"Hello, Ariel. " Man greeted with a sincere smile on his face, and I already knew that it was the same man I knew since I was a child.

Without waiting a moment, I threw myself on his neck and hugged him tightly, which of course he reciprocated.

"It's really you!" I called cheerfully and felt the first tears of joy run down my cheeks.

Thomas walked inside after a while, not really knowing what was happening.

"Well, well..." Derek smiled brightly. "Ariel, you became even more beauty. " He added with a smile.

Derek, my father's friend, always called me Ariel because he knew my favorite childhood story was "The Little Mermaid".

"Thomas. " Derek grew a bit serious and looked at brunet standing behind us and nodded to him.

"Derek. " Tom recognized him after a moment, then he too nodded to him, and then shook hands with him in greeting. "Good to see you again. And good that in one piece. " Added with a smile.

"You too. " The black-haired man returned the smile.

"Why don't we sit down? "Bard interjected, and after a while the four of us sat down at the table in Bard's kitchen.

"Where have you been? " I asked right away. "Why did you disappear? "

"I had a few errands to do. " Replied. "Forgive me for disappearing so suddenly. " He added then looked at Thomas again.

"Why are you looking at me like that? " Confused brunet asked.

"I thought you were dead. " He replied what surprised us.

"Why? " I asked and looked at my boyfriend, then Derek.

"That's what he told me..." He rested his hands on his lap.

"Who? " Rapp straightened.

"Your brother, Mitch. " He replied.

"Have you seen him? " I was a bit surprised. "When? "

"Right after your lab skirmish. "

"How do you know about it? " Tom asked.

"Well..." Derek got to his feet, walked a bit around, then stood next to us and continued. "As Bard told you, I may have answers to some of your questions. So let's start from the beginning. "

"How did you know about the lab incident? " Thomas began.

"Your brother told me about everything." He sighed. "He contacted me and asked for help. "

"Mitch? " I was surprised. "He was asking for help? " I repeated at which Derek laughed.

"It happens to him sometimes. " Man smiled at me and then continued. "You were probably wondering how he re-rejoined Bucho, huh?" He looked at us and we nodded to him. "So the answer is simple... I got him into this. "