Hello! As per usual, I don't own anything. I'm just a fan writing some fiction. Please enjoy!

51- Family Reunion

Enrique rested his head on the windowpane, looking out at the courtyard of the palace. It hadn't been raining when Amelia and Zelgadis had left with Zara that morning, but now it was raining heavily, and Enrique hoped that they'd brought a few umbrellas with them. He was sure they must have- Amelia and Zelgadis seemed like the types who were prepared for anything- but that didn't make him feel any better about having to part ways with Zara.

He knew it was important that he stay with Pathosmaster, and he wasn't going to argue, but this was the first time that he and Zara had been apart for any real length of time since the incident with Azarel, and with Zara's brother in danger, there was reason to worry. The group was going to be leaving for Zoana soon, and that might help take his mind off it, but for now he had nothing to do.

After a few minutes of watching the rain, Enrique felt a tap on his shoulder. He hadn't noticed anyone enter the room, but he was often oblivious when he was deep in thought, and turned around hoping to greet Pestis or Shizuri and hear news about their coming departure.

"Hey, cutie."

"You!" Enrique jumped and accidentally hit his head on the windowpane. He had really been hoping that he wouldn't have to see this particular Mazoku again. "I… I… don't have an answer from Pathosmaster yet. I'm sorry! I've been trying to ask him, but-"

"That's not what I'm here about." she chirped politely, and perched on the windowsill next to him.

"…oh. But then…?" Enrique stammered. He didn't feel quite as threatened by her presence as he had been before. Something about her seemed friendlier this time.

"Lord Pathosmaster and the others are searching for Xellos, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. You know Xellos?"

"I'm his personal assistant."

Enrique jumped again. "W-wait, you're what? You and Xellos are…? Then you must know something about Luke! You've gotta tell us what's happened to him! Xellos was the one who kidnapped him, wasn't he?"

"Where did you get that information?"

Enrique stiffened, hearing her indifferent response. "Lord Pathosmaster thought that… well, he came up with a lot of complicated reasons, like specifics on Filia's wound and the way it was made, and…"

"So that's what gave us away, hmm? I'll make a note of that and inform Xellos later. He's always looking for constructive criticism."

There was a pause. "…so that means you did kidnap Luke?"

The Mazoku stood up and pulled a folded piece of paper out of her skirt pocket. She spoke absentmindedly as she began unfolding it and reading over it. "Yeah, yeah, don't worry. The little guy is safe with some of Lina's friends in Craighouse."

"He is?" Enrique could feel himself relax. "What a relief. That's where Lina and them are going right now. But I don't understand why you would-"

"This is for you and your group." She held out the piece of paper to him. He took it tentatively and looked over it.

"Dinner reservations? What's this about?"

The Mazoku smiled sweetly. "Since you're hoping to meet with Xellos in Zoana, he decided to invite you all for dinner. This is one of his favourite places in the capital- good drinks and great atmosphere. Any local could tell you how to get there if you're lost."

"So…" Enrique murmured, reading over the reservation information again. "…you're not hiding anything from us?"

"Why would we do that?"

"But you attacked Filia, kidnapped Luke, and framed Azarel for it all. Aren't you our enemy?"

"No. You can keep that paper by the way." Enrique had tried to hand the information back to her, but she refused to take it.

"No? That's it? You can't convince us that you're our allies-"

"Just because someone isn't with you doesn't make them against you. Xellos will explain everything later. You all just focus on making it to the restaurant in time for dinner. It's two days from now- that's how long it'll take you to get to Zoana, right?"

Enrique stood mutely, his mouth hanging open.

"Right! So…" She clapped her hands together and looked around. "Sorry to cut this lovely visit short, but I have some other business to attend to now. I hope to see you later, cutie!"

Enrique was still standing mutely as she kissed him on the cheek and disappeared. It was a few moments before he could actually move, he was so surprised, but he couldn't help a tiny smile as he gingerly brought a hand to his cheek.

"Huh. What a strange Mazoku." He stayed dazed for a little while before finally straightening up and folding up the paper in his hands. "I've gotta get this to Lord Pathosmaster! I hope he won't be angry!"

It hadn't been easy for Gourry to leave Lina and Enrico at the house alone, but once they arrived at their home, both of them knew someone would have to make a trip into town for supplies. Lina had offered to look over the house thoroughly for any clues about Luke, and Gourry had promised that his trip would be brief. Amelia, Zelgadis, and Zara planned to be there by dinnertime, and so Gourry was on a mission to find some ingredients to cook dinner. Neither he nor Lina had cooked much in the past couple of weeks, being traveling and at the Lin Estate much of the time, so he was looking for something simple that could feed a lot of people.

He almost didn't want to go into the bakery. Imia and Emil were sure to ask how he was- how the twins were, and he didn't want to lie to them. Other friends in town he could give a simple "everything's fine" without any hesitation, but it wasn't as easy in this case. Still, the recipe he was favouring called for several loaves of sourdough bread, and this was the only place in town to get them.

As the bells on the door chimed that a customer was entering, Gourry put on his biggest, bravest smile, hoping it would pass his friends' inspection.

"Hello…?"

"Oh, Gourry!" Imia poked her head out of the kitchen and greeted him with a far more genuine smile. "What a surprise! We didn't think you'd be home so soon! What brings you back to Craighouse?"

"Uh…" He hadn't anticipated that question. "…well, uh, y'know… business… and stuff."

"Business and stuff? Sounds official." she chuckled in response. "Is Lina with you?"

"N-no. She's at home with the kids."

"Ah." Imia nodded her head understandingly. "I suppose, then, you're here to get your son back?"

Gourry nearly lost his balance. "Wh-what? What would give you that impression?"

"What's the matter with you? You seem nervous." Imia grabbed a rag and began washing the flour off her hands. "Luke was no trouble at all. He's got such a pleasant disposition. We've already started setting up a nursery, so he's had a room all to himself. I guess he doesn't get a private room at home- with his twin brother and all- so he seems a little lonely there."

"...I'm sorry, I'm not following anything that you're saying." Gourry shook his head dizzily. "You have Luke here?"

"Didn't Lina tell you?" Imia came out from behind the counter and motioned toward the back staircase. "She sent him to us through one of her agents because she was worried about his safety while you were on the road, and…" Her voice trailed off and she reached out to place a hand on Gourry's shoulder. "…is everything okay?"

"This agent of Lina's- what did he or she look like?" Gourry demanded.

"He was a man, not quite as tall as you… I didn't get a very good look at him because it was dark and he was wearing a cloak."

"And he just handed Luke to you and left?"

"Sort of. He told me he was an agent of yours, and I believed him because of Luke, but…" Imia gasped. "You mean he was a fraud?"

"I just don't get it." Gourry ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Who kidnaps a child and then just hands him off to someone else? It doesn't make any sense unless he was just toying with us…"

"Kidnapping? Oh my gods, Gourry, I had no idea-"

"N-no, it's okay. You couldn't have known-"

"Oh, I feel awful now-"

"Please don't-"

The two were interrupted by a voice from back in the kitchen. "Hey, Imia! I could use a few extra hands right now!"

"Can it wait a few minutes? I'm helping someone!" she called back before returning her attention to Gourry. "I am so sorry for this misunderstanding. Come upstairs with me. Luke is perfectly fine- in fact, he's taking a nap right now. I'm sure he'll be delighted to see you."

Gourry wouldn't let himself believe her even as they walked up the staircase. He felt dazed. However much he wanted to believe that all this worrying had been for nothing, it was difficult to let himself get his hopes up.

But once they got to the nursery, that changed. It was Luke, there was no doubt about that. He was asleep, but once Imia picked him up he began to stir, and by the time she handed him to Gourry he was wide-eyed and awake. He squealed in delight at the sight of his father, and kept a big smile on his face as he nestled comfortably in the man's arms.

Gourry was silent for a long time, trying hard not to crush the child as he held him close. All the worst-case scenarios that had played out in his head the past few days disintegrated and the reality began to wash over him. His son's happiness was apparent. Gourry had never seen a smile like that on Luke's face.

Clearly Imia hadn't either. "That's an incredible smile. He must be so thrilled to see you."

"Lina's…" Gourry stammered. "…Lina's gonna be so happy."

"As much as I want to hear this story, I want you to get home and let Lina know that he's safe." Imia placed a hand on Gourry's arm. "We can talk again later-"

"Dinner. Come to our house for dinner tonight. We're expecting other company, so it's no trouble."

"Are you sure?" Imia seemed uneasy.

"Please. I want to be able to thank you and Emil properly. Right now, I… I just…"

"Right. Of course. I understand you're probably overwhelmed. Take your time."

"Thank you."

"That's such a relief. I'm so glad things turned out alright." Amelia clutched her mug of tea tightly, choosing to bask in the warmth rather than drink it right away. She was with Zelgadis and Gourry at the Gabrievs' kitchen table, discussing the events of that day while Lina and Zara played with the twins on the floor in the living room. The rain had stayed over the country of Seyruun for the full day, and despite the rain gear that Amelia and Zelgadis had packed, they and Zara got drenched on the way to Craighouse. It wasn't a cold day, but being wet made the trip almost unbearable, and they were all happy to make it back to the house.

"Believe me, you're not alone." Gourry smiled, his earlier nervousness having finally melted away. "I thought I'd faint."

"I told you there wasn't anything to worry about!" Lina called from the other room.

Gourry rolled his eyes. "You cried when I brought him home." he called back.

They could hear Lina groan a little in response, but she didn't reply with anything more.

"I'm still at a loss." Zelgadis sighed, leaning back in his chair. "I can't figure out what Xellos was trying to do. There must have been some reason to take Luke and then leave him with Lina and Gourry's friends."

"At least Miss Imia and Mister Emil helped us figure out that it was Mister Xellos and not Azarel." Amelia offered. "Our experiences with Mister Xellos have been very different from ours with Azarel."

"It could've just been a distraction." Gourry suggested. "If Xellos is up to no good and he didn't want us to know, how better than to send us on a chase after a kidnapped child?"

"But there's a case of missing time to factor in." Lina called out. "Xellos attacked Filia and took Luke early in the evening, when we were away. We were back before dark, remember? Yet Imia says it was two-o'clock in the morning when he stopped by their home." She sighed and rested her head down on the carpet so that she was on eye level with Luke. "I wish you could talk, little guy. What happened to you?"

Luke was oblivious to his mother's questions. He was more concerned with her hair and the process of getting said hair into his mouth.

"And why not Enrico?" Zara spoke up. He noticed that the infant perked up and looked over at him at the sound of his name. "If Xellos really did have a purpose for the kidnapping, why not both twins? Why only one?"

"On top of that," Zelgadis continued. "there's the issue of the barrette. According to Enrique, Azarel protected that thing with their life. The fact that Xellos would have it to use as a decoy gives me a bad feeling."

"I can back Enrique up." Zara agreed, somewhat amused at the way Enrico snapped to attention at the sound of the very similar name, and then continued about his business nonchalantly as though embarrassed that he'd been mistaken. "I once tried to touch the barrette when Azarel had taken it off to brush their hair… I was afraid Azarel was going to bite me."

"Do you think Mister Xellos might've stolen the barrette while he was working with Azarel?" Amelia asked.

"I know for a fact that Azarel was wearing the barrette when we fought them last." Gourry offered.

"You said that Azarel was impaled by the Banisher, didn't you?" Zelgadis pointed out. "Even for a high-level Mazoku, an attack of that nature with a holy weapon would nearly destroy them. That would've put Azarel in an extremely vulnerable position after the fight."

"Which means Xellos could've betrayed them then with no worries." Lina continued. "Or at least stolen the barrette. It's not like Azarel could've done anything."

"What a mess." Amelia sighed sadly. "First we had Azarel to worry about, and now Mister Xellos is our enemy?"

"Mazoku never take a holiday, do they?" Zara ventured.

Lina laughed. "Not a chance."

"What should we do now?" Gourry asked. "Should we stay in Craighouse to see if anything surfaces?"

"I'd like to stay a few days." Lina replied. "Everyone else won't be back from Zoana for a few days anyway, so we don't have any reason to hurry. It's nice here."

"I think that sounds like a good idea. In the meantime, we can brainstorm ideas for getting into Xellos' head, as scary as that sounds." Zelgadis agreed. "Eventually we'll find something."

"I can try to find Lorelei!" Zara offered. "I can't promise anything, but maybe…"

"I can actually sleep tonight." Gourry muttered. "Lina, you'll have to be on baby duty tonight- I'm exhausted."

"Don't you worry. I'll be right by their side if either of them so much as coughs."

Amelia placed her now-empty cup down on the table and sighed. "There's some method to this madness, if we can just find it…"