((Thank you. Also still don't own it. edited to hopefully tend to the errors. If you find more please let me know. also looking for a new proofreader ))

"HE THREW YOU OUT! HE THREW YOU OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT! THAT INSUFFERABLE.." Oliver absently listened while Madoka screamed her frustrations about David Hines. He knew that getting excited would do him no good. He had to think. What was going on in the Hines's home? He was concerned about the family after seeing the little girl crying in the window as he and Lin drove away. She waved sadly before she was grabbed away and he felt like he was letting her down. He sighed. He had a habit of letting people down.

"Are you even listening to me, Noll?" Madoka was staring at him, her hands on her hips and she had was glowering. "What the hell is going in that house!?"

"Something." Was all he could say. "I don't like it Madoka. I need you to contact the father. I need to get back in that house." Madoka looked at him considering. She narrowed her eyes.

"I thought you didn't want to take the case?" She seethed.

"I didn't. Now I do."

"Hmm," was all she offered while she considered. "I'll call America later today. It's far to late or early there, depending on how you look at it. I don't think Mr. Marino will be happy to hear that his son in law is being so difficult considering the level of activity going on around that family."

"I'll be waiting." With that he stood and walked into his office shutting the door behind him. He wasn't thinking clearly. His body was wrung out and he hardly slept since he made the choice to come back to Japan. He felt anxious all the time and would catch his hand shaking if he looked at it. He didn't like this waiting game. He was a man of action and not suited to not knowing. He could hear Madoka yelling some more through the door.

"And say please when you want someone to do something for you!"

If he really thought about it; and Oliver thought about EVERYTHING, it was the not knowing that was the worst. The Monk had slipped up when he'd yelled at Oliver and said that Mai herself said it was him. He felt stupid, a feeling that he was not used to and he wondered if he hadn't ruined everything with his pride. What was pride anyway compared to happiness. He'd trade it all, the books, the fame, the prestige, the studies and lectures; all of it to go back to that day and kiss her when she admitted her feelings to him.

He'd wanted to. He started to lift his hand to brush the hair from her face and stopped when he saw the confusion in her eyes. It was that had caused him to walk away. He'd wondered a thousand times if that confusion was because of what he told her about Gene or it she doubted she still cared for him. Why couldn't he bring himself to ask?

He knew it was because he couldn't handle her rejection. With a dramatic sigh he sat down and pulled out his tape recorded interview of the Hines family. It wouldn't do to keep dwelling he had to solve this case and protect that little girl. It was what he did after all.

The days leading up to the wedding passed with a flurry of activity. Mai had looked at Monk strangely and he would sheepishly blush when he caught her doing so but neither broached the subject of his meeting with Lin. They both knew that they had to eventually talk about it but neither knew exactly what to say so they pushed it aside as they got closer to the coming Saturday wedding. Truth be told neither knew how to talk about the subject.

On the evening before it was warm and people were meeting at a beautiful restaurant that Takigawa's cousin owned and people were laughing and singing. Wine was being poured and Mai watched as the engaged couple smiled only for each other, their eyes shining. She realized how happy she really was being in the middle of the joy but knew that it would just leave her colder when they left for their honeymoon tomorrow. She couldn't think about that and once more focused on the person at her side who was talking to her quickly. She had been surprised to see Lin there but knew that Takigawa and Ayako had worked well with the man in the past and it was ok because he gave her a wide berth. She would spy him sometimes looking at her with the oddest expression; something akin to pity and wonder, but would look away before he caught her eye. She really wanted to know what he and Takigawa had been talking about.

"Mai are you listening to me?" Yasu was laughing as she blushed being caught in her thoughts. "Oh Mai, you wound me so. It's not eye who you're dreaming of, is it?" He said with a wink.

"Sorry, I was thinking about tomorrow." She sighed. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He patted her on the back.

"You'll save a dance for me right? I've been practicing!" He wiggled his eyes at her suggestively and she couldn't help but giggle when he did. Pushing away her fears of the future she dissovled into the conversation about what dance moves he claimed to have mastered. There was no used in worrying about tomorrow. In the past week she had made the choice to really live.

Oliver had followed Lin silently. The Chinese man had been slipping away at the oddest times and it bothered him. Whenever he asked his friend he'd give a noncommital grunt and a vague 'out'. He did not like not knowing what was going on. It made him feel inadequate and that was another feeling he wasn't used to. Wasn't Lin supposed to work for him. No. Lin worked for Martin and Luella and would remind him of it when he stepped out of line.

So Oliver followed him. He felt very stealthy ducking behind corners and into doorways whenever Lin would turn around as if feeling the eyes on his back. He followed him for ten blocks. Why the hell wasn't Lin taking the bus or a cab. He never walked more than a block or two. Odd.

This entire week Lin had been extremely odd. He would stop his phone conversations if Oliver came near his office and had been taking his lunch alone. There was so many strange things going on in Japan he was for damn sure going to find out something. His mind was simply too curious to be denied.

Lin finally reached a restaurant and Oliver was taken back. It wasn't the type of fair the Chinese man ever seemed to go for. He preferred dark little corners and back booths not white linens and crystal chandeliers. Curiouser and Curiouser Oliver thought and we stalked closer. He ducked down an alley to the side and leaned his back against the wall next to a large window There was a bush partial blocking his view but he still looked at the scene before him as she tried to search for Lin.

What he saw made his jaw drop literally. Lin was at a party? What he was seeing and what he knew about Lin warred in his mind. The two ideas were just so drastically different. Lin hardly even smiled or spoke but he was at a party. He looked harder.

He caught red hair and zeroed in on that. Above Ayako and Takigawa was a pink banner congratulating them. So that's what was going on. Lin was at a party for Takigawa and Ayako's rehearsal. He concentrated on that and remembered that tomorrow was their wedding. Their wedding, Mai was in there wedding he searched the room frantically for Mai and his heart stopped at what he saw.

She threw back her head and laughed at something Yasuhara was saying to her. Her eyes were closed and her hair was gathered at the base of her neck in an simple twisted that suited her. The sight of her naked neck was shocking and she brought a small hand to her chest as she struggled to draw breath. She was wearing a strapless blue dress and Oliver ached to see the rest of it but could only see from her torso up as she was seated. He felt his hands gather in to fists. Lin was at a party with Mai. He was at a party with all her friends and he was standing in a cold alley watching. What the hell was going on in the world!

This was jealousy. Oliver was used to jealousy but it still didn't mean he liked the feeling. He had been jealous of Gene's easy manner when they were younger and his ability to charm a room. He'd always wondered if Martin and Luella would have adopted him if Gene hadn't been apart of the package. Gene was everything he wasn't including dead. Oliver realized that his nails were digging into his hand as blood welled from the half moons in his palm. He ducked down behind the bushes and stalked around to the front of the restaurant to get a better view of what was going on. His heart was pounding. Mai was so close.

He imagined what perfume she'd be wearing, and how soft her skin would be. When Yasuhara put a hand on her shoulder he wanted to send his PK out and throw the other man across the room. Yasu didn't know it but he was sitting in his place next to Mai. He tried to remember what it was that Lin had written. Yasu and Mai were just friends. They were just good friends, but they looked so happy to be together. He was frantically trying to think of what to do when his phone sounded in his pocket. The shrill whistle meant he had a message and he pulled it quickly from his pocket to see what could possibly be so important as very few people had his private number. On the screen was the message he had been waiting for for a week now. Madoka.

I got us back into the Hines. Day after tomorrow. Mr. Hines will be gone. We need to work fast!

He shoved his phone back in his pocket. He could deal with this later. Right now he needed to figure out how to get close to Mai. Now that he was so close he felt is courage failing him. His mouth was dry and palms were sweaty. He felt like a junky in need of a fix. He hadn't realized how addicted he'd been to Mai when he'd been here before. He kept watching from the window and considered what to do.

Takigawa had caught Lin's eye and made his way towards to bar to grab a drink. The tall man met him there. He said nothing, just waiting for what the monk had to say.

"He's here. I hope this is a good idea. If he ruins the wedding Ayako will skin us both."
"Hmm.." was all Lin offered considering.

"This is on you man. He makes this worse and I'll kill him, Got it."

"Indeed" and Lin stalked away smirking. So Noll had finally followed him. About damn time. He had practically spoon fed the clues to the boy. He'd followed him out tonight and bumbled the entire way. If it had been anyone else the jig as they as in the west you'll have been up. As if Lin would ever walk so far.

Oliver really could be dense. He only hoped the fool didn't ruin the reunion that he and the Monk invented for him.

Oh Takigawa had been very angry about it he deception. He had practically taken Lin's head off when the met that first time . He wanted to why he should continue to help Oliver; even if Oliver didnt know he was being helped. If he managed to upset tomorrows nuptials Lin had serious concern for Oliver's personal safety. The priestess could be very unforgiving.

Mai was one of the last people to leave the dinner. She had laughed and danced with all of her friends. Even John had twirled her around the dance floor. She was drunk on joy and knew that she had to get home because her nine am hair and make-up appointment would be here before she knew it. She was excited for the wedding and knew that her friends were even more so.

Tomorrow started a new chapter. She did a little spin on the street and spread her arms wide to the warm slight. She stopped when she saw a dark shadow duck to her side.

Mai felt fear run through her as she turned to see who was following her. She was shaking slightly, shivering as if cold but it wasn't the night air chilling her. She was very scared.

"Come out.." She whispered. When she got no answer she tried again. This time louder, " Who's there. Come out."

She held her breath as first a paler hand slowly edged from behind the wall and was followed by an arm in a black dress shirt. She trailed her eyes up from the fingers up the arm to the shoulder then to the eyes of their owner. Blue eyes. Impossibly deep blue eyes looked at her.

He took a small step towards her, his hands raised. His brow was furrowed and lips pursed. At seventeen she had thought him handsome, at eighteen he'd been gorgeous but now at twenty-one he was devastating. The lines of his face had become even more handsome. She wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't seen it herself.

All at once her dress felt impossibly tight around her. She took a step back and turned to run. Tears ran from her eyes. She stumbled a bit and heard him gasp as she started to fall. Warm hands grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the side walk that had been quickly approaching her face.

As she was pulled up right she felt his hands settle on her arms and his body was close to her back. Her skin felt like it was on fire where his fingers met her flesh and she swayed feeling dizzy, she started to sob when he said her name quietly as it were a prayer.

"Mai.."

Of all the things Oliver expected or dreamed of this was not it. He pulled Mai's back to him and inhaled her scent. She was crying and all he could do was try to hold her. He murmured gently in her ear and turned her face to his.

He watched her eyes widen in surprise as he wiped away the tears from her heeks and cradled her face between his hands softly. He ran his thumb of her lips and it trembled when he did.

"Mai." He whispered her name over and over and it did nothing to slow her tears. They stood there for several minutes. His hands on her face, her tears on his fingers. They drank in the sight of each other. She was his salvation and he was her anchor. He swallowed and looked at her as he slowly took his hands from her face.

"Me...or Gene?" Silence for a heartbeat, then two. If she didn't answer soon he felt like his heart would stop. He looked at her as her lips parted slowly.

"You," it was barely audible. He'd heard it though and he kissed her gently. He leaned into her and her arms rose to his chest. Her small hands touched his chest. He felt her hand push gently against him then curl and gather his shirt in her fist.

His blood sang in his veins and his skin burned every where she touched him. He kissed her deeply, his tongue tasting hers. His dreams had not prepared him for this. It was intoxicating.

"Mai, please don't send me away." He gasped between kissing her and she stopped to look at him, really look at him and shook her head.

"Don't leave." She whispered, new tears welling up. He shook his head and pulled her into his arms. His heart was racing as she sobbed against him. So many thoughts and feeling jumbled in Him. Joy, fear, excitement, love, tenderness and longing.

He put his lips to her ear and murmured, "Let me take you home."

Mai looked up at him in surprise and then nodded. He wrapped an arm around her and looked at her lips for a few seconds then hurried her away into the night.