Life's Greatest Questions: Chapter Seven

Vishous hit the floor with a thud, eyes snapping open as he blinked up at the ceiling, who the fuck was banging on the door? "Go the fuck away," He snarled as he carefully collected himself from the floor, eyes immediately landing on Butch, who was still passed out on the couch. Scrubbing his hands down his face, he laid back down on the couch beside Butch, burying his face in the other males chest, just breathing in the scent of his male. The violent pounding continued. Growling low, Vishous pulled himself off the couch and started across the room, "What the good God damn do you want?" He snapped, yanking the door open, eyes going wide for a brief moment as he saw Wrath standing on the other side of the door, "Oh," Well, that was inteligent, "Yeah, Oh," Wrath barked, green eyes glowing as he addressed Vishous, "You and Butch, my office, now," Vishous did the only thing he could, he gave a nod and shut the door as Wrath walked off, the heavy fall of his shitkickers fading as he left. Groaning, Vishous walked back over to the couch and laid back down, once more burying his face in Butch's chest, "We should have stayed an extra day," He muttered, rolling his diamond eyes up to study his lover.

Butch opened one eye when he heard the banging on the door and when Wrath stood in the doorway, commanding that they get to his office right this second, he grunted a curse, laying there another minute or two when Vishous returned to the couch.  "I knowww..." he drawled, rolling to sit up.  "But we knew this was coming.  Shit..."  He headed back to his room to throw something on, pushing a hand over his dark brown hair as he waited for Vishous.  Once the other male was game and ready to go, they trudged to the main house and into the office, where they were met with Wrath's predictable death stare.  There was a long pause between the three males in the room, and Butch finally sighed.  He wanted desperately to just tell Wrath to get the bitching over with, but he didn't dare, knowing they were in enough trouble as it stood.  Wrath narrowed his eyes behind his wraparounds in enough time to see Butch visibly grimace.  "You two fucked up big time.  You especially, cop."  Butch stood stoically despite his initial flinch, and folded his arms over his t-shirt clad chest.  "You got nothing to say?"

"Nope." Butch replied a bit stiffly.  He knew what he'd done, even if he hadn't thought it through at the time.  "We had to call Ehnvy for the love of God." the King snapped.  "And do you have an idea how much of a pain in the ass it's going to be to hear that fucking priest bitch about it for the next few years?"  Butch actually smirked, which only pissed Wrath off that much more.  "You created a goddamn mess!"

"I know."  the cop said quietly.  "But part of fucking up is learning not to do it again." 
Part of him wanted to tell the King to quit the shit, but he knew better, he and Wrath didn't always see eye to eye, but he respected the hell out of his brother. Vishous took a deep breath as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a hand rolled, lighting up as he struggled to keep his composure. Fighting the sudden need to take a step toward Butch and back him up, Vishous met the King's glowing, nearly blind gaze with his own almost white orbs, though no words were spoken, he knew the King understood what he was getting at.

"Starting tonight, you two will be pulling extra patrol," He paused a moment and then added with a grimace, "Separate patrol,"

Vishous's jaw nearly hit the floor, but he managed to keep his mouth from falling too much at Wrath's statement. Fuck, the King wanted them separated, more than likely to avoid another incident, or distraction. Wrath was many things, but stupid and careless were not among the aforementioned. Giving a sharp nod, he pulled hard on his hand rolled and exhaled with a sigh, his entire body tense, fingers nearly crushing the cigarette.

"I don't want distraction in the field, and I do not want to hear that the two of you went behind my back," Pushing his glasses up, Wrath pinched the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath and slid the glasses back in place, "Vishous, you are off rotation for the night," He turned his attention to Butch, "And you, you will be going out with Rhage and Phury tonight,"

Vishous had to bite back a curse as he realized that tomorrow night it would be him and Zsadist. They all knew that the brother had issues, fuckin' hell, they all had issues, but they all knew better than to get in Z's way, the male had a temper that rivaled his own.

"Are we clear?" He snapped, standing to his full height, fists settling on the desk with a thud.
Stamping out his hand rolled in the small glass ashtray the King kept in the study, Vishous gave another nod, "Crystal. Fucking. Clear."

"Good, now get the fuck outta my office,"

Butch's jaw went tight, but unlike Vishous, he had long ago learned a little more control over his reactions.  As a homicide detective, one had to learn to keep their mouth shut, their face stony, and their composure solid and impervious.  His broke, of course, but in a situation like this, his police training took the reigns and instead of flipping out, like he damn well wanted to, he swallowed hard and did as he was told.  When Wrath told them to get out, Butch made a face, and whirled around on the toe of his shoe, going out the door.  They paused for awhile outside the office, and Butch looked back at Vishous, looking mildly distressed now that they were out of Wrath's sight.  "This is kinda my fault, and I know that.  But for every fuck up there is a definite way to fix it.  Let him cool off, and this'll go away."  With that, he turned and took off at a trot for the Pit.  He threw on his leathers, stocked his weapons and headed to find his partners for the evening.  This was bullshit in more ways than he cared to count.  He and Vishous were great out there together, and had been even when they had kind of taken that next step.  Wrath's temper was to blame for this one, and Butch wanted none of it.  But what choice did he have?

Vishous didn't say anything for a moment, eyeing Butch in thought. He had a very valid point, they followed Wrath's orders and it would all blow over before they knew it, but the less rational side of him was having a hard time stomaching the thought of not being there should something happen. Taking one final deep breath, Vishous reached out and squeezed his lovers hand, "I don't care how this sounds, just be careful," He let go of the other males hand and cupped his face, pressing the softest of kisses to his lips. He followed Butch into the pit, flipping the TV to the recorded Sox's game, he had nothing better to do, why not catch up?

His eyes lids were heavy, his body stiff, but his mind racing as he laid there, trying his damned to focus on the TV screen, anything to take his mind off of his worry for Butch. Shit. He'd lost count of how many times he'd gotten up for more Goose, it had gotten to the point where the bottle was beside him on the floor. Having spent weeks without him, then a day with him, just to have him away again was killing him. As much as it pained him to say it, he was a mess without Butch. He really was the dark to his light. "Oh fuck me," He groaned, his attention snapping to a bright light.

"Vishous, son of the Bloodletter and myself," The Scribe Virgin greeted him.

"Oh, hi Mom," He muttered, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

She seemed to let the sarcasm slid, moving on to her reasons for showing, "I cannot allow this...thing, between you and him. You are a warrior, and my son. You were born to breed,"

Yep, that did it, his jaw hit the floor, as did the bottle of Goose that had been half way to his lips when she popped into the Pit, "Oh no, no you do not get to announce yourself as my mahmen and then try to tell me just how the fuck to live my life,"

The figure beneath her robes began to glow, a soft white light at first, before it bled into a retina blistering fire ball, "You will do this Warrior, I have no doubt of that. Should you choose to ignore your call, you will lose your lover for good," With that, she vanished, gone as quickly as she had come.

"Oh, motherfucker," He growled, his entire body vibrating with anger and the need to kill something. Looking down, he noticed the broken bottle and the clear liquid that had saturated the rug, forming a dark puddle on it's already dark surface. Deciding that the spill wasn't of any importance, he beat feet into the kitchen, grabbed a brand new bottle and popped the bitch open, swallowing more than be probably should have been able to. This shit was just fucked, what the hell was she evening thinking? Who the FUCK did she think she was? Oh, yeah, that's right, the Creator of the race and well...him, "Just fuck," He groaned, tapping into his own (much smaller) stash of the same red smoke Phury smoked daily. Shit. After rolling a few fatties, he checked his stash of hand rolled and headed the couch once more. This time, the TV stayed blank, the screen black as his mood, the sound of silence all that kept him company as he smoked, and drank, hoping he would just pass the fuck out, wake up in the morning and realize this was all just a fucked up dream. Not likely, but one could hope.

Butch stumbled into the Pit just before daylight, and the minute he entered the house his whole body was on the alert that something was terribly wrong.  There was a chill in the air, a sudden, desolate emptiness.  He couldn't prove it, but something terrible had just transcribed.  He saw the broken bottle first, then Vishous on the couch, and his whole body went rigid.  "What happened." he more or less demanded, far too on edge to ask questions and be nice.  Good cop bad cop routine was out the fucking door, and he wanted to know what the deal was.  Once Butch worked the story out of his lover, he stood on somewhat weak knees at the news.  "So.  You're telling me that the Virgin came in here, and despite the fact that nothing has been harmed by what we are doing, that we are just...not allowed to do this anymore." he stated more than asked.  "Because she said so.  That's the reason, hm?  As fucking usual."  Butch stormed into the kitchen at that point and took a generous shot of his lag, setting the bottle on the counter with a sharp 'click'.  "And what is this bullshit about you being meant to procreate?  So is every last goddamn one of us, and so far the only one that has been even mildly successful at doing so is Tohrment, and we all see where that went!"  He hadn't meant to be crude over the issue, but dammit, what was the justification here?  Just because they physically COULDN'T make a baby, that was the issue.  With the others, even though they had failed to do so, there was at least biological possibility.  He returned, fuming hot now, unable to contain his temper anymore.  "So then what the fuck are we going to do?"

Vishous tilted his head against the back of the couch, looking at the ceiling with blood shot eyes. His body was numb, his mind calm, though as the scent of his male, all fired up flooded his senses, his body lit up like the fourth of July. Though, that was quickly squashed as he realized just he was going to do. His mother was giving him no choice, his lover and best friend was going to hate him, but worse than the hatred, Butch would be hurt. The thought of hurting Butch caused his stomach to cramp, his lungs to burn, his vision to weave. Lifting his bare hand, he reached out to the other male, "I don't know Butch, for once, I don't fucking know," It killed him to lie, but perhaps the lie would save them in the long run. He was physically and mentally exhausted, not to mention completely stoned and blissfully wasted. Pulling himself up from the couch, movements jerky, clumsy, he turned to face Butch, giving him the full force of his diamond eyes, though blood shot as they were he wasn't sure how affective that would be. He reached out and stumbled, arms gripping Butch's shoulders as he caught himself. Once Vishous had righted himself, he spun Butch around and back him into the couch back. Leaning in, he brought his lips to the other males ear, eyes closing as he breathed in the wonder scent of Butch, "I...I can't say it Butch," His breath came out a warm whisper as a fine tremor started in his feet and worked its way up his body, "Say it cop, I need to hear you say it," He prayed that his cop understood what he meant as he stood there, front pressed to the other male's front, body shaking as he fought the hurricane of emotions that roared to life inside his body.

Butch stood and watched Vishous move around, his motions jerky and irregular.  He was messed up bad, wasn't he?  He'd smoked, Butch could tell that from the pungent scent in the air, and while that didn't bother him, what did bug the piss out of him was the fact that his mother had driven him to this, and all over something that Butch, hedonistic Catholic school boy that he was, felt she should have had no place involving herself in in the first place.  That really, really jerked his chain.  When Vishous came at him like that, he instinctively went on guard, and when he felt his back meet the cool dry wall, he sucked in a quick breath, which he held the minute V's luminescent eyes bore into him that way.  That wasn't fair.  When Vishous looked at him like that, Butch knew he stood not a snowball's chance in Hell, and even as fucked up as V was at the moment, the older vampire knew that.  Butch could certainly say that at the end of the day, he was not a person that was so easily manipulated.  He was a cop for Chris sakes!  Or was.  And you didn't pull one over on cops in this city.  But Vishous knew what strings to pull and what levers to tweak to get whatever he wanted, and some part of Butch secretly resented him for that.  The grip he had on his shoulders got Butch's attention, and his hazel eyes snapped up, his pupils dilating.  He knew what Vishous was asking, but he couldn't face it. 

Vishous was asking, essentially, for his permission to do what the Virgin wanted.  The thought made Butch want to slug Vishous in the jaw.  He was asking Butch to say that it was okay for him to disappear and stick it in a Chosen, to fulfill his biological purpose of procreation.  Bile rose in his throat, though it was more nerves than anything else.  He was faced with a difficult decision, and as she thought about it, what choice did he have?  The Virgin had threatened his life if Vishous didn't do as she said, and Butch knew what would happen.  His death would be violent and quick, and Vishous, at that point, would be no good to anybody, the Brotherhood least of all.  It was a sacrifice that they had to make, and they were at a dead end fighting a battle they couldn't win.  The only way out was over the fence, so to speak.  The cop knew what he had to do, he knew what he had to say, but still, the words died in his throat as he opened his mouth to respond.  The feeling that he would burst into flames was not doing him any sort of favor, and finally, he choked out a response.  "It's okay, V." he said, his voice full of gravel in an attempt to satisfy Vishous' request, though he was fully aware that neither of them appreciated the idea.  "I know it fucking sucks, but you gotta do what she wants.  Being apart for awhile is better than..."  He choked back the urge to just punch a brick wall.  "Permanently."  The word tasted like corrosive acid in his mouth.  "We both know what you have to do.  So just go do it, goddammit!  Or she'll hella sure follow through with that promise she made, we both fucking know it." 

Vishous opened his mouth to tell the cop that he loved him, but the words never made it as the breath exploded from his lungs in a blinding rush. The grip he had on Butch's shoulders went slack as his arms fell to his sides, eyes on the ground. Everything inside of him was screaming to fight this, screaming that there was another way, that he couldn't hurt his male like this, "Butch," His name came out a gasp as the comfortable numbness in his body became terrifying cold. Unable to meet the males eyes, Vishous turned on his heel and went straight for his bedroom. Tomorrow night, he would go to Wrath, explain to the King what was going on and why he would be unable to patrol. The thought that he might not be back, unable to fight, see his brothers, was another set of crippling thoughts, though still, none of the pain compared to even the thought of losing Butch, how would things be tomorrow, when he left. Butch. Alone. Pushing the door shut with a thud, he didn't bother with the lock, if Butch wanted in, Butch would find a way in, locked or not, he walked over to his bed and collapsed. The rich, spicy scent of the cop lingered in his bedroom, on his skin, in his nose, etched into his very beging. As he lay there, completely fucked up, a single tear trailed down his cheek, falling onto the satin pillow case beneath his head. Until Jane had died and he thought he'd never seen her again, Vishous had never shed a tear. After Jane was returned, he swore he would never shed another, and here he was, saline now sliding down his face at an ungodly speed. He had a horrible feeling that when all was said and done, things would never be the same between them.

Butch watched him leave, and for once, just let him go.  He stood motionless against the wall, unable to breathe, unable to even form a coherent thought.  He sank down against the wall, his arms resting on his kneecaps.  He wanted to scream, he wanted to cause destruction, but strangely, he couldn't do any of that.  All he could do was sit there, staring into space, feeling like he had just completely had everything inside of him ripped asunder and left visible on the pavements.  Being implanted with the Omega's essence had been much less painful than this.  He wanted to go to him, but how could he?  After just letting him walk away like that...  Butch felt lower than dirt, and all he wanted was to go into a dark hole somewhere and vanish.  He'd have a lot of time for himself, that was for damn sure.  Despite his roaring emotions, Butch got up and went to his room, not a ripple one in his whole persona at this moment.  He'd have all the time in the world to break down when he was alone, but right now, he needed to hold it together for both of them. 

He could forget about sleep that day.  Not in a million years did he even stand a chance of getting any rest with this going on.  Butch laid on his back most of the afternoon, staring at the ceiling, mentally preparing himself for what was going to happen.  By the time evening came, Butch had been up for hours already, and had already showered, preparing himself to go do something, anything at all, as a form of distraction.  But first...he had to get through what might be the most god-awful goodbye he would ever have.  Butch had no idea when he'd see Vishous again.  Maybe never, if the Virgin truly decided to be vindictive.  But it was better this way.  Vishous could create more like him, help the race.  Butch could stay here and fight for the Brotherhood, to help preserve what Vishous would create.  The thought of it crippled him, but here again...he had no other choice in the matter.  Swallowing a long string of curses, Butch proceeded out into the living room.  Vishous, he knew, was going to tell Wrath what he was doing, and following that trail, Butch blindly wandered the property until he found himself at the door of the main house.  When he entered, he knew everyone already knew.  The air was thick and heavy in here, and Butch almost choked trying to breathe.  Even Rhage looked a bit severe, standing in the hallway, his arms folded.  Butch knew this was hard on him too.  Butch and Vishous were great friends with Rhage, and over the last couple of years they had formed quite the trio.  With Rhage as close to them as he was, he knew the blond male was taking this hard, even if the only sign of it was his steely expression and rigid posture.  Frustration burned in his teal eyes, and Butch chewed a bit hard on his lip.  He gave Rhage a smack on the back as he passed, and Rhage looked up for a minute before turning to go.  Butch finally tracked down Vishous after a small search, knowing his notice had been given to the King.  He paused in the hallway, only a foot or two from Vishous.  The silence could have been cut with a knife.  Butch finally made his move, though, and before he had given Vishous time to do anything about it, he crushed their mouths together in a smoldering kiss that lasted as long as he dared before pulling away.  "Even if you never listen to me again for the rest of our god forsaken lives, Vishous, listen good right now, you hear me?"  His hazel eyes were bright, but he didn't dare release any of the emotional tension.  Not here.  The weakness wasn't very Warrior-like.  "I love you.  I don't care what you have to go and do, because it's for the best, true?"  His dam was cracking.  "I don't hate you for it, I never could, no matter what you fucking did."  Deep breath, he reminded himself.  "I just...  I wanted you to know.  And if you can get back, just know I'm here waitin' on your ass, as always."  Yeah, he was sufficiently sure this was what dying felt like.  "So do what you have to.  I still love you."

Vishous hadn't found an ounce of sleep during the day, his mind to restless to find peace. When the sun finally set, he found himself lying in bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling as he thought of all the reasons that staying in bed would be his best option. The only reason he could think of, and though it was enough for him, it would not be enough for anyone else, would be so that he and Butch could stay together. Gathering what was left of his sanity and composure, Vishous pulled himself out of bed and dressed before making his way to Wrath's study.

 The King was not happy with what he had been told, though, that was no surprise, seeing as himself and every other member of the brotherhood was just as pissed off. They were limited on Warriors, meaning that they could not afford to lose him, but at this exact moment, he had no choice. At least, not at that moment, he would figure something out, he always did. Leaving Wrath's study, he practically stumbled into the main living room, freezing as he saw Butch approach. They had not spoken, or seen each other since last nights little incident and now, here Butch was. He was going to do one of two things, bitch him out like he should have last night or tell him that it would all be okay. Turned out, it was the second one as the cop stepped forward and crushed their mouths together. Vishous swallowed a moan at the sudden, heated contact, savoring the taste and feel of his lover. Fuck him, he would not cry again, not after his break down last night. When Butch pulled way and spoke, he could have sworn that his heart actually stopped beating, his breath catching in his throat as Butch said those three little words. Who would have thought that three tiny words would make all the difference in how he handled this. Not only had Butch just dropped the L word, but he swore that he would never hate him, "Butch," His name came out a harsh whisper as emotion choked him, he hadn't wanted things to end this way. His mother had just fucked them both in a way that he never could have thought possible. How did she expect him to go and do as she demanded when his heart clearly belong to someone else. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and exhaled, whispering, "I love you too," He hadn't meant to say the words, knowing that his conformation that he did, in fact, love the cop would only make this all that more excruciating. Opening his eyes, he pegged the cop with his diamond gaze, taking in the look and scent of his lover one last time before he vanished, reappearing in the Sanctuary.

"I knew you would see things my way," A soft voice mused, the Scribe Virgin showing herself seconds later, "This is for the best, son mine. The pain of a broken heart eventually fades,"

Fighting back a growl, Vishous pegged her with his, now glowing, eyes, "Do not speak to me about a broken heart, my shellan was taken from me, shot down like a fucking deer, and then you give her back because you feel guilty, then she fucking leaves! Now, now you want me to stay here and procreate for you! Forcing me to walk away from that final shot of true happiness because he is male," At that point, he was seeing red. A lot of fucking red, "We played this game once and you lost, I promise, you will lose again," Before she had the chance to defend herself, Vishous was walking past her and into the Chosen's chambers, listening for any sign of preparation. If another Chosen was offered as a sacrifice, he was going to lose his shit more so than he already was.
He didn't make it far before a small female approached him, "Warrior," She greeted, eyes a soft, bright shade of green as she peered up at him, "How fair thee?" Her voice was like liquid, flowing with an almost sing-song under tone. Choosing not to take his anger out on the female before him, he greeted her in return, "Chosen," He inclined his head. At that moment, he decided what he was going to do. No way in hell was he going to stay in the Sanctuary, no fucking way.

"She has talked of you, talked of how you would be the one,"

Ignoring the comment, Vishous asked her for her name.

"I am the Chosen Skye,"

"Well, Skye, as I am sure you've heard, I am the Warrior Vishous,"

"I've heard a great deal about you Warrior, I know more than I probably should. Please forgive my inquiring mind,"

"Nothing to forgive, my life story isn't exactly a secret,"

She smiled then, a soft, welcoming smile, "It is a pleasure to meet you,"

Vishous gave another nod and then proposed his plan. He could have sworn her entire face lit up at the thought of leaving, that intrigued him to a degree. This female seemed almost fearless in his presence, something he hadn't seen in another beging in well, never. Except for Jane and Butch, the thought causing a pang in his chest. Carefully reaching out, he took her hand into his and within seconds, they were standing in his room at the penthouse. He couldn't take her to the mansion, not with Butch and the brothers there, not for what was going to happen. Being here would soon put her in her needing, and the sooner that happened, the sooner he could get this done and over with. Just to do it again. Fuck.

"Warrior?" Her voice sounded almost concerned, "You don't want this, do you?"

Dropping himself onto the foot of his bed, he looked around the room, wondering if his discomfort and anger were that noticeable, deciding it was best to be honest, he nodded, "Not in the slightest,"
 She stepped forward and laid a hand on his forearm, "There is a way around this," A small, almost devious smile graced her soft features, "I do not agree with the way things are, and I have spent many years trying to find a way out, though I failed to do so until now, I did find that there is always a loophole in the Virgin's demands and stipulations,"

Vishous met her eyes, his stare intense, her determined, "Go on,"

"She wants you to procreate, to bring more warrior's into the world, warrior's such as yourself," She paused, "If you produce an offspring, you have done as she asked. You will bring either a warrior, or a Chosen into this world, there for, you have upheld your end of the bargain," That devious smile returned, though it quickly faded into something softer, "I have long wondered what it would be like to bring a child into this world, to be a mahmen," She gave his forearm a soft squeeze, "So, what say you Warrior Vishous,"

Vishous was taken back by her words, her careful planning and intense calculations. There was enough intelligence and cunning in her to rival his own. With another nod, he placed his hand over hers, "Alright," He told her, his gaze down cast as he sat there, Skye standing before him.
"Now, warrior, it is time for you to take my vein, your beautiful complexion is paling,"

His eyes went wide at her words, fear suddenly bubbling to the surface, "Skye..." He started, pausing as he struggled for a way to explain his feeding habits to her. Such a kind soul did not deserve what he would give her.

She shook her head, chocolate waves dancing around her face, "I am yours from this moment on, it doesn't haven't to be anymore than this between you and I. I am willing to do whatever you need to make this situation tolerable, so, whatever you need, you may have,"

 In that moment, his mind was made up, with this female, he would do his best to be gentle. There would be no rough sex, no manhandling, though she was strong, he did not want to break her, not in any way, "Thank you," He whispered before he pulled her up against him, settling her between his legs as he reached up to brush his gloved fingers across her cheek, "Thank you, for everything," Tilting her head to the side with a soft tug of her brown waves, he exposed the pale grace of her neck before biting down.