Oh lights go down, In the moment we're lost and found
I just wanna be by your side... If these wings could fly
Oh damn these walls, In the moment we're ten feet tall
And how you told me after it all
We'd remember tonight... For the rest of our lives
-Lyrics to 'Wings' performed by Birdy
Crimson Bonds Part 63
[Flashback]
Shannon, Ireland. September, 1920.
The reception had wound down in the early morning hours to conclude the perfect day and evening for the exchange of nuptials and the celebration of the official union between two creatures who had already seen more challenges than most couples experienced in their whole time together.
From the edge of the river where they sat on the edge of a secluded pier, the newlyweds leaned heavily against each other's sides as they stared out to the shimmering water lit by both the full moon and countless fireflies. Their hands linked in their laps and their heads close, they sat in a comfortable silence while soaking in their simple, perfect day.
Her head still crowned by a ring of colorful flowers and the edges of her flowing dress of white with subtle lace details drifting on the light breeze, Anna finally heard herself sigh, "I never thought that I could ever be this happy."
Were she still able to blush, she knew that she would have when her new husband lifted his head from hers to give her that special smile he only showed her. In the romantic light around them, his scales shone as much as the love in his onyx-and-gold eyes to steal her heart once again.
"I was just thinking the same thing," Wufei murmured. Reaching over with his free hand, he pressed and held a kiss against his bride's lips. When he pulled back, he grinned, "I know that we're going to have many more years and countless other memories to share, but I know I'll never forget tonight for as long as I exist."
The Irish Infected's eyes shimmered at the intensity of the emotions resonating from his voice. Melting against him all the more, she leaned in for a much more satisfying kiss. "Well, good te hear since der's no escapin' me now dat we're hitched," she giggled when she pulled back, her accent slipping out after that passionate exchange.
Snickering, Chang shook his head and shifted so that he could pull her close by her waist and they fell into another stretch of comfortable silence.
But it was the former soldier who broke the stillness that time when he whispered against the top of Anna's head, "Thank you for giving me a second chance... for forgiving me enough and trusting me enough to allow me to have this with you."
Taken aback, Anna straightened herself as she frowned deeply, "Wufei... we promised each other not to bring that up today. What's past is past and I don't regret any of it."
His smile saddening a bit, the scaly Vampire rested a hand over hers and replied, "I know. But I realize now that it's just not possible to at least mention it since our history is a part of us and how we got here."
Swallowing roughly, the redhead nodded shallowly when she had to admit the logic behind the sentiment. Painful as the experience was at times, it had all been worth it in the end.
Wufei bit his lip before resting their foreheads together as he whispered, "You were absolutely beautiful today."
Anna ducked her head, giggling, "That's only because I am wearing a dress for a change."
"It's a lot more than that," the Chinese Infected smirked, shaking his head in amusement over the shy expression on his wife's face. Draping an arm around her shoulders, he sighed, "I will have to work on getting you to see yourself more the way I see you, Celtic Rose."
Groaning, the Irish Vampire lightly shoved his arm, causing him to laugh before they both sobered. "So," she smiled, "considering what we have come through, I do not have to fear whatever more surprises our existences have in store now that I have you."
Chang nodded firmly, "To whatever is thrown at us then- the good, the bad and everything in between." His grin taking on a more mischievous turn, he got to his feet in the next breath as he brought his laughing Chosen up in his arms with him. "That just leaves me to my duty of carrying you across the threshold of our tent and carrying out my first husbandly duty of consummating our marriage."
Arms draping around his neck, Anna beamed, "Well, far be it for me to get in a soldier's way of carrying out his duty-" The world faded completely away when her lips were captured by another scorching kiss just before she was whisked off in a blur.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
[Many years later...]
"Here we go," Sally murmured from the other side of the medical curtain that shielded away the lower half of her patient's body. "Now that the medication is kicking in, you're going to feel a little pressure, Anna." Peeking her head over the top of the blue sheet, she grinned behind her mask, "Ready to meet your babies?"
Lifting her head from the bed beneath her, the redhead nodded enthusiastically, "More than ready." Her gold-and-blue eyes were welling up just thinking of how her existence-long dream of being a mother was about to come true.
Ever at her side, Wufei was equally emotional as he squeezed their locked hands. Bending down to press a kiss against her forehead, he was only about to right himself when the most incredible sound of a shrill cry filled the air.
Gasping, the wide-eyed couple stiffened at the wail.
"That would be Charles," Sally announced, her excitement radiating in her voice, "...and this..." A second loud shriek joined in with the first as the doctor concluded, "is Isabel."
A sharp sob broke from both of the new parents as their little ones continued to cry during their cleaning, weighing and initial tests. "Each baby has ten little fingers, ten little toes and they look great," one of the nurses informed while Sally focused on closing her patient up.
Letting out a sharp puff of air that he had been holding, Wufei kissed his soul mate soundly and whispered thickly, "I love you... so damned much."
With a soft giggle, Anna replied as softly, "Love you, too."
Two of the nurses appeared, each wheeling a cart safely carrying the two bundled babies inside, one swaddled in pink and the other in blue. "Oh my God," the redhead breathed, lifting her head as far as she could to eye her little ones. "They're so cute." Snickering as he carefully lifted Isabel into his arms, Wufei nodded.
"All finished," Sally sighed as she removed the curtain. Smiling widely, she rounded the table as her dear friend pushed herself up and squeezed her shoulder with a quiet, "You did an awesome job, Mom."
Laughing almost nervously at the new title, Anna lost all of those jitters the moment her husband returned to her side with Charles. Instinct kicking in, her arms curled up to cradle their son easily. Even through their wet eyes, the new parents were nothing but splitting grins sitting together with their wide-eyed, alert babies.
Huddled together in the corner of the operation room, the nurses and doctor looked on. "They're naturals," Ruth, one of the younger aids chuckled.
Sally hummed and smirked, "That they are." Gesturing to the door, she led the way out to give the family some time alone while the final preparations for the recovery room were made and their anxious loved ones standing by were informed of the successful delivery.
Freeing a hand to dry his scaly face, Chang took in his wife and asked, "You remember the night of our wedding how I mentioned there will be moments even in our extended existences that I'll never forget?" He pointed at their younglings, whispering, "This is one of them."
Unable to trust her voice to respond, Anna relied on action instead by leaning forward for a deep kiss that spoke every volume and syllable for her.
What a wild and at times unforgiving, journey existing had been for them. But for every challenge, the joyful highs had been incredible and well worth the struggles.
There were certain to be more tears and heartaches along the way, but the laughter and love would outweigh them all in the end now that they were able to share those experiences not only with each other, but as a family now.
[End Flashback]
* * * * * *
Sniffling as she lay on her side with her back to her fellow prisoners, Anna lightly ran her fingers over her swelling abdomen. It had been hard for her to think back to some of those happiest memories. But it was important for her to see Wufei and her children in some way again...
...The whole Khushrenada Clan... Quatre... Midi... Trowa... Heero... her children... Wufei...
...and silently, she said goodbye.
* * * * * *
"Any luck?" Heero asked when he materialized in the middle of the cabin's living room to find Wufei and Charles standing by.
Shaking his head, his brother-in-law sighed, "No. We were able to follow his trail towards the mountain range before he became careful about covering his tracks from that point on. He could be anywhere by now, since we have no idea for certain how long ago he took off."
From the corner of his eye, Chang glanced at the simple message that had been left on a single sheet of paper in his son's clean handwriting that read, 'I'm sorry. But I have something very important to take care of. -John'
The scaly Infected ran a hand over his hair, murmuring, "Not that it really matters now. I have a pretty good idea of where he's going. By the time we get a hold of Trowa to transport us so that we can intercept him, it'll be too late."
Charles blinked widely at that. "So... where do you think he's going?" No sooner had the question passed his lips did the answer come to him, his onyx-and-gold eyes growing. Along with his equally stunned Uncle Heero, he all but whispered, "Angela."
* * * * * *
He had made better time than he thought he might. But then, he never had the motivation to push himself as hard as he had before. Crossing the ocean in record time, he came to an abrupt halt to stand at the start of Senator Nancy McAdams's front lawn.
Swallowing roughly at the sight of the impressive red-brick residence that dated back to colonial times, John silently battled with himself to gather his nerve. Only he couldn't move his feet from where they had planted themselves on the cold sidewalk.
Instead of taking a step forward, the youngling reached into the pocket of his leather coat to remove his cell phone.
Opening the flip, pressing against a saved number and holding the receiver to his ear, he listened to the dial tone ringing five times before his lover's voice chimed in sweetly, "Hi, this is Angela. Sorry I can't get to the phone right now-"
His hand shaking at the sound of her welcoming timbre, John disconnected the call while violently pulling his receiver away. He made one more attempt, only to have to listen to the beginning of his Chosen's voicemail once more. Growling under his breath, he closed the flip and stuffed the phone back into his pocket.
It was only hours from nightfall and the lack of any light from within the home, coupled with the empty garage that the Vampire had peeked into with his ability to see through solid objects, revealed that the residents were out and about at the moment. Where they had gone and how long they would be away was unknown.
And John was out of any options short of standing by and waiting. It wouldn't be long before his father guessed where he was. Turning himself in was out of the question and he could only hope that the time wasted to look for him would keep his family at bay long enough for Angela to return home.
Weighing his odds, the dark-haired immortal decided to wait it out. Eventually, someone would have to return. The die had already been cast on his fate since he had left the searching party to carry out his mission. What difference was standing by for another few hours going to make?
Already having checked out the lay of the land, John became a blur of himself to shoot around to the back yard. Climbing onto the highest limb of the tallest tree, he made his perch with a great vantage point overlooking the driveway. As soon as any car pulled in to approach the garage, he'd have more than enough time to meet the driver on the front step of the residence.
Planning on it being a while to wait, the youngling did his best to take advantage of his view to enjoy the sunset that had just begun.
* * * * * *
"Can I get bitten now?" Emma asked in a rush. "I wanna help! Can you take me to Solo?"
Snickering, Broderick reached down to pat the girl's head. "Easy, kiddo," he smiled warmly. "As anxious as we both are, there is a little bit of planning that has to come into play first. We need to work out what your power might be to give us the best opening out of here without hurting anyone innocent."
He shrugged, "That and we have to wait for Septum to call for you to spend time in Anna's cell. I don't expect that to be in the next few days while Senator Dobson's here. But as soon as we have a clear plan in mind, you'll be the first to hear it from me. I just didn't want to have to surprise you with what the others and I have discussed."
Folding his burly arms across his chest, the Hunter shared, "And you're more than in the right to say if you're up for this or not. Anna, Duo, Solo and Celeste were all perfectly clear that they wouldn't hold it against you if you were scared and didn't want to do this."
"No, I'm not scared," Emma insisted. "I wanna get us outta here."
The grin on his face widening, Broderick complimented, "That's a brave girl. I don't have any doubt that you'll do everything you can to help out. As soon as we have a firm plan together, we'll be meeting again."
Exchanging their goodbyes, the Hunter took his leave and stepped out onto the catwalks. On his way past the living quarters and moving towards the lab, he came across Doctor Adodera. Her eyes widening at the sight of him, the lovely blonde pulled at his arm to lead him into a private nook before any other passerby could notice them.
Their gazes locking, she said in a hushed voice, "I got your message. I'm in. Just let me know what I need to do and when we move."
Grinning, Broderick replied, "Glad to hear it. For now, you should start making mental notes of what equipment you might need for Anna and the babies to make their transport as safe and easy as possible. We have to be ready for anything, including potential complications that might bring a risk to them."
"Already ahead of you there," Gloria smirked. "I've been hording what I can over the last few weeks, hoping that this opportunity might come. Any and everything that I could possibly need is stored and ready to go."
Dawson's smile widened at that. "Awesome," he sighed in relief. "Solo should have his weapon of choice to pass onto Emma soon and the Senator will be returning back to the States before the week is over. Ideally, we'll be able to get away within twenty-four hours of that. The staff will be turning over and everyone will be letting their guard down to give us an opening in their defenses."
Nodding firmly, the young doctor agreed, "Good thinking. Keep me posted on any changes or updates."
From there, the co-conspirators parted ways after their last pleasantries were offered so that they could blend back into their surroundings without drawing any attention to either one of them. Anyone who had happened to catch a glimpse of them never caught onto the fact that they had just had a private meeting, they went in opposite directions so nonchalantly.
His heart pounding in his chest, Broderick carried the same ball of energy and anticipation within that he would in the lead up for a hunt. The troops were rounding up, the details were being sorted out and the time was soon approaching.
This was going to work. They were going to get away. And the villains wouldn't have anywhere to hide once their identities were revealed to the Preventers.
Carrying that confidence, the Hunter could finally breathe a little easier.
* * * * * *
"Preventers?" Senator Dobson frowned, his wide eyes blinking. With a snort, he smirked darkly, "Well, well, well. Isn't that interesting?"
Folding his arms behind his head as he leaned back in his office chair, Septum smiled, "What a shame would it be if something that damning to the Vampires was released to the Senate. Smooth as Treize Khushrenada may be, there would be no way of talking his way out of that revelation."
A hand reaching up to rub his stubby chin, Eric nodded, "Yes, indeed. I'll definitely be holding onto that little nugget until the time is right. An advocate like Nancy McAdams would be able to stab quite the stake into the Infected's legislations." Chuckling, he gave himself pat on the back for that creative pun included in his sentiment.
"Just so long as there is absolutely no way that the leak will get back to you," Millers warned, a finger raised in the air to emphasize his point. "The last thing that we need now is for a slip up to cost us everything we have worked toward."
Huffing, his friend reminded, "You know better than anyone how cautious I am." At least, he thought to himself, that was normally the case.
In the back of his mind, Dobson pushed back the thought of his little inside joke of sending the Khushrenada Clan a Christmas Card from Australia. It was widely known that the Senators of the World Council traveled widely for the holidays. He saw no harm in the hidden taunt.
Even more sure of himself, the politician reassured with a smirk, "Don't worry. There's not a damned thing that's going to stop us now."
* * * * * *
Angela McAdams pulled into the driveway of her family home, noting that there were no other cars in te garage. It came as no surprise that she had beat the rest of her family home. Her mother would be picking Cynthia up from ballet school and David was finishing his late shift at work.
So, she had the house all to herself for a little over an hour... not entirely a good thing since that meant it would only be her and her thoughts. She had made leaps and bounds in pushing... him from her mind, but every now and then the pain crept back in.
Knowing that she needed to keep that from happening, Angela was already tallying how she could keep herself preoccupied as she stepped out of her vehicle and made her way from the garage. On instinct alone, she rounded the house and climbed the front porch.
Just as she reached out to punch in the access code at the door, the blonde young woman froze at the sound and feel of a rush of air that came to a sudden stop at the bottom of the steps behind her.
"Angela," a familiar voice called softly, running a chill up her spine and resonating in the very core of her being. Frozen and wide-eyed for a long moment, it took effort to slowly turn herself enough so that she could look on the visitor standing in wait only a few feet behind her.
Her entire body aching at the sight of John, the one person who had completely unraveled and at the same time held her together, the living gasped sharply as her arms fell slack at her sides. Only it wasn't the appearance of the handsome being's face that startled her...
...it was the gold rings around his dark irises captured by the glowing streetlamps.
Numb from head-to-toe, Angela breathed, "Y-you..." And that was all she could manage when the shock of emotions took its toll on her tired body. The light in her own eyes faded when they began to roll back before she literally fell away into unconsciousness.
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page