A/N: Thanks for the reviews.

Fabrizio looked at the calendar, realizing that April was nearing its end, but more importantly that Jack, his best friend, was already more than a week overdue, almost two. For a moment his thoughts wandered around. Cal wasn't here today, said something about a business trip and he had locked him up in the room again.

This gave him the chance to think about everything clearly.

'What would you've done?' Fabrizio remembered Cal asking him concerning Jack and Rose.

Indeed he had gotten a point there.

What would he've done, if Rose had been his girlfriend? Could've he just forgotten such a betrayal?

However, wouldn't I've treated her better in the first place?

Slowly the past and present were mingling together. The first time they had met was in Italy, a small town near Milano. Jack had been alone, stealing something from the market and with him - Fabrizio - watching curiously from the background at first.

Jack had seen him being chased by the carabinieri and Fabrizio recalled slightly how that two of them had seen each other for a quick second, make eye contact, before Jack had run off again.

He had moved out of sight behind some basket, while Fabrizio had fooled the police.

'Lui è andato lì.,'(He ran there) he had pointed out, misleading them into the other direction. Some police officer had even thanked him, while Fabrizio had been hiding a smile.

Due to heavy rain on this day, Jack had been shivering, completely soaking wet, when he had finally come out of his hiding place. Luckily the carabinieri hadn't come back this day.

Fabrizio had understood soon that Jack wasn't originally from here and probably didn't understand this much Italian, this was clear already from the way he had looked, when he, Fabrizio, had spoken with the carabinieri.

Jack was about to run away again, but still something had kept him from doing so.

Maybe he had known instantly that he could trust me?

'So…non parla italiano?' Fabrizio had still tried, but not very surprisingly Jack had just looked at him questioningly, raising his eyebrows. 'Deutsch….vielleicht…?'

Again, no answer….

'Parlez-vous français?'

Fabrizio was at a loss of words, because other than Italian and a few words in French and German, he couldn't think of any other language at the moment.

'Thanks for helping me,' Jack had finally choked out by now realizing that Fabrizio was on his side and that he had been him, who had fooled the police.

'Ah English…great…'

'No, American…,' Jack had protested, causing Fabrizio to laugh wholeheartedly.

'I mean the language, come with me…,' he had taken his hand.

Soon they had both broken down giggling and laughing, introducing oneself.

Fabrizio had taken him home afterwards making up some fake story for his mother. She was a decent, very religious woman, who never got in conflict with the law; she didn't need to know how they had really met. Emilia de Rossi had soon taken a liking in Jack, calling him Giacomo for fun. Jack, obviously, had been very glad to have met Fabrizio and his mother, even telling him soon enough about his own family and how his parents had died already.

Jack has trusted you enough then to tell he you his most intimate thoughts. Why on earth would he now just forget you? Besides, if he real was that unreliable person Caledon Hockley wanted him to be, he wouldn't have come here to save Rose in the first place - right?

Fabrizio and his mother had felt sorry for him, although Fabrizio's father wasn't living anymore as well.

At least I've my mother left - Fabrizio had thought back then.

Fabrizio had never had a friend like Jack before; to be honest he never had had a real friend at all. The two of them had become more than friends. They soon had been acting like brothers. Therefore it was especially sad to know that his best friend had most likely forgotten him now.

"Cal…are you here?" a sharp voice brought him back into reality.

Fabrizio knew that it was Clarissa, Cal's mistress.

Mistress - the word echoed in his ears and he wants me to believe how depressed he is by Rose's death.

Liar

Obviously both Ruth and Cal had told her already to leave, but seemingly Cal wasn't very convincing in that matter or maybe he didn't want to be. Clarissa for sure must be doing well with Cal and of course he didn't really have any responsibilities towards her.

A perfect match indeed, both parties could only win. Simply that the third party in perfect arrangemet - Rose - had refused to play the part that she should've. This was what probably angered Cal the most. He couldn't understand how anyone could live without him and not have to rely on him.

For sure he doesn't like independent woman.

His thoughts returned to Jack. He still refused to believe Cal and what he had said.

Jack had loved Rose at a person, he hadn't cared about her money and moreover he hadn't expected anything in return. At once on the ship they had spoken together - with this Irish guy, Tommy - about her. Unlike Caledon Hockley, Jack would never willingly betray anyone.

An open door may tempt a saint - his mother's own words.

Were they true for Jack as well? Of course not.

'You don't seem to mean very much to him,' Cal had told him just a day or so ago.

Of course he would say that. He hates Jack.

Fabrizio looked out of the window, where he could see a desperate Clarissa searching for Cal.

He surely doesn't treat her correctly. For sure it wasn't her fault what happened to Rose.

In fact Fabrizio couldn't understand at all, why he wasn't marrying her now that Rose was dead. What was keeping Cal now from admitting his true feelings towards her?

Dimly he recalled his mother telling him something about morality and duty.

Was it duty to leave someone in the lurch? Of course in the society they had other moral standards; some that he didn't understand at all. It was alright to betray your wife, but it was not right, if she was sad about this. A rich man could have a mistress, even impregnate her, but he couldn't marry her, because then he would lose his status and be laughed at.

Had his mother been refering to this double-morality?

He didn't think so and for sure his mother hadn't meant it that way.

She had always been a true angel, never speaking a bad word about anyone no matter what this person might've done. She had gone to church every Sunday, never missed the mess at Easter and Christmas.

I bet Cal also never missed it.

But of course this was something else. His mother had always acted in a Christian way too, not only pretending, while Cal…he was just fooling everybody.

Jack had quickly learned some Italian while living with them, while Fabrizio had practised his English; eventually they had spoken a mix of both languages. One day, when Jack had told him that he wanted to go back to said what has become of he remaining relatives...visit his home country, Fabrizio had instantly decided to come with him.

Clarissa was now back in the house, obviously not having found Cal anywhere in the garden.

Maybe I should've listened to my mother?

She had warned him of the dangers of such a journey, not of Jack of course. She had always liked Jack and his mischievous ways, telling him how he would bring out the best in her son. She had felt that Jack was dispelling her son's sometimes dark thoughts. In short she was very reluctant to let them both go, thinking already of Jack as some sort of adoptive child.

'Mama, e 'il mio destino di andare in America,' (it's my destiny to go to America) he had told her, causing his her to smile.

At first they had made a stop in Paris, where Jack and he had come to know the infamous Madame Bijoux and where Jack had started to work on his artisting career. However, it had become soon clear to both that climbing social ladder wouldn't be that easy without knowing the right persons.

Fabrizio signed, remembering this time.

This time in Paris, though they had gotten almost nothing to their name, had probably been the best one in his life. No one had been telling them what to do or lecturing them and in this one year, he had grown up more than in anyone before.

Clarissa's shoes could by now be heard clearly in the corridor.

"Cal, this isn't funny…"

Of course it wasn't. For a moment Fabrizio thought he should make a shout out, but just as quickly dismissed it. Clarissa was Cal's mistress after all and Fabrizio couldn't said for sure, if she would help him or just turn to Cal. Moreover Jack was his friend.

Jack wouldn't forget to save you, he simply wouldn't. You can rely on him.

Fabrizio refused to admit anything that Cal had said to him. It was Jack, whom he could trust...and Caledon Hockley he was just…some rich man, with too much spare time, pestering around others.

He doesn't even know what real friendship means.

In a way Fabrizio felt sorry for both Cal and Clarissa now, who seemed to be taking pleasure in hurting others. Indeed they somehow deserved each other.

He could hear a door being shut down somewhere in the distance.

Clarissa…

Obviously Cal hadn't told her anything.

I, certainly, am glad that I don't belong to their crowd.

This was not how he wanted to be treated, not for any money in the world. He'd be happy and poor his whole life, if he just didn't have to associate with these people. Cal, Clarissa, Ruth…all of them were making him sick and he could very well understand Rose now, that she had taken the first opportunity to break free.

'You know, people, who deceive once, deceive twice as well…,' Cal had told him just yesterday referring of course to Jack's and Rose's affair. For him it still was nothing more than this. 'I wouldn't be too surprised, if he doesn't come back at all,' he had added smiling once more.

You've no idea, absolutely no idea.

Still Fabrizio couldn't help, but think of Jack and how he was being like.

Jack had never taken anything serious, which didn't mean that he had no idea how to do it, when something was important. Fabrizio's mother had always known that for sure Jack could take up responsibility if needed, but that in terms of promises he wasn't the most reliable person.

She had been refering to minor things like home work at school, which Jack had often forgotten.

However Fabrizio was certain that Jack had another side about him. He knew that he had. Jack had simply a very complicated personality and actually, despite what everyone believed, wasn't a very overcredulous and let alone rejoicing character. He had just always been much better at hiding his dark thoughts than he - Fabrizio - was. So everyone, including his mother, had thought that Jack was the happiness in person.

Jack could keep promises as well, if he thought them to be important and at times he did things that no one would've expected from him.

After all he had would've given his own life to save another person, a girl he had barely known. Would've Caledon Hockley done the same for his fiancée?

"You're not going to destroy our friendship," Fabrizio spoke up loudly trying to convince himself, but to his own fright failed miserably.

Caledon Hockley had indeed succeeded in putting an end to their friendship just a little bit.