Fleur-de-lis

Prelude to glory

John's p.o.v.

I pull up to Gomorrah to take Van to another day of work and park in the parking lot.

"Why are you parking?" Van questions.

"I'm gonna stay for a bit just to make sure you're alright." I inform.

"You don't have to do that." Van assures.

"But I want to." I counter.

"Mmm, alright." Vanitas agrees. "But that doesn't mean I want you cutting time out of your day for me."

"Fine." I say. "I just can't focus on finding work with the thought of you being harassed again."

"The other guy's are here for me. I'm not too worried." Van says.

"I'll just make sure they're doing a good enough job." I half joke.

We exit the car and head for our favorite impious institution. I walk slightly ahead of Van because my fraternal instinct urged me to get ahead on anything coming Van's way. I always did this...even with Sarah. We push through the doors and immediately find ourselves in the middle of a heated argument.

"Do you have any concern for the safety of your patrons!?" A blonde woman yells at Khalil.

"Of course but-" Khalil tries to explain but get interrupted.

"Then explain to me why you'd allow violence to be inflicted onto my boyfriend's brother by someone who doesn't work here with NO interference!?"

Her boyfriend who I recognized as the friend or should I say brother of the groom from last night's bachelor party stood next to her. What was his name again? Luca? Like that sociopath that killed cats. He turns and makes eye contact with me.

"Speak of the devil." Luca exclaims.

The woman's gaze snaps in my direction and then to Luca. "That's the guy, Luke?"

"Yeah." He confirms.

In a furious huff, she marches up to me to give me the business. "Give me one reason good reason I shouldn't have you charged with assault?" She practically hisses.

I'm taken aback somewhat by the absurdity of her question. "Give me one good reason why your friend shouldn't be charged with sexual assault?"

"Anthony is just a loose canon when he's been drinking. There was a much better way to handle the situation."

"Well tell Anthony that he's lucky that I didn't fuck him up for grabbing my boyfriend's dick." I glare.

"Your what? Why in the hell is your boyfriend working at a strip club in the first place?" She questions.

"It's none of your business." I assure.

"I guess logically a guy who let's his boyfriend work at a trashy peep show would also be the same person who'd resort to violence first."

"What the fuck does that mean!?" I question.

"Just that I wouldn't be surprised if your boyfriend needed a crisis hotline." She insinuates.

"Well he's right here if you want to ask!" I gesture to Van.

I look back to Van and I realize that he's caught in some kind of trance...just staring at the woman. He wasn't the least bit concerned with our little dissension. In fact, he'd been completely silent from the moment we walked inside.

"Van, are you alright?" I question.

The woman furrows her brow in confusion once she takes notice as well.

"Do...do you recognize me?" Van questions.

Everyone falls into silence out of sheer confusion.

"Do you recognize me at all?" Van asks once more with a sense of desperation.

The Woman just looks back to her boyfriend for answers but he can only offer a shrug. He was just as lost as we.

Van takes a timid step forward. "Do you recognize John? Do you recognize either of us, Grace?"

It all finally clicks for me. The woman standing before us was Van's eldest Sister whom neither of us had seen since we were children.

"How do you know my name?" She asks.

Van fights the tears that well up in his eyes but a single one escapes and rolls down his cheek. "Because we're family. Because you're my big sister."

The revelation hits her like a train. She clasped both hands over her mouth with a shallow gasp and tears from one thousand regrets and unheard apologies stream down her face.

"Vanitas?" She questions.

"Yeah." Van confirms.

In an instant, Grace had enveloped Van into a long overdue hug. "I thought I'd never see you again." She sobbed.

"I thought the same." Van says. "I can't believe you're here."

[Surely, you must want these waves to drag you away.]