Trinity Blood Fan Fiction ❯ Blood Sacrifice ❯ Chapter Three ( Chapter 3 )

Chapter Three

 

For what seemed like the millionth time since he had left the hotel that morning, Abel Nightroad found himself mentally tallying the things that needed to be done or asked about as he and León approached the station for the local policia. They had things to do here, and Abel was still firm about going to the church again, but he had compromised with his partner on the matter, and agreed that they would check with the local authorities, to see for themselves if there were any survivors they could speak to, or any information that might not have made it into the report sent to the Vatican.

The two of them had awakened mid-morning, still spooned together. They had quickly washed up, neither one of them saying much, intent on setting out to visit with the local authorities and making a follow up visit to the gore-spattered church. On their way however, they did stop for a quick meal, the two of them taking stools in front of a food vendor's cart and wolfing down their meals, Abel's appetite having not diminished from the night before.

There was no denying that spending the night in León's arms had had some beneficial side effects. Although he knew he was far from up to par again, Abel felt decidedly better, calmer than he had been in a long time. There had been a grand comfort in waking in the warm embrace of another, especially after the strangeness that had heralded him into darkness originally. Abel shook himself from his slight reverie as he and León headed into the station. León followed Abel, the dark-haired man only a step behind the other man at his shoulder, his eyes flicking around the interior of the station as they stepped across the threshold. The desk sergeant looked up as they entered. "Can I help you, gentlemen?" He asked.

Abel nodded. "I'm here to speak with the detective assigned to the case over at the church?"

"I'm afraid he's in a meeting at the moment."

"Will he be long?"

The man glanced at the nearby clock. "Not much longer."

"Thank you, we'll wait. His office is where?"

It was only grudgingly that the two were escorted to a small, cramped office, and left to wait for the detective's arrival. Almost as soon as the door was closed behind them, León began to pace around the small space before pausing at the desk, his dark eyes catching something lying on it. The pause in the man's movements caught Abel's attention and he shifted his eyes to León. "What is it?"

"Something about the church." the other man responded as he glanced back up at Abel.

Abel moved over to stand beside the dark-haired man. "What?"

Leon reached for the sheet he had been looking at, offering it to the priest. "Looks like a report on their initial findings."

Abel took the report and pushed his glasses up onto his nose a little more comfortably as he began to read. The page was indeed a copy of a report filed by the lead officer who had been among the first to be dispatched to the church after several people within the vicinity had reported hearing screams coming from within the gray stone structure. When the police had arrived, they had found the doors locked from the inside and received no response to numerous hails. The lead had dispatched several of his men to check two other sets of doors in and out, in addition to trying to get a look inside from some of the lower windows.

Like the front doors, all the others were found to be locked as well, bolted from the inside. Meanwhile, the police had continued to pound on the door, calling for those within to open up. The lead on the scene had just summoned for help to break down the door when one of his men had come running from around the side of the church, the man near hysterical and raving. They had been unable to get anything coherent from the officer, the man apparently too shook up by whatever he had seen. When the door had finally been breached, the police had been astonished and horrified by what they had found inside, the chapel strewn with body parts and entrails and the entire interior spattered with blood and gore. More than one, including the lead officer had become ill at the sight. There had been no survivors.

Abel frowned, and handed the report back to León, before moving to sink into a chair on the "guest" side of the desk. León tossed the page back onto the desktop, the broad-shouldered man leaning against the dark-wood. "Sounds like they don't have any more of a clue then we do."

"Still, we know a little more than we did...We'll have to examine those doors more closely when we go back."

The other man nodded and folded his arms over his chest, waiting not one of his strong suits. They didn't have much longer to wait, the detective entering the office a few moments later, looking very tired, and very surprised to see the two men in his office. "Oh, my apologies," he said. "I didn't realize I had guests."

Abel smiled a bit. "We were informed you were at a meeting."

The detective nodded. "Yes...and you two are?"

Abel produced his ID from his robes, and held it out to the man, who took it and glanced over it before nodding. "Father Nightroad," he said. "I was told to be expecting someone from the Vatican."

In the interim, León pushed himself away from the desk, the brunette dropping his arms as he moved to join Abel, who smiled as he took his ID back and slipped it away again, then turned his head to indicate León. "This is my partner. I'm sure you can imagine why we're here."

The detective nodded. "To look into the massacre at the church, sí." The man sighed and sank into his chair. "It's ugly business, and was so unexpected. We've had rather a large number of Methuselah in this town in fluxing numbers, and never had a situation like this come up."

"But you have had situations?" León asked.

"Small skirmishes, Methuselah who aren't willing to abide by the laws here. Fairly typical crime in the grander scheme of things." The detective said. "But nothing like this. Nothing that even comes close to touching this."

"You guys were alerted by reports of screams inside the church?" the dark-haired man continued, hoping that the detective might offer up more information then what he and Abel had read.

"Yes, a driver for one of the church's wealthier members." the detective confirmed, nodding. "We rushed up as quickly as we could, but as I'm sure you know, it's quite a hike to get there, and even more difficult in the dark. All the doors were locked, seemingly from the inside, and no one was responding to our orders to open them."

"You didn't hear anything from inside? See anyone?"

"The stained glass makes it almost impossible to see inside easily, even up close. I'm afraid most of it was over by the time I arrived."

"What of the officer who was there first?"

The man shifted uncomfortably at that. "I'm afraid he won't be much help to you. We lost him...that night. He took his own life."

"Jesus..." the word was barely more than a whisper as it passed León's lips.

"That poor man," Abel murmured softly.

"I can give you a copy of everything I have regarding the case so far, if you'd like," the detective offered.

León nodded his dark head. "We'd appreciate that." Abel said, nodding himself. "Were you able to determine anything that might have started it? Unfamiliar individuals attending the church, anything?"

"Padre, we haven't even been in there long enough to try to identify what's left of who's in there..."

León had just opened his mouth to speak when there was a commotion in the outer office, the sound of raised voices, one in particularly louder than the others, shouting over and over though it was near impossible to make out what it was from inside the detective's office. The detective rose to his feet and headed out of the office, Abel only a pace or two behind him as the man headed for the outer office. Grumbling a bit, León followed after Abel wondering what was going on now.

The outer office was a scene of confusion, voices shouting back and forth, officers scurrying about; and in the middle of it all was old man, his head nearly bald save a few silver gray strands which were now plastered to his skull with perspiration. As Abel and León drew closer, they could see that underneath his tan, the man was pale, his eyes moist with tears that coursed down his cheeks. The man was trembling, his slightly bent frame quaking in what appeared to be fear as he wrung a dark cap between his hands. Next to the man was a young female officer, the woman with her hand on his shoulder as she spoke to him, though it was impossible to hear what she said amongst all the other voices in the room. The old man didn't seem to be comforted as words continued to fall from his lips, shaking with emotion. "H-Horrible...the people...all the people..."

Abel stepped away from León and the detective, making his way over to the old man. Usually his presence as a priest tended to calm people, and the man was obviously very distressed. The old man's pale eyes found Abel as the priest approached him, seeing the large cross glittering on his chest and recognizing the robes of a traveling priest. Within seconds he pulled away from the female officer and stumbled towards Abel. "Father...please Father...the people..." the man fell to his knees in front the pale-haired man.”Please Father, you must help them."

Abel knelt quietly and laid a hand on the man's shoulder. "Calm down, please," He said, his tone shifting into his most soothing pitch. "What's happened?"

The old man turned his tear-filled eyes up. "The people in the church," he started, the din of voices around them having died down a bit as those gathered watched the two men. "Horrible screams...I couldn't get in...door...please Father..." The old man reached and grab onto Abel's hand, gripping it for dear life. "Help them, please."

"I'll do whatever is within my capabilities," Abel promised, his heart dropping into his stomach as he heard the story falling shakily from those lips. "Take me there."

The man scrambled to his feet, still gripping Abel's hand. "Gracias, Padre...gracias..."

Abel rose to his feet as well, and offered the man a faint smile. "Lead the way," he said. "We'll follow.” Then he looked over to León to be sure the man wasn't too far away.

León nodded his head and moved to join his partner and the old man, the detective meanwhile barking out orders to the assembled officers to go with the priests and the man. Once Abel had seen León's nod, he turned his full attention back to the elderly man again. The man was tugging at the pale-haired man's gloved hand, silently imploring him to follow.

 

 

The church that the old man led Abel and the others to was different from the first, a more modern-style structure near the heart of the town. That gave the priest something of an ill feeling. To have such a riot break out on the outskirts of the city was bad enough; the idea of one starting in a more heavily-populated area was outright terrifying. Still, Abel kept his reservations to himself as best he was able; not wanting to frighten the poor man who hadn't loosened his grip on the priest's hand even a bit since they'd left the police station.

León was only a few strides behind the priest and the old man, the dark-haired man flanked on either side by police officers, with a handful more following behind. Like his partner, the big man had a growing bad feeling the deeper they traveled into the heart of the city, even more so when one of the officers muttered something about their current heading taking them in the direction of the local Methuselah community.

It meant the group of them drew a few odd looks as they passed, but for the most part, there were shutters closed and the streets were mostly deserted, no one wanting to get caught up in whatever strangeness going on. The area outside of the building was desolate when the group arrived, an eerie silence hanging in the air. The officer on León's left hurried forward, barking out orders to the others, apparently taking charge of the situation. Quickly the officers spread out, surrounding the silent stone building. "Father," he called out to Abel. "Please I'll have to ask you to not go any further."

"No, sir." Abel said, gently prying the old man loose from his hand, laying a hand on his shoulder instead. "I'm afraid I can't do that. Don't let your men into that building, Officer. If it's like the last, it's not a good idea."

"Father, please...I must ask you..."

"You heard the man." León said, stepping up to lay a hand on the officer's shoulder, halting the man in mid-sentence.

"León, one of us needs to go inside," Abel said, looking at the dark-haired man. "I think it would be better if I did...I need you to make sure no one tries to follow me in."

"Now hold on a minute..." the brunette started, turning his dark eyes on the priest.

"If there are survivors in there, they'll need help," Abel replied.

"Which means I should go in too."

"I need you out here to keep our overzealous policia friends from trying to follow me in."

The dark-haired man scowled at his partner, though before he could protest further, one of the officers who had been dispatched to check out the grounds around the church returned, the man nearly stumbling as he ran pell mell towards them. The officer fell to his knees before them, his eyes wild, and his skin ashen. The man quickly crossed himself. "God have mercy on us all." He gasped out.

"Reyes?" The officer who had stayed with Abel, León and the old man moved forward. "What is it?"

"God forbid..." the kneeling man started, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Abel gently took his hand off the shoulder of the old man who had brought them there and stepped forward. "If I need help, León, I'll call for it." was all he said, before heading toward the church.

"Abe...damn it!" León ground out with a slight snarl.

Abel ignored the man's outburst; it was easier, somehow, than having to pull rank on him. As he drew closer to the church, he kept his pale eyes peeled for the other officers who had also been dispatched. The priest carefully made his way up the short set up steps that led to the front door of the quiet building, León and the others watching, the big brunette AX agent still scowling. He should have known that Abel would insist on going in alone; and when he took a moment to think it over, it did seem to be the most logical thing to do. If there was something going on inside the church, keeping the officers outside where they had less of a chance of becoming potential victims made sense.

Abel started to reach for one of the doorknobs, when he realized the door was actually already open a fraction. It wasn't much at all, but it worried him. He stepped forward, grasping the knob and pushing on the door.

It wouldn't budge.

The priest frowned at that, and pushed again, putting more force behind it this time. Still, it wouldn't move. It made Abel want to swear in frustration but he didn't dare; there were far too many people around for that. So he settled for fighting with the door instead, trying to get it open just enough he could squeeze through.

Though the carved wooden doors were thick, it wasn't the weight that was causing the trouble however. There appeared to be something blocking the door from the other side. The other door was locked, but Abel managed to slip a hand around to trip the lock, and when he went to try the other door, he also found it blocked, same as the first. Frowning, he managed to shoulder both doors open enough to admit him; and, trying to brace himself for what he was about to find, slipped inside.

As soon as he slipped inside the silent building, it was apparent that something was wrong. Almost immediately, Abel was hit with the scent of blood, the iron tang of it literally saturating the air. On the other side of the carved wooden doors, he also found what had been blocking them, the butchered corpse of a man, his right arm severed, his face frozen in a look of horror. The back of the door was smeared with bloody hand prints, the scarlet rivulets still dripping down the dark wood.

"God have mercy," Abel breathed, covering his mouth with a hand and slowly stepping further into the building. "Hello?" He called out, his voice seeming far too loud in the silence.

The priest was met with only quiet and a scene of carnage that easily rivaled that of the first church. The walls, the pews, the floor, everywhere that Abel looked or stepped there was blood, still dripping and pooling around and under him. It was unnerving at best and downright disgusting at worst. But not all the blood was human; Abel's senses picking that up right away. Much of it was Methuselah, and it pricked at the edges of his consciousness, reminding him of how long it had been since the Crusnik 02 had last been properly fed. He shoved that thought to the side viciously, and continued his silent hunt for survivors.

 

 

Outside, León and the others waited, the dark-eyed AX agent quite impatiently, big man still scowling and grumbling as he toyed with the chakram on his wrist. The rest of the officers had returned all reporting that they had found no one nor any signs of anything out of place save for all of the windows and doors being locked. Those who had been able to get a look inside the church however, had all come back pale as a proverbial ghost, crossing themselves and muttering prayers while looking at León as if expecting him to do something. The brunette ignored them for the most part, only glancing at them long enough to read their faces, their horrified looks telling him all he needed to know about what had gone down inside the church.

 

 

 

 

 

As he checked between each of the pews, and in small nooks where toppled statues had stood, Abel couldn't help but feel the same faint prickling over his skin. And like before, it grew stronger the closer he got to the pulpit. Although this church wasn't bound to Michael, the building still sported the statue of an angel. It was another statue of Michael, his pale marble hands clasping a sword, the blade facing downwards, pointing towards the floor. Abel tore his eyes away from the statue as something else caught his attention for the first time, the nearly inaudible sound of shallow breathing. "Hello?" he called out again.

The pale-haired priest received a faint, nearly inaudible gurgle in reply though there was no sign of movement. That was enough to give Abel some idea of where to start looking, though, and he moved off in the direction of the sound. Moving among the bodies, the priest's heightened senses eventually lead him to a blonde-haired man, the body half-draped across that of a dark-haired woman. Abel gasped in a breath when he saw that, and moved toward the huddled figure. The man's clothes were slashed and blood-drenched, his chest soaked with crimson from numerous puncture wounds, the dark blood pooling around his prone figure. Abel tried not to pay attention to that as he rushed toward the man, kneeling near him. "Sir?" He asked, softly, reaching out and touching the man's shoulder.

A choked sound came from the figure, the shoulder under the pale-haired man's hand trembling. As gently as he could, Abel moved to turn the man over. The injured man let out a soft yet strangled cry, the reason quite apparent as he was rolled onto his back, his right hand and forearm pressed against a slash that had opened him from hip to hip. As grisly a sight as that was, Abel also got his first view of the woman underneath the blonde man, her throat torn out, the skin shredded and torn, and her blue eyes wide and sightless. Still clutched in her hand, the slim blade glistening with damp scarlet was a knife. Abel could do little more than stare in mute shock for a time, before he called out for León and then turned his attention completely back to the male. "What's happened here?" Abel whispered softly.

The man slowly turned dark, pain-filled green eyes towards the priest, a set of deep scratches down the side of what had been a handsome face, his mouth smeared with blood. Parting his still wet glistening lips, he tried to speak, revealing in the process very sharp and elongated canine teeth. Abel's eye flicked from the man to the woman, and was unsurprised to note that she was human. It was the same as what had happened in the church before, Methuselah and Terran slaughtered alike. But he pushed that aside almost immediately, and leaned in to try and listen to the dying vampire speak.

 

 

Pushing against the front doors, León shoved one of them open a bit more allowing the big man to squeeze through the opening and inside, his gun out and held out before him as he did so. Like Abel before him, the smell of blood hit him immediately, the brown-eyed man swearing softly as he got his first look at the slaughter inside the church.

"Abel?"

"Over here, León," Abel said softly, leaning up a little before turning his full attention back to the dying Methuselah again. "Please, you must tell me what's happened...what started all of this..." It wasn't just the vampire's low tone that was making it difficult for Abel to listen. The priest was starting to hear the same ringing in his ears as he had last time. A part of him knew he should get the hell out of the church while he could, but with the only survivor they had found so far rapidly fading on them, he didn't dare leave.

"C-Couldn't s-stop..." the dying man rasped out.”The b-blood...n-needed the blood..."

Something inducing blood hunger... Abel shivered at the thought. "And the others?"

". . . frenzy...a m-madness...the b-blood...needed the blood..." Leon had picked his way down the aisle towards his partner, the big man kneeling down next to Abel as the vampire went on, "C-Couldn't s-stop it..."

"What started it? Do you know?" Abel asked, dimly aware of León's presence.

The man managed a slight shake of his head, his gaze swinging towards León, his nostrils flaring slightly as they settled on the big brunette. "León," Abel murmured. "Back up a little, please? Our witness here isn't quite out from under the thrall yet..." He didn't bother adding how thoroughly he was feeling it himself, not entirely unaware of the slight rippling of the pooled blood around him.

"What?" the other AX agent asked, his brown eyes puzzled as he looked Abel.

Even as León spoke, the Methuselah in front of them struggled to move, lifting his arm towards the brunette in an attempt to reach out towards him, only to gasp in pain and bare his teeth with a hiss. Abel gave a soft hiss of his own, holding onto the Methuselah more tightly, his own control slipping another slow notch as the vampire's movement caused a fresh rush of blood, and consequently, a fresh rush of the blood scent. "Back up out of his line of sight," Abel murmured.

León's brow furrowed a bit more, his eyes glancing at the blonde man in Abel's arms before rising up slightly and backing away. The movement caused the Methuselah to struggle away from the pale-haired priest, the scent of fresh Terran blood seeming to compel him despite his injuries. Abel gasped in surprise as the vampire came free of him. "León, run! Now! I don't know how fast he'll be able to move!" The vampire's own blood almost seemed to make the ringing in Abel's ears worse, and the edges of his vision were starting to go fuzzy again. The hairs on the back of his neck were starting to stand up as well. And I don't think I can stop him...

The vampire managed to struggle to his knees, the movement causing the gash in his midsection to open wider, his entrails beginning to well out as he flopped forward and tried to crawl forward on the blood soaked carpet. "Jesus Christ!" León exclaimed as he took a few steps back, his gun up and trained on the vampire.

Abel, forcing himself from the haze that surrounded him, lunged forward to try and get a hold on the dying Methuselah again. Much as he would have liked this witness to survive, he wasn't going to let that regeneration come at the cost of his partner. The vampire growled at the ivory-haired priest. "Mine..." he hissed, his eyes wild with blood-lust.

"No..." Abel growled back, his own eyes glowing faintly.

How the creature even continued to remain somewhat upright was a mystery, the organs in the lower cavity of its body spilled out on the floor underneath it as it reached out, the vampire's fingers clawing at Abel. "Mine!"

The claws sank deep into Abel's skin, tearing furrows down the side of his face. "No!" He snarled back, gasping as he heard an acknowledgment echo in his head he had not commanded, his Crusnik flaring to life, though on a much lower power level than at the other church.

Several feet away León swore, the big man back to his feet, his gun still trained on the vampire. He had instructed the officers to stay outside, not matter what they heard; and judging by the scared looks he had seen on their faces , he doubted they would disobey, at least not until sometime had passed and neither he nor Abel reappeared. "Abel!" he yelled out. "Get back!"

"León, get out of here," Abel called to the other man. "I won't be far behind you..."

The Methuselah's claws dug into the cloth of Abel's coat, rending through the thick fabric as if it were silk and down to the soft flesh underneath. There was a look of madness in the creature's eyes now, the subtle scent León's Terran blood driving it mindlessly. "Damn it!" León swore as he as adjusted his sight on the creature over the barrel of his gun, his finger poised on the trigger and ready to fire.

Abel grit his teeth as those claws pierced his flesh, and redoubled his hold; with the Crusnik activated, the wounds would be fleeting at best, and he could already feel the dark blood that had stained his robes being absorbed, feeding it. "For the love of God, León, run!"

The dark-haired man said nothing and the only move he made was to squeeze the trigger on his gun, the shot echoing through the chapel. Abel barely had time to gasp as the vampire's head exploded into a mass of blood, bone and brain matter. Abel recoiled with a hiss and scrambled backwards, trying to avoid the worst of it, though he knew it was a wasted effort. The Methuselah's upper body seemed to hang in the air for a moment or two before it slumped down to the floor with a dull thud, fresh pools of blood welling from the gaping slash in it's midsection and what was left of it's neck.

Abel covered his mouth and nose at that, trying in vain to block out the scent. The Crusnik was demanding to be fed in a more satisfying manner, blood along the floor starting to creep across the carpet towards him; and whatever had tripped off the nano-machines to begin with was only making the problem worse. He had to leave, but there didn't seem to be a good way to do so unseen, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain the tentative control he had.

His gun lowered slightly, but still tight in his hand, León approached the pale-haired priest, still wary that there might be other vampire survivors. Abel had moved to his feet slowly during this time, wavering a little and quickly moved away from the fresh corpse, trying to find some unstained part of the floor to stand on, and at the same time, keep León from seeing the odd effect he was having on the Methuselah blood.

"Why the hell didn't you move?" León's voice growled.

"Why the devil didn't you listen?" Abel replied softly, his voice somewhat muffled behind his hand.

"I don't know," the other man replied angrily. "Maybe because we're supposed to be partners."

And we are," Abel replied wearily. "León...something drove these vampires to madness...in a frenzy for blood that made them turn on one another when they had no more human victims, I think..."

"Sounds like a good enough reason to me to get rid of him."

Abel sighed. "I just wish I could have gotten a bit more information..."

"Abel," León said. "You saw it -- the look in its eyes..." he shook his head a bit. “It was beyond reason. The only thing you were going to get out of it was more claw marks."

"He didn't start in like that until he scented you," Abel murmured, and shook his head. "But...you're right, there wasn't much left for the poor creature..." His hand moved away from his mouth and nose, touching the gashes in his face that were already beginning to heal.

The broad-shouldered man lowered his gun to his side, his dark eyes flicking over the priest. Abel did his best not to wince at the scrutiny. "We...we need to go, now," Abel said softly. "I have to get out of here, León..."

"You go. I'll finish looking around in here."

"...You can't be serious."

"The hell I'm not." León shot back.

Abel started to reply, then faltered a bit and sighed. "Just...please, please be careful..." He murmured.

"Yeah, yeah..."

Abel felt a stab of irritation at the seeming brush-off, and silently cursed León, Catarina, and the world at large. Keeping his head bowed, he headed for the doors again, not wanting to reveal himself for what was, but knowing he couldn't afford to remain in the church any longer.

León watched the other man go, the brunette grimacing in distaste when he turned back to look at the carnage spread out around him. "I swear," he grumbled to himself. "Sometimes I really hate this job." Adjusting his grip on his gun, the brown-eyed man began to move amongst the pews and walkways checking the bodies and parts thereof that littered the once pristine and elegant chapel.

 

 

The trip back to the hotel had been a silent one, Abel lost in his own thoughts. He hadn't felt quite right since leaving the church, though this time around had been decidedly less violent than the last. He decided the reason for it was that he had simply lacked the strength for the Crusnik to activate beyond the low level that it had, even in spite of the unexpected, impromptu feeding. This meant he was tired and vaguely ill, not to mention desperately craving a more satisfying feeding. He kept it to himself though; it wasn't the kind of news you shared, even with a partner.

Before they had been allowed to leave the church grounds however, the pair had been questioned by the police, both men giving slightly clipped answers, much to the frustration of the officer in charge. It was well into the early morning hours as they approached their hotel. The two trudged up the steps to their room, Leon unlocking the door and stepping into the small room, leaving Abel to trail behind him. Abel stepped in and closed the door behind him, before making his way over toward the table and chairs, shedding his cloak as he went. León likewise shrugged off his overcoat, tossing the dark garment on the bed, the night air much warmer then it had been the previous evenings. "...Did you find anything?" Abel asked softly, speaking for the first time since León had emerged from the church.

The dark-haired man shook his head and leaned against the wall. "Same as the first one." he replied.

Abel frowned. "That makes no sense..."

"Senseless murder never does."

"...This goes beyond that, I think..."

"What? Like something is making all these vampires freak out and become psychotic?"

Something like that," Abel murmured to himself. "Why else push them into a frenzy like that?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." León said with a slight shrug of his broad shoulders.

Abel sighed and frowned. "I'm missing something crucial...some small detail...I must be..."

"All I can think is that people will start blaming the vampires once things get out. Right now the police seem like they're trying to keep a lid on it, but you know its going to get out."

"Of course it is," Abel murmured softly. "And it's going to be complete chaos when it does..."

León nodded. "And it'll be the vampires that everyone starts pointing their fingers at."

"All the more reason to try to get to the bottom of this as quickly as possible."

"Get to the bottom of it?" The other man snorted. "With no witnesses, no survivors, no clues...nothing but a bunch of corpses."

"We've still got more information than we did," Abel reminded the other man. "And I'd like to speak to the old man who took us to the church again. In all the rush, I never really got a chance to ask him any questions."

"The police probably know who he is and where to find him."

Abel nodded. "We should see if we can get a hold of the information, if it doesn't come with the rest of the reports we should be receiving."

Leon nodded his head slightly, the broad-shouldered saying nothing. Abel similarly lapsed into silence. The two men remained that way for a bit; Abel perched in one of the chairs, León leaning against the wall, the pair silent and apparently lost in their own thoughts. It was León who eventually broke the stillness, the big man pushing away from the wall. "I'm going to go out for a while." he said as he started to move past Abel and towards the door.

"All right...anywhere in particular I should find you if something comes up?"

The dark-haired man shrugged his shoulders a bit. "Maybe down near where that café was the other day."

Abel gave another small nod. "Okay..." He said softly.

Without another word, León left their room, shutting the door firmly behind him. Abel slumped back in his chair with a heavy sigh. This was definitely turning into one of his tougher cases, and it wasn't completely because of the mystery involved.

 

 

León wandered for a bit, eventually ending up along the causeway near the café just as he had said. Like his partner, León too was bothered by what was going on in the city, especially since the Methuselah and Terrans had managed to co-exist in Valentia for so long with only a minimum of trouble erupting between them. He had not told Abel, but after the pale-haired man had left the church and he had begun to examine the scene and the bodies, he had found that the vampire he had killed and the woman with the knife had been wearing matching wedding bands.

León had also found the remains of the church's priest, his body slashed to ribbons and covered with blood, the corpse slumped over another small mound of bodies -- members of a children's choir judging by their scarlet-soaked robes. All of them with their necks and wrists slashed open, drained until they were as pale as a fine porcelain teacup, wide sightless eyes staring at nothing.

León hated missions that involved children, having even said so to Abel at the beginning of their last assignment together. Those children had been both the antagonists and the victims, twisted and experimented upon by a man who had promised them a safe home and a family. In the end, Abel had stopped him from carrying out the objective of their mission, the two of them going against their orders by letting Peter and the others go, even going so far as to arrange transportation for them to a safe place.

The sight of the children in the church, their faces frozen in masks of fear and pain had gotten to him, which was a rare thing. Death wasn't something new to León, he had faced it more times than he could count; and dealt it out with his own hand just as many. But seeing innocents like children viciously cut down without rhyme or reason was more than even he could tolerate. Raising his hand, León reached for the pendant around his neck, rubbing his fingers over the familiar golden oval for a moment or two before letting it fall away.

 

 

Abel had been watching León quietly, and when he saw the man's hand move toward his chest, it didn't take a great intuitive leap to know what he was reaching for. He wore the locket that bore his daughter's picture with all the reverence that Abel wore his own cross. That he was reaching for that beloved talisman now told Abel that León had seen a great deal more than he had originally said, and that it had disturbed him in some profound way. It also fueled his decision to apologize for how badly he felt he had handled the entire mission so far. The two were partners...but this had been different, and Abel didn't care for those differences one bit.

That decision made, he walked quietly over to where León was leaning, and leaned against the stone wall himself. He was silent for the moment, wanting to see how the other man reacted to his presence before he said a word. "Something happen?" León didn't turn his eyes from the dark water below as he spoke, his hand having already dropped back down to the wall.

"No," Abel said softly. "Though I did put in a report for Lady Catarina. She knows we have at least one lead we're going to be following up on, and that the local authorities have agreed to help...But that isn't why I came out here looking for you."

The brunette's dark gaze slid to the man next to him, León turning his had a bit to look at Abel. The priest's own pale eyes were fixed out towards the ocean for a time, before he turned his head to look at León. "I owe you an apology, León. I haven't really been a very good partner this trip."

"What brought all this on?"

"Too much time to think, I suppose," Abel replied, offering a faint smile. "Not that it should surprise you..." He looked away from León and leaned against the wall again.

"You can't keep blaming yourself for Barcelona." León said after a few moments slipped by quietly.

Abel's eyes widened a little at the words, and he froze where he stood. "I-I beg your pardon?"

"What happened wasn't your fault."

"...I shouldn't have hesitated...there were so many lost because of it..." Abel's voice was soft. "How is that not my fault, León?"

"And what would a few seconds difference have made?" León asked.

"It might have stopped him from activating the device..."

"Somehow it sounds like killing him outright would've been the only way to have done that."

Abel grew silent at that, and he pushed lightly away from the wall to stand straight again, his arms falling to his sides to be concealed by his cloak.

"Look, what's this all about?" León asked after a moment or two.

Abel was quiet for a few moments longer. "You're the first partner I've taken on an assignment since Barcelona. And I will admit I was opposed to it, though I didn't know they had chosen you. But that doesn't make it right that I've let it affect my performance. As the one who's been putting up with me, I thought you deserved an apology. That's all."

The dark-haired man fell silent, his eyes going back out towards the ocean. "Accepted," he said simply after a few moments.

"Thank you," Abel said softly. "Now, did you want to tell me what you saw in there that's got you so upset?"

The brown-eyed man turned to look at the priest once again. "Ugly crap that nobody needs to see." he replied in an uncharacteristically soft voice.

Abel reached out, hesitated a moment, and laid a hand on León's shoulder. He said nothing; any words that passed his lips would sound trite at best, and he didn't want to seem insincere. "I want to find whatever bastard is responsible for this." León's growled. "I want to put my hands around his neck and just wring the life out of him."

"We'll figure out who did this," Abel replied, his tone firm. "And we will find them."

The broad-shouldered man ran his hand through his shaggy dark hair. "Yeah." he agreed.

Abel gave León's shoulder a small squeeze. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he murmured softly.

León's brown eyes were intent on the ivory-haired man for a few moments. Reaching up, he covered Abel's gloved hand with his. "You can help me forget." he said.

Abel's gaze didn't stray from León's, though his breath caught in his throat softly. "I-I can try," He agreed softly, offering a faint, shy smile.

Leaning in closer, the brunette titled his head a bit and pressed his lips to the priest's. If Abel had had any doubts about whether or not León might be angry with him, they were washed away as the man's lips captured his. A soft moan rose in Abel's throat, his lips parting just slightly with the sound, and he stepped closer to dark-haired man. León's hand slid away from the other man's. Bringing it up, he slipped his fingers into Abel's ivory hair, the fine strands like silk as they slid over his calloused skin. Abel made a soft sound as the touch loosened the dark ribbon that bound his hair, his gloved hand sliding from León's shoulder to rest on his broad chest.

The dark-eyed man's fingers tightened in Abel's hair, gently clutching a handful of the soft locks, the press of his lips against the priest's becoming more firm.

Abel moved again, barely a whisper of fabric marking the motion before his lean frame was pressed up against León's, his free arm sliding around the taller man, his thumb hooking lightly into the broad white sash that circled León's waist. León growled, the sound rumbling in his throat as Abel's slight form pressed against him, his other arm sliding around the man's waist in kind. The pale-haired priest moaned quietly in response, his arm around León's waist tightening a bit. The brunette pressed the other man even closer against him, his grip in Abel's hair tightening a bit as well. Abel's breath caught in his throat at that tighter grip and he moaned again, his lips parting a bit more against the other man's in silent invitation. León was just about to take the priest up on that offer when the sound of giggling interrupted them. Abel started a bit at the sound, a soft, inquisitive sound rising in his throat.

Another soft peal of laughter sounded, echoing from nearby, obviously the two men were not the only ones out to greet the dawn, which was just breaking over the horizon. With a frustrated sound, León pulled back, breaking the kiss. Abel loosened his hold on León just enough to allow him to look around for the source of the sound. The priest glanced upward, just in time to see the tops of two dark heads disappear back behind the wall above them. Abel felt a blush heat his cheeks, and turned his eyes to León again. "I think," he murmured, pitching his voice for the other man alone, "that a change of venue is in order."

León grinned. "What's the matter? Not up for some impromptu sex education lessons for the locals?"

Blinking, and then blushing more darkly, Abel shook his head. "You are completely shameless."

The dark-haired man chuckled. "What else is new?" Bending his head he brushed a quick kiss over the priest's lips before releasing him.

"Touché," Abel replied with a faint smile at the kiss, before stepping away from León, doing his best not to notice the two sets of eyes that were peeking at them again.

León was still chuckling a bit and if he noticed their "audience" he gave no sign. "Well, I don't suppose this is going to help my reputation any," Abel said, mostly to himself as he started walking.

"The town drunk and the town tramp." The other man laughed. "And how long have we been here?"

"And none of it my fault, I'll have you know," Abel replied, only slightly indignant.

"Well...maybe not directly..." León was still chuckling a bit as the pair of them started away.

"You're impossible," Abel said, though he laughed softly as he said it.

"Shameless and impossible," the other man mused. "At least I haven't lost my touch."

Abel only laughed softly at that, shaking his head. The two made their way through the streets and back to their hotel, only pausing for a few minutes while León purchased a bottle of wine from a merchant who was in the process of setting up his wares for the day, before continuing on. "Making sure we don't damage my reputation as a lush?" Abel asked wryly, though the entire situation had grown sufficiently absurd that he couldn't help but be amused by it.

"This way I can claim that you got me drunk and took advantage of me."

"Oh, like you'd need the excuse."

León laughed and gave the pale-haired man a wink. Abel just laughed himself, shaking his head and following the man back to their room. "So what is it about that wine that's had you so attached to it?" He asked.

"Aside from the fact that I don't get much of a chance to drink wine while sitting in prison," León replied as they started up the stairs to their room. "It's Moroccan."

"A...little taste of home, so to speak?" Abel asked.

"Something like that."

"Well, whatever makes you happy. Though it does still make it just a little unjustified for me to be the lush." As Abel spoke, he dug their room key from his pocket.

"I wasn't the one stumbling around the street like I was drunk." León pointed out. "And I've only done my drinking in the room."

"Well, there's that, I suppose."

The dark-haired man leaned against the door frame as he waited for Abel to open it. Abel slid the key into the lock, unlocking the door and holding it open for the dark-haired man. The brunette slid around the frame and into their room, immediately making a beeline for the table under the window to set the wine bottle down before beginning to remove his gloves and shrug out of his overcoat.

Abel watched him a moment, then stepped inside the room, pushing the door closed and slipping his own gloves off, tucking them into his belt. León tossed his gloves on the table before sliding the chakram from his wrists and leaving them on the wooden surface well. His jacket he slung haphazardly over the back of one of the chairs before turning to look at Abel. The priest had slid the room key into his robes again, and was reaching up to undo the clasp of his cloak when he felt León's eyes on him and looked up, smiling a little. "Don't stop on my account."

Abel blushed a little at that, but resumed the removal of his cloak, moving over to the other chair to drape it across the back. As soon as the priest let go of the garment, León was on him, the brunette snaking his arm around the pale-haired man's waist and pulling him close. Abel gasped in surprise at that, his hands coming up to rest on León's chest as he was hauled in. "Impatient..." he teased.

"So sue me..." With that, the dark-haired man leaned in and pressed his lips to the priest's.

One of Abel's hands slid up, his long fingers curling around the back of León's neck, toying with some of the dark strands at the nape of the larger man's neck. A soft, nearly inaudible sound escaped from León, his arm tightening around Abel's slighter form, the two of them chest to chest. Smiling into the kiss, Abel parted his lips again; eager to pick up where they'd been interrupted before. The brunette wasted no time in taking the priest's silent invitation, his tongue eagerly delving between Abel's lips and into the moist cavern of his mouth, his hand once again sliding into the priest's pale locks, loosening the ribbon that held Abel's hair back even further until the satin length came all the way undone and fluttered down to the floor.

Abel moaned softly into the kiss, his tongue sliding along León's shyly, letting his unoccupied arm slide around the man again. As the ribbon fluttered away from them, his hair cascaded down his back and over his shoulders. Though his hair was much longer than León's, it was also much finer, the pale strands like gossamer threads, where the bigger man's was much thicker and unruly. León let his fingers tangle in the silken mass as he cupped the back of Abel's head, the brunette tilting his head a bit to fuse their mouths even more tightly together. It made the pale-haired priest groan, his grip in León's hair tightening, and he pressed a little closer to the man. A sound rumbled in León's throat, his tongue dueling with Abel's as the kiss became more heated. As it drew on between them, Abel's other arm slid up around León's shoulders to give him some extra support as his knees threatened to give.

León's arm tightened around the slimmer man's waist, holding the priest as close as he could. It was the need to breathe that eventually drove the dark-haired man to break the kiss, a soft nearly inaudible gasp escaping from León as he did so. His fingers still wound in Abel's soft ivory hair, he gently pulled the other man's head back a bit as he brushed his lips over the priest's jaw line. Abel moaned softly at the touch of lips on his skin, León's name falling as a moan from his lips.

The brunette couldn't help smiling a bit as he gently nibbled at the underside of Abel's jaw. Abel abandoned his hold on León's hair, letting his hand slip from the dark locks to slide between them, running cool fingertips over the exposed part of León's chest. León unconsciously pressed into the priest's touch a bit, as he pulled back slightly, his dark eyes closing as a soft sound escaped from him. Abel smiled some at that, leaning in as León pulled back, touching his lips gently to the side of the man's throat. A soft moan fell from the dark-haired man's lips, his fingers tightening ever so slightly in the blue-eyed man's hair. Another kiss was dotted near the first, Abel's hand still exploring the expanse of León's chest, fingers sliding under the man's open uniform to caress warm skin.

The priest's touch was subtly cool against the brunette's skin, León once again pulling Abel by his hair as he moved to reclaim the pale-haired man's mouth in another heated kiss. Abel gasped into the kiss, moaning as their lips sealed together again. When he felt steady enough, he slid his arm from around León's shoulders bringing his other hand to join the first in the tentative explorations, gently pushing the already open uniform coat open a bit further. León growled softly in his throat, his arm slipping from around Abel's slender waist as he brought his hand up, closing it over the blue-eyed man's bicep and pushing Abel backwards, the kiss still burning on between them, as he maneuvered the slighter man back against the wall.

Abel gave a soft gasp as his back bumped lightly against the wall, an inquisitive sound rising in his throat that died into a moan as their kiss continued unbroken. His hands had stilled their exploring for the moment, settling at León's waist, still buried under his uniform coat. Untangling his long fingers from the priest's silky pale hair, León released Abel's bicep, his hands going to the collar of the other man's robes. Abel gave an encouraging moan, one of his hands slipping out of León's coat to move to the white sash that circled his waist. Their mouths still fused together, the dark-haired man worked at unhooking the small gleaming chest plate on the front of Abel's robe, León's fingers surprisingly nimble. It wasn't long before it slipped to the floor with a slight clang, León then setting his sights on the hook and eye fasteners at top of the collar of the priest's robes, quickly undoing them.

Abel felt a tiny twitch in one eyelid as he heard the chest plate strike the floor, the sound almost deafening in the otherwise quiet room. But it only lasted a moment before the top of his robes loosened somewhat as the fabric parted. León then went to work on the zipper that went the rest of the way down the front of Abel's robe, drawing it down to just below the middle of the other man's chest before he let go of it, his hand sliding down to settle on Abel's slim hip.

Abel shivered a little as the cool air in the room slid over his newly exposed skin, his hand faltering a bit before resuming its task of trying to figure out how to unwind the sash that circled Leon's waist. He finally broke the kiss gently and gave a sound that was half purr, half frustrated growl. "Where the devil does this thing fasten?" He murmured.

León couldn't help chuckling. Reaching down and back, he deftly unwound the pale fabric which had been cleverly tucked in such a way that it was tightly cinched around his waist without being tied. "...One these days, I'm going to make you show me how you do that again," Abel murmured as, once the sash was loosened, he began to unwind it further.

"Is that all you want me to show you?" the other man asked with a grin.

"Hardly," Abel murmured softly, and smiled a bit.

"You do it like this..."

The priest had managed to loosen the sash sufficiently and was pulling it free when León's hands caught the ends of it; and in just a few heartbeats, he had the fabric wound around Abel's wrists, binding them together.

Abel gasped in surprise at that, his eyes widening a little. "H-how?" he had been completely unprepared for the friendly attack, and though León clearly meant him no harm, the binding was firm.

"Just one of the tricks I have up my sleeve." León grinned at the other man.

Taking the ends of the sash in one hand, he lifted the priest's arms up, just over the pale-haired man's head and pinned them against the wall, his dark gaze on Abel's china blue eyes. "So...it seems you have me at your mercy," Abel said, his tone just slightly breathless as he spoke, his pale eyes intense as he met León's. His heart was hammering hard in his chest, and it definitely wasn't fear that had sparked the reaction.

León's free hand slid under the parted fabric at the front of Abel's robe, his fingers making contact with the other man's pale cool flesh for the first time. "Certainly looks that way..." the brunette leaned in closer and covered Abel's mouth with his.

 

 

Abel rested his head against León's shoulder, his breath coming out in small pants, his body trembling slightly. When he finally started to catch his breath, he tilted his head up to press a gentle kiss to León's skin. The dark-haired man's hand slipped away at the soft touch, León lifting his head to press his lips to the priest's. The kiss only lasted a few moments before Abel broke it, whispering softly, "Definitely hot blooded..."

León chuckled a bit, a grin finding its way to his lips. "And that was only the warm up..."

"Is that so?" Abel asked breathlessly.

"Give me a chance, and I'll show you." León pressed his lips to the pale-haired man's, his hand lightly resting on Abel's thigh, León's large frame beginning to feel heavy. The two of them had been without sleep for almost twenty-four hours, and as much as he would have liked to pursue things further, León knew it really wasn't the best time. The two of them had been given a mission to complete, and he knew that the Cardinal would be expecting another report from them soon and wouldn't be very pleased at any lack of progress on their part.

When the contact broke again, Abel groped for a few moments until he found the blanket that the two had covered themselves with before and which had been left rumpled on the bed. With a concentrated effort, he pulled the material up over them both, settling against to León as he did. "Perhaps...when the time is a bit more appropriate?" he offered, his own fatigue clear in his voice.

"Wouldn't want Her Ladyship getting all bent out of shape." León agreed, as he slipped his arm around Abel's slim pale waist as the man edged closer to him.

"No, not at all," Abel said, releasing the blanket to slide his arm around the larger man.

The two men settled against one another, León's dark eyes sliding closed once again. Abel closed his eyes as well, and it wasn't long before he went slack in León's arms, sleep stealing him away as he lay comfortably in the dark-haired man's embrace.