AATS
Chapter 30
Someone Special

He said nothing; seldom do those who are silent make mistakes.

-Neil Gaiman, Norse Mythology

Albedo wasn't going to beg. He wasn't going to defend his actions. Wilhelm already knew. He had probably predicted it in that ever-turning compass. Albedo could feel the tension from Kevin. It clung to him like an odor, the reek of which grew stronger the closer one was. Albedo stood too close.

Wilhelm was waiting on them. He stood straight, one hand behind his back and pressed against the desk. There was a slight lean to his posture, almost imperceptible, suggesting he was relaxed and that they could as well. Albedo refused to relax. Kevin seemed incapable of it.

"Welcome back."

Wilhelm always had a way of making Albedo feel small and insignificant with just a look; a simple lifting of his eye lids, the way he looked up at him through those long, white lashes.

"You've been busy, I see."

Kevin stiffened further. He would hurt himself, Albedo thought. He imagined the tension cracking his newly-healed bones and grinned behind his mask. Albedo wasn't sure what Kevin wanted to say. Perhaps he didn't either and that's why he was practically shaking with silent rage. It was possible that he believed what Albedo had done was far worse than his own sins but what could he say without confessing? Wilhelm was not a priest but a devil. Kevin could not unburden himself here.

"You do know its whereabouts...surely you haven't lost it."

Wilhelm's powerful gaze found Albedo. His eyes were sunsets and Albedo fell into their low burn. Albedo had always struggled to grasp just how much power Wilhelm held and just exactly what he was. It bothered him to be bowed. It had been different when he was an infected, lonely child desperate to sell his soul for a chance to see Rubedo again. Then, Wilhelm had let Albedo do almost anything he'd wanted to as long as his purpose was served. Now Albedo was a dog, a phantom protector on a leash, chained to this existence and whatever path Wilhelm allowed him to take. He'd brushed against that fate when he'd destroyed the Telethia. He'd challenged it when he'd thrown Kevin's little science experiment out into space. He had been walking a thin line since this game had started. His silence crossed it.

"I'm back!"

Virgil strode into the giant office like a bull in a china shop, effectively shattering the looming sense of dread and helplessness that filled the place like a miasma. He held the T-elos maintenance bed on one shoulder as he entered. He came around them to Wilhelm, severing the hold his gaze held over Albedo, and gently lowered the bed onto the floor. He stood up, clapping his hands as if dusting them off. He looked from Wilhelm to the Testaments behind him.

"I miss something?"

Kevin's stress had reached tsunami levels. It washed over Albedo in large, even, unbroken waves. He basked in it silently like a statue in the sunlight. Wilhelm's lips curled slightly at the corners. He pushed away from his desk to better inspect the maintenance bed.

"It went well?"

"Simple retrieval," Virgil said, with an air of boredom. "Albedo delivered it right to me."

Albedo had never understood the easy way Virgil had with Wilhelm. He feels he has nothing at stake, Albedo thought as he watched him. He existed as if he'd accepted Testamenthood because he'd had nothing else to do and dying was far less exciting than near limitless power. Virgil was always running from his greatest fear and it wasn't Wilhelm.

Virgil nodded over to the door and Albedo realized that Voyager had arrived with him.

"We were planning to meet Scientia but, as you know, there's no reason to now. They won't find anything there. If everything was handled before the destruction then we should be ready to move whenever you give the word."

Virgil turned back to Kevin and said, pointedly, "Didn't expect this to be a party."

Albedo couldn't stop his smile.

"Casualties?"

"No."

Voyager's voice was low and foreign in Albedo's ears.

"No contact was made."

"According to plan," Virgil added. "Not a scratch on her."

Wilhelm nodded, his smile spread a little further; almost into the real thing. He walked closer to the bed, laid his fingers gently against the black top. Albedo watched him closely, trying to find any sign of emotion; pain, loss, a fondness for what the thing in the bed would become.

They were all far from human. The Testaments were little more than solid phantoms; pale shadows of their former selves all striving for things left behind. Lust yearned for a perfect world for two. Virgil was addicted to the hatred inspired by his loss. Voyager was possessed by a greed so strong that he would destroy anything, anyone to gain power and to have it with the only other person he'd ever deemed worthy. Albedo was paralyzed with a selfish, obsessive love that made one mad enough to cheat death. They were all here because of someone, if not for someone, but none were more important than Rubedo. In a world of phantoms Rubedo was king and now every Testament knew it.

Albedo could find nothing in Wilhelm's eyes. The landmass hadn't appeared yet and until then T-elos was little more than a metal framework, a steel skeleton. Albedo doubted he'd find anything in Wilhelm when she was more. He wondered if there was anything left in Wilhelm to see.

"That's good."

Wilhelm's hand slipped away. His eyes remained lowered on the bed.

"Things are moving smoother than predicted. We'll secure the CAT testing facility on Fifth Jerusalem and begin preparations for the move."

He turned to Kevin and Albedo felt the waves ebb.

"Collect your survivors and reassemble your team. It won't be long now."

When his eyes shifted to Albedo the edges of his smile had returned.

"You may go," Wilhelm said as he made his slow, measured way back to his desk. Albedo felt every step as if he was stepping on his very soul. "We still have so much to do."

Virgil and Voyager left but Albedo had waited, feeling that Wilhelm wanted him to stay. Kevin hesitated once he saw that Albedo wasn't moving but finally, angrily, swept out the door. They were left alone. The silence Albedo had been hiding behind felt suffocating and unsafe.

Wilhelm didn't appear to be in a rush to speak. He was back at his desk, facing away from Albedo, eyes on the spinning compass. He held that same hand behind his back, fingers rubbing together as he thought.

"I see the outlines only, the absolutes. Little surprises like these are...appreciated."

He turned his head slightly toward Albedo. His profile was lost behind the white curl of his hair. His fingers stilled.

"My apologies, Monsieur Piazzolla."

With a single sentence he'd chilled every nerve in Albedo's body. His sunset eyes seemed red again, or maybe Albedo imagined it. Maybe he'd always imagined it.

"Send him something nice."

It took Alby a while to understand that Jr. wasn't talking to him. He was thinking out loud, pacing when he could, and Alby's white ears perked up every few seconds at what he thought was his name but always turned into "Albedo".

"Think about it for a second," Jr. said, flinging his arms out straight in front of him. Alby did not. He only thought about the leftover treat that Jr. had handed him a few moments before. Jr. was on his back, spread out on the private beach's dock, stretching his frustrated arms out over the water.

The ether had settled and Jr. was healing rapidly. He was eating again, in small amounts. He always had food left over that he'd feed in little portions to his tiny companion. Alby was more than ok with this. He was not ok the day that Jr. spent in the bedroom suite. Jr. had locked Alby outside, saying it was "too dangerous" and "I don't want to trip over you all day."

Alby cried for hours. Sometimes pacing back and forth triggered the sensor but Jr. had locked it from the inside. After a little bit of pacing Alby sat down stubbornly and howled. Jr. hated when he howled and it was always the best way to get his attention. It didn't work. Eventually Alby tired out and he laid down, whining at the edge of the door. When the door finally opened Jr. came out sweating. He leaned against the doorframe and shrugged out of his jacket. Alby shot to his feet but waited, unsure if Jr. was going to get sick or crumple to the floor. He did neither. Instead he threw a large round ball at Alby's feet. The puppy tilted his head, poked it with his nose. It smelled like Jr.'s bed, like his blood.

"I went a little overboard," Jr. huffed. "I haven't compressed anything that big in a long time."

Alby chewed on it but decided he didn't like it and much preferred Jr.'s company. He abandoned it and ran to Jr. as he slid to the floor. He needed to make sure that Jr. was ok. He was; just tired. He promised.

Alby got to spend the rest of the day curled in bed with Jr. so in the end he wasn't too upset. He was upset today, however, and irritated thoroughly with whoever "Albedo" was.

Jr. sighed and pulled his arms back so that he could cover his face with his hands. Jr. had checked the security feeds to try to get a better idea of what had happened the night his shapeshifter had visited. He had found absolutely nothing. The entire feed was corrupted; a dead end.

He must have been watching Jr. for a while, long enough to know who MOMO was and to be able to replicate her almost perfectly. Jr. was convinced that he had something to do with Albedo too, he just wasn't sure how they were connected. All of the people he'd shifted into, none of them had been Albedo. Then again, Jr. hadn't been physically in Albedo's presence since his death. Had his mystery admirer just recently started watching him? Could he see him now? Was Albedo actually alive or had it been this stranger the entire time?

Jr. felt down his link to that painful blockage. No, it was definitely Albedo. No one could imitate him so well. Access to their link would be impossible.

Albedo didn't want Jr. to find him but he kept reaching out to him, sending little signals, lighting little fires. Why? To what end?

His face turned red. He breathed angrily into his hands and dropped them to his sides. No matter how hard he thought about this, Jr. always returned to the kiss. Albedo had kissed him in earlier nightmares, even touched him but Jr. hadn't stopped to think about it. He'd assumed that Albedo had done it to terrorize him. It had certainly worked at the time. When he thought about it under the sunlight on the dock with the neediest puppy in existence pulling at his pant leg, he felt like a complete idiot. He pulled Alby off his leg and sat up.

Albedo aside, why had HE kissed back? Why had HE let Albedo touch him? Jr. remembered it all in a blur of rage; tearing Albedo apart, forcing him down, feeling strong and victorious for the first time since all of this insanity had begun. Then he remembered the kiss and how quickly all of those dangerous emotions pointed straight at Albedo turned into an enormous need that only Albedo could meet. He felt hot and stood up quickly. Alby tumbled off of his lap and onto the dock.

"Let's go," he said, trying to choke off any uncomfortable emotions.

He needed to visit the Durandal. He couldn't do all of his work from the beach house and he had people coming to redecorate today. He didn't want to get in their way or sit out on the dock thinking about how hot Albedo's hand had felt on his stomach right before it ripped through him. Remembering the pain helped. He motioned for Alby to follow but the puppy stayed on the dock. When Jr. tried to get him to move he howled and howled until Jr. gathered him up.

"I'm not carrying you the entire way back to the Durandal."

Alby refused to be silent. Any time Jr. tried to set him down the howling would begin. Jr. decided quickly that this was not going to work. He stared down at the puppy, knowing this was his fault for more reasons than one. An idea popped into his head. He grabbed Alby and took him into the house.

Jr. had destroyed the bed and, thankfully, hadn't found blood anywhere else in the house. He grabbed a shirt and stuck Alby in the middle. He wrapped it around him until Jr. had fashioned a sling for him. Jr. pulled his arms through it and, when he was certain that Alby wasn't going to fall out, left the house with the puppy strapped securely to his chest. Alby was more than satisfied with the situation. He wagged his tail and barked happily. Jr. scratched his ears and tried not to think about the mysterious stranger, Albedo or that damned kiss.

Virgil was waiting when Albedo came back to his crystalline bench. He clapped and whistled as he walked around to take his usual spot and laughed when Albedo looked up at him through his mask.

"What a show! What a show!"

Albedo's mask faded away and Virgil, for the first time since he had started working with him, even before his newfound Testamenthood, saw a real smile. No sarcasm, no hate or playful spite but a real, genuine smile.

"You enjoyed it?"

"Did I!" Virgil laughed, crossing his arms.

Albedo had thrown the maintenance bed farther than he'd expected but once it had been retrieved Virgil had pulled E.S. Naphtali back around to the Telethia just in time to see the dragons destroy it. At the time he'd been disappointed that he hadn't been on the ground floor witnessing the action but watching Kevin sweat in front of Wilhelm was almost as satisfying.

"So I never did get to meet your date," Virgil teased.

Albedo obliged, summoning his gnosis through a mirage haze. The twitching dragon pulled itself from his back; wings first, then claws and finally its head. It pulled around Albedo, a low rumble like a purr deep in its throat. It twitched and dug its claws into Albedo, he bled where they entered but Albedo didn't care. His smile didn't fade. Virgil walked forward cautiously, arms still crossed. It stuck its snout at him, that low rumble coursing through it again.

"A little...overkill, don't you think?" Virgil asked, reaching a glove out to the gnosis. Its body was slimy and translucent up close but from far away it looked as if it were a true dragon.

"You should ask Lust."

Virgil laughed. The gnosis faded away.

"I should," he said. He took a few steps backwards, arms spread wide. In a matter of seconds he shifted, changing from a Testament to Shion. He adjusted her glasses and pulled on her short Vector jacket.

"Shame I never go to use this," he said, giving Albedo a little twirl. "I call this one Miss Vector."

He adjusted his voice until he sounded exactly like Shion.

"Oh Kevin!" He shouted, shivering with fear. "Kevin! Help me! Albedo's coming and he's bringing his big red dragon!"

He bent forward, hands on his knees and winked at Albedo through her glasses. Albedo laughed and Virgil pulled back, dissolving back into his true self.

"You're going back, right?" he asked, motioning toward the floor.

Albedo opened the looking glass and watched as Rubedo walked the halls of his ship, noting with some curiosity, the puppy strapped to his chest.

"I am," Albedo said, a ghost of wonder on his breath.

That intrigued Virgil and he looked down too, wondering what exactly he meant. Albedo didn't elaborate. Virgil's transformation had spurred new thoughts that curled into him and sank like anchors.

What Kevin had said was true. Albedo had ever tried to truly harm one of his friends. If he did Rubedo would know and he would not forgive him. His little dalliances with his sweet little pêche had been pushing it but Albedo had quite literally died for those sins. When his goal was death he would have done anything to push Rubedo to that point but he had never sincerely attempted to kill his friends, hadn't wanted to lose what little real affection Rubedo had left for him.

This gift that Wilhelm had given him had opened up a whole new world for Albedo and he realized, with a great sense of awkwardness, that if he were to win he would have to gain favor with not just Rubedo but his friends, the people he considered his family. People Albedo had antagonized. All of Virgil's warnings came flooding back to him. Albedo realized that he had never thought he would win. It had never seemed possible.

Rubedo was on the bridge now, talking to Mary and Shelley. Albedo had never learned the proper social skills necessary to make true connections with people. He had learned enough to fake them, to lure people toward him like a spider trapping food in a web. But his Rubedo had people that he cared about and Albedo couldn't remove Rubedo from them or them from him, not if he wanted Rubedo to truly love him.

This "something nice" would be a good enough test. Albedo would have to follow his lead.

Virgil gleaned more from his silence than Albedo might have liked. He chuckled, put on his mask, and started to walk away.

"Addict..."

Virgil paused and turned back. Albedo wasn't sure why he'd stopped him, couldn't make sense of this sudden urge to thank him. Virgil patted him hard on the back.

"Your date's cute," Virgil said, as he walked away. "Little violent but I know that's why you like him."

There was something off about Jr. Mary knew it as soon as she saw him and it was more than just the puppy strapped to his chest.

"I can't put him down," Jr. said, extending his arms carefully away from his body as if Alby was a loaded bomb. The puppy barked.

"You've spoiled him," Shelley said with a smile. She reached out to scratch under his chin. Alby squirmed relentlessly at the attention and whined to be set free.

"You abandon me for the first woman you see?" Jr. yelled, throwing up his hands in frustration.

He tried to unwrap the two of them but only managed to get more entangled in his poorly-constructed sling. Mary finally stepped in to free the two of them before one hurt the other. When they were both free Alby ran to Shelley and begged until she bent down to pick him up.

"Yeah, well you can stay here," Jr. said, pointing angrily at the puppy. Alby licked his finger and snuggled harder into Shelley's arms.

"Back for a visit, Little Master?" Mary asked, folding the now-ruined shirt. "I was startin' to get the feelin' we'd never see ya again."

Jr. laughed, "It's not like I moved star systems."

"It feels like it!" Mary replied, indignant.

"We've missed you, Little Master," Shelley interrupted, stepping between the two of them. "Stay with us for dinner."

"You've gone a lot longer without me," Jr. said, trying to defend himself.

"You're gonna stay with us and you're gonna eat and we're gonna have a good time!" Mary shouted around her sister.

"Ok, ok, jeez," he replied, holding up in hands in surrender. "I can stay for dinner."

"Yes you can and yes you will. Now come on over here and look at this!"

Jr. followed her over to the control panel. Shelley joined them, an excitable puppy in tow.

Mary watched him closely all day, trying to figure out exactly what was bothering him. Shelley tried to calm her sister but she was persistent.

"He ain't right, Shelley," she whispered after Jr. had finally pried away from her and left for his office. "You ever seen him act like this?"

"Master Gaignun said to give him space. He's not a child."

"I'm not treating him like a child!"

Shelley's fingers paused on the console and she turned to her sister, a lavender eyebrow quirked. Mary huffed and crossed her arms.

"It can't be good for him, bein' locked up in that little place all by his lonesome. I can't stand it."

"He's performing his duties and there are no plans to disembark any time soon. We have to allow him to do whatever he needs to. If you hover, we'll see him even less."

"And we just stand here doin' nothin'?"

"No," Shelley said, rising from her seat. "You make a reservation somewhere very nice for the three of us this evening."

Shelley looked around her chair and out over the main console to the 100-series at the front. Alby must have left to look for Jr.

"And preferably somewhere that will allow Alby to join us. He's unusually clingy."

"That's what I'm sayin'!"

"Somewhere nice," Shelley reminded her, tapping her shoulder as she walked past her to the elevator.

It wasn't until they had arrived and were seated at the restaurant that Shelley finally gave in to her sister. Jr.'s mind wasn't there. It was as if it had walked away and left his body behind. He would stay quiet for long stretches of time as if deep in thought. He would pull out of his fugue for a few minutes at a time to answer a question or tease them only to draw back into himself. He barely touched his food and when Mary prodded him about it his reply was that he'd eaten a large lunch and just wasn't that hungry. He fed Alby parts of it under the table. Shelley sent a worried look to her sister and Mary tilted her head in an I-Told-You-So fashion.

"Come back with us, Little Master," Mary said as they exited the restaurant.

"It's lonely without you and Master Gaignun," Shelley added.

Jr. only shrugged. "Ladies, I know you're worried about me but I'm fine."

He must have known that wasn't enough for either of them and added quickly but gently, "I just need the space, guys. It's not a permanent situation. Give me some time and I'll be back home. I promise when I come back it'll be like I never left."

The sisters weren't completely satisfied but there was nothing they could do. He walked them back to the Durandal's port and they hugged him goodbye. They watched him leave toward the beach house, Alby a white shadow running behind him.

"What could be goin' on in that strange head a' his?" Mary grumbled as they entered the shuttle back to the Durandal.

Shelley didn't answer right away and Mary cut her a sharp look.

"Oh, you got somethin' on your mind, sister."

Shelley sighed and folded her hands together.

"You were right. I've never seen the Little Master behave this way. We've been through so much together but nothing has ever caused so drastic a change in him."

Mary nodded intensely, eager for her sister to get to the point.

"Do you think that he's staying at the beach house because he might have someone...special with him?"

Mary's eyes widened and her mouth dropped. She stared dumbly at her sister for a few moments before leaning back in her seat.

"Shelley..." she said, mouth still agape. "Ya mean...Little Master's got him a sweetheart?"

"I'm not certain," Shelley said, shaking her head. "We don't want to jump to any conclu-"

"Oh my God!" Mary squealed, she covered her mouth with both hands, blue eyes shining. "He's redecoratin' the beach house!"

"Yes," Shelley said, trying to calm her sister before anyone else on the shuttle worked out what they were discussing.

"Not MOMO," Mary whispered harshly. That seemed to grab more attention than her earlier outburst so Shelley pressed a finger to her own lips, promising her sister that they would continue their discussion later, behind closed doors.

It wasn't MOMO. She was too young and even in the unlikely event that it was her, Jr. wouldn't have been able to hide her presence so completely. They traded the dock's shuttle for the Durandal's, heading toward their room. Mary felt as if she were about to burst but she managed to keep quiet.

They didn't usually sleep together when Gaignun wasn't home but it was late and there was no escaping the conversation...or Mary. They had made it to Gaignun's room in complete silence.

"We were just there, Shelley!" Mary shouted as soon as the door slid shut. "There's no reason to redecorate."

"Exactly."

"And he's never lived away from us! He loves the Durandal!"

"Yes."

Mary spun on her sister.

"You reckon the Kaiser knows?"

Mary placed her hands on her hips and tilted them to one side, a frown on her lips.

"You reckon he knows and that's why he told us to 'give him space'?"

"I'm not sure," Shelley replied.

Shelley wasn't sure who Jr. would tell first or how long it would be before they were told. Mary walked over to the dresser and started pulling off her clothes in a hurried attempt to get more comfortable. She found one of Gaignun's t-shirts and threw it on, throwing another one to her sister. she pulled her thick blonde hair into a ponytail and marched to the bed. Shelley watched her sister slam backwards onto it with a giant huff. Mary was quiet only long enough for Shelley to change before she said, softly,"What kinda girl do you think he likes?"

The question came loaded with a million other questions. What kind of girl, what species? Where had they met? Did she know what Jr. truly was or had Jr. told her something different? Had he managed to find someone like him? It was rare but there were uberhumans who didn't age. Shelley had always assumed chaos was one and she'd met others in her childhood, before Gaignun had rescued them. Shelley knew that it must have been hard to live in a body that wouldn't age. Their whole way of life had revolved around Jr.'s inability to. She wondered if it was more torturous for Jr., for someone whom it was too dangerous to age. It was a huge sacrifice and Shelley wasn't sure if it was one she'd be willing to make.

She joined her sister on the bed and laid down beside her.

"Fiery, " Mary offered. "Strong. Intelligent. Beautiful."

She raised her hands above her face and interlaced her fingers.

"He's wild but he's also sweet."

She dropped her folded fingers onto her chest and turned to face her sister.

"And things have been so rough for him, ya know. It might be nice."

"We aren't sure, Mary. It was just a thought."

"Ya never have 'thoughts'. Wouldn't have said nothin' if you didn't think it was true."

Shelley sighed and sat up, propping against the pillows and the headboard. Mary scooted beside her and laid her head in her lap.

"You are right," she said, running her fingers through Mary's hair. "And I'm not entirely sure what we should do."

"Nothin'," Mary said with a slight lift of her shoulders.

"We can't keep doing nothing."

"We won't ruin this for him, Shelley."

Mary sat up and stared hard into Shelley's eyes.

"He doesn't have to tell us anythin'. We'll just have to keep a better watch on him's all."

"I doubt he will like that."

"Never said he's got to like it."

Shelley turned off the light and Mary pulled the thick comforter away from the bed. She burrowed under the covers, suddenly freezing. Shelley joined her on the opposite end. They turned to each other and Mary patted the pillow between them.

"Gonna have to tell him," she said to her sister. "He probably already knows anyway. I'll kill him if he kept it a secret."

Shelley placed her hand on the same pillow, smoothing the material under her hand.

"They are capable of keeping secrets from each other."

Mary scoffed, "Please, Shelley. We can barely keep secrets from each other. It doesn't take telepathy or a direct-link. We're sisters."

Mary buried her face in Gaignun's pillow and took a deep breath. "Sisters always know."

Shelley thought back over the last few months, all the way back to Abel's Ark when their Little Master truly started to fall apart. When Mary pulled her face out of Gaignun's pillow and her eyes landed on Shelley's, her heart ached. She couldn't imagine what it would have felt like to kill someone she loved so much.

They were always together, always had been; from birth, to slavery, to now. They shared everything, even the man they loved and Shelley was certain that she would not survive without her. I'd kill myself first if it came to it, she thought. If it was her or her sweet, spunky little sister there would be no other choice.

"Four more days," Mary said.

She held up four fingers and bent each one in a silent count.

"Just four more days and he'll be home."

Shelley smiled sweetly at her, "We were told to keep that a secret too."

"Secrets, secrets," Mary said through a yawn. "I just want him to come home. I miss him so much."

"I do too," Shelley replied, burrowing into Gaignun's pillow.

"I wish things were like they used to be, the four of us all the time. Everyone's always so scattered now. Master Gaignun here, Little Master there."

"We're together."

Mary giggled and grabbed her sister's hand.

"Yeah, dumby."

Shelley's eyes moved to their clasped hands. She remembered Jr. after he returned from Abel's Ark, how those dark shadows danced in his eyes, even as he reassured everyone he was ok.

Did their Little Master have someone special or was he searching for someone special?

"We'll tell Master Gaignun when he gets here. He'll know what to do."

Virgil sat on the outside of Fifth Jerusalem, legs hanging off of the side of the space station's outer hull. When Kevin found him he was half-way through an apple. Virgil sighed, dropping it away from his mouth.

"I don't need to eat, but I'd like to enjoy myself every now and then."

He turned around and shot Kevin a nasty glare.

"And I can't do that with you here."

Virgil felt Kevin's rough footsteps vibrating along the hull and rolled his eyes, readying himself for a fight.

"Not close, huh?"

Kevin's voice was shivering with rage but unlike Albedo, Virgil wasn't constantly in a fighting mood.

"You cheat, you lose."

He pushed up from his relaxed position and turned to face Kevin.

"Hell, you gave him a head start. That kid will be putty in his hands."

Virgil gave a sharp snap under Kevin's mask. The action pissed Kevin off enough to grab for Virgil. He caught Kevin's wrist.

"Hey, look, I'm not here to fight you or tempt fate or whatever the rest of you want to do. I'm where I'm supposed to be, right? Securing the CAT facility or whatever. I'm waiting for orders, not to eviscerate you."

Kevin dropped his arm.

"See there," Virgil said, tossing his apple up and down. "You can be agreeable."

He took a vicious bite out of it and looked over the edge of the hull to the giant elevator that tethered it to the planet. He remembered being at the bottom of that elevator once, looking up into the darkness for the space station at the end of the tether.

"Why did you help him?"

Virgil looked back to Kevin.

"Why did you hurt him?"

"Cut the shit!"

Virgil laughed, mouth full of fruit.

"It's simple," Virgil said, chewing through his words. His voice suggested that Kevin was the biggest idiot he'd ever met and the tone pressed hard on Kevin's already bruised ego. "It's only fun if he fucks it up. If you ruin it for him well..."

Virgil swallowed and smiled, the action pulling hard at every scar on his on face.

"That's just downright scummy, don't you think?"

Virgil turned his back on Kevin.

"The kid should be fully healed by now. Wonder what it will be like when he wins. Now that will be something to watch."

"I really wasn't expecting that."

"Expecting what?" Virgil said through a grunt. He was sitting down again, only one leg hanging off the edge this time. "You almost killed the kid. If one of us attacked your woman do you think you would have reacted any differently?"

Yes, Kevin thought. His revenge would have been careful, calculated and methodical. Albedo's brand of revenge had been reckless, emotional and unnecessarily destructive. Kevin hadn't known what to expect because he had never dealt with anything like it.

"You handed him the win," Virgil said. "I'm not sure what caused you to do what you did but it doesn't matter now."

"Pays to have friends in low places."

Virgl snickered and tossed the apple behind him to Kevin. It was eaten through, the core was all that remained.

"Pays to have any at all."

Kevin held the apple, turned it in his red claws. It was foolish to keep arguing about it, to be distracted by what Albedo was doing or being allowed to do. It had been foolish from the beginning, a complete mistake. Albedo had risen from the ashes of defeat like an angry phoenix. He was full of fury, full of love. He'd misjudged that love. Kevin was past mistakes.

"We'd never have to use people like Albedo again," Lon had said to him in the few minutes before the Telethia felt the first fist of his power.

Kevin crushed the apple core in his hand, mashing it into slimy chunks.

There was no one like Albedo.

Alby never gave up. He was always full of energy, always begging for Jr. to wake up and give him all of his attention. Jr. was considering pawning him off on one of his favorite crew members. He loved Alby but he needed a serious break.

He rolled over and pulled the blanket over his head, determined to hide from Alby's cold nose. His alarm found him first and Jr. groaned, searching for the source of the noise so he could smack it silent. He sat up, half asleep, and rubbed his eyes until he felt awake enough to stand. He searched for clothes in a daze. He felt drunk but he couldn't remember drinking the night before with Mary and Shelley. Gaignun's moratorium on alcohol still stood and as much as it had pained him before he was glad for it now. He'd been too busy to think about it. He found his clothes and sat on the edge of the bed to pull them on.

He felt unbelievably tired and worried slightly that the ether was still in his system, overworking it. He rubbed the back of his neck and grumbled.

Welcome to the waking world.

Gaignun's voice jolted Jr. into awareness. His surroundings took shape and he rubbed his eyes again, furiously. This was his room on the Durandal. He hadn't fallen asleep on the Durandal.

I was starting to get worried.

Where was Alby? Jr. stood up, throwing blankets left and right. He dropped to his knees to search under the bed. When he didn't find Alby there he went to the adjoining bathroom and flipped on the lights. He had just felt Alby's nose on his cheek. He hadn't imagined it. He checked for his guns and was relieved to find that they were still there.

You're back early, Jr. replied carefully.

His eyes scanned his room, searching for anything out of place. He couldn't remember falling asleep.

Will you stop by here on your way to your office?

Where's 'here'?

Uh...my office?

Jr. couldn't find anything out of place. His room was the way he had left it before he'd decided to move to the beach house. He straightened up and walked to the door, taking a deep breath before opening it, trying to prepare himself for whatever he was about to find on the other side.

The Durandal's empty hallway stared back at him. He took a cautious step into it, suspicious blue eyes tracing every line in the wall, in the floor. Nothing materialized out of them so he left his room. He let the door slide shut behind him and made his way to Gaignun's office. It wasn't a far walk but every step was a dial that turned up every anxiety held in his small chest.

Gaignun looked up from his desk when the door slid open. Jr. kept one hand on his hip, close to his gun.

"How are you feeling?" Gaignun asked, "You look pale."

He looked Jr. up and down, took in his stance, could practically feel the anxiety eating at him.

"When did you get home?" Jr. asked. The question came out harsher than it should have and Gaignun frowned.

"I've been here since your accident."

"Gonna have to be more specific than that," Jr. replied, fingers brushing against the steel of his weapon.

Gaignun rose and every muscle in Jr.'s body pulled in tight. Gaignun walked around his desk quicker than Jr. would have liked and he took two stiff steps backward.

"The doctor said you might have a little memory loss but I thought we were past that. I'll ask if he can see you today."

Gaignun dropped down in front of Jr., eyes roving his face.

"I don't see anything that looks worrying. You're healing pretty well, at least on the outside."

He felt Gaignun pressing against their link, gently asking for Jr. to open his mind. Jr. locked down harder on his defenses. Gaignun sighed in frustration.

"What are you talking about?" Jr. said, matching his brother's frustration with an angrier version.

"Your hover car crash, Jr.," Gaignun's voice was laced with worry. "You've only been home a couple of days."

Jr. hadn't been expecting a real answer. The surprise unsettled him. The grip on his gun relaxed but didn't release.

"You seemed better yesterday."

Gaignun started to reach for Jr.'s head but Jr. caught his hand, boring holes into his green eyes. Gaignun pulled away and stood, his frown deeper.

"Will you please see the doctor today?"

Jr. ran a hand through his hair, over his forehead, around his temples. It had been months since the crash. He pressed against his stomach; there was no soreness, nothing to prove that he'd been missing a good chunk of it a few days prior. Jr. realized that Gaignun was hovering, waiting for his answer.

"Uh...yeah, yeah I will."

"Thank you," Gaignun said. His frown lessened and he went back to seat, pulling up documents he'd dropped when Jr. entered.

"I'll see if I can get something for this evening."

Jr. didn't feel anything abnormal. He stared at his hands and back to Gaignun, trying to find Albedo in the seams, to unravel the horrors before they had a chance to unravel him.

"I won't stop you from working if you insist on it but the two of you could at least give it a rest for one night."

Gaignun fixed Jr. in his tired green gaze.

"You're both so loud. You need sleep. I need sleep."

Jr. blinked dumbly at Gaignun but he was already knee-deep in work, having dismissed Jr. from thoughts. Jr. started to ask what he meant but the door slid open and a crew member came in with something for Gaignun in his hands. Jr. shook his head and left, thoroughly confused.

He pressed against his skull. Nothing hurt. He felt completely fine. He felt along his lips, his shoulder and his stomach one more time. Everything felt fine. Jr. made his way to his desk, trying to work out the strange encounter he'd had with Gaignun. He hadn't even known Gaignun was home and how had he not? He would have felt Gaignun's presence once he'd set foot on the Foundation.

I didn't when he came to the birthday party, Jr. thought. He instantly reminded himself that that had been a nightmare.

Jr. walked to his office, unsure of where else to go. He hadn't let his guard down but the confusion was clouding his concentration. This was a strangely elaborate nightmare if it was one, he thought. Then again, his birthday had been an elaborate one as well.

He reached his office and the door slid open. Jr. took one step in and stopped. This wasn't his office. It was much larger, the bookshelves taller and wider, filled to the brim with even more books. The couch had turned into a large sitting area that spread out in front of the door. Two identical desks sat on opposite sides of the room, facing each other.

Jr.'s fingers found a gun. He inspected the room but nothing came crawling out of the walls or under either desk. He walked deeper into it, the door sliding shut behind him. He made his way over to the desk on the right, searching it thoroughly for anything hiding in any secret unseen places. When he pulled back and walked around the front, his eyes caught the name on the plaque: Gaignun Kukai Jr. This was his desk. Then who did the other one belong to? Jr. moved swiftly to it, looking for the plaque, when the door suddenly opened.

It happened in a span of a few seconds but to Jr. time slowed. He caught Albedo's form in the entryway before the door was halfway open. The fingers on his gun pulled it free and he fired without hesitation through the still-opening door. He fired three clean shots. Two landed on either side of Albedo's chest, the third burrowing into his side.

Albedo looked down at the new, oozing wounds and across the room to Jr. Jr. noted, dimly through a rush of confusion, that Albedo wasn't dressed for combat. He'd entered the room in a french-gray suit, carrying a communicator in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, both of which had been completely obliterated by Jr.'s bullets.

The surprise that flashed across Albedo's face changed quickly into a grin and he was across the room before Jr. could get his bearings. He grabbed Jr.'s shirt and lifted him onto the desk, slamming him onto his back and knocking papers and documents into the floor.

"Foreplay, Rubedo? And so early in the morning."

Jr. had dropped one gun from the impact and he reached for the other. Albedo grabbed his arm and leaned low. Jr. pressed his free hand against Albedo's chest, trying to create some distance between them. He noted again the suit; red tie, Kukai insignia. He lost focus on Albedo and he closed the gap, his breath ghosting against Jr.'s lips.

"Sweet dragon, devour me for breakfast if that's what you wish."

The words were said against Jr.'s lips, made him shiver even as he pushed back against him.

Roland.

They both felt Gaignun's voice. Albedo chose to ignore it, intent on colliding their bodies together.

Roland, get off of him for two minutes. I need to see you.

To Jr.'s surprise, he listened. Albedo groaned and pressed their foreheads together for a brief second before slowly pulling away.

"Later then, Little Dragon."

Albedo looked down at his blood-stained suit and laughed. He waved to Jr. as he exited the office and Jr. was left alone to pick himself up off the desk. He sat up, legs dangling off the side. He was breathless from the encounter, completely and utterly confused about everything that had happened since he opened his eyes.

His jacket had fallen off one shoulder and he pulled it up with shaky fingers.

"Roland?"

Jr. looked around the desk, searching through the mess Albedo had created to find the plaque. It had fallen on the floor and Jr. slid off the desk, and grabbed it up, almost dropping it in his haste. He turned it over and almost dropped it again when he read it. There, staring back at him in black, raised letters read: Roland Kukai.

A/N: We're here, ladies and gents. Finally, the romance! A warning, we're going to be coming up on lemons in the next few chapters. I'll put a warning at the beginning of the chapters that feature them and a different kind of line break in case anyone wants to skip them.

Also, as a side note; if this story ever gets deleted on this site for well, lemons or really all of the violence we've been through so far you'll be able to find it on A03. I had originally planned to move the edited, finished version there but if I have to we can make the jump early. I prefer this site as a whole and that's the only reason I stay stubbornly here in my tiny corner, typing with my little raccoon hands, hoping no one really cares enough to expend the effort.

I hope you all enjoyed this super-long chapter. Please stay safe and healthy. I'll see you again in Roland.