Disclaimer: I do not own Trinity Blood or its characters. They are the creation of Yoshida Sunao. I do, however, own my own characters.

I received another review. It is reassuring to know I have readers for this fic.

Chapter 10

A few days later, Berlin, Rosenkruez Headquarters

"Master Cain?" He must be dreaming. A teenaged Isaak sat across the table from him. "Aunt Bella's really dead, isn't she?" He had not turned yet, but already he was showing promise of being stronger than his predecessor. "May she rot in hell," Isaak laughed.

"To a new beginning, Isaak, my boy…" Fritzroy toasted them with a glass of fresh blood. Isaak nodded vigorously, his long fringe half-covering his eyes. How long ago was that? Fifty years? A hundred?

With a sigh, Cain opened his eyes. He was a hopeless insomniac. Sleep was elusive and dreams even more so. Of course Grandaunt Bella's dead. He killed that bitch, in front of Isaak too. Bella nearly dismantled the White Rose Society on the Continent by assassinating its various leaders including her kinsfolk. Given the tangled relationships in the von Kampfer clan, he wouldn't be too surprised if Isaak had set him up to the deed. Isaak had proved himself to be every bit as cold-blooded as Bella. Yet, he had a soft spot… Dietrich. He knew Isaak had sneaked off to Rome several times over the past week…

"Isaak. What does that Terran mean to you?" Cain asked. Isaak almost dropped his cigar. "Nothing," he answered too quickly.

"Liar." Cain rose from his armchair and glided over to where Isaak was standing against the window. Taking him by the collar, he continued. "You are worried about leaving him with Ivan in Rome… He's distracting you… Now why do you suppose I killed him back then?"

"Because he is a smug, aggravating Terran?" Isaak cautiously disentangled Cain's fingers from the fabric. Cain laughed. "How droll. My recovery has been a little slower than normal… By any chance, did someone put you up to this?"

"No sir."

"Good… let's keep it that way. And you can keep our little Dietrich." The Pilot definitely had a hand in Dietrich's return from the dead… but for what purpose? The Flamevogels were always a thorn in his side, since the time of the Mars colonization. Fritzroy and the twins included. At least Dimitri's dead.

Late evening, Rome

Mother Eris returned to Rome with two unexpected guests while Father William was observing a virtual chess match between his protégé and Carmen. After a lengthy consultation with a doctor, Father Peter had decided the best place for his mentor was outside the nursing home, given the unfortunate occurrence of a few explosions when the old inventor tried to resume his experiments. The last one blasted a hole in the roof of his dorm.

"Hugue! It's good to see you again." Father William greeted him warmly the moment he stepped through the door. Father Peter Walsh was pleased to see Father Hugue was getting about with his walking stick. He moved over on the couch to allow the guests a seat.

"Good evening, Father William. Allow me to introduce my sister, Anias. She has been living in Albion…" Hugue replied.

"Ah, Albion! It's been a while since I last visited…" William exclaimed, eager for news about his homeland.

"You folks have loads of catching up to do, I presume. Tres, please help me tuck Faith in while I brew some tea…" Mother Eris handed the sleeping girl in her arms to the android. "Please tuck her into her bed and use the blue woollen blanket. It's a bit chilly tonight."

"Affirmative. Temperature reads fifteen degrees Celsius…" Gently, Tres took the child into his arms and walked down the hallway.

"Oh, please kindly have two guestrooms prepared for Father Hugue and Sister Anais. It is a bit late for them to find a room in the inns."

"Affirmative."

"How's Anastasia adapting to life in Rome?" Anais asked Abel softly when the latter joined them. "Yes. She is fitting in." Just as her grandmother had done. It was Anastasia who wheeled in the tea trolley. "Oh my," Abel's attention was immediately drawn to the tea cakes. Stars filled his eyes…

"Have a care to leave some for our guests, Father. I am sure they must be hungry after their long journey," Ana swatted his hand away when he reached for one. "Aw, just a wittle one wouldn't hurt..." Abel protested. Eris broke out into a warm chuckle, setting off a wave of laughter in the room. "Status report, Father Abel." Tres droned nonchalantly when he returned. He took in the scene stoically. Father Peter had laughed so hard that he had spilled his tea on the tablecloth and was busy wiping the mess.

Father William was shaking his head. "Some things never change. Déjà vu, don't you agree, Hugue?" Hugue had a smile on his face. Abel continued to remonstrate with Ana over the tea cakes until she finally relented, upon which Abel took half the cakes, prompting an outraged screech from the novice. "Let him be, Ana. We had dinner on the train," Eris soothed as she scratched her black cat. "Well, he had three helpings of dessert!" Ana retorted. "I can't work out how he eats so much sugar and is still as thin as a stick."

"The years fly fast, don't they? It seems like only yesterday Vaclav, Leon and Noelle were around…" Nostalgia filled William's voice. "Katie and Her Grace too. Esther's done very well as Queen. I know she can't visit. Protocol and all. I miss her…" He sucked absently on his pipe.

"Brother Petros and Sister Paula were involved in an accident about three days ago. Petros is still in hospital. His leg's in bad shape. They may have to amputate if it doesn't get better. Paula's in shock. Can't get a sensible word out of her," Carmen joined in. "They have her mostly sedated. She went hysterical after seeing the injuries Petros suffered. He saved her life, you know… And almost bled to death. Luckily, they got him to hospital in the nick of time..."

Abel stirred his tea. It always struck him at such times how fragile life was. His friends were aging and leaving one after another. Esther's health was the subject of endless media speculation, as was the Pope's. Ana sat down near Eris' feet and played with the black cat. She's still a child…

"Watch her, Father. If you don't, she'll run circles about you," Sir Cecil Walsh had offered him that piece of advice before he left Albion with Anastasia. Anastasia teetered on the edge of adulthood. Not quite a woman yet, but definitely not a child. She had been curious about the city when she first arrived, just as her grandmother had been. She asked endless questions about the city and life in it. She was awestruck by the magnificence of its buildings. She has been disappearing recently for hours on end recently. Carmen suggested she may be walking out with someone, possibly Thomas or some young Brother. Abel decided he must have a talk with Thomas or whichever young man Ana has been seeing. She was still too young…

Ana was flipping through the pages of a book now, having abandoned the black cat to its nap by the fire. She ran her finger along the page with rapt concentration. Her other hand toyed with the Star. Abel frowned. That pendant disturbed him. There were some slight vibrations about it…

"Where's the Count?" Hugue asked casually, breaking into Abel's thoughts.

"He is visiting an envoy from the Empire," Abel replied uneasily. The Count of Memphis had gone to make peace with the Count of Minsk on the express orders of the Empress, as conveyed by the Duchess of Kiev. At least Astaroshe was obliged to act as peacemaker between the hot-tempered pair. Asta, who was every bit as hot-headed, if not worse, than Ion. What was his sister thinking sending Asta? The chances of war breaking out in a Vatican guesthouse that night appeared particularly high.

Author's Notes:

Ana's keeping a secret from her guardians. Anyone expecting fireworks from the Methuselahs?