Written By: Armina Qi Saxton

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Chapter 6: Surprises

The snow hadn't let up in the last week and a half, with swirls of snowflakes hurtling themselves towards the soft ground below. In fact, the snow storms had raged on for several days before letting up once again to allow Gaians to few the damage that had been done. There were several more feet added to the snow that was already there and it didn't seem like this was the end of it at all. The weather station, coupled with G-Corp's own technology that few would even think still existed, had predicted at least one more major snow storm before winter was finally done with Gaia and could leave the land alone for many more years to come.

Some of the snow had been piled high in places where it was out of the way for people to walk through, so that those that did not wish to remain inside could freely walk around outside without the worry of having to plow through many feet of snow. This snow had been pushed into areas that weren't as traveled as other paths, making mounds of snow that were great for sledding and hiking up to the very top to see the view from wherever Gaians could stand the longest at. Despite the warnings that there was more then a possibility that someone could get hurt while on these high mounds of snow, there was little anyone could do to stop these Gaians from having their fun before they were pulled back inside with the promise of a hot fire and a mug of hot chocolate. Even Leon couldn't coax anyone refraining from sledding and gave up after the three hundredth time for someone to come down and to not do it again.

It was all fun and games for those that wanted to go back out into the cold weather, but Gino found nothing in the snow outside that would make him go out into it again. He had already spent several days trekking through it to get to Central Gaia; that was all that he needed for the time being and he wasn't about to spend any more time outside then he already needed to. He was content on watching the snow fall from the comforts of his own home, where he could stay inside and not have to worry if any fires in the fireplace were enough to keep him warm during this winter or if he had enough food to last him through the winter. That was one thing he was glad of, at the present time anyways. There were other things that were causing him to be unhappy and he was about to confront one of them at the moment.

There was an itch at the back of his mind, as he walked down the hallway that lead to the stairwell at the main entrance way of the mansion, an itch that didn't seem to want to go away. He had been back home on the island for almost two weeks and had seen very little of his father since he had come home. He had kept his promise of lunch together, when he had suggested it, even though it had to be spent inside and near the fireplace to keep warm. There had been little conversation between the two of them, mainly because there wasn't anything the two of them could say to each other without Gino bursting out with questions about his mother and the rest of his family. There were little answers that Johnny could give without looking as though he was being dragged through the dirt, something that kept Gino from asking many things and wondering even more.

That wasn't the concern that was on his mind presently, although it was something that had pushed itself to the front of his mind and stayed there until it could be properly worked on. What was, that there were certain other promises that he had been given before and those promises had long since been broken to the extent that he didn't know whether to believe his father again or not. The childish nature of wanting his father to stay home rather then to venture out into the hellish winter weather, coupled with the thunder that had sounded since late in the evening the night before, had surfaced once again. It showed on his face whenever Marie was in the master bedroom, only to tell Gino that Johnny wasn't there and had left for Durem or to where G-Corp was located at. He had half expected Marie to tell him where G-Corp was, but never gotten that answer. There would be surprise if she knew where it was at all, with all the time that she spent with his father.

Why he cared if Johnny had to go to where the Council was located at the present time or wherever G-Corp was now located, wasn't what he had become angry about that. Far from it, as he had learned anything that concerned the Council and G-Corp were things that were not discussed when there were other people around. What got to him was that the promises of being able to spend time with his father had been broken, when Johnny had left to go to the places he said he needed to go to, rather then to stay home and be with the son that he hadn't seen in four years. Like he had been when he was younger, Gino was left alone in the care of those that he did not recognize and was left behind without knowing when his father would return or if he would ever.

On this day, the timing of having a chance to talk to his father had been off by only a few minutes when he had checked into his room to find only Marie laying in the bed and fast asleep. He didn't expect to find him laying there, still in bed and not even close to getting up for the morning. Had he arrived to the room a few minutes earlier, he would have caught his father walking down the stairs to the lower level before stopping by the doorway to fix his cloak around his shoulders and a heavy coat around his body. It was only a matter of chance to catch up with him before he walked out into the freezing weather and not be seen for hours on end.

That was the problem that had presented itself to him; since the week before, there were little if no time spent between father and son, something that Gino wanted desperately despite all the pent-up anger he still felt for Johnny. That was all he wanted, was to spend a few hours a day just sitting down with his father and talking about nothing in particular, to catch up on the four years that had passed without an event happening between the two of them. Every time, after the two of them had a failed attempt at lunch, he tried to strike up a conversation with him, there was always something that had to be done or a place to go to. Gino couldn't deny he wasn't a person to start talking about something right away, even with his father asking about where he had come from and where he had gone during the last few years. When he was ready to talk about those times, he would; for now, he wanted to focus on the times before that and to learn more about the family that wasn't there.

Gino didn't know why exactly he was going after Johnny at the moment, as he quickened his pace towards the stairwell and the main entrance of the mansion, but he was going to try. There was always the possibility that he wasn't even in the mansion, having gone out towards wherever he had to go and not even looking back. That was a chance that he would have to take, as he skidded to a halt at the top of the staircase and took in a deep breath. That breath caught in his throat when he saw that his father was standing by the doorway, putting on the cloak he normally wore overtop a heavy coat. He's still here, Gino thought with a passing moment of happiness before he remembered why he wanted to see his father in the first place.

It didn't seem that Johnny had taken notice of the fact that Gino was walking down the stairs towards him, or that there was something that his son wanted to talk to him about. He was oblivious to anything that that was going on around him, especially the clasps of thunder that were sounding off outside the mansion. What was on his mind was the last few things that he had to do for G-Corp before he would make his way clear across to Durem to drop off several books for the Council to look over. Once that was completed, then he wouldn't have to worry about either for several days, a week at the most, to give him time to rest and to spend time with Marie and Gino. Only Marie seemed to take notice that he had mentioned the days off and hadn't told Gino quite yet, or he hadn't even bothered to bring it up to his attention that he knew. Either way, it would be time that would be spent making up for the past week of doing nothing but work hard.

"Where are you going?" Gino demanded as he walked down the last two stairs from the stairwell and started to walk to where his father was standing. Johnny looked up as he pulled the cloak he has on his shoulders around him tighter, taking little notice of the expression on his face.

"To where G-Corp is located. There is some last minute things I have to finish before I can finally relax some," He replied, keeping his answer short and to the point. Gino would know more about G-Corp in the coming months and years, if he stayed long enough to learn the secrets. There was no telling if Gino would leave after Christmas and that gave him no reason to start giving these secrets away if he wasn't going to stay around to use them.

"Like what?" He asked, stopping just a few feet from his father. "What has to be finished?"

"Just some lose ends here and there," Johnny replied, looking directly at him without blinking. "Some minor experiments, that's all."

"What kind of experiments?" Gino crossed his arms over his chest, not liking the way that the word 'experiment' that was often used in conjunction with G-Corp. He knew enough about the company to understand that anything that was experimental couldn't possibly be good for Gaia or anything else that could remotely be harmed by it.

"That's none of your business at the moment. It's just something that has to be done," He said shortly, intent on keeping anything hidden for the time being. It was too close to the holidays to start explaining anything about failed experiments and things that did not concern anyone at the moment. He wasn't about to divulge in secrets that might not be kept secret, not if there was no one to keep it from being let out.

"Damn it, I am not a kid anymore," Gino snapped. "Don't be dodging my questions like that. I want to know what you are doing with G-Corp and how it is going to affect Gaia this time around."

The words that were spoken weren't what made Johnny take a step back and look at Gino as though he had never seen him before in his life, as he had been told worse things then what had just been spoken. What did, was the tone of voice that he used and the manner in which he had spoken, all with a serious and set expression on his face. Had this been anyone else, anyone else at all, he would have dismissed that person without a thought and would privately wonder why his lack of answers was being put to the test. As it were, he did not feel the need to explain himself, or G-Corp, when there were ears that could overhear anything that might be said between father and son. When he felt that Gino would be staying longer then Christmas, and less ways of keeping outside ears knowledgeable, then he would give the answers that were desired.

"Don't you use that tone of voice with me," Johnny said, his voice raising slightly once he found his voice to speak. "I am still the head of this household, regardless if you are eleven or twenty-one, and what I say goes. I'll tell you what I am doing with G-Corp when I am good and ready."

"When there is another repeat of Halloween, you will. I remember that day in fragments, but I still remember," He shot back, uncrossing his arms. "The intimidation trick doesn't work very well on me anymore. I've learned a few things while I was away."

"Yes, yes you have," Johnny agreed, taking note of how much more he was able to stand up to his father. Still, it wasn't something Johnny was going to tolerate when he was still the head of the house. "You don't need to know anything until you are ready to handle my part in G-Corp."

The expression on Gino's face didn't change, but his mind was already working overtime with the thought of G-Corp being passed down into his hands. He knew that there was a great chance he would be following in his father's footsteps and continuing on in the public spotlight where his father left off, whatever it was that he did outside the Council and G-Corp. It wasn't a state of mind that he shared happily with him, nor was it something he particularly cared on doing; it was just something he automatically agreed to so that his father would be happy. Now that he was older, and had more of an idea of what it was like to be placed in the spotlight and what G-Corp was all about, he wasn't so sure he wanted to continue on with things that he did not wish to meddle in.

"Who says I want anything to do with G-Corp?" He asked darkly. Johnny's face changed to disappointment, a frown creasing his lips.

"I am handing it down to you whether you want anything to do with it or not. Either way, it will be your responsibility to take on my roles when I step down," He said as casually as possible. Gino didn't seem to want to take over G-Corp when it would become too much for his father to handle, but there was no choice in the matter. Edmund had his share and would hand it down to his next of kin and Marie had her father's share held for her until she was twenty-seven, so it would be perfect for Gino to take over his father's part.

"And if I refuse?" The defiance that was in his voice would have warranted a smack across his face and him being sent to his room, if Johnny had ever raised a hand to the boy when he was growing up. He prided in the fact that he never once had to hold a hand to his son's body, not when his voice could do it ten times better.

"You have no choice in the matter as it stands. It is the way things are. You need to become responsible with them and the choices you make as the head of your share." That should have ended the conversation right then and there, with Johnny turning his back on Gino and walking to the doorway without anything else being spoken. If he had known that the conversation would only continue as it did, he would have continued on and not thought back upon it. As it were, he did not head the warnings that were flashing in his mind to keep going and not to look back.

"You are one to talk about being responsible and making choices that affect others," Gino said coolly. Johnny hadn't even raised a hand to the doorknob when he stopped and froze where he was, blinking back the surprise on his face. He turned around quickly, looking upon Gino like he had never seen him before.

"Excuse me?" He asked, taking several steps forwards. "Are you questioning my responsibilities and my choices?"

"What if I am?" Gino also took several steps forwards, in an attempt to keep his body from shaking horribly. While he felt like he was truly standing up to his father for the first time in his life, he felt more scared of what would happen to him if he continued on the path he was on now.

"I have never given you a reason to doubt what I have done for you, regardless of what I have said or done to you in the past," Johnny said, fighting to control the urge to walk up to his son and smack him across the head for the first and only time in his life. He had never given Gino reason to doubt him, even during his younger years when he wasn't around as much as he should have. He did not know why he was doing it now. "You are my son and my family and have not thought otherwise. I have done things for you that you don't know of."

"What I learned out there was that any Gaian, man, woman, or child, had to be responsible first not for themselves or anyone else but their own family," Gino started, clasping his hands in front of him. "Once they gained the respect of their home, then they could gain the respect of everyone else. The responsibility of their family is more important then anything else in their lives."

"Working to keep my family alive is a responsibly that I have taken upon myself to ensure that you never went hungry and always had a roof over your head at night," He said as calmly as he could without letting his voice shake. "Except for five months out of your life that I could control, I have managed to keep you far from hungry and from being cold as I possibly could. That should be more then enough."

"That's not what I am talking about," Gino said with a frown.

"Then what are you talking about?" Johnny asked, taking several more steps forwards until they were only a foot away from each other.

"What I am is how you were after that Christmas, when I had no memories of the past. You took it upon yourself not to worry about what you wanted but rather what I wanted. We had no home and had little to no food, but you made ways of making do with the little that you had." He shook his head several times. "A man doesn't have to bring in gold in order to provide for their families. As long as he is with his family and cares enough about them then there should be no problem."

"Wait, are you talking about the times that I wasn't there? If you are, we've been over this already." It was true that the two of them has spoken about the times that had separated them from each other, but those conversations had long since been discussed and he wasn't interested in starting up another one. "I wasn't there because I had to do my own survival for the benefit of my remaining family. I couldn't stop just because you needed me every waking moment. I can't even now."

"Well, I can see how much you've changed since I left here," Gino said with the blinking of his eyes. "You still have the mentality that you were the best father in all of Gaia and that I was as happy as I could be."

"I never said that nor implied it as long as you have grown up. I know what I did to you when you were younger was wrong, but it shouldn't be held against me now," He insisted. "Once everything calms down, then I will be able to spend more time with you. Until then, there is nothing I can do about it."

"Right, I'm sure that you will. You know where I will be if you need me." With that, Gino turned around and started to walk towards the staircase. Johnny wasn't about to let him leave as quickly as he had left other conversations, stepping forwards and grabbing Gino by the middle of his arm. That, in turn, sent a glare his way and several swears underneath his breath.

"Don't you dare walk away from me this time," Johnny hissed through clenched teeth. "I am not finished with you yet."

"No, you may not be, but I am done talking with you. I have heard all I needed to know," He said, pulling his arm out of his father's grasp and turning fully towards the staircase. Gino didn't look behind him as he made his way towards the stairs and up them, taking two stairs at a time in a flight to get away from Johnny, who stared up after him without even moving an inch in either direction. A part of him wanted to go after Gino to make everything right while the other part told him to stay where he was and to leave him alone for the time being.

Johnny stood there for five minutes, fighting the urge to go after Gino and convince him that he had changed for the better. His timing wasn't all that perfect to begin with, not with the way the weather was like nor with the extra loads of work that he had to do between the Council and G-Corp. Even with Christmas coming up, there were still so many things that needed to be done in such a short amount of time that he was surprised that he hadn't gone crazy from overwork.

In the end, Johnny turned around and walked to the main entrance of the mansion, partly to keep himself from making the mistake of trying to fix problems when he was already on the edge of doing something he was going to regret. Both needed time to think things over and the words that had been exchanged between them, if not to cool themselves down some. Neither one was in the mood to continue to converse with the other, with their own conflictions of what was going on between them and how things had changed in the last four years. It was best to leave things alone and let time go on it's unwavering course. For now, at least.

****

The weather outside hadn't even cooled down his foul mood the slightest, nor did the sanctuary of his office bring him the peace of mind that eluded him, as Johnny pushed his office door of G-Corp open with the serenity of a raging fire. He let the door slam behind him as he walked into the office, ignoring the fact that it most likely wouldn't close all the way, with him flinging it open like he had and not making sure that it closed properly. He didn't care at this point, more then content on keeping to himself for the next several hours and not being disturbed by anyone or anything that needed his attention.

That was the way he wanted to be, alone as he placed several small folders of paperwork onto his desk and walked around to the chair behind it. He sat down as quickly as he could possibly, a hand moving to one of the drawers of the desk to open it and to find a spare pen to look over the findings of the few experiments that were available to be tested and retested to make sure that they worked properly before going through the filters of the Council. Those experiments were non-toxic to Gaia as much as he knew that they were, keeping the contents and the benefactor of many existing experiments turned into creations for public use a secret. After all, there were few outside the shopkeepers and the Council that knew G-Corp existed and they valued their lives more then they did any gold that would keep them silent.

While he kept his eyes down upon the paperwork in front of him, pen in hand and ready to finish the few things that needed to overlooked, his mind was far from being able to concentrate on the work at hand. His thoughts found it's way back to the conversation that had taken place before he had left the mansion and the reason behind it, the pen dropping from his hand as he leaned back in his chair. Johnny couldn't but wonder what had caused Gino to suddenly snap at him for not being around in the last week and a half; considering everything that had been going on with the Council trying to keep everyone as calm as possible and supplies going to places that were too far away to send for them, he had to work as much as possible before the threat of winter would finally be over with. It was still there, yet not as much as it had been in the last few days.

What he couldn't understand was why Gino had suddenly turned so angry, so ready to look his father in the eye and question the decisions he had made in his life. Johnny had questioned them himself before and others had done the same thing to him, but this was his child that had put doubts upon him where there shouldn't have been. Granted, he had never been the father that he should have been and he could have made up for what he had done in the years to come, given the chance to right those mistakes. Gino couldn't see past the things that had been said and done to him as a child growing up and he didn't blame him one bit. He would be angry, too, if he had been treated the way he had been and not given the loving home he so desired. Yet, wasn't that what Johnny was trying to do now, give him the home to come back to every day?

That wasn't what made him the slightest bit angry, knowing that his parental skills were being put to the test but because his own son was doing the testing. There was reason enough for him to challenge what had been done in the past, but he didn't have to answer to it nor ask why he was being put into question in the first place. Gino's defiance to him only anger Johnny more, when there had been no such thing in the past from him or that he had even thought of it. He had tried to be a good father, as best as he could, without becoming too close to anyone to be hurt again. As it stood now, he was on the edge of losing two of the people he cared about again, this time forever.

Johnny shook his head and leaned back towards his desk, picking up the pen and hovering over his paperwork. The risk of losing Gino over something so small was too great for him to ignore completely, even with his mind wandering onto other things that needed his attention. He couldn't shake the tone of his voice from his ears or the deadpan look that had been on his face, or the way that he had pulled his arm out of his father's reach. It was like the day he had left had started all over again but was playing in slow motion.

The door to his office opened with a creak as it moved across the carpeted floor and to where someone could easily walk into the room without having to push it open any further. There were no sounds other then the faint breathing of the person who entered and the door closing behind him, the locking of the mechanical bolts silently clicking into place. There were only a few known persons inside G-Corp that knew the exact passcode to this office and Johnny didn't have to look up to see who had entered his domain without first making sure that someone was in the office to begin with. He was sure that whoever was walking to the front of the desk had seen him storm into the facility and gone directly to his hidden corner within G-Corp and had the mentality that he was either in a rush to do something or in a mood that would not warrant any tolerance for anything.

"What is it?" Johnny said gruffly, pretending to look more interested in his work rather then the person who stood in front of him. He honestly didn't want to deal with this person at the moment, regardless of who it was or why he was there.

"The results of Experiment zero-one-five-six have been tested, finished and is now just waiting for your review. It's not much, but given what the labtechs have been given, it's enough," The voice of Edmund said quietly. He placed a black binder he was holding on the desk in front of him, all the while keeping his eyes upon Johnny who didn't seem to notice that his friend was standing in front of the desk, waiting for some type of recognition. "It doesn't look good, not with all the coldness coming from up above and with the labtechs being pushed to their limit as it were. The experiment will have to be redone sometime next year, when it gets warmer."

Johnny looked up quickly, to study the face peering down at him, before going back to the papers in front of him. "Fine. It will be done when spring comes or when the snow stops, whichever comes first."

"It would be best to wait until summer for the experiment to begin again," He cautioned wisely. "I don't think spring will be warm enough next year."

"Whatever," Johnny said with a shrug, seemingly not caring when the experiment would be done again. He was too engrossed with the work in front of him to care otherwise. "Just make sure that it is done and completed as soon as possible."

Edmund didn't move from where he was standing, hesitating on whether to leave Johnny to finish what work he had to do or to ask him about Gino. He had heard only what Johnny had excitedly said in the first few days since he had made his appearance in Durem only a week and a half before. Since then, Johnny hadn't spoken much about what his son was doing or what they were going to do during Christmas, partly because neither one had crossed paths much in the last week. The silence of what was going on in the Gambino Mansion was enough to make him wonder what was happening and if Gino was still there. He knew that he had come back, unless his eyes had been mistaken, and that had happened before, then those few days had been just a passing train of emotions.

"How's Gino doing?" Edmund asked cautiously, in case he was treading on thin ice. He knew that his friend was already in a bad mood over something and wasn't about to test it any further then he needed to.

"He's doing fine," Johnny said stiffly, not even bothering to look up from the paperwork in front of him.

"Is he getting along with Marie?" He wondered carefully. Still, Johnny didn't look up from what he was doing, yet didn't show signs of irritation in his voice or on his face about being asked questions of this nature.

"As far as I can see, he is," He answered, his tone calm and steady. "I don't hear of any complaints so far, from either one of them, so it must be okay."

"Are you sure?" Edmund raised an eyebrow at that, seeing and hearing how hard it was for the Von Helson and Gambino families to live under one roof before. That had been Johnny and Marie only, until they managed to get used to each other and most of the hard feelings were put aside. Johnny took this moment to look up and took quick notice of Edmund's piercing look, only to look as though he had been roughly pulled from a deep sleep.

"What?" He asked, blinking his eyes several times. "What is it?"

"Two weeks ago, you were saying how you wanted Gino to come home for Christmas." He placed his hands on the desk and leaned forwards. "Now you don't even mention the fact that he actually is back from wherever he came from or what he has been doing. Those that know he is back, the few that does, wants to know what is going on."

"What do you expect me to do? Ask him about it?" The irritability in Johnny's voice finally surfaced, something Edmund had been waiting for.

"Yes, I do," He said honestly. This was the moment that he couldn't smile in triumph in getting Johnny worked up about something so that he would do it. He had to carefully imply certain things to his friend, when he already was in a bad mood.

"What makes you think that I haven't? I hardly even know what he has been doing in the last four years, much less anything else." Johnny shrugged, the irritation passing for the moment. "When I ask, he just stares at me and shrugs without saying anything. There isn't much more I can ask about what he has done and what he has seen."

"Then, like the father you're supposed to be, ask more." Those were the words that he hoped would hit the nerve inside him and make him snap into realization that there was more to do then to ask questions and expect simple answers from him. He hadn't expected the death glare that he received or the eyes that looked like they were ready to kill someone. Nonetheless, it worked.

"Do not tell me how to talk to my son," Johnny snarled coldly. "I have done a decent job so far and Gino turned out fine, despite everything."

Even though he isn't fazed the slightest by the twisted expression on Johnny's face, Edmund straightened his back and took a step back in case he decided to act on the boiling emotions inside of him. He had known Johnny to act on more then just fact and gut feelings alone before, especially when it came to his family and pride. The Anniversary Ball that Gino had been snatched away from him and the fateful April Fool's was proof enough that emotions could run high, even when there had been other paths he could have gone done to keep more then just his sanity. But that was not the way that Johnny K. Gambino worked, not the slightest. If he could help it at all, his emotions would come into play all he wanted.

"Prove it, then," Edmund said quietly. He knew he was pushing this to the edge, but at this point he didn't care so long as his point was given and known.

"I don't have anything to prove to you or to the rest of Gaia," He said defensively, the snarl that had been on his face returning. For a moment, Edmund thought that he would stand up and forcibly remove his friend from the room, but stayed where he was in his chair. It was apparent that he was trying to keep his anger in check, yet those restraints were slowly beginning to loosen. "I've done enough as it is and there isn't much more I can do about anything."

"What have you and Gino done since he has come home? Did you talk to him about anything in his family or his mothers?" Edmund pressed without stopping. This was one of the few moments he would press his luck about anything and his luck often held, despite the odds against him. "Have you spent more then five minutes with your son since his first few days back home?"

"I don't think that is any of your damn business," Johnny said hotly, crossing his arms over his chest. The normal, every day Gaian would have taken one glance at the murderous look on Johnny's face and bolted out of there without even looking back. However, Edmund wasn't the average Gaian and had seen more in his lifetime then a look that couldn't very well kill him.

"It is my business, Johnny. Who do you think helped him when you weren't there?" He raised a hand to keep Johnny from saying anything. "I don't mean maids and nanny's, either."

"That's none of my concern right now, if you helped him or not." In his own mind, it was his concern and he was more then grateful for the help Edmund had given his only child when he couldn't give that help. Inside, he was beginning to unravel from the anger that he still showed on his face and begin to understand why Edmund was pressing him for answers and the knowledge of what was going on in his household. For that, he was grateful as well.

"That boy came from wherever in Gaian he came from to see you. For all you know, he could have been outside of Gaia's borders, thousands of miles away, and he came all that way to see you," Edmund pointed out. "My question to you is, what are you going to do about it?"

The only time that he wanted an answer to a question, he did not get it in words or from the expression from another. Johnny didn't respond to the question, his lips closed and unmoving. Instead of hearing the answer, the two men stared down at each other for several minutes and held that way. Neither one looked away, holding fast even when Johnny's eyes narrowed in response to the long stare. He wasn't about to answer the question, not when there was no answer in front of him to give. If only he could, then that would solve everyone's own problems about what went on in one family's own house.

Edmund sighed, shaking his head in defeat. There was no indication on Johnny's face or his slightly movements in his chair that he was going to do anything about Gino, not when there could be nothing done. He didn't blame Gino for leaving nor would he if he left again for not seeing any changes in the man that sat before Edmund currently. He, himself, didn't see the change, so unlike what he had seen several weeks before, and would have left as well without even a look behind him. If he doesn't become less of what everyone else expects of him and more what his own family does, then he is doomed to spend the rest of his life alone, Edmund thought to himself. Marie won't stand around much longer, if he keeps it up.

"Look, it is almost Christmas, and I have a promise to keep to Vanessa," Edmund said, being the first to break away his gaze. "I don't know how much promises mean to you, Johnny, but you need to spend time with your son instead of being cooped up inside this hellish place all the time. It's not healthy. I should know, I probably spent the same amount of time in here as you have."

When Johnny sat there, looking ready to throw himself across the desk at his friend, Edmund knew that this was his time to leave him alone. He had pressed his luck enough for a while and wasn't about to try to do it even more. With a nod of his head, and no verbal goodbyes, he turned around pausing only for a moment at the doorway to make sure he had no last words to say before he let himself out of the office. He knew where he was going and how to keep Johnny's private office as concealed as possible without alerting anyone else to the knowledge of where it was. Even though he, Edmund, felt anger towards his friend's reaction, it was nothing compared to what Johnny felt.

He didn't know how long he sat there, staring at the closed door that sat in front of him nor did he know how long he let his anger boil inside him. All Johnny knew was that he had been questioned twice in one day about his parenting skills, as low as they could possibly be, and not even given the chance to properly defend himself in front of two people that he had known for as long as he could remember. His anger would soon taper off, as he drew in several breaths to calm himself as he went back to the paperwork that sat in front of him. The quicker that he finished it, the quicker that he could go home and think about the day that had unfolded in front of him. It was uneventful to say the least, but there was so much that he had to ingest in his mind and to think about the actions that he had taken during his life. Maybe then he could decide what had gone wrong and what he could do to fix it.

****

The day didn't seem like it had gone by slow enough, with the way that the hours seemed to have blended in with each other and how the minutes had quickened their pace in a fast manner. Time seemed to have stood still unless one looked at a clock to make sure that everything was still moving and that there were no gaps in this flow that would repeat itself over and over again. It felt like an endless sea of waiting, a loop of time that went and on without an end in sight.

Gino found himself wondering if time had stopped completely or had lost track of it, as he laid upon his bed with his hands clasped behind his head. Time, to him, was of no concern and had more then enough to use as he desired to without worrying where he was going or what he was doing. With the entire mansion at his disposal and anything and everything that was inside of it, there was nothing he could be bored with unless he had grown tired of doing everything that laid at his feet. Conversations with Marie, watching the cooks prepare meals for the day, reading books that were piled high in the library---there was more then enough for him to do then to lay in bed without doing anything.

Yet, nothing that could be done inside the mansion appealed to him, not even the warm library that held so many things for him to do. Before he had gone down to eat lunch, he had spent the morning fuming over what had taken place between himself and his father. It should have been expected to see him running off and leaving his son behind to fend for himself, but Gino had hoped that there had been more time spent between them then there had been. While he didn't expect Johnny to spend every waking moment with him, more then a few passing hours would have been more then enough for him. It stung, to hear his father mutter that he had to work and leave for wherever he had to go, while Gino watched him walk away. The memories of him doing the same thing were still vibrant in his mind, to the point that he wished he still had amnesia and couldn't remember what it was like to be left alone.

Lunch had been quiet enough with only two people sharing the meal together: Marie and Gino. They didn't say a word to each other during the entire meal, partly because Gino didn't feel like talking and Marie sensed something was wrong with him. She didn't dare ask what was bothering him nor did she attempt to strike up a conversation with him, something he was grateful for. He didn't feel like talking to anyone or to have their conversation turn into an argument that they both would regret having later. It was better to stay quiet then to go through something he wasn't about to repeat again.

After lunch, Gino had slipped quietly upstairs to his room without saying anything to Marie. This was where he remained to this moment, pacing across the room too many times to remember and to count, occasionally picking up his mother's diary to flip through the blackened pages to read through several of the entries that were inside. It gave him a glimpse of what life was like as the wife of his father and a mother-to-be, from the daily chores that she did to the promises of the future that she had. It was cut short after he was born, something that held tight within him and wouldn't let go. What would life be like if she had lived? That was one question he desperately wanted to know and wished he had the ability to turn back the hands of time so that he could change what had been and everything else in between.

When he had finished his pacing, he laid down upon the bed and placed his hands behind his head, staying in that position until it was time for dinner or sleep finally fell upon him. There was the sounds of maids coming and going from outside his open door, none even bothering to ask if Gino was alright or if he needed anything at the moment. The shuffling of feet and the mutters of the maids were enough to conceal another sound, that of someone coming to his door and standing there without him knowing that anyone was there. It was ten full minutes before he felt the chill of someone watching him go up and down his spine and the recognition of who it was without even turning his head towards the doorway.

"Go away," Gino growled at nothing in particular it seemed, until he was fully aware of the presence in the middle of the doorway. "I don't want to talk to you."

"Never said that you had to. We could do the same thing like we did at lunch and not talk, but I am not one to repeat something so quickly," Marie snapped, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed over her chest. She wasn't about to go anywhere at the moment, not when there were things that needed to be said. "You should talk with your father at least, if you don't want to talk to me. He's home now and in his office."

"I have nothing to say to him," He replied smoothly, staring up at the ceiling with all of his strength. He didn't want to look into Marie's eyes and see the strain of everything there. He had seen it already on his father's face, no matter how angry he was with him. "I've said what I wanted to say to him already."

"You should at least try, Gino. He is your father," She coaxed. There was the same defiance in Gino that she saw in Johnny, one that had become apparent when she had tried to get him to talk to his son without much success.

"Some father he is," He said hotly, glaring up at the ceiling. "I much rather not even bother anymore at this point."

"At least you have a father around." Marie pushed herself from the doorframe to stand at her full height. "I can't remember the last time my father was worried sick about me or when he tried to do anything and everything in his power to keep me and my sister happy. In some ways, I envy you."

"How could you? Just take a long look at my father and you'll see more then you should." He looked over towards Marie, expecting her to return his glare back at him. Instead, she remained tight-lipped and expressionless as she could possibly be. "Don't bother being jealous. He has too many flaws to be considered a decent father."

"Like working too much?" Marie rolled her eyes at that. "Yes, Johnny has to work and has little time for anything else, but with Gaia in the state that she is in now, he has to. The Gaian Council is working their behinds off just to keep the majority of the Gaians happy at this state and they can't be worked too much harder. If you haven't noticed by now, it's storming something terrible right now and has been since around the middle of November, if not earlier then that. I'm surprised your father made it home safely."

Gino didn't respond to Marie, keeping his eyes on her for several seconds before looking back up at the ceiling once again. There was nothing about the things said and done between father and son that she could even comprehend at this moment, not even if she knew everything that had happened between them. He hadn't even known that he was related to the Von Helsons until recently and neither Marie nor Anna had any inkling of what it was like to be the son of the most powerful man in Gaia. What little he had been told of their father, most likely couldn't possibly be anything that resembled what his father was like.

Marie rolled her eyes again and sighed, watching Gino lie there without word. She couldn't believe for a minute that he was as traumatized by what his father said and did to him as he claimed to be, not even with the sketchy details that she had of the father-son relationship. She didn't doubt that he had been neglected as a child, so much so that he harbored angry thoughts about his father, yet she knew how happy Gino was to be in the home where he belonged. No one person could hold so hard feelings against another person and continue to feel safe under the same roof as that same person. She didn't know how his mind worked, and most certainly would not ever, but she wasn't about to let the relationship between the two go sour over the past.

"I don't know what you expect from your father, but quit acting like he is and was the worst person in Gaia. Believe, I have already tried that and it didn't get me anywhere fast. Yes, he has his flaws but he is better then nothing at all," Marie said quietly. "At least your father cares enough about you to ignore his public duties for two days to spend Christmas with his family. That is more then what I could say about my father."

Marie stood there for a moment, staring at Gino to see his reaction to what she had to say. When it failed to give him even a look in her direction, she shook her head and turned to walk out of the bedroom. She had enough of trying to bring the two of them back to their senses when they wouldn't even listen to her or to each other, something that neither one had accomplished in the few short weeks since Gino came home. It wasn't something she was about to master nor would she try again; her patience with them had finally run out and it was her time to step back and let them work out things on their own terms. She walked out, without a look in his direction, and went to the bedroom she shared with Johnny to change for dinner.

Gino remained where he was at, hands behind his head and eyes staring silently at nothing in particular. He knew he had to talk to his father, even when his own attempts had failed on striking up a conversation with him on things that he wanted to know and anything else that hadn't been shared between the two. It was complicated, to come back to the mansion on the basis that his father had changed when there was no change to be made in the first place. He was tired of seeing the same repetitiveness that he had seen all of his life, to find that the momentary change that he saw in his father the day he returned was only a fleeting moment. Even now he could see how he could mistake that moment for something that could stretch out farther then he could imagine.

Maybe that was where the seeds of wanting to leave were already planted long before he had even returned and was now blossoming into possibilities of leaving his home for good. He didn't know why he had come back in the first place, perhaps to see what had changed and what hadn't or maybe there was a voice inside of him that wanted him to return just because he had to. There was no time lost in keeping indoors, not with the weather the way it was, but he regretted not being able to wander around the Marketplace one last time or look across the port and watch the small boats go back and forth to the mainland. Maybe one day he would return, as a traveler going across to other places in Gaia and her Territories, and not as the heir to G-Corp and the Gambino fortune.

One day, he would. One day.