Survivor

Chapter 23

Pov Dan:

Tears streamed down my face, and I could hardly believe my happiness. I immediately ran to the cage and tried to open the door. After some time of shaking it, it finally gave way, and the door opened. "Xaver!", I called out, relieved, and rushed to my partner. He looked at me in shock and asked quietly, "Dan?" I fell beside him and embraced him, crying. "Xaver! I've missed you so much! I'm so glad you're okay!", I cried out, overwhelmed. Xaver’s eyes also filled with tears. "How did you find me?", the blonde asked. I released him and smiled at his face. Xaver was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. I couldn't imagine what he must have gone through. "It's a long story. I-", I stopped mid-sentence when I noticed that Xaver was holding a child in his arms. A broad smile spread across my lips, and I looked at Xaver with joy. "Is that-", I started to ask, but Xaver immediately confirmed my suspicion with a nod. It was indeed our child. In disbelief at what I saw, I covered my mouth with my hand and tried to hold back my tears. "It's a boy, but he doesn't have a name yet.", Xaver explained. I composed myself and looked at our son. He had black hair too and Xaver's eyes. "What name were you thinking of?", I asked curiously, gently stroking the child's cheek. Xaver thought for a moment and then said, "How about Charlie?" I nodded and replied, "That means leader, right? It's a nice name." Charlie sneezed, which made Xaver and me laugh. It was so beautiful to have him back with me, and now with our son as well. "You wouldn't believe what I went through to finally see you again.", I said finally, looking at Xaver. He looked down sadly and explained quietly, "You shouldn't have done that." I was confused. "What are you talking about? Of course, I had to rescue you; you are the most important person in my life. Well, now you have to share that spot with someone else.", I joked, carefully cradling Charlie. Xaver smiled weakly, but his smile faded immediately. "Dan, I'm not worth saving. You shouldn't risk your life for me. You should take Charlie and go back. Just leave me here.", Xaver urged quietly. "What? Why?", I questioned. Why should I leave Xaver behind? My partner buried his face in his hands and explained through tears, "I didn't want this; I swear it. He did it against my will." 
"Who did what?" Fear spread through me, fear of Xaver's answer. He looked up and met my gaze with tear-filled eyes. "H-He raped me. Dan, I didn't want to betray you!" When I heard this, I was in disbelief. Xaver had slept with someone else while pregnant with Charlie. And with a human, no less. "Dan.", Xaver said desperately, but I couldn’t look him in the eyes. That was the worst possible thing that could have happened. No, Xaver could have died as well. He did it against his will, and I knew just as well how terrible humans could be. Xaver bore no guilt. 
When I looked at my partner, he had buried his face in his knees and was crying. "Xav." Xaver looked up at me, fear in his eyes. The sight almost broke my heart. He truly seemed to regret it, even though he wasn’t directly to blame. "It’s all right. You didn’t want it, and I know you would never do something like that willingly." A relieved smile formed on Xaver's face. We embraced again, of course, being mindful of Charlie. For a while, we just looked into each other’s eyes until we were suddenly interrupted by Jack. "Dan, things are getting pretty hot here!", Jack called from the door. I looked at Xaver and said, "Let’s go home." Xaver nodded. I stood up and was about to leave when I heard a thud behind me. Startled, I turned around and saw Xaver on the floor. "Xav! Are you okay?", I asked, concerned. "I can barely feel my legs, and I'm a bit dizzy.", Xaver explained. I draped his arm over my shoulder and helped him up. We walked slowly to the door, where Max and Jack were already standing. They had managed to deal with the two men. "Dan, Xaver!", Jack called happily and approached us. When he spotted Charlie, he beamed, wagging his tail excitedly and looking happily at Xaver. Jack carefully took Charlie from me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Max flinch when he saw Xaver and couldn't suppress a mocking grin. "I'm so glad you're okay, Xaver.", Jack said, and Xaver smiled faintly. "S-So you’re this Xaver, huh?", Max asked nervously. Xaver looked coldly at him and said, "And who are you?" Max tried to stand firm against Xaver, but he too seemed to crumble under Xaver's presence and answered meekly, "I-I'm Max. I helped Dan get here." Xaver looked at me questioningly, and I nodded. He turned back to Max and said softly, "Thank you." Shortly after, he had a severe coughing fit and nearly toppled forward, but I caught him just in time. "We should go. The humans could call for backup at any moment." I noted. The others agreed, and we retraced our steps back the way we came. With Xaver and Charlie, this was of course more difficult, but we managed to leave the building undetected. Once outside, it was lightly raining, and it was quite dark. We stood under a small shelter at the edge of the stone path, and Max was studying a map. A human woman stood next to us, looking at us curiously. We were certainly not inconspicuous; I was aware of that. Still, I smiled at the woman as if everything were perfectly normal. 
With Max's help, we managed to get back into that large steel bird, which fortunately took off shortly after. We hid behind crates again and were careful not to be discovered. Xaver was so exhausted that he immediately fell asleep on my shoulder. "Dan?", Max's voice sounded. I turned to him, looking expectantly. "I'm sorry for everything I said earlier. And for insulting Xaver. He's really strong; I know that now." I didn’t quite know if I should accept Max’s apology. However, he wasn’t someone who would apologize lightly, so I was sure he meant it sincerely. "I accept your apology, Max." 
"You got lucky.", Jack teased, looking provocatively at Max. I chuckled a little, and Charlie did too. We all had to laugh a bit. Finally, I had my family back with me.