Windstar: Dear Readers: I am so humbly sorry about the abysmally long delay in this update. My laptop was over run with a virus that wouldn't let me go online, and then it kept shutting down every time I tried to use it. Because of that, I couldn't even get some form of update up. I managed to save my files before it went under, but then the hard-drive crashed. It's been sitting in Best Buy since memorial day, and it still isn't finished. I just recently bought myself a new laptop and finally managed to put my files onto it. This is the second to last chapter of this story - and it would have been the last chapter however I broke it up into two parts.
I have been working on OHC, that does actually seem like a possible story after all of this time. It wont be out for a while though, I have a promise to work on one of my digimon fics and I need to focus on that one for a little bit.
Thank you for all of your time and waiting so long for this. I apologize again for the delay, and without further ado: the second to last chapter of this series.
Disclaimer: See chapter one.
Chapter Thirty-Six:
"What the hell was all that about?" Kiril hissed as they entered the hospital. Adrien bit his lip and shook his head.
"I don't know. I don't know who he was, but he wanted to know if we had bitbeasts." The boy frowned, not understanding.
"Why would he want to know about that?" He asked in confusion.
"I'll explain later okay?" The brunette was looking around anxiously for some sign of where to go. He just caught sight of Spencer at the end of the hall, and started towards him. He wanted to see his dad, know that he was alright and then just get this whole horrible day over with. He was mentally exhausted and he didn't have the capacity to do much more then that.
Kiril nodded slowly, he didn't believe him for the life of him, but at the same time he understood. This was going to take too long and they had more important things to do right now...like seeing Kai. The blonde caught sight of them, and motioned towards them. His blue eyes were locked on them impassively.
"How's my dad?" Adrien asked quickly as they approached the man. Spencer cracked a small grin.
"He's hanging in there. Doc says he'll be fine in a few weeks. His voice'll probably be a bit deeper then usual, but other then that there won't be any lasting damage. He's busted up pretty good though and'll be taking it slow for a while." He touched the brunette's hair worriedly. "You alright? You stormed outta here pretty good and the both of you are pale. What's going on?" The teenager sighed slightly. Why couldn't everyone just drop this long enough so he could see his father hmm? Why was it everyone wanted to keep hounding him all the time?
He shrugged slightly and pushed the article he'd been reading into Spencer's hands. Then he wriggled away from his touch and started down the hall. It wasn't too hard to track down Kai's hospital bed, Bryan's lady friend was telling the crowd of visitors that they couldn't all go in at once. That might have been okay to a normal family, but this particular one wasn't going for it. Almost everyone was scowling and hissing with hackles raised at her.
Ariana wasn't backing down though and she was all but acting as sentry to the door and refusing to let anyone in. Well – almost anyone. Years of practice with the kicked puppy look had given him a unique way with women. Most specifically: he tended to get them to do what he wanted rather easily. Then again, he realized quite well enough that he didn't have to do anything. Bryan was instigating her just enough to have her take a threatening step forwards, and it was a cake walk from there. Being thin and tiny helped him slip passed her security with no problem.
He wasn't all too surprised to see Adeline sitting besides her husband. Tala was outside arguing with the rest of them. Apparently the others had already declared that Adeline had first dibs, but that didn't mean that everyone else was happy about it. The teenager moved closer to his adoptive father, and red eyes blearily turned to look at him.
Oh yeah, he was drugged all right. From the looks of the machines to the left and right of him: he was drugged high on the good stuff. There were bandages around his throat, and he had a leg up in a sling. Bandages were wrapped around his chest and he was blinking slowly at everything around him. He looked like he was completely out of it.
"Daddy?" He whispered as he sat on the bed and leaned towards the man. A cracked smile made him realize the former Champion wasn't nearly as out of it as he originally had though.
"Hey Junior." He mouthed, a breathy whisper being all he really got out as a voice. The teen looked at Adeline in alarm, but she just shook her head.
"The doctor said it'd be like that for a while, his vocal chords are severely inflamed...a one way trip to dysphonia as it were." She explained softly as she tucked a strand of loose hair behind his ear. Kai's eyes were narrowed slightly, and he shakily reached out a hand to touch his son's face.
He struggled to say something, but the words wouldn't come out. Frustration flashed on his features, and he grimaced as he fought to get at least some words out. His struggles seemed to have caught the attention of Ariana though, because she poked her head in and was scowling the whole while later as she caught sight of the teenager sitting by Kai's bed.
"And just what are you doing in here? Only one person visiting allowed!" Now that her vigil had been thwarted though, she couldn't quite keep out the rush of other people that were now storming their way into the room. Tala ruffled the brunette's hair lightly before taking a good look at the heir.
"Ian roughed you up, huh little brother?" Kai rolled his eyes, and he mouthed a few choice words. He caught Tala by the wrist though and looked towards Adrien meaningfully. The brunette couldn't help but scowl. Was he really that transparent? Everyone just couldn't seem to just drop it.
The redhead glanced towards the brunette and winked before looking at the younger man. Kai was dizzily staring at the exchange in confusion, his brain not following the subtle clues as well. He simply wanted Tala to keep Adrien out of any trouble while he was incapacitated. Mikhail would probably take the boy under his wing, but until he showed up then Kai wanted someone to at least have an eye out for him.
But damn if that boy didn't look so guilty. He couldn't keep up with it. He was still trying to figure out what was going on, but that nurse was arguing with everyone and it was distracting. Whatever it was he was certain that someone would be able to take care of it. A button to his right caught his attention and he couldn't help but smile goofily and press it.
A rush of drugs flooded his system and he couldn't help but sigh as the pressure behind his eyes started to go down. He felt relief easily enough, and even though he wasn't following very well with what was going on around him – he was quite content to just let them have at it.
"Is he high?" Bryan muttered as he looked at Spencer. The blonde had just walked in, grim faced and serious. He shrugged slightly before pressing Adrien's article into the younger man's hands and shortly announced that they really should not have as much people in the room. Everyone glanced at him in confusion, not understanding where this new attitude was coming from.
"We can come back in the morning, right now I think we all need a break. Addy, you stay here with Superman. We'll make sure that the twins are all settled in for the night." He continued, tugging Craig's arm as the annoying boy hissed that he hadn't gotten a good look at his brother's attacker yet. Ivan though seemed to have picked up on whatever warning the blonde was saying. He called Craig back to him, and motioned for him to wait outside.
Tala was watching the oldest Officer bark orders with surprising ease, and while he never really deflected to him to take command – he couldn't help but feel as though he should listen. There was a reason Spencer was ignoring his current station and was ordering them around like dogs. He'd play along for now, especially because damn did Adrien's face get pale all of a sudden. Kiril was looking rather guilty on it as well, and he couldn't help but wonder just what they were hiding this time.
Fishing for information was the best bet at the moment, but if it was something of grave importance then Tala didn't want Kai's fuzzy brain to pick up on anything. Chances were the heir would pick up on all the wrong signals and be worried for the rest of the time he was awake.
"Dri, why don't you stay here with Addy-" He tried, but the blonde was shaking his head.
"No, Adrien and Kiril you're coming home with us. Only one person's allowed to visit at a time and I don't want you going off and getting yourselves in trouble." The boys glowered at the blonde. They looked at Tala expectantly, but the redhead wasn't budging. If Spencer wanted everyone back at the school, that that was exactly what he was going to get.
Luka trusted the blonde with his life, and more importantly the lives of his family. He'd trust him to make the right call on whatever decision was running through his head. He lightly tugged the teenagers' arms and motioned for them to go outside. The both of them shook their heads.
"No, we're not leaving." Kai looked at the friends with a hazy gaze. Not fully understanding just what was going on. He couldn't work out exactly what was that was going on, but he was starting to understand that there was a problem here. He struggled to push himself up, intending to stop whatever danger was affecting his family. He didn't particularly care that he was pulling at his damaged ribs. He just wanted whatever it was that was making everyone leave to just go away. Only...he didn't want them to go away. No...he just...wait...what was going on again?
Tala glanced at his brother for a moment, his eyes narrowed as he looked at him. This wasn't good. Adrien slipped his hand into his father's and gave his Uncles a pointed look. He wasn't going to be leaving any time soon. For a long while, Tala couldn't help but stare at the teenager. He actually thought he saw a bit of Kiril in that pointed look. Or at least – Kiril's darker half that had all but vanished over the past few months.
Adrien knew full well all he had to do was look sad and pathetic and Kai would push himself to see to it that the boy was alright. That seemed oddly familiar. It almost seemed exactly like how Kiril would get Adrien do do things for him. Fury coursed through Tala's veins as he thought about how the teenager was using it to his advantage. He never thought that the boy had it in him.
"Then let's step outside for a moment." Tala said simply as he looked at the boys. Bryan nodded suddenly. Apparently he was done skimming the article. There were lots that needed to be talked about. "Kai, sit tight, we'll be right back. Adeline – keep him out of trouble will ya?" The princess nodded vaguely, not quite understanding what was going on either. "We're going to have a little talk and then we're going to decide what to do k?" He looked at the teenagers and they sighed – nodding.
It seemed there was no way out of this one.
Ariana was nice enough to give them a room that they could all talk in, and while some may have called it gracious- it was clear that she just wanted them to get out of Kai's room so he could get some rest. It didn't matter though. Within a few short minutes they had all finished reading the article and they were now looking at the boys expectantly. They wanted to know exactly what was going on. The article was all fun and games – but why was it that they looked so worried and were refusing to leave?
"Some whacko gabbed Adrien's arm and wouldn't let him come back." Kiril explained evenly. "I had to punch him in the face just to get him to leave him alone. The whole time he kept asking if we were going to see Kai, or more specifically – Kai Hiwatari."
"He started off asking if I read the article though." The brunette shifted uncomfortably as he looked at the others.
"What'd he look like?" Ivan asked softly – even as Craig maintained that this wasn't their business. Bryan nodded slightly to the other. It seemed like the Earth wielder was getting himself back in the game. The shock was wearing off.
"Umm...tall, black hair. Had a goatee...dark eyes. Hispanic looking-"
"Hispanic from Spain, hispanic from Mexico, or Hispanic from South America?" Bryan asked thoughtfully as he tried to piece together just how the man presented himself. The teens hesitated. They didn't have nearly enough experience with different cultures to know the answer to that question.
"Didn't look Mexican." Kiril tried.
"What about the accent? How far away from you was he when he spoke? Was he close up? In your face almost?" Tala continued. The boys frowned. Now that he mentioned it...
"Yeah, he was always trying to get closer...way too close for comfort."
"It's a cultural thing." Bryan explained as he sighed. "Certain cultures have a different idea of how far apart you should be when you're speaking to someone.
"Chilean maybe?" Tala mused, then he sighed. "How many Chilean tourists do you get in Moscow this time of year?" Rolling his eyes he ran a hand through his hair.
"He said he was a friend of Kai's." Kiril stated as he looked at his blood brother. "Is he?"
"No, if it's who I think it is – he's not a friend of anybody we know. Jorge Ortega's research caught the eye of the ISABD a few years ago when it started. It's all well and good until someone gets hurt right? Emily York for instance. The moment after she saved that kid Ortega was all over her for months. He wouldn't leave her alone. He kept hounding her night after night until finally she called us up and asked us if we could do something about him.
"Kai happened to be in America at the time and so he flew over to see if he could talk to her and get the full story. She had just done what any of us would have done in her situation – she saved a couple of lives and thought that'd be the end of it. How as she supposed to know that all of a sudden everyone wanted to get a piece of her?
"Ortega was going so far as to show up at her house every day and harass her. Kai kindly told him to step off and mind his own business. There were even restraining orders made up. A week later, Emily just happened to be involved in a car accident and they took all the x-rays and ran all the tests and other scans that they needed to run to make sure she was A-OK. There's no way to prove that it was Ortega that caused the accident, but her files did just happen to go missing at some point." Tala sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "The fact that they have all this information on her makes me think that it really was Ortega who took it – not that we hadn't thought that to begin with."
"So you're telling me that this guy is going around purposefully injuring people to get their medical records?" A sudden thought seemed to cross Tala's mind and he turned to Spencer almost instantly.
"Do me a favor and get a lock down on whatever tests they did on both Ian and Kai. I don't want a single photocopy. In fact, get them to change the names on record."
"To what?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Sacha and Ivan Boone." He replied evenly, and with a curt nod the blonde left. Looking back at Anna he continued. "Did the Temple share their information with anyone?" He asked slowly. She frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"Lists of bitbeast owners, it was one of the things that you hacked out of the BBA files. I wanted to know if that could have leaked into Ortega's grimy little fingers?" She hesitated, thinking back to the long lists of hacks that had been done over the years and just who the information was for.
"It's possible. For years we were told to stay clear of anything that might give you all a tip off as to where I was or what I was doing. Then Senior came down and told us to hack the BBA. I told him that you'd know immediately, but he gave the order anyway – insisting that it was important. Who knows what gave him the change of heart." Tala nodded, sighing slightly as he tried to think up a few reasons of his own. Right now he'd just have to go with the very real and possible fact that Ortega had a list of all those bitbeast owners. The man wasn't dangerous...just extreme, and if there was one thing the F-Fives knew first hand: extremists were some of the scariest people in the world.
"Ian, how're you feeling otherwise?" Tala asked slowly, looking at his friend.
"It's Ivan!" Craig snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. The redhead glanced at the boy with raised eyebrows.
"Kid, I've been calling him Ian before you were even a thought in your prarent's heads. So why don't you settle down and calm yourself before you give all of us headaches."
"Don't tell me what to do you creep! You're just like everyone else who gets my brother into all this trouble."
"Craig, that's enough." Ivan whispered softly. "No one's getting me into trouble. I deserved getting my arm broken. There's no need for you to be so confrontational."
"Deserved? You didn't deserve anything! No one deserves to get their arm broken-"
"Well no one deserves to get their throat punched out either." Adrien hissed, his eyes glowering at the boy with pure hatred. Tala sighed, putting a hand over his eyes. This was going to get them nowhere.
"Your father started it!" Craig shouted, taking a threatening step towards the brunette. "He made that crack about my family-"
"Yeah well if Ian hadn't been asking for it for the past few months then none of this would have happened in the first place!"
Craig lunged at the older teen, but Kiril stepped in front of him and drew back his fist – more then ready to punch him square in the throat and see how he liked it. Ivan reeled his younger brother back as hard as he could before Kiril could even get started though, and Bryan caught the bronze haired boy's fist and held it in place.
"Look, I get we're in a hospital and all, and I get you're all not best friends...but lets not give Miss. Chekova more of a reason to call security on us alright?" Bryan sighed as he looked at the two kids that were ready to duke it out.
Talk about an adjustment switch. First Kiril was getting Adrien to defend him every ten minutes, and then Kiril goes and starts defending Adrien. The air master had to admit that he liked the fact that Kiril wasn't making Adrien his slave anymore, but the boys seriously needed to get their attitudes adjusted. The both of them were driving everyone up a wall right now – especially with Craig running around telling them just what he felt about them.
"Kids...so full of energy these days." A heavily accented voice said simply as it floated into the room. All eyes glanced towards the door where Adrien and Kiril's assailant from earlier was standing before them. There was still blood on his shirt from where it had spilt over him, but in general he was in one piece. His nose had a bandage on it though.
"Ortega. Lovely article you have in the Times." Tala said meaningfully. Now that everyone in the room was familiar with the man, he didn't have to waste time with pleasantries.
"That you Tala? You've certainly grown since the last time I saw you."
"When was that? On TV? We've never met jack ass." The redhead scoffed. He glanced towards the kids. "Meet us at the car will ya? Adrien, you're in charge." The brunette frowned slightly. None of the boys moved though. "Anna, do you mind?" He asked her meaningfully, and she shook her head.
"Come on, I'll get you all something to eat." She offered as she tugged on their arms. Sensing defeat, the boys glowered and groaned, but otherwise they did as they were told and didn't make as big of a fuss as they most certainly could have.
The former Demolition Boys stared at Ortega with frowns set on their features. They didn't want anything to do with the man. He was sleazy and just plain creepy, and they didn't like him one bit for it. Ian never thought that he'd hate the fact that he'd gotten into that fight more then he already did, but right now he seriously wanted to just bash this man's face in. Especially when he saw the man running his eyes over the boys searchingly.
He caught sight of twin necklaces around Kiril and Adrien's throats, and he smirked slightly as he saw them. He just managed to snap his hand out and grab onto the golden chain that was just visible from under Kiril's shirt as the teen passed by. He gasped, breath getting torn from him as the chain strangled him slightly.
Tala was there in an instant, shoving the man backwards. Ortega wouldn't release the chain though, and the shove only made Kiril move with him. The chain was fully obvious now. Woldborg's bit chip visible for all to see. The man couldn't help but smirk as he looked at the chip.
"Seems like you passed on your treasure to the next generation hmm?" He looked at the redhead who now had a threatening hold on the man's throat.
"Release him or I'm going to end you right now Ortega." Tala's voice was like ice, and the man let go of the chain. Kiril stumbled back a few steps, staring at the man in confusion before looking back at his brother. "Go Kiril. I'll meet you at the car." The teenager nodded slowly, and Anna led him and the other two boys out.
"You didn't have to send the boys away. I wouldn't have done anything to them." Ortega told them all honestly.
"The hell we didn't. What are you playing at Ortega? You can't just come in here and inquire after who has what bitbeasts." Bryan snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'm not playing at anything. I was just wondering how you all were doing. Is that such a bad thing? I am a fan after all." Ivan scoffed.
"A fan of your own research perhaps. You aren't our fan, that's for certain." Ortega glanced at him.
"How'd you break your arm, son?" He asked lightly.
"I'm not your son." The smaller man's voice was like ice. He wasn't in the least bit entertained. He'd caught the concerned look that Craig had sent them as Anna ushered them out. Many things could be said about the boy, but he wasn't stupid. He could pick up on social cues easily – and from the look he'd thrown him earlier, Craig didn't think highly of Ortego.
"Yes...still. It looks like that hurt."
"It doesn't."
"Your bitbeast is blocking out the pain?" The man asked excitedly. Ivan scowled.
"No, that's what they have pain killers for. You know...vicodin." Ortego smiled politely, as though indulging a small child.
"Of course." He said easily enough. He caught the quick and cold snap of attention that Tala's blue eyes held as they flashed to the side behind him. He peered over his shoulder and ran his eyes all the way up the tall and imposing blonde that was towering in the doorway. The last member of the former Demolition Boys.
No longer boys, these four men were some of the most powerful in the world. He knew that before he'd even entered the hospital. Tala was in charge of Moskva's ISA branch as well as balancing his duties with the BBA. Both associations were whole heartedly standing in his way to find more research on the bitbeast mutations that had been occurring. In short: Tala was his greatest problem at the moment.
Then there was Bryan Kutznetsov. The imposing blader ran that God-forsaken school of beybladers that all had streamed from the Abbey. By now most of those kids should have grown up and moved on with their lives, but apparently there were some that had stayed behind had had been living at the so called school. Now it was just a home for those bladers. He could only imagine how many bitbeasts were hidden behind those walls. This man trained each and every one of them.
Spencer too was in charge of keeping that institution of freaks running. He was the one who built the new security system in the dorms (apartments really)...or so they say. The blonde was in constant communication with those kids and he was a key leader in their numbers. Not to mention a up and coming researcher. Even while doing missions with the ISA, Brevda had found the time to put himself through college and was a top of the line go-to person in the marine biology field of study. He seemed to be able to find any bit of information, no matter how insignificant. A right old Sherlock Homes in disguise.
Ian Papov was another meddling aspect. He kept out of the school's running and he wasn't involved heavily with the ISA, but that didn't stop him from knowing all the information both parties had to offer. He was an expert sniper and despite his small size was not someone that should be taken lightly. He was more then willing and capable to defend his friends and family if he so had to.
Which only left, perhaps, the most influential member of their rag-tag army. Where oh where was precious Kai Hiwatari? Ortega couldn't help but crack a smile. Somewhere in the hospital that was for certain. The man had just woken up, or so said that mouthy little brat with a bitbeast. He'd learned long ago from his sources that wherever one of these numbers went – another surely followed. If all four were here...then Kai was as well.
Still, he knew better then to play his cards now. He'd gotten the information he needed. Wolborg was no longer in Tala's possession. He was Tala's heir...and if this Adrien considered Kai his father – then logically he'd be the one to be holding onto Dranzer for the man. He wouldn't act now. That would be too suspicious. No, he'd let this play out a bit. He'd wait until everything was settled and the attention was no longer on him.
Like a wolf in sheep's clothing...like a snake in the grass...he'd wait.
"Well gentlemen, I can see that I am quite frankly out numbered. I admit defeat to whatever you think this is." Tala took a step forwards, and he couldn't help but take a step back. Bitbeast or not, this man was dangerous. He did not want to feel just how hard he could hit when his heir clearly was capable of breaking a few bones.
"You will not go near my kids again." He raised an eyebrow. "And by my kids." he paused just long enough for Spencer to grab Ortega's arms and pin them at his side. The man hissed, glowering back behind him. "I mean any and all of the F-Fives. Me entiendes, hijo de puta?" His voice was low and dangerous, and Ortega couldn't help but feel the rush of his blood pounding in his ears. The dangerous prey were the best kind. A part of him almost begrudged the redhead for moving on and delivering his bitbeast to his progeny. Kiril wasn't nearly as formidable as this one.
"Yo entiendo, signore." The man replied slowly. The worst part of all of this was the sudden switch to his native tongue. Now it wasn't even the Captain's language that he was speaking in, it was a command issued in Spanish and it was meant as the slight that it came out as. Ortega didn't know whether to feel chastised, contrite, or just plain furious that the other had sunk as low as that to get his attention. That and the curse that was thrown in his face just boiled his blood.
Oh yes. He was very disheartened that Tala no longer had Wolborg.
Kai stayed at the hospital for three more days. He was high most of the time, the drugs in his system making it hard to talk to him and even harder to understand him. He seemed perfectly content and happy to point out all the small details that one just never said. For instance. He caught on to the way that Anna and his brother reconciled despite the haze in his mind, and he was a monster to deal with ever since.
He made every sex joke he could think of. He was brash and brazen and he seemed to be incapable of keeping his overly juveneille mouth closed! He was speaking on such a whim that he had Adeline in a perpetual blush twenty-four-seven. The woman had never heard her husband speak in such an uncouth way and her mind was spinning as he went on and on with his rather inappropriate comments.
Bryan just sniggered and patted her hand lightly. "You didn't think he was a right little princeling when you weren't in the room did you, love?" He teased. The woman snapped her jaw closed, gave him a scathing look, and upturned her nose. She, apparently, was above biting back. It only caused the man to hoot with laughter though, and Kai let loose another slurred response about someone's gonads.
Craig had commented on more then one occasion that if he was getting that bad, they should simply remove him from his pain killers and let them all live in peace. That thought was quickly thwarted though, everyone glowered at him with eyes that clearly said – do so and die. The boy grumbled about the unfairness of the whole situation, but they didn't care. He could ignore Kai if he wanted too, and he didn't have to insist on coming with them to visit.
They were quickly learning though, that that was simply the boy's way. He was contrary to all things, but he went along with them anyway. He said one thing but did another. In short: he was a rebellious preteen that would eventually sort out all his self supposed angst and use it in a more forthright manner. If ragging on Kai made him at least somewhat happy, then at least it kept him out of their hair for the rest of the day.
Ivan had decided to stay at the school for a bit longer, citing that since Craig was already there, there was no need for him to truly leave. The others just shrugged and told him to do what he may. Craig complained loudly about it, but the older brother was strict. He said that there was no need to head back so soon since everyone else was all taken care of. Their mother and sister were more then capable of being by themselves, but if Craig truly wanted to head home – he was more then welcome to do so...alone.
Needless to say, Craig was even more obnoxious after that. He stalked through the halls of the school and hissed and spat like a cat. The F-Fives were more then a little fed up with him, and finally they started to pick back. They didn't know who he was or even care who he was when they found out. He was being a brat, and they intended to see to it that he understood just where he belonged on the totem pole.
The fight that broke out was expected of course. What wasn't expected was Kiril and Adrien getting involved and saying that if anyone was going to beat the shit out of Craig Papov – it was going to be them. Needless to say, the boy hated them even more after that. He shouted that he didn't need to be saved and that they could take their pity elsewhere.
The next time there was an uprising – the teenagers kindly stepped aside, and let their fellow 'brothers' give the boy a black eye and a busted lip. Ivan was not amused. The age old friends just shrugged and said they did the best they could. They weren't doctors, and even they couldn't cure stupidity. Only a few hours later Kiril and Adrien were both grounded and were glaring at Craig with more hatred in their hearts then anything else in the world. One of these days...he was going down.
Anna and Luka found themselves spending more and more time together. Despite the constant teasing they got, they were practically glued at the hips. Michaels was certainly happy for it. Looking at the two bickering every day was starting to grate on the old Commander's nerves. He was quite content now just rocking back and forth on a glider that was situated on the front porch of one of the dorms and watching the days go by.
Bryan sat next to him occasion, just talking to the man he never got to knew as a father. Usually the talkative young man was seen with Mikhail, but he seemed to spend a large amount of time trying to talk to Michaels as well. He enjoyed the company of the man, even though he was terribly awkward about it to start off.
"Tell me about your life." The man kept asking. He wanted to know what he'd missed out on. Clearly he'd missed watching the teenager turn into the bear of a commander he was today, but he had seen that Bryan had managed to keep himself happy and healthy for the most part. It made him glad. At least some things never changed. Bryan's penchant for staying alive despite the worst of crimes done to him was one of the best traits he ever had.
"I don't know, my life's not nearly as interesting as Kai and Tala's." Bryan shrugged each time. "It seems that their lives have been filled with chaos and mayhem. Much more interesting to hear about then mine."
"Why is it that you still call them Kai and Tala? You'd think you'd call them by their real names by now." Michaels mused as he rocked on in interest. Bryan glanced at him in confusion.
"Hmm...I guess we call them that because we're used to it. Luka slips up every once and a while and calls Kai 'Sacha.' I guess...Sacha really did die all those years ago. Kai's always just been Kai to us. Addy calls him Sacha, but I feel like Kai just lets her do it. And we do call Tala 'Luka' occasionally. Kai more then the rest of us." Michaels just nodded.
"Did Spencer...ever go to school?" He asked suddenly. The lilac haired man turned to him in surprise.
"Yeah. He works for the ISA part time really. He works in this fish club thing. They study the water and all their aqua friends basically. He's pretty smart. Teaches here a lot, the science clubs love him."
"You have science clubs?" Was that skepticism? Yeah...just a bit.
"Of course. Once the geeks were free to be...geeks...they flourished. They were all 'yeah protons' 'yeah neutrons' and shit like that. Now that Anna's back I'm sure they'll be licking her boots for years to come and begging her to bestow unto them her knowledge." Michaels snickered. Somehow he could see people with that zeal. The younger man pulled a cigarette from his pocket and started to light it.
"You really should quit." He cautioned lightly.
"Bah, tried that once." Michaels arched an eyebrow.
"Did you really?"
"Yeah...after the plane crash. Luka was all freaked with fire and shit. Couldn't even see a candle without having fucking tremors. I quit because it was getting annoying trying to hide myself every time I wanted to light up. Once he chilled out some I started up again. What can I say? I'm a realist."
"You ever think about settling down?"
"What? And be a married man like Mr. Napoleon back there?" He motioned back to the house where Kai was newly positioned on the couch. He was blabbering about how Elvis was making love to a baked potato on the ceiling. The others were attempting to indulge him, but they really couldn't see it. "Nah. I mean, it'd be nice and shit, but can you imagine me with kids?" Michaels could actually. He'd seen the younger man playing with Dmitri when he was in need of a distraction from the fact his parents had gone missing.
"Dove sono I miei genitori?" The little boy was looking up at Bryan with big blue eyes, tears sparkling in them even before the question was asked. Bryan didn't know what he was supposed to do when he looked at the kid. He couldn't very well tell the boy that they'd locked the two in a room in hopes they'd beat their love into each other. That just wouldn't be right...especially when children had such overactive imaginations.
"Sono andati via per un paio di giorni." He answered honestly. They really did go away for a few days, and they'd be back in one piece hopefully. He was not prepared for the rushing of tears down the child's cheeks or the incessant wailing noise to suddenly pierce the air.
The other F-Fives glanced over to look at their Leader's son worriedly. Then they glowered at Bryan as though it was all his fault. Let it never be said that the F-Fives were an unfeeling bunch. From the way they were glaring at Bryan, he couldn't help but feel like his very life was at stake...and he trained half of them!
"Cosa c'è di sbagliato?" What's wrong? He couldn't figure out why the boy was wailing, but the child was starting to draw attention to himself. He patted the boy's red hair, and suddenly the thing had flown into his arms and was hugging him for dear life as he cried louder and louder.
"Sono morti non sono?" Then the young man realized exactly what was wrong. Death was a complicated thing to explain to children, and the little boy had seen much of it in his short life. The fact that his parents had vanished equated to what death must have been like for the little one. His Grandfather and his Uncle had both vanished...and both of them were dead. He'd been taken away from the only home he knew...and everyone there was dead. Now his parents were gone, and so they too must be dead!
"No, Pettirosso, non sono morto. Sono vivo e vegeto." Teary blue eyes looked up at the man in confusion.
"Pettirosso?" Bryan just laughed and tugged a strand of red hair into the boy's face.
"Rosso." He said simply, and then picking the boy up and spinning him about until all the tears were gone and they'd instead been replaced by giggles and laughter – he tossed the child into the air and caught him once more. "Uccello!" He threw him up again and then caught him, drawing him into a warm embrace. "Sei il mio piccolo uccello rosso, il mio Pettirosso." You are my little red bird, my Robin.
Dmitri giggled and shook his head, explaining that it was Jeanie who had the red bird around her neck. Bryan shrugged, saying that Jeanie didn't fly nearly as nicely or willingly as Dmitri did. He also said that Jeanie had a mother hen that would kill him if he thought about throwing her anywhere. The boy laughed and hugged Bryan closely.
"Ya tebya lyublyu dyadyu." Bryan's breath caught. They'd been slowly working Russian into the child's vernacular for a while now, but he still preferred to speak in Italian or sparse arabic over the foreign tongue. The fact that he pronounced his love for his uncle though...that made the air master teary.
"Ya tozhe lyublyu tebya plemyannik." He whispered back the inverser lightly.
Bryan actually had the decency to blush as he looked away from the man who adopted him. It was an embarrassing moment that had caught him off guard. None of the other children he'd lived with or raised had ever so freely pronounced their love for any one thing. They were always shady about it, and it was simply an understood fact of the matter.
Dmitri was different. He was entirely innocent in the whole happenings of the Abbey, and he was such a sweet tempered little mite that he was the apple of everyone's eyes. He made everyone love him, despite the fact that everyone attempted to hide their love for him. They all still pretended to be macho. The moment those blue eyes levelled on them though...they were beaten. They could no more deny the little boy anything then they could stop breathing.
He was their Commander's blessed child, and the F-Fives found themselves spoiling the boy rotten at times. Not that he knew he was being spoiled. He'd never seen any other children his age, so he simply assumed that's how all children were treated. Especially because Kai's twins had the same affect on people. Everyone was just flounting about the babies.
None more then Dmitri though. He practically sang them praises. At seven years old the boy had turned into quite the babysitter. The others had all joked that Adeline was lucky because she wouldn't even have to pay the earnest child. He was more then willing to do it all for free. The boy brushed and combed their hair and made sure their clothes were dainty, and watched as the adults cleaned them and changed their diapers.
He even assisted on occasion. He was more then a little excited at the prospect of children with him, and anyone could tell that he was enjoying playing with them. It didn't seem to matter that the babes were too young to even communicate properly with their young guardian, the boy didn't have any better companions then them.
He was absolutely charming.
Bryan and Michaels were just finishing up their third conversation starter, when Anna came rushing passed them at warp speed. Bryan was about to make a comment, but he didn't get very far because the woman looked green in the face and was moving so fast that she was gone before he got a good look at her. He frowned slightly, glancing back at Michaels who shrugged.
"What's that all about?" He asked anyway, confusion on his features.
"I may have spent more quality time with her in the past few years then you have, but believe me when I say I have yet to discover the inner workings of that child's mind." They both laughed and were back to reminiscing.
Anna herself was flying up a staircase near the end of the hall. One hand over her mouth as she hurried faster and faster. She almost didn't have time to turn the corner and into a bathroom before her stomach upchucked whatever it thought it was going to have for breakfast that day straight into the toilet. She'd been in such a rush though she hadn't noticed that the bathroom was currently being occupied by a slightly more than half naked Russian who yelped and dove out of the way just in time for her to puke into porcelain.
Hesitating for a long while, Mikhail Ivanov could only blink in a stupor at the woman before zipping up his pants and moving the towel he had on his head to his shoulders. He hadn't bothered to bring a shirt into the bathroom with him. He'd just been taking a shower and hadn't expected any interruptions to the routine. Still, he was a gentleman at heart, and he knelt beside the woman in concern.
Reaching up, he pulled her dark hair out of her face more efficiently then she was currently managing and he arched an eyebrow at the sight of her pale features. Immediately he tried deducing just what could be wrong with the lovely lady, and his answers came up with only a few things. After all – people didn't just start vomiting for no reason at ten thirty in the morning.
"Eat something bad last night?" He asked lightly. She glowered at him, and he shrugged. "You're the one who barged into here during my cleaning time. If you can't handle the commentary you should have chosen a different bathroom."
"No." She finally answered, sitting back on her haunches as she lifted a hand to her fevered head. Vomiting always made her feel so hot.
"Mmhmm..." He stood up and got a glass of water from a cup off the sink. Then he kicked the bathroom door closed with his foot. There was no need for someone to walk up the stairs and innocently see him leaning half naked over the woman on the floor. No need to get a certain redhead in a tizzy. "Catch a stomach bug?" He asked going for option number two.
"Maybe." She admitted weakly as she sipped the water and swished it around in her mouth before spitting it out like a right proper lady.
"Very dignified."
"The Princess is downstairs, I am the child of the mafiosos. Remember?" She teased lightly, and he smirked.
"I can see the likeness shining through." He squinted a little. "Yes...it's right there with the spittle falling from the mouth. I remember seeing that quite often as people neglected their duties." She rolled her eyes.
"Clever. Truly." Another wave of nausea overcame her and she gasped slightly – heading for the toilet. Mikhail steered clear and backed off.
"Well there is one other option." He was almost loath to admit it as the more likely scenario. When he caught the pointed look in his direction, he couldn't help but spit out his question. "My dear, could you be pregnant?" She looked up at him with horrified brown eyes, and he frowned. "Well if that's a yes, then what's wrong with that? Unless your doting little pup isn't...well...a wolf pup..." She scowled.
"If I'm pregnant..." She glared at him. "If. Then it is Luka's."
"Then what's the big problem. Your sprog down there loves kids. He'd think it was the best present you ever gave him."
"And Luka?" She whispered softly. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"What about him? He likes TJ well enough doesn't he?" She looked up at him in confusion. "Tala Junior...Dmitri. He loves the kid."
"I know that."
"And he loves you."
"I know that too."
"Then why are you having this conversation with a half naked man who is not your dearly beloved?"
"Because this half naked man just happened to interrupt my...moment of indecency."
"Pish! You interrupted my moment of indecency. You're a lucky lamb. I was just finished...eh...relieving myself and you just had to come traipsing in here and ruin all the fun. Had you come a few minutes earlier you might have seen a show!"
"That's terrible."
"That's life." Mikhail replied easily. It had been some time since he'd bantered freely with his friend. Many, many years. They hadn't spent much time in each others company, but what few time they had spent together had made it all worth while. They were very close she and he. Very close indeed. "My son thinks I love you." He said suddenly, looking at her seriously. She didn't seem too surprised.
"Your son's a smart boy."
"I wish you all the happiness you know." He continued, leaning away from her and sitting down opposite from the woman. She nodded.
"I know that."
"And if Luka had kept being such a belligerant prick I may have just swept you off your feet and made off with you." She laughed slightly at that.
"Poor Adrien. To be adopted by Kai, friends with my and Lu's adopted son, and then I'm whisked away by his magically brought back to life father. Just where would that put him in this family tree?" She teased lightly, and he sighed.
"If he does wrong by you, he'll answer to me."
"I know that." She replied softly, meeting his gaze.
"I must confess to you that I simply cannot love you the way he does. I know this idea of a child scares you...but you really should be telling him about this and not I. I'm not the baby's daddy, and I refuse to play one for it. I'll tolerate being an Uncle, but I couldn't handle raising one of that man's children."
"Jealousy?"
"Are you mad? You're a saint for putting up with that self assured prick with his 'mighty then God' attitude. His children are going to be terrors by fourteen, just you wait and see." She was laughing heartily now and he smiled at her fondly. She reached out and touched his hand.
"You should find happiness too Mikhail." He shrugged.
"I'll find it in my own way. I always do. For now, you have news of a baby to deliver to a father who's long been denied the privalage of watching his child grow." She nodded and slowly moved to her feet.
"You're a good man Mikhail Ivanov." He smiled and kissed her cheek.
"You are too my dear sister-in-law."
"I'm not married to him yet!" She laughed, shaking her head. He rolled his eyes.
"Yet indeed. Just give it a few days, the moment he hears you're pregnant he's going to be digging through his pockets for that little ring of his that he's been holding on to for years."
"And how would you know about that, you haven't been here for years." The man looked affronted.
"Excuse me, I think I know the man better then you. I've lived with him almost my whole life!" She laughed and nodded. That he had. That he had.
Tala was sitting in his room when she'd started to try to hunt him down. He was looking over some documents that had been sent over by the ISA. He was wearing his glasses and he looked rather immersed with the information before him. She knocked once on the door before letting herself in, and he glanced up briefly to see her before smiling lightly and motioning for her to come towards him.
"Hey you." He said as he stood up and placed a kiss on her cheek. "How're you doing?"
"I'm well, and yourself?" She asked lightly, still trying to work out exactly how she was going to tell him the news.
"Fine, fine. Listen...do you want to go out to dinner with me tonight?" He asked her, his face blushing all the while. He was nervous. Charmed by his request, she nodded. It would give the perfect setting for the announcement as well.
"Sure, what kind of dinner? Fancy or plain dress?" Tala adopted that rapscallion look on his face that he usually saved for the F-Fives.
"Fancy." He lay another kiss on her cheek. "I'll pick you up around six?" She frowned. Pick her up? They lived in the same place. He was already walking her towards the door. Besides, she didn't have any fancy clothing... "Ask Adeline, she can find you something to wear I'm sure." Scowling slightly at his foresight she didn't have a chance to say anything before he'd closed the door behind her and she was staring at it in shock.
He'd just thrown her gracefully out of his room! She didn't even have a chance to say anything to him! Bastard! Glaring at it, she huffed and turned off. Might as well track down Adeline. There was at least ten hours between now and their dinner and she needed all the time she could get in order to find the perfect outfit.