Walls Came Tumbling Down

The head-lights of the BMW shone across the Wammy's House gates. Linda left the house to meet it; her eyes red raw with mourning and her mouth tight with suppressing the emotion now. She swung the iron railing back across the gravel. Deontic drove through, towing the trailer behind her, and parked up. She appeared blankly professional, her expression an unreadable slate.

"I didn't think you'd come." Linda told her, as the Malaysian woman stepped out.

Deontic surveyed her and spoke evenly. "It crossed my mind to flee." Her focus shifted to where Hal was coming down the entrance steps. "I need to sort out my luggage."

Hal joined Linda. She called out to Deontic, "Welcome home." Hal didn't disguise the look of relief on her face. Deontic responded with a rigid nod and opened the boot of her car. Hal breathed, "Et tu, Brutus?"

Linda shook her head. "It's not personal. You have another ally." She strode forward to help her foster sister.

"Dee, leave it." Hal instructed. "I'll ask the caretakers to bring everything inside for you." She flashed a tired smile. "I know that you must want to check on Luigi and unwind from your trip."

Deontic nodded. "Thank you." She picked up her handbag and handed the keys to Hal. Woodenly, she added, "Very much appreciated."

Hal sighed, "I'm sorry you were left there."

"Me too."

Linda and Deontic drifted back inside. "He's stable." Linda commented without prompting.

"Is he going to die?" Deontic asked, tightly. They were talking about Luigi.

"Possibly." Linda looked away. "I tried so hard. I was with him constantly."

"Not constantly."

"No." By unspoken consent, they were heading towards the infirmary. Linda swallowed. "They've all turned against Hal."

Deontic frowned. "Foolish." They passed the entrance to the large common room. Inside there was a glimpse of several children lost in their own worlds of study. The two women didn't break their step. "Anything else that I need to know?"

Linda shrugged. "One well placed bomb could wipe out the entire of Watari, saving only Near and Fenian right now." It wasn't said as a joke; neither did she intone it as any kind of threat.

"Yes." Deontic replied. "As I said, it crossed my mind to flee." They paused for just a second outside the infirmary door, then walked on inside.

All six beds were occupied. To the right, Mello lay still. His eyes flashed open as they entered the room, awarding them a keen stare, before his gaze flickered across to the bed beside him. The covers had been cocooned around a tightly curled figure there. No inch of his body was visible through them, but it didn't take geniuses of their stature to deduce that Matt was sleeping underneath. Next to him, Chrissie was awake too, though she appeared pale and uncomfortable. Salvo sat beside her, his son asleep on his lap. The African smiled a welcome.

Across the aisle, Lauren had been dozing, but she peeped between her eyelids, as they entered the room. A book lay open on the mattress beside her. Its title suggested it was about Russia. Century occupied the middle bed, though he lay on top of the covers. An oxygen mask dangled from his neck. He looked scared. Then finally there was the ominous beeping of the equipment surrounding Luigi. He didn't seem human beneath it all. It was as if the life had already flown from him and left his shell sunken under the sheets.

Deontic nodded towards Mello first and he weakly smiled back. Salvo spoke softly, "What on Earth possessed you to come back here?"

She tip-toed to Luigi's side. "He did." She laid a hand on her foster brother's arm. There was no visible nor audible response, though they all looked for one. "Luigi, it's Deontic. I came back to see you." He remained still as the grave. She spoke loudly enough for them all to hear. "Fenian is going to have to run for the rest of his life, isn't he?"

Century glared, "Going to find him, I am!"

Deontic turned on him, "You had better have brought those files and computers back!" She watched him stiffen. "You so wind me up, Century. I can't even tell you!"

Lauren interjected, "Leave him, Dee. He's not doing so well."

"A damn sight better than he ought to be doing!" Deontic countered.

Across the room, Chrissie uttered a quiet chuckle, "You go, girl."

Deontic fixed her with a deadly stare. She spoke sharply, "I do hope you are recovering well, Chrissie." She glanced around them all. "And all of you. I can't believe that you left me there! There!"

Mello blinked and opened his eyes wide. "I didn't really have much choice in the matter." He moved his head painfully down to indicate his injuries. "I wouldn't have let you be there alone." He watched Deontic grit her teeth and bow her head.

Salvo gently placed his son on the bed next to Chrissie and jogged towards Deontic. As he drew close, his arms opened for a hug. She flinched away, her face registering alarm, but he embraced her anyway. "It's good to have you safely with us." He smiled at Linda over the top of her head.

Deontic wriggled away. "I have blown up the tunnels. Nothing exists under the manor house." Silence filled the room.

"What?" Mello managed eventually.

"As per Century's instructions, I've supervised the exploding of the caverns. The stream is now directed back along its original course, in the chasm alongside the house, where it flows into the River Aberystwyth at the weir."

Century tutted, "Ystwyth. How can it be Aber there? River mouth, that means, Aber. River is the Ystwyth."

"Frankly Century, the less I have to do with the fucking Welsh right now, the better."

Shock buzzed as electricity across everyone's expressions. Salvo sucked in air and transferred his chewing gum from one side of his mouth to the other. "I do believe that's the first time I've heard you swear!"

Mello attempted to inch himself into a sitting position. It hurt and he loudly moaned. There was instant movement in the centre of the next bed. The quilt fell away at the top, as Matt squinted at him. But it was Linda who rushed to Mello's side. "What are you trying to do?"

"Sit up."

"Well don't."

Mello scowled with irritation and continued in his efforts to force himself up. Matt rolled out of bed and appeared at his other side. The redhead was half asleep, but he placed his hand under the head-rest and raised it. "Thank you, baby." Mello smiled through his pain, then fixed his stare on Deontic again. "What's happened with my case?"

Century peered at him through the curtain of his hair. "Solved it, I did."

"Solved?" Mello croaked. He swallowed and glanced at his water, before pinning Century with a stare again. "I thought you had just cleared Mail's name."

Linda's arms rose frigidly into the air, "I can't believe you pair!" She jabbed a finger towards Luigi's bed. "Can you not see him there? And you're worrying about a bloody case!"

Madeleine hurried out of her side room. She hissed, "Can I please have some hush in here?" They all surveyed her with cold, dead eyes, but she was used to them. "I have people healing in here. They need their rest and, as your medic, I will enforce it." She marched along the central aisle and they all watched her keenly to see what she would do. But she merely stopped at Luigi's bed and checked the vital signs on his monitor. Silence accompanied her ministrations, though Matt had poured a glass of water and was now helping Mello drink it.

Finally Deontic whispered, "I want to see his lab."

"It's nitrogen poisoning." Linda replied. "You don't want to see his lab. The levels of nitrite toxicity in there are very high."

Deontic looked down at Luigi's gaunt face. The tell-tale brownish stains were there. She waited a long minute to state, "Selfish." Then sat down heavily in the chair between his bed and Century's. "Four percent methylene blue for..."

"We have it covered, Dee." Linda said, firmly. Salvo sighed and reached out to squeeze Deontic's shoulder. "I have not been sitting on my arse all day."

Salvo left Deontic's side and moved to hug Linda instead. "Hard day for us all." He murmured. She clung to him. "We just have to find a way to secure the future. We'll get past this."

Matt stood with his head supported on his own fist. There was nothing under his elbow. His eyes remained heavy with sleepiness. Mello caught his eye. "Why don't you get back into bed?" He smiled reassurance. Matt slowly blinked, but said nothing and didn't shift. "Or go and have a cigarette, if you're up." Matt nodded. He was already dressed, having slept in his shirt and jeans. He picked up his packet and lighter, then sauntered on out without a word to anyone.

"Want to get a cup of tea?" Salvo asked Linda. He was speaking quietly, but his voice still rumbled around the room. Linda nodded and Deontic also stood to follow them. "We'll do that then."

Mello spoke without the thought registering first in his brain. "I'd love a coffee."

Salvo smiled and nodded, "I'll bring you a coffee back."

"Excuse me, Sal." Chrissie commented, blithely. "You have a son. I distinctly remember you putting him there." Mello and Lauren both chuckled. Deontic just frowned, while Century looked worried, lost in thought. "Take him with you."

"I intended to." Salvo returned to Chrissie's side and leaned in to kiss her. His hand caressed the side of her face. The words that passed between them were too low and too private for anyone to decipher, even with Salvo's bass tones. He stepped back finally, lifting Luleka in his arms, and announced, "I'm going to bring everyone a cuppa. Sound good?" There were nods and utterances of assent all around. "Chrissie, camomile?"

She nodded listlessly. "Please."

It became quieter after the three of them left. Madeleine commented, "I'm not sure that caffeine this late in the evening is appropriate." But none of them answered her or even indicated that they'd heard.

Mello kept his vision trained upon Century. The Slav made to speak, but his mouth was dry. He tried again. This time Lauren quietly trumped him, "Feeling any better, Century?"

There was something in the tone, in its diction or gentleness which sent the alarm bells ringing through Mello's mind. He glanced sidewards and realised that Chrissie was wondering the same thing. It was written on the blankness in her features. It had sounded almost like flirting. Century, for his part, appeared utterly oblivious. He just nodded, his attention never leaving the laptop that he'd now hauled onto his thighs.

"What's that you're reading, Lauren?" Chrissie asked.

"Petrograd."

Chrissie frowned and shifted uncomfortably, "I've seen that cover somewhere before."

Century didn't look up. "I've read it."

Chrissie nodded once. "It's a Welsh language book, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Lauren quickly interjected, "It's about a lad caught up in the Russian Revolution of 1917."

"Evidently." Chrissie's single word sounded like a bullet. "In Welsh."

Century peeped up at her. "Won the Book of the Year prize, it did, in 2009."

Chrissie finally glanced at Mello. He caught her eye. They were both thinking the same thing. Mello had had enough of dancing around the subject. He fired out a question, "Is there something going on between you two?"

Lauren flushed scarlet, while Century just looked confused. "Huh?"

"That's all I need to know." Mello glared at Lauren, then shifted his attention back to the Welshman. "So tell me about my case. Why have you got Deontic blowing shit up?"

There was movement in the doorway and Matt returned, shivering. He paused to take in an overview of the room; then gave Mello a sweeping glance, before grabbing his own quilt and wrapping it around himself. He sat on the edge of his bed, staring down into nothing much. Lauren took the distraction as an opportunity to bluster out a response, "What do you mean, that's all you need to know? I'm sorry, Mello, but on this one, you know nothing at all."

"'Come and see, you who are negligent,'" Mello quoted, skipping the next of Dante's lines to arrive at, "'One lot already grieving, the other in fear.'"

Lauren masked her inner panic. She hesitated to test her memory, before moving to admit, "I'm sorry. I can't place the quotation."

Mello smirked, "One more blatant? 'These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder.'" He received a look off Matt for that one.

Chrissie sighed, "Mello, stop being a twat for just two seconds please. We're both too ill for it and so are they."

Mello blinked. He opened his mouth to speak, but Linda was returning and she had heard the last comment. "Amen." She spat. "Whatever he did this time, a-bloody-men to that." Salvo and Deontic were following her in; the latter with a tray of steaming mugs. Neither spoke in Mello's defence.

"Ok." The Slav said softly. "We're back to how it was in Aberystwyth. I couldn't breathe for someone taking offence there. Public enemy number one. No matter what I do or say."

"Self-pity really doesn't suit you, Mello." Chrissie replied, wearily. "Let's drop it now."

Mello looked pained, emotionally as well as physically. He looked to Matt to say something, but the redhead was silent. It wasn't a betrayal. It was just Matt being quiet, letting Mello fight his own battles.

Deontic hovered over him, his coffee in her hand. "Here you go."

"Thank you." Mello replied, more hurt than he should be. It was telling on his face. He knew it would be. He wanted to tell them all to fuck off, but he just wanted someone to defend him here. "Deontic."

She had been moving towards Luigi's bedside. She stopped and looked back. "Yes?"

"Have I ever done anything to upset you personally? Not them. Not fucking Fenian. You." He hoped that he didn't appear to be pleading. "Have I upset you?"

Deontic peered at him coolly. "Yes." She said simply and started to walk away.

Mello flinched. He hadn't meant to. He noticed Matt was paying far more attention now. "Ok." He sipped his coffee.

"You didn't ask when." Deontic turned again at the foot of Luigi's bed. "When you upset me."

Mello attempted a shrug, but it hurt too much. He sloshed coffee onto his quilt and scowled. Matt slipped off the bed to help him with it.

Deontic continued, "When you and Matt got married and didn't invite me." She returned a small smile at their startled stares. "It didn't occur to you that I would have liked to have witnessed that? Well, I would. I would have felt honoured to have been there." There was a low, but significant murmur of agreement around the room. "And on the same subject, ditto Chrissie and Salvo. It would have been nice to have been there."

Chrissie raised her eyebrows. "I agree. It would have been nice to have been there."

Deontic frowned, "Pardon?"

"Salvo and I aren't married for the same reason that Mello and Matt can't possibly be legally married." She curled her arm around Luleka, as he was handed back to her. "None of us have birth certificates, which is a prerequisite to getting wed in any country. But whatever you pair did, I agree. It would have been good to have witnessed the stupid grins on your faces at the time."

Mello shifted his hand to touch Matt's arm. "We're married." He said softly. "As married as anyone could be in the eyes of God."