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OK. So here is the part where i beg for forgivness. This has been done for a week but on my trip to London i had literally no wifi. (The hotel wanted 15 pounds for 24 hours of Wifi!!) ((around 26 dollars american...)) but there is also a disticnt cliffhanger...wissing. so im sorry for that but i hope you still enjoy this little tidbit.

ps. Im re-reading New Beginnings and covered most of it on the flight back so i'll be right on that as Werewolf comes to a close. of sorts in the future. so yeah, again just expect a mass re-posting for little details, ill probably just re-inform you guys that im editing chapters as i go to prevent uploading the same chapters with little differences.

but yeah, here you guys go! and as you can see im back! and no place like home! (But England in General was awesome...i was seriously born in the wrong country :/

Chap 23

"Uuungh..." Duke moaned in annoyance, throwing the covers over his eyes. He was not in the least bit entertained by his mom's idea of a healthy wake up. She practically blinded him every morning with the damn sun...

"Wake up Duke, it's a beautiful day, don't you think?" She chimed, pulling the covers off his bed and making him groan again.

He curled up in a little half naked ball. "Whyyyy?" he whined, "This is cruel...what have I done to deserve this?" He asked, turning his body away from the uncovered window.

"You went to bed too late," she grinned, crossing her arms in front of her chest and staring down at her eldest son without a hint of mercy or pity. "I told you not too. I told you this would happen, but I trusted you would make the right choice." She tossed up her arms, "Guess I was wrong!" She exclaimed.

Duke made another unintelligent grunt and reached blindly for the covers. His mother would have none of that.

"Oh no you don't. Get up and get dressed. Breakfast is already on the table and I won't have you keeping us from church." There was another pause. Duke almost filled it with more noise but him mother finished her thought, "Uncle Thomas came back."

Duke's eyes flashed open and he sat up immediately. He gave his mother a dead serious look, "Honestly?" She nodded. Duke was already out of bed and at his dresser.

"He left us a letter and his lights were on this morning. Though he did say he was really sick and not to disturb him." Duke paused and looked back at her waiting for more. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind a small visit from you hunny. Let's just wait until after church so we know he's awake and I'll send you with some cookies and soup."

The young man just managed to slip his pants on and walked over to give his mother a hug, "Thank you....church will drag longer than usual, but thank you," he whispered to her. Uncle Thomas had been gone for a while on a work trip. He was due back a week and a half ago and had only sent a letter and a brief phone call about a delay.

"Anytime sweetie, just get your tookus downstairs so we can eat and be on our way," she playfully chided.

Duke nodded and saluted "Yes ma'am."

She left and Duke walked off to the washroom to prep himself before he got dressed. His short cut brown hair was never out of place even after a night of rolling around against his pillow. His slightly muscled frame was something he was proud of and he flexed a bit with a little chuckle to himself. He washed his face and shaved what little facial hair he had grown in the last week. His mother for some reason thought facial hair on a young man was inappropriate for church regardless of Jesus' beard or Duke's fathers.

Duke couldn't help but work with a smile though. Uncle Thomas was back! The two of them had always been close; it was obvious the grown man played favourites with his first born nephew. Uncle was his dad's one and only sibling. His mom said she had had two sisters and a brother herself, but they were never mentioned and Duke had never met them before in his life.

Uncle was always a big help, him being the only real extended family aside for his grandfather who was in a home. The group of Greys were a close family. Hell, Uncle Thomas lived only one house over. Desmond Grey, Duke's father, had been born and raised in a house that had sat three doors down but had gotten destroyed by neglect when his mother died. He and his brother had never moved out of town but they liked it that way. They were Venderites through and through.

Vender wasn't a small town, but it wasn't a city or anything. There was a town square, a hall and a court like any respectable place. Family owned shops all around, a local youth club, a Boy Scout troop, two separate parks and a school. It wasn't a lot by anyone's perspective, but it was enough and the residences never complained much. The Grey brothers owned a small trade business requiring both the owners to be out of town on sales trips now and them, but when one wasn't needed there was always one of the men at home to watch the family.

Sometimes Duke wondered aloud why Uncle Thomas hadn't moved in, but his very serious question was only met with small chuckles and some side note about personal space. Duke hadn't realized until he was older it had been that Uncle Thomas was a bachelor and needed a bachelor pad to bring his...company too.

Regardless of any shenanigans, Uncle Thomas was still Duke's favourite uncle, regardless of the fact he had but one. He was a man's man. A boy scout, a prominent business owner, a regular at the gym, clean cut, witty, a bit loud and funny, loved by everyone, smart and kind. It might have just been a child's endearment making him perfect, but Duke didn't care. Uncle Thomas was his goal in life.

Another thing was he was all of this before and after being a war hero. When Uncle Tom was drafted into Vietnam, Duke wasn't even an idea in his younger brother's head. He was just old enough to be enlisted and was thankfully only away for a few months, but he had seen combat. Duke's dad told him once he thought his brother Tom was lost. He returned an empty shell, and then became violent and erratic. But with some therapy was back on his feet. Duke had always wondered what the man had done or seen, but he had never dared to ask. All of that had happened about ten years before he was even born.

And he was back. After an extended business trip turned vacation in Colorado he was back. At first the family was concerned a bit because he was supposed to be back after a few days, and on the day after he was set to return he called and said he was sticking around Colorado for a while. A combination of business and pleasure he claimed. Close up the deal then hang around for the view and the quiet. Apparently though he sounded very strained and sick, but refused to return no matter what Duke's dad had insisted. It was a very loud conversation.

"I don't care what you think is okay at the moment Tom." His dad had started, "You sound awful, if you're at some hospital at least tell me that!" His voice elevated in the other room. The rest of the family was eating in the dining room but Duke didn't even want lift silverware at risk of missing anything. The others at the table seemed to be pretending nothing was happening, or didn't care as much.

"Thomas, please listen to me...no I don't think I'm not over reacting, your family and you won't tell me what's wrong...Don't you dare!...Hello? Hello...?" There was a sigh and that was the end of that. Duke's dad wasn't the most level headed at all times, but Uncle Tom must have sounded particularly horrid if it elicited such a loud reaction.

Duke sighed and finished freshening up and got dressed. Bacon and eggs were waiting at the table with a very unified family around them. His mother was in her dark blue dress cut just past the knees with a matching jacket and pill hat. Brianna was in a floral dress of the same length; it made Duke smile because of her usual tomboy get up. Anthony and his dad wore tan pants and a dress shirt, Mr Grey's being a dark green and Anthony's just an average blue. Duke wore similar pants and a polo. This was the only time their entire unit could claim they were any kind of better off economically.

Despite their comfortable living and privileges the Grey family was incredibly lax. They each only had a handful of proper clothes Mr Grey and Uncle Thomas excluded for work. On a regular day it was flannel shirts and jeans, but His mother always insisted they look their best in God's house.

"Good morning sleeping beauty," Brianna teased, finishing off her OJ.

"Morning Bri, you look ravishing this morning," he countered, sitting down with a grin, "The dress suits you."

"Hardy har har." She stuck out her tongue.

"Not so early," Mr Grey instructed, by the sound of his voice Duke would say he was also instructed to leave his brother alone until later.

Duke devoured his food and the family was soon on their way into town. They got in their new sleek '02 Impala and drove down the road. Vender was a small enough town in the middle of nowhere, but White Rock Road was really in the middle of nowhere. On one side of the street were dense woods that were rarely broken by property. On the other were sporadic houses with mini farms between them. Most of the farm lands were unused for their original purposes but still, it was a fair walk to your neighbours; especially if you walked down the long driveways to the road, then over and back up theirs.

Unfortunately Uncle Tom lived in the opposite direction from town so Duke couldn't even confirm his lights were on. He didn't think his family was lying, but it would have been nice to have a happened glance of the man. It was nagging at his mind how terrible the odds were that he should return the night before he was required to be in God's house.

~~~~

Queen of Infinite Sorrow was a beautiful place with an unfortunate name. Despite ones opinions of such a place it was a very tight knit and positive community. The building itself was a simple blue chapel with a nice and real bell. Duke had the pleasure of ringing it himself a few times as a kid. Father Patrick was a very generous and kind man who often let the kids do it if they showed up at the proper times.

Despite endless attendance to it Duke could not say he even believed entirely, or that he even cared. Hell, he wasn't even sure if his dad believed, but they attended for their mother's sake. She was an incredibly spiritual women and insisted they attend, even if when drunk she had openly admitted to going on the basis of 'should it be real or not, going can't hurt.'

Regardless of his beliefs he paid attention. Duke knew plenty of passages and prayers, the lesson had value, and the community wasn't so bad. The annual events often involved delicious and multicultural food from everyone in the town. They got pastas and salads and little desserts and home brewed beer. Obviously it being a church even there were rules about who could get said beer, but most of the kids had their ways and Mr Grey didn't exactly see the harm in a single beer anyway.

The family parked and entered through the large wooden front doors of their ill named church. It was apparent in town, but more apparent in church how behind in the times Vender could be. Most women had large hats and 80's dresses on like his mother, the little ones had sailor suits or little tuxes; overall it just felt like walking back a few decades. Duke had to smile at the thought he often had of one of the women blaming communism for sins. In his mind she had glasses with thick lenses and a pill hat most days. One day the hat was like Captain Hook's, big feather and all.

There were the usual small town bullshit conversations of pre-service. Women talking to other women they didn't like with fake smiles for the sake of feeling like a better person. Little girls braiding the multi-coloured dangling bookmarks off the bibles. Boy's talking about some sporting event or something's the bible didn't exactly approve of, their fathers doing little different. This didn't usually make Duke frustrated, but the fact that he wasn't with his uncle now was making everything seem in the way. He wasn't with his uncle not because he was in church, but at the moment he wasn't with his uncle because... "Dude Detroit killed Washington!" and "Oh you know Sarah, she isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer," and, "Can you imagine? Saunders's hasn't had a round with his wife in months apparently."

Everyone heard everyone, but no one said a thing about it. You stuck to your own conversations until Father Patrick appeared. Thankfully he did and the service began, but Duke was still finding it hard to concentrate. The words spoken were all blurred. Duke had respect for Father Patrick and felt bad about not giving him full attention. On any other day the idea of a man who sacrificed everything sensual in the world just to be heard officially being ignored made his blood boil, but today it seemed almost unimportant.

About halfway through the service an open bible slid under the seat and to Duke's feet. He looked up curiously at a little blonde haired kid who couldn't have been more than nine. The kid smiled, his front teeth missing and laughed a little, getting a hushing sound from his mother. Then, with all the class a nine year old could muster, and with perfect timing, he announced to a dead silent church "It's about sex!"

Duke had never seen a mother scoop up a child, apologize publically and storm out of a church faster in all his years. There were quite a few chuckles and even Father Patrick had a smile on his face. Curious, Duke picked up the book at his feet. Leviticus 19 through 21, the codes of conduct, the punishments of sin, and the sanctity of priesthood.

Duke grinned a bit at the little kid's idea of humour and seeing no other way to distract himself focused on reading.

'1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any foreigner residing in Israel who sacrifices any of his children to Molek is to be put to death. The members of the community are to stone him. 3 I myself will set my face against him and will cut him off from his people; for by sacrificing his children to Molek, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 4 If the members of the community close their eyes when that man sacrifices one of his children to Molek and if they fail to put him to death, 5 I myself will set my face against him and his family and will cut them off from their people together with all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molek. 6 "'I will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritualists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people.'

The old ways of putting things always made Duke smile and simultaneously have a healthy respect for languages. No one would say one was 'prostituting themselves' anymore. People would say they were sell outs and blasphemers. Hell, blasphemers would be a stretch with the way slang was ruining English...

"'Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.' Another smile at the severity of ancient times.

"'If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, both of them are to be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads.' Gross...but apparently a problem back then.

'"If a women should find a beast and lay with it, you shall kill the women and the beast, for she is filthy, and the beast has dirtied the property of man. If a man should seek intercourse with a beast you must kill the man and the beast for he has pursued misconduct and the beast has dirtied His creation." Duke stopped with a grimace not even wanting to imagine such an act, "Disgusting..."

He closed the bible quietly and placed it back in its place, turning his mind back to the words spilling from Father Patrick's lips.

~~~~

Duke couldn't have run any faster. He was already halfway to his uncles with a pot of soup in hand. He had forgotten to grab the tray of cookies, but it hardly mattered. He breathed steadily through his mouth and smiled a bit, Uncles car was in his driveway. Duke had noticed before, only now though did it really seem like a sign of return.

He ran up to the porch, eyeing the two rocking chairs he and his uncle frequented in the summer with a cooler of beer and soda between them, conversation buzzing about anything and everything. Quickly Duke rang the doorbell, the familiar chime going off somewhere in the house. At first there was no noise, Duke almost rang the bell again but he heard shuffling form inside and decided to wait. He didn't know if Uncle Tom had a headache, but he didn't want to make it worse if he did.

A large shadow sat in the doors frosted window, and Duke's uncle then sat in the doorway. Duke didn't know what to say exactly, he had been excited, but for some reason never thought his uncle would appear sick. Well, 'sick' was an understatement. Thomas Grey looked like a hospital patient. His usually fully cheeks and tanned skin were hollow and pale. His eyes looked half open and red, his large form carried a blanket around himself and a glaze of sweat sat on his brow like a fresh oiled turkey. It couldn't have been a long walk, but his breathing was loud and choppy. But, he still managed a little laugh though, "Duke, you shouldn't stare ha ha, do I really look that bad?" He asked concerned.

Duke closed his mouth that he just realized was slightly agape and tried to speak, "N-no...Uncle I'm glad to see your back."

"Glad to be back...trust me..." he sighed, "Colorado was beautiful but the hospitals and such suck as bad as any other. No for the honesty, how bad do I look?" He asked with a weak grin.

Duke put on a little smile for his favourite relative, "You look like shit...a pale pale shit."

The man laughed and smiled, "You have a way with words, don't let your mother hear you talk like that. BUT honest children do get to come in, that soup needs to be heated up some right?" He asked, "I'm sure you know where the kitchen is." Duke nodded and headed past his uncle.

Thomas Grey had never boasted of being neat and tidy. The military had shockingly done nothing to cure his problem with disorganization; he claimed he just wasn't in the program long enough for it to help. Duke walked past the cluttered fireplace, around the two large chairs in the sitting room, and into the kitchen, the dishes piled in the sink probably before his trip. He stifled a disgusted face and set the pot of soup on the stove. After he lit the old appliance he returned to his uncle in the sitting room, first assuming one of the large chairs.

"I might look like hell, but I'm not contagious, give me a hug yah goon." The man smiled, pulling his nephew into a tight embrace.

"Sorry, I just didn't want to upset your condition, are you actually okay Uncle Tom? What's wrong with you?"

"I'm just peachy; I'm just getting over something I got in Colorado." He insisted, "But I did get you guys some things." He smiled; referring to his little gifts he always got Duke and his siblings, "They're in the other room if you wanna go look."

Even though he was concerned for the man, Duke couldn't help but shift his attention to the other room, "Really?"

The man rolled his eyes, "Yes really, when don't I get you spoiled brats nice things? Yours isn't done yet though," he noted, "I'll have it done tonight, can you stop by like you do in the summer? Just sneak out and be back before anyone's the wiser?" It wasn't the thing Uncle Tom usually consented too, but somehow that made Duke more excited for his gift.

"Yeah, I can," he promised.

~~~~

Brianna and Anthony loved their little knick knacks. Anthony had gotten a painted animal skull of sorts and Brianna had gotten feather earrings and some sort of bag. They were all old enough to have moved beyond little toys, but they still had the same enthusiasm for Uncle Tom's seemingly perfect gifts. Duke ensured them he would get his own gift tomorrow when they asked about it, and technically he wasn't a liar.

It was almost midnight; the moon was full in the sky making Duke's escape well lit. He climbed down the side of his house quietly, walking around the back until he saw his uncle's home and started crossing through the tall grass that was once stalks of corn apparently.

The kid was very conflicted. He was excited for sure; a little high on adrenaline maybe because of the sneaking around, but for once he was a little scared to be running to his uncle. He couldn't quite place it, but something had been off. It was probably just the sickness but he wasn't buying into it entirely. The man had hardly changed in war but sickness altered him so much. There was something else he wasn't telling Duke, and Duke didn't like it. They never had secrets from each other but earlier he had sounded distant and robotic. Usually when he was sick Uncle Tom would laugh it off or over emphasize or constantly bring up his need to use the rest room for something or other. Today he had just seemed tired and defeated.

The sick veteran was on the back patio of his home. He had an easel with him and he stared off at the moon. Duke grinned a bit, so that's what he meant, he hadn't finished painting the picture yet. When he was in his therapy for the PTSD the man had started painting as a vent. He was surprisingly good at it, and although he frequently produced some dark and terrifying images, he also drew beautiful scenery and even a few images for the church... although he had never attended a service in his life.

"Hey Uncle Tom! I made it." Duke announced, the man didn't even flinch; his eyes were filled with the reflection of the full moon. "Uncle Tom?" Duke questioned, looking up at the moon himself and then crinkling his nose. "Oh my god...what's that smell?" he asked, pinching his nose together and looking around in the pale blue moonlight.

Duke ran up beside his uncle, "Uncle Tom are you okay?" he asked, shaking the man who still hadn't acknowledged his existence.

The next few moments were the clearest of Duke's life to that point and ever since. One Mississippi, he was in the air, his breath leaving his lungs.

Two Mississippi dirty looking yellow eyes pierced his own as he is lifted up in the air, his back pressing firmly into the back of the house.

Three Mississippi, a growl ripples through the air from his uncle's throat.

Four Mississippi, Duke sees the painting; the moon in the background was miniaturized along with the yard.

Five Mississippi, Duke notices another overpowering smell; this one is much more pleasant. A sharp object is digging into his chest and neck where his uncle has his hands.

Six Mississippi, Duke finally has enough breath to release a scream. It's small, but it's something. The boy started kicking, and finally sees the rest of the picture. It's red, the yard is bathed in red. There are animal carcasses spread around the once green grass. His head hurts and the stabbing feelings continue.

Seven Mississippi, His head explodes in pure agony as pressure forces its way in screaming his name. In the same moment he has a million ideas, dozens of words and phrases repeating in his mind. All are in his uncle's voice. "I'm Sorry!" "Come with me!" "Run away!" "Don't hate me!" "I love you!" "I'm a monster!" "Shouldn't have returned!" "Duke...Duke...my precious Duke..." "Duke!" "Duke!" "DUKE!" they all yelled.

Eight Mississippi, "I'm sorry." The world fell quiet and Duke felt some sort of pressure on his neck. It was numbing, then blinding in the sheer level of pain. The older man put him down.

Nine Mississippi, Duke fell to the ground unable to stand; he felt at his neck and coughed.

Ten Mississippi, he realizes his neck isn't all there.

Eleven Mississippi, he starts drowning in his own blood.

Twelve Mississippi, he tried to call for help but can no longer make words with his torn larynx. He cried salty tears to the earth, his mind to full of the continued cries of his beloved uncle to think for himself.

Thirteen Mississippi, fourteen Mississippi, fifteen Mississippi, sixteen Mississippi...Duke passed out, the last thing he saw that night was his uncle dropping Duke's own neck to his feet. His yellow eyes were full of tears, but Duke's were fading.

The last thing Duke saw as a human was the moon. The last thing he smelled and tasted was his own blood. The last thing he felt was the bite of a loved one. The last thing he heard was his own sickening drowning. The last thing he felt was betrayal, heart ache and sorrow; and they weren't even his own feelings.

~~~~

Death was not like in the bible. Duke did not see any gate, or hear any angels. In fact, while dead he neither suffered or cared or perceived. Duke knew when he awoke it was later than when he passed, but the gap in between death and life were empty. He flashed to being awake.

The first thing he heard re-born was the screams of his own family suffering the way he did. The first thing he felt was a surprising first regeneration, the pain intense all over as his body fought for homeostasis. He still smelled and tasted blood, and finally when he opened his eyes he saw what he could never un-see.

One door down, at his own house, there was a brilliant blaze. Outside the gigantic inferno were shadowy figures, all on the ground with a lone figure standing over them. The boy felt tears fall down his face, and when his vocal cords had returned he found himself crying out to them "MOM! DAD! ANTHONY! BRI!!" he wept for them. They too must have died. In the moment, he himself had thought he was a ghost watching them now, watching his family die before they too could rise to heaven with him.

It was a silly thought looking back on it. Duke sighed while sitting in Kyle's room and pulled out his cell phone to dial a number. As the dial tone rang he recalled how his uncle had changed his entire family with the goal of not being alone. It was a selfish action, but honestly it was understandable. Werewolves didn't really have many families they didn't change themselves. Other groups were few and far between. Still, and obviously to, the rest of the Grey's never forgave Uncle Thomas that night.

"Hello, Vincent's Hospital in Timin, how may I direct your call?" A cheery voice sounded in Duke's ear.

The boy let out a sigh and groaned, he hated this...but Kyle was worth more than a grudge he only thought about half the time. "I need to speak to Dr Thomas Silas. This is an emergency. It's his nephew..."