Author's Note: I think it's safe to say the end for this fic is pretty much in sight—either next chapter or the chapter following will probably be the conclusion, unless readers mention wanting to see something that I haven't considered before, in which case I will do my best to honor the request. No guarantees, of course, unless it turns out the idea could actually flow smoothly into what I've already got going here. In which case, yes, I will do everything I can to put the scene(s) in.

Shoutout: Again, a big thanks to Linzerj for your continued support! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

III

For the first time in his life, Raleigh experienced a near-blackout while walking. At some point he had begun to drown out Gottlieb's words and he felt himself start to hyperventilate as they got closer to Gipsy Danger's head. A tingling sensation ran through the blonde's body, and all his senses felt either numb or dulled down. The logical part of him was fighting hard against the hope that was welling up inside his chest—that in a few minutes he could very well be seeing his brother again. That in fact, his brother had never truly left him.

Only when they reached the platform where he and Gottlieb would be transferred to the Conn Pod, did the scientist seem to notice Raleigh's state of distress. The older man regarded the blonde with a look of concern.

"You all right there, Mister Becket?" Raleigh barely heard the man ask. "You look rather pale."

"I'm fine," Raleigh said, his expression taut. "Let's go."

"Very well..."

Gottlieb pressed a button on a nearby intercom system and gave orders for someone to transport them into Gipsy Danger's Conn Pod. Within a few minutes of the orders being receive, Gottlieb and Raleigh were escorted inside the Jaeger. As soon as they entered the main section of the Conn, Raleigh felt his knees buckle; he was suddenly overwhelmed with a myriad of emotions, and it was the strangest thing, because it felt like someone had just crushed the mental barrier he had created for himself. Gottlieb reacted in time and managed to catch him before he fell. Raleigh felt himself be lowered gently to his knees. He barely felt the cool of the Conn Pod's flooring where his hands made contact with it to steady himself.

Raleigh!

The blonde shook his head. It was impossible. He was losing his mind. This was crazy, all of it. They had given him false hope, and despite his better judgment here he was now, lapping it all up and suddenly so desperate for it all to be true.

Ral—hey! Rals! Relax, all right? It's okay...

The situation was no different from entering the Drift during combat, Raleigh suddenly realized. Right now, he couldn't seem to figure out the difference between down and up; he needed to find a point to focus on.

Come on, Rals! Stay with me! Don't chase the rabbit, you know better than that! What is it I've always told you?

What was it his brother had always told him? Raleigh blinked rapidly, hoping to clear his vision, but to no avail—his vision wasn't dark, per se, but he also wasn't really seeing anything. He wasn't plugged in to the Drift, he knew that much, Gottlieb hadn't had the chance to go that far with him yet, but at the same time he somehow wasn't checked in to reality either; he felt like a third party, as if his spirit were free floating.

Just let everything flow, kid. It's my fault. I should have fought harder. I should have let you know that I was still here. I just didn't want to hurt you.

Raleigh shook his head again. He didn't understand. Did his brother's voice always sound like this? He hadn't heard it in so long; he wished that he had a point of reference. He needed to know—he had to confirm that what he was experiencing now was no dream.

This isn't a dream, Rals. I promise.

If it was real though, then Raleigh couldn't help but wonder how had his brother had managed to stay silent for so long. If it had been him, he might have gone crazy. If it were him right now, in his brother's place, he'd be bitter and angry for being left alone for so long, so neglected.

I never completely stopped talking—I just figured out more subtle ways to do it. I had to make sure I wouldn't confuse you. You already weren't taking things too well.

And it was true; Raleigh hadn't taken hearing his brother's voice in his mind too well, even years after his death. The pain from the loss never stopped feeling so raw.

Just stop for a second, Rals. Stop thinking. Let it all pass you by. The Drift is silence, remember?

Raleigh remembered. He barely registered the chuckle that passed through his lips. How could he forget? His brother had only told him about a million times before they went through the usual neural handshake process each mission.

The voice in his mind sounded amused. Only a million? Come on, Rals. I'm sure I've reminded you more times than that.

"Okay," Raleigh found himself mentally responding—maybe his brother had told him more times than that.

He felt himself let out another nervous laugh. He couldn't tell if Gottlieb was still trying to say something to him; he was too absorbed in his thoughts or pseudo-Drift experience—whatever one would call this moment.

"I'm losing it," he thought. "I think I'm really finally losing it."

Oh for crying out loud—get a damn hold of yourself, Raleigh!

That finally got Raleigh to focus. If there was a best way to get the blonde's complete and undivided attention, it was probably by reprimand or insult—either method would work. Suddenly, the world felt like it was no longer spinning. Time, and everything all around him seemed to stop. Raleigh let his eyes slide shut and focused on his breathing and nothing else. He counted to three, then slowly opened them. The world was quiet; the numb feeling was gone. Raleigh hadn't felt as if he had been pushed back into his body, but he definitely felt more alert now than he had before.

Gottlieb's soft voice broke through the silence. "You've made contact with him."

It was more of a statement than a question. Raleigh's eyes shifted to the right, where the scientist was crouched beside him. He gave the man a curt nod.

"I...I think so," Raleigh said somewhat shakily. "Maybe."

"I'm quite positive you did," said Gottlieb. "It's actually not a surprise you were overwhelmed here, given what you've told me. The closer you are to the source of the connection, the stronger it should be; that's logical."

"It was like that before," Raleigh confirmed. "Ghost-Drifting was easier when we were in the same room as opposed to opposite ends of the base."

"Right," said Gottlieb. "Now, do you think you can get up on your own, or do you need help to stand?"

"I think I can manage it..." Raleigh said, slowly steadying himself up on his feet. "Sir, why can't I hear him now?"

Gottlieb, who was now fiddling with some mechanisms within the Conn Pod, looked over his shoulder and raised a brow at Raleigh. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." said Raleigh. "That my brother...if that was really him...his voice, it was just so loud a second ago, and now he's just quiet."

The scientist chuckled. "Oh, I assure you, he's most certainly still there."

"How are you so certain?"

"On record, you both have been noted to be driven by impulse," said Gottlieb. "However, when the time called for mental restraint, your brother always appeared to have a better sense of control, easily pulling back when necessary."

"So he's muted himself?"

Gottlieb nodded. "In a sense, yes. Quite admirable qualities, no? His sense of discipline and self-control."

"Yeah..." Raleigh said, somewhat uncertain. "Yeah, I guess."

Gottlieb gave him an unexpectedly warm smile. "He probably just couldn't help himself. He's waited a long time to be with you again."

The very idea brought a sudden blur to Raleigh's vision. He involuntarily swallowed, trying to push the tears back.

"Yeah, probably," was all he could manage.

Gottlieb chuckled. An attendant walked in with familiar components and a Ranger's outfit. The scientist tilted his head in the attendant's direction.

"If you've no objections..."

"Yeah," Raleigh said, nodding. "I'm fine. I'll suit up."

"Excellent," said Gottlieb. "Then once we get you all situated here, I will head back to Mission Control and we'll have you enter the Drift, all right?"

"Alone?" Raleigh asked. "Will my mind be able to handle it? Won't there be a neural overload?"

"That was only true when the Jaegers were being used for combat, Mister Becket," said Gottlieb. "We're merely only having you enter the Drift; you won't be piloting the actual craft. In fact, we'll be making sure only the Jaeger's Conn Pod is active, and none of its other functions."

"All right," Raleigh said with a nod. "Let's get started then."

In a few minutes, Raleigh had settled into the Ranger gear and Gottlieb assisted him with getting connected to his old position as the Gipsy Danger's right hemisphere. He remained there, suspended in metal until he heard the Jaeger's communication system crackle online and Gottlieb's voice sifted through.

"Now, you're going to feel a bit of a jolt, Mister Becket...do try your best to relax though, yes?"

Raleigh nodded. "Roger that, sir! I'm ready."

"All right," said Gottlieb. "Then here we go."

Before Raleigh knew it, he was engulfed by a blinding white light. He shut his eyes tight, instinctively.

Raleigh only finally dared to open his eyes upon hearing that painfully familiar voice. "Hey Rals...hey there, kiddo."

The younger Becket didn't see him at first, but when he did, he wasted no time and felt no shame in running toward his brother, who greeted him with a warm smile and outstretched arms. Raleigh rushed into his brother's embrace and crushed him with all his might, not at all caring that he probably seemed like a pansy in that moment, not worrying or thinking about anything or anyone else, just his brother.

"Yancy..." Raleigh shouted the name he hadn't said aloud in so long into his brother's chest, muffling some of his voice. "Yancy...Yancy...Yancy...Yance."

They weren't kids anymore; hadn't been for a long time, but boy did Raleigh feel like one again in that moment. He felt his older brother's chest vibrate with the welcome rumble of his laughter. He felt Yancy give him a pat on the head, but Raleigh didn't dare look up yet. Part of him was still afraid that some sad, misguided part of him was making all of this up.

"Yup, that's my name, all right," Yancy said softly, his voice sounding surprisingly shaky. "Glad you haven't forgotten it."

Raleigh laughed, his quivering frame slowly coming under control. "Screw you, bro."

"I see that mouth of yours hasn't learned either," his brother responded with a chuckle. "You all right now, kid? You cool?"

"Yeah..." Raleigh said with a sigh. "Yeah, I think so."

"All right then, come on. Chin up. Let me take a look at you."

They pulled apart, and Raleigh took a step back. He stared straight down at his brother's feet and was unable to look up any higher; he was still fighting fear. He heard more than saw the frown on his brother's face.

"Come on, Rals," said Yancy. "I was the shy one growing up, remember? You've never had a problem looking a man in the eye."

He was right, Raleigh didn't. The younger Becket cleared his throat and forced himself to straighten his posture. Then he dared himself to look. It was too dry in here, and that stale atmosphere was the reason why his eyes were stinging and the tears were falling from them, trailing down his face. It wasn't because he was so overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing his brother again, no sir. Raleigh wasn't a crier.

His older brother chuckled and took a step forward, narrowing the gap between them. His eyes also appeared a little misty. He pat his brother on the head once more.

"Yeah, buddy..." Yancy said softly. "It's okay, kid. I know."

Raleigh forced his eyes to stare straight into his brother's. His hands remained at his sides, curling into tight fists.

"God, Yancy...I thought...I thought they were just pulling my leg," Raleigh said, voice shaky. "I mean, even before that, I just thought I was completely losing my mind—"

His brother laughed. "Yeah, kid, I know. I've heard you say and think it over a million times now."

"...only a million?" Raleigh said, cracking a small smile. "I'm pretty sure I've said and thought it more times than that."

Yancy shook his head, his face scrunched in mock-disapproval. "Oh yeah, throw my words back at me why don't you. That's real mature."

They shared a chuckle and a brief silence fell between them. Raleigh broke it first.

"Listen, Yance..."

His older brother held up a hand. "Don't worry about it, kid. It's all right, I know. I've been in your head, remember? You don't have to apologize."

"Still," Raleigh said, shaking his head. "I didn't know—I just hadn't been sure, you know? Not until..."

"Now?"

"Yeah," said Raleigh. "I mean...geezus...if it weren't for the pictures we'd taken, I'm not sure if I'd...I'd even remember your face right now, and..."

"And?" Yancy pried gently.

The younger Becket reluctantly tore his eyes away and looked elsewhere, off to the side. "And...well...talking to you here, now...I just know that you've got to be real, Yance."

Raleigh gave Yancy a sheepish smile and a small shrug. "My own subconscious wouldn't be so damn forgiving, you know?"

"Yeah, kid," Yancy said, ruffling his little brother's hair affectionately. "You're going to need to work on that. It wasn't your fault, you know."

"I was the one who said we should go fishing," Raleigh said stubbornly.

"You did, but I'm the older one," Yancy said, chuckling. "We have responsibilities, you know, us older siblings. We're supposed to be more structured and less impulsive. I'm just glad the one Knifehead took out wasn't you."

Raleigh shook his head and frowned. "Shut up."

"I thought we've both had enough of my silence?" Yancy said with a small grin that only grew wider when his little brother growled.

"Oh come on, Yance! You know what I meant!"

"Yeah, yeah...relax, little brother," said Yancy.

He tried not to laugh at the scowl on his younger brother's face; it reminded him so much of when they were little kids. He smiled at Raleigh, but his eyes reflected no humor, only seriousness.

"I meant what I said though, Rals. It's always been my job to protect you," said Yancy. "It's the role shared by anyone who is an older sibling. I don't know what I would have done if the Kaiju had gotten you instead. I certainly wouldn't have been able to finish the job. Not like you did."

"I was just barely hanging on myself," Raleigh muttered.

"But you did great, kid!" Yancy said, clapping a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You held your own."

"Just barely," Raleigh stubbornly repeated.

Yancy sighed. "All the same...I'm proud of you, kid. Always have been. And just for future reference, if something ever were to happen to me again..."

"But it won't, right?" Raleigh said suddenly, looking into Yancy's eyes with worry. "Not if we're careful this time, right?"

"That's right," Yancy said with a nod. "Well, at least in theory..."

"We'll be careful," Raleigh said tightly. "Extremely."

Yancy chuckled. "Yeah, we will kid, all right...I was saying though...if in the off chance something goes wrong again, I just want to make sure you know. I love you no matter what, even if you make a ton of mistakes. And don't you ever, ever blame yourself for anything bad that happens, okay?"

"Yancy..."

"Okay?" Yancy said, seriously. "You got that, little bro? Even if it seems like things could have been in control, or that you should have known something, just accept that you couldn't and that you didn't. Otherwise, you never would have let whatever it was happen. So don't beat yourself up over things anymore like you have been and try your best to forgive yourself. And know that even if it seems like you can't, just remember that you always have mine; my forgiveness."

Raleigh's jaw was tight. "Yance..."

His older brother shook his head. "That's not what I want to hear right now, Rals. What I want is to hear you promise."

"Yancy..."

"Raleigh," Yancy said with a frown. "Come on, kid. Promise me."

The younger Becket let out a sigh. "All right, okay, Yancy. I promise."

"Promise what?"

Raleigh resisted the urge to roll his eyes and spoke very quickly. "I promise you that no matter what happens, even if it is my fault, and not just that I think it's my fault, I swear to you that I'll make every effort to forgive myself and keep living my life the way I always should, in the best way that I can."

"Good," Yancy said, nodding with a small smile. "I'm not sure I liked some of the cheek you threw in there, but it will have to do."

"Good," Raleigh said, intentionally mimicking his brother. "Because that's the best you're going to get out of me."

Yancy chuckled. "You're a little shit sometimes, you know that?"

"No, I forgot," Raleigh said with a smile. "I'm glad you're here again to make sure you constantly remind me."

Another brief silence fell between them, with Raleigh once again being the first to speak. "So..."

"So?" Yancy asked.

"What now?" Raleigh said, giving a one-shoulder shrug. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well from what I've gathered, based on what you've been told and what I've seen and heard through you, it sounds like they're still working on it," Yancy said honestly.

"Hm, well then if we can take Gottlieb's reaction to some farfetched theory I came up with earlier as any kind of indication as to what all that might be," said Raleigh. "Then now I kind of can't help but hope they'll figure things out faster."

"You and me both, bro," said Yancy. "But in the meantime, let's just count the blessings we've got for right now, yeah?"

"Mister Becket," Gottlieb's voice faintly wafted through the communication line. "How are we doing?"

"Fine," Raleigh said, raising an eyebrow at his brother. "I totally forgot he was there."

"Me too," Yancy said with a chuckle. "You've got to say it out loud though, man, he's probably worried you're chasing rabbits endlessly."

Raleigh frowned. "What are you talking about? Didn't I just say that out loud?"

"No," Yancy said, shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure you didn't."

"Hello? Mister Becket? Is everything all right?"

Yancy smiled at his brother. "See? Case in point. He's probably not too worried, since I'm sure his systems show your brain is producing a healthy amount of activity, but other than that, outwardly, you probably haven't been all that responsive."

"Well damn," said Raleigh. "How do I—"

"Mister Becket?"

"What is it, Hermann?" that was the doctor's voice now coming through from the other end; Raleigh recognized it. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

"Sorry, Newt. I had him plug into the Drift...his brain is showing normal signs of activity, but I can't get him to respond. I think he may be lost in there."

"Nonsense, Hermann! He's probably just forgotten how to do it; the man hasn't piloted the thing in years," the Becket Brothers heard Dr. Geiszler clear his throat over the communication system. "Um, excuse me, Raleigh? Listen, I hope you don't get mad at me for doing this, but we're going to have to disconnect you now. In the off chance that our dear Hermann here is right—which I don't think he is..."

"For once I hope you're right, but I take offense to that subtle insult!"

"Right, whatever. Anyway, in the case that he is, then this is for your own safety. Regardless, it appears that we will have to retrain you in navigating the Drift."

Raleigh looked at his brother. "Looks like they're going to pull the plug."

Yancy nodded. "Yeah, looks like."

The younger Becket's eyebrows furrowed together in concern. "I...I'll be seeing you again, right? Won't I?"

"You will," his older brother reassured him with a nod. "I don't see why they wouldn't let you."

"Good," said Raleigh. "And if they try to keep me from coming back, I'll put up a fight."

Yancy laughed. "Yeah, I know you will, kiddo. I know you will."

He pulled his younger brother in for a tight hug. "Hey, don't worry, kid. Okay? Just remember, I'll always be here. So long as we have the Drift, we'll always have each other."

"Yeah," Raleigh said, smiling and patting his brother heartily on the back. "Yeah, we will, won't we?"

"That's right," said Yancy. "Besides, the only difference outside the Drift is that we won't be able to see each other like this, but we'll still get to hear each other just fine."

"Can't ask for anything more than that, right?" said Raleigh.

He felt his older brother nod. "Yeah. That's exactly right."

"Later, Yance."

"So long, kid."

Raleigh was pretty sure that he and his brother could have managed to let their goodbyes last forever, but just then the younger Becket felt the vaguely familiar sensation of pulling on the edges of his subconscious, and suddenly he was thrust back into the physical realm of reality and the inside of Gipsy Danger's Conn Pod. He heard the static of the communication link pop overhead, and looked up when he heard Dr. Geiszler's voice crackle through.

"Hey, Raleigh! You doing all right in there?"

"Yeah, fine," said Raleigh. "Sorry, Doc. I just got a little distracted in there."

"Chasing rabbits?" the doctor asked.

"No," Raleigh said, shaking his head. "Chasing Yancy. I found him, actually. Got to talk to him. We talked for a long time."

"Well, technically, you probably only talked to him for a matter of five to ten minutes in real time, but—hey! Okay, okay, fine, I get it! The kid gets it! Okay, Hermann! Stop looking at me like that!"

Raleigh chuckled to himself; he was pretty sure he could imagine the look that Gottlieb was giving the other man right now. Hermann Gottlieb's voice came through the communication system next.

"So Mister Becket...tell us. How are you feeling? Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, everything is...actually, hang on a second," Raleigh said, pausing.

Gottlieb was asking the same exact question that Dr. Geiszler asked not even two seconds before, but for some reason the difference in the tone of his voice made the blonde stop and think. His eyes had widened slightly upon realizing the subtle question Gottlieb was asking him.

"Just take your time, Mister Becket," said Gottlieb.

"Thanks..." Raleigh said, somewhat absently as he looked off to one side, an old habit that he hadn't had a reason to perform in a long time.

"Yancy...?" he thought.

The reply came back almost immediately. I'm right here, Raleigh, just like I said I would.

"Yeah, you are!" Raleigh thought excitedly. "You're really here!"

Always, little brother, came Yancy's voice. Remember, I never technically left. And this time...this time I'll do one right by you, kid.

Raleigh smiled. He already knew what his brother was going to say next.

I'll never leave you alone again.

"Mister Becket?" Gottlieb's voice crackled overhead again.

Raleigh cleared his throat and returned his attention back to the communicator.

"Yeah, we're good, sir!" he said. "Everything's fine."

"Glad to hear it, Mister Becket," said Gottlieb. "Prepare to disengage."

"You got it," Raleigh said, right before terminating the communication line by flicking a switch.

A/N: So like I said, either the next chapter or the chapter following the next one will probably be this fic's last. I know that makes this a really short story, but this really was originally all supposed to be condensed into one chapter to begin with—I just decided to break it down for the sake of easy reading. Not to mention there doesn't seem to be an overwhelming surge of reader response for this story, so it only seems appropriate to end this fic and invest my energies elsewhere. Regardless, I have been enjoying writing this, since it has been a welcome break from my longer fiction ideas, and I hope readers out there enjoy what's already here and what's left to come! Stay tuned!