Lean on me, when you're not strong
And I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on
For, it won't be long t'il I'm gonna need
Somebody to lean on
-Lyrics to 'Lean On Me' performed by Bill Withers
Crimson Ties Part 63
Solo rubbed his chin absently as he stared ahead from his perch in his throne. Flanked by Dorothy at his right and Meiran at his left, he silently measured what had been laid out to him in regards to the fallout of his great plan that had been unleashed.
The attacks had not gone perfectly, however they could have gone far worse. His message had been sent and those close to his brother had been hit hard. All things considered, the hybrid was pleased with the outcome. Now he had a much better idea to what he was really up against when it came to his twin and the Vampires that protected him.
It was that very bit of information that had eluded him up to now. More than bringing an end to his enemies, simply gaining that knowledge was priceless in the grand scheme of things. What terror he caused was a small victory but the true rewards came in the knowing of what had been kept from him.
Kneeling before him with her head stooped low, Sharon was trembling in waiting for her Master's reaction to the report that she had passed onto him. Behind her, those Others that had also survived the evening's string of hits were bowing as deeply as the brunette at the forefront of their group. Not one dared to look up and chance catching the expression on their leader both out of fear and respect.
Not making them wait on him for long, Solo rose from his chair and approached his 'children.' Gently resting a hand on Berber's shoulder, he smiled when she hesitantly raised her head to blink her silver-ringed eyes filled with worry. "You all did well," he said quietly. Scanning the room to take in every face that peered up to watch him, he opened his arms and praised, "I could not be more proud of every one of you."
Relief and gratitude washed over every expression of his Others as their tense bodies eased in their rising to their feet. Putting on a saddened frown, the hybrid shook his head, "The ones we lost can never be replaced or forgotten. And their sacrifices will not be in vain. Those responsible for killing them will suffer and perish at our hands."
In actuality, he couldn't care less about the fate of the creatures he'd turned. They were little more than expendable chess pieces that he would move and lose as he saw fit... well, all but Dorothy.
The corner of his mouth curling up, the hybrid bid his minion, "You're free to go as you please, but stay close as usual in case I should need your services again." Quietly laughing and talking amongst themselves, the Others filed from the room.
Dorothy smiled to her Master as he headed back to his throne. Pausing when he reached her, Solo chuckled softly and kissed the Seer's forehead with a tender brushing of his fingers against her cheek. As her first and most devoted Other, the lovely creature had become quite the gem in his existence.
Returning to his seat, the half-breed sighed, "Josh's likely capture is the only unsettling matter. He is still young in his turning, being the last that I brought in. If he talks-"
His Seer turned to face him, as she reassured, "You know that every one of us would sooner die than give up anything to our enemies. Though I can't see him, I am more than confident that he will not be swayed to speak. Everything had gone according to plan."
'Except for the confirmation that Anna was killed,' Meiran thought to herself. Fighting the scowl that wanted to etch its way across her face, she resigned herself to having to just accept that the thorn that had been in her side for centuries had finally been removed in a most violent way of her making.
That little bastard child had the audacity to threaten a Vampire born into the Khushrenada family. All because of that damned braided freak that was tied to Heero.
But the fact that the redheaded bitch was no longer able to be seen by Dorothy gave a feeling of unease to the beautiful Infected. Of course, that could very well have been due to the fact that Anna really was dead as Sharon was so sure of before she and the rest of her team fled. However, there was also the possibility that she was just staying close to Duo if he, Wufei and the others got to her in time.
Whatever the outcome of the Irish bitch's fate, the one certainty was that Meiran couldn't go home. Donnie had made her involvement known to Midi based on Berber's telling of what had transpired.
Funny thing was the Vampire was content in that. All that mattered was ridding her existence of those who dared to disrespect and take her for granted. Besides, the prospect of being sided with Solo when he was successful in hatching his plan of domination only worked to her advantage.
Instead of wishing the freedom that she thought she wanted, Meiran would prove herself over and over if that was what it took to guarantee not only her safety with the hybrid but to have a share in the power he obtained.
Waving a hand in the air, Solo thought aloud, "An attack on their homes would be too great a risk right now. The protection that would be laid out will be a challenge enough, but then to have ourselves discovered to the rest of the world before we're ready is something I just can't chance. With the exception of bringing more Others in, we'll have to lay low for the time being until another opportunity arises."
The half-breed paused in thought for a moment before he chuckled, "And they're still at the disadvantage of not even knowing where to begin in finding us. We still have the considerable upper hand."
Meeting Dorothy's gaze, Solo ordered, "Find me more that I can turn... as many as you can find. I'll be assembling teams to take the humans in by the dozens. By the time I'm finished, I want to triple my numbers."
Her blue-and-silver eyes blinking in surprise, the Seer's lips curled in a lop-sided smirk. Bowing her head, she replied, "As you wish, Sire."
* * * * * *
"There," Noin sighed in relief as she and her husband set the recliner that they were carrying down. Scanning the space around them, she smiled, "It's almost like nothing happened here."
Spare for the doorway that now had a taller archway to make up for the beam that had been blasted out, Wufei and Anna's living room was as pristine and welcoming as it had been before the attack. Thanks to their enhanced speed and endurance, the efforts on their part were minimal in comparison to what it would have been for them if they were still mortal.
Bearing the last set of over a dozen grand vases filled with colorful flowers, Treize, Lady Une and Relena set them with the rest of the impressive display of gifts at the main table in the center of the room. With that delivery, the repairs and touch-ups were finished.
A wide grin warming her face, the Preventer co-founder touched up the lilac-colored bow tied around the neck of a stuffed, floppy dog. "Any idea on when Heero and Duo will be picking up Anna and Wufei?" she asked.
Zechs leaned against the door frame as he replied, "They just left for the hospital about five minutes ago so they should be back in an hour or two once the release red tape is handled." His pleased smile faltering, he cleared his throat and frowned, "Catherine asked if one of us could wake her from her nap before they arrive so that she can be here to greet them."
Sighing, Khushrenada ran a hand through his hair, muttering, "That poor girl. Howard was her only living guardian and direct relative after her parents were killed in an accident last winter. She must to be devastated."
"We could always offer to have her stay with us," Lady Une suggested. Rubbing the small of her husband's back, she stated, "It's not as if we don't have the room to be able to house her until she decides what she wants to do."
At that, Noin snickered, "Maybe we could give Meiran a hint and have Catherine take her room." Despite their best efforts, the other Vampires couldn't help the quiet chuckles that escaped them... spare for Relena who paled in hearing her cousin's name.
Biting her lip, the blonde Infected muttered, "About that... there's something that I need to tell all of you." She moved to the couch to have a seat so that the rest of her confused family would follow her lead and get off their feet.
Once everyone was sitting close around, golden and anxious expressions on her, Relena decided against prolonging the announcement. Taking a deep breath, she looked onto her loved ones and informed, "Meiran is working with the Others. She was the one who gave our friends' location so that they could strike. And I would put my existence on her somehow finding Donnie."
Jaws opened to sharp gasps and eyes widening, her clan of Infected physically reeled back from her words as though they had been physically struck. "What proof is there?!" Treize yelled in hopeful disbelief.
Calmly meeting his gaze, Peacecraft frowned, "Midi said that Donnie passed on a message from their mutual friend that brought them back together." Swallowing roughly, she repeated in a whisper, "'I win, you little bastard child.'"
Zechs was the first to find some way to react. It came in the form of his hands clenching into fists and his eyes narrowing in a heated glare as he slowly moved back into the recliner that he was sitting in. Pulling in a deep breath that filled the air, Noin covered her mouth and turned her head away from her family as she wrapped her arms around her waist.
Stricken by the hard evidence that could not be contested in defense of her 'daughter,' Lady Une's eyes shimmered instantly and a sharp whimper broke from her. His eyes wide and filled with horror, Treize sat still as stone as he continued to stare on his cousin.
Then, in a bolt, the tall Council leader rose to his feet and stormed from the room. Rushing to her feet, Relena blinked against the tears in her eyes as she cried, "Treize! This wasn't your fault!"
Anything further she tried to call out was stopped before it began when Lady Une gently caught her with an arm around the waist. Hearing the front door to the estate open and close, the clan 'mother' wiped at her wet cheeks with her free hand and met her fellow Councilwoman's eyes.
With a sad smile, the brunette Infected urged, "Give him a moment. We've both always known that there was a darkness to Meiran that we had hoped to rid from her by example. Now he just needs time to accept that we did everything we possibly could have for her. What happened was on her head and not ours." Sniffling, Relena nodded.
Just beyond the mansion, Treize was pacing back and forth along the snow-cleared sidewalk. His steps quick and heavy with his budding anger, he gritted his teeth as his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.
No, he was not the one who brought the Others down on his friends and everyone they cared about. However, he was responsible for turning the creature that made the attacks possible. Solo wouldn't have known how to find the Maxwell Church or Howard's base. Meiran was the one who knew all of those locations.
If he could go back to that damnation of a day when he turned that frail human surrounded by dead and rotting corpses of the inflicted ladies in wait that had been sent to the infirmary... the Vampire never would have felt sympathy for her. He would have left her to suffer and perish like the others.
But Treize wanted to be a father so much. Lady Une shared the same desire to be a parent. And if there were ever a being in need of their guidance and rearing, it was Meiran.
Only after turning the girl who had seemed so timid and sweet did her past come out into the open. By then, it was too late to reconsider what had been done. The newborn Infected had cried, pleading to Khushrenada and his wife for their forgiveness. She begged to be taught how to become a better Vampire than the human she once was.
Like so many others before, Treize had fallen for Meiran's act all because of his selfishness...
Pausing in the middle of the lot, the Council head blinked widely. This was exactly what she would have wanted- for the blame of her choices to be shared by someone else. It was how she worked. Well, she was not going to have the satisfaction this time.
After everything that he and his family had done for her, this was how that ungrateful and self-absorbed being showed her appreciation.
Relena was right. Treize was not at fault for any of this. He'd only tried to do the right thing. This was all on Meiran and no one else... and she was dead to her creator as far as he was concerned. There was not one redeemable quality in Meiran that made her worth another thought.
Finally coming to that conclusion, Khushrenada released a deep breath as his tense body sagged in the relief of a great weight falling away from him. His golden eyes widening, he noted the change in the sun's position over the horizon. What had felt like only a few minutes of stewing was actually closer to an hour.
Resolved in his conclusions, the political figure's eyes narrowed in determination and he quickly ascended the stairs of his friends' front porch. Entering the room as his family all but jumped to their feet at his arrival, he caught Relena in a tight embrace when she threw her arms around him.
Lady Une smiled sadly as she approached her husband. Resting a hand on the small of his back, she leaned in when Treize shifted towards her for a gentle kiss that expressed his appreciation for her knowing how he needed his space to heal. When she pulled back, the brunette Infected rested her head on a strong shoulder.
Hanging onto his cousin still, Khushrenada raised a finger to the Vampires around him and declared sternly, "Meiran's fate will be dealt with by the Yuy and Barton clans as they see fit. I want nothing to do with that vile creature from this day forward, so there will be no trial before our Council. Our friends will be the judges, jury and if the need be; executioners."
Every head nodded firmly in sound agreement.
So it was decided. So it would be done.
* * * * * *
"Again."
Letting out a cry, Midi sent fist bearing a long knife flying at her husband to try and catch his arm before he disappeared. When Trowa vanished in a blur of himself, she spun around in sensing where he was about to end up and stabbed for him once more and her hand was clasped by his with a loud snap at the contact.
At the insistence of their friends, the Latin couple had been able to enjoy some privacy in their bedroom. Following their desperate lovemaking, Midi had insisted that she have the chance to learn a few self-defense tactics. Though she was not interested in signing on as a Preventer, she saw the advantage in being able to protect herself should the need ever arise again.
Unable to argue against the logic behind her request, Trowa was all too happy to oblige and start her in right away. If for nothing else, he would have peace of mind in knowing that his soul mate would could hold her own.
Lowering their linked hands, Trowa smirked, "Much better. You've been taking notes since watching Duo's training."
The 'little mother' ducked her head, grinning, "A bit." Her smile slipping, she stared at the floor as she frowned deeply, "If I hadn't been outnumbered and taken by surprise the way that I was, I might have been able to prevent-" Trowa's lips against hers silenced the rest of the comment.
"Not another word of that." the Original urged. Lightly cupping his wife's face with his free hand, he told her, "You did everything you possibly could in that situation. Had you not stalled Donnie the way you had, he very well could have killed Anna before the rest of us could get to her in time."
He was right, of course. Midi knew that. Drawing a deep breath, she leaned into her husband's touch and nodded.
Pleased that she'd let herself off the hook, Trowa's hand fell away as he looked to their disheveled bedding. Snickering, he ran his fingers over the fresh bite mark in his neck and shook his head, "If the others had any idea just how rough you play-" It was his turn to be cut off, only with a sharp cry and a slap in the shoulder from his wife that had him laughing.
"That's only for you to know," the matriarch giggled as she lightly pushed her husband away with a finger against his ribcage. Smiling, she sauntered in her cream-colored silk slip over to gather up a new arrangement of clothes to change into.
As he pulled a pair of jeans up over his black boxers, Barton admired her for a moment and a lump formed in his throat at the reminder of how close he had come to losing his beautiful soul mate. Rushing back to the other Vampire, he spun her so that he could claim her mouth with his own again. Blinking widely, Midi soon recovered and latched onto him just as fiercely to return the kiss.
When they broke away, Trowa panted, "I don't think that our friends will miss us for a little while longer." Humming in agreement, his Chosen was already in the process of aiding him in shedding what little clothing remained on them.
* * * * * *
Gold-and-blue eyes growing as she blinked in the small hand-held mirror, Anna looked onto her perfectly cleared face in disbelief.
"That's just impressive," the redhead muttered under her breath, turning her head from side-to-side for a good look to see that not so much as a hair of a mark remained on her flesh. "I would have needed at least a whole day to heal this well on my own. Duo's blood really is something," she said quietly.
All the more to discuss with Quatre... although knowing the scientist, he was already having a field day over having a first-hand experience to the Companion's abilities. If she knew Winner well enough, the Irish Vampire would wager that he was already well on the way to getting to the bottom of his research, if he hadn't figured it out already.
Lowering the mirror back into the duffle bag that it came from, Anna brushed down the front of her tan sweater and finished buckling the belt to her jeans, "Bless Midi's heart for always thinking of everything." She spun on her heels to look on the Infected sitting on the edge of her hospital bed as the picture of pride with his arms folded and a smile on his face.
A wide grin spreading across her own face, the redheaded Vampire closed the distance between them to hook her legs around Wufei's waist, loop her arms together behind his neck and bring their lips together in a passionate kiss. Sighing against her parting mouth, the scaly Infected's eyes drifted closed along with hers as he returned every bit as much need and desire that was shown him.
Soon feeling a certain tension beneath her, Anna pulled away as Chang groaned at the loss. Chuckling softly, she rested their foreheads together and said, "I don't want to make this any... harder on either of us." To emphasize the 'harder,' she ground her hips downward. That shifting against his growing erection caused Wufei to gasp and bite his lip to contain the moan that escaped.
"But the moment we're home and have some time alone, I'm going to take very good care of that," the Irish immortal purred, the smile on her face mischievous and the sparkle in her golden eyes promising only the most rapturous of things that she was already planning.
With a smirk, Chang replied, "I'm holding you to that." His 'holding' was accented by tightly cupping the pert cusps of her buttocks, the slight slap that they caused making his wife yelp. Snickering, the couple exchanged another scorching kiss when there was a soft knock on the closed door.
Quickly unhooking herself from her Chosen so that he could stand and turn away from the entrance to adjust himself, Anna called cheerfully, "Come in."
Snorting at her choice of words, Wufei licked the rim of her ear with the tip of his tongue and whispered huskily, "I wish that I was cuming right about now."
He chuckled in delight over the shiver and whimper that he was rewarded with as his wife blinked widely. When she recovered enough to give him a mock glare and a punch to the arm, the scaly Infected just laughed and accepted it.
Their little games came to an abrupt end when the redhead watched the door open to two familiar faces. Instantly righting herself, Anna gasped and stared at the creatures that she had been longing to see since she first woke. Biting her quivering lip as she locked gazes with her first visitor, both of their eyes watered over and she flung herself into his opening arms with a sharp cry.
Heero wrapped his little sister up as tightly as he could manage. Damp eyes closing, they buried their faces in each other's shoulders and trembled as they released the fears over the close call that had nearly separated them. "I love you," was all that Yuy could manage as he continued to hold onto the Vampire he'd created.
"Love you, too, brother," Anna whimpered against the leather jacket that he wore. With a small smile, she sighed, "You were one of my happy thoughts that helped me hold on."
The arms around her tightened all the more as an unintelligible sound broke from her maker's chest at her words. Pulling back, the Irish Infected sniffled and giggled as the Original cupped her cheeks in his hands and rained kisses over her tear-streaked face before he pressed their lips together in a sweet peck that she returned.
As Anna reached up to gently dry his face, Heero snickered. Resting their foreheads together, he breathed, "I am so damned proud of you." It was all that he could manage in mentioning the horrors that she'd endured. And it was all that needed to be said.
Both beaming and tearing up again, the redhead swallowed roughly and threw her arms around his neck again. Wufei stepped up to lean against the wall beside Duo as they looked on with a shimmer in their own eyes and relieved grins on their faces at officially having their family back together.
Hugging his sister tight, Yuy asked, "How are you feeling, dear one?"
"I'm well," Anna answered in a bubble of a laugh. Giving him a firm squeeze, she pulled back to meet his concerned gaze so that he could properly assess her. Shrugging, she reassured, "Never better, really. There's not so much as a scratch on me anymore thanks to Duo."
Relieved in actually seeing that for himself, Heero eased and smiled as the last of the tears in his eyes dried up. Pressing and holding a kiss to her forehead, he stepped aside so that she could look on the reason for her still existing. Duo raised a hand to wave at his sister, a watery smirk curling the corner of his mouth.
Her breath hitching in her throat, at the sight of her rescuer, Anna looked to Chang and Yuy to request softly, "May I please have a moment alone with my little brother, loves?"
"Of course," Wufei grinned at the same time that the Original nodded firmly. Patting his braided sibling on the arm, he turned to slip out of the room. Only pausing to kiss his sister's temple, Heero winked to her and followed his scaly brother out.
Pushing himself off the wall, Maxwell smiled brilliantly as he walked towards the approaching redhead. He froze and blinked his violet eyes in surprise when she reached up to cup the side of his face instead of her wrapping him up in her arms like he had expected.
Gently rubbing his skin with the pad of her thumb, Anna frowned sadly, "Wufei told me about everything that happened last night and I am so sorry about what happened to the church and Father Maxwell." Tilting her head, she breathed, "How are you, sweetheart?"
Taken aback at how his sister was only concerned over him even after what she had been through, Duo put on another bright grin to shrug nonchalantly, "I'm fine." A flash of something in the Vampire's eyes let on that she wasn't entirely convinced. But she never said anything in argument..
She simply held him without a word.
Wrapping his own arms around her, remembering all of the horrific events of the prior night that he had been able to distract himself from up to that moment, Duo's walls suddenly crumbled on him. A stifled cry wracking from his chest, he buried his head into the Infected's shoulder as the tears he had neglected poured from his eyes.
Anna reached a hand up to cup the back of the Companion's head beneath the start of his braid to rub his neck soothingly with the pad of her thumb. Sobbing and shaking, Maxwell clung all the tighter to his sister, thankful beyond explaining at how he still had her to be a rock in his existence. There was no way he would have survived losing her after how tight they had become in the short time that they had known each other.
They stayed like that for a time, how long exactly Duo wasn't aware. But when he finally came out of his grief, he pulled his head back from the strong shoulder it was pressed against to find himself sitting cradled in the redhead's lap atop her bed where she must have carried him. slowly rocking him back and forth, the Vampire was humming quietly as she continued to rub circles along his back.
When their eyes locked, Anna straightened and smiled sweetly, "Better?" it was such a backwards scene from what the hybrid had imagined. She had endured a hell like none other and yet here she was, being his comfort and strength without complaint or hesitation. Once again, demonstrating how her well-being came second to her family.
Blinking at the question, Duo sat up, keeping his arms linked around her as he considered his own feelings for the first time since their struggle with the Others had ended. With a soft, short laugh, he replied honestly, "Yea. A lot better, actually."
Her smile growing, the redhead kissed the tip of his nose, responding softly, "Good. You took care of me, so it was my turn... even though I can never repay you for what you gave me."
"It was nothing," Maxwell insisted, shaking his head. Hugging her tightly once more, he whispered, "I'm just so happy that you're alright." Anna bit her lip, sniffling against the shimmer in her own eyes as she returned the embrace tenfold.
Another long moment passed before the Companion felt strong enough to climb from his sister's lap and stand on his feet. Sighing deeply, he ran a hand through his bangs and muttered, "I could really go for some alone time with Heero to get the last of this out, but we have a meeting with Quatre to take care of first."
"Oh?" Anna frowned. Gasping, her eyes widened as she asked, "Do you think that he figured out what makes your blood so special to Vampires?"
Chuckling nervously, the braided immortal shrugged, "I can only assume that's what had him practically bouncing off the walls when he caught me and 'Ro before we left the mansion this morning. I don't think I've ever seen him that amped up before... and I don't think it's just from the coffee he was sucking down for hours now."
Both anxious and worried about whatever it was his living friend was so excited over, Duo knew that he would have to face it eventually.
Getting to her own feet, the Irish Infected announced, "There's just one more thing I have to do first." Gold-and-blue eyes narrowing, she raised her hand to send a swift slap across her brother's face that had him reeling. It wasn't enough to bruise, but it stung just enough to make certain that she had his attention.
Wide violet eyes settling back on her, Anna growled deeply, "Though I immensely appreciate what you did for me, I could have easily killed you. And I would never have been able to exist with myself if that happened." Folding her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow, she stated, "So, that will be the last time you give your blood to a dying Vampire like that or you'll get far worse than that from me. Understood?"
Duo laughed and scooped her up into her arms to spin her around. "I love you, too, sis," he grinned widely before he pressed a quick kiss against her smirking lips. Carefully lowering her, he nodded, "And yes, I got it." Beaming, the Vampire pecked him back in gratitude for the sentiments.
The hybrid held his hand out to her, smiling, "Now, shall we get you back home?"
Shoulders sagging, Anna sighed deeply, "Hell yes." As her brother's arm wrapped itself around the dip of her waist and kissed her forehead, she giggled and they fell in step to rejoin their Chosen out in the hallway to rejoin the rest of their family and friends.
TBC...
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