If we don't walk free with hand in heart, it's time.
If we cannot see all we destroy, we're blind.
It's not the hand that cuts, it's the heart we left behind
It's not the hand that cuts, it's the hatred deep inside
-Lyrics to 'Coal War' performed by Joshua James
Crimson Bonds Part 8
Treize Khushrenada kept his head up and warm smile without a single falter as he led his family up the front steps of the World Senate in the early, September morning. Hands tucked in the pockets of his long, light coat and his back straight, the head of the Vampire Council bowed his head to the living and Infected alike that he encountered with pleasant greetings to all.
Once he and his Clan reached the top of the marble stars, an especially welcoming face brightening in seeing them. "Hello, my friends," Senator Dobson waved happily as he approached.
Stocky and balding, the middle-aged man was one of the many on the board who treated the Vampires as if they were no different. He was also a mortal who outwardly fought for their rights with as much fervor as he would defend any human of his home state, Nevada, which he represented well.
A relieved sigh escaping him at the sight of the kind man, Khushrenada's smile grew as he replied kindly, "Eric. Always a pleasure to be in your presence." He held out a hand covered by a leather glove to conceal the cold of his skin for a firm handshake. "I do hope that you were able to enjoy the unexpected time off before we resumed council."
The Senator pulled his own hand back, frowning deeply, "Considering what the extended recess was called for, it was difficult to really relax." Gesturing to the rest of the Clan, he shook his head, "I can only imagine the stress these upcoming proceedings have had on all of you. I am very sorry that anyone sees a need for these ridiculous debates."
Grinning, Noin commented, "All par for the course, unfortunately. But it is not anything that we are not used to. At least once the vote is behind us we can move onto more pressing issues that really matter." Her husband snickered at the slight made at their opponents' expenses. Of course, they were not nearly so bold as to make such remarks in the Senators' presences, but they could have a little satisfaction nonetheless.
"Agreed, my dear," Dobson snickered. That quiet laughter faded instantly with the approach of the newest arrival to report in. Glancing back, the Infected watched a beautiful woman in a deep green dress suit complimented by a knee-length black skirt who had suddenly captured the attention of everyone standing around.
Nancy McAdams. The Senator looking to be the main attraction of the day.
Oh, she would have drawn enough glances simply for having the confident and alluring presence that she kept as she walked in her tall, black heels. Her shoulder-length mouse brown hair was pulled back at the top to keep any wisps from her heart-shaped face that carried hardly a laugh wrinkle even though she was in her mid-to-late forties...
And that latter detail could have only been the result of carefully executed plastic surgery, as argued by many of the other women on the board behind McAdams' back. The fact that she did not have a gray hair to be found made it believable enough to assume that she was vain enough to keep up appearances on many levels.
To some degree, appearances were a common thing to run rampant through the Council. After all, despite their wish to at the very least glare at Nancy as she walked past, Treize and his family nodded in acknowledgement to her with tight little smiles. She reacted in kind, but picked up her pace to leave them behind without so much as a word or a look back.
Walking towards the Khushrenada Clan, Senator Stacy Hall in all of her wise age that showed in every aspect of her from the lines on her face to her stark white hair, shook her head in disgust. "I cannot wait te hear what you have come up with for your arguments against her, Treize," she huffed.
Her back righting, the Representative of England was still a strong and striking entity. The corner of her lip curling up, she smirked, "I know she'll be crawlin' back te her corner when you are finished layin' down whatever eloquent speech you will deliver."
Other members of the Council neared to make similar statements until a small crowd of Infected and living alike had gathered around the Vampires in support. Very few who had been waiting around hurried after McAdams to join her as if they were being chased by monsters.
The whole situation was not a perfect one to have to be in at all, however, Treize and his family were able to release soft sighs of relief as they smiled and thanked their fellow board members as they began to filter inside.
Squeezing the cold hand he was holding onto, Quatre bent forward to kiss his wife's cheek. "What did I tell you?" he asked with a small smirk.
Relena's lips curled up as she giggled. Nodding firmly, she recalled aloud, "Everything is going to be alright." Together, they followed the rest of their family into the building. For the first time since news of the suggested change to their laws came into play, she believed her husband's words.
Already, the day was looking brighter.
* * * * * *
"Hey, Sal," Duo greeted cheerfully after checking the number on the screen of his cell phone. Lying on his back, he took turns bouncing Fiona and Ian on his raised, bent knees as he asked over their laughing, "What's up?"
Giggling, the doctor's warm voice replied, "I just wanted to inform that I feel comfortable enough in my research to lay everything out to you, Heero, Anna and Wufei whenever you're all ready to meet with me. Tonight would even be an option since one of our full-time examiners is back from his vacation as of now."
Violet-and-silver eyes widening, the Companion carefully lowered his nephew and niece to the floor as he sat himself upright. "That was fast," he chuckled, fighting hard to contain his excitement. "I was sure that it might take you closer to a week to make this call instead of a little over a day."
"Well, it helps that I have been around long enough now to have dabbled in pretty much every field of medicine," Sally replied, the smile clear in her voice. "Really, I just needed a refresher on a couple of things. So... when shall Victor and I stop over?"
Shaking his braided head to clear it of the dozens of questions already swirling through his mind, Maxwell answered, "Tonight would work." To the inquisitive, gold-rimmed eyes of his young charges, he smirked and patted their heads as he went on, "Everyone is home, but I'll confirm with everyone and get back to you if there are any problems with that."
Po's voice returned with a pleased, "Very good. Then unless I hear different, I will see you this evening after the kids' bedtime. Take care until then, Duo."
"Thanks, Sal," the Hybrid all but whispered before he closed his cell phone. Staring out at nothing in deep thought, he was brought back to reality by a finger lightly poking at his side. Quickly regaining his consciousness, he turned to stare upon the curious faces of the twins he had been entertaining.
Frowning, Ian tilted his head of black hair as his blue-and-gold eyes blinked. "You okay, Uncle Duo?" he asked. "You're awful quiet... 'specially for you." So much like his father, Maxwell thought to himself in amusement... serious with an air of humor by the means of a quip born out of a cleverness beyond his ten years of existence.
Ever the shiest of the children, Fiona nodded and clung to her brother's arm like a security blanket. Her head of long, red hair ducking a bit, there was still a bright light in those onyx-and-gold eyes of hers that announced when she was ready to break out of her shell she would be a force to be reckoned with. Until then, her twin gladly took on the role of being her rock and sound piece.
A mischievous smirk curling the corner of his mouth, Maxwell shifted to slowly stalk towards the little ones as he replied, "Oh, I would be alright if Shinigami wasn't trying to force his way out to start tickling some kids right about now."
Laughing, the children squealed and 'screamed in fright' while spinning and bolting from the room in blurs of themselves. Shinigami's irises glowed with a deep, rumbling chuckle from his chest before he followed the pair, hot on their heels.
In the blink of an eye, the three immortals scaled to the top of the Chang cottage where Wufei and Anna were just finishing up adding a few new family pictures to the walls in the hallway. "Save us, Mama!" Ian cried as he and his sister materialized, hiding behind either of her legs.
Carefully resting the large collage frame that she was carrying onto its hook after nearly dropping it, the Irish Vampire blinked in wide-eyed confusion down at the kids when her brother-in-law appeared. At the sight of the radiant violet eyes and the playful grin on the alter ego, Wufei chuckled under his breath and resumed telepathically setting nails and metal cords to the barren walls for the next arrangement of photos.
Placing a hand on her hip, Anna grinned to her charges, "Now you both know that I'm not about to get in Shinigami's way when he wants something. I'm just no match for him." At that, she stepped aside to expose the gasping twins at the same time that the Hybrid sprang forward to pin them against the floor for a blur of tickling that had the two in loud hysterics and their parents snickering.
"Let that be a lesson that you only make it worse by running from your Uncle," Chang smiled when Maxwell returned to himself and helped the kids back to their feet after a good, long spell. "Some things cannot be avoided."
Still catching their breath between their laughter, the twins chorused as one, "Yes... Father." They moved to hug their mother as she lowered herself to her knees, opening her arms to them.
Kissing their exposed cheeks that she was not already cupping in either hand, the Siren pulled them close. Focusing on the little girl, she asked softly, "What is your happiest moment today, Fiona?" It was a game that she played with the child to get her to open up. Ian looked on his sister with an encouraging smile.
Only hesitating for a second to bite her bottom lip in thought, the redheaded girl beamed, "Hopefully playing hide-and-go seek with Shinigami!" Their heads falling back, her parents laughed at her hint to their brother.
The grin on his face returning to that impish demeanor, the braided creature sniggered as he closed the gap between himself and his niece. Scooping her up and tossing her in the air, he caught the giggling bundle easily.
Gingerly lowering her to the ground while promising in his deep voice, "We'll play as soon as we get the others together. I'll meet you in the living room once I've had a chance to talk to your parents first." Cheering excitedly, Fiona and Ian dashed off to descend the stairs in a whirl without waiting for another second.
"You do know how to spoil them, Uncle Shinigami," Anna smirked, running her hand across 'second' brother's head. Purring and leaning against her touch, the Hybrid gave her a fond smile. When her hand pulled back, the brilliance in his violet eyes faded. "So, what's going on?" she asked as Wufei reached her side.
Drawing a deep breath, Duo informed, "Sally called to say that she's ready to meet with us whenever we're up for it." Slightly ducking his head, he smiled sheepishly, "She offered to come as soon as tonight after the kids are down so I told her that should work unless it's too soon for either of you."
The couple blinked widely at each other... then grinned widely at the end of their 'silent' discussion. "That would be fine," Chang nodded firmly on both their behalves, wrapping a scaly arm around his Other's shoulders to squeeze her against his side. "And I think that it would be safe to assume that when Heero returns from helping Midi at her restaurant that he will be anxious to have this sorted out as soon as possible."
Quietly breathing a sigh of relief, Maxwell all but shouted, "Great! I'll give him a heads up call so he is not taken by surprise when he does come home."
At a loss as to what more to do or say right then, he finally gave into his wishes and pulled his siblings into a tight hug. "Thank you," he breathed by their ears. He fought the urge to well up with tears when the snickering pair returned the embrace.
Stepping back, the Companion cleared his thick throat before he lost his composure. "Well, my buddy has a promise to keep," he chuckled deeply. That said, his violet irises glowed at the return of Shinigami. Bowing deeply at the waist, the entity vanished from sight in a blur of himself that raced down the stairs.
Anna giggled and began to turn back to the frames waiting by when she was caught up in a fierce embrace and a fiery kiss from her husband that cut off her laughter. Blinking widely in surprise for only a millisecond, her eyes closed as she returned the gesture with as much fervor as she could manage. Still reeling when they broke apart, she breathed, "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that for?"
Wufei shrugged, smiling, "I'm just so damn proud of you for going through with this surrogacy without so much thinking twice about it. Even knowing this means the world to our brothers, the choice was still yours in the end." Squeezing her a little tighter, he complimented, "You're one hell of a being, Anna Yuy-Chang."
Lightly swatting one of the scaly arms holding her, the redhead fought off the tingling in her eyes as she grinned, "You're all making such a big deal out of this. You and I both know that if there were anything you or I needed that Heero and Duo would do whatever they could to help us. It's not only the right thing, it's something that I take on gladly." Throwing her arms in the air, she sighed in exasperation, "And it's not a big deal to begin with! I've been pregnant many times over and handled them easily!"
Such was the response that the Mimic was expecting... his bride never was one to boast over any kind act she took on. That part of her was only natural. And it only made him all the more insanely in love with her.
"Alright. Fair enough," Chang relented, snickering. "I promise not to make big deal about it anymore then." Resting their foreheads together, he commented softly, "I just wanted to get it out at least once, anyhow."
Biting her lip as she stared into his soulful eyes, Anna stammered, "W-well, I could always go for you telling me through more kisses like that. If you really have to make a statement like that, of course-" She gasped sharply when the scaly Infected did much more than that by leaning in to bite into the nape of her neck. "O-or that works, too," she managed through the wave of pleasure running through her as he drank.
Only allowing her a brief recovery, Wufei threw his Chosen over his shoulder as he purred, "I plan on finding every way possible to tell you properly, love. Starting now while the kids are distracted." At the low groan from his wife just before she sank her own fangs into the back of his neck, he carried them both in a blur of himself through the entrance of one the nearest spare rooms... and all but slammed the door behind them.
* * * * * *
"In closing, we simply cannot allow our fellow man to be at any risk by willingly giving these... creatures more freedoms than their lust for blood could possibly allow them to hold responsibly," Nancy McAdams announced loudly and clearly from the podium stationed at the center of the oval Senate office. "History has shown that only true goodness is created directly from God," she continued, her fists clenching at her sides as she took in a few shallow nods throughout the audience.
Wrapped all around her in seats behind tables that wrapped and rose around the whole space, she made sure to span her stern eyes over every level to the very top to make eye contact with each face of the three-hundred plus gathered. And she never so much as flinched when she came across the cluster of the Vampire Council.
Perched at the front of the lot, Treize Khushrenada kept his expression tight and emotionless against his growing anger. At his back, he could feel the same ire practically vibrating from his fellow officials without having to so much as glance at them.
Opening her arms, the Senator shook her head, "Again, I am not calling for the demise nor so much as segregation." Deep in the back of her mind, she thought to herself, 'Though at the very least, the latter would not be a terrible thing. Too bad that would never pass.'
She conceded, "I simply call for a tightening of the liberties. Stricter registrations to come more than once every couple of years. At the very least, they should be done twice annually. And we need to look deeper into the actual need of the Harvests. There must be a better way to protect the lives of those who are actually still living."
Baby steps. Nancy was well aware that she would only have a chance at any sort of vote if she took baby steps in her demands. If she were lucky enough to win a few Senators over, that could only allow the grounds to push for more... in time. But for now, she would take whatever was offered.
Pulling in her bottom lip, she faced the podium to grip its edges as she bent forward in a deep bow. "Thank you for your time," McAdams murmured as sincerely as she could muster. "This concludes my plea."
Senators Eric Dobson and Stacy Hall were amongst those many representatives who outright glared at the woman as she stepped down from the stage in the middle of the ring below their elevated rows. Where their friends could not be as bold as to openly display their disgust, the humans in their defense all the way up to the high, separated balconies where the civilians following the case were placed, could.
For those livings, they had more than the right to let their own know how displeased they were that she was one of them. And one such person was none other than Quatre, who was visibly fuming.
Shifting uncomfortably in his tall-backed chair, the Assembly Moderator at the front of the stage cleared his throat. His silver hair taking the light when he nodded firmly, the gruff man watched the speaker return to her seat on the lower level across from him as he said flatly, "Thank you, Senator McAdams." In the awkward silence that had settled, he adjusted the thin, white collar that lined his black official robe.
He raised his head to the section of Vampires with warm, brown eyes and smiled, "Councilman Khushrenada, you have the floor now."
"Thank you," Treize grinned back sincerely as he rose to his feet. Brushing back his deep red robe, he took to the stairs and descended in the captivating confidence that came so easily to him. With all eyes on him, he reached the podium and took a deep breath so that his fellow law makers would see his chest rise. A carefully planned move to remind the Senators that he was, in many ways, every bit as human as they were.
His speech committed to memory, the Infected raised his head to his onlookers and began with a sad smile, "My friends, I stand before you but as one who has had either the curse or blessing of walking this Earth for many a year. I say this in such a way because there have been wonders that I have seen which cannot be described... but for that I have also had to witness the worst that the world has to offer... be they born of man's doing or nature's."
Caught up by those haunting memories, he paused to swallow roughly before frowning, "They are things that I still wish I never had to bear witness to."
Righting himself, Khushrenada shook his head to leave that past behind him where it belonged. he regained his focus on the faces that he resumed scanning as he went on, "I have a family of people whom I love dearly and would gladly forfeit my continuing on in this existence to protect."
At that, he noted the widening smiles and warmth on those Vampires' faces. "I have laughed, cried, been elated beyond what I thought capable and been at a loss of words due to anger as the next person."
Nancy's lips pursed when his gold-rimmed eyes passed over her. Folding her arms, she did not conceal her profound hatred, but did raise an eyebrow in interest to learn to whatever point he was making.
In having made his attention on her known leading to his next statements, Treize lifted his gaze once more to the rest of the audience to share, "I have needs, wishes and dreams to live in peace and with the same rights as my neighbor. I bleed when I am cut and so I desire to not be harmed. I have legs to walk, arms to reach out and hands to hold on, making me long to experience all that I can with them. I bear no hatred for those who show me no kindness and only ask that they not infringe or judge in kind."
The Infected came to an abrupt stop, causing his audience who had been listening so intently to sit on the edges of their seats in anticipation. Chuckling deeply after a long stillness, Treize smirked, "Oh... and I am also a Vampire."
Heads fell back with laughter, hands rose in loud applauded and even those not reacting as such gave some sort of smile or amused expression. None appeared more relieved by the response than the immortals amongst them. And then there was Nancy and her few supporters who looked as though they wanted to crawl within themselves to not have to endure what they were taking in.
"My friends," Khushrenada called, waving his hand to call order. Once the room fell silent enough again for him to continue, he smiled sadly, "Living and Infected have existed together for centuries. Were Vampires truly evil and driven only to kill, such a thing would never have been possible."
His arms opening, he said, "All that we ask is for the same understanding and acceptance to share this world as we have from our creation."
Bowing his head, he told the Senators, "I thank you for listening and for your understanding. As always, it is a pleasure working with all of you, including those of you who would rather not see me standing here."
When he raised his head, he made direct eye contact with McAdams. Her face red, the woman was more than fit to be tied. And yet she had to sit and take not only his presence, but his demonstration of forgiveness.
Nearly every Representative and member of the civilian audience rose to their feet with cheers and explosive ovation of claps and whistles while the Vampire returned to his seat. Humbled, Treize waved and placed a hand on his chest in deep gratitude as those Senators at the seats along the steps patted his back or shook his free hand.
"Well done, my heart," Lady Une whispered as he walked past, her eyes shimmering with proud tears. Unable to trust his voice, her husband's watery gaze met hers as he smiled lovingly. Zechs, Noin and Relena bent down to squeeze their cousin's shoulders. The remaining sixteen members of the Vampire Council could not have looked more pleased through their mouthed words of thanks and congratulations.
Though he seemed loathe to end the moment, the Moderator was left little choice when Nancy shot her ire in his direction for not ordering an end to the ovation by throwing his hands up and shouting, "Order! Order, everyone!" Again silence fell as those standing sat back down.
"We will now have a show of hands to cast the vote over these new regulations," the old man announced. "All those in favor to push the matter forward, raise your right hand now."
TBC...
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