When The Snow Falls

That night was the first night Daniel had spent with someone who knew everything. He went to sleep with an easy conscience and no worries. That was something he had thought was impossible to achieve.

He woke up with the sunlight streaming into the room and Felix's arms around him. It was a nice sight and feeling to wake up to.

"Morning," Felix g.r.o.a.n.e.d sleepily. "I'm going to swear if any club members come knocking on the door to interrupt."

Whilst it was true that Daniel had gone to sleep with no problems, they had also gone to bed very late so it was probably already quite late in the morning.

He focused his eyes on the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was just past 10 which meant they should get out of bed sometime soon.

"It's late for hotel standards, I'm not missing out on breakfast," he said groggily.

"That's what room service is for," Felix said lazily.

There was a knock at the door and Daniel could hear some familiar voices in the hallway. It was obvious that it was the other Mystery Club members.

"I think you need to swear now," he whispered even though they wouldn't be able to hear. "It's them. They probably want to walk to breakfast together."

"F.u.c.k," Felix said and nuzzled his shoulder. "Tell them I want you all to myself."

It was all too tempting to go along with that line. Daniel thought of the breakfast that would be waiting for them and the sobering fact that they would all be parting after this day.

"We should go. We won't be seeing them for a while or ever again," he told him with a frown.

Felix sat up slowly and walked over to the door. His normally suavely styled hair was very bedraggled for a change.

"We're coming out in a moment," he announced to them and closed the door.

Daniel stretched and pulled himself out of bed.

It was time to leave the cocoon of Felix's embrace and spend some time with his friends that he might never see again.

***

The most talkative person at the breakfast table turned out to be Amien. Daniel had been expecting Oliver to be the one leading the conversations, but he was silent.

"It's strange to think that I couldn't stand any of you," Amien said when they all sat down with their buffet items. "Now I feel sad knowing it's unlikely we're going to see each other again."

His expression was wistful and Daniel wondered if they were his first friends as well. Amien had some of the same qualities as him and he hadn't had any friends in his first life either.

"You always know how to word things," Harry commented. "You grew on me as well. Mainly when you stopped insulting me."

Amien smiled at him and laughed.

"That was probably why. Well, it's going to be strange knowing that I won't be able to see all of you in real life. Unless any of you get into banking and stay in Tokyo?"

His tone was hopeful and Daniel was amused with how passionate Amien was this morning. The normally loud members of the club were staring at their plates.

"I don't want to work in a bank," Meredith said plainly. "I want to stay in Japan, but my parents want me to go back to England and work there."

"I'm going home to England and Felix may be as well," Daniel added. "My father wants me to attend university in the UK. He probably wants me to study something like accounting so I can keep track of all his money."

The mysteriousness from the Earl was somewhat scaring him. Who knew what he wanted him to study?

"My intellectual equals are leaving," Amien said with a pout. "What will I do without intelligent conversation?"

"Isn't Oliver staying here?" Felix asked. "That's the impression I got from him."

Amien and Oliver exchanged looks. Daniel was interested to see the result of the unspoken offer.

"I'll meet you for coffee," Oliver said casually a moment later.

"You'll have to do," Amien replied and sipped his tea. "At least someone is staying."

"You'll have to stick with me since the smart ones will be going," Oliver replied.

The conversation shifted to their career aspirations. Whilst it had been discussed between them all before, the trip to the island had been quite an experience for Daniel in more than one way and more simply for the rest of them.

"Felix, you've never actually said what you want to study at university," Oliver pointed out. "You said you weren't sure whenever I asked before."

"I want to study Law," Felix said and met eyes with him.

Daniel had never picked up any hint on what Felix was interested about studying at university and he wondered if it was deliberate. Law seemed to be a departure from what he had thought Felix might be choosing. Was the decision something to do with him?

Meredith turned to him.

"What do you actually want to study?" she asked. "You've explained the situation with your father before so I was wondering what your true aspiration is."

Daniel considered that question with his truest feelings. This was a question for himself and not the part of him that was trying to live someone else's life. He hadn't had a chance to go to university in his first life and it had taken a while to get to university age in this life.

The Criminology courses in the university prospectuses tended to catch his eye more than anything else. Journalism was interesting to a degree, but he wasn't too fond of having to write to an editor's d.e.s.i.r.es.

"Perhaps Criminal Psychology or Criminology," he replied. "However, it's very specialist so there's not too many jobs available."

"Don't you want to work for the Police?" Harry asked. "It's a waste of your skills if you don't."

Daniel shifted in his seat uncomfortably. In his first life, as a detective with a fair amount of cases behind him, everyone around him had suggested that idea as it didn't need extra qualifications, but it hadn't appealed to him.

He wanted to be able to choose cases and that's what had led to his d.e.s.i.r.e to be a private detective. If he did work for an official organisation, he wouldn't have much of a choice.

"I don't think I'm going to get to decide so I'm not going to consider it," he replied.

His point must have been made as the conversation turned to when they should meet again.

"Should we do that event again?" Oliver asked unsurely. "We were looking forward to it."

"I think we can, what are the chances that someone like Ethan will be around?" Meredith said awkwardly. "It was a one in a lifetime event, it shouldn't happen again."

It was understandable to make that assumption, but with Daniel's knowledge of the true culprit, he couldn't be sure.

Then again Vincent didn't come across as someone who was sloppy enough to repeat the same trick twice.

If they met at the same event again, Vincent wasn't stupid enough to pull the same trick. The Police would look at the case closer if the same people were present for a murder again.

"It's fine to do the event again next year," Daniel agreed. "It was interesting in its own right before the murder."

He really would need to brush up his Japanese so he could get ahead of Felix. He glanced at Felix and was met by a knowing look. It appeared that Felix could guess his d.e.s.i.r.es.

***

After packing and handing in the room keys, the five of them stood around in the hotel lobby waiting to split up. Daniel knew Amien would be leaving first as he had an important appointment to get to and then it would be the others. Vanessa would be coming later to pick them up.

Amien looked at his watch with a frown.

"I'm going to get going now," he said. "Take care of yourselves and I look forward to next year. Please keep in contact with me."

The oldest member of the club walked away from them like he wasn't bothered about parting and then he looked back at them with a longing glance.

Daniel found himself saddened by that look. It brought home the fact that he really was going to be leaving people that had become important to him.

"Don't let me cry until he's gone," Oliver mumbled. "I can't let him see me as weak as this."

Daniel assumed he wasn't being serious until he saw how red the current club leader's eyes were.

Meredith handed him a tissue and he took hold of her hand.

"Make sure to keep in contact and I wanted you to know that you're really kind and I wish you were staying in Japan," Oliver said sincerely. "I was going to ask you out, but then I heard you weren't staying."

Meredith's face flushed red and then she jabbed him in the side.

"It's called a long distance relationship, idiot," she said with a sob. "I still have relations out here, of course I will be coming back at some point."

Oliver's face lit up. "Is that an offer?"

"It is," Meredith replied soberly. "Why didn't you say something sooner? I'm about to get picked up."

Oliver scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

"I didn't think it over properly."

Daniel watched the two embrace with a heavy feeling in his c.h.e.s.t. It was a happy sight in a way, they wouldn't be parting forever and it was much easier to keep a long term relationship with modern technology.

It also reminded him of something more personal. It was extremely likely that he and Felix would be going to different universities. For the past two years they had been living together and he could see him every day. When they went to different universities, they would only be able to see each other during holidays.

Harry's phone beeped and he pulled it out his pocket. Daniel knew he was about to leave.

"My mum is outside, I'm going now," he said.

Meredith left soon after him and then it was Oliver's turn.

"I am so glad you two joined our club, it's been an interesting time," he said. "Thank you, please stay in contact and hopefully we will all see each other again."

Daniel watched Oliver leave with a heavy heart. It was mainly thanks to Oliver that he had ended up being a member of the club. If they hadn't joined, Carter's body would have never been found, but equally Nakajima would still be alive. It was an odd balance of positive and negative.

"Mum texted to say she is delayed for half an hour so we should go somewhere else. It's sad to stay here to wait after we've watched them all leave."

Daniel felt the same way. He did want to meet them in the future. It was the complete opposite of the feelings he had when he left Kingston Royal Academy. He did have some regrets about parting after a relatively short time together.

"I didn't think we would be missing each other like this a month ago," he admitted. "I think it's because it's the first time I've spent much time with people who are my friends and have similar interests."

This life was progressing a lot better than his first life and he was now glad he had been given the chance to live again.

For most of this life he had been feeling guilty that he was getting to live for longer in someone else's body, but now he was feeling more at peace with himself.

The only problem he could sense on the horizon was the return of Vincent