Chapter 10: Angel Blood

The next morning, I slept in.

The changes from yesterday were astounding, I swore I hurt in every place. I got up and stretched feeling my muscles unclench. I reached up to scratch my face only to be unable to sate my urge to scratch it due the medical tape and bandages Fran had in place. I sighed and fell back into the bed.

"Is there even a point in getting up today?" I asked myself as I rolled over and gathered a pillow under me. The mission had been unsuccessful, Finis had escaped. The mood in the house was depressing and sour. The air of failure had hung over several of the members making the place gloomy. I had just been thankful everyone arrived back in one piece. Well almost in one piece, if Fran had anything to say about my 'bad habit', as he put it.

I sighed and rolled back over, throwing the pillow into the air and catching it. "I should probably go check out that house…" I sighed and stood up again to get ready to go down to breakfast. I was pulling on my jacket as a polite knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I pulled my hair out from my collar was I answered it.

"Can I help you?" I opened the door to reveal Cardia.

Cardia's large teal eyes were full of concern, and maybe a bit of confusion. I opened the door further to let her in.

"Well?" I asked as she hesitated just past the threshold. I closed the door behind her, getting the sense that she wanted to discuss something in private.

Cardia wandered into the middle of the room, not quite sure what she should do or how to start the conversation. I went over and sat on my bed and motioned for her to do the same.

"Is this about yesterday?" I inquired as she seemed to be having trouble opening up. I grabbed my pillow again and cuddled it again.

"I didn't expect Finis…" I left off as Cardia blinked and found her voice.

"I am still so unsure about everything." She started to talk after my little encouragement. "How can I have a brother? What does Finis know about our father? What am I supposed to do?!" Cardia had been struggling to express her feelings, and they started to all tumble out at once.

"Good questions." I answered her. "But, unfortunately I don't have any answers." I fell silent thinking about Finis's statements about me as well. Instinctively I knew Finis had not been lying. I tried not to let his words bother me, but it was difficult.

"Sierra, is it true what Finis said yesterday? About you?"

I sighed and rested my head on my pillow. "I don't know" I said with my eyes closed. "It's definitely a possibility." I touched the bandages on my cheek. "I don't bleed red blood like the rest of you….so we know I am not human." I smiled at her. "But it doesn't bother me that much, not when I have all of you."

Cardia pulled one of my blankets up around her knees. "I am just so worried. Finis escaped, everyone is so unhappy, and I am not any closer to finding my father or getting rid of my poison."

I reached over and patted the top of her head. "I wouldn't worry about it. Lupin and the rest of us won't stop until we have discovered a way to get rid of your problem." I gave her my best smile and she smiled a small one back at me. "See," I poked her face,"You look so cute when you smile!"

There was a small sound at my door and I stared at the shadows moving round under the doorway. Cardia picked up on my hand signal and we both moved towards the door.

"I think if we all work together…" I grinned mischievously and slowly twisted the door handle into the open position. "...we can beat anything!"

I ripped open the door to unveil Lupin, Impey, and Fran piled up outside the door. All three of them looked surprised that we had caught them in the act as they tumbled to the floor in en masse.

"Come on guys" I gave them an semi-annoyed look and scolded them "listening to a girls conversation through closed doors? What kind of gentlemen are you?"

Lupin extracted himself from the others laughing. "Sierra, you were just so passionate! I couldn't help but over hearing."

I shook my head not expected any better of him or Impey. I addressed Fran, having no hope for the other two.

"Fran, even you?" I singled him out as the weakest link.

"A…" Fran was chuckling softly and seemed to be having a hard time coming up with a defense.

I offered my hands out to Fran and Impey at the same time. With a grin they both took my hands and I pulled them upright.

"This isn't your style." I scolded Fran. "I expected it of the other two, but you?"

Impey was quick to interject. "Hey! Come on now!"

Lupin was helped up by Cardia, he gave me a injured look. "It hurts me that you view me that way." The sarcasm dripped off Lupin's statement.

I noticed a subtle shift in the drapes near my door. I marched over to them and hauled on them, revealing a silently laughing Saint hiding behind the drapes.

"You too, huh?" Saint stiffed a laugh at my exasperated comment.

"Is the only one who wasn't privy to that conversation Van Helsing?" I ask in desperation.

Saint smirked and pointed out the open window into the garden.

"You have got to be joking." There, right under my window, was Van Helsing.

Saint took me by the arm. "We were worried when you didn't appear for breakfast."

I rolled my eyes at him.

Impey gave me the biggest puppy eyes. "Do you not enjoy my cooking? Does my food selection bore you?" He was so quick to jump to conclusions.

"Let me guess Fran..." I turned to Fran pointedly. "You're here to check up on me."

Fran blushed and looked away from my accusation.

Lupin stepped forward. "We all were worried about the well-being of our ladies when they give us no warning and do not show up on time. Especially since they had such an eventful day yesterday. Is that such a crime?"

Fran's eyes shot to my bandaged cheek as Lupin continued to drive his point home. "Especially one as seemingly accident prone as you, mademoiselle."

My eyes dropped to the ground in embarrassment. There it was again, I was only thinking about myself, or maybe I wasn't thinking at all. "I am sorry everyone." I said in a small voice.

Impey sweep me off my feet. "I bet your hungry!" His face was so close and he was smiling from ear to ear. "Apology accepted!" Impey beamed at me. I suddenly felt really small as Impey held me in his arms. The redhead proceeded to carry me off like a sack of potatoes and I couldn't find the willpower to protest. Out the window I noticed Van had disappeared once more.

A few hours later Fran had me in his lab and he was in the middle of disinfecting my cuts and investigating my bruises once again.

Mutely I withstood him redressing and applying medicine to the wounds. Fran was pretty quiet as well. Not sure what I was missing, I started to panic. "Fran, I hope you're not mad at me about this morning?"

Fran looked up from his work in surprise at my question. "No, I am not mad." His distant reply had me concerned.

I hesitantly reach out towards him.

"Stop!" His sudden voice made me stop dead in my tracks. "...You should hate me." Fran's eyes were obscured by his hair as he pointedly looked away from me.

I felt myself grow cold at his words. "Fran, what do you mean?"

Fran slid away from me looking deeply troubled.

"Fran, you need to tell me what is going on!" I grabbed his lab coat and leaned myself towards him.

"...You and Cardia both should hate me."

I managed to get a peek at his light green eyes hiding under his hair before he pulled away from me again. His eyes were so very heartbreakingly sad.

"I have killed so many people…" He ripped his lab coat away from my grasp and left off his sentence.

I started shaking in fear and remorse.

"Fran!" I felt my eyes brimming with tears as his emotions flooded into me, and his distance made my heart throb wildly in my chest. I got up and followed him. "Fran, wait!" I stopped the doctor by putting both my hands around him. "What do you mean?" I felt Fran shutter as hot tears hit the exposed flesh on my arms.

"I am the reason your family was killed! I am the reason Cardia has the Horologium!" His outburst made my blood freeze at his emotionally charged words.

"How do you know that? How do you know my family was killed?" I whisper as Fran flexed and pulled free from my embrace.

"I am a monster." He turned to me and exclaimed crying.

I felt my hand raise involuntarily up as if to slap him, but looking into his eyes knew I couldn't. My emotions were spiraling out of control as he just stood there refusing to acknowledge me.

"You knew...you KNEW!" I screamed at him. " All this time you knew my past and you never once told me!" I covered my face with my hands as I started sobbing. "I watched them being butchered alive Fran!" My breathing was ragged as the horrors from my past were ripping me apart from the inside. "They bled every last one of them alive right in front of me!" The tears flowed freely down my face."And all your having is a damn pity party!" My voice wavered and fell.

"I…." My voice seized in my throat and I sniffed. "Why…"

Fran's face was full of hurt and despair, but he realized he couldn't turn back his back on Sierra now and leave her like this. "I worked several years ago on a poison called Zicterium in a lab. They used it as a bioterrorist weapon to rid England of vampires. The primary ingredient in it is...your blood...angel's blood." His voice was so full of hurt and regret. "I left the lab after the government decided to use it on a entire village. After that Isaac continued my research..."

My tried to stop my tears as my head felt unnaturally clear. I looked him right in the eyes, tears overflowing, but my voice was dead calm. "And that is why I was stuck in that lab for years, as they bleed me daily for their projects."

Fran's voice was barely audible. "...Yes."

I had no clue that my heart could ever be this heavy. I should hate him, and everything Fran stood for. I thought of my family, and the horrors I had seen. Yet, the only feeling I could find in my heart was forgiveness. This man had been there for me, steadfastly standing beside me, diligently checking up with me for some weeks now. He had been helping me heal, and I knew somewhere in my heart, he wasn't responsible for my misfortune.

"Fran." My voice was barely there, but I managed to choke out the words I thought he needed to hear the most. "...I forgive you."

The man in front of me was broken, his heart was crying out.

Something my mother said to me when I was little drifted into my head. "We all have a capacity to love, forgive, and heal. Do not waste it being angry, or filled with hate. Learn to love and enjoy life." I rubbed my eyes, trying to dry my tears and smiled as Fran. "Let's do our best to help everyone!" The smile trembled as I continued. "If you need any of my blood...you can take as much as you need."

Fran couldn't believe what he was hearing. He thoroughly thought Sierra would despised him and all his involvement in her families death. Yet, here she was saying she forgave him, and legitimately offering herself to him so that she could help others. Fran's expression broke and he stepped in to comfort her.

Fran wrapped his arms around her gently. "I am so sorry." He whispered as his chin rested on the top of her head. From the confines of his arms, he felt Sierra's body relax a little as he held her.

From the confines of his arms Fran heard her voice."I am sorry too."