D-
Not much time had passed since Leon had last left the petshop, though it felt like eons. D hated not knowing what was going on with Leon. Hated it even more knowing how much danger Leon was in and that he could do nothing. He'd meant to get some sleep, but that had turned out to be impossible. His mind was too alive with worry. So D stood in the doorway of Chris' bedroom and was pleased to see Chris fast asleep with a pile of blankets heaped upon him and Tet-chan tucked in beside him. Despite what Tet-chan had said before, he hadn't crawled under Chris' bed but was neatly cuddled up next to Chris. What surprised D more than that was the sight of Pon-Chan sitting in a rocking chair in the corner watching them both with glittering eyes.
"Why are you still awake, Pon-chan? It is quite late. You must be tired."
Pon-chan looked at Chris and Tet-chan. "I'm glad they're back. I was worried. I don't like it when everyone leaves. When's Leon coming home? You said soon, right? Chris was so happy when he found Leon. If Leon doesn't come back, I'm afraid of what will happen to Chris."
"No matter what happens, we will take care of him." D assured the tiny girl. She wasn't so tiny, anymore. As the years had passed, so had Pon-chan's childhood. Once she reached adulthood, like Tet-chan and Ten-chan, she would stop physically aging, but when Chris had gone to sleep she was still a child. Now, she was a young lady dressed in a long gown with her curly hair pinned up on her head in an elegant fashion. She was taller and looked about to be the human age of fifteen. "My Pon-chan, have you let Chris see you since he has woken up?"
Pon-chan looked away. "I would look so old to him, I think. He wouldn't want to play with me anymore. I couldn't ride on his shoulders anymore. I'm much too big."
"Pon-chan, Chris would still care for you even if your hair was gray with age and your back bent from years."
"Yes. I know." But she didn't move. "I think I'll just watch him for now."
D left her like that. It was best that she sort this sort of thing out to her best satisfaction and there was nothing he could say that would make her feel any better about the situation. She had grown up while Chris slept. He'd almost closed the doors when Ten-chan appeared, not quite smiling. "Evening, boss. I heard Tet was back with us. Some of the others said he didn't look too good when he came in."
"He had been injured, but is healing now. He is with Chris and Pon-chan if you wish to see him."
"Thanks, boss. I think I will." He breezed passed D, dropping his filthy apron on his way into Chris' room. D shook his head. He'd never expected two creatures like Tet-chan and Ten-chan to become so close. It was good that they were close, though. Both were from very rare species and it was hard for them to find people to talk to.
The petshop seemed very quiet as D walked through the halls.
The knowledge that Leon was back on the ship hit D like lightening, shocking him to his toes. Leon was back, but he was in danger. He was sick and dying. How D knew this, he wasn't sure. After all, his power didn't extend outside the petshop. Still, he knew. D hurried out of his petshop as quickly as he could, heading for where he knew Leon would be.
Sickbay-
Reggie-
"Tell me everything, Reg." Doctor Crusher looked fit to be tied. Her face was pale and her lips pressed thinly together. "Why didn't you tell me?!"
Leon had been stabilized and was resting in sickbay. Though he was still disturbingly quiet and did nothing but stare at the ceiling, occasionally blinking. Leon looked better now that he was warm, dry, and clean, but he still didn't look well. Reggie was calmer. His fit of laughter had vanished, thankfully, and now he sat next to Leon and was again holding his hand. No one had said anything to Reggie since he'd walked into sickbay, though the guards were a little hard to miss. Well, he hadn't really expected anything different. Why they hadn't thrown him in the brig yet, Reggie had no idea. He was just grateful. Not that they'd get him away from Leon without a fight.
Reggie couldn't meet her eyes. "I couldn't. It wasn't my place."
"Wasn't your place?" Doctor Crusher sounded strangled and her nostrils flared. "He's dying! You know that better than anyone! How could you do this to him?" Of course doctor Crusher knew about Reggie's history. He'd been honest when he'd joined the Enterprise and she had all his medical records. She was the only one, in fact, that knew anything about his past.
Reggie tensed and curled his fingers around Leon's hand just a little tighter. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me." She put a hand on his shoulder and Reggie jerked away.
"Don't touch me!" He snapped. "How long have you known me? You know I don't like being touched!" Didn't anyone ever pay attention to him?
"Just tell me, Reg. Please. Tell me everything. Do you know what he was taking? There's a chemical in his system and it's pretty deep. It's infused into his cells, he must have been under it's influence for a very long time." She waited for an answer and when Reggie said nothing she nearly begged. "Reg, let me save him!"
Deanna was standing unobtrusively a short distance away. She watched everything carefully and didn't say a word. It wasn't until the captain arrived that Deanna spoke and she spoke to him so quietly that Reggie couldn't tell what they were saying.
When the captain walked in with a glare fit to kill, he spared a glance at Reggie before he went straight to doctor Crusher and they stepped away from Reggie to speak quietly for a short time while doctor Crusher analyzed this and that from the scans she'd taken of Leon. Deanna said something softly, causing Picard to look sharply at Reggie and then back at Deanna.
"You know what happened to him, don't you?"
Reggie looked up and found the captain standing at his side. He wasn't glaring quite so furiously as Reggie had expected him to, but he certainly didn't look pleased. Captain Picard intimidated Reggie to no end. He was terrified of the man. There was something horrible about the captain and Reggie strongly suspected that it was the captain's own self confidence that frightened him. It couldn't have been anything physical. Picard had less hair than Reggie and was almost a full six inches shorter. He had a sharp, hooked nose and small eyes.
"Yes, sir." Reggie answered, honestly. As much as he wanted to protect Leon, the best thing to do now was to tell the truth.
"Then you tell me what the Hell's going on and why I shouldn't have you thrown in the brig."
"He's having withdrawal symptoms." Reggie swallowed, getting up the courage to do this. "He's been taking physic depressive medication since he was ten years old."
They all paled and Deanna looked at Reggie and at Leon, horrified. "Why would he need to take any kind of chemical for so long?"
"Need? I didn't say he needed it. I said he took it. We all were." Reggie shook his head. "I don't really know. It was blue pills and he took them twice a day." Reggie looked back at Leon. He really wasn't comfortable with the feeling of all those eyes on him. They seemed to think he had all the answers. He didn't. If he had all the answers, he'd have solved Leon's problems long ago. All he knew was how this had happened. "Mr. Brannon Goti operated a children's home under the guise of good will. Instead, he used us all like lab rats We were dosed up with medication nearly every day. I know people who don't even remember their adolescents." Reggie patted Leon's hand and stood up, walking away. Maybe this would be easier if he wasn't looking at Leon. "When Mr. Goti was acquitted of the charges against him, he went right on manufacturing his medications and he sent them on to Leon and anyone else who would keep taking them. They're all quite addictive, so it's not easy to stop. There were lots of others who found ways of not going through rehabilitation, like Leon."
"How many others?" Picard asked in a dreadfully quiet voice. He was looking at Leon, not at Reggie and Reggie was thankful for that. "How many other people are addicted?"
"I really don't know. Even if I did know, I'm not sure I would tell you." Picard looked at Reggie sharply, but Reggie just shrugged and looked away. "That's the way it is. Don't bother yelling at me. I tried to get Leon to go through the rehab, but he didn't want anything to do with it. It wasn't something I could force him to do."
"That's thoughtless, Reg. You knew what it was doing to him and you'd let him throw his life away? Why?" Doctor Crusher sounded completely mystified. "Don't you want to help him?"
That was cruel. "It was an unauthorized experiments, but we were all told that he had the Federation's backing. We were never able to leave the grounds or communicate with the outside world, so no one ever found out what was going on. Escape attempts were made by a very few children, but it never ended well. Usually, it ended in death." Deirdre. Her bright eyes and fierce temper. "He couldn't keep the children once they officially became adults, it would be too conspicuous. So he let them go with just enough of the addictive drugs to keep them coming back. And they did. For a good long while, they kept coming back. Then someone, I don't know who, blew the whistle and the Federation came running. A bit too late." He didn't bother to keep the bitterness out of his voice. "The grand and all-knowing Federation couldn't have gotten a clue any sooner? They just took Mr. Goti at his word and let him do as he pleased." Reggie sighed and wrapped his arms around himself. "If I bring you the drugs, will you let Leon keep taking them?"
"Of course not." Doctor Crusher clenched her hands at her sides, as if she wanted very badly to find something to hit. "Why didn't you tell me you had them earlier?"
"You wouldn't let me give them to him even if I had them in my pocket." Seeing the look on horrified doctor Crusher's face, Reggie gave in. "Look at him. He's a vegetable. Leon wouldn't want to spend the rest of his life like that. He's such a vibrant person. To spend the rest of his life unmoving, unable to take care of himself, even unable to go to the bathroom...he'd hate that. He'd prefer to die. "
Doctor Crusher closed her eyes and ran a hand over her face, as if to calm herself. "I need specifics. What was he taking, exactly?"
"No idea."
"He took two pills everyday without knowing what they were?" Deanna's eyes got very wide.
"Well, not always pills. He preferred to use a hypospray, when he could, but they always arrived in pill form." Reggie nodded. "There were lots of different ones, that was the whole point, really. Everyone was on something different or different doses. It was all part of the experiment to see which medications worked best and how to improve them. He then passed them on to the Federation and took a great deal of credit for his genius."
"And you were one of the victims." Picard muttered.
"Yes." Reggie managed a smile and wondered at his own courage. "I thought I'd made that clear. Should I speak a little louder?"
"So, how will he be after the withdrawal is over?" The captain asked, looking back at Leon who still tossed and turned on the bed. "What are his chances of living through this?"
Reggie could only shrug, again. "I'm not sure, sir. They all had different affects. The ones I was given were some kind of personality altering and when I came down off them, it was sever depression and...and suicidal tendencies." Reggie couldn't look at either the Picard or Deanna when he said this. He knew all too well the looks of pity and horror, he didn't want to see them again. Doctor Crusher knew it already. She'd seen the scars he'd given himself. "I know others who died when the drug was taken away. There was a girl...Deirdre. When she died she was screaming until her heart exploded."
Doctor Crusher paled. "Her heart, it really exploded?"
"Yes. I believe it did." Reggie thought back and remembered hearing Deirdre's screams. It had seemed like she screamed for hours before the end finally came and death took her. "She'd pulled out most of her hair and tried to scratch off her own skin. I don't know what she was on, but several others had similar reactions. I was lucky, I guess." Then he looked back at Leon and wondered if his friend would live out the day. "Sir, I know this might sound odd, but is there any possibility of seeing that Leon can continue using the drug?"
He knew they were both looking at him with shock. "Lieutenant," Picard said sternly. "We can't allow anyone to be addicted to any drug, especially when it might cloud their judgment when on duty. This was a crime done to him as a child and I intend to see that he is cured."
"Better to live with this addiction than to die like this!" Reggie pointed furiously as Leon. "I told you, he doesn't want to be like this. If he could, he'd kill himself knowing that he'd spent the next sixty or so years like that!" Reggie knew he had almost no chance of convincing his captain, but tried anyway. "It's the drug, since he's started taking it, he can't focus. He can't distinguish between reality and his hallucinations."
"Wait, wait." Doctor Crusher interrupted. "Hallucination?"
"Leon has hallucinations. He thinks he sees things." Reggie hoped that when Leon woke up, if Leon woke up, that he wouldn't be angry for Reggie telling all his secrets. "It's strange, like he could see what was going on around, but he also saw other things, like superimposing an image over reality. I remember he kept looking for a person he called D. From what little Leon told me about his life before we met, he wasn't sure what was real. He could deal with it before Mr. Goti got a hold of him. Now, without the drug, he just kind of," Reggie looked back at Leon, still staring at the ceiling. "gets lost. He can't distinguish reality from his fantasy"
Doctor Crusher put a hand on Reggie's. "Go find the drug, Reg. Find it so I can bring him back."
Reggie looked back at Leon, mournfully. He didn't want Leon to die. That was paramount in his mind. Leon was the most important person in the world to him, he would do anything to keep Leon safe and happy. However, to live like this wasn't really living. Reggie knew he was right when he said that Leon would want this. If there was a chance, though...a chance that doctor Crusher could help...
"I'll go." Reggie stood up, reluctantly. "Please, don't let him die before I get back. I promised I wouldn't let him die alone." He paused at the door and looked over his shoulder at Picard. "In all honesty, you should have me locked up. I don't regret what I did and I'd do it again. You should also have me discharged from Starfleet. I'm just not reliable enough." Then he left, ignoring the guards following him.
Jean-Luc-
"You knew about this, didn't you?" Jean-Luc asked Beverly when Reggie had gone. He wasn't entirely heartless and seeing Reggie so deep in despair made him feel as if he should be doing something to help. Of course there was nothing he could do to help. That was much better left in the hands of Beverly and Deanna. Deanna was especially upset and looked as if she might actually cry.
"No, sir." Deanna said. "He never mentioned a word about it. I've failed him." She was clearly distraught and quickly changed the subject to the patient. "He's still conscious, Beverly. Right now he's very confused, but he's still in terrible pain. It's not as bad as it was when we first got him, but it's pretty bad. I don't think there's anything you can do for him, the pain's coming from his own mind."
"And you, Beverly?" Jean-Luc looked at his red haired friend. He hadn't missed how little she was shocked by Reggie's confession. She'd taken it all in very calmly and just asked him for the drugs. "What do you know?"
"Everything about Reg. I didn't know about ensign Barns. His first day here, Reg came to me and told me everything about his medical history. He has reason to fear for his health. He's suffered a lot because of those drugs." With her lips tight, she gave Leon some more pain medication. "Leon had good cause to be afraid. Of all the one hundred sixty two children that were found only about two dozen survived. It's very likely that ensign Barns will die, even if we reintroduced the drug into his system."
Jean-Luc clasped his hands behind his back. "There must be something you can do."
"If I can analyze the chemicals before he dies, then...maybe." Beverly scratched her head. "He's already had one stroke, though he was lucky and it was only a small one. His nervous system has taken quite the pounding and Deanna says his mind is in turmoil. The heart attack didn't help matters at all. I honestly don't know if I can do anything. Then again, he might just snap out of it. I really don't know." About a half an hour later Reggie walked back in, his hand clenched around something. Beverly told Jean-Luc, "It's going to be a waiting game."
Later-
Leon-
The pain faded away and Leon focused on the clean, white ceiling. He took a deep breath and it felt like clearing out his whole body. His fingers tingled when he wiggled them, but his mind was clear and he remembered everything.
Reggie was sleeping with his head on his crossed arms on Leon's bed. Bed? It wasn't his bed, this sickbay. When had he gone to sickbay? Oh, well. Leon sat up and paused to let his head stop spinning. Then, when he was feeling less shaky, Leon slipped out of the bed. He almost fell, but a strong hand caught his arm and held him steady.
"D?"
"Hush." D smiled, tearfully, at Leon and kept his arms around Leon. "We do not want to wake your friend. He has had a very long day." D's eyes sparkled in the near darkness. "If you are still tired, you can lay down again."
"No." Leon leaned on D a little. "I want to go home."
"Then, let us go. I am glad you are back."
"Me, too."
No one noticed them as they left sickbay, which was odd because there were lots of people around. Several nurses and even doctor Crusher passed them on her way out. No one really looked at them, though. Leon thought this was increasingly odd until the door slid open and counselor Troi walked in. She definitely noticed them. More to the point, she noticed D and it wasn't the nice sort of 'noticing' most people did.
Counselor Troi's mouth dropped open and her hands trembled at her side. "Who...who are you?"
D frowned. "Go to sleep."
For a moment, Leon thought she would obey. Her eyes dropped and she swayed, but then she recovered herself looking all the more frightened. "You shouldn't be here." Her eyes darted to Leon. "He's sick."
"He's MINE!" D's arm tightened around Leon.
Whatever happened next, Leon wasn't really sure. He blinked and counselor Troi was suddenly face down on the floor and D looked pleased with himself. "We have to hurry now." D urged Leon onward, but not before he cast his eyes around sickbay and suddenly, quietly, everyone fell asleep right where they stood.
"Why did you do that?" Leon asked. "She's not really a bad person. Reggie lies her."
"She would have stopped us, my lion. I won't risk that now. Not when I finally have you. She is not injured, merely asleep. I had to force her asleep, a simple command would not work. I suppose that is because of her mixed blood."
Leon let it go at that. He knew D was telling the truth. D wouldn't lie to him.
Petshop-
D-
Sitting together on the sofa made D feel more at peace than he had felt in a very long time. The smell of the unnatural chemical was almost entirely off of Leon's body. He still smelled not quite right and D could feel sickness still inside of Leon, but at least D knew Leon would live. The healing would be a long road, but D could already see the end. A few years, at most, if left to conventional means. That didn't mean that D wouldn't help it along.
D couldn't take his hands away from Leon. Though he tried not to paw at him overly much D's hand rarely left Leon's body and it wasn't just because he was pleased to find Leon, though that was a big part of it. With every touch, D caressed away a little of the sickness, driving it away easily. At this rate, Leon would be healed in just a very short while.
"I've been dreaming about you, D. I kept hearing your voice in dreams and they weren't dreams at all. They were memories. All these years I've been waiting for you and I didn't even know it. I thought you were just a dream and the meds destroyed all my memories." Leon's fingers weren't as rough as D remembered them. The callous' Leon had earned with his hard work as a detective were gone. D would have to get used to the sound touches. He'd been imagining Leon's coarse hands for years, but he could grow accustomed to this. It wasn't bad, just different. "Sorry it took me so long."
"Do you want me to answer your questions?" D offered. He would do what he had never done for Leon. He would frankly answer any question Leon put to him. There would be no more secrets.
"Later." Leon stroked the side of D's face and let his fingers trail down to D's high, stiff collar. "This is more important." He looked blissfully happy just looking at D. "I hated my life." Leon blurted out, unexpectedly. "When I was a kid, just a little brat, it was bad. I was always alone. I hated being alone and I never had a real home. There were...I could see animals as people. Was that the secret you were hiding from me all that time?" At D's guilty look, Leon chuckled. "It's all right. I knew when...er...when I died. I saw that damned goat boy and all your other animals turn into people. Or whatever they were." Leon's other hand reached up to touch D's hair. "All those dreams I used to have, I always thought...I always thought there might be something to it all. Like, maybe I wasn't crazy. Maybe, if I paid attention, it might start to mean something. I heard you in my dreams, but I never saw you. It was like you were hiding from me. I didn't understand."
D leaned towards Leon and pressed their lips together. Everything was perfect. If they could just stay like this and keep the rest of the universe away. D put his hands on Leon's face and hair, just as Leon was doing to D. "I understand. Your loneliness was like a gaping hole. An abyss inside of yourself which you could not escape from."
"I was missing a part of myself, however cliche that sounds. I was missing you." Leon trembled when D's fingers tickled their way down his throat and he felt the razor sharp nails on his collarbone. "I cried, when I was little. I cried, but I didn't know why. I can't even tell you how many times I woke up from nightmares I couldn't remember, crying like a baby. D, what happened after I was shot? I don't remember much. I closed my eyes and the pain was gone. I wasn't scared."
"Why should you be? Death is not something to fear. It simply...is." D smiled gently. "You did die, my lion. Chris was inconsolable and I had to put him into a deep sleep so he would not die before you were reborn. Your police department gave you a lovely funeral. Miss Jill tried to drink herself into oblivion at your loss. One of my dear pets was the phoenix and it chose to bring your soul back to me. She promised me that she would stay with you until we could be together again." D paused. He knew how selfish he'd been. Never mind that Leon had found whatever human paradise awaited the dead in the afterlife, he wanted Leon and, yes, he would deprive Leon of that paradise to quench his own grief. "Do you hate me for that? For wishing you back when you could have had your after life's paradise?"
"Without you, paradise would be Hell." Leon didn't know what else he could say to that. He didn't remember dying, but he felt guilty for it. There was so much starting to come back. He remembered how he felt when he saw D for the first time. Leon licked his lips. "D, I want..."
"Yes?"
"I want to stay with you. I won't ask forever, but...just tonight."
"Forever." Standing up with some regret because he had to part from Leon, D stepped towards the door that led to the rest of the petshop. "Please, if you wish, will you follow me?"
Leon-
Leon followed willingly. He didn't understand a lot of what was happening, but what he did understand was that he wasn't leaving. Not anymore. He'd lived a whole life without D and Leon didn't intend to do that again. He wouldn't be a coward again. He wouldn't cause D, Chris, or himself so much pain by being afraid of what might happen. All that mattered was that D made everything feel right.
"It was not all happiness with us, you know." D said softly as he showed Leon the way through the petshop. "Some of your memories are likely still foggy and I do not want you to be deceived. We had our...issues, as everyone does. We argued so much over the most foolish of things."
"Yeah." Leon did remember some of those silly yelling matches and how he had gloried every time he made D lose his composure. He used to love doing that. He'd do anything to see D get angry, just because he thought D looked cute like that. "But there were good times. Things I never want to forget. Things you showed me. It wasn't perfect, but it was close enough." Leon didn't say, but remembered nights he'd spent alone and the things he would do while thinking of D. He didn't say that D inspired all of his best dreams or that he'd had such dirty thoughts about D.
They came to D's bedroom, which Leon remembered, in a vague sort of way. He remembered seeing it in his childhood dreams and a few times in his memories of his other life. It was opulent and decorated with fine antiques. Leon didn't pay much attention to the décor as soon as D put his hands on the front of Leon's uniform. "Close the door, my lion. Tonight is for us." He pressed himself against Leon and Leon stiffened for a moment, a habit from his lifetime of not letting people get close to him. D didn't back away and Leon relaxed. D's hair smelled like lavender.
They sat on the edge of the bed together, both of them nervous and excited. It was a first for the both of them. Leon had never the interest or courage to let himself be with anyone so intimately. For a moment they just looked at each other, both of them knowing what they wanted and knowing the other wanted it, but having no idea how to start.
D put his hands up to his high collar and began to unfasten the frogs that held the two sides of his robe together.
"No." Leon said, suddenly. "Here. Let me." He reached out with shaking fingers and undid the little knots one by one until he had to get on his knees on the floor to undo the last of them. When he was done, D shrugged his robe off and was left in white, linen underclothes. Long, loose pants and a white shirt. D slipped the shirt off while Leon watched and was left in nothing but his trousers.
"Sit with me?" D took hold of Leon's arms and pulled him up.
Leon couldn't seem to take his eyes off D, but didn't know where to focus them. He was sure he'd never seen D so undressed before. The arms, the gentle curse of the collarbone. The color of his hair against his neck. Even in his dreams...or where they memories...D had always worn so much clothes. Leon began to undress himself while D watched.
When they were both undressed and Leon sat again, neither knew what to say. Nothing had to be said. D put his hand on Leon's shoulder and pulled him down onto the bed.
Leon and D lay together, side by side with a blanket covering them. Leon was sweaty and had a rather pleased look on his face and D looked a bit smug, himself. Leon stared up at the sheer fabric of the canopy of D's bed. He was cool and shivered slightly. It really happened. He'd just had mind-blowing sex with the most beautiful being in all of creation. He'd let D do things to him that he'd once been terrified to even think about. It had hurt, but Leon could live with it. He was sore, but very, very happy. There weren't words for what he felt.
Beside him, D lay with his eyes closed, laying on his side towards Leon. "Will you sleep here, tonight?" D whispered without opening his eyes.
"If it's okay with you." Leon brushed some hair away from D's ear. He loved that ear. The ear that always peeked out of D's hair.
"Silly question." D cuddled in closer to Leon and put his narrow arm over Leon's chest. "Forever, I said. I meant it."
Blissfully exhausted, they were both almost asleep when the bed shook and D yelped , his eyes going wide. Before Leon even had time to wonder what was going on thin little arms wrapped around his throat and squeezed tightly.
-Big brother!-
"Chris?" Leon pulled the little body away from him and he stared at the beaming Chris before drawing Chris back into his arms. Chris happily nuzzled into Leon. "Good to see ya, kid."
-I was afraid you wouldn't come back.- Chris crawled under the blankets between Leon and D, utterly blissful just to be with them. -You took so long, but it's all right. Everything's different now.- He looked at D. -Does he remember, yet?-
"Yes. Everything."
Tet-chan-
They were so happy together and Tet-chan backed away from the doorway. He'd meant to apologize to the Count for Chris' sudden interruption. At least he could be thankful that Chris hadn't tried to barge in any earlier. Instead, Tet-chan decided to save his apology for later. He couldn't bring himself to interrupt when the three of them looked so happy together.
"How surprisingly delicate of you, Tet."
"Leave it alone, Ten." Tet-chan closed the Count's door as quietly as he could and hoped that no one in the room would notice.
"He's right, though. You've changed, Tet."
Tet-chan turned around and faced his two companions. He should have known that they'd have followed him when Chris had run out of his bedroom as soon as Ten-chan had said that Leon was back. Leave it to Ten-chan to disrupt things. "Keep quiet, baby Pon."
"Hardly a baby, anymore." Ten-chan looked at Pon-chan appreciatively. She was as tall as he was, now. Her cute face had matured and she was inching closer to beautiful as she aged. Her figure wasn't as delicate as many of the pets, but she was developing lovely curves and her outfits only served to emphasize her best features. "Our little Pon's grown up before our eyes, Tet." He pushed himself away from the wall he was leaning on and slipped his arms around Tet-chan's next, grinning. "I'm glad you're back. How's your chest?"
As if she were thinking the same thing, Pon-chan moved up close to them and slid her little hand between them, running her fingers over the scars on his chest. "Looks like it hurt. Was it bad out there? Is this new, modern world so terrible?"
Tet-chan winced when she touched the still healing wounds and Pon-chan quickly moved away, switching her hands to hold his arm. "Not awful, really. Humans are still nothing but humans. They're the same as they've always been, just with bigger toys to amuse themselves with. Not terrible." He gave a twitchy shake of his head, shaking his shaggy hair around his face. "I'll be healed in a few hours, not a scar or anything, the master tells me. It was bad before, now it just aches a little."
"I read a poem, once." Ten-chan said, suddenly with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. His gaze shifted to Pon-chan for a moment and something passed between them. "It rather reminded me of you, Tet." He laced his fingers together behind Tet-chan's neck and began to pull Tet-chan away from the Count's door. Pon-chan, too. She was pulling his arm, though a bit more gently than Ten-chan was pulling his neck.
TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT
IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT,
WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE
COULD FRAME THY FEARFUL SYMMETRY?
"I'm not a tiger." Tet-chan protested, looking back at the closed door. He should wait for Chris to come back and make sure he got some breakfast. It was morning already and Chris never ate properly unless...
Ten-chan kept reciting, his voice locked in a steady rhythm, without breaking his gaze from Tet-chan.
IN WHAT DISTANT DEEPS OR SKIES
BURNT THE FIRE OF THINE EYES?
ON WHAT WINGS DARE HE ASPIRE?
WHAT THE HAND DARE SEIZE THE FIRE?
"But it fits you so well." Pon-chan said with twinkling eyes. "I can imagine you hunting in the forests of the night, your eyes burning with lust of the hunt." She ran her hand down his arm very slowly until she clasped his hand. "Who could have created such a creature as you? Terrible and tender, savage and compassionate."
Even while Pon-chan was speaking, Ten-chan went on with the poem.
AND WHAT SHOULDER AND WHAT ART
COULD TWIST THE SINEWS OF THY HEART?
AND WHEN THY HEART BEGAN TO BEAT,
WHAT DREAD HAND AND WHAT DREAD FEET?
Tet-chan stopped walking, digging his claws into the floor, though he knew the Count would be angry later. "What's this all about?!" He demanded.
"What do you think?" Pon-chan leaned down and kissed his cheek. "You spend too much time serving others, Tet. Let's go play."
WHAT THE HAMMER? WHAT THE CHAIN?
IN WHAT FURNACE WAS THY BRAIN?
WHAT THE ANVIL? WHAT DREAD GRASP
DARE ITS DEADLY TERRORS CLASP?
Tet-chan really looked at Pon-chan for the first time in a long time. She was taller than he was, but almost an inch. Ten-chan was right. She had grown up and he hadn't noticed. "I am proud to serve my master. I don't need your pity." Surely, that's what it must be. Did they pity him for giving up on D? Maybe they'd seen it in his eyes. Ten-chan must have, he was very insightful. After all this time, Tet-chan knew the Count would never love him as Tet-chan wanted to be loved. No, the Count had Leon for that. It wasn't just the Count, but Chris, too. The young human was very dear to Tet-chan. In some strange way, he reminded Tet-chan of his long dead sister. A certain innocence in his eyes, perhaps. Chris didn't need him now that Leon was back. They were a family and Tet-chan was just another pet.
WHEN THE STARS THREW DOWN THEIR SPEARS
AND WATER'D HEAVEN WITH THEIR TEARS,
DID HE SMILE HIS WORK TO SEE?
DID HE WHO MADE THE LAMB MAKE THEE?
Tet-chan looked sharply at Ten-chan when his voice took on an aggressive edge. Stars? Spears? Heaven? What was this about a lamb?
TIGER, TIGER, BURNING BRIGHT
IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT,
WHAT IMMORTAL HAND OR EYE
DARE FRAME THY FEARFUL SYMMETRY?
Ten-chan stopped and dipped his face close enough that Tet-chan could feel the kitsune's breath on his face. "You remind me of that poem, Tet. Fierce and wild. Who would dare to claim you?" His pink tongue darted out and licked Tet-chan's upper lip. "Let's go find someplace private, just the three of us."
Tet-chan's eyes widened. "Three of us?"
"Pon-chan's plenty old enough to be let in on the fun and they won't be coming out any time soon. No pity, Tet. It's just a little fun. Remember? We used to have fun together all the time. If there's any pity to be given, you should give it to poor Pon. She too afraid to even let Chris see her."
"All you have to do is wait, Pon-chan. You won't age much more and he'll grow up."
"Maybe." Pon-chan agreed. "But that will take years. In the meantime..."
Tet-chan didn't resist anymore. Certainly, Pon-chan was old enough to know her own mind and it seemed that they'd discussed this long before approaching him.
Sickbay-
Reggie-
When Reggie woke up, he immediately started to panic. Leon's bed was empty and there wasn't anyone around except a nurse who was giving counselor Troi something for her headache. From what they said, it seemed that she'd fallen and hit her head, though no one knew why she'd fallen. Everyone was muttering something about having fallen asleep.
Reggie ran to doctor Crusher's office, but it was empty and one of the on duty nurses told him that doctor Crusher had taken the rest of the night off for some sleep. She would be in her quarters.
"Well, where's Leon Barns?" Reggie demanded. "He can't be well enough to get up!" Doctor Crusher had managed to get a little information from studying the pills Reggie had found tucked under the mattress of Leon's bed. It hadn't been enough information, though. She'd given Leon a few treatments to ease his pain and some other symptoms, but he shouldn't have been well enough to just get up and leave.
It seemed to surprise the on duty nurse, too, because when he glanced at Leon's empty bed, his left eye twitched and he slapped his badge. "Doctor Crusher, emergency!"
Reggie just couldn't wait to hear anymore. He turned and ran for the door. There were only three places that Leon would go and two of them wouldn't have been very good hiding places. Everyone knew, by now, that he and Leon were close friends. If Leon chose to hide himself in Reggie's quarters, then Reggie would be shocked. Leon was too smart to do something like that. He certainly wasn't going to hide in his own quarters. There was always the possibility that he was still confused and didn't know where he was going or what he was doing. If that was the case, then Leon could be anywhere. No. Reggie had the very definite feeling that Leon was with Count D. In that case, Count D might not know that there was anything wrong with Leon and that might be dangerous for both of them.
"Where do you think you're going, Mr. Barclay?"
Reggie skid to a halt and couldn't help but try to swallow the hard lump in his throat at the sight of Picard standing in the now open doorway. He steeled himself. He was no longer in Starfleet and Picard wasn't his superior. They'd have him court-marshaled for certain after all this. "I'm off to find Leon. He wandered off when I fell asleep and no one here noticed." He tried very hard not to throw a dirty look at the nurses, doctors, and security guards who'd let this happen. "I think I know where he is and I'm going to retrieve him."
At that moment two security guards stepped into the doorway behind captain Picard. Reggie should have known that he'd be guarded. They wouldn't move unless the captain ordered them to. "Tell me where ensign Barns has gone and we'll have him brought back."
"Oh, no." Reggie shook his head. "I don't even know what state of mind he's in right now. Seeing a bunch of security guards right now might put him over the edge! I'm going. I don't know why you try to stop me. I've freely admitted that I abandoned my post in the middle of an attack. Disobeyed orders. It's not like I'm going to fight you on the charges. I can't exactly run away, even on a ship of this size." When the captain looked doubtful, Reggie threw up his hands. "Come along, if you like and bring them with you." He gestured behind Picard to the guards. "I don't care, but I have to make sure Leon's safe."
The captain raised a calm eyebrow. "Is this really worth your career, Mr. Barclay?"
"Leon is worth much more than my career. In case you hadn't noticed, I never was very good at being an officer. He, on the other hand, is a very good friend." He snorted. "I don't even know why you're asking. It's not as if I'm necessary to your ship."
"Everyone is important."
Reggie didn't let Picard finish. "Did you even notice I was gone?"
Picard had the grace to look ashamed and Reggie knew the answer. Not a single person had noticed his absence. He really was worthless on this ship. Picard stepped aside. "Lead the way then."
Though Reggie was nearly running down the halls as soon as Picard let him, it took a moment for it to register. That had gone very easily. He was so amazed that he had almost missed Picard's next question. The captain was struggling to keep pace with Reggie's long legs, but Reggie wasn't in the mood to slow down. "Fish?" They'd questioned him about it before and Reggie hadn't given Mellow away. He would just keep to his story, at least until he could find her.
"Yes, fish." The captain pressed, impatiently. "I'd like to know if you had anything to do with it. Lieutenant LaForge assures me you have the ability to create such a thing, but counselor Troi insists that you wouldn't do such a thing, especially without asking permission. I'd like your say in this matter."
Mellow. This was a far more serious matter than just dereliction of duty. Taking over the ship in a battle? That was very, very bad. What would they do to Mellow if they found her? Would they destroy her or take her apart to study her? She wasn't just a computer program, she was something more. "Sorry. I've already told lieutenant Worf, I don't know anything about a fish. A virus that could not only take full control of a starship, but win a battle doing so. That suggests artificial intelligence. I might be good, but I'm not that good."
"More than suggests it." Picard agreed. "But I have to know where the virus came from. It's lurking on the ship. Most likely in your quarters and I..."
Reggie slowed his pace and stopped, almost causing the security guard behind him to collide with him. They'd just rounded a corner and there, stepping out of Count D's quarters was Leon with his arm around the Count. They were both smiling and Leon looked far from being confused. He was alert and even laughed. Leon looked back at the open door of Count D's quarters and held out a hand. A little blonde boy joined them, taking Leon's hand.
"Oh, thank God." Reggie muttered, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders and he stopped running. Leon looked better than okay. It was a miracle, but he looked almost completely healed. There was even a bit of color back in his face. Reggie was going to call out to Leon when the unimaginable happened.
A woeful moan filled the corridor, so loud that everyone looked for the source, the wall just next to Leon, the Count, and the little boy. Reggie met Leon's eyes and he saw the worry. It was no wonder, a noise like that just wasn't normal on the Enterprise. Leon looked nervous and gave the Count a shove towards Reggie and the captain. Reggie heard Leon tell the Count, "Go on. I don't like this." He managed to put the palm of his hand on the Count's back and the back of the little boy's head. He gave them both just the tiniest of pushes, enough to send them just a few steps ahead of him.
The moan turned into a high pitched wail. Then, the wall exploded. The force of the explosion pushed the Count and the little boy forward, sending the little boy off his feet entirely and pushing the Count to the floor in a heap.
Leon was directly in the path of the explosion and he fell instantly in the blaze of plasma. It lasted only for a moment, but when it was over, Leon didn't move.
D-
"No!" D cried out, rushing to Leon's fallen body. He wanted to touch Leon, to comfort him, but Leon was so badly burnt that D was afraid any touch from him would only hurt Leon. Still, he easily picked up Leon's head and cradled it on his lap. Leon's heart was faint and far too erratic. D pressed his hand against Leon's chest, but felt a too familiar feeling creeping closer. Death. "Do not leave me." Tears were falling down his cheeks freely. "Not again, I can not bear it."
Leon couldn't open his eyes and it was probably a good thing. His face was torn to ribbons, his skin discolored. "D..."
D sat there for a moment, his head lowered. "Leon?"
No answer.
"My lion? Please..."
Leon was still.
When he realized, when he fully understood, the Count threw his head back and let out a howl of grief and anger. Count D looked down at Leon, his eyes were filled with such terrible rage that even Reggie hesitated going to Leon. The Count tore apart Leon's shirt, slicing through the material with his lethal fingernails. Leon's chest was horrible, a mass of blistering burns and blood where bits of the wall had cut, piercing him. There was blood everywhere and Reggie swayed.
Just like Deirdre...blood everywhere.
Reggie slumped, sliding down the wall until he was sitting on the floor.
Chris was curled up in a ball with his arms around his knees and rocking back and forth while he cried.
Reggie couldn't move. He listened rather numbly when Picard snapped orders into his badge, but he watched the Count. There was something wrong. The Count's face was twisted in anger and hate. "No. I refuse to let you go again." The Count put his hands on Leon's chest and closed his eyes. He was breathing hard and leaned forward to put his weight on his hands. "Come back to me. I need you." The tears coursing down the Count's face were painful to watch, but it was hopeless. "I need you, you can not leave me!" Very suddenly, the Count slashed at his hands, ripping them open, and began rubbing his bloody hands over Leon's chest. "It must work. It must." Feverishly, he covered Leon in his own blood, though what he was thinking, Leon didn't know. Perhaps he thought his blood could revive Leon.
Leon didn't react at all and it was obvious that he was dead. Reggie pressed the palms of his hands against his face to stop anyone from seeing his grief. How could it end like this? It wasn't fair. Leon had suffered so much in his life. Why did this have to happen just when things were starting to look up? Leon had snapped out of it on his own, against all hope. He'd found the love of his life and he was happier than Reggie had ever seen him. He couldn't just die.
"Please," Picard moved to the Count's side and attempted to put a hand on his shoulder. "I've called for a doctor, but..."
Count D raised his face to Picard's and gave him a hateful look. "This is your fault!"
Ten Forward-
Guinan-
Guinan glared at Q, suspiciously. "Was that your doing?"
"Why would I waste my time?"
"You didn't like him being here anymore than I did. Did you kill that poor human just...."
"Just to spite the Earth Kami?" Q asked with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you knew me better. I wouldn't waste my time or power on something so petty. That man was just one human. He was unimportant and I was perfectly happy to let them all leave. No, that was...just an accident. Something was damaged during the battle. The ship's crew just hadn't gotten around to repairing it, yet." There was a strange sincerity in Q's voice. It was almost as if he regretted what had happened. Almost.
It was then that Guinan and Q felt the surge of power. It was so terrible that it left Guinan's lips numb and her whole body tingling. "Oh, no..."
Even Q looked worried and that wasn't a look Guinan often saw on his face. "This isn't good."
Reggie-
Picard was taken aback by the sound of the Count's voice, it just wasn't human. Not even remotely human. The Count's voice echoed strangely, vibrating and shaking anyone who heard it to the core. His golden eyes was glowing, but the purple eye was like a dark pit and it was terrifying to behold. Picard stepped away from the Count, wisely afraid yet holding onto his dignity by not running away and keeping his eyes on the Count.
"This is your fault. You killed my Leon." The Count pulled his hands away from Leon and Reggie saw that his fair hands were dripping with blood. His lips were curled back away from his teeth, bared like an animal's.
"It was an accident." Picard tried to say.
"Accident?!" The Count screeched, he put his hands to the sides of his head, leaving bloody hand prints on each side of his head. "You killed him!"
Picard grabbed his chest and gasped in pain.
Reggie felt like there was fire boiling in his veins, the fire spilling into his heart and brain. There were cries behind him and Reggie understood that the same thing was happening to the guards.
The Count bit at his words, spitting them out as if they tasted foul. "I will destroy this ship and all life on it. You will pay for Leon's death. The most precious of all creatures...he was mine. He was all I wanted. You will all die and I will make you suffer."
Picard managed to protest, though Reggie didn't know how he found the strength. "You can't..."
"You dare forbid me?!" It only enraged the Count more. "Arrogant, destructive humans. I should have listened to papa and let you all die. What was I thinking? You kill and kill and kill and now you've taken him away." There was a fresh surge of pain and Reggie was sure he would black out. Even Picard was now on the floor, his eyes rolling from the pain. "Die," The Count shrieked. "You'll all die!"
The little blonde boy was staring at the Count in horror with tears still in his eyes. However, he didn't seem to feel any pain at all. The child reached out his hand to the Count, but recoiled, as if burned.
Q was there, then, and he seized the child by the back of the neck. "If you break my toys, I'll break yours." He wasn't afraid and when he spoke, he gripped the boy's throat harder.
The Count turned on him in all his anger, but it didn't impress Q, though he did seem cautious. "Release my child."
Q sniffed. "Your child? Funny. I could swear he's human."
"Let him go!"
"Or what?" Q mockingly moved the little boy in front of him and shifted his hands to the boy's shoulders. "Do you think you have the power to battle me in my own territory? You know my power is greater than yours, especially here." Q's expression hardened. "You release your hold on the humans of this ship. I warned you not to touch my pets. Up until now I've been a gracious host, but I won't suffer this! You let them go!"
The Count's hands were like claws and he looked as if he wanted to attack. "They deserve punishment."
"You will stop or I will send this child into the Void and he will die. You will not be able to rescue him and I'll make you watch him die. You know I'm not joking. I don't claim him as mine, so I really don't care what happens to him. One by one, I will take your darling pets and I'll send them into the Void. You might not care about the rest of them, but will you let this child go?" Q gave the boy a little shake and the boy started crying again.
"You have all of the Void, you don't need these people."
"I want them and that's enough. I won't say it again. Calm yourself down and release the humans!"
It seemed like forever until the pain began to recede and Reggie was able to breathe properly again. He saw Picard start to pick himself up, but pause when he realized Q was with them and paying no attention to anyone but Count D.
Q didn't appear to notice Picard, either, but kept speaking to the Count. "You know what will happen if you take this ship from me. Will you start a war? I will destroy you if you hurt my pets. Then your kind will come against me and my kind. Sides will be chosen. How many worlds will pay for that one's death?" He pointed to Leon's corpse. "Was your human so cruel that he would want countless beings to die for his memory?"
Count D lowered his hands all together and the pain vanished as if it had never been.
"Good." Q gave the boy a push, propelling him into the Count's arms where the Count engulfed him in the billowing folds of his robe, protectively. All the while he glared at Q. "I expect you off my ship." Q said. "Gather your things and leave. I won't have you back on this ship." Q glanced at the small audience for the first time and waved a hand, negligently. "Forget."
The Count staring at the empty corridor and Reggie had the feeling that he'd just forgotten something important. Why was the Count standing? Hadn't he just been kneeling at Leon's side, crying? Why was Picard on the floor?
The Count ignored everything, but turned back to Leon's body. He broke down, falling to his knees he wailed, his heart torn away from him. Count D sobbed wildly, his hands clutching at Leon as he pressed his forehead against Leon's.
Reggie felt sick. He didn't want to watch this, it was too personal. Reggie had the feeling that he had looked that way when Deirdre had died.
Picard moved to reach for the Count, but Reggie grabbed his arm and pulled him back, shaking his head. Best to let the Count and the child alone for a while. The heartbreak was too fresh to be interfered with. Thankfully, Picard accepted Reggie's unspoken plea and backed off. Picard went back to the guards and, though Reggie was sure Picard was doing something important, he really couldn't care. Instead, Reggie stayed where he was and watched the little family mourn. He cried for Leon, out of pain, but deprived of a happy future. Reggie also cried for himself.
Now, he really was truly alone.
Epilogue-
Not two days later, orbiting Earth, Reggie sat in the living room of Count D's quarters with a single tattered suitcase on the floor between their feet. Reggie had finished his own packing earlier and they would leave for Earth at the same time, on the same shuttlecraft. There would be a formal court marshal, though Picard had said he would speak for Reggie in court. The sentence would be light, if there was any sentence at all. Reggie had been looking for his friend and was out of his mind with worry. Temporary insanity would be an honest plea.
"I'll return Mellow, if you like." Reggie offered, reluctantly. He couldn't help but feel that the Count needed all the support he could find and Mellow was such an understanding woman. Woman? Well...sort of. Reggie had begun to think of her as a woman in the last couple of days. "The rest of the crew was never able to track her, so she's safe. I've repaired all the damage done to her."
"No." The Count said, quietly. "Please, keep her. She will be happy to stay with you. I think Mellow will be able to help you and she will be far happier with you than she would be confined to my ancient little computer." He had been very quiet ever since Leon's death, though that wasn't surprising. He still smiled, but the smile was fake. "Besides, I will not be able to repair her if she is hurt again."
"Thank you." Reggie had grown very fond of Mellow. She was ready to go to Earth with him and Reggie was happy to have her. "What will you do now?" Reggie asked the Count. He was no longer dressed in the Starfleet uniform, but in civilian clothes. It felt like such a long time since he'd worn normal clothes that Reggie felt a little awkward. He also felt strangely liberated.
D didn't spare Reggie a glance. "I will find my younger brother. I have not seen him in a very long while. It will be good for Chris to be on Earth again. I do not like him being in such a dangerous place as this." He sounded much cooler than the last time Reggie had met him. He still smiled, but it was a stiff smile, like a mask. "I want to thank you again for all that you have mean to Leon. He cared for you a great deal."
"That's not what I mean."
"You speak of my lion. What will I do, now that he's gone? I will wait for him."
"But, he died." Reggie was ready to pity the Count. It seemed so obvious that the Count's grief had driven him to believe that Leon could return from the dead. Seeing the Count so strong in the face of what he'd lost, pity seemed entirely inappropriate.
"Yet, he may return. I am prepared to wait for eternity. Love is eternal, I have heard said. How long love will last is up to those involved. I chose eternity. He is worth eternity, you see. Time is such a trivial matter. I can wait. I am taking his body to Earth. He will want to be buried on Earth. You are invited to his memorial, naturally. He would have wish it."
"What about Chris? Will he be all right?" Reggie still didn't entirely understand the little boy's relationship to Leon, though they looked incredibly alike. It was impossible that Leon was his father, Leon would have been locked in the Home when Chris was born. All Reggie knew for certain was that the Count was Chris' guardian and that Chris had cried just as bitterly as the Count had when Leon had died.
"Chris will stay with me until he grows up." D looked to where Chris sat on a Starfleet issued couch, looking out despondently at the stars. "I worry for him; this will be a hard time. He must live, this time." Now what did that mean? "Leon would wish it. There are things on Earth that I wish to take care of."
Reggie shivered at the Count's sweet smile combined with his menacing tone. He wondered what sort of business the Count had to take care of.
The remains of doctor Brannon Goti were found shortly after the USS Enterprise returned to Earth, torn to shreds. There was very little left of the man, save some clothes and bits of bone. No conclusive evidence was ever found to prove what, exactly, had killed doctor Goti. Some theorize that it was a large predator and that the predator had eaten doctor Goti. Others, however, argue that any creature large enough to do that kind of damage wouldn't have been able to so quietly get into doctor Goti's office without being seen.
In unrelated news, Reginald Barclay, a former Starfleet lieutenant engineer, was seen roaring drunk, dancing naked in the streets of San Francisco, California while singing, "Ding dong, the witch is dead."
The end
THE TIGER is a poem by William Blake, a favorite of mine.