Viva forever, I'll be waiting
Everlasting like the sun
Live Forever for the moment
Ever searching for the one
-Lyrics to 'Viva Forever' performed by the Spice Girls
Crimson Ties Part 71
Sally paced back and forth in the emergency room lobby at the start of her break that was available to her. Cell phone placed against her ear, she waited for the call she'd placed through her speed dial option as she muttered, "Come on. Come on."
There was not so much as a single ring before the cheerful voice on the other end of the line chimed in to greet, "Hey, this is Anna. Please leave a message and I'll get back to 'ya!"
Groaning when the voicemail notice began, Sally sighed in wait for the sound of the beep to rerecord urgently, "Anna, it's me. If you get this, I need to meet with you and Wufei here at the hospital and it really shouldn't wait. If you can't reach me on my cell, call the front desk to have one of the nurses get me."
Quickly peering around to check that there were no other ears around, she added in a whisper, "Make sure that Wufei does not drink Duo's blood until we've had a chance to talk."
Pulling the phone away, the braided doctor hit the disconnect button before trying the next number in her directory and waited to hear the ring when the receiver was back against her ear. Her free hand shoving itself into the pocket of her white lab coat, she resumed her anxious pacing.
Once again, her call went directly to the next voicemail and the familiar, recorded voice announced, "You've reached Wufei. At this time, I am unavailable so please leave a detailed message and I will return your call."
Working to keep her frustration from her tone, Sally removed her hand from her pocket to pinch the bridge of her nose at the sound of the tone as she said, "Wufei, I need to meet with you and Anna before the end of my shift in a few hours-" She cut herself short when she turned on her heels to walk the length of the entrance for the umpteenth time, only to see one of the nurses rushing towards her from the nurses' station.
Eyes growing, the surgeon's fingers fumbled briefly in her haste to end the call. Straightening her back, she turned her phone off and secured it back inside of her lab coat that she brushed down when her hands were free. "I'm so sorry to interrupt your break, Doctor, Po," the silver-haired nurse frowned deeply when she neared.
"It's alright, Dottie," Sally reassured with a forced grin on her part, her concerns over her friends all the more unsettled over her inability to reach them directly. "What is it?"
The resident nurse frowned, "I overheard on the radio that an accident involving six cars was just called in." As soon as she spoke the words, the sound of ambulance sirens was heard as the red vehicles peeled out of their lots with their red and white flashers beaming through the darkness beyond the emergency room doors.
Normally one to be at the ready for such a situation, Sally needed a moment to come to terms with the fact that her time to get a hold of Anna and Wufei was up. All that she could do now was hope that they received their messages soon.
Rolling her sagged shoulders back, Po became her focused self again and requested, "Get everyone that's not already busy ready for the arrivals." Dottie nodded firmly and spun on her heels to get to work.
Much as it did not sit well with her, the braided doctor had to put the thoughts of her Infected friends on the back burner. Her steps rushed, she moved down the long corridor to scrub up and prepare to oversee the care of her incoming patients.
* * * * * *
Anna bit her lip as she leaned against the basement wall behind her. Staring through the observation glass of the holding cell, she watched the Other sitting inside. Moving to stand beside her, Wufei rubbed the back of her neck in a soothing gesture.
This being the first time that his wife looked on one of the creatures involved in the attacks only nights ago, the scaly Vampire knew that this would be a tense moment for her. "How are you holding up, dear one?" he asked softly, his concern radiating from his gold-and-onyx eyes.
Drawing a deep breath, the Irish Infected kept her focus on Josh as he remained still on his bench, legs pulled tightly against his chest as if he was trying to literally keep himself together. When she breathed out slowly, her whole bode eased in the release.
With surprise in her voice, she answered honestly, "I'm okay. He's not nearly the creature I'd expected to find... Midi was right when she said how lost and scared he is. After what happened, I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it for myself."
As his sister's eyes shifted to 'look' on the dark memories of the Others that had bound and used her for target practice, Heero was quick to stand at her other side. "Hey," he called softly through her thoughts to bring her attention on him.
"You're safe with us now, remember?" the Original soothed. Reaching up, he cupped the side of her face and smiled sadly, "There's no need for you to go back there at this moment."
Heavily leaning into his touch, Anna smiled and replied just as quietly, "I know. Thank you, brother." Her creator pressed a kiss against her forehead before she returned her focus to their prisoner.
"I honestly feel bad for him," the Irish Infected frowned deeply. Shaking her head, her long hair shifted back and forth in its high ponytail behind her as she stated, "He never asked for any of this... not to be attacked by Solo and forced into becoming an Other and certainly not to believe that he had to attack innocents."
Duo was nodding in agreement a few feet ahead of them at the edge of the glass. Josh was actually at the Maxwell Church when the Companion and his Vampire had arrived just in time to stop the Others' intended plan. And yet he felt the same compassion for the silver-eyed creature that his sister did.
Releasing a long breath, the Reformer muttered, "This whole mess really is one big mind-fuck. I'm looking forward to a very long vacation to get my emotions back to kilter when this is all over."
At the sound of the a car pulling into the driveway of the estate filled the air, Zechs and Noin rose from their perch on the nearby steps. Instantly, the tension in the room rose as every body present locked so rigidly that they could have snapped.
"They're here," Merquise sighed in relief. Becoming a blur of himself along with his wife, he led the charge for the first floor of their cousins' estate.
Heero was at his lover's side, resting a hand on his shoulder to bring him back away and join the rest of their family away from the bolted door. Moments later, anxious voices could be heard upstairs in their quiet conversations. There was no question to the concern that was picked up in the tones that reached the family's ears.
Biting his lip, Trowa murmured, "This is going to be bad." That had been as much a warning to his loved ones to prepare themselves for their guest's state as much as it was for himself. Shifting, he huddled close along with his cousins.
A raspy, winded cough sounded at the top of the staircase as a heard of feet carefully descended into the basement. When Zechs rounded the corner of the steps, the unconscious Vampire that he was carrying was the one that had every eye on him.
Violet-and-silver eyes widening, Duo couldn't contain the sharp gasp that broke from him. He slapped a hand over his mouth whilst his skin paled a few shades as he looked onto the trembling, sweat-soaked Infected.
Groaning, Anthony fell into another fit of violent coughs as his whole body was wracked by the force of them. His skin so white it was nearly transparent, the frail creature was incredibly small in Merquise's strong arms.
Only able to move his arm enough to reach behind him, Maxwell took a strong hold of his Vampire's arm. So this is what would have become of Heero if they had never been bonded. This painful, undignified state would have eventually claimed the Original until death finally came for him.
In seeing just how bad off Anthony was, death seemed a pretty welcoming thing compared to the agony that he was enduring now.
Duo turned slightly to lean against his partner, shuddering at the mental image of his Infected in their dying guest's place. Swallowing roughly, he fought the sting of tears in his silvered eyes and leaned the side of his face against a firm shoulder as Heero wrapped his arms around him.
Equally stricken, Anna bit her lip as she was pulled into a fierce embrace by Wufei while she gripped Trowa's arm. Their wide eyes followed the dying immortal as he was brought to the cell where Zechs turned towards the Vampires that were walking up behind him.
At the back of the pack, two unfamiliar faces stayed as close as they could while giving their hosts the space that they needed. Hooking their arms around each other, the pair kept their worried eyes on Anthony.
"Give me a moment with him," Noin insisted softly as she walked past her husband. There was no need for her to elaborate on who she wished to ready. Treize hurried forward to remove the heavy the beam and moved so that Lady Une could open the door to their cousin.
The Other's head shot up as Lucrezia entered. Rolling her shoulders back, the Councilwoman informed, "You have a visitor."
Josh blinked in surprise. "A visitor?" he repeated, frowning in confusion. Who in the world would be coming that needed to be announced to him?
With a shallow nod, Noin advised in a grim voice, "Be mindful that he's in poor shape." Drawing a deep breath, she declared, "Now, I do not mean to scare you, but do not bring any harm to him if you value your existence."
Before the perplexed captive could question who he was about to see, his eyes grew when Merquise stepped inside. Instantly trained on the Infected that was cradled in the Councilman's arms, Josh's breath hitched in his throat as he physically reeled back from his disbelief.
It wasn't possible. This couldn't possibly be happening.
But there was no questioning the familiar face and that fall of shaggy, chestnut-brown hair. Even in the rough form that the creature was in, the Other knew who he was instantly. "A-Anthony?" he breathed, eyes large and his head shaking. "B-but I thought... I thought that I'd just made you up..."
Very slowly, Josh stood on unsteady legs. Jaw slack, he half-stumbled aside as Zechs moved to lower his charge onto the bench. Stepping back, the tall Infected fell back with his wife while making sure that they remained close in their watch over whatever might unfold as the prisoner only remained focused on the unconscious being.
All but collapsing to his knees in a rush, the stunned Other raised a shaking hand to gently run his finger through the damp, haphazard hair that he'd only dreamed of actually feeling. His lungs releasing the air that he didn't even know that he was holding, he whispered urgently, "Anthony?"
How or why the handsome creature was here with him didn't matter to Josh. The only thing that did was that he was here now... right when he was needed more than ever. Right at the time when the Other's existence was at its darkest hours.
When there was no response from the ailing form, Morgan turned towards the Infected at his back. Settling his gaze on the Councilwoman with whom he had come to forge a bond, he he asked in a near wail, "What's wrong with him?"
Noin took a tentative step closer as she answered, "He's dying, Josh. Anthony is your intended... your Chosen. You were meant to be his Companion and your tie was all but severed when Solo changed you." Biting her lip, she bowed her head apologetically and admitted, "I read your mind so that we might know and find him so that you could be united."
Bonded to a Vampire? The notion shook the Other to his very core. Unable to breathe or move, there was a part of him that wanted to scream in defiance of the ridiculous notion... only that voice was growing fainter with every second he spent so close to the ailing Infected.
Though there was still so much to process, there was not a question in the silver-eyed being's mind that Lucrezia had spoken nothing but the truth. Gazing back on Anthony as the Vampire trembled and coughed, Josh's heart lurched in seeing him in so much pain... to see how he truly was slipping away.
Any and everything that Morgan had come to believe about the Infected was completely rid from his mind. Anthony was dying and there was only way he could be saved.
What came next was as natural as breathing had been for Josh. Silver-and-brown eyes narrowing, he brought forth a long spike from his wrist and made a long cut along his Chosen's exposed arm. "Stop!" Zechs cried. Just as he was about to lunge forward to take the captive down, Noin held him back.
Moving quickly, the Other wrapped his mouth around the bleeding wound and closed his eyes as he drank a couple mouthfuls of the surprisingly sweet nectar that filled him down to his soul. Feeling the effects of the drink that was changing him as he knelt there, he pulled away and held his bare wrist against his Vampire's lips. "Drink," he ordered sternly.
The frail Infected's green-and-gold eyes blinked open with a small moan. Clouded as his mind was, pure instinct took over and Anthony's fangs grew in. Grunting, his hands shot up to hold the wrist still and bit down to indulge in the blood of his Companion.
Completely engulfed by the pleasure and surge of euphoria that rode through him, Josh's eyes drifted closed as he leaned heavily against his partner.
As quickly as everything happened, it took Merquise a moment to process what was taking place. Finally easing, he allowed his wife to pull him back from the pair so that they could have some room of their own. It was a pretty overwhelming thing to witness... the sudden change in Josh when he was in Anthony's presence.
Not minutes ago the Other hated Vampires. And yet here he was, selflessly following the instinct that came through the bond that he shared with his Infected to heal him.
Pulling the wrist at his lips away when the healing crimson drops he'd consumed worked their spell, Anthony blinked widely up at the ceiling and his fangs retracted. Before everyone's eyes, the sweat on his skin fell away and his skin returned to its healthy, pale hue. The coughing ceased, his lungs no longer needed the air.
Literally in a few blinks, he was back to his former-self, well beyond the threat of dying. In fact, it was as if he had never been as close to fading away as he had been.
On the other side of the observation glass, Tilly and Perry sighed and embraced tightly as tears of relief rolled down their faces. Folding her hands before her face, Lady Une faced her husband so that their own shimmering eyes could meet and small smiles lit their faces.
Pushing himself up with a renewed strength, Anthony froze at the sight of a young man of his eternally captured age that was partially draped across his chest. "J-Josh?" he stammered in a breath. "Is that really you?"
When his eyes opened, the newly established Companion's brown eyes were free of the silver rings that had wrapped them. A clarity filling those brilliant irises, the blonde stared at his Vampire until his vision shifted with unshed tears. With a stifled whimper, Morgan's walls crumbled and he fell into a wave of sobs.
Anthony was there for him in an instant, carefully pulling his partner up to cradle him in his lap as he was clung to fiercely. Slowly rocking the trembling creature in his arms, he closed his golden eyes. Whispering a soothing 'shhh,' the Infected rubbed circles along his Chosen's trembling back.
For the onlookers, they were jolted in witnessing the total change in the pair. Arriving to the estate broken and weak, the Vampire that had just come back from the dead in many ways, now the picture of strength and reassurance for his mate who had been the proud, certain one.
"I've got you," Anthony whispered by the Other's ear. "Rest now, my heart. Everything will be fine when you wake up."
Sniffling, Josh peered his damp face up at the creature that had cared for as long as he had known of him through his dreams. With a rough swallow past the lump in his throat, he asked, "You won't leave me, will you?"
A small, beautiful smile spreading across Anthony's face, he replied in a firm declaration, "Oh, no. I'm never going to leave you from here on out, love." To emphasize his sentiment, he tightened his hold around his Other and pressed a kiss against the other boy's chilling forehead.
Relaxing at that, Morgan's brown eyes drifted closed and he burrowed the side of his face against a strong shoulder as the fatigue from his new change set in quickly. Feeling more safe and at home with his Infected than he ever had in his life, he sighed in allowing his last needed sleep to claim him.
The British Vampire bit his lip and rested his chin atop the sleeping being's head, shutting his own eyes to simply revel in being exactly where he and his Companion needed to be... holding each other.
Content as he was to stay lying on that bench with Josh as he was, Anthony reluctantly opened his eyes to meet the relieved gazes that were on him. "Is there a place where I may be alone wit him for a while?" he requested kindly, a bit of his accent slipping out now that his attention was mostly drawn to the boy in his arms.
Frowning in worry, he looked back down on the peaceful face resting against his shoulder. "'e's been so much," he murmured. "I'd like te be the one te help 'im when he wakes into his new existence."
Quickly, Treize and Lady Une entered the room, the Councilwoman wiping a stray tear from her face along the way. Smiling widely, Khushrenada answered, "Of course." Holding an arm out to their guest, he offered, "We will gladly show you to the guest rooms."
His strength fully restored, Anthony easily got to his feet without disturbing the Other cradled against his chest. Bowing his head, he grinned in profound gratitude to the Commanders and followed them from the room. To Zechs and Lady Une, he mouthed, 'thank you.' Chuckling softly, the elated pair nodded and squeezed either of his shoulders as he moved past them.
Perry and Tilly gave their good friend brilliant smiles when he stepped out into the hallway. Beaming at the sight of them, their younger counterpart paused to kiss their cheeks and accept their careful embraces in their happy reunion.
Resting a hand on the agents' back when she stood between them, Lady Une said softly, "Come along, you two. Treize and I will fill you in on what's going on." Their backs straightening, the couple's golden eyes sparked with the interest in having their list of questions answered.
While the Commander was addressing his escorts, Anthony eyed the other faces around. Smirking, his golden eyes spoke of his silent promise to get to know them all better once his charge was ready. He was shown pleased grins and nods in response.
Turning on his heels, the restored Infected and his Preventer friends fell behind his hosts to round the corner at the end of the stretch.
Once they were alone, the remaining lot let out the last of their tension with deep sighs and loud laughter as they embraced each other as Zechs and Noin joined them.
"So we've exposed another chink in Solo's armor," Trowa smirked as he rubbed his hands together. "I highly doubt that he would ever suspect the bond between a Vampire and their Other to be stronger than his influence."
Emotionally wracked by the recent events, Anna looked back into the empty cell. "That had to be one of the most beautiful things I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing," she whispered, the shimmer in her eyes fading away when she brushed the back of her hand against her eyelids.
The redhead faced Lucrezia, smiling, "This was all thanks to you and that incredible gift of yours If you hadn't been so brilliant in finding Anthony, he easily would have died... not to mention that we would never have figured out that bringing a turned Other together with their Vampire would have this effect."
Raising a hand as her husband draped an arm around her shoulders in a tight squeeze, Noin snickered, "While I appreciate the kind words, Red, there's really only one person who deserves all the credit."
Already thinking along her lines, Wufei nudged his braided brother-in-law, nodding, "Agreed. And I'll bet that that Solo's not aware of how Duo's blood can enhance our kind." Meeting the silver-and-violet eyes that turned towards him, the scaly Infected grinned, "It's nice to finally see a real light at the end of the tunnel of this mess thanks to you."
Maxwell blushed fiercely at being held in such a high regard. He'd never asked to be a Reformer, so it was not as though he really did anything deserving of such praise. Ducking his head, he murmured, "No thanks or attention needed here, folks." His friends and family just laughed and shook their heads.
"Don't think you are getting off that easily, love," Heero chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his lover's waist and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "You're the one who agreed to help us by allowing us to use your blood when it was your right to hold onto that very personal part of what makes you what you are."
Knowing that he was not about to win against that argument, especially when it was made by his Vampire, Duo let out a soft snort and leaned against him with a small grin. If he had to suffer the accolade of being a factor that could turn the tide in the war, he supposed that he would simply need to get used to it.
There were things in life to have to endure.
His head raising, Zechs hummed, "In speaking of that matter, we best get together and acquire the gifts that we have settled on. The sooner we use those tools to tie up loose ends and bring Solo down the better." No objection was raised there, grim determination settling over the other Vampires.
"I'll rush back home to get the blood together, then," Anna announced, already spinning on her heels to hurry for the stairs at the end of the hallway.
Wufei was at her side in an instant, offering, "I'll give you a hand.' Smiling to him, the Irish Infected took a scaly hand into her cold fingers as they turned the corner to ascend to the first floor of the Khushrenadas' estate.
The moment they stepped onto the ground level, quiet beeps sounded form the pockets of their jeans. Pausing in their steps, the couple frowned deeply and removed their cell phones to check what alerts they receiving now that they had service again.
"Sally tried to call me," Anna informed. Paging down the call history, her eyes grew as she added, "At least a half dozen times in the last hour alone."
Chang peered up from hitting the speed dial for his voicemail, informing, "She attempted to reach me as well." Pressing the receiver to his ear, he listened into the recording that was left for him just as his wife did the same.
By the time their messages had ended, the couple's eyes were wide as saucers with panic and their skin had paled considerably.
Quickly closing the flip of his cell phone and taking his wife's from her trembling hand, Wufei shoved them back in their pockets. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he urged, "Someone else can take care of the blood. We're going to see what Sally wants to meet with us about first."
Swallowing roughly, Anna nodded her head shallowly. "Hey," her scaly husband whispered as he cupped her face in his hands, forcing her gold-ringed eyes to focus on his. "You're fine, love. Everything is going to be alright, I promise," he soothed.
Reassured by his confidence, the redhead grinned and leaned into the kiss that was pressed against her lips. "Okay," she nodded firmly when they pulled back. Taking a deep breath, she gripped his hand and said, "Let's go take care of this."
TBC...
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