#universal-shenanigans

((STAYED UP LATE MULTIPLE DAYS (not in a row) TO NAIL A DESIGN AND???????

V sat in his hospital bed. He was motionless and staring at his phone that lay in his lap. He could understand Alex's jabs, but it didn't mean that she was completely in the right. The amount of information she knew about him was only base level, and the fact that she had the gall to make a comment like that really managed to piss him off. He gripped the sheets of the bed and blew heavy air from his nose. He was doing everything in his power to keep himself together. He had half a mind to call back and verbally rip her a new one. However, he knew that he needed to be the bigger person, unfortunately. He also didn't want to witness anything that the other two would do if he flew off the handle. He flopped back onto his pillow, grunting as he had pretty much forgotten about his healing wounds.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"I'm fine. It's not time for another test yet. Please go away..."

The door opened anyway and revealed an angry Alexa and an apathetic-looking Juliette, cigarette in hand. Vincent only grew more irritated when Alexa walked in, glaring at the nurse. She blew a puff of smoke and shrugged. "Sorry Don. Only knocked to be polite. I'll let you guys "chat"."

V raised a brow at her as she closed the door and Alexa pulled up a chair next the bed. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you're here to apologize for-"

"Not in the slightest..." He caught her tone of voice and gave her with a look of suspicion and confusion. She took a hold of his hand and sighed herself. "What she said was fucked up, yes. I'm sure you have people that you care about that could be targeted if our situation spiraled out of hand..."

He nodded, softening his expression a bit, "Well, I am a little glad that you agree with-"

"However..." Her grip on his hand started to grow tighter. V had a very high pain threshold, so it didn't affect him too much. Yet. It was just a weird and slightly uncomfortable pressure at the moment. Alexa continued, "She does have some valid points. There's a lot of, information, that myself, and the rest of my people are missing. It's making it hard to trust you and, to some extent, each other. So..."

Her grip became even tighter, and she could tell that it was starting to hurt because of the small grunt that slipped out of him. His eyes narrowed at her, and she could feel that he was trying to pull his hand away. In an instant, she snapped her attention at him and gripped even tighter. He winced and growled under his breath. She then gave him a sickly-sweet smile and spoke, her voice dripping with anger. "We need to have a little "talk". Cool~?"

"God damn it, yes, Alexa fine!" She let go and sighed. He rubbed his hand and looked at her with a scowl. "You know, this isn't the best way to go about things. You're inching towards thin ice like your friend..."

"Yeah well, I think I've been a little too trusting like she said. Even with the little to zero knowledge I know, you seem to be causing a lot of shit. With that being said, because everyone knows so much more than me, no one wants to speak up and tell me what the hell you've done. Andrew said that you need to tell me yourself. At least to keep the everyone clued in on your stake in this whole Arthur bullshit."

He fell silent. They did have a point, and he somewhat hated that. He just wanted to let go of the past. Completely, or even just for a little while. He was trying to have a fresh start and this whole thing was not helping that. Still, he couldn't just...leave it be. He was trying to do right by himself but wanted these people to have a better chance as well. They at least deserved that since they had somewhat been through the same life. Although, he a very small part of him thought some were more deserving than others right now. Alexa noticed that what she said had struck a chord with him. The silence grew between the two. There was a mutual feeling of caution and wariness. Although, a level of suspicion was rising as well from both sides. Clearly, both of them had something to say. It was just a matter of who would say it first. Alexa felt the need to break the silence, "Look, I get that you did a thorough background check on us, but there are things that I am certain that you did not find...I am...um...I can uh...fuck..."

He looked puzzled at her sputtering, but it was mainly out of anticipation and curiosity of what she was going to say. Alexa began to shake a bit, her voice rattling as if she was on a bustling train. Her hands were clasped together, and she continued in a hushed voice after taking a deep breath. "I will...tell you those events. It's only fair...to share even the worst crimes..."

His eyes widened, but only slightly. It was enough to show her what he was thinking, though. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Both could understand that they needed to do this. To keep a level of trust or distance between one another. To make things a little more bearable and easier in this shit storm that they all have found themselves in. V placed a hand on his forehead and sighed heavily. He was still quiet and quite annoyed with the events that led up to what was currently occurring at the moment. But if this was going to get people on the same page and possibly get them closer to solving the overarching situation...

"...alright. Your friends are...correct in being so wary around me. To completely distrust me..." He paused. Whatever he was trying to say, Alexa could see the struggle he was facing inside. His demeanor shifted almost entirely: stalling because he was trying to find the strength to come clean, the nervousness of dreading how she would think of him after he told her, the fear of even saying it out loud. She could see it all. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and it caused him to look down at her. Her sympathetic expression calmed him a bit. He slowly continued, "My past...my past involves a lot of-"

He was cut off by the sound of yelling coming from down the hall. "Sir please slow down! Now is not a good time!"

Suddenly, the door swung open and revealed a well-dressed, yet distressed-looking man. Alexa's eyes grew wide, and she glanced at V. His expression matched hers. He also looked kind of embarrassed. Nervous, even. The man hurried inside, and his eyes darted all over his body. "God what happened?! I had to hear it from one of your employees at the casino!"

An accent lingered in that worried and slightly angry voice. Interesting... the thought crossed her mind.

V tried to calm the man down. "It's fine. Just a bullet wound and-"

"I'm sorry, "just a bullet wound"? V-" The man stopped and glanced at Alexa. She never moved or spoke. Her expression from when he entered didn't change either. She just, watched. Curiosity had won the battle in her head, and she wanted to see where this was going. He noticed that glint in her eyes. Especially as soon as it seemed like he was going to say V's full name. Curiosity wasn't the only thing that kept her attention on the stranger, and he knew better than that. He had been around for too long to make a mistake like that. He looked back at him and sighed. He brushed his fingers through his strawberry blonde hair, clearly frustrated with the current state of V. He tried to regain his composure and rubbed his temples. " V, I thought you stopped doing this. You said that you were going to kill off the business and do better!"

"I am, Oli. A situation just...came up. It happened in the casino, so I took responsibility." V gave Alexa a quick glance. Was he...signaling her? If so, for what? There wasn't much she could add to the conversation besides...oh. Right. She was going to try and not say anything, however, it would seem too late now. The man had fully turned his attention to her. "I apologize for the intrusion, and for my son pulling you into whatever mess he's in now. I do appreciate you making sure he's alright, miss...?"

Hold on, son...? She caught onto that detail fairly quickly. She also quickly noticed that she hadn't responded and had to jolt herself out of her thoughts. "Uh, Alexa. Alexa Vandus..."

She waited for him to be taken aback. To be either disgusted, angry, scared, or any other negative emotion that would be evoked when her name was uttered. He stood there a moment and looked at her, puzzled. Where did he hear that name before...? She glanced to the side, cracking her fingers and anticipating the worse now. "...Miss Alexa Vandus. Family name seems...vaguely familiar. But only by a little. Thank you, Miss Vandus."

Alexa was shocked, to say the least. She quickly answered, "Oh! U-Um, no problem. But you really shouldn't blame V. He was only trying to keep me and my friends safe."

"Really?" He raised a brow at V, seeing if he will give confirmation to the statement. Although slightly embarrassed by the interrogation, he nodded. "Yes. Miss Vandus had a past mistake rear its ugly head. It's a bit of a complicated situation. The point is, I'm only temporarily participating in the business again."

After a pretty long silence, the man huffed and groaned quietly. "Fine. I can't stop you. You're a grown man."

V nodded, slightly relieved that his father didn't argue with him right now. He was still going to hear it when he was finally out of the hospital, though. Or maybe even if Alexa left before him. Either way, he was going to be chewed out. The man reached over to give Alexa his hand. "I know a thing or two about past mistakes, Miss Alexa. I'm sure whatever is going on, I can help. Mostly to keep my son from getting himself killed, but if he is willing to trust and help you, then I suppose I should lend a hand. Whether he likes it or not. Oliver, V's father."

She shook his hand and gave him a nervous chuckle. "Wow. It's um, very nice to meet you. Although, if I may speak for the both of us, it may be best to try and sit this out."

"Nonsense. I've probably handled worse situations than whatever it is you're in. If any of you need assistance, shelter, anything, he knows where to find me."

"Thank you. I um...I really appreciate it." She smiled and he returned the gesture. V had watched the rest of the exchange in silence due to being in his own thoughts. For one, he was not expecting Oliver to be so willing to be a part of this. Though, knowing him for as long as he has, he shouldn't be so surprised. Alexa's reaction was a bit more puzzling. He didn't touch on the subject just yet. He wanted to wait for Oliver to leave and bring it up once they continued their previous conversation. Oliver let out a heavy and exhausted exhale before heading for the door. "Alright. I'm a little at ease now. Only a little, V. I expect to get updates on this situation you're in."

"Of course."

Oliver whipped his head back at stared daggers at V. Alexa could see him physically jump at his father's silent threat. She had to hold back a small laugh and watched as V quickly nodded. "I promise I'll let you know!"

Oliver's face then went back to the gentle smile he had before, and he nodded to the two before he left the room. V let out a relieved chuckle and fell back onto the pillow. Alexa giggled at him, and he watched with an unamused look. "What are you laughing at...?"

She shrugged and stood up. "Didn't think your father would still scare you."

"Oh? So you're not still scared of your father?" He rolled his eyes.

"Didn't say that. Oliver just doesn't seem like the type to strike fear." She stretched.

"Trust me, he can be...a lot...terrifying even..." His voice trailed off and she could see his distant stare as he spoke. She found that even more interesting. A little funny, as well. It is always the pleasant ones, huh? Almost a little harder for her to believe. But then she realized the hypocrisy in her thinking and shrugged once more to agree. She headed for the door but was stopped by V. "Hold on..."

She glanced over her shoulder and raised a brow. "Hmm?"

"About our, ehem, "talk"..."

"Don't worry about it." She waved it off.

V, curious as ever, raised a brow and even grinned slightly. "Any particular reason why?"

"Pretty sure you know why. I'll handle Alex. Need to talk to her anyway. Plus figure out another plan for Arthur..." She looked at the ground as her hand gripped her hair a bit at the thought of everything she needed to do. She noticed his face and scoffed. "Don't take this as my way of trusting you. That's still going to take a bit. Think of it as...a newfound respect."

V blinked. How could she...and she didn't even know what he was going to say. She looked into his eyes, and reassuring smile on her face and a gaze that explained everything. Or at least, what could be explained from such a silent stare. He blew air out of his nose and shook his head with a smile. "I would never assume such a thing. Just thinking about what an enigma you are."

"Gotta keep you on your toes. Can't let you think you've got everything figured out cause of a little file, right?" He rolled his eyes at the smug look she gave him before she left the room. V was now alone with his own devices and thoughts. A good time to process things now that Oliver forced his way into the situation and the forming rift with his newly hired employees. He rubbed his temples and groaned. He just wanted all of this to be over already. Keep his focus on something other than another mafia "business venture". How did he find her? There definitely wasn't much advertisement for their act and even if there was, it would have stayed in the "underground" and those who frequent Swing. As he thought about it, a possible answer to this question was starting to present itself and it caused him to groan and facepalm. He promptly picked up his phone, dialed and waited.

"Hello?"

"I know you just left, but I need your assistance."

"Be right there."

Alexa walked outside and into her car. She sat there for a moment, contemplative and more frazzled than when she left the house. First, she needed to call Alex and apologize, and try to get things under control. Next was another way to deal with Arthur. The few bosses that were alive wouldn't be enough and they needed all the intel they could get. Then she had to make sure that there was enough manpower to keep herself and everyone safe, get ahold of information on Don V, keep up with their performances to at least some semblance of peace...her brain was going a million miles a second. She could feel a headache coming on and she wanted to hit her head against the steering wheel of the car.

Too much...fuck this is too. Much... Her thoughts caused her breathing to stagger and as much as she was trying to do so, she couldn't think straight. That urge to scream and throw a fit was starting to swell up inside her again. She slammed her fist on the wheel and took a deep breath.

One. Step. At a time...

She then picked up her phone and dialed. She waited only a couple of seconds before the line was picked up. "Hello?"

Alexa hesitated, but just as quickly pushed herself to talk. "Hey...can...can we talk...?"

Alex stomped down the street and down an alleyway. She dug around in her pocket as she walked up to a door and pulled out a key ring. A few key flips later and she put one into the lock and walked inside. Her footsteps echoed in the building she entered. She used the flashlight on her phone to search the walls in the darkness. Before she could find what she was looking for, light suddenly flooded the area. She turned to see Andrew by a control panel. She narrowed her eyes at him and walked over to a rope at the end of the walkway. She pulled with a force that matched her anger, and Andrew just watched as the curtain behind them opened. Once finished, it revealed a quiet, sleepy Swing. She took off her jacket and threw it to the side and started fidgeting with the small piano on the stage. Andrew walked over and leaned against it. She quickly glanced at him, then back to the piano. "..."

"..." Andrew could feel that she wanted to say something. Alex played a few notes and repeated them over and over. Andrew then walked next to her and played a few accompanying notes. Alex didn't stop, but she did push the keys a bit harder each time.

Finally, "...I think you should just tell her."

Alex slammed a key down and stopped playing. She pushed her hair back in frustration and looked away. "..."

He put and hand on her shoulder and sighed. "I understand the pain, Ally. But just as I told her as I was leaving the apartment, it's not fair to her or to anyone else that gets involved if people are left in the dark. Even if you want to leave it in the past..."

"But Andrew this is big. Like...like I can't forgive someone like that after doing something like that!"

"And no one is asking you to. Not fully anyway." Alex walked over to the edge of the stage and sat down and rested her head in her hands. He sat beside her and held her in his arms. Alex let out a small whimper, then grabbed onto him and pressed her face into his chest. He gave her peck on the top of her head and tightened his embrace. She was shaking and sobbing quietly against her friend. He gently stroked her head and laid his own against it. "Shh...it's okay. I told you that you don't have to be so strong all the time or it'll all snowball. But I do think you should say something to her. Share your own experience. I...I uh...I need to do the same."

"..." Alex pulled away slightly and wiped her tears. "I'm just...it's just...just...li...like what the FUCK?! Of all the people to come and help us and the people we work with, it had to be him! She heard him say my dad's name! That should've been a fucking sign that he's wronged my family in some God damn way or another! And of course, we're fucking different! We killed a lot of fucking people but we'd never-

"Alex..."

She stopped. Alex looked up at him and he stared back with sympathetic eyes. She took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. "I didn't...I-I didn't..."

"I know. She'll know too. You just want to keep her and yourself safe. But, you should also see where she's coming from as well."

Alex rubbed her eyes and groaned. "I know, I know. She's not entirely wrong either. I haven't done it but...if she's saying that then..."

"I wouldn't push her, and she shouldn't push you either. Both of you should talk about everything when you're ready...but ya know, try to make it a bit soon."

"Yeah yeah I know...fuck, it's gonna be-"

Brrring! Brrring!

Alex looked at her phone and quickly answered. "Hello?"

"Hey...can...can we talk...?"

     “How did this happen?” A very confused and rightfully irritated Don V asked over the laptop. He wasn’t blaming them, just absolutely baffled as to how so many mobsters were dead. Andrew spoke up, “Of course we don’t know how it happened, but we can surmise who did it.”

     “I think the real problems lie in how many people we have left, and how recent these incidents occurred.” Alexa paced around the room. She was too anxious to sit still and think about this. V pushed himself up and grunted. He was still in the hospital after all and was definitely feeling the aftermath of the back-to-back blood transfusions and stitches. “Okay, we need to tackle this one step at a time. Majority of them are dead, but we do still have a good number of outlets to see, right? Haven’t you two made your own alliances once you had more stake in the business?”

     Alex shrugged, “I mean, yeah. But pretty much everyone we knew, our dads knew, and vice versa.”

     “Yeah, and anyone that me and Arthur made alliances with are definitely on here. Those people are obviously out. It’s just...” Alexa gazed at the list once more after Alex had forcibly stopped her pacing at the couch. She shook her head, “V, there are a lot of names on here. Several of them are some pretty big names. Ones that I know, for a fact, should not be dead. So, clearly Arthur killed off a good chunk of these people. I refuse to believe he didn’t. The others, there’s a chance there was some in-fighting and betrayals. So right now, that’s why we’re down to five pe-”

     Brrring! Brrring!

     Alex’s phone started ringing. She raised a finger as she took the call to another room. V continued the conversation, “So, we’re down to five people?”

     “Yes. Thankfully, the ones that are still alive know one if not both our fathers, or they have a straight connection with Arthur.”

     Alex walked back and plopped back down on the couch, seeming to be even more irritated with their situation. She highlighted the fifth of the top five names and struck through it. They looked at her, surprised and more confused than they were before. “That was my dad on the phone. He died last night. Not by Arthur, granted. He died by health complications with his heart and whatever the hell else was going on. Point is, we’re down to four people.”

     There was a collection of groans about the news. Of course, no one was going to lose hope or stop over this, but the setback just made their investigation 20 times harder. V pinched the bridge of his nose and cleared his throat. “Okay. We’re just going to have to work with that. It’s far from what we need, but maybe some worthy information can come from some of them.”

     “Well, I know the second one, Victor Bass. Calls his place of operations “The Pro Shop” and calls himself “Big Bass”. He knew my father in the past, but he cut ties with him years ago cause he tipped someone about my dad doing something, don’t know to this day, but long story short it almost got me, and my mother killed. I don’t know if he’s changed his place of operations, but we can try and start there.”

     “Alright, I consider that a step in the right direction.” V nodded.

     Alex continued as she scrolled through, “I know a guy here too. Know where his place is. No connection, but I’ve very briefly interacted with him cause of a quick trip. I can see if I can get us some time to talk.”

     “Good, good. I will try to look into some of my own connections and see what I can do from this damned hospital bed.”

     “Do you think any of them actually have ties, let alone know him?”

     “You’d be surprised. Young or old, everyone seeks to benefit from anyone. I just need to weed out the worst ones.”

     Alex gave an arched expression as she stretched her legs onto the coffee table, “How’s that goin’ anyway? Ya know with the whole needles and medical stuff?”

     A note of coy and mockery was laced in her question, causing the man to snap his attention to her and sneer. “Watch it, Vandem. I’m not in the mood. I’m a sitting duck here with everything going on. Unfortunately, I don’t have the muscle that you and Alexa carry, so who knows what could happen while I’m here.”

     “Besides them comin’ after you? I don’t think there’s much for you to worry about. We actually got family to look out for...” She mumbled the last bit under her breath. It wasn’t hard for him to hear her and it garnered a negative expression from Alexa. However, V stayed silent. Alexa took the laptop and sighed. “Look, we’ll try to figure out another way to-”

     “Find a back-up plan. I’ll see you all when I’m out...” The call ended. Alexa took a deep breath and snapped her attention to her friend, who didn’t look even a little bit remorseful about what she had said. Alexa looked up at Andrew, who only looked away to avoid her gaze. She tossed the laptop onto the couch and took another deep breath. “Okay...what the fuck? Why would you say something like that?!”

     “Alexa, what makes you think an absolutely waste of space and air like him has a-”

     “What makes you think that he doesn’t?! You’re acting like a petty child and throwing cheap shots at a man that’s literally helping us go after a real monster! I don’t fucking know what he’s done, frankly I don’t want to know, but I do know that with as suspicious as he may seem to you two, he’s only shown day by day more of a reason to trust him!”

     “You wouldn’t be sayin’ that if you knew what he did! Everyone who crosses his path stays clear, hates him, hightails it outta there or all of the above! Why the fuck would you try and take a chance like that after seeing and hearing all of those warning signs about him?!” Alex jumped up.

     Alexa stepped closer, yelling, “ARE WE ANY FUCKING DIFFERENT?!”

     Silence. Andrew looked between the two, eyes finally landing on Alex as she began to back down. Alexa’s voice was laced with anger as she continued. “Are we...? If we are, prove it...”

     Alex still didn’t say anything and just snatched up her jacket and stormed out the door. Alexa watched, and as soon as the door closed, she glared at Andrew. He shook his head and grabbed his coat from the back of a chair. “Can’t expect everyone to be as trusting as you are, darling. He’s done...a lot. More than the two of you combined. But, it’s not our place to talk about it. He should tell you himself. Even if he wants to keep his past in the past. Not fair to you or the people getting involved in this situation being left in the dark...Gonna try and calm her down...”