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Never Forget Where You've Been	By : BishiMistress Category: +S to Z > Trinity Blood Views: 4142 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Trinity Blood, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Sorry, too severely depressed to comment individually. Thank you all for validating the very last thing that brings me some semblance of happiness. Enjoy, I tried not to make this too emo.

Chapter 26: United We Stand

Abel swept down the hallway toward his room, holding Alex�s shivering body in his arms. She was balled up tightly, her eyes and hair a little wild looking. The poor priest felt his own heart beating a merciless tattoo against his ribs, riddled with even more anxiety when Alex began murmuring to herself.

�Ave Maria, gratia plena Dominus tecum; Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus...�

�Alexandra, what are you praying for? What did Cendricus do to you?� Alex flinched at the mention of her son�s name, her muttering growing louder.

�Sancta Maria, Mater Dei ora pro nobis peccatpribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.�

�Don�t worry, love. Mother is on her way.�

�Mother?�

�Yes, Alex. I�ve called Her Eminence for you.�

�Abel?�

�Yes, it�s me, Alex.�

�The earrings...� Alex�s fingers ghosted over her own jewelry almost wistfully.

�Yes, I remembered your earrings.� Alex raised her eyes to his face rather timidly. Abel cast her a warm smile and she steadied somewhat, clutching his shoulders. As he opened his door and let them into his room she took a strand of his hair and wound it around her fingers.

�Abel? Father Abel Nightroad?�

�Yes, Alexandra. It�s me.� Abel smiled reassuringly as he set her on the bed.

�Where is the Magician?�

�You burnt him to a crisp my love, he�s far far away from here.�

�He made it silver...� Her voice cracked and she let loose a ragged sob, closing her eyes tightly. Abel tried to pull her against his chest to comfort her but she pulled away, looking up into his face with blood-rimmed eyes.

�Don�t you see? You must understand! I wanted it to be silver...� Alex rocked herself violently, muttering another bit of prayer in Latin. �He made it silver and now I am a monster...�

�No! You�re not a monster, Alexandra!� Abel gripped her arms and shook her to gain her attention. �Never listen to anyone who would tell you that.�

�Am I not? I wasn�t strong enough to resist. I allowed myself to become tainted. He won�t stop until he�s taken me again...�

�I will stop him. You are not a tainted woman, Alex. You are strong, you are a good woman and a good mother.�

�The kids!� Alex�s frantic thoughts swiftly changed their course.

�Don�t worry, I will send Tres to them as soon as he�s brought Lady Catherina to us.�

�Mother...� Alex shuddered and settled against him. �I am so weak...�

�That�s enough! You are not weak and you are not tainted. Your son was possessed tonight, by the man that kidnapped you, raped you, and brutalized you. You are understandably shocked and frightened.� Abel�s voice was steady, sure, his gaze unwavering. His strength seemed to drive the worry from her mind and her racing thoughts settled somewhat. Alex stopped trembling, her eyes searching his for reassurance. Abel pulled her close and Alex wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, greedily. She cried quietly, burying her face in his neck as she pulled away. Moments later Tres knocked on the door, announcing the arrival of Lady Catherina.

The concerned cardinal entered the room in a voluminous nightgown, looking every bit her age for the first time in her life. Her impossibly long hair was loose, uncurled, her monocle forgotten. Her lips were stretched into a thin line, drawn with worry.

�Alexandra? Abel? What�s happened here?�

�Alexandra was attacked by Cain.� The Cardinal stopped dead in her tracks, eyeing Abel as though she thought he was less than mentally sound.

�Cain?�

�He has possessed Cen!� Alex dissolved into fresh tears and Abel turned to Tres.

�Tres, go and gather the children. Keep them in their room and do not let them leave. Alex will come to them when she is well enough.� Tres bowed low, leaving to follow his orders.

�What in Heaven�s name happened?�

�I woke up and Cen was in my bed. His eyes and voice were not his own. He.. Tried to touch me, but I screamed before he did anything. It was Cain. He said he was coming for me.�

�What a despicable thing to do, to turn a child against his Mother.� Lady Catherina�s eyes had become cool and calculating, her age fading somewhat in light of her usual steely gaze. �Are you sure it wasn�t just a night terror?�

�No, it was Cain. When I got to her room, Cen was not himself. He taunted me as well.� Abel held onto Alex tightly, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

�Are you all right, Alex?� Alex nodded, slipping out of Abel�s embrace and into Catherina�s as she beckoned to her adopted daughter. Alex settled further as Catherina rocked her gently.

�I�m fine, Mother. Abel came to me straight away.� Alex�s voice had softened, evened out, and Catherina turned to consider the silver-haired priest.

�Yeah, he�s really a great guy.� Catherina smiled warmly and Abel flushed slightly. Alex nodded and Catherina pulled back to look at her. �Are you well enough to see the children?

�I suppose...� Catherina raised her eyebrows a little as if to say �you can do better than that�. �Yes, yes, I can see the children now.�

Abel rose to follow them and they moved further down the hallway toward the children�s room. Abel led the way, opening the door to find Tres and Rius sitting on Aurora�s bed, trying desperately to comfort her. Cen was sitting in a darkened cornered, dressed properly now in a loose t-shirt and pajama pants, wearing a rather blank expression. Alex found herself half hiding between Abel, suddenly gripped by steadily rising panic. She clung to his bare arm as they entered the room.

�Are you all right, kids?� Catherina filed in behind Abel and Alex and Rius and Aurora hopped off the bed to embrace her. She held the tiny blonde in one arm, hugging her silver-haired brother in the other arm. It was a few moments before they actually noticed their Mother had entered.

�Momma!�

�Mom, are you ok?�

The two rushed at her and she held them, unable to stop the trembling that infected her limbs once again. She held her children tightly, covering them in tender kisses. They flooded her with question after question, but she couldn�t bring herself to tell them what happened, feeling as though she would be betraying her own son.

�I�m fine, really. I�m fine.� Alex held Aurora tight, rocking her comfortingly until her sniffling and hiccuping stopped. It took her several minutes to work up the courage to approach Cendricus. She got up, unconsciously pulling the rob tighter, tying the belt tighter, and moved toward her huddled son.

�C-Cen?� He didn�t respond, didn�t even blink as she sat down next to him. Alex reached for his shoulder slowly, shaking still when she finally brushed his shoulder. Cen took a deep shuddering breath, his face crumpling as he dissolved into tears.

�Momma?�

�Yes, love, I�m here.� Alex wanted desperately to hold her child, but didn�t quite trust the action, settling, instead, for squeezing his shoulder comfortingly.

�What did I do?�

�It wasn�t you, honey.�

�Did I... Did I... hurt you?� His words came out in a tortured whispered and Alex shook her head almost violently.

�No, baby, I�m fine. I was just scared.�

�Do you hate me now?� Alex�s maternal instincts took over, completely overshadowing her fear. She pulled Cendricus into a bone breaking hug, burying her face in his soft hair.

�No! I could never hate my children. I will never ever hate you, do you hear me?� Cen nodded weakly, and the slight movement was not enough for Alex. �Tell me that you understand and trust that, Cendricus, please. I love you, baby, and I love you sister and your brother and nothing you say or do could ever make me stop loving you.�

�Mom.� Cendricus buried his face in his Mother�s shoulder, sobbing as she rocked him. Her other children soon had their arms thrown around the two of them, holding them, crying with them. When the tears died down, Alex pulled all her children in for kisses, sniffling quietly as she wiped at their blood-stained faces.

�You guys know I love you all, right?� All of her children nodded, Aurora looking as though she were attempting to snap her own neck with the vehemence of her affirmation. �Ok, Rius, Aurora, I need you guys to get back into bed. I need to talk with Cen, ok? Don�t worry, baby, Tres is going to stay with you.� Aurora�s lower lip began to tremble.

�It�s ok, Bug. You�re gonna be awfully tired tomorrow if we don�t get to bed. Come on.� Rius picked her up and moved into the bathroom to clean up their faces as Alex and Cen moved to leave the room.

Alex, her arm wrapped around Cen�s slumped shoulders, moved into the nearest small courtyard, sitting down on a garden bench. Abel followed closely behind them, far enough to give them privacy, but close enough to step in should he need to. They were quiet for several moments before Cen finally spoke, his voice choked with emotion.

�I�m so sorry, Mom.�

�Don�t work yourself up, baby, it�s ok. It wasn�t you.�

�What did I do? I didn�t... hurt you did I?� Abel felt his heart wrench as Cen�s voice cracked.

�No, honey, you didn�t hurt me, you just gave me a good scare. You... weren�t yourself.�

�Why can�t I remember what happened? I just remember going to sleep with Rius, and the next thing I know, I�m sitting on the floor in your room and you�re running out with Abel hot on your heels. Why can�t I remember how I got there?�

�Because, baby, you weren�t yourself, you were...�

�What?� Cen sounded almost desperate to hear the truth.

�You were sort of... possessed.�

�Possessed? Like by an evil spirit?�

�No, through your nanomachines.� There was an oppressive silence in the wake of this news and Abel felt rage bubble up in his chest.

�So... It was Cain then?�

�Yes.�

�What if he does this again?�

�I doubt he will. It�s dangerous to expose himself so, but it�s a possibility now. You and your brother and sister have to go back to The Empire. We are all safer when we�re apart because he cannot use us against each other.

�I don�t want to leave you, Mom.�

�I understand, Cendricus, but it must be so. Right now, more than ever, I want you here where I can protect you, but the truth of the matter is, that Cain will use us against one another. You�re safer with Seth.�

�But, Mom--�

�Cen, please.� The boy sighed, refraining from further argument. Alex pulled him close, kissing his forehead, rocking him a little.

�Is Abel angry with me now?�

�What? No! He knows what happened, he�s not angry with you. It wasn�t your fault, Cen.�

�Are you sure?�

�Positive.� Abel stepped into the court yard, startling Alex and Cen. Cen�s face turned even redder as he ducked it to avoid eye contact.

�See? Nobody blames you, Cen, and neither should you blame yourself.�

�Your Mother is right, Cen. You must learn from tonight. Cain will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even if that means hurting his own offspring.� The blonde boy eyed Abel with a curious mixture of defiance and sadness.

�You don�t blame me?�

�Not in the slightest.� Cen�s chin jutted forward, his brows scrunched as though he were weathering an assault on his character but when Abel�s hand came out to squeeze his shoulder, the blonde bit his lip to keep it from trembling. Abel, again feeling a quiet rage for his brother�s heartless tactics, pulled the blonde into a tight embrace. Cen made an odd hiccuping noise, his arms slowly wrapping around the silver-haired priest. His body began trembling terribly, though he made no noise. Abel pulled Alex into the embrace with his free hand, holding the two of them tightly. Abel did his best to wrap the two of them in a wave of warm affection, but Cen seemed too distraught to notice much at the moment.

Several minutes later, Cen had settled down, swiping furiously at his face. Abel gave him an encouraging squeeze and Alex covered his face in kisses.

�This is what he does, Cendricus. He uses people and he makes them doubt themselves and everyone around them. He only wins if you begin to doubt yourself. You are a good kid, Cendricus, and you had wonderful parents, Hugue and Alexandra.�

�What about you?� Cen seemed afraid of the answer, but kept his gaze locked on Abel.

�I hurt your Mother terribly in the past, Cendricus. I said things to her that no one should ever say to the person they love. I was blinded by my own stupidity and Cain�s plans. I drove her and my children away from me. I missed out on much of your life, but I�m here to stay now, unless you deem otherwise.�

Cen shook his head, almost imperceptibly. Abel ruffled the boy�s soft hair, Alex covering his face in kisses once more, tears rolling silently down her face.

�Cain isn�t my Father. Not if he can make me do this to Mom.� Cain threw his arms around his Mother�s neck and she held him tightly, her eyes closed tight to hold in a fresh wave of tears.

�Come on, Cen. You need to get some sleep. We will need to contact the Empress tomorrow and arrange for your immediate removal from the Vatican. You will be safer there. For now, we need you to try and sleep.�

�Right.� Cen tried, in vain, to clean up his face, and Alex wrapped an arm around his waist, and Abel an arm around his shoulders. The trio headed back towards the children�s room. Aurora was curled against Tres�s chest, Ilarius� face buried in Aurora�s mass of curls. The two slept soundly, but Tres� eye glowed red in the dark, alerting them to his constant vigilance. Cen quickly cleaned his face up and slid into bed, wrapping his arms around his twin from behind, holding him quite tightly. Rius stirred in his sleep, his hair in his face, masking his eyes.

�Cen?� Rius rolled over and pulled his brother close, pressing his back into Aurora�s. Tres slipped out of the bed, lifting Aurora and placing her between her brothers. The three of them held onto each other, Cen combing his fingers through his sister�s hair, as the silver-haired teen began drifting into sleep. Tres moved to take his position by the door and Alex nuzzled into Abel, the two of them watching the children as they lay entangled. They waved good night to Tres and left the room, Abel with his arm still wrapped protectively around her.

�Abel?�

�Yes, love?�

�May I... stay the night in your room?�

�You should know better than to ask.� Abel gathered her in his arms and carried her the rest of the way. Once he�d locked the door behind them, he laid her back on his raised bed, sliding in to join her. Alex curled into his chest, threading her fingers through a few loose strands of hair.

�What you said to Cen... About what happened...�

�I�m sorry, Alex.� Alex shook her head.

�No, it was my fault. I denied you the chance to know your children and it wasn�t my place.

�You did what you thought was best for you and your children. If I�d been in your shoes, I probably would have made the same decision.�

�Abel...� Alex trailed off, unsure of what to say.

�I love you, Alexandra.�

�I love you too, Abel.�

Abel stayed awake until he could hear even breathing from the beautiful woman he held in his arms. Though they�d both calmed down, he found his thoughts racing as surely as ever. Cain had gotten close to Alex and her children, in a way no one had expected. If he could control Cen, he could control any of the children, possibly even Alex. He kissed her hairline, struggling to find sleep. Her scent and her warmth soothed him and he eventually slipped into a shallow sleep somewhere shortly before dawn.

Did you ever tell me you loved me? Did you? Somehow the memory seems faded and I can no longer recall the sound of your voice over the whipping wind...
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Never Forget Where You've Been