A few more hours into another flight that had his nerves on edge, and Vincent was in the place he said that he would never step foot in again. He never did care for America, and he never seemed to have good luck while he was there. Vincent kept telling himself that he was just going to get in and get out. He was there for answers and nothing else.
He was nervous as he got in the car that was waiting for him. He was supposed to meet Stephen. George had given him Stephen’s hotel address so he went directly to the hotel.
Stephen was there for Mickey, perhaps his mate. He didn't care really. All he was worried about was if the brother that he had thought was dead for many years was actually alive. It would have made him feel less alone in the world. He wasn't ready to jump on board just yet, though. He needed proof.
Seeing the man who opened the door, a part of him started to break a little bit. That part deep inside that he had pushed to be strong for so long, started to show cracks.
“Stephen?!”
He couldn't believe it, but the same smell entered his nostrils, and he was sure it was his brother. How could he have ever dreamed that his brother was still alive? He was dead. None of it made any sense, but Vincent decided right then and there that it didn't have to.
The two brothers hugged for a moment, and Vincent couldn't help but notice that they still looked remarkably the same. He felt like he was looking in the mirror that had aged only a few years, maybe a few more from the pain and strife that his brother had seen. A person only had to look into his eyes to see what was obviously there.
“I cannot believe it's you!”
Stephen smiled and agreed. “I didn't know if I was going to see you again, brother. I have heard you are doing good things in London. It was George’s idea to bring you here, and I'm glad he thought of it. Not seeing my own brother for so long... It's not something that is natural. I have been thinking all these years that I lost you along with Mom and Dad. Even Thomas and I believed George was also involved in the conspiracy that day. So, we never looked back. When I ran into a fight with Alistair, I got to know the truth that George had saved you that day.” Stephen said as he took a sip from his glass.
“Yeah! I was on the same page, Stephen. It would have been nice to know that there was a brother still out there,” Vincent said, but it was really hard for him to take in the situation. How crazy was it? He kept asking himself that, wondering how such a thing was even possible.
Vincent’s heart ached with missing his brother for so long, and all the nights he had stayed up worried and pondering why it happened to his family.
“Drink?” Stephen asked, smiling at his younger brother as Vincent nodded.
The two sat down and got a drink because both of them needed it. He was still trying to wrap his head around it. Stephen was the one that had to relive the night, probably the most horrible night of his life. While they had both been affected by it, obviously, Vincent knew that he didn't want to possibly hear all details. He didn't need a blow by blow.
The two men talked for quite a while, and Vincent was thankful that his brother seemed to recognize that he didn't want to hear all the details and he spared him some of them. They talked more about what their lives had become. Stephen told him how he met Mickey, and it was only because of Mickey that he was there in Colorado and now found his brother back.
“Do you ever get any flying in?”
“Yeah. There is a huge forest behind my mansion in Australia. Thomas and I always tried to learn new skills there. You know how much I loved learning new things every day.”
Vincent felt happy for his brother, but he couldn’t believe that everything that he thought was real, wasn't. He had so many questions and wondered why his brother knew more about where everybody ended up. Maybe that was by design, keeping up with the enemies, to know when they were close.
“So, do you know what happened to Balthazar? I heard he attacked Sarai a few months back, but now he just kind of disappeared. You haven’t heard anything, have you?” Stephen asked, and Vincent’s heart ached once again.
Vincent couldn’t mention that he disappeared about the same time that Mallory did. He, of course, knew most likely what happened. They probably got married like they were supposed to and had a couple of kids by then.
Why was he so interested?
He should have been interested in a million other things, but being with Mallory that one night, had made it so that he doubted he would ever be able to forget her. She was just now a part of him and whenever he got a chance, even one as strange and wonderful as seeing his long-lost brother again, Mallory was still on the edge of his memory.
“Oh, last I heard he was in jail.”
“In jail? For what?”
Stephen agreed and then smiled.
“You know, you shouldn't be so happy about it.”
“After what his father did to our family, they will always be my enemies.”
Vincent disagreed and said even though he didn't like the son, he knew that he had nothing to do with it. It was Dale who had done it all. While it may have been done in the name of his son, it wasn't like Balthazar would have had any say in anything. He was a bit too much like Dale, though. The two cousins had never gotten along, even before the family was trying to kill each other.
“He’s been in jail for a while. They got him on several drug charges and weapons charges. The guy thinks that he's living in the final frontier or something.”
“I wonder how his wife is taking it. I can't see Mallory being around for too long. How long did he get?”
Sadly, Vincent was already thinking about her and wondering if she would be willing to have some fun with him. How long had it been and still he thought about her every day? Even more than that, maybe he could slide in where Balthazar had failed.
