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"SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND" Written By: Stone Angel
Please see Prologue for disclaimer, ratings and explanations. ^_^ AN: Ok. I don't HATE this chapter per say. It
really more just pisses me off. I'm sick to death of the damn question
marathons. Poor Duo. At least this is the last one. But if you notice,
this one is different from the ones Heero did. This one's more of
safety and science, while Oh and Elmer and Martha are in a few more scenes and are key players at the end. Whole reason they're in here. And, in real life, Elmer and his wife are lovely people and I'm saying it so I don't get my ass kicked. (I can't make up names too well. It took me months to come up with "Jones" as a last name instead of the real ones and it sounds so "Indiana Jones" doesn't it? "Doug" took hours to come up with and so did "Lewis" and they are all so unimaginative, ne? Sorry, guys. {waves} ^_^')
SHADOWS AND LIGHT: AN UNBREAKABLE BOND:
Duo walked up the steps to his house, rubbing the back of his head and grumbling quietly to himself. "Mou. That couple of gang members really gave a fight. I feel great though. I haven't had a work out like that for a while. Was it cruel to play with them like that, though? It was. I guess I'm still bitter about having my mind messed with last night so I took out my rage on them. And I'm never exactly perfect behavior wise when I have a headache. Oh, well. It doesn't matter. They're dead now. And besides, it's not like they weren't evil. They had it coming. I suppose I could have handled the situation with more grace, but it's too late now." He opened the door and stepped inside. "Heero?" He called. Heero walked into the living room and smiled at him. "Hai." Duo grinned. "So what's up?" Heero stepped forward and rested his hands on Duo hips and a semi embrace. "I have to go home later. I need to be at school early in the morning." Duo hugged him back. "You have homework?" Heero hesitated before nodding. "Ah." Duo pulled back. "Then you'd better go now so you can do it." Heero whined. "I want to stay here for a little longer." Duo smirked though he was quite serious. He held up a finger to Heero to silence him. "Heero. I will not be responsible for you falling behind in your classes. Go home." Heero frowned lightly but sighed and Duo knew Heero knew he was right. "Yosha. ...Demo..." Duo grinned brightly at him. "Oi, I'll still be here tomorrow." Heero smiled. "Ah." Nodding, he turned to the couch and coffee table, picking up his laptop and walking back towards Duo who held the door open for him. "I'll see you at Four tomorrow then?" Duo nodded and grinned as he flashed him a victory sign. "Hai. Ja na?" "Ah." Heero smiled and bent down to kiss him, cupping a cheek before walking out the door to his bike. Duo watched him walk down the wood steps to the dirt before closing the door most the way and watching through the small crack as Heero got on his bike, started it and rode away, a trail of dust in his wake. Duo sighed and closed the door. "I miss him already. Oh, well, I need some privacy anyway. I feel violated from last night. I need to be alone for a while." He began to walk to his room to turn on some music when he heard a loud engine outside. "SHIT!" He grabbed a stake from a drawer in the kitchen and opened the door slowly, peeking around to see who was there. 'It doesn't feel like a vamp, but why risk it?' Elmer's truck pulled up in front of the house and turned off. 'Oh. GREAT! Just what I needed. My day wasn't complete without them showing up to rub salt in my open wounds.' Duo stepped outside and closed the door behind him, warily approaching the truck, a feeling of fear and apprehension settling in his abdomen. 'Calm down. They won't hurt you, remember?' He smiled at Martha who was in the passenger seat. She smiled back at him sweetly, as he politely opened the door for her and stepped back and she stepped out of the truck. "Such a gentlemen." Snorting internally, Duo blushed and closed the door. "Hey, Duo." Said Elmer as he walked over to the other side of the truck to his wife and him. "How are you?" Duo smiled wryly. "Fine." He looked to the two of them. "Um. Is that all you wanted to know? It's kind of late." Mrs. Jones smiled. "You were so sick last night, we just wanted to check on you." Elmer nodded. Duo smiled as convincingly as he could at the couple. "I'm fine. I feel much better." "What's the stake for?" Asked Martha, seeming to regret the outburst. "Uh..." Duo looked down to the wooden object in his hands. "Just a precaution." Uncomfortable silence settled over the trio and Duo sighed mentally. 'I can't just ask them to leave. They're taking a big risk in letting me stay. I have to be nice.' "Would you care for some tea?" Elmer and his wife smiled and nodded. "That would be lovely." Said the woman. Duo grinned and turned to the house, motioning for them to follow. As soon as his back was turned to the two, he let the grin fall. 'I just want to be left alone for while. But NOOOOO. You have to show up after making me go through that only last night. Have you people no common decency?' He opened the door for them and allowed them to enter first before walking in as well and closing the door behind himself, going straight to the kitchen and hoping that they would take the hint to follow. "You have tea? You can drink?" Came Martha's voice behind him. Duo sighed. "Uh, yeah. I only have paper cups right now, though. Will that be alright?" "Sure." Said Elmer as he sat at the small table, his wife doing the same. Duo set the stake on the counter, figuring, not only did he not need it, but the two would be more comfortable around him if he was weaponless. 'Even though *I* won't.' He took out one of the new pots he had bought and filled it with hot water, placing it over a high flame on the stove before taking out three tea bags and putting them into the pot as well. "You take sugar?" He asked them over his shoulder, his tone as polite as he felt he could make it. "Yes please." Said Martha from the table behind him. Duo nodded and took out the small bag of sugar, taking out four paper cups, filling one then placing a plastic spoon into the white granules. He moved back to the tea and heard the two whispering quietly. "Martha, this was a bad idea. He obviously doesn't want us here. For god's sake, give him some privacy." "I just want to ask him a few things. You did, too, so don't act like this was all my plan." "I really don't mind." Said Duo, still not turning to face them. "It's Ok. I'm up nights anyway. This is of no inconvenience to me." He smirked at the stunned silence from the farmers. 'Gotcha.' He poured the amount of sugar he liked into his cup and the tea into the three cups, picking up three spoons and carrying them and the cup filled with sugar over to the table, setting them down carefully and taking a seat across from his guests. "I, uh, don't know how much sugar you like so..." He gestured to the tealess cup, not meeting his landlords' eyes, rather looking down to his tea as he cupped it in two hands uncomfortably. The two smiled and took their desired amount of sugar, stirring their tea. Martha spoke softly after sipping the steaming liquid. "Thank you, Duo. It's really good." Duo nodded a little and sipped his tea as well. Silence reigned for long moments before Elmer looked to the stake Duo had set on the counter and spoke. "So why do you have stakes?" Duo sighed and stirred his tea. "It's for protection. I'm good, but there are bad...vampires out there. When I see them, they end up on the business end of one of those." He said in a dull voice. 'I hate this. I hated it when Heero did this but now it's just horrible. Maybe I should just tell them to go read Anne Rice books and be done with it. Those are kind of true.' "Oh." Said Martha with a smile. "So you're protecting us?" Duo choked on a bout of laughter that threatened to bubble out of him. 'I'm protecting MYSELF!' "Uh. Yeah." "And do you kill people? Or just deer?" Asked Elmer after a moment. Duo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. 'I so don't wanna talk to these people about this. Why did I make Heero leave? If he were here they might go easy on me. Might.' "Uh... Yes. The ones who commit horrible crimes against others. Murderers and such." "Oh. That's kind of reassuring in a weird way." Said Elmer with a small chuckle. Duo glanced up at him before looking down and taking another sip of his tea. "I suppose." Martha took a sip of her tea before placing it down on the table. "Is Heero a vampire?" Duo felt like screaming. "No." "But he knows about you?" Suppressing a sob, he nodded. "How did he find out?" He scrambled for an answer for a moment before giving up. 'Oh, hell. I'm too tired to lie right now.' "He suspected and I told him. It was a mistake, but I'd gladly do it again. He's my best friend." "Nothing more?" Duo's head shot up to see a knowing glint in Martha's eye. "Come again?" Martha smiled sweetly. "It's Ok, Duo. I know you two are together. As a couple." He felt himself pale. "What...? How...?" The woman grinned. "Dear, I saw the looks you two shared last night. The way he put his jacket on your shoulders and took care of you by the creek. That was love." Duo flustered to find a way out of the subject. He looked to Elmer who shrugged. "Duo, it's not a problem with me if you're gay." Duo felt himself become angry. 'Like you know anything about me.' "I'm not gay." He said, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms. Martha smiled. "Ok. Bisexual. We don't care. I personally have many friends like that. So does Elmer. We don't have anything against it." Duo looked down to the table silently. 'I'll just let
them think what they want. It makes no difference to me one way or
the other.' Duo glanced up at him before sighing and taking another sip of his tea. "Two-hundred and fifty-eight, give or take a year or two." The two looked shocked for a moment. "Wow." Said the woman after a few seconds. "You're older than us." 'No shit, Shirlock. You always have had a rather uncanny grasp of the obvious.' Duo nodded. "Yeah." "How long will you live?" "Until I'm killed." He replied tonelessly as he took another sip from his cup. "Which is how?" He looked up to the woman from under his bangs, meeting her eyes but not answering. "Never mind, Duo." Said Elmer. 'Oh, my savior.' He thought sarcastically. 'They already know that stakes can do it. Otherwise how would they hurt the marks? I'm not volunteering any other information about this.' "So, you, uh, sleep in a coffin?" Asked the man. Duo couldn't help the brief, yet hysterical bark of laughter that escaped him. "Sorry." He said at their annoyed look as he tried to calm down and took another sip of his tea. "Uh, to answer your question, no. The tin foil on the windows is enough for me." "And can you turn into things? Bats and wolves and wind?" Doing his best to suppress a nervous giggle but failing more or less, Duo shook his head. "No, that's all just silliness made up for the silver screen." Martha nodded. "Thought so. What is the situation with crosses?" "There is no situation." Duo shrugged. "They can't hurt me and I can look at them. Same goes for anything else of religious value." "What about garlic?" Duo wrinkled his nose slightly despite himself. "It doesn't hurt me or keep me away. It just smells really bad and makes me want to sneeze and throw up." Nodding, Martha sipped her tea. "Sorry about last night." Duo didn't say anything. "Um... You have fangs?" 'WHY THE HELL AM I PUTTING UP WITH THIS?! Because I have to. I don't wanna get my ass booted to the curb and I can't leave yet. I'd have to leave the state to stay somewhere safe enough and cheap enough and that rules out all Heero time.' "...Uh. Yeah." "Where are they?" He squirmed in his seat slightly. "They come out before I..." He let them finish the sentence for themselves. The two nodded. "So." Said Elmer, stirring his tea and not looking up. "The legends that say that vampires are soulless or insane: They're not true?" Duo felt slightly insulted. "No. As you can see I'm perfectly sane and I have a soul. I have thoughts and emotions, too, if that was your next question." He said a bit coldly. "I'm not a soulless, mindless monster or fiend. I'm a person. I'm not evil. If I had ever wanted to kill you, I would have done so by now." He thought about his choice of words for a moment. "Um... Sorry... That was supposed to sound comforting but I now see it wasn't so. I meant that I like you." The two smiled back at him and Martha spoke softly. "We like you, too, Duo." 'Some way of showing it.' Duo smiled wryly and looked down again, sipping his tea. "Duo, does talking to us about all this make you uncomfortable?" Asked Martha. He squirmed slightly before smiling sheepishly at her. "Uh. Just a little. I, uh... I really didn't want anybody to know. But now..." He looked down and turned his cup on the table nervously. Martha wrinkled her nose. "Sorry. I'm a little prying." Elmer made an attempt at lightening the mood. "Yeah. 'A little' she says." Duo smiled to show that he appreciated the kindness of the gesture. "So how come the fridge doesn't open? And what happened to the handle and front panel?" Duo's smiled faded and he paled and looked down again. 'And the one, shining moment of comfort, gone just like that.' "Uh. I kind of... I kind of damaged it one night." "Why? How? Just how strong are you?" He shifted in his seat again. "...Much stronger than the strongest human. ...And, I, uh... When I can't....hunt.... I have donor bags that I buy from hospital workers. Ever wonder where all the extra blood from Red Cross goes? Not all those bags can be used, as there are only so many people that need them. There are people who know about us and sell the extra bags for a pretty penny." Elmer and Martha looked pale. "Really?" Duo nodded. "Yeah. I had only run into good people one night and I was really hungry and when I opened the fridge I damaged it a bit. Same goes for the cupboard with the bent hinges. I'll fix them both before I move out, though, I promise." Martha looked hurt. "You're moving? When?" Duo felt a stab of guilt at the sadness in her eyes. "Uh. I guess in a year or so. I can't stay in one place for too long. It's a matter of security. It would be better for you two anyway. I'm hunted and I can't stay in a place for too long or I might be found." "Who would ever hunt YOU?" Asked the woman in shock. Duo smiled at her. "Thanks. But the fact of the matter is there is no safe place for me to be. I have to be careful all the time and that means moving around. If it's of any consolation, I will miss you two and your humorous bickering." He grinned. The two laughed. He looked down to his tea, still smiling lightly as he took a sip. "So where will you go?" Duo glanced up for a moment. "I, uh, am going to try to buy a house out in the country. I don't know where. But I need some place far from curious eyes. I may move back East." Elmer nodded while Martha looked sad. "So what country are you from?" Asked the man. "America. Though I've been to a lot of other places." The two nodded and Martha's eyes lit up. "Can you tell me what France is like?" Duo laughed. "What makes you think I've been to France?" Martha smiled sheepishly. "I don't know. I just... You think 'Vampire' and France comes to mind." Duo's smile faltered at the loathed word but he answered the question. "It isn't all it's cracked out to be." He shrugged in a nonchalant manner. "It stinks and people are rude. But the sights are lovely." Martha fixed him with an unreadable look for a moment before speaking. "You don't like the word 'vampire', do you?" Duo looked down. "Was it so obvious? ...No. I don't." "Why?" Duo sighed and turned his cup more on the table. "I just... I... It's...." He faltered. "Degrading." Surprised, he looked up to her and nodded. "Yes. How did you know?" She smiled. "I don't like the word 'Human'. It's kind of a label. I can relate a little." Duo smiled. "Oh." Elmer spoke. "So, is it true that... Uh... You have a name you'd rather be called?" Duo shook his head. "No." "Is it true that you...people like music?" Duo smiled brightly, glad that the conversation was leaving such uncomfortable ground, and saw them do the same. "Yes. Not as a rule, some don't_not many but they exist. I personally love music." Elmer smiled wider. "What kind?" Duo shrugged. "Anything really. Er, almost anything. I don't like country music or jazz. Or yodeling." He grinned. "But everything else from Beethoven to Eminem I like. Except for most music from the Seventies and Eighties." He shuddered for effect and grinned again. Martha looked surprised but laughed. "I can understand that. You like new music, too?" Duo nodded excitedly. "Of course." "Wow." She said with a smile. "That's quite a diversity." Duo nodded. "You wanna see what CD's I have?" Martha smiled, and Duo realized that she was beginning, for the first time in nearly a year, to look at him as a person rather than a curiosity. "Sure." Duo grinned and set his cup down on the table, standing and walking into the hall, looking behind him to see if she would follow him. The woman smiled at her husband and the two left the table to follow him to his room. He opened the cabinet beneath his stereo and took out an armful of CD's, dumping them unceremoniously onto the floor to sit down hard on the carpet and go through them. Martha chuckled at his childish behavior and Duo grinned, patting the bed. "Have a seat." Martha seemed to consider for a moment before leading her husband to the bed, the two of them sitting on the edge of its foot and watching as Duo went through the mess of CD cases. He separated them into three groups: Favorites, Loved, Liked. "These are the ones I listen to the most." He handed the first pile to them and they went through the mass of plastic. Elmer's eyes widened. "You like ALL these? Duo, you've got everything here. Bands I haven't even heard of." He looked through the stack and smiled. "The Doors." Martha chuckled. "You don't think about someone who looks Eighteen to be listening to The Doors. They're liked best by old hippies." Duo grinned. "They're pretty good. You ever been to one of their concerts?" Martha shook her head and Duo could tell that she was having trouble imagining him at a concert thirty years ago. 'Poor woman. Well, it's her fault for being so damn nosey. If your brain explodes from how weird this is, know that you brought it on yourself.' "I went to a few. They were great." Martha smiled and looked back to the CD's. "Rolling Stones?! I love the Rolling Stones!" Duo grinned and laughed. "Me too." "What's your favorite song?" Duo grinned wider. "Oh, that's easy. Painted Black. It's a classic." Martha nodded. "Yes, it is." She looked at the next CD. "Bobby Darrin? YOU listen to Bobby Darrin?" Duo shrugged. "Why not? He's good. And Mac The Knife is a good song." Martha shook her head in amazement and smiled at the Jimi Hendrix CD. "I love him, too." She said, holding it up. Duo nodded. "Yeah. It's such a shame that he died. He could have changed so much more in the world of music. He was a genius. Did you know that he thought his voice was bad?" Martha shook her head. Duo nodded at her. "Yeah. Apparently he had really low self esteem." She looked back down and smiled at the many Beatles
CD's. And then at the Dave Mathews, Lifehouse and Collective Soul
CDs. "I don't think I've heard of this one." She said looking
at the songs on the back of Duo's eyes lit up. "Really?" He slowly stood and gently took the CD from her, placing it in the tray on the stereo and selecting a song he thought they'd like. The song started with an electric guitar playing the notes of a chord separately, the sound mellow and pleasing before the singers began in an equally mellow tone. Why drink the water from my hand, He paused the song, knowing the meaning of the lyrics beyond that point and not wishing to make his guests uncomfortable. He looked back at the couple who were smiling. "You were right. They are good." Said Martha. Duo grinned. "Yeah. I don't listen to bands that aren't." Elmer chuckled. "I can see that. And you don't like any country?" Duo wrinkled his nose. "I tried to listen to it. But every song was some guy whining about his girlfriend, his pickup truck or his dog." Martha laughed. "I agree completely. I can't stand that." Duo grinned again. "Me neither." He took the CD out of the player and put it back in its case, sitting back on the floor. "So." Said Elmer. "Can you control people?" Duo's grin fell at the question and he looked down. 'And the interrogation continues.' "Uh. Yeah." The two looked back at him, stunned, and Duo looked up to see the look he had grown too accustomed to on Martha's face return, taking the place of the warm smile she had been wearing. "I don't like to, though. It's not involuntary. I can control it. And I don't do it unless I have to. I'm not very good at it either." He said in his defense, realizing that they were looking at him differently again. "Did you ever do it to us?" Duo shook his head vehemently. "No. I never had to." "Ok. What about reading minds and feelings? Can you?" Duo nodded. "Is that how you know who's prey?" Asked Elmer. Duo shivered despite his attempts not to. "Elmer." Martha scolded, turning to him with a glare. "Tact." Duo shook his head. "It's Ok. It's true. That's how it is." Elmer and Martha seemed to consider this for a moment. "Duo..." Martha spoke softly. "Have you ever read my mind? Or Elmer's?" Duo waited for a moment before nodding. "You came over and made me eat something. I... I only read the surface thoughts; what you were thinking at that exact moment. I needed to know if you knew or not. And then again last night to see if you were telling the truth about not hurting me or telling anyone now that you know." Martha sighed. "I must say, I feel kind of taken advantage of about this. Why did you do it? You didn't have to." Duo felt his anger rise. "Why the hell did you make me go through that last night!? You did that to me not once, but twice! Do you have any idea how painful that was!? I was as unsure of you as you were of me! We just went about it differently! At least I was kind about it. You made me think I could prove to myself I was safe and then you just took the only chance I had, just like that! ...You have no idea how scared you made me. The whole situation was completely unfair!" Martha and Elmer where quiet for a moment before the woman spoke. "I suppose I deserved that." Duo looked down. "Sorry." "So am I." Said Martha. Duo looked up to Elmer. "What about you? Have you nothing to say in all this?" Elmer sighed. "I... What's done is done. I'm just going to ask you to not do it again." Duo nodded. "I don't have to now. I know that you know." Martha looked back to him. He saw the coldness in her eyes. It was well hidden but it was there and it was aimed at him. "Martha, I'm sorry." She smiled suddenly, taking him by surprise. "You called me Martha." Duo smiled as well. "I guess so." "Please call me that from now on. I want us to be friends. No more of this silliness." Duo grinned. "Ok. I agree." "So..." Began Elmer. He looked about the room, slightly uncomfortable. Duo smiled wryly. "Let's go into the living room, shall we? I'll make more tea if you like." Elmer and Martha smiled and stood, waiting for Duo to lead them into the other room. Duo stood and walked into the living room, gesturing for the couple to sit on the couch before smiling and heading into the kitchen to make more tea. He returned to the living room after a few minutes to hear the two bickering. He ducked behind the doorway to listen to what they were saying, leaning his back against the wall. "Look, I think we can trust him." Said Elmer. Martha's voice. "I think so, too. I just... All this business about being hunted? And then being able to control people? I'm a bit hesitant. That's all I'm saying." "Good, so we're in agreement. So we can leave him alone now. I think we put him through enough in the last few nights." "Just a few more questions I want to have answers to. Then I promise I'll back off...some." A groan. "We should go, Martha. He needs privacy. *I* need some time to deal with this. And so do you." "Ok. A few more minutes. Then we'll go home." "Fine. Make this quick, though. I don't think it's the wisest thing to piss off a vampire. No matter how friendly." Content to play dumb, Duo waited for a moment before
walking into the living room with a smile, playing the façade
well, handing two steaming cups to the couple and setting the sugar
on the coffee table. He sat on the floor, crossing his legs, across
the coffee table from them and sipped his tea as well. A long silence
settled Elmer chuckled. "So it is." He sipped his tea. "So what happens when you eat?" Duo felt himself pale slightly. "I, uh, go into shock. But before that I get a really bad pain in my stomach and then throw up everything I ate. Then I get really cold and pass out." Martha looked down. "Again. I'm sorry." Duo shrugged it off but didn't say anything. "Um. What about senses?" Duo smirked slightly. "I hear about twelve times better than you. Taste is the same as you, save for the fact that I can taste diseases if I so chose. I can smell anything from a skunk to an emotion. My sight is good. I can read a book from twenty feet away and see in the dark. And I'm much more sensitive to touch." "So pain is worse." Duo faltered. "What about instincts?" He sighed. "I have a really good sixth sense. I
have instincts as well but this is more than an instinct. I can tell
when something is about to take a turn for the worse. Or when people
die even when I'm not there. I suppose it's like an instinct but it
is stronger. I really should listen to it more, but I am a fool much
of the time." "Why does Patches like you so much?" Duo smiled wryly. "Because I pay attention to him? And dogs like me. They always have. They're a lot smarter than humans give them credit for. He's known about me since he met me. He likes me because I like him. We're friends. It's as simple as that." Elmer nodded. "Why do you have cold hands a lot of the time? Even in summer." Duo bowed his head slightly and rubbed his temples for a moment, allowing his weariness to show. "I don't have any way of staying warm. If I don't... Um..." He looked down. "I need warm blood to stay warm. Even though I don't like it, that's the way it is." Martha looked surprised. "You don't like blood?" Duo looked down. "That...is so complicated it's not even funny." Martha took the hint and dropped the subject. "How much do you need?" Duo didn't meet her eyes. "I hunt every night. Unless I get a deer. Then I'm set for two. I can take more from them if I kill them as no one investigates into the cause of death. ...Usually anyway." Martha nodded and looked sad. "Are there really that many bad people around here?" Duo nodded and smiled wryly. "It's sad that such a good place has so many bad apples, but again, it's how it is. Um, however if I find a homeless person who will be dead in the next few days from health problems, it is fair game. I don't like to, but there are times that it is necessary. And they usually have done something bad to gain my attention anyway." She nodded. "Mirrors? Is that legend true?" Duo shook his head. "No. That's rubbish." 'I'm not going into detail here. It doesn't matter.' Martha flushed lightly as she asked her next question. "Are...people like you as seductive as they say in the books?" Duo blushed and looked away, not saying anything for a moment. "Uh... When we so choose to be. It is a useful tool for many of those we hunt." Martha and Elmer nodded, understanding what he meant. Elmer spoke. "If you bite someone and they live, do they become a vampire?" Duo shook his head. "No. That's not the true one out of the two ways to change. It requires blood giving from both parties. Or a lot of blood from one. Namely the immortal." "The people who live; do they remember?" Duo nodded. "Unless I make them forget, but I have never let one live." He lied. Martha nodded, a knowing glint in her eye, though she left the subject. "Do you sleep?" Duo nodded. "Of course." "Well, I meant that some of the legends say that...uh...you are dead by day. Is that true?" Duo shook his head. "No. We sleep just like you. I, personally, am a light sleeper." "What about the legend that you are the Undead?" Duo shuddered and shook his head. "No, that one isn't true, either. As you can see, I breathe. The only reason that we got that name is because our hearts don't beat, we can't stay warm on our own, and, like the memory if those gone past, we do not age or change physically. We are more than merely animated corpses." "And sunlight?" He nodded. "Yes, you were right; I am avoiding it. And for good reason. It can cause anywhere from a sunburn to death. Either one is painful." "Ok, Duo, last question." Said Martha with a small smile. Duo grinned and pretended to wipe sweat from his brow. "Whew. It was getting hot under the bright lights. Merci boque." Martha laughed before becoming serious. "Um... Look. What exactly are your plans now that you know we know?" Duo looked down. "I'm not going to hurt you, Ok?" He said, slightly annoyed. 'I thought I had made that clear enough.' "Like I said, I'll move in the next year and you'll likely never hear from me again. Until then, I am your friend. It means a lot to me that you didn't ask me to leave. I like it here. And... People en masse wouldn't deal with this knowledge so well as you have. I would be dead very quickly. Or worse. It really does mean a lot that you didn't tell anyone. I have to ask that you refrain from doing so in the future, as well. From this day on, I am your man. I will help you in any way I can and I will protect you from any who would do you harm." The two smiled at him and Martha spoke sweetly. "Thanks, Duo. That's really nice." Duo smiled wryly. "Yeah. Well, it's my job." He sipped his tea again and the two farmers finished theirs. 'Why do I feel like I was just conned?' The two stood and Duo did as well. Elmer spoke. "Well, Duo. I suppose I'll see you in a few day_er nights. You still gonna give me a hand in the vineyard? I could use a pair of strong hands out there. The payment offer still stands." Duo grinned. "Sure thing. I'm busy on Monday but any other night I can work from Eleven until dusk. I... Uh... I spend the rest of the time with Heero." He hated the fact that he blushed. "Just give me a holler when you want to do it." Elmer and Martha smiled and the woman spoke. "Thank you, Duo. For putting me at ease with all this. And for the tea." Duo nodded. "No problem." He waved it off and led them to the door, opening it and grinning to them. The two walked out the door and Martha kissed his forehead like a mother. Duo was slightly embarrassed about shrinking from her before recovering and forcing himself to remain still, but she ignored it for his sake, saying goodnight with a smile and following her husband to the truck. He closed the door and touched the place on his crown where Martha had kissed him. 'I never had a mother... That was... Nice.' "OH I *MUST* BE TIRED! This whole day has just been one big shit storm that I've had to claw through! I'm sackin' up." He walked tiredly into his room and threw himself onto the bed, asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. * * * Duo awoke the next day in the afternoon. He yawned. "Was last night a dream?" He got out of bed and stumbled into the kitchen to see the empty cups upon the table. "Hn. Nope. Guess not. Oh, well. I'm glad that's over with. It would be much riskier to let them draw their own conclusions. Still..." He threw away the empty cups and put the one of sugar in the refrigerator. "I wanna go back to bed." He whined to himself before remembering what day it was. "YIPPIE! QUATRE! TROWA! WU-MAN!" He scampered into the other room and picked up the phone, dialing Quatre's number. A tired voice answered. "Mushi mushi?" Duo grinned and laughed. "Hey, Q! Know what day it is?" Quatre whimpered.
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