Crimson Ties Part 55
Blinking in surprise, Wufei quickly regained his composure to return the fierce glare that was boring into him. His own fangs growing in, he greeted in a low, warning hiss, "Yuy."
For a brief flicker of a thought, the scaly Vampire silently wondered who would come out the victor if he and the Original were to ever come to blows. If ever there might be a chance of that happening, it would be now knowing how intensely close Heero was to Anna.
Chang recalled how devastated the Japanese Infected was throughout the course of his sister's trial. He was broken... lost without her. And Wufei was the reason for their suffering.
It was all about to get very ugly very quickly for him. Even though his unique skin protected him from ever being cut, the fire in Yuy's eyes made it known that he was not about to let that stop him from trying and finding a way to tear his unexpected guest limb from limb.
"Who is it, Heero?" a voice called from behind the immortal.
At the sound of the familiar timbre, the scaly Infected breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps there was a chance that he would make it out of this in one piece after all. The Original never budged until a hand fell on his shoulder to pull him back a bit so that a warm pair of brown-and-gold eyes that could grow with a sharp gasp from their owner when they took in their guest.
Completely pushing her cousin aside, Midi blinked in shock as she breathed, "Wufei." A blur swished into the crowded space behind her, materializing as Trowa. Instantly tensing when his wide eyes took in Chang, he quickly took on the same initial reaction as Heero- fangs bared and golden emerald eyes burning with rage.
Spinning to level her husband and Yuy with a heated glare of her own, she growled under her breath, "Let him pass. I offered him the chance to sit and talk with me, should he ever wish to do so."
Dumbfounded by that, the Japanese Vampire met her gaze in wide-eyed disbelief. Closing his slack jaw, he gritted through his teeth, "You are going to let this son of a bitch into our home?!"
"Lower your voice!" the brunette snapped, flashing her fangs at him. Before there could be an argument, Midi grabbed the front of their guest's black shirt and pulled him inside. Taken aback by the immortal young woman's strength and speed, Chang froze and allowed himself to be hauled into the entryway as the front door was closed behind him.
Poking her stunned cousin in the chest, the 'little mother' backed him into the wall, snapping, "You are going to alarm the neighbors! And in regards to your statement, this is my home as well. So, I am entitled to invite whomever I damn well please!"
Barton was slowly approaching Chang when his wife's words brought him to an abrupt halt. Staring at her in bewilderment, crying, "After what he did to Anna?! Why the hell does he deserve the right?!" Quickly coming down from his shock at having the brunette get the better of him, Yuy became a blur of himself to appear beside Trowa.
Now seeing that he was not at all out of the woods, Wufei stood defiantly before the two Originals. Throwing his duffle bag aside, a deep rumble of a growl rose from his chest that was joined by the like sounds of his challengers.
Her eyes welling up with tears, Midi's fangs retracted as she bellowed, "I'm the only one here who's thinking of Anna! What do you think she would have to say about all of this, if she saw the creatures she loved at each other's throats like this?!"
Those words struck her family and visitor hard, their bodies reeling at the impact and their wide eyes falling on the brunette Vampire. His fangs the first to pull back, Heero trembled and looked away as his cobalt-and-gold orbs began to water. Swallowing roughly, the ire in Trowa faded as quickly as it had come on and he took on his usual calm demeanor mixed with a clear addition of regret over his actions.
Particularly struggling with the surge of emotions coursing through him, Wufei's daggered teeth slipped away, his squared shoulders sagging. Staring down at the fists that had been clenched at his sides, he released them as a tremor shot through him.
To actually see the lives that he'd ruined, not the least of which was Anna's... it was even more difficult to deal with than he'd anticipated when he arrived in Switzerland.
Sighing deeply in relief, Midi swallowed roughly as she neared her husband and cousin. "Please," she begged softly while resting a hand on their shoulders, "let us have some space so that Wufei may have the time that I had promised him. Regardless of what happened, he is entitled to that much." The Originals nodded their heads firmly.
"Let's go, cousin," Barton urged, gently pulling back on Heero's arm to lead his distraught friend to the front door. Though neither of them looked on Chang when they walked past him, there was no animosity shown on their behalves either.
Only hearing the door close after the Infected left rather than raise his head to watch it, Wufei slowly lifted his onyx-and-gold eyes to watch his hostess reach out to him. "Come along, dear," Midi smiled sadly as she took hold of a scaly hand.
Awed by her simple and sincere acceptance of him, Chang fell into step behind her without freeing himself.
When they reached the back patio adjacent to the kitchen, he sat himself at the round table that he noted had five chairs. It was such an odd number of seats for it to have been a coincidence. Obviously, the brunette Vampire had been hoping that there would be an addition to her family.
Still mentally reeling over the turn of events that had brought him into that quaint room, Wufei only then noticed that his hostess had vanished. Before he rose to see where she had gone off to, she appeared in the doorway with a tray bearing a large teapot, teacup and saucer from matching, floral china.
Gracefully setting the tray down, the lovely Infected took up the pot to pour the tea-colored drink it held into the cup. For a Vampire, the beverage was unquestionably blood by its overwhelming scent. Caught off-guard by the aroma, Chang sat upright and blinked at the other Vampire.
"Food coloring, so that if we ever have human guests, they're not uncomfortable around us," Midi explained with a small smile. "We hunt animals and keep a storage of the blood in case we're ever separated for a time, or have an unexpected guest like today." Placing the filled cup before the scaly immortal, she sat beside him, frowning, "And you look famished."
Too tired from his lack of feeding over the course of his journey to mind his manners, Wufei threw the drink back hungrily. Wiping his mouth with the back of his shaking hand as he lowered the cup with the other, he muttered, "S-sorry. It's been weeks."
Her smile only growing, the brunette poured another cupful to the rim as she replied, "No need for apologies. That's why we have it."
With the next two and three drinks, Chang was able to conduct himself in a much more civilized manner. Finally, he was able to content himself with simply sipping from his cup once the strong edge of his thirst had ebbed. Releasing a deep breath, he sighed, "Thank you."
Gently patting his hand that was sitting on the table, the Latin Infected asked, "How have you been, sweetheart?"
Moved by her endearment and her very real concern, Wufei had to swallow past the lump that formed in his throat before he could manage brokenly, "Lost."
Against his defenses, his eyes began to sting with tears as he shook his lowering head. In little more than a whisper, he stated, "I took it upon myself to understand what being a Vampire was, so I've been to nearly every corner of the world trying to figure out what I am now."
The cool hand atop his own squeezed tightly before Midi's voice returned with its soothing kindness to say, "Then, I must say that I'm impressed you survived on your own like that. Having been surrounded by Originals after Trowa turned me, I saw firsthand what such drastic measures could do to our kind. I'm so glad that you're alright."
Rather than dwell on his own situation, Chang raised his head again as the question that had been plaguing him came out in a desperate breath, "How's Anna?" Simply speaking the redhead's name almost tore him apart at the seams of his being.
Blinking in surprise at the sudden, heartfelt inquiry, the brunette Infected's smile returned. "Anna is well, still as strong as ever," she reassured in a way that she knew he would appreciate as a former soldier. And the sentiment hit its mark, the relief clear in the onyx-and-gold eyes before they closed as her guest released a deep sigh.
"That's... very good to hear," Wufei muttered, a small smile finally tugging his lips. Clearing his throat, he shifted in his chair as he admitted, "I've been worried about her every since..." When his voice faltered a bit, he shook his head and tried again. "Ever since the Council told me that they couldn't have her go without punishment for her actions."
Caught up in the pain of that horrible day once again, he all but wailed, "Midi, I swear to you that I did everything I could to have them drop the charges. It killed me to see her so small in court like that... especially after those things she'd said to me."
Trembling at that, the 'little mother' took both of his hands into hers. "I know that," she whispered, her own eyes watering, "believe me, I do. That's why I offered for you to come into our home whenever you were ready. I saw how badly you were hurting over everything."
"What happened in the cave when you woke and everything leading to the trial is all behind us," Midi insisted, regaining her composure as best she could to keep her voice firm. "I'm simply here to listen and give whatever help to you I can."
In that instant, everything that had been building up on Chang came on in rush. Releasing the hands in his, he rose to his feet and began pacing around the table as he poured out his soul at the opportunity that was extended to him.
"Maybe all of those things are in the past, as you say, but they're still very fresh to me," he declared, staring ahead of himself at nothing while his feet continued to carry him around the room. "Before I met Anna, I had my prejudices against Vampires, like every mortal did, when your kind was discovered and made known. And the things that we were told as children when you were just myths that we thought they used to keep us home after dark... they were the things of nightmares."
Sitting back in the chair, Midi nodded when her visitor glanced from across the table at her for approval to continue on the sensitive subject.
His steps picking back up, Wufei's scaly hands waved in the air in vague gestures as he sighed, "Instead of running from her or killing her out of fear as every embedded instinct of mine would have done under normal circumstances, I instantly felt drawn to Anna the moment our eyes met. Everything that I believed and thought about Vampires was undone in seconds."
The Chinese immortal came to a halt, spinning to grip the back of the seat he had occupied to lean close to his hostess with distress in his eyes. "Do you have any idea how terrifying that was for me?" he asked. "I was trained to follow my instincts, to stay true to who I was and here was this creature that made me wish to forget everything that made me who I was."
Running a hand over his pulled back hair, he resumed his pacing, shaking his head, "So, I fought whatever it was that was pulling me towards her, certain that it was something she did to me since I had no idea how Infected worked in finding mates. My duties and my obligations both as a warrior and back home had to be my focus again. I was to die fighting for my land and beliefs in the revolution and if I was to survive in the end, I was to wed and start a family of my own while bringing heirs to my family name. And none of that would come about if I was tied to a Vampire!"
He slowed in his pace until he came to a stop by his chair once more. Staring at the floor in front of him, he murmured, "But every attempt I had made to push her away and to ignore what I felt failed and I only confused the two of us even more with my actions. If anything, everything that I did only made me feel more drawn to her. So, I came to the conclusion that if I didn't want Anna out of the picture, I would have to take myself out."
Biting her lip, Midi swallowed roughly in recalling the lifeless, blood-covered form that Wufei had been when her cousin carried him into the cave. It was easily one of the most heart-wrenching experiences that she'd ever experienced... before he woke into his new life and shunned Anna the way he had.
When her guest remained silent and still for a time, lost in his thoughts, the brunette Infected commented, "No one understood the impact of a tie between a Vampire and their Chosen. It took other cases like the one you and Anna faced for the Committee to draw up the Companion Act that was added to the Human-Vampire Treaty. Now, we have the terms 'Other' and 'Chosen' to appreciate the unique connections."
Slowly lowering her head, she stared at her fidgeting hands in her lap as she frowned, "Our kind would die out without the company of our soul mates- not only from starvation, but even worse; the emptiness left on our souls at not having their love. And it truly is love, much more than some mystical bond that we can force upon a human."
Peering up at the back of her visitor, Midi hesitated before she commented, "That was what Anna was trying to tell you when she refused to apologize for turning you. I know my cousin, and so I know that she would never have done what she did if she did not truly love you. She acted on her emotions, not her head."
"And she paid the price for that," Chang breathed without looking back at his hostess. "Because I wasn't ready to accept my own feelings, to leave the life that was all I had known behind."
Midi's eyes began to sting anew at that, her heart breaking at the unfortunate, tragic circumstances that had brought two good souls together only to tear them apart so violently. But that all left one very important question that had yet to be answered.
Knowing that she would have to be the one to bring that revelation to light, the 'little mother' drew a deep breath to ask softly, "Have you decided how you do feel about Anna? Do you know where you stand, because it would only be fair to the two of you that you make it known now."
Wufei raised his head and turned to face the Vampire, revealing his shimmering eyes. In a breath, he answered, "The sun rises and sets with Anna. She is... everything to me. And I don't want to spend another moment apart from her, if it can be helped... if I can still be accepted into her world which includes all of you because I know how important you, Heero and Trowa are to her."
A stray tear rolled down Midi's cheek and she let out a sharp laugh of relief. Jumping from her seat, she threw her arms around the scaly Infected's neck in a tight embrace. "Of course you're welcome here," she whispered by his ear with an elated smile.
Taken by surprise by the sudden feel of having someone hold him for the first time in a decade, the scaly Vampire blinked widely as his whole body stiffened. But that stunned reaction only lasted a moment before he all but melted against his hostess and returned the hug tenfold, tears of relief streaming down his face.
When they pulled away a long moment later, Wufei dried this face with the back of his hand. Clearing his throat, he frowned in concern, "What about Yuy and Barton? They weren't particularly thrilled to see me, not that I blame them in the slightest."
Raising a hand, Midi reassured, "You let me take care of them. The bit of resentment that they may have will pass once they realize that your intentions are to stay in Anna's existence."
Her smile shifting into a smirk, she giggled, "I would even bet that they have been secretly hoping that you would return. Knowing how happy it would make my cousin, they'll easily forgive the past. As for anything that you could possibly need or want to know of our kind, they will be able to help you in that."
That said, the brunette cupped her new friend's scaly face in her hands, grinning, "I am so thrilled that you came looking for us. Anna is going to be thrilled when she is released next month."
Unable to hide his own joy in knowing that his lover would soon be free again, Chang smiled as the gentle hands on his face slipped away. "I can understand how much all of you are looking forward to having her back home," he chuckled softly.
The brunette Infected wrapped her arms around her waist, nodding, "This is the first house that my family and I have owned since we were turned. But without my dear cousin, it has yet to feel complete. Anna is undergoing a barrage of interviews day in and out leading to her release, otherwise Heero would be outside of her cell to keep her company as he has done every night since her sentence began."
"E-every night?" Wufei stammered, his eyes growing. "For the last decade?" Instantly, he was filled with a new wave of guilt. He should have been the one looking after his Other.
Midi grinned, "Heero and Anna have had a special bond of their own ever since he turned his sister. While it is nothing like what you share with her, it's no less endeared. For a very long time now, they were all that they had in each other's existences and nothing is about to change how intensely they care for each other."
A small smile spreading across his mouth, the scaly Infected replied, "I already had a pretty good insight to that with the talks that I had with your cousin not long after we first met. I will only respect that."
Pleased by that, the 'little mother' clapped her hands together as she cheered, "Wonderful! Then there will be absolutely nothing to worry about in having you come into the family!"
Looping her arm through her guest's, she led him from the room as she beamed, "I do hope that you do not mind my calling you cousin. And we will definitely have to look into getting you set up with more clothes and things of your own than what you were able to carry on your back. Now, as for the personal space arrangements, Heero and Anna are going to be sharing the second floor, so..."
Wufei snickered quietly, shaking his head in amusement as his 'cousin' continued on her list of plans in helping him settle into his home.
Home. That was a word that he never thought he would be able to use again.
There would likely be time needed to adjust to the change for some of the parties, but somehow Chang was confident that this would work out just fine.
If it meant that he would be able to return into the picture of Anna's existence, he was already determined to make it work... whatever it took.
(End Flashback)
* * * * * *
Swallowing roughly, Wufei took a deep breath and wiped away the stray tear that was running down a scaly cheek. "Midi did not earn being called our matriarch without good reason," he smiled sadly. "As promised, she at Heero and Trowa down the moment they returned home and made no room for argument over my staying with them in the estate. Considering how... persuasive my mother bear of a cousin is when she's looking out for her cubs, they never gave her or me a hard time over my moving in."
The Vampire snorted, "Of course, that's not to say that things went on without some tension between me and Heero. But we quickly resolved that once he saw firsthand how I had every intention of taking care of Anna and keeping her happy."
A shudder running through him, Chang frowned, "Still, if Midi had not offered the invitation to talk with her, I might never have-"
He cut himself off, shaking his head as he snorted, "No, I would have found a way to be with Anna again. I wasn't about to let anything stop me once I finally came to accept that the love I felt for her was of my own device. I tried existing without her once and found it impossible. And it is not something I ever wish to experience again."
"Well, shit, man," Duo snickered as he blinked away the shimmer from his eyes. Throwing his hands in the air, he laughed, "That's exactly the kind of thing that she needs to hear from you! Eventually, she has to believe that you're sincere in wanting to be with her and not just sticking by her out of guilt over what happened between you."
Nodding, Chang stared ahead with unfocused eyes. Slowly drawing a breath, he sighed, "I admit that I have taken for granted that sentiments and actions have been enough to completely undo the past. The things that I had put her through..." His voice cracked at the end, making him pause to clear his throat before he could murmur, "They were completely out of line. And I don't blame her in the slightest for still having her doubts."
A smirk curling the corner of his mouth, the scaly Vampire looked back onto his brother and stated, "I'm just going to have to be more persuasive with how I make it known to Anna how much she means to me. If it's the last thing I do in my long life, I'll make sure she does not doubt me ever again."
Duo threw a fist in the air, shouting, "That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say! Good on you, brother!"
Chuckling as they both rose to their feet, Wufei rounded his desk to pull the Companion into a one-armed embrace. "Thank you for telling me about my sweet wife's disposition," he whispered sincerely.
With a slap to the Infected's back, Maxwell grinned, "No problem. And thank you for telling me about that meeting with Midi." Pulling back, he snickered, "In case you couldn't tell, Anna means a lot to me so I had to look out for the both of you."
"I haven't been able to help but notice how highly you regard her," the Vampire smiled. "It's one of the many reasons why you and I will always get along."
Checking the corner of his closest monitor that continued to reveal the barcodes of progress in the disk scan, he straightened himself and requested, "If I might have a moment, I have a call that I am going to need to make in a couple of minutes when Anna in on her scheduled break."
More than happy to oblige, Duo smiled, "Sure thing!" All but running from the room, he closed the office door behind himself to give his brother-in-law his privacy.
* * * * * *
Anna gently tapped on the glass peering into the nursery and gave the newborns in their hospital cribs giggling up at her a brilliant smile as she waved. Feeling her cell phone vibrate in the pocket of her scrubs, the redheaded Infected started at the unexpected call.
Quickly heading down the hallway in a bolt so that she could slip out into the night, she materialized and removed her phone to check the caller ID. Blinking in surprise, she hit the 'talk' button and pressed the receiver to her ear. "Wufei?" she greeted, her voice filled with concern. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine," her husband's voice chuckled. "I'm still working on cracking the security locks on the disk Duo's parents had left him." His tone warming, he said quietly, "I was just calling to hear my wife's voice."
Jaw dropping, the Irish Vampire knew that her heart would have skipped a few beats if it were still functioning. "Oh?" she giggled as a high school girl would when talking to her crush. Fidgeting with the end of her long ponytail, she smiled, "Well that was really sweet of you to remember what times I break away from work just to get a hold of me."
For the remainder of Anna's allotted time, they made lighthearted banter until it was almost time for her to return to work. "How long will you be on duty out there to fill in for the short staff?" Chang asked when he knew he did not have his bride on the line for much longer.
Sighing, the redhead answered, "Three full days and nights at least. Possibly four, but no more than that. Sally has a tendency to forget that I don't need sleep and will eventually kick me out to take some personal time." under normal circumstances, she never minded the extra time in the hospital.
But after such a nice time talking with her lover, she wished that she could see him sooner.
"Well, I will be in touch every chance I can since I can't stand being away from you for long, besides, I know that you'll be anxious to know what we find on this disk," Wufei promised. "Try to not push yourself too hard." There was a brief pause, before he told her sincerely, "I love you, Anna."
Her blue-and-gold eyes widening, the Irish Infected froze in a stunned silence before her lips curled in a smile that nearly split her face. "I love you, too, Wufei," she whispered, cupping the bottom of her cell phone with her free hand. "Thank you."
Closing the flip of her phone, Anna beamed with a glowing smile. Still giggling, she practically skipped back into the emergency room.
* * * * * *
Three days. Possibly four.
Wufei smiled to himself. That gave him plenty of time to make arrangements before his Other returned home. When Anna was back, he was bound and determined to start reassuring her the way that he should have for the last century.
A shrill, rhythmic beeping suddenly filled the air to break through his thoughts. Blinking his widened eyes, he hurried to his chair behind his desk to look on the central monitor of his work station.
On the screen, the bold, bright yellow letters flashed the message:
SCAN COMPLETE. READY TO OPEN DATA.
TBC...
Back to SkyLark's Fanfictions Page