Roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine
Together we can see what we will find
Don't leave me alone at this time,
For I'm afraid of what I will discover inside
-Lyrics to 'Roll Away Your Stone' performed by Mumford and Sons

Crimson Bonds Part 42

It was a bitter-sweet family reunion at Rosshe's palace-like estate. For as thrilled as the children were to have their father and uncles back, they were still without their mother and Uncle Duo. Which also meant that the three Vampires making up the search party within their Clan would be leaving once more before long.

The 'hello's' and 'good-bye's' had become a routine to the Chang youngsters ever since they had first arrived to their friends' home for their safety.

What little time they had to be with their Dad they soaked up the best they could before he needed to be on the move again. And Wufei gladly took on their hovering around until they couldn't keep their eyes open when the hour of the days drew late.

Out of respect, Trowa and Midi had faded from sight for their personal time together. Neither one of them wanting to be overly affectionate around their cousins, they found a room of their own to reconnect with embraces, kisses and more until they were ready to reemerge.

All of that left Heero to take what solace he could in their hosts' company and encouragement. Sighing as he bowed his head in gratitude to Dorothy when she passed over a saucer and cup of tea-colored blood, he murmured, "Thank you."

The drink, necessary as it was to keep his strength up, still brought on an emptiness since only Duo's blood could truly satisfy Yuy.

Still, he sipped at the offering to gather what energy he could to keep going on. After all, the fact that there was no other blood to fulfill his needs only proved his husband was still alive. Where there was life, there was still a chance that they would be together again.

And the same went for Wufei, who had not felt the chill of loss any Vampire would should their Companion's existence somehow be taken from them.

Following his tucking the little ones into their beds for the night, the scaly Infected slipped into the room just as Dorothy was moving to pour a cup for him. The corner of his lips curling up a bit, he nodded firmly while he took the seat beside his brother. "Have Rosie's nightmares come back since the last time we were here?" he asked quietly.

"Actually, no," Rosshe answered, taking Catalonia's hand into his own when she took to the chair beside him. "For as frequently as you had spoken of her waking in the middle of the night, there has not been a single disturbed night for her while she has been in our home."

Blinking at that, Chang huffed, "Huh." He shrugged, "Well, that's good to hear. Bad enough what she and the others have to deal with when they're awake and waiting for good news that we can't give them yet." His voice cracked at the end a bit, causing him to stop and bite his lip. Turning his head away, he cleared his throat.

Sophia shook her head, frowning, "How long will you be able to stay before you have to head out again? For Vampires, you're both looking so... tired."

Unable to help the soft chuckle that her choice of words brought on, Heero grinned, "Our kind can take on such appearances when we are without the presence of our Companions for an extended time. Between that and the stress of the search, I am surprised that we do not appear more haggard than we do."

Trowa entered the dining room alongside his wife, snorting, "Oh, the both of you have been a little rough around the edges." He winked to his snickering cousins and joined the lot at the table with Midi right behind.

Losing his humor, the Original glared at the gold armband he wore and grumbled, "This whole search would go a whole lot smoother if we weren't being hunted down so easily thanks to these damned trackers."

Alex inquired, "How long of a window do you guys usually have to stay in one spot?"

"Depending on how long Crystal can give us before the mole in her organization breaks into the database, anywhere from two to three days," Wufei responded.

Slowly drawing out a long, slow breath, he folded his arms across his chest. Marveling and frustrated, he shook his head, "I've seen some impressive hacking in my years of experience since computers came into play, but whoever this person is they're good... damn good. And I can't sit still long enough to get a read on their server because they have dozens of ways to throw me off before I have to start from scratch."

Mueller chewed on the inside of his cheek, offering, "If there was any way we could help besides just watching our borders to secure them for the kids, you know that we would jump in."

Grinning, Heero reassured, "We know that. But what you are all doing here is more than we could ever ask. Having the peace of mind that no further danger will harm them is the most important thing to all of us right now."

Her head raising up, Dorothy thought aloud, "You know... there are a couple of people you could throw into the search. A pair that will remain off the radar to move and act as they pleased since they are not a part of the registry."

Yuy, Chang and Barton sat up rigidly with wide eyes at the same instant. "Charles and John," the Latin Infected all but whispered. Rubbing his chin, he laughed, "Of course. They don't have trackers because as far as the rest of the world knows they don't exist. That's brilliant."

Not looking nearly as excited, the scaly Vampire allowed a small nod of affirmation that the idea was sound. The thought of sending his sons out into the world on their own was not exactly the most reassuring consideration for him.

Patting Chang's shoulder, Yuy told him, "You did promise them a shot in helping with the case as soon as you thought they might be needed."

Of course, Heero understood the dilemma that the move presented for a father who wanted nothing more than to guarantee the safety of his children. "I don't like this any more than you do, brother. This was going to be a last resort ,but we just have so few options left to us now," he reasoned aloud.

The Chinese warrior reached up to rub his face as he sighed, "I know. And it would be hypocritical of me to hold either of them back when I was the one who defended John's wish to go off on that hunt with Anna and Duo." Lowering his hands, he finally nodded, "Alright. I'll talk to them and see that they're ready to leave with us not long after first light."

With a sympathetic smile on his own face, Trowa gave his cousin's back a firm slap. "I think it would be best if we had them start back at our estate in Virginia," he stated. "By now, I would be surprised if the mansions hadn't been ransacked. Clues could have been left behind that they could pick up on to help us. From there, we could use them wherever they might be able to get us somewhere."

"So long as they never have to engage with a pack of Hunters," Wufei conceded. "Those bastards travel by the dozens and I wouldn't want Charles or John put at risk by facing them." The Originals nodded firmly in agreement without hesitating.

Rosshe was quick to extend, "They will have complete access to our weaponry for whatever tools they may want or need during their time away. We also have reliable radios that are as efficient as cell phones that can transmit calls to or from anywhere in the world." Smiling, added, "Compliments of Catherine."

Slightly dipping his head, Yuy chuckled deeply, "You and your family have no idea how much your hospitality means."

Under his breath, Wufei groaned, "Let's just hope this all works out. Anna will kill me if anything happens to our boys out there."

*   *   *   *   *   *

"I'm going to kill him," Anna hissed sharply, her heated glare boring up at the camera watching her. "That son of a bitch, Millers, just decided to add further insult to injury by expecting me to wear these... these... things." At the end of her rant, she gestured to the small pile of clothes that just been delivered to her cell.

Duo laughed, "They're called maternity dresses, sis. And seeing as how he could have had you outgrow the clothes you have on and not have anything to wear, he's at least showing some respect." Tilting his braised head, he smirked, "That cute little belly of yours is already stretching your threads to their max capacity."

The redhead continued to stare in disgust at the very girly colored and printed materials. "But why did it have to be dresses?" she all but wailed. "Even Midi showed me the decency of making up mostly sporty wear through my pregnancies."

Biting his lip, Solo struggled to hold onto the amused snicker that he wanted to break free. His shaking shoulders gave him away, however. In her own cage across from him, Celeste smiled warmly to herself as she watched her lover's back and the clue to his laughter.

Anna shook her head, fiddling with the hem of her ruined tank top as she relented with a grumbled, "Fine."

Disappearing into a blur of herself, the redhead's outfit went flying high enough that it did not even touch the ground before she reappeared in a knee-length sky-blue dress. Fussing with the spaghetti straps, she frowned, "I hope that Wufei shows up with a pair of running pants and a sweatshirt when he and Heero get here."

"Still so sure they're going to show, huh?" Solo asked, bringing all of the attention onto himself as he turned away from his corner to meet the blue-and-gold eyes of his cell block mate. "You're still not giving up the ghost even though you've been here for months without any proof that they haven't given up by now?"

On her feet and her face reddening, Celeste snapped, "Solo! Knock it off!"

Waving a hand, Anna reassured, "It's okay, sister." She peered from her corner of the eye at the blonde Hybrid, saying, "I understand that his past experiences have broken him of any hope of getting out of here. He just doesn't know our family or friends who are involved. They'll find us."

Solo huffed, pulling his legs to his chest as he turned his back to the others once more.

He did, however, have one pair of particularly sympathetic eyes following him. Swallowing roughly, Duo hated to admit that his faith was beginning to shake ever so slightly. The constant tests and treatments that carried him to the brink of insanity were taking their toll....

...now, instead of anger, he looked to his twin in a whole new light. Maxwell was being shown a glimpse of what he could very easily become... a cold shell of a being with nothing but cynicism for his existence...

And it was beginning to scare him.

The main entrance doors slid open to twice as many guards as what the lot was used to seeing for Duo's escort.

Curious, the prisoners moved to their main walls as one of the Hunters announced, "The doc wants to see both brothers from here on out." Smirking darkly to both wide-eyed Hybrids, he told them, "So looks like it's your lucky day. Misery loves company."

Everything became a sea of black for the half-breeds when their collars were activated to send them crumbling unconsciously to the floor.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Pacing in front of his alert sons, Wufei folded his arms behind his back and instructed them in a firm voice, "I want regular check-ins from the both of you no more than three hours apart. Whether you decide to work as a team or separately is up to you, but weigh both options carefully. Working individually would allow you to cover more ground, but you would be risking more coming up against trouble alone."

John and Charles nodded firmly as they followed their father with the shifting of their heads and eyes as they listened intently. Their involvement in the search was what they had been hoping for ever since their mother and Uncle Duo were taken away. And now that the opportunity was being laid at their feet, there was every bit as much anxiety as there was excitement.

It would be the first time John would be on a mission and in the world on his own while Charles had yet to experience existence in the field while working a case. And neither one was quite sure how ready they actually were for any of it.

Handing over the radio transmitters to his charges, Chang went on, "I don't need to go into how important it is that you be thorough in sifting through any possible leads or evidence left behind by the Hunters that are tracking us. You've both been brought up well in holding your own if ever engaged in a fight..."

He paused in his speech and steps, gathering his thoughts as he reached up to dry-wash his scaly face in his hands. Frowning, John tilted his head, asking, "Dad... is there anything else you need to tell us?"

"Yea," Chang laughed sharply when he lowered his hands to meet the gazes on him, "Don't make me regret this." His sons snickered, understanding shining in their gold-rimmed eyes.

Relieved that the boys were following along, the Chinese warrior smiled sadly and sighed, "I know that you're ready for this. I know that you're needed to stay under our enemies' radar. Still, that doesn't make this call any easier for me. This is nothing like going on a hunt where you would have an experienced Preventer to keep you safe. Letting you go to grow up and experience life is one thing, but this..."

Unable to trust his voice when a lump lodged in his throat, he stopped himself from going on.

Charles was on his feet and closed the distance between himself and his father. Initiating a one-armed hug, he reassured quietly, "No one could have prepared us for this more than you and Mom, Dad. If we run into any trouble, we'll call for Uncle Trowa immediately so he can beam us away to safety."

From across the room, Barton chuckled deeply at the choice of words for his ability. The corner of his own mouth curling up, Heero appraised the teenagers with a sense of pride for how well they were conducting themselves in the bleak situation that had been thrust upon them.

A soft laugh breaking from him, Wufei shook his head and pulled his son close for a firm squeeze before releasing him. "Alright," he grinned with a firm nod as John stepped in for a hug as well. Slapping the eldest boy's back, he told the pair. "We don't have a lot of time to waste, so get your things together. Pack light- only your necessities and weapons."

Practically vibrating with anticipation at being able to be of use now, the young immortals darted off in blurs of themselves to take to the stairs leading up to the bedrooms.

"Nice work, Dad," Trowa complimented, a small smile on his face as he and Heero approached the scaly Infected. "As soon as they're ready, I'll take them to the woods surrounding the suburbs around our old neighborhood. That'll keep them at a safe distance to carefully approach our homes."

Content with that, Chang replied, "Good. We'll need to be off again soon after that. I'm not about to risk having that hacker peeking into our location and finding this spot." Not waiting for a response, he stepped out of the living room to gather up his own belongings.

His smile falling away, Barton peered over to his fellow Original, inquiring quietly, "Think he'll be able to keep himself together with those two being involved now?"

Nodding, Yuy defended, "Wufei will be fine. It's going to take everyone and everything that we can use at our disposal for this search and he knows that. Worry as he might about his sons, finding Anna as soon as possible is too high a priority for him to not accept that they might be our only shot at getting any closer to her."

At that, the Latin Infected snickered, "Well, I'm happy to say you've come a long way from your days of giving your brother the silent treatment and death glares. If anyone had told me then that you would actually stand up for Wufei, I never would have believed it."

Heero snorted, but smirked back as he nudged his cousin's side since he was not about to argue the sentiment. "Come on. We have our own packing to do," he suggested as he led the way out of the living room.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Broderick stared off into the void ahead of him as he was lost to his thoughts once again. After recently stepping out of the laboratory to deliver the maternity wear gathered up for his charge, he recalled the first real appearance of irritation on the Infected's face. Only the ire was directed more at the garments than the Hunter.

It never ceased to amaze Dawson how Anna could hold onto her pride even when there was so much stacked against her. What Septum and Berg were planning for her after the babies were delivered remained a mystery, but there was little doubt that she would have out-existed her usefulness.

She had to know that... and yet she continued to be defiant. Vampire or not, how could anyone not admire that?

"Earth to Broderick," a painfully familiar voice came through the handsome young man's concentration as a hand waved before his eyes. Blinking, he refocused on his surroundings and took in Lucie's smirking face.

Her hands folding together on the cafeteria table between them, she giggled, "What has you so preoccupied?" Though her smile grew, there was a touch of venom in her tone when she asked, "A woman that I don't know about, perhaps?"

A snort sounding off in his head, Broderick thought to himself, 'Ironically, yes.' That was the last thing he was about to share with Aisley. The last thing he needed was for her to get worked into a frenzy. Besides, he needed to sort out this whole Anna situation on his own.

Shrugging, he deadpanned, "Just thinking of the things I need get in order before my next shift in the lab. We still have the majority of the Yuy-Barton Clan to worry about until either the Hunters remove them from the equation or Berg finishes what he has to do with the Hybrids."

Lucy pursed her lips together with a sharp blow flapping them to make a 'pfpfpfpf' sound. "They're no trouble to us," she commented. "They're too busy running to be of any real concern. Thanks to McAdams push for the registration laws. Those trackers they're forced to wear have come in pretty handy." Raising an eyebrow, she smirked, "But then, I'm not one of the Hunters out there looking for them to seal the deal."

"If you're so confident that you could do better than anyone out in the field, why haven't you offered to bring the rest of the Clan in?" Dawson taunted, unable to hold back against her arrogance. Folding his arms across his chest, he shrugged, "You bring in two Originals and a Vampire who can't be cut to prove just how good you are. Put an end this whole cat-and-mouse chase."

Momentarily surprised by her counterpart's sharp tongue, Lucie chided herself for making such a bold statement that she had been cornered into. Rather than have the slight against her abilities show, she pulled her lips back into their usual winning smile and batted her eyes. "I would, but Septum benefits from my being here more," she replied, hating how obviously it came off as a cop out.

Not giving her any room to think that she had bluffed him, Broderick smirked, "Right. How could I have forgotten when I have spent the time I do in the lab without a single glimpse of you so much as checking in if you could be of any use there?"

Sputtering, Aisley's face drooped as she struggled to come up with a dignified response while her fellow Hunter gathered up his tray. "I'll see you wandering the halls whenever I reemerge from my work," he called over his shoulder before turning the corner to leave her red-faced with embarrassment.

Hands clenching into fists at her sides, the blonde beauty glared off into the direction that the object of her affections had taken to disappear before she could recover from her folly. "Great," she growled deeply. "Just when I thought that we were starting to make some progress."

But this little game between them was far from over. In the end, Lucie knew that she would still have her way... the extra challenge was all part of the fun, after all.

*   *   *   *   *   *

"Well, this is your stop," Trowa announced when he and his 'passengers' emerged into a world surrounded by night and trees.

Releasing John and Charles's arms, the Latin Vampire gestured to his right when they faced him and informed, "That's west. Keep on in that direction and you'll be back in our neighborhood. Just go in slow and carefully in case there are any Hunters lingering around to see if we return. Just make sure to keep us posted as your father said."

The nerves suddenly kicking in, the boys eyed the forest around them. Backpack secured tightly in place, they gripped the staffs of their weapons and finally nodded to their Uncle.

A sad smile curling his mouth, Barton offered quietly, "Good luck, guys. I know you've got this." Before he found himself caught up by their farewells, he waved and disappeared in a blur of colorful light.

With only the sound of a breeze rustling the leaves over their heads and the chirping of cicades, the brothers were stricken over the reality that they were really on their own in a world that they did not know.

And for the first time since being assigned this mission, fear began to set it.

Clearing his throat, John adjusted the straps of his pack while he announced, "Well, we're not helping Mom or Uncle Duo by standing around here. Let's go." That said, he took the first steps off into the direction that they had been pointed in.

"Right," John replied, quickly following behind.

So they continued forward into the unknown and never looked back.

TBC...

 

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