85Jinx: Well, this is the final chapter that Vincent is with Dominic. It's a little different, but I hope you like it, regardless.
I'll dedicate this one to Jay, because I love him ^^ and I haven't had the chance to talk to him in so long.
^ ^ ^
Vincent didn't make it far down the hall before he ran straight into Dominic, who grabbed the child's shoulders and held him back at arm's length, studying his expression. His eyes were cold, but he had tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Child?" the older man asked, looking for the slightest hint of emotion in the child's eyes. It was slightly creepy, even for a man like Dominic, to look see someone crying yet not be able to detect any emotion in that same person's eyes. "What is the matter?"
Dominic, knowing that Vincent had to have just come from the hospital wing, led the child back, thinking that whatever had made him upset was probably there. He was almost willing to bet his life that it had been that smart- mouthed soldier the child had worked so hard to protect. And if it was, Dominic was quite willing to rip him apart.
When they stepped back inside of the hospital, Jesse was telling Benjamin off for treating Vincent like crap, while the others just stood there, staring in awe. After he was done, Jesse turned around to leave, but jumped back when he saw Dominic and Vincent standing there together.
"That was fast," he managed to say through his shock.
"Dominic caught me while I was leaving," Vincent said scornfully. "He brought me back here."
"That would be because I am assuming that whatever was causing you pain came from this room. And I am quite willing to bet that it was that one over there." Dominic pointed to Ben, who glared at him in return. Seeing the man and Vincent so close together, he was quite willing to bet that he had been right in his previous assumption that his former lover was a bit treacherous.
Vincent made no reply; he merely looked up at Dominic with one of those knowing expressions on his face. "Let me take a wild guess that you are psychic as well."
Dominic only smiled. "Not exactly. But being around psychics so much, one does tend to learn the tricks of the trade. If you haven't noticed, most psychics don't just read people's minds for the fun of it, they do it if they are suspicious or curious of something. I just used logic in place of psychic power."
The little blonde rolled his eyes and looked away. "Explain to me why I don't believe you, even though your logic is quite correct?"
Dominic smiled. "It's too precise. And you're right not to trust me. I was lying. Besides, where do you think you got your power from?"
Benjamin growled. "And you wonder why I thought you were just playing us, Vincent? You're a fucking two-faced liar."
Vincent ignored Ben, and turned to look at Dominic with one of his many demanding facial expressions. "Well, I am your child, aren't I?" he said.
Dominic raised his eyebrows. "That didn't sound like a question, little one."
"Oh, it wasn't," the little blonde said. "I was just finding it strange how we are both psychic, look exactly alike, save that I am younger, and have similar personas, and yet I am supposedly the child of another. Another whom you supposedly killed, Dominic . . ."
"And this has what to do with the reason I brought you back here?"
"Absolutely nothing, to be honest." Vincent said. "I was just making a point to these soldiers before they left."
"They're leaving?" Dominic asked with a hint of amusement. "Already?"
"Yes, I wish to have these soldiers removed from this place immediately, lest I change my mind about keeping them safe and have each and every one of them tortured slowly to death." Vincent's eyes were locked directly on Benjamin's as he said this, and the look in his eyes was so deadly that, as far away as he was, Ben backed up a couple of steps.
Dominic smiled at his son. He liked the boy all the more by the minute. "I see you're quite serious about this. I myself would much rather watch them die, however, we did make a deal. You join me and I spare their lives, therefore, they will be escorted out of here immediately."
Vincent turned to leave.
"Child, you amaze me. So how long did it take you to figure out who I really am?"
"Meaning how long did it take me to figure out that you are psychic, or that you are my father?"
"Both."
"When you almost cocked the gun and killed Anthony Cappucci, eleven years ago. I noticed that the trigger never went all the way back, and no bullet exited the gun, thus making the whole ordeal a hoax. Cappucci must have wanted to forfeit his normal life and go all-out for the bad side, am I right? But he decided to make it look like he was dead so he didn't ruin his good name." Vincent looked curiously at Dominic. "However, my point was that you really wanted to kill him. I was rather curious as to the reason why you had so mercilessly killed all of the others, none of which you wanted to harm, yet let live the one you hated the most. So I used my power to search your mind, and in doing that, I found that you were psychic as well. You wanted me to know."
Dominic smiled sadly. "Yes, that I did."
Vincent studied Dominic carefully. He wasn't sure how the man had gotten that out of him. Even in all the years that he had lived with Richard, he had never told the man that his best friend was a fraud, and that the man had never died. He allowed society to think that he was the child of a nobleman, allowed them to believe the lie that Anthony Cappucci had set up.
In all honesty, he just really didn't want to face the truth, but inevitably, he knew that someday he would have to. Thus he distanced himself from everyone, and anyone who made an attempt to befriend him or to get into his head ended up hurt. Even Jon and Richard were kept on the down low. Tohma he wasn't sure about. That man always had a way of getting into his head, which was probably the one thing he hated above all others.
"Oh, and another thing I suppose I should address to you as well as these soldiers is that you are not the head of this organization. There are many above you, dictating your every move and yet making it seem as if you are the only one. There are others, many of them, but they are not all under you."
"You figured that out, then? I thought you would, not that it bothers me that you know. I am quite pleased that you are so intelligent."
Vincent ignored all of the shocked looks he was getting from just about everyone in the room. "I am leaving now. I suppose I will see you later, Dominic."
^ ^ ^
Vincent went straight back to Dominic's room, not really knowing if he wanted the man to follow him there or not. It was like his room back home in the fact that it was like his safe haven; it was where he went when he felt he could no longer endure the company of humans.
Back when he was at home, Richard would come in periodically to check on him, making sure he was all right. Richard treated Vincent as if he were his own son, never making it seem as if he weren't. The blonde absently wondered what Dominic would do when he found him curled up in his bed; if he would do anything at all. Dominic was his father, but he had never acted like it . . . would he start now?
Now that he really thought about it, he hadn't been all that great of a son to Richard. Even though the man treated him in such high esteem, he had never once been totally open with the man or explained what he really felt inside. He usually just hid it and moved on, leaving the man disheveled and confused. Now he felt kind of bad for that . . .
Vincent collapsed on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately. His head still hurt a bit from the previous night anyway, and chasing away the pain was exhausting, so he allowed himself to sleep while the pain subsided.
When he awoke, Dominic was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him. His hand was in the blonde's hair, running through the soft, silky golden strands. "They are gone now," he whispered.
Vincent sat up slowly and scooted himself close to Dominic. He laid his head on the man's shoulder. "Am I to trust you and just believe that they are truly safe?"
"They are," Dominic said reassuringly. "You will see so yourself in a couple of days when we go and negotiate a ceasefire with the government."
Vincent looked up. "A ceasefire? So soon?"
Dominic nodded. "Yes. Apparently that is what those above me want. But I am willing to bet that the whole thing is simply deception, as we are good for that sort of thing. They probably want the government to let down its guard before they attack with full force, which, even if the whole world was ready for the attack, none could survive it. 75% of their men are ours anyway, plus another 30% that they don't even know exist. That leaves them nothing to defend themselves. Even their best weapons could not make a dent."
The young blonde took a deep breath and sighed. "We are going to a military base to negotiate, do I assume correctly?"
"Yes."
"They will surely know who I am, Dominic. Won't they take me away?" Vincent looked curiously at the man. "Or is that what you want?"
"They would be stupid not to know who you are, my son. However, I am not so willing to give you up. That is not the reason I am taking you there." Dominic leaned in close to Vincent, placing a kiss on the young blonde's forehead. He whispered, "But I do believe that by showing you to them, they will at least make an attempt at trying to end this charade of men that think they are so above everyone, even God, that they tear families apart like this, all for the sake of keeping a good name," into his ear.
Vincent really didn't know what to think, or if he should have believed a word that Dominic had said to him. "And after all this time of you being so abusive . . . why come off so kindhearted now?"
"Because I cared nothing for you then. The most I had toward you was the anger that someone took away what was mine, and once I had you in my possession, I simply wanted to cause you pain for what others did to me. Now . . . no matter how hard I try to tell myself that you mean nothing, I find myself strangely attracted to you, and wishing now that things could have been different. I do not know if I would have made a good father, but I do not think I could have screwed up that badly, not when I find myself loving you so much."
"You love me?" Vincent whispered, looking at Dominic in half-disbelief. The older man wrapped his arms around the blonde and held him tightly to his chest.
"I love you."
As wrong as it felt, Vincent said nothing to the proclamation. He felt a tugging in his throat to say something, but found that he had nothing to say to the man. After distancing himself from people for so long, he understood that getting close to someone for him was near impossible. Ben had almost broken through his barrier walls, but not even he could really make much of a dent. Only Richard was able to do that. And even with weakened walls, nothing really got through to him.
Dominic looked down at Vincent with hurt eyes, searching the little one's face for any hint of emotion, finding only slight disbelief and confusion.
"I see," he said. "And I understand why you would not believe me, after all I've done. Irregardless, I do love you, and one day you will come to realize that I am telling the truth."
^ ^ ^
Jesse was avoiding Damien like the plague, and had taken to staying in Dominic's room, practically glued to Vincent's side. Levi had joined them too, followed by Margo, both of whom Vincent had brought in. Dominic thought the whole situation rather amusing, and made no protest to all of the extra bodies in his room. He had taking a liking to Margo; a man that he had scarcely noticed in the past, despite the fact that he too was psychic.
Margo at first was afraid to go near Vincent, remembering what had happened the last time he had so much as touched the boy. But after only a couple of hours of this, Vincent got annoyed and jumped into the young man's lap, demanding he stop his foolishness. Margo agreed, but the blonde could tell he was still afraid.
Thus he decided to visit Damien, who wasn't too thrilled when he opened the door of his study to see the little child in front of him, his arms crossed, wanting to talk.
"You do know you made a mistake, do you not?" Vincent asked in a professional-like voice.
"That I did, but I will make no apologies." Damien turned his back on Vincent as he let the child into his study. "I didn't care much for Margo anyway."
"What about Jesse, or Levi? Or your life, Damien, do you care for that?"
Damien spun around and glared at the child. "Are you threatening me? Do you honestly think that you are strong enough to take away human life?"
"I know not," Vincent answered. "But I'm going to test that out on you."
Damien smirked. "Your bullshit won't work with me."
"Goodbye Damien," Vincent whispered, closing his eyes, picturing the man lying on the floor before him, blood spilling from every orifice of his body. When he opened his eyes the man was before him in the same position as he had pictured, screaming in pain. "Any last requests?"
"Stop," Damien whispered, reaching out for Vincent, who stepped back. Every portion of the man's body was as cold as ice and feeling as if he had spent three years under a frozen pond. The coldness didn't feel right to him at all . . . every psychic that he had found in the entire world had powers that burned like fire, not ice. It wasn't right. Something was terribly wrong . . .
"Why should I?" Vincent asked, staring at the man on the ground in disgust. "You didn't stop when Margo asked you to. You just continued hurting him, not caring that you knew he wasn't guilty after you started, because no psychic in that amount of pain would have been able to prevent you from seeing into their mind."
"Please, Vincent." Damien curled his body up into a ball, despite how much he screamed in agony as he did so. He was trying so desperately to get at least a little bit of warmth in his body . . . it was so cold . . .
"Please what?" Vincent asked edgily. "You could have let him explain. I was in no real danger, and you knew that. Your powers are strong enough to see into things like that. But you didn't have the patience for that, did you? If I am to let you live, you better take that as a lesson. You allowed yourself to be blinded by rage, Damien, and that will only get you killed, battlefield or not."
Damien's breathing started to become heavier and his whole body was shaking from the cold around him. He knew that Vincent must have felt it too, because everything else in the room that he touched was just as cold as he felt. Even the blood that ran from his nose and mouth was icy cold, as was the floor he lay on.
The man, having the highest tolerance of pain in the organization, or so it seemed, reached out and grabbed a hold of Vincent's ankle, shocked to find that the boy was the only thing in the room that gave off heat.
"You'll die if I keep this up much longer, you know that? Just let me tell you know, if you had hurt the person who had truly caused my pain in the way that you hurt Margo, this pain would seem like a feather-light touch compared to what I'd have put you through. And I would never have let you die, Damien. Just imagine something one million times worse than this for eternity, maybe that will teach you to use your head."
The boy turned and left, leaving the man on the floor, barely clinging to life.
^ ^ ^
When Vincent arrived back in Dominic's room, his first words were, "You might want to send someone to Damien's study to pick his body off the floor before he dies." He then took a seat on the bed and let himself fall backwards onto it.
"What did you do?" Dominic asked angrily, glaring at his son. Infuriated as he was at his psychic, he knew it wasn't Vincent's place to distribute retribution for deeds done under his precinct.
"I taught him a lesson of perception . . . meaning that I taught him that allowing yourself to be consumed by rage would only lead to your own demise, especially on the battlefield. Better that he learned it here and not there, otherwise he would never have survived."
Dominic studied the child, unsure of what to say. He hadn't actually had time to sit down and think of an explanation like that, not that he would have thought of it regardless. As he saw it, Damien had harmed Margo, and he would be punished for that, not for failing to use his head rather than letting himself be overruled by temper. "You are quite ruthless, little one."
"He hurt Margo," Vincent said. "That is enough to make me kill him. However, I know that Margo would not have wanted that, and thus I restrained just enough to make it so that he would survive. He needs only a little medical attention to get back on his feet. But he needs that attention now, Dominic."
The older male nodded and went into the other room to send the message, while Levi, Margo, and Jesse stared at Vincent as if he were insane.
^ ^ ^
Vincent went back to the hospital wing somewhat reluctantly after he heard that the doctors could do nothing to warm the man, whose fate was that he would now freeze to death, regardless of what anyone did to try to stop it. But after being down in that portion of the castle so many times in one day only to see the his lover, who now hated him more than any other person alive, he wasn't very thrilled with the idea that he should go down and at least attempt to help Damien.
Though the idea was his own, he wasn't sure whether or not the man even deserved to be helped. But then again, who was he to judge, and Margo seemed to have forgiven him somewhat, as he had been down only hours before to talk to the man and had come back crying that he didn't want him to die.
So Vincent reasoned with himself that because he was the cause of the man's fate, he could at least attempt to reverse it, however much sense that made.
"Good evening, Damien," the young blonde said in a cold drawling voice. He laid his hand on the man's forehead, feeling the coldness of it. "Warm, no?"
Damien flinched at the touch, but didn't try to jerk away.
"Margo came down here earlier, did he not?" Vincent continued, seeing the man nod slightly. "Interestingly enough, he came back crying that he wanted you to live. It seems illogical, doesn't it, that I hurt you for causing Margo pain and yet by hurting you I only caused him more?"
Damien just stared, not sure what the child was getting at.
"Close your eyes for me, and let your body relax, otherwise it won't work. You have to let us connect."
The black-haired man swallowed and closed his eyes, trying his best to relax while his body shivered unbearably from the coldness that circulated throughout his veins. But after only a couple of seconds of the child touching him, he started to feel warm again, and though achy, he was undeniably grateful.
Vincent kept his hand on Damien's forehead for a few minutes, hoping that this new mind trick of his would work while so many had failed in the past. But after only six or seven minutes, he felt the black-haired man's hand over his and looked down to see the puzzled look of his "ally."
"It took me only a moment to realize that, had you really been my enemy, I wouldn't have toyed with you so. I would have just flat-out killed you, no questions asked. But as much as I was hurting you, I realized that I'd rather have hurt myself. Angered as I was that you raped Margo like that . . ."
"Vincent," Damien interrupted. "I know. You allowed me to see into your mind while you were trying to freeze me to death. I saw how hurt you were that I did that, and I'm sorry. I told Margo that."
"I'm glad that you're sorry, Damien, but I am not, and you know it."
"You have no reason to be. I deserved what I got, but you must keep in mind that I was that angered with Margo only because I thought he had harmed you. God, I don't think I would have gotten that mad even if Margo had hurt Jesse. There was something about the way you were close to him that didn't allow me to think rationally about the situation. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you and Jesse had to see that, and I'm really sorry that Margo had to endure it."
Vincent gave the man a half-smile. "Maybe. Come, you'll bed with me tonight, seeing as everyone else is already bedding in mine and Dominic's room anyway. You'd be lonely in your own room."
"And you think I wasn't before?"
^ ^ ^
When Vincent reappeared with Damien, even Dominic was shocked to see the man alive, let alone moving. He was slightly curious as to how the man was brave enough to go near Vincent, after the boy showed what he was capable of doing. But then again, when it came to Vincent, nothing really surprised him anymore. The kid was just too chalk-full of surprises.
When Jesse saw Damien, his first reaction was to move away as quickly as possible, but seeing Vincent so close to the man, he calmed a little. If worse came to worse, Vincent could just give him a little taste of ice and he'd calm right down anyway, right?
"Hey," Jesse said quietly, being careful not to wake Levi, who had fallen asleep shortly after supper. The redhead had chased him halfway around the castle to get him to dinner on time, and even he was slightly worn out from the escapade.
"Jesse," Damien replied, reaching a hand out slowly and laying it on the boy's shoulder. After a second, he pulled the redhead into a hug and held him tightly.
Margo stood a couple of feet away, smiling. "Damien," he said softly, fear evident in his voice.
"Don't worry," Damien said, resting his chin on Jesse's head. "I won't come near you yet. I know what I've done and I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do to take it back."
^ ^ ^
A couple of days later, when everything was somewhat settled between Margo and Damien, Dominic announced that today was the day that they were scheduled to negotiated a ceasefire with the government.
^ ^ ^
As Dominic, Vincent, Damien, Margo, and Jesse walked down the halls of the army base, Vincent by Dominic's side, though the man had repeatedly told him to walk at least ONE step behind him, and Damien, Margo, and Jesse were all together in a little group behind the duo.
Vincent was slightly worried, because he had a bad premonition about this whole ordeal, but he said nothing. He merely wished that they had brought the child, Levi, with them; he had a feeling that none where going back.
When they entered the conference room, there were an overwhelming number of high-ranking soldiers sitting at a long table, all looking up expectantly when they saw Dominic and his five guests enter the room.
Vincent automatically recognized three of them- they were the soldiers that he had sent home not long before. Even Benjamin was there, much to the blonde's distaste.
Dominic took the seat that was offered to him, and sat down, motioning for Vincent to sit beside him. Though the blonde could see the motion out of the corner of his eye, his eyes were locked on those of Karl Spencer's. He had been the man to hold him in the hospital wing only a few nights ago when Margo had been raped.
"Evening, gentleman," Dominic said very civilly. He opened his briefcase and pulled out some documents, handing them over to someone across from him. "I do believe that you will find the terms much to your liking."
"You're surrendering?" the man asked with a hint of disbelief.
"I doubt they really are," Vincent said, knowing that he was speaking much out of turn. All eyes were on him now, studying him. "They are cowards, to send someone so low to you. Do you not find it insulting to have one of the lowest of their top-ranking individuals sent to you?"
"What do you mean?" Karl Spencer asked, looking at Vincent as if trying to tell him that he really wanted to believe him.
"I mean that Dominic isn't at the top of this organization, and he is definitely not the one who calls the shots. There are those about him who do that for him, making him do all the dirty work and making it seem as if he is the only one doing it. Anthony Cappucci is one of them."
"Anthony Cappucci is dead," a soldier said in a low voice.
"No, he is not," Vincent replied, looking the soldier directly in the eyes. "You do remember the story of how he died, do you not? About how Dominic put the gun into the hands of his bastard son and made the boy shoot each and every one of his family members, yet did not kill the boy when he finished. He took the child with him."
"What about it Vincent?" Karl asked.
"THINK about it! You all know I am Vincent Callahan, correct? Well, who is Vincent Callahan but the godson of Richard Callahan, who was appointed godfather by Anthony Cappucci? I am the child who supposedly killed Cappucci's wife and kids, and he himself. But Dominic never pulled the trigger all of the way, and Cappucci never died. Check his records if you will, I have, and even THEY say he is still alive."
"Irregardless, what does this have to do with anything?" another soldier asked.
"Cappucci is one of the top men in the organization. I was merely leaving you that hint. Dominic is only following orders to give this so-called negotiation, and even HE thinks it's a lie."
"What do you want us to do, then?" Karl asked, his eyes still locked on Vincent's.
[Sign the agreement, but get your troops ready for the an apocalypse. They're waiting to catch you off guard.] Vincent said telepathically to Karl and the other soldiers, clearly letting them see that his lips were not moving.
Karl looked slightly frightened.
"Just do it, okay?" Vincent said, dropping his formal tone. "Please."
One of the soldiers stood up. "I've had about enough of this game." He pulled a gun and pointed it at Dominic. "Whatever trick you have up your sleeve, you had better spill it!"
"I have none," Dominic said patiently, reminding Vincent of Richard.
"Bullshit!" the soldier spat. And before any of the other soldiers could stop him, he cocked the gun and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet right through Dominic's head. "There's only one way to deal with scum like him," he said, sticking his gun back in its holster.
^ ^ ^
New blood joins this earth/and quickly he's subdued/Through constant pain, disgrace/The young boy learns their rules/With time the child draws in/This whipping boy done wrong/Deprived of all his thoughts/The young man struggles on and on he's known/A vow unto his own/That never from this day/His will they'll take away
What I've felt/What I've known/Never shined through in what I've shown/Never be/Never see/Won't see what might have been/What I've felt/What I've known/Never shined through in what I've shown/Never free/Never me/So I dub thee unforgiven
They dedicate their lives/To running all of his/He's tries to please them all/This bitter man he is/Throughout his life the same/He's battled constantly/This fight he cannot win/A tired man they see no longer cares/The old man then prepares to die regretfully/That old man here is me
What I've felt/What I've known/Never shine through in what I've shown/Never be/Never see/Won't see what might have been/What I've felt what I've known/Never shined through in what I've shown/Never free/Never me/So I dun thee unforgiven
You labeled me/I'll label you/So I dun thee unforgiven
(Metallica- The Unforgiven)
^ ^ ^
((There's nothing you can do to avoid what you are born into, and it just so happens that Dominic, being born in the Angel family, could not prevent being born into the "underworld" as they call it. Being born low, he was taught at a young age that he was to do whatever he was told, lest he wanted to suffer the consequences. But even so, he was never one to listen to what he was told. He took a lot of risks to avoid doing the things he thought were wrong.
((And in the end, he took an ultimate risk, and died for it. He let me tell everyone the truth, which was something that those above him wanted to hide desperately. They aren't ready to come out yet.
((It's funny, though, that even though he took that risk, it wasn't the reason he died. The reason he died was because of a man's impatience. It makes me wonder, really. Murdering the murderer makes you a murderer, does it not? But then by that logic, you must killed too, as well as the one who kills you. And if that is the case, then shouldn't we all be dead?
((I'm so confused . . . ))
-Vincent-
^ ^ ^
Jinx: Oh, I got something for you Jadis: It's a song by Dope, and it's called "Bitch."
The chorus is:
The one I love I hate/But the sex is great/The one I love I hate/So I contemplate/The one I love I hate/But the sex is great/The one I love I hate/And I could suffocate/The one I love I hate/But the sex is great/You know I love to hate you/Bitch
Doesn't that just sound like our relationship? It just sums it up. And yeah, I do like Jay. ^^