Argo held his nineteen year old son in his arms, the young man's head pressed against his chest to better hear his father's heartbeat. It was ironic that this had always been a comfort to both father and son. Little Nicolas was his only child and spoiled as such. Out of all the children of the Shuffle Alliance, Nicolas was the most obedient of the group and stood at his father's side most faithfully.

"Why?" Argo forced himself to speak. "Why did you do that, Nicolas?" He held his son's gunshot wound tighter, willing the bleeding to stop. "That was… That was supposed to be me…"

Nicolas took a painful breath, shaking his head. "Don't be ridiculous, father. Mother needs you to be with her. " By now Nastasha had fearfully fallen to her knees beside him and taken his hand.

"Hang on, Nicolas," his mother pleaded. "Just hang on. You can make it." She sobbed, burying her face into her son's knuckles. He watched her strength crumble and cry as he began to lose himself to the dark. His mother sobbed louder above him; his father shouted something at him that he could not catch. He was tired… So tired…

After searching for nearly ten minutes, Nastasha finally found her husband sitting alone in the sitting room, staring at the floor. "There you are, Argo," she said gently, crossing the distance between them to stand at his side. "The crew is worried about you. You have not cried yet…."

He looked up grimly at her, nodding. "I cannot lose him, Nastasha," he mumbled passed the lump in his throat. "I cannot lose him."

"I understand," she told him in as firm a voice as she could muster, "but you cannot keep this inside of you." She sighed, gently touching his arm. "At least see him…"

Argo shook his head. So he was being difficult… "I cannot see him, yet. Nastasha, please believe that I wish to see him, but I can't just yet… I couldn't bear seeing him like that."

Nastasha nodded and thankfully said no more for a while. Finally, when she began to play with his hair, she added, "I know you love him very much, Argo." Unable to keep this up any longer, Argo glanced around the room before she felt him pull her to him and bury his face in her stomach. It was there that she held him as he cried for the first time for his child.

"Argo!" Nastasha called, rushing in, a genuine smile on her face. She took her husband's hand tightly into her own smaller hand. "Argo, Nicolas will make it!" She smiled more when he embraced her, even in front of their crew. "He is expected to recover! I have sent Kier- the young man you saved-" when he nodded, she continued- "to watch him as he sleeps." Argo sighed with relief, kissing her quickly while the crew cheered loudly at the promise of their son's full recovery. Just as they were all starting to talk happily, three shots rang from the back room. The adults ran back to the young man's room, flinging open the door. The sight took the breath of both parents immediately…

Nicolas was lying in a comfortable position, his eyes closed in a peaceful sleep, blood splattered in several areas among his face and chest where three bullet holes filled his chest and abdomen. His face was pale and his chest remained still. Blankets that lay around him covered parts of his face. He looked like he was having a fitful rest… He was dead.

Natasha cried out and both adults darted to the young man lying still in the bed. She cried holding the bloody mess of her son while Argo pet the boy's hair back as he had done when Nicolas had been little.

"Captain Argo," one of the mourning crew members said, entering. "I'm sorry… But there is a trail of blood leading down the hall… It stops at the doorway, leading us to think the kid- Kier- jumped… The young lady is nowhere to be found, either."

At the moment, neither parent heard very much, but the name 'Kier 'was red-hot on Argo's mind.

A/N: Okay. This is the beginning of a chapter story. It will be short. I love Argo and Nastasha, so I feel bad to write this, but…