want to hear from me.

You don't know that.

Anyway, that isn't what I wanted to talk about.

So what did you want to talk about?

It probably wasn't meant to be a thought-provoking question, but that's how Ichigo took it. He didn't know what he wanted to talk about. He thought he did, but after talking to

Senna for a few minutes, he realized he didn't.

I don't know. I just… I want to talk.

Can't sleep?

Not really.

So you can't sleep because of what we talked about today?

That sounds about right.

And you don't want me to tell you what I told you today?

On the money, there.

You're being pretty difficult.

Thanks. I try.

Okay, so why can't you sleep?

What was she asking him? There were so many reasons that could keep him up.

Hmm, I wonder what it is… Maybe it's because I keep seeing what happened that day.

So, let's get your mind off of it.

How are you going to do that?

Remember what happened the day you introduced me to your roommates?

He was completely taken aback by the question. It was such a random question that he almost didn't remember what happened.

Um… I remember something burned.

You nearly burned down the apartments. Remember why?

If I remembered I probably would have mentioned it.

You, Uryuu, and Chad were looking for me. Ring any bells?

He nearly smacked his forehead, remembering the day.

You were on the rooftop and the rest of us panicked. I also happened to have lunch on the stove.

Haha, man, those were the days.

Her words didn't mean to strike any lingering feelings in Ichigo, but that's what they did. He thought back to the days when he and Senna were a couple. Things were relatively serious between them - he couldn't remember ever falling harder for another woman in his life. Reasons for his break up with her clouded his mind, and, for a moment, he thought about what would have happened if he didn't break up with her. Would they still be together? Or would they have split up either way? Was their break-up the inevitable?

He pushed the thoughts out of his mind when he realized something. Back when he was dating Senna, he would always have a odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. Like

the feeling of being loved and loving someone in return. Now that he was talking to her again, he didn't have that feeling anymore - he had fallen out of love with her, leading him to the conclusion that they would have split up either way.

Sen, you know we're done right?

He felt bad about turning the conversation in an awkward direction, but he had to know if she felt anything toward him after their break up. He had to know if she was still in love with him or if she was simply being her usual carefree self.

Of course I know that, Ichi. I would be lying if I said I didn't miss how close we were back then, but I know things have been over between us for a long time, and it's okay. I don't have any regrets or anything so don't worry about a jealous ex appearing at your door with a knife or something or calling you up at midnight saying "You have seven days left to live" in a creepy voice.

He laughed at her text. She always knew how to break the tension. He felt a lot more lighthearted when he typed back a response now.

Don't bring that movie up. Ever. That movie scared the living shit out of me.

Aw was widdle Carrot Top scared of a scawy movie?

Senna, The Ring is not a scawy movie. That was the scariest fucking movie I have ever seen. I don't know why I let you drag me to go see that.

You didn't even see it when it came out in theatres! I had to make you watch it! C'mon. It's one of those cult classics. You know, like the Princess Bride.

Honestly, the only thing I remember about that movie was the line "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die."

That's the BEST line in the whole movie!

Haha. Oh, wow, t's already two A.M. Shit, I have an early shift at the café tomorrow.

Oh, alright then. Have fun, 'o Great Guardian of the World.

Seriously, Senna, you have to stop with the weird nicknames.

Jeez, you're so picky. At least I didn't call you a smart-ass this time.

… Good night, Senna.

Night Ichi!

Ichigo pushed his phone onto his desk after setting his alarm. He rolled over on his side, catching a glimpse of the picture of his mother. He shut his eyes, sighing heavily.

"I'm sorry, Mom. I could have been… I should have been a better son."

The train came to a jerking halt in the heart of France, Paris. Rukia blinked a couple times, adjusting to the sunlight before gently shaking her children awake.

"Babies," she whispered. "Hisana, Gigi, André, we're here. We're in Paris."

Her voice nearly shook, but not because she was so far away from home. Her voice shook because being in Paris meant being able to see her friends and family, the

people she had known and loved before she had been married and because she was that much closer to escaping the married lie she was living.

The kids slowly shifted, rubbing the sleep from their eyes and blinking at their mother.

"Mama, I didn't eat the biscuits again," André mumbled, making Rukia laugh.

She ruffled his curly brown hair, pulling them into her arms. "No, no biscuits. We're finally in Paris! We'll be able to visit Tata Momo, Rangiku, Tonton Renji and Byakuya!"

The children would have had a more enthusiastic response, had they not been shaken awake from their sleep. They sullenly rose with squinted eyes that they occasionally rubbed as they were getting off the train. They shielded their eyes when their feet touched the ground and the Parisian sun bathed them in sunlight.

Rukia gently tugged on their hands, leading them into the town. As she walked into the bustling town, she was met with her first problem.

She didn't have the slightest idea where to go first.

"Shit," she muttered under her breath.

Hisana tilted her head, looking at her mother. "What did you say, Mama?"

"Hmm? Oh, I said shoot," Rukia replied absently.

When Hisana turned back to her siblings, Rukia began to mentally panic.

'Oh my god, I'm in Paris. What the hell am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go? I have the worst sense of direction possible! That's how Gerard and I met, for heaven's sake. Alright, Kuchiki. Calm down. You can do this. All you need to do is ask for directions. Yeah. That's a good idea. Just call Momo up and tell her where you are and that you need directions."

Her fingers reached for her phone, pulling it out of her pocket. She pressed the home screen button, expecting to see the 'please enter your passcode here' screen. Instead, she got a small black bar in the middle of her lock screen.

Gerard - iMessage (2)

At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to cry right then and there.

"Can't you just leave me alone?!" she asked, her voice tinged with hysteria.

She unlocked her phone to see what the message said.

On your way to Paris, are you?

Ah, I see. I thought you were just stopping for food. Have fun trying to get to Momo, Rangiku or Renji's.

By this point, Rukia didn't think she had the strength to pass another curse off as a child appropriate word. She chose the safe route and began cursing in Japanese, suddenly glad her children were fluent in French and English. She let go of Hisana's hand and rubbed her temple, furiously trying to think of what to do now that she knew Gerard was having her followed.

Hisana glanced up at her mother, not sure about what was going on anymore. She knew that there was something going on between her parents and that her father was the one making her feel this way, but she didn't know what her father was doing.

"Maman, are you okay?" she asked softly.

Gigi and André also looked up at Rukia, just as confused as Hisana was. They exchanged glances with each other and then turned to their older sister, whom they hoped knew what was going on.

Rukia exhaled slowly, being brought back to earth by her eldest daughter. She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to compose herself in a calm and cool manner.

"I'm just a little tired and my head hurts," she admitted. She did her best to put on the best fake and happy smile she could for the sake of her children. "But look at us! We're already here in Paris! We'll be at Tata Momo's house in no time!"

The children smiled at their mom's smile, not knowing that it was fake and that she was actually upset about the entire ordeal.

"Tata Momo's house! Tata Momo's house!" Gigi and André chorused over and over.

Rukia led them into the bustling city, keeping a tight grip on their hands and a wary look over her shoulder. She was nervous, walking into a busy city like Paris. She was a single mother of three who didn't even hit five feet. She blew the strand of hair in front of her eyes out of her face, attempting to draw up a plan of what to do and ignoring her rapid heartbeat.

After a few minutes of walking, she felt light-headed and heard a loud rumble come from her stomach. She stopped abruptly, feeling embarrassed that she had neglected to eat since she left with the children.

She gave her children a sheepish smile and laughed at their curious faces. "Umm, how does a snack sound?" She peered around, her eye-catching a classy looking French café. "Ooh, look! A café! C'mon, you guys love blueberry tarts!"

The kids' faces lit up at the mention of blueberry tarts. They eagerly followed her toward the entrance. Rukia pushed the door open, the tinkling sound of bells greeting her as well as the smell of fresh-baked pastries and freshly brewed tea. The café looked like a busy and cozy city, something that brought a smile to her face.

"Can I help you?" asked a soft and feminine voice.

Rukia turned to see a girl who was about her own height and had a similar hairstyle to her. The girl had her hair untied, but she had two strands of her bangs in the middle of her face. She had light, periwinkle colored eyes and a light blush on her cheeks as well as a tentative smile.

"Um, yeah," Rukia said softly. "Can we have a table for four?"

The girl gazed past Rukia and at the children as well as the big and bulky suitcases Rukia was carrying. A look of confusion crossed her face, but she brushed it off just as easily as it had come. "Right this way," she said softly.

Rukia and the kids followed her outside where most of the guests were seated. The girl gestured at a small, circular table, waiting for Rukia and the kids to sit down. Rukia awkwardly shoved the suitcases to the side and smiled up at the girl who was handing them menus.

"My name is Ururu and I'm the head waitress. There will be another waiter or waitress who will serve you, but if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask," she said with a smile.

Behind her was a boy with red hair that was slicked back and looked the same age as Ururu. He had a mischievous demeanor that hung around him as he drew closer to Ururu.

"Ururu! Urahara wants us to help out in the kitchen!" the boy declared.

Ururu gave Rukia and the kids an apologetic smile before letting her shoulders droop a bit. "Your server will be here momentarily."

Rukia nodded turning back to her menu. As she was looking over the menu, she could have sworn she heard the boy tease Ururu and Ururu telling the boy that she always did the manual labor. She stifled a laugh when she thought about the boy.

So much for looking cool and masculine with the hair gel… Not even doing the manual labor…

She turned her attention back to the menu. She decided that she would order a cup of tea with a Nutella croissant. She looked up at her children, smiling at how they began sharing crayons on their children's menus. She didn't want to disturb them, so she pulled her phone out of her pocket to send a quick message to Momo and ask for directions. The moment she pulled her phone out and pressed the home screen button, a message from Gerard appeared. She had half a mind to simply put the phone back in her pocket and pretend she hadn't seen it, but she wanted to know what he could possibly say now.

She took the bait and unlocked her phone to see the message.

My my, you're at a Parisian café? Rukia, Rukia, Rukia.

She could almost hear the sneer in his voice as she read the message in her mind over and over. Her mind was growing numb. How did he know where she was? It had only been about a half hour since he last messaged her, telling her he knew she was heading to Momo's. Her face slowly drained of color and she was completely oblivious to the server that had appeared next to her.

"Mama, the server is here," Gigi said softly.

Rukia, her heart beating faster and cold dread filling her body, slipped the phone into her pocket and glanced up at the server, a tall, lean-built and masculine looking man with spiky ginger hair with light brown eyes.

"Is there anything I can help you with, ma'am?" he asked.

So there's the meeting that you all have been looking for! ;)

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this chapter! There is much MUCH more to come in the future and I'll try not to pull a vanishing act on you guys.

Be prepared for ties to be created and lines to be crossed in the next couple of chapters!

Read and review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.