Oh, the outcast dreams of acceptance, just to find pure love's embrace
like an orphan longs for his mother. May you hold me in your grace.
Won't you take me from this valley to that mountain high above?
I will pray, pray, pray until I see your smiling face.
I will pray, pray, pray to the one I love
-Lyrics to 'From This Valler' performed by The Civil Wars
Crimson Bonds Part 20
It had been three days since Duo, Anna and Charles had left for their mission. But for the remainder of their family, it felt like a far greater passage of time as they waited nervously and prayed for their safe return.
For Heero, he had the pleasant diversion of training and educating his nephews and nieces. But even his being fully devoted to those responsibilities, his mind still wandered more often than not to worrying over his Companion and sister. They were going to have their hands full enough as it was in taking care of the Rogue they were hunting without having the added challenge of keeping Charles safe.
Of course the Original was more than confident in the agents' abilities to complete their mission without trouble. He just hated not being there to be of any help and instead had to remain behind and in the dark to how they were faring.
A fist flew into Yuy's vision, nearly connecting with his nose when he dodged out of the way at the last second in a blur. Spinning, he took hold of the arm attached to the hand that almost struck, hiked its armpit over his shoulder and hurled the creature that had attacked over his head to leave their back slamming into the ground with a loud 'Oof!'
Chuckling in a winded wheeze through the pain, John lay motionless and upside-down as he stared up at the smirking Japanese Vampire and smiled, "Almost... had you... Uncle Heero. You were lost for a second in the middle of the attack there, but you still got the better of me." He pushed himself upright, coughing and regaining his senses.
"Sorry to have gotten your hopes up there, kid," Yuy snickered as he lowered a hand and aided the teenager back to his feet. "It'll take a lot more than a little distraction to give you an edge in taking me down, but keep trying. It's cute."
Laughing, John recovered fast and darted for his Clan patriarch as his fangs grew in to resume their sparring match while Isabel and Carol began to close in for their shots.
Upstairs in the Yuy-Chang household's top floor classroom, Trowa erased the blackboard of the difficult math equation that his young pupil had finished solving. "Very good, Solo," he praised the boy dusting his hands clean of chalk as he returned to his desk.
Scanning the gold-ringed eyes watching him when he finished drawing up another series of complex fractions complete with addition and multiplication signs between them, Barton smirked, "Does anyone else want to give the next one a go?" To his amusement, the whole of his class all the way down to little Rosie cheered as they waved their hands around.
Along with their enhanced physical attributes, the Original continued to marvel over how brilliant the young Vampires were. Eager and willing to take on their lessons, there were few things that they were not able to absorb or comprehend. Substituting as their teacher was definitely something that Trowa was going to volunteer for more often as he could see how Wufei enjoyed the job.
The clock by the doorway rung brightly to the sighs and groans of the class as thy lowered their hands. "To be continued tomorrow. You all have your assignments for your homework tonight to keep you busy in the meantime," the Latin Infected snickered. "Class dismissed."
Smiling, the children turned their papers in while the girls took the time to hug their Uncle and kiss his cheek before stepping out of the room with their filled backpacks.
Out in the hallway, Midi was stepping into sight with a tray of colorful bags with straws. "Some snacks for our little scholars," she beamed as the cheering youngsters rushed her for their snack. Giggling as the hoard rushed off, the little mother shook her head and hooked the empty carrier under her arm at the same time that her husband stepped out with his thick folder of notes and books.
"I can tell you have been having fun sitting in as teacher," the lovely Vampire smiled to the pleased expression on her Other's face. "No need to ask, but I am assuming you had another good day at school."'
Nodding, Trowa smirked, "It's pretty awesome to watch those kids' minds at work."
The Original wrapped his free arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed her temple. "Nice work in readying the houses for the move. Once I have the kids' homework graded, Heero, John and I are going to be off to finish furnishing the homes."
A wistful smile on her face, Midi sighed, "Now all we need is for the whole family to be together." Rubbing her arms, she leaned against her soul mate, murmuring, "I do hope that our cousins and nephew are alright. Much as I fret over them, I am happy to be preoccupied with that as opposed to listening in on the news for whatever result comes out of Washington today."
Barton grunted in agreement under his breath. "No argument there." he frowned.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Heero smirked as he led his charges into their home of a few more days.
Their clothes filthy from the many times they had been taken down by their uncle, John, Isabel and Carol still had grins on their faces at having improved in their fighting techniques. They might have been out of practice, but they were far from being slouches in the thick of a fight.
Pausing at the end of the foyer, Yuy tossed the trio towels from the pile that he'd stacked in wait there as he said, "Get yourselves washed up and we'll pick up on this again tomorrow at first light. Good work today, all of you."
Carol snorted, "Easy for the Vampire without so much as a scuff on him- even though he was outnumbered three-to-one- to say." The corner of her lip curling up, she winked and added, "Just another reminder that I don't ever want to piss you off."
The Original slapped his niece on the back as she passed him, smirking, "I would be worried if I couldn't keep up with you after all of the experience I've had. As far as holding your own, every one of you are coming up fast." He was rewarded with brilliant smiles before the kids turned away to dart up the stairs for the bathrooms.
Chuckling to himself, Heero peeked into the living room to find the youngest of his nieces and nephews spread throughout the space with 'juice' bags as they lay on the floor or sat in the chairs while seeing to their homework. Mentally counting every head, he paused when he came up short one. Quickly going over the group again, he realized that Fiona was not present.
Under normal circumstances, there would have been a wave of terror over the discovery of knowing one of the children was unaccounted for. But Yuy knew this particular child well and was more than confident that he knew where she was.
Midi walked into view, gasping at the quick scan of the little scholars that she was about to look after while her husband graded their work for the day. "I had completely forgotten to peek by Wufei's office for her," the Latin Infected whispered. Of course, the cause of her lapse in memory was in plain sight thanks to the pair of fang marks peeking from the edge of her sundress shoulder strap.
"Don't worry," Yuy reassured, a knowing smirk spreading across his face. "I'm on it."
That said, the Japanese immortal disappeared in a blur of himself to scale the main staircase to the top floor. Just as he had expected, Fiona was sitting just beyond the closed door to the main office where Chang was diligently grinding away at the world's registration database. Silently jotting down her answers to the questions of her test, the sweet girl looked up to blink widely at her uncle.
Lowering himself into a low squat before her, Heero grinned warmly, "Hey, little Mouse. Why don't you come downstairs with your brothers and sisters to do your homework with them?" He already knew the answer, but it was another means to get the normally silent youngster to open up and talk.
Fiona wrapped a few strands of her long, red hair between her fingers in the gesture that was her go-to when she was anxious. "I just wanted to check on Daddy," she replied softly. "He's really sad..." Biting her lip, she lowered her gaze to the floor, murmuring, "He's always sad when Mommy's on a mission, but he hides it."
His own smile faltering, Heero gently lifted her head with a cool finger under her chin so that their gold-rimmed irises latched on. "Well, you know your Mom and Dad love each other very much, so it's hard for them to be separated."
The girl nodded, "Yea. Just like how you've been sad with Uncle Duo being gone, too."
Briefly caught off-guard by the statement, the Original blinked widely. 'Oh, the perceptive mind of a child,' he thought to himself. Fiona may have been one to keep to herself, but she was certainly not one to miss anything.
Heero couldn't help but give her a small, melancholy grin. "Just like," he confessed in a near whisper, voice thick with the emotions that he'd been so successful to keep in check up until he was called out by his niece. Clearing his throat, his smile grew and brightened as he said, "But, I have all of you to keep me happy. And I know something that would cheer your Daddy up right about now."
Righting himself back up, the Japanese Infected faced the door to rapt his knuckles on it in three firm knocks. With a smirk over his shoulder to the girl, he offered his hand to her. Quickly standing, Fiona was practically bouncing on her feet and wore a brilliant smile as she held onto him while her father called, "Come in."
"I hope that you don't mind our stopping in to say hello, Wufei," Yuy told his brother-in-law while he led his tag along into the office.
Chang pushed himself back from his desk, an elated grin on his scaly face at his visitors' appearances. "Of course not," he snickered, particularly to his daughter. "Quite the opposite, it's a most welcome reprieve." Rising to his feet, he closed the distance between them and scooped the child up into his arms and kissed her forehead, greeting, "Hey, little Mouse. How was school today?"
Instantly looping her arms around his neck, Fiona seemed to have found a breath of relief at their reunion. Giggling, she answered, "It was good, Daddy. Uncle Trowa is enjoying teaching us as much as we like having him for class." The innocent remark was met with laughter from the other Vampires.
"Well, I'll be sure to let him know that he's more than welcome to stand in anytime," the Chinese Infected snickered as he freed a hand to rub the top of her head. Peering out to the window, he made a note of the late afternoon hour with the sun preparing to set. "I completely lost track of the time to know that your lessons were over for the day," he thought aloud.
Focusing back on his little girl, Wufei tickled her stomach to send her into a fit of squirming laughter. Easily managing to hang onto her with the one arm around her waist, he smiled, "I could use a break to spend the rest of the evening with my kids before I see you all off to bed."
Let up for air, Fiona cheered, "Really?!" At the firm nod and hummed affirmative that responded, she held tightly onto him again. Sighing in content, the scaly Vampire leaned his head against hers for an endearing picture that came on with a bit of pain for Heero.
Sweet as the moment was, the Original bit his lip against the new surge of feelings washing over him.
Ever since his sister had accepted to be a surrogate for him and Duo, these glimpses into the wonderful aspects of parenthood brought on a jealousy and longing that Yuy had a difficult time admitting to even himself. Now there really was no saying to whether or not he and his Companion would ever experience times like this with their own child some day.
Clearing his throat, Heero shook his head to clear it. "So, how is progress with the programming coming?" he asked in sincere curiosity. There was the added benefit of bringing up a much more pressing issue than the sad concepts running through his mind.
"I've actually made a lot of headway these last few hours," Wufei said with a smile he had not shown when it came to mentioning his assignment since its start. "For the first time, I'm pretty confidant that the registry will be sorted out in plenty of time for the move."
Shoulders sagging, Yuy let out a puff of a air. "That's great news," he sighed, finishing with a shrugged, "But then, we all knew that the right Vampire was on the job, so it is not such a surprise to hear."
Blinking widely, Chang replied, "That... coming from you means a lot, brother. Thank you." His sentiment was meant as much more than simply being an extension of gratitude from a third-generation Vampire to his Clan's patriarchal Original. Those formalities were the furthest thing from the blood relatives after having been through so much together.
They shared a pair of warm smiles born out of their respect for one another that only family could understand. Difficult as their first encounters had been, those days were long behind them as they stood in that office with only gratitude that they had each other in their existences.
Placing Fiona to her feet, Wufei said, "I've saved my place, so I can take over looking after my brood from here." Subconsciously holding onto his daughter's hand, he smirked, "I'm sure that Midi would like to be a part of getting the larger furniture moved in so that everything is as it should be, so I will free her time up for the night."
Hesitantly, the scaly Infected commented, "And I'll keep tabs on the media updates from Washington. Better to have an idea of what to expect with the potential changes to come." Wincing, he mumbled, "Not that I'm particularly looking forward to hearing it."
"Yea," Heero frowned. "Just another hurdle. Nothing more." Smiling down at his niece, he ran a hand over the top of her head and informed, "I'll round up the troops for the next phase of the move, then," he informed. Fiona giggled and wrapped her arms around his leg in a tight squeeze. "Have fun with the little monsters." He smirked with a wave before slipping from the room.
Lowering himself to his knees when his brother was beyond earshot, Wufei asked his child, "So, what has been the highlight of your day so far, sweetheart?"
There was not a second's hesitation in the girl's laughed, "Seeing you, Daddy."
Chang laughed, pulling her back up into his arms as he stood upright once more and he kissed her cheek. "I was hoping you might say that," he grinned. Tapping the tip of her nose, he said quietly, "Seeing you is mine, too. Now... let's go check on your siblings."
He freed an arm to boot down his computer for the official start of a much needed break and closed off the office behind him as he walked them out into the hallway.
* * * * * *
"No creatures in this existence understand the fears of those who do not understand us better than the Vampires," Treize Khushrenada addressed the keen audience of the Senate. "But even if we were to agree to full disclosure of our makeup due to experiments and other evasive examinations, there would be no changing their opinions of our kind."
In a far more casual approach to his speech, he avoided sticking himself behind the podium at the center of the room. Keeping himself personable and engaging, he opted to slowly walk around the edge of the round stage instead. It gave him a better vantage point of all of the faces watching him while lowering their guards by staying at their level.
Amongst the delegates and the citizen seats in the high balconies, the majority looked on in sympathetic agreement to all that the Councilman had to say up to that moment. Nancy McAdams, on the other hand, could not help but wear her bitter heart on her sleeve. Arms and legs crossed, the Senator never so much as smiled or offered any expression other than contempt for him.
Except for taking the bit of enjoyment at her expense, Treize paid no mind to her as he went on, "In regards to the suggested solutions offered by our opposition, I am relieved to know that there is an overwhelming negative response to the thought of neck braces. The ill-willed connotations that come with such restraints from prisoners of war to slaves treated as anything but human are still imbedded in our minds as their historical associations."
Khushrenada's back was purposely to Nancy for that much, causing him to miss her heated glare and bared teeth. Like it or not, the Senator had to admit that what she had thought was a good idea in bringing up the braces was not properly thought out for the attack that it was receiving now. But what was done was done. Now she could only sit back to listen as her challenger tore her angle apart.
He opened his arms, smiling sadly, "I have renewed trust between our kinds thanks to your outcries against this measure. But there is still the issue of tagging Infected in some way and that comes with its own concerns. There is no question that we Vampires are different."
Shaking his head, he shrugged, "We have enough outward clues to that face. But to enforce anything that makes us stand out any more than we already do is not right. The purpose of the Human-Vampire treaty was to have our kinds meet on an equal plane of co-existence. Any shift in that would set that peaceful foundation onto shaky ground."
"Of course any of you could argue that I am simply here to defend my fellow Infected and without worry for the livings, but that simply is not the case," Treize declared. "I promise you that my kind care every bit as much for the well being of those we share this world with as every one of you gathered here today. All that we ask is for your continued appreciation for what separates us as well as what makes us one in the same. In the end, our rights should be bear that same equality."
Taking a deep breath, he came to stop in the center of the stage and nodded firmly, "I appreciate your time... and for what I would hope will be your open minds when you cast your votes this evening. Thank you."
As the Councilman moved for the stairs to descend to the lowest level, there were bursts of applause throughout the public witnesses in the balconies. A echoed bang from the Moderator's gavel brought those onlookers to silence.
Still, Quatre lowered his hands with a proud smile on his face for Khushrenada. His cousin-in-law had laid everything out on the line just as he needed to. And from his point of view, the Companion could see a far more welcoming response from the Senate compared to what McAdams had been shown.
There was a cautionary measure of relief and reassurance that Winner could not remember feeling for some time leading to that late afternoon.
Rising to his feet, the Moderator announced, "So concludes the arguments over the registration.
The vote counters have been made aware of their duty prior to this meeting. They shall cast their ballots first before handing out the remaining pamphlets to the remaining members of this board and will report to my closed off chambers. We will be in contact once we have confirmed the tally. To the civilian witnesses, please step outside for the duration of the vote until we have an announcement to make."
Another hard crack from the gavel brought a stillness back to the room.
* * * * * *
On a large, flat-screen television in the break room closest to Septum's office, the scientist looked on at the front of his team that had crowded in behind him to follow up on the events in Washington. Arms folded across his chest, the dark-haired man was quite certain that all of the screens throughout his base were going to be on and surrounded by anxious faces.
The red-haired reporter standing before the Capital's stairs returned to interrupt a commercial, informing, "We have just received word that the public viewers have been excused, ladies and gentlemen. This would be the first sign of life that have come from the building for several hours now and it serves as a very real indication that the vote is underway..."
"I was afraid that I was going to miss this," a familiar voice commented at Millers' back.
Spinning, Septum blinked widely and laughed, "Broderick. Wonderful to have you back home, my friend. I hope that you enjoyed your stay in China."
His Hunter shrugged, "I was pleased with what information I could gather there. As for the sights, I did not catch much." Gesturing to the television, he said, "I just couldn't imagine being anywhere else for this bit of news when it comes in."
With a deep chuckle, the scientist slapped the taller young man's shoulder. "It's about to be a very big day for us," he smirked. "I have a very good feeling that we are finally going to be given a break in our search." Not wanting to risk missing anything, the two stared back at the screen to wait for the confirmation of just that along with their teammates.
* * * * * *
Night had since fallen over Italy, leaving the tranquil hillsides of secluded Umbrian Italy the perfect place for a Rogue to hide out. So a team of Preventers discovered when they came to an abrupt halt in their dead run to materialize amidst a patch of tall trees.
"She's close," Charles breathed to the backs of his tensed mentors standing only a couple feet ahead of them. Gold-rimmed eyes wide with panic at the proximity of their target, took a deep whiff of the air. Swallowing roughly, he added in a whisper, "Real close."
Her right wrist snapping to have an arrow lock into the release position of her crossbow, Anna gritted through her growing fangs, "She's here."
And from several yards away, a piercing scream broke the calm of the lovely little countryside.
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page