Hey guys! Sorry for the long delay in updates, I just got through with midterms and my fall break, so I didn't have much time to write. I think this chapter will more than make up for it. (evil grin)

Enjoy!

The two weeks passed with an ominous calm.

After Heero's encounter with Duo in the club, he had taken to avoiding both Midnight Masquerade and Irea's apartment. He didn't want to run into his mother or Duo, nor did he want to be confronted by Wufei and Quatre's sisters. He had passed on the information as was necessary, that's all.

It seemed that the incident was Dorothy last mind game as she withdrew from the social realm to the upstairs apartment to plan her 'war'. Duo had vanished as well from public view and the violent deaths of vampires all over the city had ceased for the time being.

That was when Catherine decided to barge into Heero's underground abode. She picked the lock on his front door and waltzed in just as he was coming out of his bedroom, his face dark with anger.

"What gives you the right to invade my privacy?" Heero demanded harshly. "How in the hell did you even find out where I lived?"

"Hello? Who are you talking to?" the redheaded woman replied sarcastically. "The slayer spy who pretends to work as Dorothy's human secretary. Since I'm 'vouched for' by her, your kind trust me with everything. Of course, it probably helps that I asked Lucrezia." She smirked, putting her hands on her hips.

The Japanese vampire muttered something along the lines of 'I forgot about that' as he slouched over to the couch and flopped down on it. "So what do you want? You obviously tracked me down for a reason," he said sullenly.

"God, you are either extremely thickheaded, or trying to purposely piss me off to no end," Catherine sighed with exasperation. "I think I'll go with option number two. I'm here because your mother is coming out of her shell tonight. She's got something planned, and no one knows what it is except for her new personal toy. Trowa and Wufei are up and moving again, so we've been getting them up to speed on everything."

Torment showed clearly through Heero's mask of irritation. "Does Wufei know...?"

"Yes, he knows about you and Duo," she responded, her stiff stature drooping slightly. "He actually took it quite well, all things considered. Didn't blow up or break anything or run out rashly to pick a fight. He also said to tell you to stop avoiding him, he knows what you're up to."

"But I-"

"I won't take no for an answer, so get your ass up now and stop wallowing around here by yourself," Catherine interrupted loudly. "We've got a fight to plan, and we need you to help us."

"And if I say no?" Heero asked, his annoyance returning. "What could -you- possibly threaten -me- with to get me to cooperate?"

"You would be brutally letting down two people whom I know you care about," she pointed out calmly. "Do you really want to sit here and do nothing while Dorothy destroys Duo's mind and Wufei blames himself for everything?"

Heero's glare bore into her like a laser. "You play dirty."

"Naturally. So are you coming?" Catherine smiled with satisfaction.

"Like I have a choice in the matter," he grumbled, standing up and grabbing his leather jacket from the closet before they left.

Wufei sighed with heavy relief as he stepped out from the steaming shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. It really was amazing how a proper bath could completely rejuvenate a person, especially someone who had been stuck lying immobile on his back for a straight two weeks after being beaten to a bloody pulp.

The lower half of his arm was still in a brace, being the most damaged, but it was still usable as long as he didn't put too much force onto it. Good thing he wasn't left-handed, or he'd be screwed. His head and ribcage had healed up nicely though, and all the stitches were gone.

Wufei hesitated at the door to the bedroom he shared with Duo. When Quatre had finally told him everything after Irea had given him a full bill of health and said they could return to their own apartment, he wasn't quite sure how to react. He certainly did not blame Heero, if anything, he sympathized the Japanese vampire because now he had a taste of what it feels like to be the victim for a change, instead of the attacker. Wufei's pain at the mental image of Duo, however, was almost crippling if he let himself dwell on it too long. He hated Dorothy with a passion that would make the gods cower before it, he hated that she had this power over the one he loved, perverting and abusing him like she was. His heart ached even more at how he knew Duo would feel if he ever remembered what he had done under her command.

Lost in his musing, he entered their bedroom, picking up some random articles of clothing as he tossed aside his towel and threw them on. The unmistakable scent of lavender vanilla filled his nose as he pulled the shirt over his head, Wufei had grabbed one of Duo's long sleeved shirts, and suddenly the thought that he had refused to acknowledge occurred to him that if they failed in their plans...

He would be alone again.

He wouldn't have someone to sleep with, some one who he could wrap himself up in a cocoon with and revel in the warmth and love that they shared with each other. He wouldn't wake up with his angel laying beside him, cursing sleepily about the early hour. He wouldn't have someone who hid all his books so he wouldn't have an excuse not to watch his cheesy horror movies. No more Shinigami.

That was how Heero located him when he came to the apartment with Catherine. They had entered with Irea, whom they met up with along the way, and one glance at Quatre and Trowa's downcast expressions sent him searching for his Chinese friend.

The pain in the room was palpable when Heero entered and found the person in question sitting on his bed. He had never seen him so wretched before.

"Did a bomb go off in here?" he greeted tentatively, taking in Duo's disastrously messy touch as compared to his partner's neat orderliness.

Wufei's head snapped up, startled out of his reverie. Suddenly, Heero found himself with an armful of human body as Wufei broke down in tears against his chest, holding onto him as if his life depended on it.

Angry, violent Wufei he could handle. Verbal sparring and sarcasm he could handle, it was one of their favorite forms of entertainment when they were bored or annoyed with each other. He had even gotten used to putting up with the utter cheerfulness that Wufei always had whenever he saw him with Duo. But this desperate need for comfort was a whole new arena, and all Heero could think to do was pat him awkwardly on the back as his green tank top was soaked in hot tears.

After a moment or two, Wufei seemed to relax a bit and quiet down. "I'm sorry, Heero, I- I don't know what came over me just now," he murmured roughly, pulling away as he wiped his face with his palms. "I just made a fool of myself."

Heero frowned. "Don't say that. You shouldn't be ashamed of allowing yourself to feel hurt. You've lost the person closest to you, how else are you supposed to act?" he reached out and touched Wufei's shoulder. "Even the strong are allowed their moments of weakness."

"I know...it's just hard, the realization that if this doesn't work out..." He turned his clouded onyx gaze away from the Japanese vampire. "I never realized how much I took for granted until we came back here and I didn't find Duo watching TV in the living room, or in here sleeping, or...how I never felt lonely anymore. I don't think I could stand being alone again."

"We'll figure something out. In the off chance that it doesn't...well, I can be there for you," Heero said cautiously. "Of course, I wouldn't blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me after everything we've been through."

A warm sensation went through him as Wufei's troubled eyes turned back to him and a smile graced his anguished features. "I should hope that you'd be sticking around when this is all said and done, I never thought otherwise."

Heero slowly smiled in return and they walked out of the bedroom and rejoined everyone in the living room. The atmosphere in there was significantly more strung out than the one they left, Heero and Wufei had walked in to the middle of their discussion.

"-it's been like a bloodstained hurricane all over the city," Irea was saying, her hands clenched together in her lap. "Lynelle and the others are out right now checking the situation out until we can put some sort of plan together."

"What's going on?" Wufei asked, taking a seat and hoping no one would notice he had been crying just minutes before.

"All hell's broken loose," Catherine replied simply. "As soon as the sun set, violent attacks against erupted everywhere, in known vampire hangouts. It's like a mass genocide, and so far it's all been by one person."

"By Duo," Heero said frankly, not at all surprised as Catherine and Irea agreed. "So Dorothy's finally made her move."

"Wufei, are you all right?" Quatre asked worriedly.

The Chinese man was scarily pale, as if he were about to be ill. "I'm...fine. But Dorothy won't be when I'm through with her," he stood up abruptly and stalked with jerky steps to the hall closet, where all their weapons were stored. He threw open the door and snatched up his gun holsters, trenchcoat, and other various objects before treating the front door in the same manner as the closet.

"Wait, Wufei- I'll come with you," Heero remarked, walking over brusquely. "I know all the places they might be, or have already hit. It'll go quicker that way."

"Are you willingly just going to join the ranks of traitors?" Trowa inquired amusedly, arching an eyebrow. "You realize in doing this, and your kind find out, you're going to be black listed faster than you can say Cuban cigars."

Ignoring his bad joke, he only shrugged. "I don't care. We just need to stop this before it gets any worse, no matter what the cost."

"But we don't even have a plan yet!" Quatre argued in vain.

"Then you guys think of something, Heero and I will go on our own," Wufei said impatiently, starting to leave. "You'll know if we run into any trouble."

"And how do you know where to find them, eh?" Catherine responded casually. "I'm going too, it'll save you some time."

The three exited despite the empath's wavering protests. The streets seemed eerily empty as the apartment complex disappeared from view. Even the night sky was discontent as a storm brewed, spitting out the occasional bit of lightning and thunder.

"Where have they hit so far?" Heero asked flatly, his eyes darting warily around them.

"Well, the club first, but there weren't too many casualties," she sighed. "Most of the younger vampires that knew they weren't 'worthy' have been avoiding Midnight Masquerade since Dorothy holed up two weeks ago. Noin and Une threw a fit over it. Then there was that one hotel, Metro Court, were the rich types throw their little soirées. An old house out in the suburbs, I think it's the same one you guys had your little...incident."

"There's no pattern to this whatsoever," the Japanese vampire muttered, annoyed as he mulled over the sites. "How are we supposed to predict their next target?"

Wufei's step slowed, a look of dawning comprehension on his face. "Heero, think about it. All those places...those were all places where Duo and I have run into you, or met you at."

"How can that..." Heero trailed off, scowling. "Of course, my mother has probably searched through Duo's memories. She probably already knows about my association then."

"I'm sorry Heero," he said apologetically.

"Don't be. I really have nothing to hide any more," Heero replied noncommittally, brushing it off and changing the subject. "We should check out Chasing the Dragon, if they're going to places we've been, and they haven't been there yet, that's our best bet."

"That's on the other side of the city!" Catherine objected, exasperated. "It'll take us ages to get there. Dorothy and Duo will have been there and annihilated everyone by the time we get there."

"And that's why I'm here," he shot back dryly. "Shortcuts."

They ducked into the nearest alleyway and Catherine and Wufei followed Heero's fast moving form, weaving through the labyrinth of side streets. In a third of the time it normally took, they stopped behind the little bar out of sight.

"What will we do if they are in there?"

"Act like normal. Let Dorothy make the first move, then we can kill her," Wufei stated, the tone of his voice a dangerous calm. "We won't-"

"Shush!"

The uneasy feeling Heero had since they left the apartment overwhelmed his senses and he spun around on the spot just as a shadowy outline dropped down in front of him. He recognized the powerful aura, before the figure stepped into the dim glow from the neon sign, his long hair swaying gently behind him.

"Nice night, is it not?" Duo smiled, but it was a frigid smile, not the brilliant one his face would normally wear. He was again in the elegantly cut violet colored silk shirt and tight fitting black pants that Heero remembered him wearing at Midnight Masquerade. "Stormy weather will definitely liven things up a bit."

"Where's Dorothy?" Catherine demanded.

"Not here! I am by myself at the moment," he gave an overly dramatic flourish of his arm and went into a deep bow. Instead of the jester quality of his usual antics, the movement was clearly meant to be intimidating. And it was. It left no room for them to doubt whether he could handle them all on his own without his puppeteer.

"...Duo?"

Heero had forgotten about Wufei in his silence and looked back to find the Chinese man stark white again, though out of disbelief and horror at the spectacle before them. He moved forward as if drawn by an invisible rope and Duo's icy mask appeared to flicker fleetingly.

"Oh, Wufei, my poor, poor Wufei," he whispered chillingly, suddenly right in front of his lover and cradling his golden face with his waxen hands in morbid tenderness. "You have saved me the inconvenience of tracking you two down and giving you what you deserve."

Another unseen move of his hand and Wufei was airborn. Luckily, Heero anticipated it and managed to catch the other Asian before he collided with the wall of the bar.

"You are all traitors! And traitors cannot be allowed to walk among us," Duo declared, an inhuman anger radiating for him. "It is time to cleanse the filth away, for good."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Wufei shouted, the pain he felt ringing out clearly. "Dorothy is wrong! Come back to where you belong, we can make things better again!"

"Where I belong is has nothing to do with you," he replied cruelly, his amethyst eyes glittering sharply like diamonds and the frigid smile returning as he sauntered up to the Chinese man and Heero. "My mistress has commanded me to eliminate the weak and unworthy, and betrayers are on the top of my list."

Duo seized Wufei by the throat and lifted him bodily from the ground, struggling to breathe. He began to laugh, watching him fight for air, but the amusement faded as the tears flowing down the sides of Wufei's face streamed over his pale hands.

"Are you going to let me kill you without lifting a finger against me?"

"I- I could- never hurt you- wo ai-" Wufei rasped agonizingly before going limp in his iron grasp. Duo gave a feral growl and threw him over towards an appalled Catherine just as Heero's rock hard fist connected with his jaw.

"It's a good thing I don't have any qualms about injuring you," Heero spat furiously, putting his fear of the former slayer's incomparable strength aside as he shoved him violently. "You're not Duo any more. Duo would never treat Wufei like that, you're nothing but another disgusting monster controlled by my mother."

"So you finally realized it," Duo chuckled depreciatively, completely unfazed by the enraged vampire. "Farewell, Heero."

Catherine looked up from her ministrations in reviving Wufei at the same moment Duo attacked Heero. The storm broke, thunder clapping and rain pouring, as the creature that used to be their friend sank his fangs intohis neck and Heero's scream ripped through the darkness.

Well...did you guys see this coming? (hides)

Reviews are nice! Leave me one and I'll get the next update out as fast as I can!