Julia's Pack.

Chapter 27 - Confusion, answers, and bad plans.

Oliver was searching through the cupboards when Julia got back, staring intently into the dark corners, clearly determined to find something. She had a sneaking suspicion what but Julia didn't say anything for a few minutes, just sat on the bench and watched him.

“You seen the alcohol?”

“No. It all vanished.” She said lightly. Her tone confused her. Was it because he'd been lied to? That Julia felt a strange and slightly cruel satisfaction in seeing him feel the same way she had when he kept lying to her?

Maybe. And maybe that made her a bitch. But either way she wasn't going to let him drink himself stupid.

“Where?”

“I don't know, the ocean, or some place.” Julia shrugged. “You want to talk?”

“Did you hide it?” For a moment he seemed to be threatening, for a moment his anger burnt a little higher, before Oliver seemed to remember who it was he was getting angry with. He melted down a little. “Shit. Sorry. I just …”

“Feel like everyone's lied to you, to protect you, when they should have just told you the truth?” Okay. Julia had to admit it. Some part of her did get some kind of pleasure in this moment, in seeing the realisation dawn in Oliver's face, in karma smacking him around the head.

“Yeah.” He sighed. Oliver tugged the kitchen table up to the bench and tried to lean on the edge of it. “That.”

She reached out to pull him into her embrace when the table threatened to fall sideways under his weight. Julia leaned against him as he stood there a long time. “So tell me.”

“It's just-” He growled softly. “That's my brother. Dad wouldn't have done that.”

But he must have. Julia didn't say the words out loud and she still saw them reflecting in his eyes, the hurt, the anger. It wasn't just that he had a brother. It was that he had a brother and no one had told him.

“What would you have done?”

“I don't know.” Oliver prodded her. “Alcohol?”

“Wife. Not alcohol.” She shook her head.

“Why would he do that?”

“Kale's an evil bastard?” Julia had no better answer than that. It clearly didn't do much good. He sighed. Julia prodded him. “So ask Al-” Not Alana, Julia had to remind herself, and thought how weird it was to suddenly have her name change like this. “Um, I mean Emilia. She was alive, wasn't she? And she doesn't straight out trust him. So find out what the story is. We'll ask Alfred tomorrow.”

Oliver clearly hadn't thought of that. He frowned. His anger was with her too, she saw that, but at least she hadn't openly lied to him for years. Oliver had forgotten her and she'd let him, so she'd stayed back, where as Susan had years to tell him after his dad died.

“Go on. No alcohol.”

Oliver went. It wasn't an order but she knew he was burning inside, burning for answers that he didn't want to ask Susan and couldn't find out from Julia, and there was only one woman who probably didn't make him burn with anger and hurt the same way. Julia sat there as she watched him head down the hill for the Pack Boat, where Emilia still was, sighing.

“Did I miss something?” Levi blinked as he saw her face. “David's safe, in bed asleep, and you look depressed.”

“Oliver's got a brother.” Julia muttered. “Alfred.”

“What?”

She told him what had happened while he was checking David for injuries and putting him to bed, gladly leaning against him, yawning as she did. Levi and Julia both turned their attention to the door as Susan came in, Andy not far behind, both looking tired and stressed all over again.