"What happened?" Ludwig repeated. It wasn't hard to imagine the answer. Gilbert ran into a monster, tried to take it on, and Ludwig hadn't been there to have his back.

"I was attacked. I tried to call you, but it just went to voicemail."

Ludwig winced. "I was with my friends last night; I switched my phone off after I got a call from Roderich so I wouldn't be bothered by anyone else." And by God did he feel guilty for that now.

Gilbert's gaze flickered over to Feliciano. "Your boyfriend?"

Ludwig groaned. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was introductions. "Flatmate. Feliciano Vargas. Feliciano, this is my brother, who is about to tell me exactly what happened to him and stop evading my questions."

"Woah, West, calm down. I'm not evading anything. Can your friend wait outside for a moment?"

Feliciano, for his part, looked like he was about to faint - Ludwig couldn't blame him for that - but he nodded quickly. "I'll - um - should I cook something?"

Trust Feliciano to respond to any situation by offering to cook. Ludwig just looked down at Gilbert, who beamed. "That'd be awesome, thanks." The door clicked shut behind Feliciano. "Your boyfriend seems like a great guy."

Ludwig frowned. "Firstly, we've been through this; he isn't my boyfriend. Secondly, you're avoiding the question. Again. What happened?"

"Seriously, relax. It's not as bad as it looks. It's going to take more than a black-eyed freak to take down the awesome me."

"A black-eyed freak? So you've been going after a demon?"

"I've been going after it."

"...it...?"

Gilbert waved a hand. "You know. The it. The one that started all this."

"You've been going after the yellow-eyed demon on your own," Ludwig stated flatly. He knew Gilbert was reckless and overconfident, but he wouldn't have expected this even of him. It was stupid. It was suicidal. It was...

"Who said I was alone?"

"Who was with you?"

"I ran into these two other hunters. Francis and Antonio. They were experienced, they had resources. I told them I was tracking a very powerful demon, and they said they might be able to help me."

"...So they go you into this."

"Don't be stupid. No-one gets me into anything. I got myself into this. They just gave me information I needed and offered to help. I took off on my own, tracked the demon into the next town over, but I ran into a couple of its lackeys and had to make a break for it. It was a pretty awesome fight, if I do say so myself. I kicked their ass for a while, but then they started kicking my ass and I knew I had to get out of there, so I came and crashed at your place. Sorry for the mess, by the way."

"We need to get you to a hospital."

Gilbert snorted. "And tell them what, exactly?"

"We can say you were mugged."

"I don't have time for hospital. I've taken worse, and I'm this close to tracking down that demon. If I let him go now, who knows when he'll show up again?"

"You mean you're this close to getting yourself killed."

"It's seriously not that bad, West! Don't tell me you're not excited. We've been after this thing for practically our whole lives. We could end it now. Just think about it."

Ludwig was thinking about it, and he wasn't excited. All he saw was his brother hurt and bleeding on his bed and the prospect of a safe, peaceful life slipping through his fingers. "Don't do anything stupid, Gilbert."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough with the lectures, Mom. Look, I know you wanted to walk away from this life, and I'm okay with that. It's probably the smart choice. I'm not asking you to come with me. I just needed a place to recover, and then I'll be out of your hair. Promise."

Ludwig took a long look at Gilbert. "I'll help you."

"No! I'm not asking you for that, I told you, I just need to stay here a few days."

"I want to help - but I have two conditions. One, we stay here until I think we're ready to go. During that time, you are going to go to a hospital. I don't care what lies you have to tell them to get them to treat you, just do it."

"And if I don't want to wait?"

Ludwig crossed his arms. "Then I'm kicking you out. If you won't let me look after you, don't come to me for help."

"Fine, fine. Have it your way. And the second condition?"

"You promise not to go after this thing on your own again. Ever. I don't care what kind of a lead you get or what other hunters you team up with. You either take me, or you don't go at all."

"I thought you were quitting?"

"I was. But not if that means you go around recklessly endangering yourself."

"C'mon, West, don't try to guilt trip me out of doing this."

"I'm not trying to guilt trip you into anything. I just said I'm coming with you."

"If you get hurt, West -"

"You mean like you did?"

"You're impossible. Yes, fine. I accept your conditions. I swear, I'm the older one, it should really be me laying down the rules around here."

"Do you want my help, or not?"

Gilbert sighed. "Yeah, I want you with me, West."

"Good. One more thing. I told you Roderich called earlier. He was worried. He wants to know how you are. I'm calling him back."

"No! West, there's a reason I took off like I did. A reason why, all these years, I never contacted them. I won't bring them into this, and if they know, they will get mixed up in it. Erzébet is just that stubborn. And really, there is no way that will end well. I mean, can you imagine Roderich as a hunter? He'd shoot himself in the foot before he ran into his first monster."

Ludwig had to crack a smile at the thought of his cousin wielding a gun against ghosts and demons. Feliciano would make a better hunter than Roderich. Well, okay, maybe that was taking things a bit too far, but at least Feliciano would be more adept at running away. "Fair point, but at least let them know you're alive."

Gilbert considered it for a moment. "Yeah, I'll do that. I guess it's been too long since I've graced them with my awesome presence. Except, uh, my phone didn't fare quite as well as I did in that fight. Lend me yours?"

"Hospital first."

"Yeah, all right." Gilbert tried to rise from Ludwig's bed, then fell back, wincing in pain. "...Think I'm going to need a hand here."

Ludwig kept a close eye on Gilbert as he drove them to the hospital, hands clutched tightly around the steering wheel. The albino looked like he might faint at any second. Every time his eyelids drooped, Ludwig felt his breath catch in his throat. Glibert was staring hard out the window, so Ludwig didn't try to make further conversation. He didn't want to talk anyway. This all seemed so unfair. Mere hours ago, he'd felt comfortable and secure in his new life, light-years away from his past as a hunter. Now, though...

Now...

I should have known better than to think I could escape. Not when Gilbert was still in it. But did it have to happen then? Could he have had just one more day to enjoy the company of his friends, recover from last night's hangover, and just drink in the sweet normality of it all? Why did Gilbert always choose the most inopportune moments to come barging into his life without so much as a 'by your leave'?

They came to a stop sign and Ludwig gave the breaks a sharp tug. Beside him, Gilbert groaned.

"Sorry," Ludwig muttered tersely. Gilbert didn't answer and he sighed. Welcome back to your crappy life, Ludwig Beilshmidt, he thought bitterly.

They pulled up in the car park and Ludwig supported Gilbert's weight as they got out of the car, doing his best to ignore the looks they got from passer-bys. He could only imagine what kind of rumours would spring up around this. He knew it that what people thought of him should have been the last thing on his mind at a time like this, but he couldn't help it. Aside from Feli and Kiku, he was an outsider. Most other students were suspicious of him, the quiet, intimidating foreigner with a mysterious past who wouldn't speak about his family and only had two friends. Speculation was already spreading like wildfire in spite of Feli and Kiku's best efforts; that he was in a gang or in some European mafia, that he was on the run for the law... him turning up with Gilbert - the brother barely anyone even knew he had - like this at the hospital would only fan the flames.

Well, screw them. They don't know anything about us anyway. His thoughts sounded an awful lot like something Gilbert might have said if he was lucid enough and if Ludwig would have dared confide his insecurities to him. It was funny how often Gilbert's voice took over in Ludwig's mind during times of crisis. Holy water for demons, silver for werewolves, salt and iron for ghosts. Don't move, your awesome big bro has got this. Gilbert would always leave Ludwig as backup in a safe hiding place while he went out to take the monster on head-on.

Just like he did now, leaving me at Stanford while he went of to find the Yellow-Eyed demon on his own. He was a fool for not have seen through Gilbert's plan earlier.

He forced himself to stare straight ahead as he strode into the A&E reception room. He wasn't going to be embarrassed with Gilbert. His brother had probably saved at least one of the people in this room at some point in his career, even if they didn't know it. People could make whatever assumptions they wanted.

The receptionist looked up at the two of them with narrowed eyes. Ludwig could practically hear the gears turning in his head.

"My brother was mugged," Ludwig said before the receptionist could say anything. "Late last night. The name is Beilschmidt. I'm Ludwig, he's Gilbert."

The receptionist scribbled down the names. "You're enrolled at the university?"

Ludwig nodded curtly. "I'm in Law."

"But your brother isn't."

"Listen, I don't have time for small talk." Ludwig leaned in. "Just get my brother to a doctor, please."

The receptionist rolled his eyes, but called for a nurse over his shoulder. The nurse was a young woman with a round face and sparkling eyes who carefully pried Gilbert from his awkward position leaning against Ludwig's shoulder. "I'll look after him. Just wait here."

For lack of a better option, Ludwig obeyed.

He'd gone through five cups of coffee by the time he was allowed to see Gilbert again. After staying up all night with his friends there was nothing he wanted to do more than get a good, healthy dose of sleep, but he couldn't do that, not until he was sure Gilbert was safe. That was the drill between them; Gilbert constantly putting his life on the line for both good reasons and stupid ones, Ludwig constantly worrying about him. Stanford hadn't changed that in the least.

Gilbert was currently sitting on his bed, arms crossed, fidgeting. His eyes lit up as Ludwig walked in. "Hey, West. They want to keep me overnight, you know. Talk them out of that for me, would you?"

"Like hell I will. You're staying as long as they want you to."

"But West..."

"That's the condition. Take it or leave it."

Gilbert pouted. "I don't think I've ever had this many stitches in me before."

"So you've set a new record for getting yourself recklessly injured. Would you like me to congratulate you on it?"

"That'd be nice of you, yeah."

Ludwig sighed and rolled his eyes. "Congratulations, you idiot. Now, do you remember the other part of the bargain?"

"Wha- oh, yeah." Gilbert held out a hand in front of him. "Phone."

Ludwig handed him his phone.

Roderich picked up immediately. "Ludwig? Has something happened?"

Gilbert paused for dramatic effect. "Not Ludwig, here."

There was a moment of stunned silence. Then: "Gilbert?"

"Heh, yeah. What, you miss the sound of my awesome voice?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Roderich's voice was taut with annoyance. "You idiot - you absolute - utter - imbecile. What on earth is wrong with you? Ten years, Gilbert, ten years and it didn't occur to you to give us a single sign of life, and now you call me casually over the phone as if - as if nothing even happen. You just disappeared in the middle of the night. What have you even been doing?"

Gilbert smirked. "Being awesome."

"You know," Roderich spat out in absolute disgust, "over ten years, one expects people - even people like you - to mature somewhat. To change, grow up, acquire a sense of responsibility and be less childish. But I suppose I should have known you would be the exception to that rule. You have no right to call me, Gilbert."

"I thought you'd want me to."

"Want...? Yes, I wanted you to call me. For ten years I've waited by the phone in hopes of hearing something from you. I kept wondering if whatever had killed your parents had come back for you as well, if you'd been murdered or kidnapped and were waiting to be rescued. I stayed up all night thinking about it sometimes. Erzébet - she still thinks about you, you know. People don't just disappear like that." Roderich heaved a deep breath. "And now - now here you are. Calling us. Your brother is in university. You expect us to believe that you're just fine living your own life in America, after we'd given you up for dead. Erzébet pleaded with the police not to close your case, you idiot, she - she was crying, saying they had to find you, that she knew you were alive somewhere."

"Ah. Look, Roderich..."

"Don't give me that, Gilbert. You know, maybe you should have gone off and died somewhere. Then Erzébet and I could have mourned you, gotten some closure, and moved on. This is just..." Roderich breathed out again "...I can't. Don't call me again."

"Right. Well." Gilbert clicked the phone shut. "That went horribly."

Ludwig was watching him with an amused expression on his face. "Did it?"

"Roderich is as prissy as he's ever been. He lectured me for about five minutes straight, then told me not to call him again."

"You probably deserved it."

Gilbert smacked Ludwig lightly on the arm. "You keep in mind who's the older brother, here."

Erzébet arrived home to the sound of frustrated piano music.

She remembered the days when hearing Roderich play piano had been a rare treat. These days, she could hum any one of his songs from memory. Not that it wasn't a treat any more - Roderich's playing was, and would always be, exquisite. But she'd also learned to read his mood from it. Today, his fingers traced over the same sequence with growing impatience, probably searching to fix an imperfection he'd spotted. Any imperfection, even if it was too small for Erzébet to spot, would torment Roderich until he was rid of it - and, by extension, lead to him tormenting Erzébet with it. This time, though, even Erzébet with her untrained ear could hear him fumbling over the notes. He was distracted.

Erzébet slid open the door to the living room with care, knowing that any sudden sound would disturb its occupant. "Hey, Roderich."

Roderich adjusted his sheet music. "Hello, Erzébet."

Erzébet studied his face. Hair immaculately brushed, as always, clothes pristine - but there were shadows under his eyes and his gaze was directed slightly downwards, at a patch of floor to her left rather than being levelled at her.

"How was your day?" Erzébet asked, noting from his awkward posture the tension in his shoulder. Roderich sighed.

"I can't get this piece to work. I keep practising and it just gets worse and worse and..."

"That settles it, then." Erzébet made sure to look straight into his eyes, even if he was avoiding hers. A deep brown, sharp yet warm and comforting. Regular brown eyes, yet they still stood out to her. "You need a break."

Roderich pinched the bridge of his nose, heaving a deep breath. "I can't afford it. This song needs to be perfect -"

"-And it won't be if you work yourself to death like this. Have you left the piano for more than an hour this week? You need to relax, Rod."

A silence settled between them. Roderich fidgeted with the cuff of his sleeve, bringing a smile to Erzébet's face. Roderich spent so much time at the piano, it just wouldn't be natural for him to keep his fingers still. She considered him. This was hardly how she had imagined her life turning out, but she could hardly complain. She had a stable career, Roderich was careful, caring and hard-working, and even if it wasn't what she had expected she was happier with him than she had any right to expect.

"Erzébet..."

Erzébet leaned in to kiss her husband.

His lips were surprised but responsive, tender and delicate. She could feel his sweetness, feel the tension ease out of him. After a few seconds she pulled away. Roderich's cheeks had turned slightly pink and he wouldn't look at her at all any more. She wondered when he would stop being embarrassed by these kinds of gestures. After all, they were married.

"Erzébet," he began again, hesitantly.

"What's up with you, Rod?"

Roderich polished his glasses with his shirt, a completely unnecessary act since they were spotless as always. "Erzébet, Gilbert called. On Ludwig's phone."

For a few seconds, the only word Erzébet heard was 'Gilbert'. Then, Gilbert called. Her mind couldn't quite process the words. Roderich might as well have said 'Santa Claus exists' or 'the Tooth Fairy visited'. Gilbert didn't call. It was a reality she'd had to put up with for almost half her life.

"Are you sure?" she croaked. Roderich nodded.

She stared down at her hands, realising only then that they were tightly clenched.

"What happened?" The potential scenarios ran haywire through her brain. What on earth could be important enough to make Gilbert break ten years of radio silence like this? Maybe he was dying, maybe Ludwig was in trouble, maybe...

"Nothing."

Erzébet stared at him. "You expect me to buy that? He's kept us in the dark since the night he took off with Ludwig and now he's calling us all of a sudden and you think I'm going to believe that nothing happened? What kind of an idiot do you take me for?"

"I'm telling the truth."

"How can you be?" Erzébet realised she was yelling, and Roderich didn't deserve it, but she'd earned the right to be upset. "How can you just - throw this - at me -"

Her voice faded as she felt Roderich's arms wrap around her shoulders, drawing her close. Roderich rarely used physical gestures to communicate with her, but she appreciated this one. She pressed her cheek up against his neatly ironed shirt and anchored herself to the present, letting the possibilities and hypothesis, fears and dreams and hopes from across the ocean, fade away as she focused on her present life, here in Austria with a loving husband holding her tight, where Gilbert was just a distant childhood memory.

She squeezed Roderich back.

Upstairs, Erzébet flipped open her laptop, opening every file she'd saved to it that was important to the task at hand. Maps of America spanning most of its states, Stanford's Law School website and student registry, bank accounts, transaction records, security footage clips, FBI records...

Roderich didn't know about any of this. He would be horrified at the skills she'd learned since Ludwig had given her a new spark of hope. Hacking, tracing credit cards... if a policeman came across her laptop, she would probably be arrested on the spot. (It was vaguely ironic, then, that her younger cousin-in-law was studying Law).

Of course, she doubted her 'skills' had anything on the things Gilbert had picked up since running away. He'd always been the rebel who went out of his way to break any school rules he could get away with, but he'd never expected him to wind up impersonating FBI officers.

Oh, Gilbert. What are you up to? The last she knew of him was when a 'Frederick Hédevary' had made use of the Beilschmidt savings account to pay for a shady motel room five miles from Stanford. She wasn't sure whether to be amused, annoyed or outraged by Gilbert's use of her maiden name.

Her phone was heavy in her pocket. She gazed at her laptop screen. Maybe I should just end this criminal game of hide-and-seek now. It seemed impossible that after all this, all it might take was a simple phone-call. With shaking hands, she dialled Ludwig's number.

"Hello, this is Ludwig Beilschmidt speaking from Law School in Stanford. Please leave a message and I will call you back at the earliest opportunity."

Erzébet flung her phone onto the bed, where it landed with a soft thunk. Of course. I should have known.

Thank you so much to my one reviewer, and also to anyone who followed or favourited this story :). Remember, reviews can make an author's day.