Chapter Three

Sooo! Another chapter! More romantic(if you squint)… yuck… but action! Any who. Any questions, I would love to answer, and your thoughts on Rae and Kujo would be loved… or just comments in general. Um… You will understand the need for the last chapter… umm… in the third Aside. I love you all! This chapter is brought to you by the song One More Night- Maroon 5. I am a huge fan of them so… yeah… I have all four of their CD's…

Arthur growled at his reflection and the bathroom door slammed in his wake. He stormed to the bar where things had quieted down. Sadiq was nowhere to be seen but Lovino looked up as he sensed the blonde male approaching. Lovino scanned the blonde police man, his face a blank mask of indifference.

"He escape?" Lovino deadpanned, wiping the rim of the glass in his hand.

"Yes." Arthur grumbled, running a hand through his hair. He shuddered at the thought that only a few minutes ago his fugitive had done the same thing.

"I figured. He dropped by the bar." Lovino looked up, watching Arthur's face as it twisted into a mask of fury.

"And you let him leave?!" He screeched.

"What was I to do?" Lovino scowled back. "Jump over the bar and do a citizen's arrest on him?" He gave a snort before reaching under the bar and throwing a small folded pink piece of paper on the counter.

Arthur gaped at the piece of paper for a few seconds before he was scrambling to pull the previous piece of pink paper from his pocket. Both pieces were small and the script was elegant, a calligraphy of sorts. He opened the one he had found on his car first.

"Bon soir mon petit lapin,

I would like to issue a challenge to catch me if you can.

Avec amour,"

The note was signed with a lip print. The paper was closer to card stock than anything else and so the paper gave way and made the lips look as though they were printed directly on the page. He knew who's DNA it would be, the same as the one on the neck of the bottle of Scotch … and on his neck.

He tore open the second note, the one Lovino so graciously delivered. With a huff he glared at the page. As the words focused he struggled to breathe. There was no salutation to this one.

"Is it personal yet?"

Again signed with a kiss.

Arthur took another look at Lovino who looked indifferent, though Arthur knew that Lovino had known the man. The petty bastard, not wanting to get involved in the investigation. He turned on his heels, storming out of the bar. He would compare the two when he got home.

Driving home, however, proved to be quite difficult. With his head swimming with French bastards, little pink notes and a little alcohol he almost managed a nice crash a few times. Maybe he should have called a cab… but there was no time for that. He had to get moving. It was late and he didn't expect Alfred to be awake but what he did not expect was the car in the driveway. Was someone there?

Arthur huffed, slamming the door behind him. The pink notes burned a hole in his pocket, a silent reminder of the French man he was hunting. Arthur was seeing red, damn straight it was personal now. He was going to catch the bastard and shove him in a jail cell with his own two hands.

The house was dark; the only sound was quiet voices from the TV. There was a sudden increase in the beat of the music. It built to an almost drastic tone, and then a scream, a slow release of breath from someone in the room was heard just following. Walking past he turned to face the room. Four bodies lay on the ground, curled up asleep. Alfred was curled around the boy Matthew. Kujo had fallen asleep, clutching Rae's hand, his head resting on his lap. Yao was sleeping on Rae as well, using his leg as a pillow. Rae blinked, eyes moving from the horror movie on the screen to look at Arthur. His eyes glowed crimson in the dark light. Crimson eyes bore into his green ones, almost smoldering, with a dangerous glint that forced Arthur to see the side of Rae that screamed Alistaire, Arthur's brother.

"Be careful. Playing with fire will only get you a burn." Rae's accent was think, rich and Scottish as he didn't even try to repress it.

Arthur snorted a nervous laugh, running his hand through his hair. "Did that come from a fortune cookie?"

"Being driven does not mean to be stupid."

"I'm not going to do something stupid." Arthur hissed, meeting the glacial crimson gaze.

"You make cases your own," Rae turned to stare down at Kujo, "Don't lose sight of your end goal."

"I'm going to get this fucker."

Rae gave him a rueful smile, running a hand through Kujo's hair. "Be careful what you wish for."

More than a little flustered Arthur turned and stormed up the stairs. His teenage cousin had no right to give him advice. It might be foolish but Arthur was not in over his head, he knew what he was doing and he was going to get this bastard. He stared at his wall, the evidence he had gathered scattered across it. Yarn marked one case to the next. Pulling out the notes he stuck them to his wall, the tacks driving in with more force than needed. No one was going to make a fool of him, Arthur was going to make sure of that, he would get this French bastard and make sure that he got his revenge for the kiss.

Next morning proceeded as normal, mostly. The teenagers were asleep when he left; Rae had fallen asleep where he was, leaning against the couch. Eyes closed and completely still, Arthur marveled at how well Rafaille could play dead in his sleep. He wondered if it was something taught or simply something that Rae had been 'blessed' with.

.

.

.

Ludwig was sitting at his desk when Arthur entered; there was almost an electric air between Arthur and Ludwig as they made eye contact. Arthur cringed, slightly worried that he had been found out, that the Frog; it was easier than French bastard, had told them what had happened between them.

"He struck again." Ludwig's voice pulled Arthur from his thoughts, causing the latter to gawk slightly. He was speeding up his time line, again?

"What was it this time?" Arthur asked, irritable.

"Zeklos… Baduna Zeklos has reported a family heirloom stolen, the families crest."

Arthur froze. Could he really be that much of an idiot? Ludwig could do nothing as he watched Arthur's face. It went from disgust to rage to horror. His face bleached white, leaving no colour. Zeklos… Arthur wasn't stupid, he knew how this was going to go. This case was going to be hanging over his head now. The family would be watching him from now on to make sure everything was perfect and that they got what they lost back… that or they would take the head of the thief.

"Baduna Zeklos the mafia boss?" Ludwig hesitated a second before nodding. "I see, he has that much balls does he?" Laughter bubbled up and suddenly Arthur could not contain it. The idiot wanted to kill himself? Let him!

"He left something else though." Ludwig's voice was slow, almost reluctant.

When Arthur glanced up, Ludwig looked away. "What?" Arthur snapped; the laughter dead in his throat and replaced by his heart.

"Your… wallet."

"My what?!" Arthur started patting at his pants; pulling out the black wallet there he flipped it open. Inside sat another pink note. Throwing the wallet at the ground he fought to open the note. His gaze swam; his face heating.

"Mon petite lapin,

I think I would like to borrow this from you, as well as your shield.

Avec l'amour,"

The signature lip mark sat there, a taunt that Arthur could not return.

"How did he get it?" Ludwig asked slowly, testing the waters for a reaction.

"I don't know." That was a big lie. It was quite obvious when he had taken the wallet but like hell he was going to fucking tell Ludwig that. Arthur released a sigh, shoulders slumping as he tried to process his thoughts. "Ludwig…" He glanced up at the other male. "I think I need to speak with your Vargas'."

Ludwig didn't blink; he gave a low sigh and nodded. Picking up the phone he was soon whispering into the receiver.

Twenty minutes later Arthur found himself seated in a cute little café, the kind that sell those weird coffee drinks at insanely high prices but are too comfy to refuse. Arthur gave a petulant sigh, cut off as something collided with his back.

"Ciao, Arthur! It's been too long! I missed you! How is everyone? We haven't gotten to see anyone in a long time!" Arthur pried the chatty Italian off of his back. Bouncing into his seat, Feliciano continued to chat to himself, keeping up a two way conversation.

Arthur stared at the boy in amazement and wondered how Ludwig could stand him. He was sure he would have killed him already. Of course, most of what Feliciano did was for show. He was not stupid, by any means, simply cheerful. People drew lines too quickly and Feliciano had simply taken advantage of it. "So what can I do for you today?"

"Who is my thief and where can I find him?" Arthur dropped it right in front of the youngest Italian.

"Roma didn't tell you?" Feliciano cocked his head to the side, innocence on every feature.

"No, and I know why. He did not want to be dragged into this but now my crook has done something insanely stupid."

"Your crook?" Arthur could feel his face heat.

"He stole the family crest of Zeklos."

"…Really?" When Arthur nodded Feliciano laughed, "Yeah, he did do something stupid." He titled his head. "Have you made sure that he knows?"

Arthur sighed, rubbing at his temples. "He knew before I did."

"Ah… so why are you suddenly interested in cheating to get him, then?" Arthur scowled at the nosy boy but he was all rainbow and smiles, the amusement dancing in his eyes.

"He stole my wallet and left it there for Zeklos."

Feliciano sat there for a moment, mask gone, disbelief and then slight horror flashing across his face. "Mio dio… I understand." Pausing for a moment he pulled out his phone. The Italian flipped through a few screens before he came to rest on a photo. "This him?"

"I didn't actually get to see his face…" Arthur squinted at the photo. Scanning it he nodded, pulling the blue silk ribbon from his pocket. "Yes… that is him." He looked back down at the photo where the ribbon sparkled in the crooks blonde hair.

"Ah… si. Francis Bonnefoy. French master thief; recently appeared on the larger scale radars."

"Address?"

"Hotel name and number?" When Arthur nodded Feliciano produced a pen and a napkin. Scribbling down the address he turned it back over to Arthur. "Keep safe." Arthur nodded. Feliciano gave him one last angelic smile before he was up and gliding out of the café, waving at the waitress who looked a little flustered by his attention. Arthur sat there at the stupid table. Weeks he had been searching and just like that he had his perp. He almost wanted to wad the paper up, to throw it out and be blissfully oblivious. Move on to the next case when the Zeklos killed the thief off. It was almost not fair… though he supposed he hadn't become a detective for it to be easy.

Twenty minutes later he was loitering in the lobby of the hotel address he had been given. Hands in his pockets, scowl scaring off anyone who got too close. He paced at the desk; he knew the woman there would not give him the room number. If he had his police badge it would be different but since the fucker he was tracking had it, that was out of the question.

With a sigh of frustration he pushed through a stairway, on his way down. He made it a single floor below the surface of the parking garage before he literally ran into his thief. There was a moment of stunned silence between the two in the deserted staircase before Arthur grabbed the front of Francis's shirt, slamming him back into the wall. Arthur's fist flew up, a thud as it made contact with the other males gut.

"Why the fuck would you do that?" Arthur hissed into the other male's ear, holding him up as Francis tried to catch his breath. "Do you have any idea of what you have just done?"

Francis responded with a punch of his own, hitting Arthur in the gut as well and sending him reeling. "I have made it interessant."

Arthur grabbed the Frenchman's collar. "You have just put a target on both our backs!"

Francis shoved the Englishman, throwing another punch that landed against his jaw. "It makes life a little fun, mon lapin." He grinned, a true fox in the hen house. His next two punches missed. Arthur on the other hand landed another that pushed Francis against the railing.

"The only thing it will do is get you killed!" Arthur spat, as Francis stepped forward Arthur threw a knee into the other males stomache. Grabbing his hands he twisted until Francis was on his knees, snapping handcuffs onto his wrists Arthur let go of the male.

Francis sat back against the railing, looking a little pale but none the less confident. He gave a smirk and Arthur kicked him in the ribs… for good measure. "What now?" Francis asked, coughing into his shoulder, his voice raspy. "Turn me in?"

"I thought I might." Arthur growled, rubbing at his knuckles.

"Hmm. You won't do that." Francis grinned, watching as Arthur started wringing his hands to keep from whacking the Frenchman.

"And why not?"

"Because you need me now."

"Yeah?"

"Oui, I know where the Crest is… and your badge, I might add."

Arthur ground his teeth, forcing himself not to take the bait.

"The truth only bleeds red, mon lapin." Francis tilted his head innocently. "You need me and turning me in will only get me killed."

"Maybe that's what I want." Arthur huffed under his breath causing a light to sparkle in the Frenchman's eyes.

"Awww… such a naughty detective you are, wanting a suspect dead." He grinned as Arthur flushed. "Of course that is only if you truly have the guts." Francis raised an eyebrow. Arthur grabbed him by the collar, hauling the male up and pushing him against the railing.

"I could push you over this and watch you go splat on the concrete below." Arthur hissed.

"..splat? Mon lapin, you can do better than that." Francis pressed on a smile, his heart beating a little faster as the detective pushed his even further backwards over the railing. He had lost his train of thought during his poking at Arthur; he needed to get the policeman on his side… even if pushing the grumpy Englishman's buttons was fun. His voice was rushed. "Remember if I die and you can't please the Zeklos' you will be the one paying for it; as you let me die."

Arthur lessoned his grip on the male, taking a step away. "And if I were to take you in, you would be tortured and killed by them… and I would be no lesser the detective."

"Are you sure? With your family?" Francis snapped back. Oh, merde. Francis felt his face bleach white, watching as Arthur's mildly annoyed expression turn truly dangerous. Arthur grabbed Francis by the throat, emerald eyes glowing with a dark fire.

"What the fuck is your real reason for this?"

"I don't particularly want to die and you don't want to drag your family into this, oui?"

"That… that is not possible." Arthur hesitated before releasing the Frenchman. Francis backed away, wishing he could reach his throat… or that his hands were free for that matter. Arthur ran a hand over his face. "Zeklos… why the fuck the Zeklos?" Arthur growled to the male on the ground.

"They were the only ones I could get too." Francis answered simply.

Arthur made a strangled growl and spun on his heels. "Fuck… fuck,fuck,fuck!" He ran a hand through his hair. This was going to be messy. With another growl he pulled out his cell phone.

After two rings there was a rest and then a soft, "Haló?"

"I… need a favor."

There was a soft sigh from the other side of the line. "Yes, I know. Five hours… give me that and meet me at our park." There was a hiss in the background that sounded suspiciously like a laugh before the line was dead.

"Thanks…" Arthur muttered to the dead line. Tucking the phone into his pocket he turned to look at the slightly confused Frenchman on the floor. "You are so fucking lucky right now." Turning he started up the steps.

"Ah! Tu peux pas laisse moi ici!"

"Sure I can." He turned when he reached the doorway. "Have fun." Arthur turned and pushed open the door, leaving the Frenchman to curse after him.

This Chapter… It took me forever to write… it took me two days to write the last 500 words alone! -_-

You guys have no sweet clue where I am leading with this… I hope X33 I hope to make it surprising. I dislike clichéd stories where I can guess the ending… though that is a little unfair as I make a really bad habit of guessing the whole plot ten minutes into a movie… ugh…

Anyway… Rae is raised Scottish so his accent if Scottish. Kujo has a German accent as he was raised on the German side of Luxembourg(well not side but you understand)