Part 65
The man who opened the door to us bore no resemblance to the smiling, laughing proud new father in the photos on Duo's wall. He looked lost, and somehow tenuous, a shattered crystal figurine glued back together.
He held his daughter in his arms, obviously expecting someone else.
"*Please,* stop bothering --" His voice died in his throat. His eyes flicked between Duo and me. He blinked, his green eyes filling with tears.
Duo stood next to me, leaning slightly against my side. I didn't need to look at his face to know his anguish.
"*Duo...* Oh... Oh, goddess..." breathed Teal. "Is it really *you?!*"
He shifted his daughter and reached out as Duo nodded shakily.
"Teal... I'm sorry... I had to come..."
The blond Banshee threw his arm around Duo's neck and dragged him into the house. I followed unnoticed.
"Duo, angel, don't apologise! Goddess, I'm so glad you're here!"
They embraced, the baby between them, breaking apart after several minutes only when she made a squeak of protest. Both men were crying.
"I'm sorry," Duo cried. "Is she okay?"
Teal shifted the baby in his arms. "She's fine, just wants to know what's going on," he said lightly. "You want to hold her?"
Duo blinked at him in awe. "Oh... Oh, may I, please?"
Teal handed his daughter to her cousin. His eyes fell on me then. He blinked, obviously startled, and wiped at his eyes.
"Uh... Duo...?"
My Banshee looked up from cooing at his little cousin.
"Sorry," he blushed. "Heero, this is Teal. Teal, Heero Yuy, my partner and my friend."
"Oh..." He offered his hand and I took it in both of mine. Behind him, Duo cradled the baby, tickling her with the end of his braid. His tear-streaked face fairly glowed as she giggled at him.
"I am so sorry, Teal," I said quietly. "Duo has talked so much about his aunt and you and the baby."
Teal swept his light hair back from his face and managed a faint smile. "He's written us about you," he said cryptically.
I nodded, expecting such. "Is there anything we can do to help you?" I asked gently. "I know that's woefully inadequate..."
The blond Banshee snorted. "At this point, I would welcome the company of Death himself. The Clan --" He swept his hand over his hair again; clearly a nervous gesture for him. "- Are about to make me homicidal."
"What?" interjected Duo, coming to his side. "Teal, what's going on?"
Teal shook his head with a sigh. "Let's sit. I'm about done in." He took the baby from Duo, kissing her gently before putting her down in a play area and handing her a stuffed toy. I recognised it as the blue dragon that Duo had sent.
Teal sagged on the low sofa, once again running his fingers through his hair. Duo tucked one leg under him to face his kinsman. Teal flashed him an affectionate smile and patted his leg.
I sat across from them. Teal might not be the touching type, but Duo surely was. His hand rested on the blond's shoulder kneading at his stressed muscles. Teal sat silent for some minutes, obviously trying to get his thoughts together.
"They won't leave me alone, Duo," he began softly. "I've had to push people out the door. They come with condolences and then stay to pick at me, at Shar. As if she were somehow at fault... They want to hold Dael; they've tried to take her out... I don't know what they're trying to do."
Duo leaned in, his arm sliding around Teal's shoulders. "They tried to take her away from you?" he growled, his purple eyes sparking with electric fire.
"I- I don't really know... Maybe they are being kind. Maybe they just want to help... I just don't want her out of my sight. She's... she's all --"
Duo enveloped him in a hard hug. "I know," he muttered. "Oh, Teal, I *do* know!"
"The child does not leave this house without you," I growled. The mere suggestion of someone trying to take this Banshee's daughter from him kicked my protective instincts into high gear. "Have you slept?" I asked sharply. He looked up at me.
"Not to speak of... At first, I couldn't, and now I'm afraid to... I might not hear someone come in."
"I will," I said firmly. "When is the memorial planned?"
"Tomorrow at dusk," Teal sighed. "It should have been tonight, but I demanded they try to find a cause." He shook his head. "Fat fuckin' lot of good it did," he muttered harshly.
"They don't know why?" Duo whispered, his face going very pale.
Teal shook his head. "No. She just... laid down for a nap... and went to sleep... and never woke up." He broke then, tenuous repairs shattering for good.
He folded into Duo's arms, sobbing wretchedly. I sat forward, ready to help, but my Banshee gathered his strength and set aside his own grief, and wrapped Teal close. He murmured against the blond hair and rubbed his back gently, rocking slowly.
I moved to sit on Teal's other side, next to the play area. Dael had scootched herself into a corner with her dragon and a blanket and looked to be asleep. I rearranged the covering and smoothed her light auburn hair and she sighed.
Teal started to turn away from Duo. I stopped him gently. "She's fine, already asleep. You need to lie down, Teal. Let us take care of you both right now," I said softly.
He nodded shakily and allowed Duo to pull him to his feet and lead him toward the bedroom.
As they left the room, I heard Teal's attempt at a joke.
"What a great guy... If you don't do right by him, Duo, I'll smack you."
I blinked. I wonder if that constituted familial approval. Whatever it was, it warmed my heart. Their voices carried as a faint murmur; Duo talking softly, commiserating with and comforting his grieving uncle.
I went first to the door, discovered no lock on it and quickly moved a large sideboard in front of the door. I wanted extra warning if anyone tried to enter the cottage. Then I began reconnoitering the rest of the house.
Two bedrooms, a small lavatory (Duo's Clan apparently followed the same tradition as my father's Clan, with communal baths), a storage room or pantry and the large main room with a firepit. The cottage was circular, as are most Banshee buildings, with high curved ceilings and a central clerestory of windows and vents for the fire. Because there are no load-bearing walls, room arrangements are arbitrary, and the inside dividing walls are only six to eight feet high.
The cooking pit in the kitchen area was cold, as was the central firepit, suggesting that Teal hadn't eaten in at least a day. I cleaned out the firepit and built a fire, getting some warmth into the cottage and chasing out the autumn damp.
I poked my head into the bedroom to ask if Teal wanted something to eat. The blond Banshee was already asleep, though, his head resting on Duo's shoulder.
"Did he mention when he last ate something?" I whispered.
"I asked; he couldn't remember."
"Okay. I'm going to put together some soup or stew for when he wakes. Both pits are cold."
Duo frowned slightly; I could see the tiny "v" on his forehead. "He may have gone to the Hall to eat, or someone might have brought food, but if they're trying to mess with him, he would have stayed here. He said there're bottles for Dael in the cold box."
I nodded. "Found them. Shall I let her sleep or should I take a chance and put her to bed?"
He looked blank. "I- I don't know. I don't know much about babies..."
"I do. I'll let her be for now. If she wakes up, then I'll put her to bed."
He sighed his relief. "You know everything," he smiled. "I'm so glad you're here."
"I'm here for you, baby." I slipped quietly up to the bed and bent to kiss his forehead. "Why don't you try for a nap, too? You didn't get near enough sleep last night."
"Okay, Heero. Hey, if anyone comes around, you wake me, hear?"
"Yes, sir," I agreed. He sighed and relaxed, and I went back to search the pantry.
I found the ingredients for a stew and quickly put them together to simmer. It would be ready to eat in an hour, and would keep on the fire for several hours longer. Then I boiled water and found a box of tea bags.
Obviously, Teal was not a hard-liner on the subject of separation of Human and Magical traditions. Beside the dreaded tea bags, I found commercial canned goods, packaged mixes and half a case of diet cherry 7-Up. It made me smile; no wonder Duo was so fond of this Banshee.
A soft sound caught my attention. I slipped across to the blocked door. Someone was carefully turning the door handle and discovering that they were blocked out. A welcome visitor would knock, I decided, so I slid over to the closest window. A shadow slithered along the covered porch to the window. A hand pushed the window full open.
"May I help you?" I snapped.
An exclamation, a thud and the crunch of dry leaves.
I leaned out the window to find a female Banshee on the ground, tangled in a vining plant.
She glared at me. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
I glared down at her, full strength. "I believe that would be *my* question. Do you always fail to knock and then try to crawl through windows?" I demanded icily.
"I came to check on Teal. Who are you? One of his friends?"
She put just enough emphasis on the word "friends" to make it sound disreputable. Clearly, we were not going to bond.
I ignored her questions as she had ignored mine. "I suggest you come back tomorrow. And next time, knock and wait to be admitted." I pulled the window shut and fastened it.
If that was what Teal had been dealing with for the past two days, it was no surprise that he was barely holding together.
I checked the other windows, making sure they were all firmly fastened. If Teal expected to stay in the Clanhold, I would recommend that he put locks on the door and the windows. And a protection charm, as well.
I made myself a cup of tea and sat on the sofa near where the baby slept. The firepit warmed the room nicely and she was snuggled into her blanket, her toy and the wool pad on the bottom of the play space.
She's a cute little doll; Duo probably looked just like her as a baby. She has fluffy auburn hair, big green eyes and a fair creamy complexion. At the moment, her thumb was firmly in her mouth and her other arm had a death grip on the stuffed dragon.
I stretched out on the sofa and just watched her for a while. I have little interest in females, having already done my duty to my Clan, but I enjoy children. I have a good relationship with the children of my Clan, and I enjoy playing with them whenever I'm at home. When I was a teenager, I baby-sat frequently for my cousins and I'm usually comfortable with kids of all ages.
The hour wasn't particularly late, but I was tired. My excursion with Letitia had flowed into this tragedy and I hadn't gotten much more sleep than Duo. I set my internal alarms and allowed myself to drift off to sleep. I would know if anyone tried to enter the house or if Dael woke.