I don't wanna come back down from this cloud
It's taken me all this time to find out what I need
I don't wanna come back down from this cloud
It's taken me all this all this time
              -Lyrics to 'Comedown' performed by Bush

Crimson Ties Part 53

A light drizzle of icy rain fell upon the Earth when a certain green minivan came to a stop before the Maxwell Church rectory. Parking the vehicle in the street along the sidewalk, Trowa turned the ignition off and turned back along with Midi at the same time that all of their passengers looked on their braided cousin.

Heero squeezed the hand in his own, bringing his lover's silver-and-violet eyes to meet his gaze. A small and encouraging smile tugging the corners of his mouth, the Vampire asked softly, "Ready?"

Drawing a slow, deep breath, Duo shrugged, "As ready as I'm going to be, I guess." Yuy swallowed roughly and gave a shallow nod at that. If their theories that Father Maxwell and Sister Helen may have been hiding vital information to their 'adopted son's' identity, there was little that would ever help to prepare him for the blow.

Her head peeking between her siblings' chairs, Anna squeezed the Companion's arm as she grinned, "We'll all be right here for you, little brother. Nothing to be scared of with us around." Smiling back, Maxwell mouthed a sincere 'thank you' to her and gathered the last of his nerves to unfasten his seatbelt.

As he pulled his side door open with one hand, the hybrid pulled the hood to his gray sweater over his head to shield his eyes with the other before he stepped out of the van. Though he should have been freezing from the chill in the air and the rain, he felt no change in the temperature as yet another perk to the change in his body since his turning.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans, Duo led the way to the steps that climbed to the high-arched front door of the stone-carved rectory. Heero quickly fell in step beside him before he reached the entrance while the rest of their family came up behind them. For one agonizing moment as he stared at the wooden door, the braided immortal silently considered aborting his mission, getting back into the vehicle and heading back home.

But as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he raised his fisted hand to knock a few times lest he give the notion some serious merit. Just as he'd expected, it did not take long for the sound of footsteps shuffling along the tiled floor inside to reach his ears.

Creaking as it was pulled back, the door opened enough for one of the nuns to crane her head outside to look on her guests. Instantly recognizing the young man standing right before her, she gasped, "Oh, Duo! What a wonderful surprise!" Scanning her pale eyes over the remainder of the lot, she beamed, "And this must be your family!"

Relieved that the shadow of his hood was managing to hide the silver rings around his violet eyes, the Companion smiled, "Hey, Sister Margaret. Sorry that we're all stopping over unannounced like this, but we were hoping to spend some time with Father Maxwell and Sister Helen."

"Oh my manners!" the wrinkled nun scoffed at herself. Moving as quickly as her old bones allowed, she stepped aside as she urged, "Come in! Come in!" She took hold of the large ring handle on her half of the door to pull it open further when Wufei slipped through the opening to give her a hand.

Winking at the sweet woman, he took hold of the ring with one scaly hand as he offered with a handsome smile, "Let me get that for you. It looks pretty heavy." Bulky as the door was, it was no match for his strength that allowed him to pull it back with little effort.

Sister Margaret beamed, "Such a gentleman." Patting the Infected's arm, she giggled, "My friends have gone on and on over how much they like all of you, how good you all are. I can see why already." Wufei bowed his head, smiling humbly at the compliment as the rest of his family stepped inside before he closed the door after them.

Quickly embracing her Duo, the nun turned towards the long corridor behind her as she waved for her guests to follow, urging, "This way. Father Maxwell should still be in his office and Sister Helen will not be hard to find."

Falling behind the rest of their group, Anna laced an arm through her husband's when he offered it to her. Gently kissing his scaly cheek as they walked, she whispered with a smirk, "Ever my chivalrous knight." Lowering his head, Chang chuckled softly and brought her hand up to kiss the back of it.

Duo peered over his shoulder when he picked up on the sweet exchange. Mentally, he made another note to himself that he needed to have a private conversation with his brother-in-law when he had the opportunity. Before he had a chance to really consider how he was going to approach Wufei with what he needed to say, they neared Father Maxwell's office and so his attention returned to the task at hand.

Knocking on the door frame of the opened door, Sister Margaret peered inside to grin, "You have a few surprise visitors, Father. I'm going to go search for Sister Helen." That said, she stepped away so that Maxwell could step forward and into the room just as his guardian looked up from the papers that he had been reading at his desk.

His eyes widening, the old man laughed, "Duo!" Noting the Vampire standing by his former pupil, he greeted excitedly, "Heero and the whole family as well! This is a most pleasant surprise!" quickly rising to his feet, he rounded his desk to share a one-armed embrace with his 'son.'

Careful to keep his hood low enough that the shadow it cast continued to conceal his unusually colored eyes, the former living pulled back from the tight hug. "Good to see you, Father," he grinned. Turning towards Yuy, he gave his lover a chance to exchange a firm handshake with the priest.

Seeing that his office was going to be a bit too cramped for all of the people standing about, the old man had them enter the side meeting room adjacent to his office. "This will do much better," he commented, nodding at the long table with more than enough chairs to accommodate his guests. Taking the time to reunite with each and every Vampire as they entered to take a seat, he was the perfect picture of a proud 'dad' welcoming his children into his home.

Within moments, Sister Helen appeared. Gasping at the sight of the young man at the end of the table, she hurried for him. "Oh, it's so good to see you, my boy!" she cheered as he rose to catch her in his arms in a fierce embrace. Just like her pastor, she then moved through the whole family to reconnect with each of them before she sat besides Father Maxwell.

Folding his hands on the table, the priest leaned forward in his seat. He smiled at the teenager across from him, inquiring, "So, to what do we owe the honor of having you see us like this, my boy?"

If his stomach were still working as it normally had, Duo knew that he would have felt pretty ill at that moment. Swallowing roughly, he replied, "Actually, I have a few questions that I needed to ask the two of you in person."

Rather than give himself another opportunity to lose his nerve, he reached up for his hood to pull it away so that his eyes were in plain sight as he stared at his guardians.

Stricken, both Father Maxwell and Sister Helen straightened rigidly, wide-eyed and their skin paling. "W-what in the Lord's name?" the nun breathed, a trembling hand raising to cover her mouth.

Opening and closing his mouth, the hybrid struggled to find his voice in the wake of their fear. When he could no more than whimper, he turned his watering silver-and-violet eyes to his lover beside him. At the desperation in the gaze that settled on him, Heero cleared his throat to rid himself of the lump that had formed there.

Gently resting a hand on his partner's back to rub it, the Vampire focused on the scared mortals. "Duo was recently turned into my Companion," he informed calmly. "When the transformation was complete, his eyes took on this change. A geneticist friend of ours ran a few tests on his blood soon after and found that part of his DNA comes from pure Vampire... his mother, to be more specific."

Where the priest and nun looked frightened before, they looked outright on the verge of panic at that information. Slowly turning their heads, they silently communicated through their horrified expressions.

And that was all the evidence that Maxwell needed. They knew something... had known something all along and they'd never told him. At that second, the tension in the room was a living, breathing thing all its own.

Seated at Sister Helen's other side, Midi patted her shoulder. As the young woman reluctantly met her gold-and-brown eyes, she trembled. "Mother to mother," the Infected smiled sadly, "I know that the protection of our children comes above everything else, including going against what may seem right at times. Anything that you may have kept to yourselves was only out of love and your wish to keep him safe, I'm certain."

Tears fell freely from the nun's eyes and a sharp whimper broke from her chest when she nodded shallowly. Lowering his own dampened face, Father Maxwell's shoulders shook in his effort to contain his sobs.

With a shuddery breath, Duo wiped away a trail that began to run down his cheeks. "I just want to know what I am... where I came from," he pleaded brokenly. Climbing to her feet, Sister Helen disappeared from the room without so much as a glance at him out of shame. A small cry from the Companion filled the air as he moved to get to his own feet and stop her.

Father Maxwell raised his hand, keeping his pupil in his place. Slowly lifting his head, the old man sighed deeply, "Sister Helen and I were called to the hospital to see if we could bring in a boy who was recently orphaned and in their care. When we arrived, the doctor and nurses who had treated him were white as sheets and talking in frantic whispers amongst themselves."

Inhaling a deep breath, he stared at the wooden table's glossy surface as he continued, "It was the first time that they ever had a patient without a blood type... or who healed as quickly as this child did right before their eyes. They were considering bringing in the authorities, but Helen and I insisted that the child had suffered enough and that we would look after him. As quickly as they agreed, I think that they were just happy to have the anomaly out of their hands."

The priest paused before he met Maxwell's eyes to add, "Before we left, one of the nurses who first saw to you when you were delivered to the hospital handed us a small key sealed by a rolled up note in the pocket of your jeans that she had found. I'm assuming that your mother or father had planted it on you before they went into the temple without your knowing about it."

Leaning back into his chair, the braided hybrid's eyes grew and his shoulders slumped heavily at the announcement. This information was all completely new, something he never would have imagined being hidden from him for as many years as it had been by the two people that were all he had in the world to trust and rely on.

Amidst the room filled with friends and family, Duo suddenly felt completely lost... shattered. At least that was the case until he felt Heero's hand return to fall on his shoulder to squeeze it tightly.

Chewing on the inside of her cheek, Anna spoke up for her distraught brother by questioning, "What did the note say?"

"There was only an address written and a series of numbers on it," the priest replied, meeting the redhead's reassuring eyes. Shaking his head, he stated, "It led to the primary bank and the key belonged to a security box that had been set in Duo's name there. Because I had taken him into the Maxwell orphanage and he was under age, I was granted the access to that box."

Wufei leaned towards the old man, inquiring, "Did you ever see what was inside of it?"

Instantly on the defensive, Father Maxwell's shimmering gaze shot back up as he cried, "N-no! I couldn't do that! Whatever was inside was not for me to see. However, considering how there was not a single record on file regarding his identity and the strange findings at the hospital, I knew that things were not... normal. Duo needed to be protected to a degree and so he was kept here until he could make up his own mind on what he wanted to be and what he wanted to do with his life."

Shaking his head, he scanned the lot watching him. "Parents do not leave their own child behind without a very dark reason!" he insisted desperately. "Whatever that reason was, he needed to be protected! All that we ever wanted was for you to be safe and happy in life."

Difficult as all of it was to take in, Duo stared out into nothing before him and soaked in what was being said. Before the priest could go on, he nodded, muttering, "I get it. And I forgive you both, but... I think I deserve to learn what I can about myself now."

Relief and guilt played across the old man's face as he blinked in surprise at the quick extension of understanding. At the sound of footsteps approaching the door, he turned along with his guests to find a teary-eyed Sister Helen entering with a rectangular black box in her hands with a gold key taped to its side.

Their golden eyes growing along with the Companion's the Infected looked on in piqued interest as the nun approached the newest member of their family. "We held onto this for you," she groaned as she lowered it before her braided friend. Folding her hands together at her hips, she sniffled and hurried back to Father Maxwell's side at the other half of the table.

Violet-and-silver eyes trained on the box before him, Duo slowly lifted a shaking hand to run his fingers over the cool metal.

Words were one thing when dealing with a past that was nothing as he'd imagined it was. But to have something physically sitting before him that he could touch, could see, there was no denying that he had been living atop a cloud of lies that kept him suspended above the harsh reality that was looming beneath him.

"I'd given blood for years at the Church blood drives," the hybrid recalled aloud. Looking up at his mentors, he frowned, "What happened with the bags from that? I would have been discovered when they went to be processed at the hospitals."

The priest and nun's skin almost tuned green as though they were about to be ill when they turned to each other. Reluctantly, the old man took in his 'son' again and answered, "The staff working the drives were our volunteers, so we had them hold onto those medical bags to dispose of them without anyone else knowing."

A sharp, bitter laugh erupted from Duo. "Well, you thought of everything, didn't you?" he snorted with a dark smirk. The statement had the same effect as if he had physically hit Father Maxwell and Sister Helen the way they reeled back, wide-eyed.

Rising to his feet in a rush, the Companion gathered up the security box to throw it under an arm. Unable to look at his guardians any longer, he kept his head ducked down as he mumbled, "Thanks."

Roughly pulling his hood back up with his free hand, he stormed from the room as his family quickly rose and watched him step out. His heart breaking, Heero waited a moment before heading out behind his lover.

Forgiven as they were, the priest and nun knew that their actions would not be forgotten. Remaining in their seats, they cried silently and kept their gazes from peering up at the Vampires around them.

Anna struggled with her own tears as she released a deep breath and leaned against her husband when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Closing his eyes, Wufei leaned in to kiss her temple. Midi swallowed roughly as she and Trowa stayed close to their mortal friends to provide what comfort they could in their reassurances.

Outside, Heero followed his chosen's scent into the main alley between the rectory and the orphanage. Unbeknownst to the dramatic events that had unfolded moments ago, the young children living at the sanctuary were out in the snow-filled back yard playing and laughing in a stark contrast from the mood in Father Maxwell's office.

Glancing around for any sign of his companion, the Vampire found the nearly nonexistent footprints leading to the lowered stairwell leading up to the metal fire escape that scaled the side of the orphanage. A deep frown of worry marring his face, Yuy took his time in scaling the tiered climb until he stepped onto the roof.

Quickly finding a familiar braid flapping on the breeze, the Infected took in the hunched forward state of the hybrid sitting on the raised ledge with the black box perched beside him. Staring out ahead at the peaceful city, Duo's head was slumped downward as he kept his back to his lover.

Only aching all the more for his soul mate, Heero bit his lip and swallowed past the lump in his throat. Slowly nearing Maxwell, he stopped when he was in the peripheral vision of the watery violet-and-silver eyes to await the reaction to his presence. It was answered by his Companion shifting his hand to pat the open space on the ledge next to him in a silent plea.

Without hesitating, Yuy put his back to the land below as he sank down to sit beside the braided immortal.

Still staring ahead to the buildings and parks laid out before them, Duo commented, "This was my place to hang out whenever I wanted to get away from the world for a while. I was the only kid that could manage to scale the fire escape on my own, so I had this whole roof to myself."

The corner of the Vampire's mouth tugged upward at the glimpse into his lover's past. Reaching for the long bangs floating on the gusty air, he lovingly brushed them back from the reddened eyes that they had been shielding. "What would you do up here alone?" he asked softly.

"Just think mostly," Duo answered, shoulders shrugging. "I'd daydream of what I was going to be when I grew up, what places I would travel to, maybe one day having a family. Normal kids stuff."

Turning his braided head, he peered down at the black box at his other side.

As if he were handling the most fragile and precious of things, he gathered the chest of secrets up and set it in his lap. "Little did I know there was nothing 'normal' about me," he frowned. "And here the two people that I thought I could trust more than any others knew it."

Yuy chewed on the inside of his cheek to consider his next words before he said, "They really were only looking out for you." When his partner tensed and shot his head back to glare at him, the Infected raised his hands and added, "However, I do also understand how you feel betrayed by them. Nothing about this situation was easy for any one of you."

Unable to argue that, Maxwell released a deep breath. "Yea," he finally agreed in a choked mutter that was nearly carried away on the wind. Clearing his throat, he wiped away a stray tear as he snickered, "I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm pretty scared about opening this thing."

He craned his neck forward, looking down at the pavement far beneath his feet. "I'm scared to set foot down there again, like I was when I was a kid up here. As soon as I touch the pavement, that meant I had to return to reality when I could just stay above it all."

Melding against his Companion, Heero wrapped his arms around him lightly. "I would feel the same way if I was in your place. You shouldn't be embarrassed for being afraid," he replied. "And as for the box, we can wait to open it until we get back home if you'd like. At least that way you'll be where you feel comfortable."

A warm smile spread across the hybrid's face at that. Closing his eyes, he buried his head in his Vampire's shoulder.

Distraught as he was, he was where he needed to be... with the one person that he was meant to spend his days beside. His little cloud of lies and deceit that had painted a world of blissful ignorance had given way to a new and even better place for him.

"I love you," Yuy whispered by his ear, pushing away all of the anger and fear.

Against his neck when he turned his head, Duo replied in kind, "Truly and deeply." Their lip met in a deep, sweet kiss that gave him the last of the strength he needed to move on. It was time to come down from his haven and face his ever tumultuous existence.

Spinning on the ledge, the Companion hopped down to the rooftop and shielded the black box under an arm. "Come on," he smirked to the Infected as Heero moved to stand beside him, "let's go home."

Pleased with that, Heero took his lover's hand and led them back to the fire escape. Reaching the pavement together, their fingers remained laced together when they stepped out to the sidewalk where the rest of their family was waiting by the van.

Anna was paused in her pacing back-and-forth with a concerned expression on her face. Catching sight of her brothers first, she gasped sharply and sprang for them. Duo snickered as he released his soul mate's hand and carefully handed him the black box so that he could pull the redhead into a tight embrace. Sighing in relief, his sister returned the hug every bit as firmly.

"Thank you, all of you," the hybrid told the lot as they all neared him when he pulled back. "It means... more than I could ever tell you that you all came with me to this." Gesturing to the case in his lover's possession, he smirked, "I could really use your being around when I get the guts to open that thing when we're home."

His head bowing, Trowa grinned, "We wouldn't be anywhere else in the world." Smiling, Wufei, Midi and Anna nodded to back the sentiment.

Rubbing her hands together, the 'little mother' tilted her head. "Did you wish to say goodbye to Father Maxwell and Sister Helen before we go?" she asked timidly in a clear sign that she did not mean to make her braided cousin any more uncomfortable with the situation than he already was with his wounds still fresh and exposed.

Slowly turning to look on the rectory entrance, Duo shook his head, "No. I'll be able to talk to them again and put this behind me, but... I need more time first." He was only shown understanding and support through pats to his back and squeezes to his shoulders from his loved ones.

They always knew exactly the right things to say and do to make him feel everything he needed and wanted to feel as a part of a real family- one of his many musings of having one day as he hid from the world high above it for years.

Heading back into the van with his fellow Vampires, Maxwell never looked back on the rectory. And not another word was spoken in mention to the meeting that had transpired within it for the whole trip home.

*   *   *   *   *   *

Pain.

That was the only thing that was registering in his mind when he blinked his eyes open. Wincing, he unleashed a shrill cry a the sheer agony coursing through ever shred of his being.

"Josh," a voice called through the torment. Whimpering, he could feel his unfocused eyes watering.

All at once, the last images that he remembered came rushing back.

He was walking back home well after bar hours. It was his last hurrah with his friends before they had to return to college for the spring semester. His parents' house was only a few blocks away, so he'd waved his high school pals off when they'd offered him a ride.

Then... in the dark alley that Josh took to shave off time in his return, he was jumped by those Vampires. There had to be a six or more of them, all strong and showing him no mercy when he screamed at their attack. He cringed remembering the sound of his own bones snapping when he was kicked and punched relentlessly before he finally fell into blissful darkness.

Now, he felt everything that was damaged on him. Too afraid to look down on himself, he stared upward instead. His surroundings were too dark to reveal where he was, but he knew that he was lying on his back.

Why had those Infected attacked him like that? He'd done nothing wrong. Hell, he liked and respected Vampires like most other livings did. But now, he felt nothing but hatred and rage towards them... all of them if even one of their own was capable of the things that they-

Suddenly, the voice came again to call urgently, "Josh. Stay with me." A small flame was lit, almost blinding in its brightness in comparison to the pitch that encased him. In the flickering light of the candle that the glowing match was applied to, the face of a blonde-haired young man appeared.

"You're lucky that my friends and I got to you before those Vampires finished you off," the stranger sighed deeply in relief. Shaking his head, he leaned in close to the prone teenager.

The proximity gave Josh a chance to pick up on the silver rings around the violet irises watching him. Gasping, he moaned at the sharp pain it caused in his chest. But as quickly as that sharp jab came on, it disappeared. In fact, all of the pain through his body was beginning to fade off into a dull numbness. A chill began to creep into his bones.

"W-who are you?" he croaked desperately. "I need help! I... I think I'm dying."

His head of short hair nodding, the blonde frowned, " My name is Solo. And I am very sorry to tell you this, but you are dying. And unfortunately, you are beyond any help to be spared."

'No. No!' Josh screamed in his racing mind. This was not how he was supposed to die! It wasn't his time! He was still so young, so filled with potential! He had a family and many friends who loved him! He couldn't be dying now!

But it was true. The numbness was profound, making him lose feeling in all of his damaged limbs. And still the cold set in.

Fuck those blood-suckers and every damned last one of their kind! They had killed him!

Taking a deep breath, the stranger who called himself Solo stated, "You may be beyond the help of mortals, but I can save you... make you more than a man or a Vampire. But you must trust me, stay with me so that you can understand what you are about to become."

A much deeper darkness was blurring the world around the edges of Josh's vision. "P-please!" he cried frantically. "I feel so cold! I don't want to die!"

Solo tilted his head, replying, "You must swear to do everything that I say before I can help you." He smirked, "Along with that, do all that I say and I will personally see to it that you'll pay every damned Vampire back for what happened to you."

'Vengeance,' Josh's soul growled with need. He would be spared and he would have his revenge.

His empty eyes narrowing, he hissed, "Whatever it is I have to do, it'll be done. Spare me."

TBC...

 

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