Faith

Darkephoenix: I don't know, I just feel like I might misstep when it comes to the discipline scene :> You're quite welcome for the compliment and thanks very much for m compliment! I dunno what's going to happen with Isaac's ego. I think Cain might have taken a step to irreparably change their relationship. But we'll see. And don't be loathe to say it, he's hot when he's off the hook! Besides, he's kept it pent up for a while, he deserves to release it, and he only didn't it against street punks who shouldn't have been around to begin with. Common riffraff :P LoL. Read on!

winterfrau: Nothing worse than having your hair cut when it's just starting to get long. Well, he's HAD it long, but it's beautiful and he knows it and now its gone! Even I'M not mean enough to make it LAST though. what DID you think she was gonna do with the poker? Yeah, pain is pain, and it comes in different levels, but Isaac is a master of pain. The only thing that really truly hurt was being stripped of his status as Cain's favorite. Harrowing? That's an interesting word. Harrowing in a good way, or harrowing in a bad way? -_- I hope a good way. Thanks, I wasn't sure I'd written it very well and I didn't want it to turn into like...pointless gore. And of course crusnik abel is hot. He's ALWAYS hot. Except when his voice is so high it's making me cringe. Then he's just cute. LoL

DarkCrusnikMagician: Eh, he deserved it. The shit he's done to Alex is nothing, he's truly evil. And it put him in his place AND pissed him off. lol And I know! His pain is painful and it wrenches at my rotten little soul >_<

Caranril: LOL all of the above? C'est possible. Je ne sais pas. I know, my fiance is going to download the OVAs this weekend YAY! hellsing smut fest. yummyness. LOL no castration in my fics! NEVER WORRY. Penies are good. Even on bad guys. If I cut his penie, he wouldn't be scary anymore, he'd just be....sad :( And then I would be sad. And then Isaac would eat me in my sleep >_< No castration! But she thought about it really loudly ;)

Lulu: LOL How does one fluff another person? Am I a pillow *feels curiously fluffed* Thanks a bunch! I'm always excited when I see a new chap up on a story I like, so I like...chapter dump sometimes. lol And I do look good in both blue and black, just not together! LOL *takes a bow and is fluffed again* Thanks! I dunno, I hate my style, and I wish it would evolve some more, but.... gotta practice to get there I suppose.

Chapter 29: The Ties That Bind Us

The cold deep blue that preceded dawn was the only thing that registered in Abel’s clouded mind. He’d killed countless young Methuselah that night, most of them had been turned and abandoned by equally foolish Masters and Mistresses. Very few of the Methuselah living outside of the empire were so-called pure bred Methuselah, born of afflicted parents. Now that Abel’s blood was sated beyond reckoning, he was miserable. He felt heavy and sloshy as if he’d finished a marathon and had far too much to drink too soon. Ashamed, his mind shattered, he knew nowhere else to go. He stumbled through the streets of Rome, leaving a trail of blood as he went. He dragged himself back to the Vatican and as he came upon Lady Catherina’s office, the sky turning the palest shade of grey, the horizon just touched with the first pink shades of the day. Abel knocked on the door, and heard the thudding footsteps of Tres approach the door.

“Identify yourself.” Tres’s monotone voice, though it usually brought a smile to Abel’s face, could not even provoke him to respond today.

“Second request: identify yourself.” Abel could hear the soft tinkling of a higher voice, though he couldn’t make out the words through the thick door. Tres opened the door and Abel stumbled inside the room, his face half hidden behind his hair. The sight that met Catherina’s gaze shocked her beyond words. She came around her desk as Abel fell to his knees his head bowed low. Catherina was at a loss for words, so desperate was Abel’s appearance. His robes were ripped and torn, his hair was a tangled mess, and he was dripping with blood.

“Abel.” Catherina gathered her robes, kneeling delicately in front of the priest. He didn’t respond. Reaching her thin fingers out, she raised his face to better see his expression. His eyes were misted over, and she knew he was not there with her in the room, but had retreated to somewhere else. She tucked his blood stained hair behind his ear and tried to shake his chin to gain his attention. She called to him several more times, but was unable to rouse him. The only indication that he was still alive were the tears that slipped silently down his cheeks, leaving trails through the grime on his skin. Catherina rose, giving Tres instructions to take Abel back to his room, clean him up, and check him for any wounds. When Tres took Abel’s hand, the priest followed the android as if he were a mindless doll.

Tres took Abel back to his room and started a shower, peeling the destroyed uniform from the priest. Abel climbed into the shower and Tres ordered food for the distraught priest. Abel showered, returning to the bedroom to rummage for clothes. He was apparently unaware of his state of undress and Tres dutifully presented him with a perfectly folded uniform. Abel donned the proffered garments, his expression as deadpan as Tres’s. Tres showed him to the food, but Abel merely stared at it for a few moments. His face contorted strangely and he turned around sharply, skidding into the bathroom. He vomited blood into the toilet and Tres was immediately at his side, demanding that he be allowed to escort Abel to the hospital wing. Abel shook his head. Rising, he rinsed his mouth out, leaving for Catherina’s office again. Abel hadn’t bothered to put his hair up, and his clothes, though properly fastened, were still askew and once he reached the office, he entered without knocking or closing the door behind him. Catherina rose, standing beside her ornate chair as Abel approached. She stood and regarded him as he sank to his knees again, burying his face in her robes. She was slightly taken aback, having gone many years not seeing Abel so distressed, or longing for such intimacy from her. Tres followed closely behind Abel. He had his guns drawn and aimed at the priest now clinging to the Cardinal.

“Father Nightroad, step away from Cardinal Sforza.”

“Tres, it’s all right.” Catherina looked down at Abel, feeling his trembling as he began to silently sob.

“Your Eminence, Father Nightroad is not acting normally and is not acting properly considering his station. He must be subdued.”

“Tres, I believe this is as subdued as one can be. Stand down.” Tres put his guns away as ordered, and watched curiously as Catherina stroked Abel’s hair. Truth be told, she was completely unsure how to treat Abel, centuries her senior, acting like a child with a scraped knee. She kneeled down in front if him and he let his head fall forward onto her shoulder, where his silent sobs wracked her small frame as well as his own. She tucked her arms around him, rocking him gently, hoping to offer some small comfort to the sorrowful priest, but his crying carried on for what seemed hours. In reality it had been less than twenty minutes, but Catherina could take his silent agony any longer.

“Tres, was Father Nightroad injured?”

“Negative. There were no visible injuries to his body when we returned to his room.” Catherina considered the priest, noting that he either ignored their conversation about him, or simply didn’t have the willpower to interject.

“What else can you tell me?”

“He showered without need for assistance, he does not walk as though there was anything wrong with him, and he refused the dinner I had delivered to the room.”

“Did he say anything to you?”

“Negative.”

“Then how do you know that he refused it?”

“Father Nightroad saw the food set at his table and immediately ran to the bathroom whereupon he vomited a great deal of blood.” Catherina’s eyes went wide at this statement, knowing precisely what it meant. She turned to the priest, tucking hair behind his ear.

“Abel, did you feed tonight?” The man’s sobbing quieted and he issued a quiet sniffle, but nothing more. “Abel, answer me. Did you feed tonight? Is that where all the blood came from?” Catherina grasped his shoulders, pulling him away from her so she could look into his face. The utter misery she found painting his features told her everything she needed to know. Her face scrunched in sympathy for his pain and his tears began to flow anew. She shook him almost roughly, forcing him to look at her. “You can’t do this again, Abel! This time she is not dead. Hugue and Leon told me what Cain said, and though it may be true, it doesn’t change the fact that Alex still needs us. She could be praying for deliverance from her prison this very instant, and we are the only ones who can give it to her. Do you not think she is as miserable as you are? She will need you very soon, Abel, and you must be there to welcome her back with open arms.”

Abel merely gazed down into the Cardinal’s eyes, taken in by her conviction. He nodded a little numbly and she pulled him close again, stroking his hair like she would a child’s.

“Catherina.” Abel pulled her close, recalling a time when she was a child and he’d done the same to comfort her, sweeping his own enveloping sorrow aside to comfort this small human child that now, as an adult, returned his kindness.

“All my children are so broken inside. So rarely do one of you seek me out for comfort. Alex is one of those children, Abel. We must bring her home, we must give her back her faith in humankind, and we must give her a purpose in life.” Abel nodded again, a little more lifelike this time. Catherina held him until the sun was fully risen above the horizon, the sun pouring in through her window bathing them in light, and she felt reassured that God was watching them just then, telling her that she’d done the right thing.

Tres was sent to retrieve all the members of AX and bring them to Catherina’s office. He slowly but surely rounded them up and as they walked the corridors towards her office, the others couldn’t help but inquire about Abel’s condition.

“Tres, where is Abel?” Esther’s eyes were wide with concern.

“Father Nightroad is in Cardinal Sforza’s office.”

“Is he all right, Tres?” The Professor removed his pipe just long enough to ask his question.

“He is not physically harmed, however he was quite upset upon his return shortly before sunrise this morning.”

“Upset how?” Hugue’s scowl grew deeper as he considered the back of Tres’s head.

“He refused to speak when he arrived in Cardinal Sforza’s chambers. He was covered in blood and his robes were severely damaged.” Tres delivered this news as if he were delivering a weather report, his voice deadpan as ever.

“Covered in blood? You said he was all right!” Esther’s voice rose a few notches in dismay.

“The blood was not his own.”

“Not his own? Where did it come from?” Leon’s voice, usually a booming powerful force, was respectfully quiet as they continued around a corner.

“Abel fed last night.” Tres continued and the group as a whole stopped dead, everyone staring at Tres, slack jawed. When he realized he wasn’t being followed, he turned around and regarded the group.

“Fed? Abel hasn’t fed in...in...” Havel trailed off, trying to remember if he’d ever heard of Abel feeding.

“Good lord, the blood belonged to Methuselah?” The Professor stood with his pipe forgotten in his hand.

“Affirmative. We must continue to Lady Catherina’s chambers.” Tres turned around and continued while the others murmured among themselves about this new development. Esther was particularly upset at this news, biting her nails as she walked. A few moments later they poured into Cardinal Sforza’s chambers, Kate already having appeared in front of her desk. She regarded the others with a look of shimmering sorrow, her eyes falling again on Abel’s silhouette in the window. His head was bowed, his hair hiding his face.

“Hello, my AX members.” Cardinal Sforza’s face looked somewhat drawn, having already been up for many hours struggling to calm Abel. “I’m sure you have all heard of Cain’s encounter with Abel yesterday. Cain was wounded, but he was not completely subdued. He has since moved his coven, and now we are essentially back to square one.” There was an audible groan from the group and Lady Catherina smiled sadly at the reaction.

“Do we have any more leads at all, Your Eminence?” Vaclav was the first to ask the question they were all thinking. Catherina turned to Abel, waiting for him patiently. When he refused to acknowledge the group, she turned back to them.

“We have but one clue. Rain.”

“Rain?” Esther looked quite puzzled as did the other members of the AX.

“Yes. The last words that Abel heard from Alexandra were to look for her in the rain. This is why Abel has been out at night; he has been trying to search for her wherever the epicenter of the storm has been. That is how he found the last hold for Cain’s coven, and we are both quite certain that it will work again. Cain has already alluded to doing unspeakable things to Alexandra, and though we cannot undo what he may or may not have already done, we must do what we can to save her from further torture. You are all my dedicated children. We may not have the ties of blood, but we have ties of similar tragedy. We have all lost loved ones, because alone we were not enough to save those who were precious to us. However, as a group, we are strong enough to defeat any foe, and we now possess the ability to save those who are precious to us. Alexandra is precious to Abel, and her value as Crystal La Force’s heir is immeasurable. She is an asset to us, one we must protect. We must get to her before Cain destroys her mind and spirit. Now more than ever we must realize our ties to one another; now more than ever we must gather as a family.”

“Your Eminence.” The group clasped their right fists and held them to their left shoulder, bowing. Catherina smiled sadly at them and inclined her head to them once they’d all stood upright once more. She stood and came around her desk to be closer to them, letting her official facade slip a little, her own quiet way of showing her love for her soldiers.

“We will wait for the next rain to fall. Once is begins to rain, I expect you to gather. Wait for Abel in the main courtyard and once you are all assembled, follow Abel and search for her. Get plenty of rest and food. I know these are emotional and trying times, but remember to stick together. Never forget that we are family.”

The group bowed, all of them filing out of her office except for Tres, Abel, and Kate. Kate bowed once more to her commander and dissolved from the room, leaving Tres and Abel. Catherina dismissed Tres and set about handling some paperwork as Abel continued to hover in the window like a morose parrot. He watched as clouds gathered in the sky, but refused to grow dark with the promise of rain. It was cool in the chambers, but Abel shivered more from his wandering thoughts than from the penetrating cold.

“Catherina?”

“Yes, Abel.” She immediately set her pen down, turning to look up into his eyes, wondering quietly that they seemed almost as pale as the sky outside.

“I am going to murder him.” Abel’s voice was flat, but held some quiet undertone of conviction nonetheless. His gaze remained locked outside the window, never turning to face Catherina.

“I know that, Abel. You must make sure that he stays dead this time.”

“You condone it?”

“I do not condone murder, but sometimes in order to make the world a better place, unsavory things must be done. I believe that God forgives us if our actions are in the name of a greater good.”

“Alex and my own revenge are not a greater good.”

“No, indeed, but will your actions not lead to a better situation for the greater good?”

“It will, but that is not my main goal.”

“Abel, your soul is a matter between you and God, but he is your father, and a parent never stops loving their child.”

“I hope you are right, Catherina. There is much he has to forgive in me.” Abel fell silent and Catherina fell back to her paperwork, each of them lost in their own theological and philosophical merry-go-rounds.