13.20 pm Sunday

Wei Ying can't think.

His grandmother has been stabbed, and he can't think.

He's only half aware of Lan Zhan taking the phone out of his cold, stiff fingers with one hand, while his other arm pulls Wei Ying into his body as if he could shield him from this.

"Wei Ying!" Lan Zhan sounds urgent, and his tone manages to snap Wei Ying out of his stupor.

"Where is she?" He's trembling and all he wants to do is lean into Lan Zhan for comfort, but he also knows that he has to reach Baoshan Sanren right now.

"Where we left her. Be strong." Lan Zhan bends a little, so his beautiful golden eyes can stare directly into silver ones, wet with grief. "Let's go and find out how she is." He encourages, his tone is warning him already, not to jump to conclusions.

One nod, and they're off.

Wei Ying yells for Wen Qing to come with them, because she's the only doctor he still trusts, not knowing Doctor Afida that well, yet.

All he can feel is the jarring sensations of his feet hitting the concrete steps in the stairwell, flight after flight, having long left Wen Qing far behind them. His blood is thundering in his ears, heartbeat so loud, he thinks it's going to burst out of his chest.

Lan Zhan is holding his hand as they fly down the steps, guiding him, giving him much needed strength as he battles the whispers in his head, that he's going to lose his grandmother, that they're already too late, that she's going to leave him, like his parents left him.

His throat closes over and the sob chokes him, leaving his mouth and tearing through his insides.

He can't do this.

Feet like lead, Wei Ying stops outside the last door.

Crossing past this last hurdle will make it real.

On this side of that door his grandmother is still alive, hale hearty, kicking ass.

But on the other side? He just doesn't know for sure, yet.

Lan Zhan knew it, and could sense how he was feeling.

Grief and fear were the worst, tainting Wei Ying's blood with something distasteful and wrong. He hated it, hated Wei Ying feeling so helpless, when it was he who had single handedly overcome so many vampires and only with his help, had they managed to win, to emerge victorious from that last fight, not to mention the others.

He turns to Wei Ying then, wrapping him in the safe security of his arms where nothing can touch him. He feels Wei Ying so tense, like a bow string wound up so tightly, it's in danger of snapping.

"I...that's my grandmother." A wealth of sorrow echoes in the words that Wei Ying doesn't say.

"Mn."

"I've only just found her, Lan Zhan...I-I don't want to lose her." Another sob catches in his throat.

"Mn." Lan Zhan agrees, and then is surprised.

He's grown to respect and admire her, the strongest woman he has ever met, and then is it such a surprise that she's related to Wei Ying? He actually likes her, a lot.

"So do I." Wei Ying is trying hard not to cry. "I really like her."

"We have to be strong. Mo XuanYu only told us what he could see from the security cameras. She might be alright." His calm, no nonsense voice wore away at the denial in Wei Ying's mind.

Lan Zhan was right.

Waiting here, not going to her, wouldn't change a thing.

Wei Ying takes a deep breath, clutching Lan Zhan's hand in his tightly like a lifeline.

He absorbs the answering squeeze, taking it and wrapping it around his heart to protect himself from what is surely going to hurt.

"Let's rip off this bandaid," he mutters, pushing open the last doors.

She's still standing, that's his first thought. Her back is towards him, but she's still upright, and that's a plus point.

So it can't be that bad, right?

She says something to Xiao XingChen, who glances up to catch his eye when they walk into this foyer in front of the security room, and he's silently pleading...?

For what?

Baoshan Sanren turns around then.

"What the fuck? Grandmother? You couldn't sit down at least? What the fuck???" Wei Ying ignores Lan Zhan wincing every time he swore, but really, it's the shock.

His grandmother is walking around like it's nothing, when there's a nine inch blade embedded into her chest. It has torn through her white dress, now splattered with splashes of red.

"I rather liked this dress," she moans dramatically, her delicate fingers tracing the serrated, ragged edge pierced by the knife. "So my sentiments exactly: what the fuck, right? It's a Dior. 1920, spring collection, authentic and original. I'm never gonna find another one like it."

"I'm not talking about the stupid dress." Wei Ying bites out, running a hand through his hair and messing up his ponytail. "I thought we specifically said we weren't going to do this?" He's so annoyed, right now, and somehow, his eyes catch on the knife and stay there. "Why do you think he carried around an ugly knife like that?" The gremlin part of himself comes out to play. If his grandmother can downplay her injury like that, and he can understand why because inside, he's the same, then Wei Ying can play along.

"That's exactly what I was telling A-Chen, not five minutes ago. He really had bad taste." She glances back at the closed door behind them. "Lucky it's not made out of silver, otherwise-" she shudders, not wanting to think about it.

"Had? He's dead then, Wen Rouhan?" Wei Ying grabs her hand and tugs her down gently so they're both sitting next to each other now.

Wen Qing bursts out of the doors they had just come from, panting and trying to catch her breath.

She pales, hearing the last of their words.

"My uncle? Dead?"

Two guilty faces stare back at her, nodding silently.

"Can I see?" Wen Qing says, forcing her feet to move.

"Not everyone who dies should be mourned." Baoshan Sanren says, very much seriously.

"I know that," Wen Qing snaps, "I want to make sure, that's all. That he's really and truly dead. No offence, and it's not that I don't believe you."

"Then, why?" Baoshan Sanren is sharp, needing her reason.

"Closure. It means...it means A-Ning and I, we are finally free."

It is a measuring look, the one Baoshan Sanren levels at her. Whatever she sees makes her give a single nod.

"I'll treat you first, and then." Wen Qing promises.

"She's the best doctor I know," Wei Ying reassures his grandmother.

"And how often do you need one?" She gives him a side glare.

Every time his grandmother does something that Wei Ying can associate with, something that he would repeat if he were in the same position, it reinforced their strange connection, one that only bound them closer to each other. Like how, her reluctance to be treated, a natural distrust of anybody in the medical profession, and then not wanting to make her injury a big deal...all if it was like looking into a mirror.

"Please?" He pouts for good measure, seeing her melting in increments, piece by piece. And then he gets the wildest idea. "Lan Zhan? Do you think, what we did back there," he gestures wildly in the vaguest of directions, "in that cell, will it cure her?"

The range of expressions on everyone's faces are so diverse, that Wei Ying is confused.

"What?" He looks around in confusion.

"It might," Lan Zhan says, considering it.

Baoshan Sanren looks rather green.

"I don't know what you two did but I told you, your grandfather was it for me," she says firmly, the nauseous look remaining as if she's concerned he's going to insist on something disgusting.

"How will Papapa help?" Xiao XingChen wanted to know.

"Is that what they were doing?" Another vampire asks, terribly interested.

"Definitely," Suddenly Xiao XingChen is nodding sagely. "His lips were bitten."

As if that was proof!

"Really?" Song Lan looks fascinated.

Wei Ying is going to get whiplash, with how fast his mind is racing, and then all these confusing words. And then like a light switch turning on in his head, he gets it. His face isn't just red from embarrassment now, it's nearly purple.

"Oh my God, NO! We didn't! That's not- for fuck's sake-" he realises he's only making it worse. He pinches the bridge of his nose, wondering how to navigate these dirty-minded people who are now part of his family.

"We should try it," Lan Zhan obliviously agrees suddenly, in the best case of the worst timing ever.

"NO!" Several voices ring out at once.

Wei Ying knows he has to clear this up immediately.

"Look, listen, people! Lan Zhan just drank from me, that's ALL we did, and that's what I'm suggesting now. Get your minds out of the freaking gutter!"

The way relief lights up Baoshan Sanren is just an illumination on her previous thoughts. And the same is visible on everyone else's faces too.

"Lan Zhan was injured." Wei Ying can barely make himself say the words aloud, because he's still very much raw about it. "My blood fixed him, and I'm hoping it will fix you. That was ALL." He emphasises, with no small amount of mortification.

Honestly, the fact that he had to, in the first place...? Definitely number one on the box office charts of Embarrassing Moments He Wanted To Forget.

"Okay, I can do that," his grandmother says. "We left it in there because you're not supposed to pull out knives and such, in these sorts of cases. I didn't last time, either." Her tone is so nonchalant, it's like she's talking about the weather.

"It's happened before?" Wei Ying says before his thoughts can catch up.

Of course, given her line of work, it would have happened before. The way she effortlessly fought, her direct actions would surely have led to others wanting to stop her by whatever means necessary.

"Yeah, one time, a fuckwad sliced open my belly, and I had to stuff my intestines back in and carry on fighting. That was one slippery fight, let me tell you!" She cackled and then winced, as her current wound made itself known from her actions.

Wei Ying glances at Xiao XingChen, who nods for confirmation.

"That's just...ew." Wei Ying wrinkles his nose.

"I know, right? Disgusting, too." Baoshan Sanren says. "So how are we going to-"

Wen Qing pulls it out, the knife clattering to the ground and Wei Ying thrusts his wrist under her nose. She instinctively bites into his soft flesh, and as she begins to feed, there are gasps all around as the wound closes of its own accord.

Baoshan Sanren is considerate too, because she only takes as much as she needs, making sure his puncture wounds are closed when her lips leave his warm skin.

"Wow!" She says slowly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She looks up at Lan Zhan. "Does it always taste like-"

"Fresh flowers, and vanilla." Lan Zhan finishes off for her, nodding.

He can be smug about it.

Wei Ying throws his arms around her neck, before she can stand up again.

"Grandmother...I was really worried. Mo XuanYu only said you'd been stabbed, and I thought....I thought-" he can't continue.

Baoshan Sanren can feel him trembling in her arms, and tightens her hold.

"It would take more than just a silly knife to get rid of me, Haizi," she says, in a thick voice.

"I like you a lot, grandmother. I love you." Wei Ying tells her, uncaring of how many people are watching them.

If there's one thing the past few weeks have taught him, it's not to be stingy with words of love. There's nothing wrong with telling important people around you how much you care about them, he thinks. Especially when every moment was precariously balanced.

"I'm not ready to lose you, so you better start taking better care of yourself," he tells her off, not wanting to mince words. "Promise me?"

He's turned into a little kid again, and this isn't his grandmother anymore. It's his mother, and she's giving him a red ribbon to hold in his little pudgy fingers.

"I promise, Haizi."

And just like that, she morphs into his grandmother again.

When they stand up, Wei Ying sways.

"I'll be fine, Sweetheart." Wei Ying says, holding onto him. "It's always like this when I lose a little bit of blood. Should be fine in a mo."

The doors leading to the stairwell open and Doctor Afida walks through them with Wen Zhuliu.

"How long does compulsion last?" Wei Ying asks, a general question tossed out to anyone who might know, just to distract himself from the faint dizziness leaving his system.

"Depends on the strength of the caster." Baoshan Sanren says, nodding at Doctor Afida. "Is everything alright up there?"

Doctor Afida nods, with a smile.

"Wen Zhuliu, where is Wen Zhong now?" Baoshan Sanren demands, not wasting any time.

She just wanted to get this over and done with now.

"That's Wen Zhuliu?" Doctor Afida says, looking at him in a new way, her face full of surprise.

"Yes, why?" Baoshan Sanren asks her sharply. "Do you know him?"

"No, not him, but I know of him." Doctor Afida can't stop staring at him.

"Explain."

"Well, we all heard about him, but no one knew if he actually existed. Something of a legend. And that's because he was so protected. The Wens kept him a secret, or, where he was a secret. I only found out because I overheard Wen Chao venting about how unfair it was that Wen Rouhan was treating him like his son. Cuckoo son, I believe he called him. I thought, cuckoo." She spins a circle with her first finger at the side of her temple, indicating crazy. "But now I think he meant Cuckoo as replacement child, adopted."

"That's what we heard, too." Baoshan Sanren says, encouraging her to tell them more. "Why do you think he was so protected?"

"They never bothered to mislabel blood samples, so we always knew we were testing his," Doctor Afida explains. "And that's why it was so memorable. His blood contains an agent that can numb all usual vampire strengths. All their particular gifts, too. Wen Rouhan was working on weaponizing him."

Baoshan Sanren looks disgusted.

"It's a good thing that no good piece of trash is dead."

"So...can I see him?" Wen Qing sounds way too happy about that.

Baoshan Sanren nods at Xiao XingChen, who goes to open the security room door, to show Wen Qing the remains of her uncle.

Wei Ying doesn't want to see, but he does, too, and in his conflicting thoughts, he sees a pile of ashes on the floor and against the far wall, before looking away again, quickly.

No thank you, he thinks.

But he has another light bulb moment.

"Do you think they might have used compulsion on Wen Zhuliu?" He says, randomly.

"Yes." This answer comes unexpectedly from Lan Zhan.

"Why? What did they do to him? And how do you know?" Wei Ying isn't sure why he feels so possessive, suddenly. He goes to stand next to Lan Zhan anyway, reaching for his hand.

"When I woke up, Wen Zhong was there. He was in a chatty mood." Lan Zhan thinks back to that, and his consequent confusion about why Wen Zhuliu still was obedient to the Wen family. "Wen Zhong told me that once they found out the value of Wen Zhuliu's blood, they killed his family and kept him. Later, after I compelled him to free me from where they had me tied down, I asked him about his loyalty to a family that had killed his, and he denied it. Refused to believe me, so vehemently that I believe his compulsion was reinforced daily."

"They're despicable." Wei Ying shakes his head angrily. "But then, grandmother, wouldn't it have worn off if the caster was dead?"

"Yes, that's true." Baoshan Sanren looks thoughtfully back at the security room, from which a pale looking but happy Wen Qing is emerging with Xiao XingChen. "So that means, if he doesn't believe you again, then his caster wasn't Wen Rouhan. And it's even more important that we end Wen Zhong today. It is unlikely we will get another chance like this again. Besides, if he's still alive, that means both Wen Qing and her brother aren't safe yet."

"Not just them," Doctor Afida adds. "It is every soul currently here, under this roof. Every single person the Wens have turned, and not just those of the past and present. He will never stop trying to take over." Her fists clenched at her sides. "We have to stop him."

Baoshan Sanren pulls out her phone and rings Mo XuanYu.

"Any news on the heat signatures I asked you to look into?" She asks, putting him on speaker.

"No." Mo XuanYu sounds defeated.

"What about the floors we can only access by key in the elevator?" Lan Zhan asks, reminding them of that forgotten gem.

"Send me the blueprints," Baoshan Sanren tells Mo XuanYu, and doesn't wait for a reply. "If the elevators are out of action, then that means we have to go up there by the stairwell."

There are nods of agreement, murmurs of approval.

"Come on, then." Wei Ying surprises everyone, by pulling Lan Zhan towards the stairs.

***********

A/N

Oh my God!! I'm squealing because this is chapter 100 and I can't believe it at all!!!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!!!

I had to write this part first and now that's out of the way, I can concentrate on the actual writing, hehe...

Thanks so much for all of you commenting and voting, it's such great motivation to keep writing and coming up with ways of surprising both you and me!!

Happy Saturday everyone.

Charlie