Alan snuggled deeper into the couch pulling the cloak around him and tucking his feet in. He wasn't really asleep but rather floating in a light dreamlike trance. It felt good. He felt protected, safe, and slightly aroused. He could hear the various noises pouring from under Leon's bedroom door but found he didn't really care enough to go investigate. He wanted to lie just as he was with the scruffy comfort of the couch pressed against his cheek and the languid warmth of the cloak spilling around him. His internal endless nightmare quieted under the weight and power of the material and for once Alan's haunted past did not rear its malignant head disrupting the enchanted peace. He sighed blissfully and let his conscious float free completely unaware that the cloak's owner sobbed with the added burden of Alan's scalding, painful memories.

Nana held her son's head on her lap as the taxi rolled through the city. She could read the hurt in his mind and in his tightly clenched body. It was unnerving even to her for so much raw blistering anguish to seep through a mind link. If Jill showed Ning all that was good in the human race Alan by contrast was a panorama view of all that was evil. Not him personally but all he had suffered. Her son clung tightly to her trying to stifle tears that weltered at the corners of his eyes and clung to the long lashes. She steadily rubbed his temples trying to alleviate some of the tension.

Sofu's head swam with horrific images and he didn't know which was worst the clear cut accurate ones or vague nightmarish ones that were distortions of the truth. How could such a frail creature as a human hold this much inside without bursting at the seams he couldn't begin to fathom. He wanted to block out the sickening parade but couldn't mesmerized as much as he was repelled. Over and over he could feel the terror of a child unable to defend itself and unable to understand why as one atrocity after another was done to his body, his soul and his mind. Beatings, starvation, forced imprisonment, rough hands forcing themselves into him, followed by other body parts and the entire time a pervasive voice telling him it was his fault, he'd brought it on himself, he deserved it and that he wanted it. Sofu's stomach heaved and bile rose in his throat at the base defilement of a small child. He curled his knees into his chest and concentrated on just holding on until they reached the detectives apartment. His mothers hands a welcome balm to the agony in his head.

Alan sighed serenely dreaming of warm grass and the sun on his face. He was sitting on a hill watching his blonde, tall Adonis of a cousin skinny dipping in the cool waters of the pond below his home. It was a memory but like everything else in the strange fog he floated in someone had smoothed over anything unsavory. The fresh wounds on his back no longer stung in the bright heat because they were no longer there. The crush he had had on his cousin did not torment him as it had back then because he was clearly able to see it for the affectionate puppy love and hero worship it was and not the dirty unclean thing his mind had made it. The tight puckered scars on his wrists crawling up to his elbows weren't there when he looked down at his arms, only smooth unmarred flesh met his gaze. Fear, rage, and humiliation his constant companions were nowhere to be found in the altered summer dreamscape. A part of him recognized it wasn't real but the human child injured inside him clung to it all the same desperately wanting that reality. He hugged the cloak even tighter wrapping himself in it craving the illusion.

Alan drifted through the afternoon and all the commotion coming from his cousin's bedroom. He remained blissfully ignorant when they came out to check on him each one gazing down on him with mixed thoughts and emotions. Leon had known of his suffering but had never had a way before to gauge the true depth of it. Now bonded to the Count he could feel the residual aftershocks from Sofu and regret and sorrow shadowed his blue eyes. Jiaoshu looked on with concern for not only Alan but his grandfather and Leon as well able to feel the ripples moving through each of them. He was surprised his grandfather had not turned the tide back into the young man much less absorb them and give Alan at least a temporary respite from the private hell.

Jiaoshu picked up one of Alan's hands in his own and pushed back the sleeves of his coat and shirt. Gentle fingertips delicately touched the zigzag pattern of raised flesh where a sharp object had been brutally dragged through the skin. He shuddered lightly at the immediate image of a bloodied piece of green glass that popped unbidden into his mind from Leon's. A shattered soda bottle that his poor lover had followed the pieces of until at last stumbling upon the collapsed body of his cousin in the empty sanctuary of a local church. He picked up the thread of the memory from Leon and the unbearable fear he had felt running through darken streets trying to find him. The terrible sing song of Alan's distant and blurred rendition of hush little baby his only leads to which streets he turned down finally winding up at the base of a large platform of steps. The loud smash of glass still reverberating through the night as Jiaoshu relived the harsh pumping of Leon's heart as he strove to pull air into his lungs. The bits gleamed in the yellowed glare of a street lamp and were scattered up the steps like errant jewels, towards the top oily splotches that looked black against the concrete fell randomly amongst the glitter. Jiaoshu knew the panic Leon felt as he pummeled through the halls chasing the careening voice and trying not to step on the bottle pieces Alan kept breaking off. Each new bauble dark with blood as he punctured his flesh and then flung it aside, an occasional chink heard as he smacked what was left of the bottle against the wall to encourage it to crack further. He felt Leon's frustration when the crazed singing faded away and the plummet of his heart into his stomach when he burst through the sanctuary doors and found his cousin. Jiaoshu knew he'd never erase the image of the small frail teenage boy only half Leon's size curled between the pews, eyes closed, with a serene smile on his face as his life force ran from him in rivulets. Jiaoshu jumped startled when Leon came behind him and took Alan's other arm.

"Seven hundred stitches and multiple pints of blood later this is what is left. He cut himself so many times they gave up trying to count. It's both arms, see?" Leon pushed the material out of the way to show the oddly matching discordant scars. Jiaoshu let go of Alan's arm and then carefully pried Leon's fingers from the other limb. He tucked both back under the cloak and turned to take Leon's face in his hands.

"It was not your fault, Leon. What is this guilt I feel in you? You saved his life, you could have done nothing more. Why do you torment yourself so? Alan would not want this from you." He told his beloved gravely the words slipping out in his native Chinese and marked with his compassion. Leon pulled him into a tight hug. Jiaoshu let his hands slide around his shoulders and returned the embrace.

"It should never have happened in the first place D. He suffered for years before the breakdown and we all let him. Why didn't we stop it sooner? What held us back?" Leon whispered into his neck. Jiaoshu stroked the gold hair letting Leon absorb the comfort from his body. He voluntarily opened against the nudge in his neural paths silently understanding Leon's sudden need to check on his child. Leon could have forced his way in but resolutely refused to use the advantage the bond had given him or to call him by his name once they left the bedroom. Jiaoshu held inside the detective's strong arms thought perhaps he knew why. He let his thoughts wander over Alan as Leon coiled his very essence around the developing embryo. Many of the detective's zealous passionate beliefs and his unyielding stances could easily be traced back to the much loved cousin and Leon's desire to protect others from the abuse he was to young to protect Alan from. It is said that from the greatest good has sprung the greatest evil, so to, as the world balances between yin and yang, is the best of mankind often a result of the very worst. From the depths of one shattered young man's despairs a fierce protector had been born in Leon and it was with all of his inner strength he promised his unborn to defend him and his mother from harm.

Leon reluctantly pulled himself out of the meld and loosened his grip on the kami. He smiled a little and patted Jiaoshu's stomach affectionately. The seriousness of the moment broken by the kami's stomach gurglingly impatiently, Leon laughed despite himself at the sudden shift in Jiaoshu's priorities from offering the comfort of his body to easing the insistent hunger pangs. Jiaoshu smiled up at him hopefully and rubbed against him in a full frontal tease.

"Cookies, Leon-san?" Leon glared down at him mock severity.

"Don't you think you have had enough cookies?" Jiaoshu bit at his lower lip and rubbed harder. He purred against Leon's chest.

"No, not enough. More cookies, Leon-san, please?" Leon rolled his eyes at the display but pulled back when his groin started to tighten.

"All right, all right. Pushy, little thing aren't you? Didn't anyone tell you I'm in charge here?" Leon asked but couldn't keep the laughter from his tone. He walked into the kitchen with Jiaoshu hot on his heels. Leon unwrapped what was left of the cookies and gave them to him grinning lopsidedly at the way he hoarded them.

"I guess I'm going to have to make some more of these, huh?" Jiaoshu nodded yes over a mouthful in answer. Leon snorted and went over to turn the water on for tea and to set coffee on to drip. He had his back turned to the kami as he went about preparing a tray to carry all the items to living room. A sense of intense irrational happiness shot up his spine in a strong spike and Leon spun around to see what had caused such a tremendous rush. He blinked and then burst out laughing at the sight before him. The Count sat perched on a kitchen stool in front of the counter a bowl of whip creamed tucked into the crook of one arm. He was gleefully dunking the cookies in it like milk and gobbling them down.

"Such good, sweet wonderful things you have Leon-san. You will make me more cookies yes? And will you buy me more of this?" Jiaoshu asked quite smitten with the light, sugary concoction.

"That depends on if you're going to inhale it or not." Leon was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Ah, looks like Sofu and Nana are here, care to come greet them or are you to engrossed with your, umm, lunch?" Jiaoshu hopped off the stool at Leon's words well aware that his grandfather and great grandmother had arrived. He padded off bowl still firmly in hand towards the living room. Nana's wards prevented him from actually opening the door so he waited patiently for Leon to catch up while scooping out fingers full of the cream and sucking on them. Leon came up behind and twisted the handle throwing the door open and letting them in.

Sofu raised an eyebrow at his grandson but said nothing instead heading over to Alan and his cloak. Nana smiled fondly though and wrapped a loose arm around Jiaoshu's waist and dipped her little finger into the bowl tasting it.

"Mmm, that's nice isn't young one?" Nana asked but didn't wait for answer. She directed her attention over to Leon.

"So young man you have claimed my youngest for yourself, ne?" Leon crossed his arms and leaned up against the door. Something niggled at him to be careful where he stepped, an internal alarm going off that danger laid behind those eternal eyes.

A memory ran through him in a flash of his grandfather standing between Alan's father and Alan. The man had easily six or seven inches and several pounds on his grandfather not to mention the age gap. His grandfather hadn't back down just stood quiet and steady waiting for him to try and push his way past. Leon could still see the surprised round O his uncle's face had made as he went airborne and came down in a loud thunk on his back, the wind knocked out of him. He could hear his grandfather like it was yesterday.

"Boy, I done told you and I don't reckon to do it again. You ain't welcome here so get yourself up and get on down the road. He may be your son but he's my grandbaby and I'll see you in hell first before you lay another finger on him. Now get." Leon smiled at Nana seeing the stubborn set outline in her body and recognizing it for the same streak his grandfather had had. He could hear the unspoken words as plainly as if she had said them. He may be your mate but he's my grandchild.

"Well, Nana the way I see it D and I claimed each other. Isn't that right D?" Jiaoshu shrugged and kept on eating trying to get the last of the topping out the bottom of the bowl. Nana smiled back at Leon pleased at the lack of aggression and force on his part.

"You do not call him by his name, detective. Why is that?" Nana asked quietly waiting for an answer. Leon scowled and stumped his toe against the floor.

"Because I don't like what it implies and I want nothing from him that he doesn't want to give me." Leon huffed irritably.

"You're not happy about it are you Leon?" Nana plied further. Leon shook his head no and stared down at the carpet. Nana kissed the sticky cheek of her great grandson and then let the matter drop pleased with the young human's responses and the truthfulness she could feel in them. She patted the detective on the hand and then went over to her son to see if she could help with the tormented young man he now held in his arms. She liked the brash blonde and knew the life bond was strong and pure between the two and a just a hint of premonition rose in her that perhaps her son may have finally found what he had been missing in Leon's cousin. At least she hoped so.