Author's Note: Okay long awaited Chapter 9! Sorry it took me nearly a month to get this together. So many things going on, plus I wanted to try and plan out what would happen next and why. I will try to update this more often. Thank you for the reivews! Here is chapter nine, lemon free, and ready to read. I have decided if I do write a lemon between them, it will be a standalone.

Disclaimer: I do not own Trinity Blood or its characters, or the title of this chapter. My Chemical Romance owns that.


Beauty and Power

Chapter 09: Asleep or Dead

William awoke first, to find Caterina still asleep in his arms. She looked a lot better. He kissed the top of her head and then heard someone clear their throat.

Surprised, he looked to see a boy standing in the doorway. He was early teens, maybe thirteen, with cold eyes and rather long black hair. He reminded William of someone he could not place his finger on.

"Yes?" William asked.

"I am bringing the lady her tea," he smiled. William wished that he could think about where he had seen that face before. It was so familiar; it bothered him deeply. None the less, the boy was standing there holding a steaming cup of tea.

"She is asleep right now, just take it back to the kitchen and I will send for it later." The boy's face darkened, as he looked from William to the cold cup sitting beside the bed.

"As you wish," he bowed. He walked to beside the bed and grabbed the cold teacup before he left. William felt better when he was gone. Caterina needed water instead of tea right then anyway. She was probably dehydrated.

But he wasn't going to wake her until she was ready. She needed all the rest she could get. William, however, needed to go and check on the status of the testing.

He carefully moved from her side without waking her, adjusted his robes, and headed for his office. He just hoped that Gypsy Queen had turned up something.

I wonder what Isaak is up to these days. He stopped in the hallway. Now why did I think of him? Could it have been that boy from the kitchen earlier? Does he have a son?

William decided it probably wouldn't hurt to check up on Isaak either. He had learned his real name sometime after the incident at school. Isaak had been the closest thing to a friend he had in that place.

The boy had looked a lot like him, but the hair was a lot longer and darker. As William remembered, Isaak's had been dark brown and shorter. No, he was probably just seeing things and the boy was nothing. But it continued to bother him, all the way back to his office.

He sat at the polished desk and lit his pipe before he contacted Gypsy Queen.

"Gypsy Queen," her sweet voice came over the communication device. William often forgot that she was just a child after all.

"Professor here," he told her.

"Ah, Professor, good to hear from you. I suspect that you want the results of the tests right?"

"Yes, if some are ready."

"Well, I have everything back except for the roses, tea, and chocolates."

"I guess if they came back that quickly, then there was nothing in them?"

"Correct, nothing out of the ordinary. I rechecked about five more times and got someone else to look as well."

"Well that's good news on those. When do you expect the rest of the results to be in?"

"In another day, two at the most. Until, then if you could make sure that she avoids those three items, it would be a good idea."

"I will do my best," William told her.

"Gypsy Queen out," she told him cheerfully. He responded with his codename as well and then sat back in his chair, the smoke drifting from the pipe.

The boy from earlier was still on his mind, along with Isaak. He calmly left his office and headed for the one place that he knew would have information on Isaak. He would have to check with the kitchen staff later to see about the boy.


"You know, that gets funnier every time you use it," one young voice giggled as he watched the video feed.

"Shut it," the other answered harshly. "This is just a job."

"Right," the first one rolled its eyes. "Wait until our superior sees this."

"You wouldn't."

"What will you do to stop me?"

"Something so bad that evil will have to rename itself."

"Fine," the first voice sighed. "I'm bored here all by myself. When are you going to be done?"

"When they finally take the bait and work. Who knew it would be this hard?"

"They have God on their side after all," the first voice giggled.

"Oh do hush up. You talk far too much."

"Fine, fine. I'll wait then," the first one sighed again.

"Great, I hope this doesn't take much longer."


William searched and searched through the Vatican's library but he could not find one trace of Isaac Butler or Isaak Fernand von Kampfer. It was like he just vanished off the face of the earth.

Considering his history, William was worried. Isaak was a dangerous character. He had little or no regard for human life, as William found out first hand.

Then what are you up to Isaak? If you're not making yourself known? William left the library and headed for the kitchen, hoping maybe he would find some kind of answer there.

The kitchen was alive and in full swing for dinner preparations. His stomach growled and reminded him that he had not eaten all day. He stopped one of the workers and got them to fetch him a plate of delicious food.

Before he left, he managed to question the young man about the tea boy. The young man simply told him that there were so many working in the kitchen that it would be impossible to keep up with everyone.

While his answer was honest, it still set William at unease. That meant that the boy may not even work in the kitchen. He returned to his office to eat and take care of some work that was piling up, before he returned to Caterina's side.

"William, I have missed you today," she smiled when he walked back into her room. He noticed that she appeared to be in much better health then earlier even.

"I have missed you as well Caterina," he told her as he sat on the bed. She took his hands and held them.

"Alec just left with Abel. Francesco still doesn't know I'm sick."

"Good, because you're going to be well pretty soon."

"Oh?"

"Yes, Gypsy Queen should have the results of the remaining three tests back in a day or two. Everything but the chocolate, tea, and roses came back. I want you to avoid all three of those okay?"

"But I just drank some tea," she told him.

"How long ago?" he asked, shaking her shoulders.

"Probably an hour." William remembered the other times she had drunk tea and it seemed that she had been sick within twenty minutes or so of drinking it.

"Who delivered the tea?"

"The same boy as always. I think he's new."

"Do you feel alright?" He pressed his hand to her forehead and checked for signs of fever. She felt pretty normal.

"Yes, William, I feel fine," she told him.

"Okay, sorry, just being paranoid I guess."

"It's okay," she smiled. "I'm just glad you're here."

"Me too."

"Will you tell me a story about the University?" she asked.

"Of course." He sat so that he could hold her in his arms as he told her one of her favorite stories about his days in the university.

But it wasn't long before shouts in the hallway diverted their attention. Caterina nodded to William to go and check it out.

When he stepped in the hall, attendants passed him carrying an extremely pale-faced Abel in their arms on the way to a room. Abel looked just like Caterina had when they brought her in.

"Caterina, it's Abel," he told her as he stepped back in the room. She paled and gripped the blankets around her.

"Go see about him," she answered calmly, trying to keep the fear out of her voice at what ill had befallen the Crusnik.


Author's End Note: Cliffhanger I know! What is going to happen to Abel? Who were the two voices? What happened to Isaak? What is going to happen to Caterina? Think you have it figured out? Tell me.

Until next time!