Author's Note: Hey guys, long time no update! xD Well, not here at least, I update more in DeviantArt. But finally some MW2 fan-fiction, huh? I've been working on this one since summer break! Anyhow, I'll just give you guys a few pointers in this fan-fiction right here.

- Royce and Roach are childhood friends. Royce being British and Roach originally living there until he had to move to America when he was 7, Royce was 10. They always kept contact with each other throughout the years.

- Royce's real name, to me, is Thomas Cooper.

- Extra info, Meat's name is Jerry Simms.

Aaand that's about it, hope you enjoy. xD Be sure to have some tissues though, people who read this said they cried.

Roach didn't know what to do.

He couldn't think at all, his mind just went blank.

It is as if everything around him was gone, and he was all alone.

"Meat is down! I repeat, Meat is down!"

On his knees, staring into space, the sun was shining brightly when he thinks the skies should be cloudy and pouring rain in sadness.

The barking dog sounded as if it was far away, the chain rattling sounded like gun shots, and the wind is whispering something he cannot hear.

Roach's eyes widened in shock, he turned his head, and looked at Meat's dead body on the ground.

Dead Meat… If Meat himself was alive, he would've laughed at the irony.

About to take a step to his fallen comrade, he heard Royce's voice over the comm. "Roach, forget about Meat! We'll talk about this later! Just keep moving! If we don't move forward..!" Static filled the silence.

Shooting a nearby enemy and ducking into cover, he slowly made his way to Royce's position He ignored Royce's command to move forward, but instead moved in to help.

Gripping his gun, he slowly stood up. His eyebrows furrowed as he hears his Captain's order to keep moving to Rojas' location, there was no time for back up, and that he was on his own on this.

He was alone.

Once Roach arrived to Royce's location, Royce immediately took notice of him and shoved him down into cover. "Roach, I thought I told you to move forward!" Royce hissed.

Roach opened his mouth to say something, but quickly closed it when a bullet nearly hit him. He heard Royce curse silently to himself before sighing and turning his head to him, "We're gonna need to work together, okay Roach? C'mon."

There was no time to cry, no time to stop and think, and he had to survive. It felt like he was watching himself from afar, like he wasn't really there, and that person playing him is brave and fearless. The man is quick to kill with precise shots, and no emotion could be seen on his face.

In the back of Roach's mind, a random memory from long ago appears in his head, where Meat and Royce are talking to him and smiling. But he can't hear a word they're saying, instead, somewhere else, bullets can be heard along with screaming.

"Nice shot, Roach."

Roach smiled brightly at Royce, who didn't return the smile and instead turned away back to the action. Pouting, Roach reached his hand out to hold Royce's hand like a child. He only grasped air as Royce quickly stood up, not looking at Roach, "Okay Roach, I gotta plan that's sure to have you make it out alive."

Roach looked at Royce in concern and worry, his eyes asking a dreadful question, 'what about you, Royce?' But because of Royce being turned away from Roach, Royce did not answer Roach's question, nor did Roach see Royce's pained expression.

Even after capturing Rojas, he held in his sadness. But his teammates kept asking him about his sudden silence, he only responded back with a blank stare. They did not question about Royce or Meat, and confliction shot through Roach about it.

Watching Ghost torture Rojas, he clench his hands into a tight fist, and he felt his heart aching. He actually hoped the man wouldn't give any information soon, just so Ghost could hurt him more. His teammates look away from the gore, occasionally gagging, and Roach look kept watching like it was nothing.

No emotion displayed on his face.

His teammates began to worry.

The plan was to try and kill everyone around them so they could run through without a problem. Roach covered the front while Royce covered the back. To Roach, it seemed like an excellent plan from Royce like always.

To Royce, the plan was…

Nikolai's pave low was right there. But the Militia had other plans than letting the Task Force go and fly away. Roach heard Rocket swear at the unfortunate fate as he pulled Roach up onto the building.

Trying to lighten up the mood, Chemo spoke up, "Hey, last one to the chopper is rotten egg!"

Rocket gave a light smile, "You know I'm gonna win, right?" Chemo snickers in response. They look at Roach, expecting him to say something, but in turn, he said nothing.

It is like he is lifeless, with that blank expression and empty look in his eyes.

The two men tensed at this, thinking that the atmosphere was so dark and thick. It was hard to breathe just standing next to Roach. They wondered if the Lieutenant and the Captain noticed Roach's attitude at all.

"Roach, it seems to be clear. You run down first, got that?" Royce looked at Roach sternly. Roach furrowed his eyebrows in concern, but nodded. Royce gave a comforting smile, "I'll be right behind you. I'll cover you and make sure you won't get hurt."

Once again, Roach shot Royce a worried glance. Royce noticed and immediately looked away. He continued to stare at Royce, eyes slowly widening with realization. Reaching out, he clutched Royce's arm, fear displayed on his face.

Not daring to look back, Royce dropped his head and gripped his gun. "Just go, Gary."

Roach didn't move. Royce's voice broke, "Go."

And with that, Roach ran ahead.

They were all running on the rooftops, trying to get to Nikolai's pave low.

Roach made it to the end, smiling brightly for not finding any enemies. He turned around to look at Royce—

A sound of a sniper shot rang through the air.

Ghost's eyes widened, "We're running out of rooftop!"

"We can make it! Go! Go! Go!" His Captain yelled out, him jumping first. Ghost second, Chemo and Rocket jumping just after him.

Roach was left. He ran for a big leap, sure of himself that he would land it.

"Roach! I'm hit!"

All of a sudden, his feet messed up. He extended his arms out and landed with his top half of his body on the rooftop. His eyes widened in panic, he scrambled to get up, and it was futile as he was slowly sliding backward with his weight.

Roach's eyes widened, and he ran toward Royce's body.

Roach hung on the edge, his Captain came over and tried to catch Roach, giving him hope. Roach's grip was quickly losing as he swung a hand out for his Captain.

Their hands missed each other.

And Roach fell down into the alley.

"Roach!"

"Royce!"

Roach went down onto his knees and scrambled to Royce's position, trying to avoid any more sniper fire. "Royce!" He called out again, hoping to get an answer. Filled with fear, he pulled Royce around the corner, grimacing at the trail of blood on the ground, and laid his body gently on the ground with his head on Roach's leg, looking where he had gotten shot.

He had to stifle a gasp with his hand as he lifted Royce's shirt. The bullet had shot through his stomach, making him bleed quickly. Roach checked Royce's pulse.

It was faint.

Roach hurried and took off his backpack, fumbling to find the med kit. He looked up when he heard Royce cough and sputter out blood. "R- Roach..?"

Black, darkness, blurs, where was he?

Roach.

Someone's calling his name, but it wasn't who he wanted it to be.

"Roach! Wake up!" It was just his Captain.

"R-royce, I'm here," He held Royce's hand, giving it a squeeze, "please don't talk- Don't close your eyes..!"

He couldn't let Royce die. No, it was unthinkable for him to die. Royce was Royce. The one who was stern, intelligent, and just plain unstoppable. He was Tom, Roach's best friend since childhood. He couldn't die, no, Roach could not accept that.

Roach's heart raced quickly as Royce smiled warmly with half-lidded eyes, and blood trickled down the edges of his mouth. "Sorry," Royce wheezed, "I'm sorry, Gary." He sounded so weak. That calm voice that screamed 'authority' or 'command' that he had before was gone, it was so unlike him.

Roach gave Royce's hand another squeeze.

He pushed himself up, seeing shadows of people walking toward him down the alley. Every one of them holding guns, none of them seemed to have any mercy.

"Royce, I'm begging you—"

"Tom…"

"W-what?"

"Please… Call me Tom, Gary."

"Roach! We can see them from the chopper! They're coming for you, dozens of 'em!" Roach cringed slightly, whether it was because of Ghost's yelling, or because of his luck, he wasn't so sure at the moment.

No. He couldn't call Royce 'Tom', not now, not on a mission. "Royce, I can't..!" Roach's voice cracked.

"Gary," Royce breathed out, "Please…"

It was like someone shot through his heart as Royce pleaded to him, because surely this couldn't be happening, Royce would never beg like that. Roach's body shook as he smiled sadly, eyebrows furrowing together. "Okay Tom, okay..."

Tears trailed down his face.

Turning around, he put his hand on the building wall next to him. Seeing a person walk up on the rooftop on another building, more came with the person, and they were looking for him.

Reaching his hand out to Roach's cheek, Royce wiped the tears away with his thumb.

His vision cleared a bit as his Captain kept yelling into the comm, "Roach! There's too many of them! Get the hell out of there and find a way to the rooftops!" Roach looked down an alley to see many shadows. Move!"

"Don't cry, Gary…" He let out a small, but painful, smile, "I… I'm glad you're not hurt." Roach's eyes narrowed, his eyebrows furrowed together, his teeth bared, and trying so hard to hold back his tears and sobs.

He let out a frustrated cry as Royce coughed out a bubble of blood, eyes slowly fading in and out.

Roach turned his attention to the doorway in front of him.

Roach made a desperate attempt to grab his backpack again, searching for that damned medkit, only for his wrist to be firmly held by Royce.

"Don't… Waste it… On me," Royce rasped out.

"B-but Tom..!"

His grip on Roach's arm was slowly losing its strength, his breath short and heavy. Roach put a hand on the back of Royce's neck, laying their foreheads together, and held his hand tightly. He cried and sobbed while Royce closed his eyes, smiling peacefully.

"Somewhere…" Royce sang hoarsely, "Over the rainbow…"

He was tired of running.

Roach gave a desperate cry out of the back of his throat.

"Way up high..."

But his body ran anyway.

Royce paused for a second before smiling weakly, "Gary… It would be nice, wouldn't it?"

And he ran, and ran, and ran…

Roach smiled painfully in return, "W-what would be nice, Tom..?"

He promised he'd survive.

"If someday… We could be reborn… It would be fun to be together again—" Royce's eyes widened, his mouth sputtering out coughs and blood. Roach panicked in response and took out his backpack again, trying so hard to help him.

He desperately called out Tom's name repeatedly, as if it would stop the coughing.

The jump to the ladder didn't faze Roach as much as it should have been. His legs automatically jumped and he grabbed the ladder as if he's done it a million times.

His breath short and raspy, Royce reached out for him. "Gary… Promise me…"

"A-anything," Roach intertwined his hand with Royce's, holding it dearly.

"Promise me, that you'll survive... live long."

MacTavish slid the door shut and turned around, leaning on it. He looked down at Roach, sitting down and leaning on the door as well. MacTavish smiled lightly and patted Roach's head, "You did good, Roach."

Quickly looking up, Roach looked at his Captain with surprise. The older man's confused eyes met wide, confused eyes. MacTavish froze as Roach's eyes poured out tears.

The others snapped their heads in Roach's direction as he lay on his side on the ground, curled into a ball with his hands on his face, he was crying.

"All the King's horses…"

Chemo and Rocket tried to cheer him up on the way back to base, and even Ghost kept giving Roach worrying glances. MacTavish had tried to offer a 'Scottish hug' multiple times only to have a sob and a slap to the arm in response.

"And all the King's men…"

When they came back to base, Roach stopped crying. But the way he became wasn't any better. Roach had become broken.

He would not smile.

He would not laugh.

He was just…

Empty.

"Couldn't put Humpty together again."

Roach was never the same after Royce and Meat died.

"The end."

"Tom, I dun like that story so much… It's too sad…"

"Hmm, alright, what story would you like me to read, Gary?"

"Three Musketeers!"

"Haha, alright, now what's that about?"

"It's about these three friends and they fight evil!"

"Do they die?"

"Nope! They live on together! Forever! They're so cool!"

"Haha, sounds like a fun book. Alright, once upon a time in France…"