They should have known that he would not wait. 

There was a soft knock at the door at 3:00 the next morning. Lan Zhan had already roused; the turmoil of the night before had made sleep nearly impossible for him. Wei Ying showed every evidence of sleeping in and Lan Wangji was still sedated and would probably be out for another 3 or 4 hours. It was still snowing, not as heavy as before but steady. The city was completely silent.

Zhan opened the door and there stood XiChen, holding his cross-country skis, dressed in High-Tek skiwear from head to toe, a headlamp strapped to his forehead. He had left several hours after the phone call, expertly breaking a trail from his home in Wahington Park near the small frozen lakes, all the way to LoDo. For the deceptively strong man, it had been a long but relatively easy piece of cake and a blessed feeling of being the only man awake and out in Denver at such an early time of the day. The man prized his solitude and peace. The only two people he would have done this for were his two brothers...make that three, now.

XiChen laid his skis down and wrapped his brother in a tight embrace and Zhan immediately felt himself relax. His brother always soothed his soul in an instant. 3000 years had not changed that, whatever life they lived.

He looked at Wei Ying with grave concern as he slept soundly on the fold-out couch in the living room. 

"Is he okay? It must have been a shock."

"Yes, Wangji put him through the wringer. He was glad when they got here. Did not take long to figure it out. A few choice phrases and the eyes."

"Wangji?"

"Ying's idea. Can't call us both Lan Zhan. We slept out here last night. Did not want to leave him alone. What if he woke up, frightened? Strange house. Strange Century."

Zhan took him over to the Murphy Bed and Lan XiChen stared in amazement. He sat silently on the edge of the bed, and tenderly brushed some hair away from the small face.

"So, this is where you ran to, that horrible day. A long journey, 3000 years away from me. Little Zhan. Little Zhan. Such a wise choice at such a young age. Yet, how desperate you must have been." 

"We must have been able to help him back to our first life. After all, my soul has been intact for all of my incarnations since. But I am still too unsettled to set any sort of plan."

"I would be surprised if you were not having a hard time. It is also clear that you retained no memory of this. I thought that you simply healed naturally. I was only ten myself and I was just grateful I had you back. I had never been so terrified in my life, not even when Mother died. Not even when Father deserted us, leaving us to QiRen's tender mercies. I remember thinking, 'If he does not wake up, or worse, I will die as well.' I could not have borne it alone."

They moved to the kitchen and sat, sipping tea, just glad that some ancient questions were being answered. The Twin Jades never had to explain themselves, except for the brief time when he needed to make XiChen understand the depth of his and Wei Ying's bond; and likewise. when XiChen needed the same understanding for his relationship with Meng Yao. It had been a time of tension for them both, but the testing made them even stronger. And their trust in one another,while broken once and nearly destroyed, had recovered and resumed; stronger for the mending and filled with  deeper understanding. 

Wei Ying woke at 5:00, excited and relieved to see his brother-in-law-to-be. He washed his face and changed then ran out to a cup of tea and a sweet bun at his place at the table. He loved XiChen because he treated Wei Ying well, unlike his brother. Much had been resolved with Jiang Chang, but the damage had left scars and while they loved one another, they were not exceptionally close. They had not felt the need to reincarnate around one another in two, maybe three lifetimes. Xi Chen could be depended on.

"One thing's for certain. The Kid hates me already. I had forgotten how that feels."

Lan Zhan reached up and drew him down on his lap. "Wangji doesn't hate you. You are an acquired taste for people like us Lans.  Raised to suppress all that is free and spontaneous. Someone as untamed as you is a frightening thing to encounter. Attack or retreat are our only options."

Wei Ying hid his face in the strong neck and inhaled the healing scent of sandalwood. Zhan stroked his head in a soothing motion. XiChen went with the flow. One had to with this couple. The soul pairing was so rock solid that it was now seamless. It was almost as addictive, just sitting on the sidelines and watching.

"However, Ying, of all the cars in Denver, who did Wangji appear in front of last night? Who stopped and gathered him up? In shock, he became arrogant and rude. You have seen this before, have you not? There is no other way he could have reacted. A child, never setting foot out of Cloud Recesses with only Lan and 3000 rules to guide him. There was no other reaction to be expected. Yet, something made him find the one person who could bring him back, face to face with himself. It is, in a strange way, a very great compliment. He will come around. You have that effect on my brother."

"Brother?" A small voice whispered and the three looked up in surprise. Lan Wangji was standing only a short distance away, the huge thermals pooling at his feet and the sleeves hanging a foot longer past his hands. His hair was disheveled and nobody had heard his soft approach. His eyes shone with tears as he saw Lan XiChen rise to his feet. A low cry of joy and anguish filled the room as the child flung himself at XiChen, wrapping his small arms around his waist. 

"XiChen! Brother! Where have you been?" Great sobs burst forth and all Lan XiChen could do was sink to the floor and gather him in, tucking him close and forming a shelter above him, letting the storm within the boy erupt. "I got lost and it's loud here and I can't get back home." Lan Zhan was weeping in concert with his other half. His ability to control his own emotions had been in shambles since Wangji arrived. What affected one, affected the other. And the three Lans, strong, always in control, were a puddle of injured and broken hearts on the kitchen floor.

Wei Ying struggled to keep himself under control. Somebody had to, the other three were a complete mess. 

"Okay!" He raised his voice and stood there, fists on his hips. Three, swollen, but still, lovely faces turned upward in shock.

"This is how it goes. The kid's clothes are dried and pressed. Take him to the bathroom and help him use the facilities and bathe him the best you can. By the time you get back, I will have breakfast ready.  And for god's sakes, fix yourselves up too. You all three look like drowned puppies!" He turned around only to hear Wangji address the others.

"So rude. How do you stand him?"

They both answered simultaneously. "It's an acquired taste."

Wei Ying sighed and headed for the refrigerator.

'

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