When the night has come, and the land is dark
And the moon is the only light we will see
No, I won't be afraid, oh, I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me
-Lyrics to 'Stand By Me' performed by Ben E. King
Crimson Ties Part 54
It was innocent looking enough, resting in the middle of his living room table as it was. And yet, that rectangular box of black metal terrified Duo.
His hands propping his head up, the Companion blinked his silver-and-violet eyes as he continued to lean forward in his chair staring at the chest containing what was likely clues into his mysterious existence.
"Well, it's not going to open itself," he chided himself quietly. The Vampires seated around him giggled and chuckled softly.
Slowly reaching forward, Maxwell pulled the box closer and removed the small gold key taped on its lid. Fighting to keep his hand steady, he worked the lock until the small latch inside clicked, indicating its release. Everyone at the table leaned forward in rapt attention as he took hold of the top to lift it open.
Taking a deep breath, the braided immortal peered inside to find only four items secured inside of a thick padding of a deep purple fabric. One of those bearings was a white floppy disk. The second was a thick, locked diary with its key. The third was an oval, gold locket without a necklace.
Lastly, there was a sealed envelope with the bold letters on it spelling, 'Duo' at its center. Biting his lip, the named recipient grabbed and tore the flap of the envelope open. He unfolded the single piece of loose leaf paper inside to read aloud, "Our dear boy, please look to the contents on the disk before opening anything else. All our love, Carla and John."
'Carla and John.' Those names, the fact that they had not referred to themselves as Mom and Dad in the last letter that they had written to him, struck hardest. Swallowing roughly as he stared at the salutation, he cast his silver-and-violet eyes to the contents still inside the box.
Focused on the closed pendant and diary, the hybrid's slowly beating heart picked up in its pulses. Swallowing roughly, he turned his gaze over to Heero beside him. With a loving smile, the Vampire rubbed his back for encouragement.
"That disk will likely be encrypted with all kinds of security walls," Wufei commented across from them. Gesturing to it with his scaly chin, he offered, "I could get to work in my study straight away on opening whatever is stored on there for you."
Brightening a bit, Duo sat up in his chair. "That'd be great," he smiled. The disk was the only thing in the box that he was comfortable handling, so he took it up to hand it to his brother-in-law with a sincere, "Thanks, 'Fei."
Chang rose from the table with the floppy in his hand. Raising it, he promised, "I'll contact you as soon as I have something to show you." That said, he turned on his heels to head from the living room.
In light of the very personal natures of the locket and diary, Anna, Trowa and Midi were already working out escape plans in their minds. That way, their braided relative could have the space he should have with the sensitive items.
Practically jumping from her chair, the redhead called to her husband, "Hang on, love. I'll be right with you in case you need a hand." Meeting her brothers' gazes, she insisted, "You call on us the moment you need anything if you don't hear from us first." Heero and Duo smirked and nodded in agreement.
"We better go check on Quatre and Relena," Barton suggested, climbing to his feet along with his wife when Wufei and Anna had just disappeared beyond the doorway.
Nodding, the brunette Infected giggled, "Knowing our dear friend, he is probably working himself away while neglecting his appetite. I'll have to make sure that he gets at least one good meal in him today." She rounded the table to give her cousins' heads a quick kiss.
Quickly returning to her husband's side, she raised a finger at the Vampires across from her. "You have the same orders with us to find us the moment we can be of any assistance to you," she told them sternly.
Maxwell snickered, "Yes, mother." He punctuated the light rib with a wink to let it be known he appreciated the concern. Snickering, the Latin couple joined hands and stepped from the living room.
At the sound of their front door opening and closing in his family's departure, Duo released a deep breath in a sigh and sank heavily in his chair. Chuckling, he shook his head in amusement when a sudden thought came to him. Heero tilted his head with a small frown of confusion, asking softly, "What is it?"
Running a hand through his long bangs, his Companion met his eyes and shrugged, "Just remembering how Relena had told me before to never forget what a wonderful family I have. I'd never have a chance to forget it, seeing how far you all go out of your way for me every day. Hell, even when I was still cursing your kind, I was welcomed in with only open arms and understanding."
"Well, we love you," Yuy replied simply, just as if he was telling what the weather was like outside- a matter of fact in its truest form. "Of course you would be brought in unconditionally. Family stands by family, no matter what."
Such would be the same declaration from Trowa, Midi, Wufei and Anna. It was just their nature to look after their own, regardless of the situation that brought them together. And considering all of the tumultuous ways that they had been thrown into the mix with their own turnings, they pretty much had seen it all.
Even still, to say that they were remarkable individuals and an even more incredible unit together, were gross understatements.
Together they would stand through thick and thin... through the darkest of nights and the brightest of days no matter what should come. What could there possibly be in the world to fear knowing that there was that constant in an existence?
A small smile curling the corners of his mouth, Duo rose and straddled his Vampire's waist before Heero even knew that he had moved. Smirking when those gold-and-cobalt eyes blinked up at him in surprise, he leaned in and pressed their lips together in a fiery kiss. All too happy to return the gesture, the Infected moaned into his partner's mouth as his hands clutched onto him tightly.
Finally breaking away after a long tongue sparring, the braided immortal panted heavily and rested their foreheads together. "Bedroom," he ordered breathlessly, his hands already working at pulling his lover's shirt from inside the hem of his jeans. "Make love to me," he all but begged in a whisper.
With a deep groan of his own need, Yuy claimed his Companion's mouth in another searing kiss. Never breaking their mouths, he stood as Maxwell's legs hooked completely around his waist to carry him from the room effortlessly.
Leaving the contents of the black box behind along with the rest of the world, the two soul mates made good on reassuring each other of just how strong their bond really was.
* * * * * *
Treize sat upright at his desk, his phone receiver pressed roughly against his ear as he shouted, "What!? You're sure!?" At the response from the other end of the line, he sagged heavily in his leather chair with a deep sigh.
Dear God, not another one. And so close to the last one that they knew of.
Pressing the bridge of his nose between his fingers, the Councilman closed his eyes and replied in frustration, "I see. Thank you for the call, Agent Greene. I will be assembling a team to be in your sector before the next nightfall out there. We'll meet at your residence."
Goodbyes were exchanged before the Infected lowered the receiver to end the call. Bolding from his seat, he hurried downstairs to the living room. When he found his cousins present with his wife there, he released a sigh of relief. "I thought that I was going to have to call you, so I'm glad you're here," he smiled sadly.
Instantly on an alert by his words and tension, Zechs and Noin rose from the couch that they were occupying. "What's wrong?" Lucrezia frowned in worry.
"There looks to be another victim of our Rogues," Khushrenada answered, the frustration graveling his tone. "Agent Greene in the South Carolina region was looking into a mysterious report of what sounded like a random attack in an alley. A lot of the crime scene fits the profile of the bastards we're up against."
Set to what was being asked of them, Lady Une pushed herself up from the recliner and raised her head with a determination in her gold-and-brown eyes. Knowing that their friends were already dealing with enough at the moment, that left them to be the ones investigating the area of interest. "We can be ready to leave in an hour." Her cousins nodded firmly and headed from the room to head to their own estate.
On his way past Treize, Merquise told him, "I'll call Relena to let her know we'll be away and she is not to leave Quatre's side. She'll make sure that the others here are informed so that he and Duo continue to be protected while we're gone."
"Very good," the Commander responded as he watched his cousins off. When they disappeared through the front door that they closed behind themselves, the Councilman ran his hands though his short, wavy hair as he turned back to his wife. "This is only going to get worse before it gets better," he whispered, shaking his head.
Biting her lip, his wife approached to wrap her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his in a soft kiss. "We are going to end this," she reassured, not a hint of doubt in her voice, resting her chin on his shoulder. "These Rogues are going to be stopped and dealt with just like every other threat we've come up against."
Treize held her back tightly. Chuckling, he pressed a kiss against her temple and muttered sincerely, "Do you have any idea how lost I would be without you?"
"You're sweet enough to remind me every day," Lady Une giggled as she pulled away only to be pulled back into a scorching kiss that took her breath away. Taken aback for a moment by the gesture, it took her a wide-eyed moment to return the gesture, closing her eyes and latching onto her husband tightly.
When they finally broke away, Treize smiled to his dazed bride, "Come on. We have a lot of work to do." Grinning at that, the lovely Infected took his hand as they headed up to their joint Preventer's office.
* * * * * *
"Was our Master able to reach him in time?"
Dorothy's voice replied, "Yes. He and the rest of his team will be returning home with our new arrival within a day's time. Josh is sure to be a very formidable ally to us and our cause of ridding the world of Vampires and every mortal sympathetic to them."
Pulling her ear away from the door of her cell as the voices of the Seer and her guard faded down the hallway, Meiran smirked to herself. The conversation that she had picked up on only served to back the theory that she had built as she sat in solitude with nothing but her thoughts.
Solo was, indeed, a crafty creature. But now the raven-haired beauty was seeing through the cracks of his grand scheme now that she was able to be amongst his brethren. And truly, she had a great deal of admiration and respect for him, appreciating all of the efforts he had gone through in his great plan.
What more perfect way could there be in forming an army of former mortals set on destroying Infected than by demonizing them? Fear was a wonderful tool in building numbers in loyal followers. Hunters worked in the same fashion. A common enemy needed to be forged, frightening in simply the mention of them.
That common enemy, for both camps in the Others and the Hunters were the Infected.
However, there were no Rogues. Not Vampire Rogues, at least.
It took some doing for Meiran to realize that for herself, her captor had done such a convincing job of making her believe the same that her cousins and the fellow Preventers had. But she saw the whole picture very clearly now.
Oh, but what would ever happen if Solo was to find out that his dearly missed twin brother was not only residing with a family of Vampires, but was tied to one as a Chosen? He was not likely to be very happy. Not at all. Such information was sure to devastate the hybrid, if not send him into a fit of rage that would need to be directed the right way.
And there was no better being for the role of directing that kind of power than Meiran. Not only would Maxwell no longer be a problem for her, but his whole family would suffer for their slighting her. In one swoop, everything in Duo's life would be in ruins.
Her own plan laid out in her mind, she sat in her cell and folded her arms behind her head as she leaned against the wall behind her. A sinister smirk curling her mouth, her eyes drifted closed and she hummed a cheery tune to herself.
Time. It truly was a wonderful thing to those who waited for their moment of greatness.
* * * * * *
At the knock on her estate door, Anna blinked in surprise as she moved along the first level corridor to answer her unexpected guest.
Twisting and pulling the doorknob back, she opened the entrance to a pair of violet eyes without the ring of silver around them. "Duo!" she greeted, her shock over his appearance raising her voice. "H-how...?" was all that she could stammer as she shook her head.
Chuckling, the braided immortal pointed to his eyes as he smirked, "Colored contact lenses. Midi picked a few up for me so that I have a way of concealing the rings around my irises since the new semester at school starts up in a few days."
"Ha! That's brilliant," the Irish Vampire laughed. Stepping aside so that her brother could step inside, she closed the door behind him and threw her arms around his neck for a tight embrace that he gladly returned with a hum.
Maxwell closed his eyes and soaked in the moment for a few slowed heartbeats before he pulled back to appraise the lilac-colored scrubs with colorful clouds and rainbows that she was wearing. "Pulling an all-nighter at the hospital, I take it?" he asked.
Quickly working her long, red hair up into a high ponytail, Anna nodded, "Yep. One of the other nurses went into labor a couple weeks before her due date, so we're going to be a little short-staffed for a while during her early maternity leave. I'll probably be putting in a lot of long shifts out there for the next few weeks."
Folding her arms across her chest, she gestured to the fresh bite marks in the Companion's neck, questioning, "And you recently enjoyed Heero's presence, I presume?"
His cheeks flushing when they would have blushed before his turning, Duo sputtered, "H-hey!" Covering the telltale remnants of the pounding in his bed, he gave her a half-hearted glare. "If you really must know-"
Anna shook her head, laughing, "No, no! I really don't! I just love getting a rise out of you." Leaning in, she pressed a gentle kiss on the end of his nose and winked, "You make it so much fun, since it's so easy." Try as he might to appear indignant and mad at her, Maxwell just couldn't help the small smile that tugged his lips or the amused smirk that escaped him.
Resting her fists on her hips, the Vampire tilted her head as her eyes narrowed on her brother. "And what are you doing stepping out on your own?" she demanded. You know you're not to be left without some kind of protection."
"Aw, please," Duo sighed with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "Trowa and Midi's home is only a few feet away. I told Heero that I'll go crazy if I can't go at least that far without someone constantly around me, so he's hanging out with our cousins, Quatre and Lena for the time being. Besides..."
Pulling back on the left, elbow-length sleeve of his brown shirt, he revealed the long dagger strapped to his bicep. Next lifting the back of his shirt as he turned around, he showed the staff of his scythe that hugged his body.
He raised an eyebrow over his shoulder, smirking, "I'm not exactly defenseless." Lowering his shirt, he turned back to face his sister to await her reaction.
Giggling, the redhead grinned, "Then I can exist with that. Knowing how apt you are with your weapons now, I feel much better knowing that you don't leave your estate without them." A quick look to the wall clock behind her had the Infected's gold-and-blue eyes growing. "Wufei is upstairs in his office, working on that disk. If you'd keep him company, I'm sure that he would appreciate it.
In a rush, she moved for the closet to remove a coat as she informed, "I better run if I want to spend some time with the new baby before my shift starts."
The hybrid smiled and gave her rear a playful swat to repay her for her jest at his expense. "Then you go and have fun, brat," he told her before they shared another tight embrace. Kissing her cheek, his grin spread further across his face when she pulled back to tap the end of his nose with a cool finger.
"Don't miss me too much," Anna called over her shoulder as she threw on her coat and took up her duffle bag to sling it over her shoulder on her way to the door.
Chuckling, Maxwell replied sincerely, "Not a very good chance I'll be able to do that." Her smile glowing at the sentiment, the Irish Vampire bowed her head in appreciation. Winking, she opened the door and stepped out silently.
Left alone in the entrance-way of the estate, Duo blinked in a sudden realization that he finally had some alone time with Wufei. It was a rare thing to come by, so he made sure to take the opportunity for what it was. There was still much he needed to know regarding his brother-in-law... namely his feelings for his sister.
When he reached the stairs, the braided immortal took them two at a time to climb to the level where he knew Chang's study to be. Once he reached the third floor, he slowed his pace to a casual walk down the long stretch. Along the way, his violet eyes scanned over the pictures hanging on the walls.
Like ever other floor in the residence, the framed images were of personal shots of landscapes visited. But mostly, the pictures were shots of the family and friends in happy times of their existences. A handful of those captured moments in time continued to bring on a surge of emotion for the Companion whenever he looked at them.
Pausing before the dozens of black-and-white images that were collaged together, Maxwell took in the faces of his loved ones- Heero, Anna, Wufei, Trowa and Midi- surrounded by the frail, but smiling prisoners of the concentration camps that they'd helped escape during World War II.
The hands of the Vampires were still healing from the guts and gashes they'd earned from cutting through the barbed wire and steel fences in nearly every picture. Faces dirty from working the soil and mud in their daring rescue missions, their smiles were brilliant with the pleasure of knowing that they had managed to save even the handfuls of souls that they could.
But those grins were outdone by the relief, elation and profound gratitude of the men, women and children that they had successfully brought into Switzerland with them. There was no fear to be found in those haunted eyes in their being surrounded by Infected. Those Vampires were the reason they were alive, and so they expressed that intense gratitude through their captured embraces and kisses to the immortals' cheeks.
In every group shot, every member of the Barton and Yuy clan had at least one child draped or hanging from them, the laughter audible through their opened mouths. And most touching of all in those images, as far as Duo was concerned, were the shimmers in his family's eyes. Knowing that they'd made a difference, even in the small way that they could manage, had clearly impacted them for the rest of their existences.
"They were pretty incredible times," a familiar voice commented from further down the hallway. Spinning on his heels, the Companion blinked in surprise at the scaly Infected leaning against the wall beside his opened study. Arms crossed at his chest, Wufei smirked, "Sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."
Only then did the hybrid realize that he'd let out a surprised yelp and had a hand over his chest. Huffing, he brushed down his shirt and sighed, "It'd just a good thing my heart doesn't react the same way as it used to. You would've killed me for sure with that one, Fei."
Snickering, the Vampire pushed himself from the wall and approached his brother to look on the pictures that he was admiring with a wistful smile. "I still remember every one of those rescues," he murmured, his onyx-and-gold eyes losing their focus as returned to those moments of his past.
Duo bit his lip as he faced him. "I remember in history hearing that the Vampire Council ordered all of your kind to stay out of the war," he stated. "They said that the battle and everything tied to is was to be handled amongst the humans. But you all still went against their wishes to help those prisoners."
"We were amongst the first to hear through the residents in Switzerland that there was a roundup of Jews taking place in Germany," Chang nodded, still staring at the thin and pale faces of those rescued. "Once we learned that, there was no hesitation between us. We just knew we couldn't sit back and allow those innocent lives to be taken."
Drawing a deep breath, he continued, "So, we traveled when we could, breaking out as many survivors as we were able. There were a lot of close calls for the others between bullet and stab wounds. The conditions we'd endured were horrendous so we could keep our profiles low. But nothing we'd endured could ever be compared to what those incredible people had lived through." He shuddered and shook his head, "To this day, I am in complete awe of every one of them."
Taken aback by that, Duo shook his head, "Well, I'm really in awe of all of you for going through that... all to save humans that you didn't know."
A surprised expression crossing his own face, Chang met his gaze and shrugged, "There was nothing extraordinary about what we did at all. We were just doing the right thing, as any creature in this world should do when given the opportunity."
His words, so sincere and simple in their reason resonated deeply in Maxwell's soul. These were the beings that he would stand beside and that would stand beside him for the rest of their days. Such a thing was a blessing and an honor.
Clearing his throat, the Companion turned his misting eyes back to the pictures. "Were you able to keep in touch with any of the survivors over the years?" he asked, his voice thick with the emotions running through him.
"Nearly all at their insistence," Wufei chuckled softly. "We never acted as we had for notoriety, but it is very rewarding to get holiday cards and occasional updates from their children, grandchildren and from the few remaining prisoners that are still alive today."
From the corner of his golden eye, he smirked, "But you didn't come up here to talk about history, or even to check on my progress with that disk from your box, did you? For a few days now, I've had the impression that you've wanted to discuss something with me."
Snorting, Duo responded, "And you call me perceptive." With a small smile, his scaly brother gestured for him to follow him into his office. Falling in step right behind him, the braided immortal entered the room lit by desk lamps and the glow of the three computer stations at the main hub in the center of it all.
On all of the screens, there were bars of data screens rising and falling in their work that was still in progress. "I have to hand it to your parents," Wufei began as he took a place at his large desk at the middle of his station, "the encryption on the disk is some of the most impressive coding I've ever seen. Whatever is on here, they definitely only wanted you and trusted eyes to see it."
Slowly sinking into the chair across from the Vampire, Maxwell frowned, "Is there going to be a problem cracking it to open whatever was stored?"
"Nothing has been able to keep me out," Chang grinned. Turning away from his monitors to face his guest, he said, "The deciphering screening that I have going should have it all pieced together in an hour at the very longest." Relieved to hear that, the Companion let out a deep breath and nodded his braided head.
The Infected folded his arms behind his head as he leaned back, commenting, "So, we have time to talk about whatever it is that is on your mind." Raising an eyebrow, he snickered, "By now, I hope that you know you can talk to me about anything."
Biting his lip, Duo considered how to proceed. In the end, he figured that it was best in this case to get to the heart of the matter. Drawing a breath, he leaned forward in his seat as he muttered, "Including your relationship with Anna?"
Wufei reeled back at that, as if he was physically struck. His eyes wide, he breathed, "How do you mean?"
Sure to tread carefully, Maxwell rubbed his hands together at his knees anxiously. "She told me about how the two of you had met... how you were turned and her time in the Vampire prison in Antarctica."
Tension made his brother-in-law's whole body rigid. "Now, I don't think any less of you," the braided immortal reassured, raising a hand in the air. "But my sister, who I love dearly, still questions your feelings for her and I think that you should know that so you can make sure she knows how much I can tell you love her."
At that, Chang sagged heavily in shocked defeat. "She... still questions how I feel for her?" he whispered brokenly. Closing his enlarged eyes, he slumped forward and buried his face in his hands. "I swear, I never met a more insecure creature than my dear wife," he sighed sadly when his fingers fell away. "And I'm responsible for that."
It tore Duo apart to see the scaly Infected so shaken when he was normally so strong... one of the strongest beings he'd ever known. And he knew how important Anna was to Chang, how precious he held their bond. But as a caring brother to the two, it was the Companion's responsibility to do what he could to help them heal from their past.
"You went to Midi not long before Anna was released," Maxwell stated, straightening himself. "What happened then that made you stay?"
Wufei slowly leaned back in his chair. Running a hand over his black hair, he stared out into nothingness as he answered in a breath, "She told me what I should have already known from the moment I woke into my new existence..."
* * * * * *
(Flashback)
Switzerland. 1908.
It was as quaint and beautiful as Chang had imagined the country to be. Night had fallen, shielding him from any watching eyes that would stare at him. The quiet of the sleeping city only added to the serenity of his surroundings.
Checking the address on the paper that Treize had handed over to him when he had sought the Vampire Council out, the scaly Infected gripped the strap on his duffle bag to adjust it on his shoulder.
Finally, reaching the three-storied residence that he had been searching for, the weary traveler stared up at it longingly. It had been so long since he had set foot into such a place. Living in caves and whatever other natural shell he could find for the last decade, he could have groaned in anticipation of setting foot inside the estate... an estate that he probably had no right to be in.
But Midi had promised Wufei a safe audience with her. And with that vow, he took up the courage he needed to climb the steps leading to the front door where he froze for a moment until he managed to raise his hand to knock.
Footsteps approached moments later and the doorknob turned. When the door opened, it was not the warm brown-and-gold eyes of the kind Vampire that had extended an invitation to him that Chang found... but the widening cobalt-and-blue eyes of Anna's bother, Heero.
His shock instantly fading, the Japanese Infected's gaze burned with a fury the likes of which the scaly Infected thought he would be scorched by. Fangs growing in and eyes narrowing, Yuy growled threateningly, "You."
TBC...
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