Precious Lord take my hand, Lead me on let me stand.
I am tired I am weak, I am worn.
Through the storm, through the night,
Lead me on to the light, Take my hand precious Lord... Lead me home.
When my way grows drear, Precious Lord linger near.
When my life is almost gone,
Hear my cry, hear my call,
Hold my hand lest I fall. Take my hand precious Lord... Lead me home.
-Lyrics to the gospel song 'Precious Lord, Take My Hand'
Crimson Bonds Part 89
Making his way into one of the storage closets intended for less than well-off patients, Solo's survival instincts were in full effect as he scrounged for supplies that he and Celeste were going to need for the journey ahead.
They had already stayed in one place for longer than he was comfortable with and wanted to put as much distance between himself and the others as possible before it was realized that they were gone.
In the back of the closet, a duffle bag was ready for the taking. Stuffing it with whatever spare clothes he was able to get his hands on, he was about to leave for the cafeteria when he spun to find his Other standing in the doorway.
"There you are," he sighed in relief. Grabbing another bag, he said, "The cafeteria has canned foods and other items we can take that'll last us weeks. I'll get what I can in here and meet with you there."
Arms folded across her chest and a defiant glare on her face, the Latin beauty announced, "I'm staying." Shaking her head, she frowned, "I'm so damned tired of running, love. This is home for us, with our family."
Shoulders sagging as his violet-and-silver eyes widened, Solo all but shouted, "Are you crazy?! The first place anyone who wants us will look is to the registration to find the Barton-Yuy Clan and we'll be right back in some other power-hungry maniac's possession!"
"And you think that they, or the Khushrenadas, or every Vampire and Companion wouldn't protect us after what they went through to save us from Septum?" Celeste argued, a dark eyebrow arching.
Her Hybrid snorted, "They were more worried about getting Duo and Anna out of there than us. We would still be in our cages if they hadn't been captured. Like it or not, we're on our own... as always."
The Companion was quick to retort, "They had no idea that we were even alive. I don't fault them for that. Had they known that we were, I know they would have come for us whether or not you believe that much." She went on, "Besides, I've built too strong of a connection to Duo and Anna to leave them now. I love them, just as they love me... and you."
Solo froze in the middle of his shoving a sweater inside his dufel and swallowed hard. Closing the distance between them, his lover pressed, "Tell me you don't care at all about either of them. Say you can just walk away without wondering or worrying about what happens to them from this point on. Because if that's the case, I choose to walk away from you just as easily as I decided that I wished to stay with you."
Reeling back as though he had been struck, the Hybrid's wide eyes betrayed his terror at the prospect.
With a dampness to her own eyes welling up, Celeste shook her head, "I love you more than anything in this existence, Solo, which is why I can't have you going on like this any more. That's why I'm staying, because you have to let go and trust at some point before this constant looking over your shoulder destroys you."
Her glare returning, she stated, "Let's just take Anna and all of her efforts in showing how accepting she was of us and concentrate on your brother. You need each other."
She ignored the doubtful look on her partner's face and explained, "Duo needs you to control these powers you have and you need him to get over your bitterness so you can finally heal. He might not have had it as rough as you did outright, but life was still far from easy for him in the beginning and he turned out fine because he was able to let his guards down. That's something that even I haven't been able to help you do."
Biting his tongue to hold back the comments that wanted to fly out of him, Solo had to reluctantly agree with what his partner was saying. Against every one of his defenses, Anna had managed to break down some of his walls... and he was growing a kinship that he should have always had with Duo.
In the back of his mind, the blonde Hybrid couldn't help but feel the weariness of his endless seclusion and running.
They may have been all he knew, but Celeste was right. He would never be able to keep it up forever without losing himself entirely. In the process, he would also be losing the one creature who meant more to him than he ever thought possible in his Companion.
His head lowering slowly, so did the bag in Solo's hand. "Alright," he heard himself whisper. "I'll try, but that's all I can promise."
That was more than Celeste could ask.
Beaming, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she sighed by his ear. Pulling back, she leaned into the Hybrid's touch as he dried her tears. "Let's go check in on our family," she suggested, taking hold of his hand and leading the way out of the storage room.
Difficult as it was for him, Solo left the bag behind... mentally noting the significance of his reservations and barriers around himself that he walked away from as well. Following his Other, he stepped into new, uncharted territory.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Meanwhile...
Nancy removed the earphones from her ears with a small groan at the end of the recording that had been played for her. Rubbing her tired eyes, she pinched the bridge of her nose and said a quiet prayer for serenity to accept that which she could not change, courage to change what she could and the wisdom to know the difference.
What needed to happen was all too clear. Nodding firmly to Treize, she concurred, "We have to act now before Dobson leaves the country. Press be damned, he needs to be apprehended before the weekend is out and Council has resumed."
Her entire case, her life's work in the success of a vote that garnered the new Vampire registration laws had been shrouded in lies and influenced by blackmail. It was a blow that shattered her to her core.
There was still the appeal that had to happen now that word had broken of a Vampire that could conceive a child. But could she expose the Preventers now knowing what they stood for and how they protected not only their own but livings first?
After all, be it her bidding or not, the loss of human life in the assault on Millers' base had only come down to the thirty-something Hunters that Duo had killed in his maddened rampage. In fact, the few fire fights that had broken out were instigated by Septum's henchmen and women.
Every other mortal had been secured without any real harm done to them. They should have considered themselves fortunate seeing how they had willingly worked alongside a sociopath and harbored his prisoners.
Nodding firmly, Khushrenada turned to Noin. "Please see that the Moderator and authorities are notified immediately, cousin," he requested. Lucrezia nodded back and stepped out of the waiting room to carry out her orders.
The long-time rivals remained seated across from each other in silence for a while, each one taking the evening and early day's events that had led up to that moment.
Finally, the Senator dry washed her face with her hands. Meeting the Original's gaze, she snorted, "You think you know someone. All of these years, Dobson was a Vampire loyalist. Just goes to show that money can turn anyone."
Under his breath, Treize admitted, "We had no way of ever suspecting him. Right up until his identity was discovered, he was smiling and spending time with my family like nothing was wrong. It really shakes a person's faith in others." Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Nancy hummed an affirmative to the sentiment.
Another quiet fell over them until McAdams locked onto the Infected and declared, "This is going to delay the appeal process further, but I'm not about to give up on fighting you every step of the way to the vote. I've invested too much... worked too hard to not stand behind my belief that livings need to be protected from your kind and those Hybrids. If nothing else, everything I have witnessed has only solidified that for me."
"I wouldn't have dreamt of it doing otherwise," the Councilman smiled sadly.
The next hush that settled was not an uncomfortable one... but it had definitely changed in their obvious shift in thoughts to their individual cases that they were building against one another other.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Anna bit her lip as she laced and unlaced her fingers together in her lap.
The bed beneath her had been propped so she could sit upright for the duration that she could stay awake between naps during what would likely be a long healing time before she could be released and returned home. And even then, she would have to take it easy to ensure that the sealed up incisions inside of her were mending properly.
One thing the Siren was never shy in admitting- Patience was not a virtue that came easily for her.
Learning about what Septum had done... about how he was not satisfied enough in believing he had killed her, but stole the one thing that she cherished most in being able to bring children into the world had been devastating. She had cried uncontrollably against her Other.
Then, she put on a brave face.
'Besides,' Anna told herself, 'Wufei and I are blessed with ten beautiful, sweet kids.' What right did she have to be upset that there would never be more for them? Of course it broke her up inside, but eventually that pain would also heal.
With her husband off to check in on their children, all that the Irish Vampire had for company were her thoughts... and the occasional tears that she quickly wiped from her face before any one came in to see that she had been crying. She couldn't stand being a burden on anyone, so she would cope with her loss on her own.
Breaking through her inner cadence of the Serenity Prayer, a soft knock resonated from the door as it was slowly opened in a slit that revealed a familiar face peeking inside. And so was brought on an entirely new reason for Anna's blue-and-gold eyes to shimmer as she a breathed, "Ian."
Her son's own blue-and-gold eyes misted over before he pushed his way inside in a blur of himself, materializing when he scaled the bed to latch onto her.
As the Siren held him back just as tightly, she kissed the top of his head of raven hair and whispered, "I was worried sick about you, Peanut. Daddy told me all about how brave you were in handling that Hunter. I'm very proud of you." Sniffling, the boy peered up at her with a wide smile, unable to trust his voice right then.
Wufei entered the room with a smirk on his scaly face and little Rosie in his arms as he held the door open to the rest of their brood, including Emma. Elated cheers of 'Mom!' and 'Mommy!' rose from the youngest ones of the bunch as they sprang for her.
Laughing through her tears, Anna made sure to individually hold and kiss every one of her kids. "You've all grown so much," she murmured to their damp faces in awe, her arms full with the seven little ones in her lap. Gently wiping their tears away, she continued to rain more kisses on the giggling lot.
Their knees practically shaking at the sight of their recovered mother after having believed that they'd lost her only hours ago, the eldest four of the siblings made their way across the room as their father gestured to them with a shift of his head in her direction.
Charles was the first to reach the Siren and all but collapsed against her. Isabel, John and Carol followed suit as they came at either side and every direction that they could hug and be held back with sobs and whimpers.
Beside herself with the emotions flooding her, Anna bit her lip and took the moment in with a wide grin. Meeting her Other's gaze, she mouthed a sincere, 'Thank you' to him for being so thoughtful and not allowing her go another minute without their kids.
Wufei grinned back and found just enough room in the pile to lean in and hold a kiss against her forehead.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Existence could not have been any more perfect for Heero and Duo than it was that morning as they held their babies. Seated in high-backed rockers that had been pushed to sit side-by-side, the Original had their sons in both arms while his Companion cradled their daughter.
Shaking his braided head as the tiny girl blinked her violet-and-silver eyes up at him in wonder, Maxwell chuckled softly, "Hey, Princess. Did you gave a good nap?" A whimper for food erupted from the face wincing in response. "Here you go," her father smirked as he offered a bottle that she greedily took to.
Yuy snickered, "That's the life, isn't it? If only we all had it so easy that all we had to worry about was eating and sleeping."
"Weeelll, I've come to grow and appreciate that there are a few things that top the list of perks to existing," Duo replied with a suggestive purr and a mischievous smile that he turned to his husband. "The second our babies are all down for their next nap, I plan on seeing to some much-needed time alone to take care of a few items on that list."
Heero shivered and choked back a moan of anticipation. A seductive grin curling his lips, he replied lowly, "I was hoping you would say that. Had it not been for our children, I would have checked everything off long before now." He was pleased by the shudder that his words brought on from his lover.
Normally, they would have been loathe to have to wait to consummate their reunion... but neither one was in a rush to end their time with their little ones, either.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Within an hour of Leon Jackson's retrieval of the evidence that had mounted against Senator Eric Dobson, the Moderator pushed through the notification to the authorities to have the politician arrested.
Armed with guns and a warrant to enter his home and confiscate all property that could have information further linking him to his crimes, a handful of officers surged his comfortable Washington estate.
No answer came to their knocks or the ringing doorbell, though the burly man's state car remained in the driveway.
Eyes narrowed, the Sergeant in charge broke the front door's latch and stepped into the spacious premises. The team swept the area, pistols raised and helmets glistening in the well-lit atrium. Announcements of 'Clear' rang out from different rooms that had been searched from top-to-bottom.
All the while, the lead policeman steadily made his way to the back patio overlooking a garden covered with snow. There, amidst the white blanket, was a long streak of blood mixed with particles of brain matter. Across the closed door, a pale and limp hand lay with a handgun partially in its grasp.
One last act of cowardice.
When it had become clear that there was no escaping his fate, Dobson ended it on his own terms rather than have to deal with the humiliation and consequences of his betrayal. An easy way out, but not at all surprising in light of his true character.
The tall, rugged Sergeant stopped short of the patio and sighed. Taking hold of the radio on his belt, he announced, "Someone contact the paramedics and get them in here. The Senator is down. I repeat. The Senator is down."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The Chang younglings stayed with their mother until it was going on past their bedtime. Hugging and kissing them each one last time before they were returned to Rosshe's estate for the night, Anna bit her lip and had to wave them off from her bed as their Egyptian host ushered them out into the hallway.
No sooner had the door closed did it swing back open to Mao. Running back inside with an orange flower pot, the girl cheered, "Here, Mama." Her hands glowed as she raised the planter and an array of colorful flowers sprang up in large, breathtaking blooms.
Gasping, the Siren took hold of the pot and assisted her daughter back up onto her bed for a tight hug and a kiss to her cheek. "Thank you, Mao," she breathed. "They're beautiful."
At that, the child hopped back down to the floor, giggling. On her way past him, Wufei winked at her and ruffled the top of her head of dark, wavy hair with a snicker. "See you in the morning, Tigress," he called.
Mao said her last 'Good night' and 'Love you' while charging back out to the hall as her parents both held their hands up and shouted at the same time, "Careful with the-!"
They winced at the loud banging of the door opening and closing in their daughter's wake. Shoulders sagging, they grumbled, "...door." Their gold-ringed eyes locking, the couple shared their first good laugh together since being reunited.
"I'm going to have to make a house of bubbles for her some day," Chang snorted, his head shaking in amusement. "At least that way she can be her bull-in-a-china-factory-self without damaging everything in her path."
Smiling, Anna shrugged, "It's actually a relief for me to see that some things haven't changed since I've been away." She flicked away a stray tear as she appraised her bouquet. "Who knew a little girl as destructive as her would have a gift to create something as delicate and lovely as this," she laughed through her thick throat.
The scaly Infected chuckled deeply and carefully placed the large arrangement on the window ledge closest to her for the best view from her bed. Her smile growing in appreciation the redheaded Infected shifted over so that he could sit beside her when he returned.
Not about to let their time alone go to waste, Wufei wrapped his wife up against him and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss. Eyes growing wide in surprise at the initial intensity, the Siren quickly closed them and gripped onto him to return the gesture with every bit as much need and love that was pouring into her.
As if on their own accord, hands roamed and teased every inch of skin and scales they could reach. Breaths came out as pants between brief pauses between sparring tongues. Fingers buried into hair, hips ground together and fangs grew in to bury themselves in the napes of the opposite exposed neck.
Due to the lack of tasting and being tasted by their soul mate for the duration of their separation, neither Vampire was able to withstand the mind-bending euphoria that consumed them. Their cries muffled, they clung onto one another to keep themselves from falling apart as powerful orgasms overtook them.
Letting out his last breath in a deep sigh, Wufei tightened his arms around his wife and murmured against her shoulder, "I love you... so damned much, Anna."
The Siren rested her forehead against his and responded just as softly, "I love you too, Wufei."
Basking in their simply being back where they belonged, the couple partook of a few more kisses and made no move to separate. Following a long, comfortable silence, the scaly Infected shifted and snorted, "That was a pretty poor showing on my part. It's going to take time for me to rebuild my stamina when having any intimacy with you again."
"Um... about that..." Anna didn't know how to finish her thought, given how sensitive the matter still was for her. Instead, she gestured to her flat stomach. "So you think that we could... well... catch up on that?"
Chang grinned, "Don't worry. I've already checked. We're in the clear so long as I'm careful." Frowning, he shrugged, "But it's your call since I honestly don't know if I'll be able to control myself once we get started... I've needed you-" Drawing her closer so that she was straddling him, he added, "needed this for so long now."
Of all of the creatures in the world, Wufei was the one that the Irish Infected knew she could trust every aspect of herself with. What was more, she was willing to risk a lot for the chance to make love to him now that her insatiable appetite had already been whetted. There was no way she could go back from what they had started.
Smirking mischievously, she looped her ankles together behind his back and initiated another driven kiss that was gladly reciprocated.
The wicked grin on her face spreading, Anna ordered, "Lock the door."
TBC...
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