Oh night thou was my guide
Oh night more loving than the rising sun
Oh night that joined the lover to the beloved one
Transforming each of them into the other
-Lyrics to 'The Dark Night of My Soul' performed by Loreena McKennitt
Crimson Ties Part 69
"Hey there, darlin'. I need you te wake up."
Groaning in pain, he blinked his eyes open and winced against the light that filled the room. At the familiar face that appeared to stare down at him, he swallowed to dampen his throat before his strained voice croaked, "T-Tilly?"
The slight shift that he made in his bed shook free some of the fluid in his lungs and he had to turn his head away when he fell into a violent coughing spell. Gentle but strong arms aided him in sitting up to ease the heaviness in his chest and the spell ended.
Carefully lowering herself to sit beside her friend, Tilly ran a hand over the other Vampire's face to brush away the sweat forming on his brow. "I'm so sorry te wake you, love," she frowned deeply. "But Perry and I are going to be moving you for a flight to the States."
Far too tired and lost in his illness to really process what was said, Anthony shook his head and mumbled, "W-where're we going?"
Biting her lip, the blonde Preventer peered over to her partner standing in the doorway. "We better move quickly." With a firm nod, Perry hurried to the side of the mattress to easily scoop up the younger Infected into his arms. Sagging heavily, the fading immortal's eyes closed with a sigh.
As she and her lover stepped quickly from the room, Tilly squeezed their friend's limp hand. Keeping up with the quick pace that the other Preventer set, she leaned close to their charge's ear and quietly urged, "Keep thinking about yer Chosen that you dreamt about last night, dear heart. Ye know he's out there waitin' fer ya. Ye got to hang on fer 'im."
Only catching the mention of the handsome young living that he'd pictured in the thick of his haze, Anthony drifted off again with the hopes of seeing him again.
* * * * * *
Frowning deeply at his screen, Wufei paused in his typing to fold his arms across his chest and lean back in the chair of his desk with a thoughtful sigh.
Another dead end in finding anything on Dorothy Greyson, the last of every resource that the scaly Infected had at his disposal officially drying up on him. There was not a single record on the girl anywhere, not even birth certificates.
That only meant one thing... Trent Greyson was not always who he claimed to be.
Now having a new angle that he could work with, Chang shot upright and his fingers flew over his keyboard. Focused on the pages of text and database sign-on configurations flashing on his monitor, he nearly missed the faint sound of footsteps entering his dimly lit study.
But then, the scaly Vampire never needed to actually see his wife to know when she was present. A small smile curling his lips as he continued in his typing without looking away from the programs he was hacking into, he greeted, "Hello, my Celtic Rose."
Giggling, Anna rounded his station for his chair and bent at the waist to press a kiss against her husband's temple. "I can never sneak up on you," she grinned as she sat on the edge of his desk beside the computer that he remained trained on.
"I hope you don't mind my stopping in. Just thought that I'd check in on you since it's been a few hours now," the redheaded Infected said softly as to not be too much of a distraction.
Wufei's small smile grew as he typed with one hand and reached with the other to squeeze her leg, reassuring, "Of course I don't mind. I always appreciate the pleasure of your company."
Beaming at that, the Irish Vampire squeezed his hand back before it slipped away to pick back up to tap away once again. Silently marveling at how quickly and accurately her lover was able to navigate through the dozens of displays that appeared on the monitor without a single pause in his keystrokes, she asked, "How's the search for Dorothy coming?"
From the corner of his eye, Chang glanced at his Chosen as he replied, "I have fairly good reason to believe that Trent is existing under an alias. After using every spelling variation of her first and last name, she simply is nowhere to be found. So, I am digging up everything I can on her brother."
A concerned frown marring her face, Anna gripped the edge of the desk at either side of her. "An alias?" she muttered. "I suppose that it would make sense, considering how Duo, Quatre and Catherine have gone on about how he keeps things to himself. And it would stand to reason that with something happening to his sister that he would want to protect his identity."
No sooner had the redhead spoken the words did her husband's hands abruptly halt in their typing when a bright series of beeps sounded from the speakers. Pushing herself off her perch to bend at the waist behind the scaly Infected, she blinked along with him at the words flashing on the screen.
"Trent Catalonia," Wufei read aloud, "Born and raised in Los Angeles, California." Clicking on the link below the data to reveal and instantly recognize the facial shot belonging to the name, he smirked, "Got'cha."
Shaking her head at the Hunter's photo, Anna murmured, "California's pretty out of the ways from here." She straightened herself as she stated, "At least we have his actual name to go off on."
Chang hummed in agreement, nodding his head while he was already fast at work again. "Now for us to get to know Dorothy Catalonia," he grinned in anticipation, more than pleased with his efforts.
The Irish Vampire rocked back on her heels to give her lover the space and quiet that he needed to begin his hunt. Then, after a long pause, her curiosity got the better of her and she couldn't keep silent any longer.
Sitting back on the edge of the desk, Anna leaned towards the scaly Infected as she inquired softly, "Have you considered what ability you'll be taking on when you drink Duo's blood later tonight?"
His hands collapsing to his sides and his head falling back, Wufei laughed, "Took you long enough to ask!" Spinning to face his wife, he snickered, "I was sure that you'd be in here the second I started my research to find that out as soon as you could."
With a sheepish smile, the other Vampire ducked her head as she admitted, "Well, I would have been right on your heels but decided that your work here was more important." Biting her lip, she shrugged, "Besides, I was busy helping our little brother blow off some steam in the training room."
"That's my girl," Wufei chuckled as he rolled his chair between the Irish immortal's legs, shaking his head in amusement. Slowly lowering his head onto her lap, he smiled up at her, "As a matter of fact, yes, I have given the matter quite a bit of thought. Right now, I'm pretty settled in my choice, however I'm weighing the pros and cons to it before settling on it."
Practically bouncing, Anna giggled, "So, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Once again, the computer beeped. "Oh, bloody hell!" she snapped, glaring at the screen only to quickly blink in surprise along with her partner at the data that was coming in.
Chang took a moment to press a kiss against his Other's leg before he reluctantly rolled away to place himself before his computer again. Onyx-and-gold eyes blinking as he read, he breathed, "Son of a bitch."
* * * * * *
"You found Anthony?" Noin gasped when she and Zechs reunited with their cousins in the basement of their mansion to learn of the news.
Grinning widely, Lady Une nodded firmly, "Based on the description you gave, I'm convinced that we have the right Vampire. I had learned about his sudden decline in health right around the same time that this new wave of disappearing livings began. Until you read Josh's mind, there was no way of knowing that the two are tied."
With a smirk, the Commander chuckled, "Of course, you could always confirm my suspicions." That said, she handed over an image of the handsome Infected she had sent for.
Instantly recognizing the face staring back at her, Lucrezia's hands trembled as she accepted the picture. "It's him," she whispered, her head nodding as tears of relief filled her eyes. Having felt the strong the bond between the Other and his Vampire, she longed for the soul mates to be reunited.
Merquise chewed on the inside of his cheek before hesitantly asking his wife, "Do you think that their being brought together might save the both of them?"
Tearing her gaze away from the image to meet Zechs' eyes, Noin replied, "He never let it show, but Josh was coming undone when he realized that I knew about Anthony. Somehow, even through Solo's influence, their tie is in tact and keeping our spiky friend together. He's still terrified that somehow we'll take away that one last constant in his existence."
Relief wanted to wash over Treize in his hearing that, but he remained cautiously optimistic. "Well, only time will tell just how strong a tie between a Vampire and their Chosen really is," he commented. The corner of his mouth curling up, he squeezed Noin's shoulder as he praised, "You were fantastic back there. That talent of yours is going to be quite the tool in our seeing to the end of this war."
Lucrezia practically glowed at the compliment, a wide smile spreading across her face as her husband pulled her against his strong chest to kiss her forehead. Melting against the touch of his cool lips, she hummed and closed her eyes as her whole body relaxed.
"Okay," a cheerful voice called from the end of the corridor. Stepping into the opening, Midi held up the small, covered pot that she had brought along with her with a grinned, "Where is he?"
Snickering, Treize waved for the 'little mother' to follow him to the closed off cell. "He's a bit of a challenge," the Commander warned his friend as his hand fell on the heavy beam securing the door. "You may have your work cut out with this one, my dear."
The Latin Vampire waved her free hand, huffing, "Oh, a little hospitality always goes a long way. Now let me at him. The poor darling hasn't seen a home-cooked meal for weeks."
Khushrenada shook his head with a small smile. Lifting the beam away, he stepped aside so that his wife could step up and push the door open to their visitor. Quietly humming a happy tune to herself, Midi headed inside without hesitation.
At the sight of the glaring, spiked creature that was sitting up on the bench across from her, the brunette greeted, "Hello, sweetheart. I thought that you could go for a bit of soup that I made from scratch with angel-hair noodles. You see, I always make more than what's needed and I hate to see good food go to waste."
His eyes widening, Josh blinked in dumbfounded shock at the Infected. Taken aback by her kind demeanor as it was, the offering of anything the likes of a meal had him completely thrown off kilter. "W-what?" was all that he was able to manage, his disbelief dripping from his voice.
Lowering the hot pot, Midi met his silvered eyes. She gestured to the black holder at her feet, grinning, "Soup. I thought that you would like some, seeing as how you likely haven't eaten in a long time."
Quickly regaining his composure, the Other glared at her anew. "I don't have to eat anymore," he growled deeply. "And even if I did, I'd sooner stave than eat anything that you monsters might offer. For all I know, you're trying to poison me."
Frowning, the 'little mother' tilted her head. "Believe me," she replied in a tone absent of its pleasant singsong, "if we wanted you dead you would be already. Besides, seeing how outnumbered and outmatched you are, do you really think that we would resort to poisoning food as our means of ending your existence?" She smirked, "That would be pretty pathetic of us Vampires."
As Josh's eyes grew once more in his mulling over that simple and poignant logic, Midi bent at the waist. Taking porcelain bowl and silver spoon that were hooked to the pot handle, she opened the lid to her meal against his best defenses.
"You might not need to eat," she began while using the ladle inside of the pot to fill the bowl in her hand to the rim, "however, I know how important it is for every creature to hold onto something familiar."
Swallowing roughly, the Other kept his enlarged eyes on the food being prepared for him. It was a difficult thing for him to just sit there, his heightened sense of smell taking in the delicious aroma that filled the air.
How long had it been since he had the chance to enjoy such a simple thing as having a bowl of soup on a cold night? He couldn't even remember the time, but he so ached for the opportunity that he felt his stomach churning with hunger... something that he never thought he would feel again.
The kind smile on her face never fading, Midi lowered the bowl onto the floor and raised her arms over her head. "No weapons," she promised. "But you're free to come and check that for yourself." Josh drew a deep breath and shook his head in a silent approval for her to approach.
Quietly giggling, the 'little mother' took the bowl and spoon back up and slowly moved towards the skittish Other. Swallowing roughly, the silver-eyed creature watched her warily as she held her offering out to him.
No longer able to stand the smell, nor his need to take come sort of comfort, Josh retracted his spikes and snatched the dish from the Infected's hands. Shoveling spoonful after spoonful of the hot, delectable meal, he could have sobbed over having that little bit of something good in his existence.
Frowning deeply in concern as she watched, Midi took advantage of the immortal's distraction to sit at the opposite end of the long bench. "Is there anything else that I can get you, hon?" she asked in little more than a soothing whisper.
His edge coming apart at the seams at the gentle mercy shown to him, Josh bit his lip before he met her gold-and-brown gaze. "I can have the rest of the soup?" he questioned, the bowl in his hand was nearly empty already.
"Of course," the lovely brunette smiled with a shallow nod. "And there's more where that came from if you should ever want it."
This... was exactly how Josh had thought the Vampires to be- good and friendly in nature. Up until the attack that had taken took his life as he knew it away, he'd only wanted to imagine the Infected to be just like this sweet creature.
And for the first time since his capture, he really felt alone... scared.
With tears forming in his brilliant eyes, the Other stifled a sob that broke from his chest. Lowering the bowl at his side, he gave into the tears as he pulled his legs to his chest. Midi was there in an instant, wrapping her arms around him and slowly rocking him with whispered reassurances that his damaged soul soaked in.
More than ever, he wished that he had Anthony with him... that he was real at all.
It didn't matter to Josh that it was a Vampire that was comforting him at that moment. He'd been deprived of the most profound need of any creature in just feeling cared for and supported by someone... anyone. The whole thing only made him realize just how badly he missed his own mother.
So, he leaned heavily against the Infected and closed his watering eyes to absorb every kindness she had to offer.
On the other side of the cell's mirror, the Council members looked on with a shimmer to their own eyes. "I swear that girl could charm the stars from the skies if she wanted to," Zechs whispered, his voice thick with emotion. Their heads nodding in agreement, his wife and cousins stepped back to face each other.
Clearing his throat, Khushrenada sighed to his lover, "We best finish tying up our loose ends here before we have to head to the airport." Lady Une responded by taking his hand to let him take the lead whenever he was ready.
"We'll stay put to keep an eye on things here," Noin stated, her protectiveness of both her friend and the Other that she had come to appreciate resonating in her timbre. She cast a side-long glance through the mirror to keep an eye on her charges.
Pleased with the arrangement, the Council heads bowed their heads to their cousins in appreciation and headed down the long corridor to disappear around the bend.
Once they were alone, Zechs relaxed as he focused back on Midi and Josh as they remained huddled together on the bench. Draping an arm around his wife's shoulders, he commented, "With any luck, this means that he and Anthony really will be alright when they're brought together. We might have exposed the major flaw in Solo's great plan."
Noin continued to look on the pair inside the cell as she muttered, "Let's hope so."
* * * * * *
Catherine clicked away at her laptop mouse as she paged through the saved designs of weapons that her grandfather had both created as well as ones that he was in the works of producing. Whistling through her teeth, she whispered, "God, you really were a genius, Pops."
Shaking her head of red head, the living muttered, "What I wouldn't give to have the resources to get started on some of these." As soon as she spoke her wish, she blinked in the surprise of remembering her influential caretakers.
Doctor Po entered Heero and Duo's living room to find the young scientist buried in her research. A small smile tugging her lips, the braided woman stated, "I was hoping that you would come to look over Howard's work. That's a pretty big honor that he passed onto you in preserving the Living-Vampire treaty."
A lump forming in her throat, Catherine swallowed roughly and looked away from her screen to watch her friend sit beside her at the table. "It's a huge honor and a big responsibility," she nodded once she was able to find her voice. Grinning, she chuckled, "I'm going to do everything I can to make him proud."
The surgeon grinned, "I have every faith that you will." Looking to the images on the monitor, she asked, "How many of his weapons was Trowa able to save from the base before it was destroyed?"
Her redheaded friend leaned back in her chair, sighing, "He filled up our vehicles with variations of nearly every type. All in all, we have about a quarter of the whole supply. Considering how it'll take time to rebuild the equipment that I'd need to create what was lost, we have a real good start with what was spared."
Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Catherine muttered, "But there is one particular weapon that I'm anxious to make my first project." She set her fingers to work, bringing up the search box to locate and bring up the said piece as she said, "My grandfather was only just starting the ground designs on this beauty." Typing the last command, she struck the 'Enter' key and sat back.
Sally blinked widely at the display. Letting out a low whistle through her teeth, she whispered, "That's some impressive engineering... not to mention ambitious on your part."
"I can tell by the work he put into it that my grandfather was pretty fond of this one," Bloom smiled, never looking away from the image. "There are factors that need to be adjusted for it to operate the way it needs to, but I think that I can iron out the kinks. It will be a pretty big project, but I'm looking forward to taking it on."
This being the first time that she saw the young scientist truly happy since Howard's death, Po's smile grew. "Well, it's definitely in the right hands," she complimented. Glancing at the clock, she rose to her feet, announcing, "I'm off to start my overnight shift at the hospital."
Already typing away to dissect the design on her monitor, Catherine was trained on her task as she responded distractedly, "Have a good night, Sally."
Giggling to herself, the braided doctor shook her head in amusement and headed from the room content to know that little by little life was returning back to normal.
* * * * * *
When his long workout in the training room with Heero, Trowa and Anna was not enough to relieve all of his tension, Duo quickly found another way to relive his stress. Panting heavily as his Vampire pulled back from the nape of his neck, he could feel the fresh bite mark that blemished the skin there as the waves of the euphoria that had submerged him receded.
"God I needed that," the Reformer breathed, sinking all the deeper into their bed and pillows while his violet-and-silver eyes drifted closed. Yuy chuckled softly, setting to the chore of lovingly cleaning his lover's naked body.
Tossing the small rag in his hand aside when both their chests were removed of the evidence of their coupling, Heero shifted to lie beside his Companion and pulled him into his arms. Maxwell hummed as he leaned up to claim the Infected's lips in a fiery kiss.
When they finally broke, Yuy smiled warmly when their eyes locked. Gently brushing a hand through the hybrid's long bangs, he asked softly, "Feeling better now?"
"Much," Duo grinned. Burrowing the side of his head against his Vampire's shoulder, he bit his lip at the sight of the long burn mark along his Chosen's chest. Gently tracing a finger over the red rash that was quickly healing before his eyes, he frowned deeply, "I'm sorry that I got so carried away during our skirmish."
Snickering, Heero kissed the Reformer's forehead and grinned in reassurance, "You gave me a flesh wound. It's nothing to feel bad about. I'm still impressed that you got so close to hitting me with your scythe. Anna and Trowa had you pretty occupied, so I never thought that you would sense me coming at you even with our bond."
The corner of his mouth curling up, the Infected shrugged, "Not to brag, but it's a pretty rare thing that I'm ever struck in the middle of a struggle. You should feel pretty proud over that accomplishment."
Maxwell snorted, "Yea, not that you're bragging." Lightly 'punching' his laughing lover, he pounced onto the Infected to hook his legs around Yuy's waist as he threw his loose hair back behind his shoulders.
With a mischievous smile spreading across his face, the hybrid hummed hungrily at the glorious, perfect creature beneath him. "Where any of my accomplishments are concerned," he purred, "I'm the most proud over how I make you scream in bed."
Swallowing roughly, Heero folded his arms behind his head and managed huskily, "Well, I'm definitely up to proving to you once again just how damned good you are at that." With a playful grin, he shifted his waist so that his growing member brushed against his Companion to show just how 'up' to the task he was.
A primal growl was all the warning Yuy had before Duo lunged forward to accept his offer.
* * * * * *
Parking her car in the hospital emergency entrance lot, Sally grabbed her duffle bag filled with her gear and change of clothes from the passenger seat and stepped out into the chilled night. If she was at all tired from the late hour, the sharp, icy bite in the air was more than enough to wake her.
Quickly shrugging the strap of her bag over her shoulder, the doctor wrapped her arms tightly around her middle to tighten the thick winter's coat. Hurrying for the doors a few yards away, she sighed in relief when she stepped through the sliding panes and into the warmth inside.
This being her first shift back since the night of the horrific attacks against her friends, Po couldn't help but smile at the expected sight of the nurses huddling close around their station. Practically vibrating with anxiety, the lot's eyes grew when their heads snapped in the surgeon's direction.
Running to the braided living, the women young and old went into a barrage of questions, all centering around the redheaded Vampire that they all had come to know through their work.
Sally raised a hand, chuckling, "Anna's just fine, ladies. She's fully recovered from her accident and is as spirited as ever. I was also asked on her behalf to thank you all for the cards and flowers you all sent her. I have every confidence that she'll be back to work soon."
With deep sigh of relief, the nurses sagged at the release of their tension. Slowly dispersing back to their station, the women fell into a series of light-hearted conversations while Po walked past for the changing rooms.
"It's just a shame that Anna is away when the maternity ward has been so busy with deliveries," one of the younger aids commented softly just as the doctor was about to disappear around the corner. "Knowing how much she loves babies, she's going to miss seeing the nursery as full as it is."
The statement brought Sally to a dead halt in her steps. Eyes widening with a sharp gasp, she slapped a hand over her mouth as a series of thoughts flooded her. Anna always did have a love of and a way with children.
When Quatre said that Duo's blood sped up a Vampire's evolution, did he mean that they could only acquire a supernatural ability?
Skin pale and still frozen in cold panic, Po nearly jumped when a voice called from the station behind her, "Is everything alright, doctor?"
Quickly peering over her shoulder, the braided surgeon smiled, "Oh, I'm fine, Cassy, thank you." Before she could draw any more attention to herself, Sally picked up her feet to briskly move for the dressing rooms.
At least she would be when she had the chance to meet with a certain Infected nurse for a new follow-up the second her shift was up.
TBC...
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