I'm sorry

"Wow!" Alan remarked as he looked up at the dazzling ceiling filled with crystal chandeliers and clusters of glass shards dangling in intricate designs. These were illuminated by the moonlight that shone through the glass filled centre piece. Hundreds of people hustled and bustled and weaved their way amongst other people. Their chatter rose above the next person and the occasional high-pitched laughter from a funny story being told in a conversation.

Alan felt extremely lucky to be there, his purpose was that only of being a wingman to Gordon who had been originally invited by the host, Lady Penelope. Gordon has been insistent and Alan agreed only if he was allowed to bring Kayo. Gordon grumbled a sure in his direction and here they were now. Alan ignored his mysterious gut feeling as Kayo had been distant and avoiding him recently and when she said she had made other plans on arriving to the party he had become suspicious but this was him just being silly and paranoid but on the other hand she had been happy to attend with him so what could go wrong?

Alan smoothed down his uncontrollable tufts of hair and smartly followed in suit to his immediate elder brother through the swarm of other people in the crowd. Their purpose at the party was to represent their father and his organization and to be the face of the company and answer any important questions from high up people in the chain of command that are maybe there. Gordon promised he would handle it if Alan would help him with Penelope, Gordon had confined in him his little secret about him and Lady Penelope to which Alan had been slightly surprised but happy to help him out, after all Gordon knew about his crush on Kayo and together they thought they could do something nice for them.

A gust of wind snaked it way through everyone feet and some people tugged there jackets or cardigans tighter around them as the main doors were opened and Alan turned around...

People moved aside as a figure approached up the flight of stairs, her navy dress swept behind her, slightly trailing against her ankles. A fluffy coat slipped off her shoulders and hair curled into neat piles down the side of her face and pinned up at the back. She wore silver slip-on shoes that twinkled in the moonlight and her sparkly earring that dangled from her ears. Alan's jaw dropped slightly and he gazed mercifully at her as she was absolutely stunning in his eyes and mind. His hands dropped suddenly to his side and his mind went completely blank, empty, and dead. Gordon sighed and sharply stuck his elbows into his younger brother ribs to snap him out of his trance. Alan coughed dramatically and bent over to catch his breath back; Kayo looked around but unsuccessfully managed to find her adopted siblings and turned to make her way around the room to her right. Alan snapped upright at the thought of losing her in the packed and busy room and began to push his way through the crowd, turning around to wink at his brother before he disappeared into the dense crowd that had continued to swarm after the latest arrival. Gordon snorted slightly and turned in the opposite direction to find the lady he was waiting to see himself.

Alan precariously forced his way through the hundreds of people, he saw a flash of navy and he followed by instinct, there was a clearing up ahead to which he attempted to side step through a bunch of people to get there but not before he managed to trip over seamlessly nothing and collided his way through. Some awkward shuffling and stumbling later, he managed to reach her and gently place his hand on her bare shoulder, she instantly snapped his hand with hers and pulled down hard on it, "I told you never to do that" She said sharply but with a smile on her face. This reassured Alan and made a mental note that that would be the last time he did that or else he would be doing it with only one hand. "I wasn't sure whether I would get your attention, so…" His voice trailed off and wavered away. Kayo giggled and smoothly tugged him towards the buffet that lay perfect and dainty but largely untouched. She grabbed two glasses of some rare kind of drink that she expected Lady Penelope had shipped over from somewhere exotic. Alan glanced behind his shoulder and looked up to the stage area and saw Lady Penelope sat down with a bunch of other people; he caught a glimpse of Gordon amongst the crowd, next to her, with her, protecting her. Alan felt a round, cool object being given into his hand and he accepted and returned his gaze to Kayo who had dropped her smile and was curling her finger around her strands of hair by her face.

"Kayo, are you okay?" Alan asked her as he felt that gut feeling again rise up through his body.

"I'm just… Fine" Her voice dropping slightly and pausing briefly. Her eyes flustered almost as in trying to control her emotions, Alan couldn't understand what was going on, he took a mouthful of his drink and laid his other hand on her shoulder, trying to look her in the eye. She pushed his hand off and he noticed her hands were shaking to which she grasped them together in an attempt to steadily and control it. So much was going through her brain she just wanted to run to release it but how could she break the heart wrenching news to the guy she knew had had his eyes on her for a very long time, no she must continue on strong. Kayo draw on a fake smile and quickly resumed to look at Alan, she was about to say something when the lights on the stage area dramatically flashed around and music loudly played to hush the crowd and to introduced the main woman of the evening.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to say a few words…" Lady Penelope's voice echoed around the building, Alan had been to these kinds of events before and had become accustomed to their ways. His mind raced with boredom but worry for Kayo, having grown up with her pretty much all his life, he could recognize when something was wrong. After over 20 minutes of talking, Lady Penelope was finally rounding off what she was saying and Alan switched back just before a huge spotlight dazzled in his eyes. People turned to look at him and he flinched. Lady Penelope came to him and hugged him saying how much of treasure he was to the world in what he does, Gordon behind her grabbed his shoulder and squeezed in affection before following his lady back to the stage, people continued to glace over at him but all focus was back onto the Lady.

Alan could feel the blood rushing around his body, through all his veins and all that red blood flowing through even the smaller more complex structure in his body, this was collecting in his head. He could feel his head pounding from his heartbeat and pressure building up, his eyes kept blinking and he concentrated on standing still, he looked around but couldn't focus on anything and all he knew was nothing, blurriness took over and he tried to say a word but he voice wouldn't work and form it. Kayo's figure whizzed past his vision and he made a grab for her to help him. Missing her allowed his body to hurtle and crash down onto his knees as they buckled under his weight, he pushed up on his hands but his strength had been sapped from him completely, nobody had noticed all his attempted on trying to stand up. He strangled a shout for Kayo and after wiping his face on his sleeve he glanced up, she stood above him and spoke, "I'm… sorry" He reached out for her but she slapped his hand away, he fell backwards and she crouched over him, "He made me, you have to believe me, I had no choice… He would have killed my father and most probably yours, now you can believe me I HAD no choice!" She whispered harshly in his face, tears glistening and streaming down her face as all the emotion ran rugged out of her, breaking at the last second. Alan chocked out softly and held her face in his hand, struggling onto his knees he felt a tear of his own begin to build in the corner of his eye. How could she he thought, he should have felt angry towards her but instead he felt compassion and love and he understood that with his sacrifice his brothers had a chance of being reunited with their long lost father. The racing pulse that was causing the excruciating pain reached its climax and he whispered goodbye to her through his eyes before they rolled away and he lost complete control of his entire body and the last thing he remembered was seeing the blurred floor rise up to engulf him. And that was that.

Gordon was having the night of his life, nothing could wrong, all was running smoothly and he fondly gazed at Lady Penelope, he tried his hardest to keep it to a minimum but she was gorgeous and he felt proud of being there for her. After they had congratulated his very surprised youngest brother of their team, who Gordon knew had drifted away in his mind as he usually did because for such an event like this which he had been dragged to them from such a young age, to be honest Alan must have been the most well behaved he had ever been. Gordon wondered where such brother was he scanned the crowd trying to decipher the familiar blonde hair, a small group of people become shuffling around and away in a small commotion, Gordon remembered that that was where Alan had been with Kayo and he became alert to the change in that envirnoment. Lady Penelope stalled on her speech and seemed surprised at the interruption she had come into contact with. People began to move aside and a woman screamed…

Gordon knew in his heart that something had happened to his brother, they were connect by their blood and mind but his heart stopping beating when he saw two perfectly still legs intertwined on the floor and a hand that was flat on the floor lifeless, Gordon felt the world spin slower and everyone come to stand still. He slowly leapt up and forced his body through faster than I would allow, his reaction was sharp and futile. People got in his way but he didn't care at that moment and pushed everyone out of the way, Lady Penelope loudly gasped which echoed in Gordon head but his mind was on a one minded track, movement was agonisingly painful in such a short burst and everything happened impossibly slowly. Gordon hopped over people's out-righted feet and ducked under waiters holding glasses of the drink. He forced his way under and through the swarmed crowd around the figure that laid on the floor, men shaking their heads, women crying but it was the staffs that were was phoning for help. He managed to stand in front of everyone else, a hand shot to his open mouth before he dive bombed down to his brother side, holding his face so he could see it and at that moment he saw his entire world crash beneath him, a rugged breath escape his lips and his body struggled to take another breath, Gordon forgot all his training and everything he had worked for in his lifetime, he began shouting for someone to help, his brother was dying and he needed help. Anger lashed out as what he saw began to sink in.

The drink his brother had been enjoying lay near him, its content splashed across the shiny flooring, a clear liquid that had a light that glowed a faint reddish shade, Gordon knew it… Knew that someone had poisoned one of the only things he cared so much about! Catching his breath and cooling his mind to process all that was happening, the paramedics rushed in behind but he held on. Holding onto what was left of his other half, growling at anyone who dare come too near him and grasped even tighter onto Alan lifeless body. Lady Penelope held onto his shoulder and attempted to prise his fingers off the body. Gordon gave up, he lost his energy and collapsed backwards into Lady Penelope, his face was screwed up and soaked with tears, and he clung onto her and buried his face in her outfit and breathed in her scent.

Alan was surrounded, Gordon gave up trying to find out what was going on, Lady Penelope pulled him to his feet, tears streaming down his face and teeth chattering, outside with the door flinging open smoothly and quietly, the cool, nippy wind bit his bare exposed skin and he shivered as his body cooled down and what had all happened was slowly sinking in properly. Gordon held tightly onto Lady Penelope, he glanced his blurred eyes at her and whispered, "I'm sorry"

"For what?"

"I don't know anymore, I'm just sorry"

…...