Twenty Years

Part 2

*So, for those who have read my handful of stories, whether DGM-related or not, you know that I don't like to write AU's (others are really good at it but it's not my personal preference). I like to keep my fics within the same realm/time/space so that it tries to fit in with what's currently going on as much as possible, even if it's just a little window of time in between scenes from the manga or anime. But, I saw this fan art of chibi-Allen and chibi-Lenalee sitting together and it made me think of this little story. This doesn't happen in the actual DGM universe so please excuse the events that I'm going to make happen but I will try to keep it as faithful to the characters as possible. If you want to see the artwork that made take yet another detour from "Revelations," (yeah, it's the artist's fault! Lol) it's at:

http:/i79(dot)photobucket(dot)com/albums/j156/jenchough/Misc/LenaleeAllenChibi(dot)jpg

Of course, replace the (dot) with actual dots. FF is such a Nazi about direct links!

Requisite Disclaimer: Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, and all characters in the DGM Universe do not belong to me. I am merely borrowing them for a while to suit my purpose. If it wasn't clear before, I will reiterate that this is an Allen Walker X Lenalee Lee story.

The Black Order – Headquarters, England – Present Time

Lenalee was, once again, in her brother's office, hunched over his desk and imploring him for information about Allen; insisting that something be done about his current, deplorable situation. Komui, for all his pull and authority, just looked at her in the same way he had been the past several days: With eyes that were deeply apologetic and words that never seemed to be enough to satisfy anyone, least of all his sister. By helping Allen, he would be helping his sister, but he couldn't even express the layers that were involved that kept him from doing just that.

And then, the explosion. After the initial shock, the communal sense of dread that befell them was palpable. The origin of the blast came from deep down in the recesses of Headquarters…from the cell block. They knew their worst fears were about to come to fruition.

The tinny yet booming announcement came over the intercoms spread throughout the building, reverberating off the stone walls with the magnitude of its message:

We are now in a state of emergency…a Noah has been uncovered within the headquarters…it is currently running toward the East Beach with Allen Walker…

"Impossible!" cried Lenalee, clenching her fists. She could not believe what she was hearing and it petrified her in place. She looked around. Johnny and the others were reacting similarly; shocked at the events that were taking place and how quickly everything was tumbling down around them.

At 22:00 we will convene for an emergency strategy meeting…at 22:10, all Exorcists will be given a mission with no time limit. Due to the situation, the Pope will be issuing an Imperial Order. It will be delivered to everyone:

Lenalee gaped at the intercom positioned directly above her, waiting for the hammer to fall.

AS OF NOW, WE WILL BE FREEZING ALLEN WALKER'S RIGHTS AS AN EXORCIST. FROM HERE ON, HE SHALL BE CLASSIFIED AS A NOAH.

Those last words pierced Lenalee's heart straight through and her knees almost buckled with the force of it. She knew she shouldn't be shocked. They had all known that it was only a matter of time before the Vatican officially turned on Allen. Their actions had all been leading up to this very point and she felt helpless to do anything about it without making it worse for Allen. But now, all pretenses had been dropped. The Vatican moved into their inevitable position on the chessboard at last and declared Allen its enemy.

Without a word, Lenalee invoked her Dark Boots and dove outside through the stain glass window of Komui's office.

"Lenalee, no! Wait!" her brother cried, even though Lenalee was already long out of reach and almost out of his sight by the time everyone realized what had happened.

No, nii-san…I won't wait any longer. I can't! I can't let them take him…not the Noah, not the Vatican! Lenalee railed at herself as she flew towards the East Beach with sonic speed. She wished she had done something sooner, before it all came to this. But, for the life of her, she couldn't think of what she could have done. But she wouldn't miss this chance now…she had to stop all this from happening. The pieces of her world were shifting and falling out from under her, leaving her no foothold; only empty gaping holes she felt she could slip through at any moment. Kanda was gone. Lavi, Bookman and Chaoji were missing. And now, Allen…. No…please…not Allen….

She was already at the coastline and, up ahead, she could see the large golden orb she immediately recognized as Timcanpy. Beside him was the Noah she knew as Tyki Mikk. But where was Allen? She slowed to match their pace and when she was within earshot…

"TIMCANPY, STOP!" she cried, as she positioned herself just paces behind them; her Dark Boots pulsing chaotically in sync with her raging emotions, ready to move as soon as she willed them.

Timcanpy and Tyki did stop and they both turned around. That's when she saw them: Allen and Rhode Kamelot within Timcanpy's gaping maw. Rhode seemed unconscious as Allen was holding her, making sure she didn't fall out.

"Lenalee!" Allen cried.

"Let him go!" she shouted, turning her attention to the Noah beside Tim.

"Young lady, I think you've got it all wrong. No one's making him," replied Tyki Mikk, calmly. "He's coming along because he wants to."

'No! You're lying!" and with that she charged at Tyki Mikk through mid-air.

It caught him utterly by surprise, the speed at which she moved. As she barreled into his midsection, it knocked the wind out of him. But he recovered his senses just in time to see her right boot come slicing through the air in a downward arc at his head. He moved to the side just in time but her heel clipped his shoulder and he heard the telltale crack of his collarbone snapping. The pain went straight down his right arm like an electric current.

Lenalee rotated her body around twice by the time he had finished a single blink and her leg was swinging out round to the side. He barely got his arm near his ribcage in enough time to block a direct hit but the torque that resulted from her spin impacted him anyway, sending him reeling through the air.

"Lenalee! Please stop…you can't…!" cried Allen from within Tim's mouth. He knew that were it to be just a physical battle, Lenalee would be able to dispatch Tyki quickly. But of all people, Allen knew what he was capable of and he feared for Lenalee's life. Laying Rhode aside, he attempted to move his still shaky legs to somehow go to her. If he could reach her, he could keep Tyki from hurting her. "Tim! Please take me to Lenalee!"

Tyki landed with a hard thud into the sand below. As Lenalee was about to take off after him, she was jumped from behind.

"Lenalee! Go back! He'll kill you!" implored Allen, as he held her close. Her boots were the only thing keeping them from falling to the earth together.

"Allen-kun! What are you doing?" she cried, surprised at his sudden proximity.

"Please, go back to headquarters!" he spoke into her ear, begging her.

"Don't you understand? They've revoked your status as an Exorcist because of this! In a few minutes, they're going to issue an order to make us hunt you down. We have to get you somewhere safe for now!" she yelled back at him as he awkwardly swung from her neck and shoulders.

Before Allen could respond, Lenalee was swallowed up in a swarming vortex of beating wings and voracious gluttony. As he had feared, Tyki had sent out his mass of Tease and set them on Lenalee. As he and Lenalee plummeted to the ground, Allen made sure that he was under her to break her fall.

Allen blacked out for a moment on impact but he awoke to the sound of Lenalee's screams. He knew immediately that his dreams would be haunted by that sound from this point forward.

"Thanks for your help, boy. I am sure I would have gotten her sooner or later. My Tease never miss their victims once I send them out. But your little distraction just kept it from dragging out longer than it should," explained Tyki as he sauntered up to them without so much as an indication that he had been injured just moments before.

"Get them off of her!" Allen demanded as he slipped out from under Lenalee and began ripping the Tease from her with his bare hands.

"Now now…be gentle. They've already latched onto her pretty well. If you start grabbing them like that, you'll only tear pieces of her away along with them," Tyki said with a smile. "Not that I'm against that or anything."

Allen stopped. He couldn't tell where the Tease ended and where Lenalee began. All he could hear from underneath the undulating mass of wings was her screaming in agony.

"Make them stop, Tyki!"

"She has a very interesting Innocence, this one. It's in her blood, I can smell it. Almost like yours but…different. The only way to separate her from her Innocence…is to bleed it all out of her…."

Tyki trailed off, and, as if sensing his bidding, the wings of the Tease beat faster and they began to meld into a single large Tease that was now sitting atop her chest. Allen could see that Lenalee was covered in small bleeding wounds where the Tease had begun to dig into her. Then the large Tease disappeared into Lenalee through her chest.

Allen looked on in shock as larger wounds began to open up on Lenalee from the inside out. Open cuts appeared on her wrists and along her stomach and blood began to slowly seep out.

"No! Stop it! STOP!" Allen shouted at the top of his lungs as he lifted Lenalee's writhing body into his arms and held her against him.

"What are you doing, boy?" Tyki asked, genuinely curious.

"If you don't stop, I'll do it. And you'll never get me to the Earl the way he wants."

Tyki looked Allen over carefully. As the boy cradled Lenalee's slack body with his right arm, he had activated his left arm and the sharp, knife-life protrusions of his hand were under Allen's own throat, cutting into the delicate skin there. The expression on his face was the same as the time he had held Allen's beating heart in his hands as he threatened to pull it out while he was still alive. There was no question about who was more determined at this point.

"Oh…you're quite serious, aren't you?" he stated, raising his eyebrows innocently.

"You know I am. I won't let you do this to her. If you do, I'm going with her," Allen said in an eerily calm voice.

"Let her go, Tyki," said Rhode from behind them. Timcanpy had landed just a few yards away and apparently Rhode had woken up and witnessed the entire exchange. "You can play with her another time. Right now, we have to get Allen back to the Earl in one piece, you know that."

Tyki sighed. "I suppose you're right. Who knew he had it in him to play this particular card, though, cheater that he is? I will have to keep it in mind."

With that, the large Tease oozed out of Lenalee's body, returned to Tyki's hand and was absorbed. Allen ripped off Tyki's coat and shredded it with his teeth, creating long strips. Tyki Mikk didn't bat an eye; highly bemused by Allen's behavior. He quickly wrapped Lenalee's more serious cuts to stem the bleeding as the smaller wounds initially created by the Tease seemed to be coagulating already. Allen's heart felt pangs of guilt as he bandaged up her wrists, remembering the stories she told him of similar injuries she inflicted upon herself when she had first arrived at the Order.

"Come now, boy. It's time to go. You heard what she said. They'll be after you any moment now."

"You knew exactly what would happen…" stated Allen.

"Of course. It could have gone more smoothly but this is the same result. Anyway, I can't complain."

"Allen…kun…" whispered Lenalee, hoarsely, as she regained consciousness.

"Lenalee! You're going to be okay!" Allen cried as he picked her up and placed her gingerly into Timcanpy's mouth.

"Wait…what are you…you're not leaving…." Lenalee uttered, unable to reconcile what was happening and how weak she felt.

"Timcanpy…take Lenalee back to Headquarters. Stay with her and take care of her for me, will you? I'm counting on you," said Allen, as he held Lenalee's hand. He felt the weight of it, the warmth of it; he wanted to try and memorize how it felt for as long as possible.

"Allen-kun, don't leave me. I can't…" she began to say as the tears began to fall down the smooth planes of her face.

"Lenalee…" said Allen, as he leaned into her and whispered in her ear, "remember what I said to you in the Ark? At the dinner table? Believe in me…" and with that he pressed his lips lightly on her forehead then pulled away.

Lenalee reached out for him but she found no hold, no purchase. Even though she felt like she was running after him, she found herself still lying prone in Timcanpy's mouth.

"I'm ready," Allen said simply, his back turned to her.

Lenalee watched as Rhode opened up her Gate and they began to step through it. Allen looked over his shoulder to see Lenalee one more time. He smiled that comforting smile, hoping she would believe that everything would be all right. She hated that smile and she began to cry earnestly.

The Gate closed and disappeared, taking Allen with it. Timcanpy lifted off and headed back toward Headquarters. And Lenalee…Lenalee was never the same.

TO BE CONTINUED in Part 3

A/N – Thanks, all, for reading this short story. Last part coming up this weekend. Thanks for the reviews, especially to those whom I can't thank via reply because they don't technically have a registered FF account. I appreciate all of your feedback and support.