Charles's efforts were redoubled and Skwisgaar frequently followed the manager around, demanding to know if any new developments had occurred, or if he could do something to help. His bandmates had never seen him behave like this before and took up his example wholeheartedly. Nathan and Murderface both spent hours each day practicing wrestling moves and close combat. Charles, at their request, hired an instructor to teach them to become proficient in firearms. Pickles initially also followed Charles around, but laid off when Charles took him aside and explained that Skwisgaar needed the distraction much more than he did, and the manager's nerves were stretched tight by one person following him around already. Pickles nodded, dejected, but rounded up a few Klokateers of his own to follow up on leads as to the whereabouts of Toki and Abigail.

Finally, two weeks into their search, something concrete turned up. The Revengencers' stronghold was deep in a darkened trench in the Middle East. There, a network of vast caves provided a natural fortress. Charles sent a reconnaissance team in and all but three returned with the good news. The Revengencers, and Magnus, were, indeed, holed up in the network of caves and deep in the maze, they had Toki and Abigail.

_

Abigail hadn't moved from her spot on the floor in two days. Toki was worried. His back had been treated, so he wouldn't die, but he'd had no painkillers and had to force himself through the pain on his own. Abigail had been an angel, cleaning his wound daily so he wouldn't get an infection, stroking his hair with his head in her lap while he cried and told her how much he missed the others. How much he missed Skwisgaar. She would hum songs from her childhood in the hope of soothing him to sleep. When he did sleep, he woke in the darkness, crying out from the nightmares. None of his bandmates were there to comfort him and tell him to go back to sleep, it wasn't real, that he was safe. Abigail offered the first two, but couldn't say they were safe.

The comfort that she had provided ended two days ago, when Magnus and two other Revengencers came into the small cell and took Abigail away with them. Toki threw himself against the bars and cried out for her, tears running in two rivulets down his cheeks, as he heard Abigail's screams. At first, they were pure, high noises, but after a while, they grew ragged, and then stopped completely. Toki thought the worst, but then, Abigail was dragged back into the cell, half conscious and wearing what looked like a t-shirt for a very large man, and nothing else, and dropped to the floor like a broken doll. She did not move, and Toki knelt beside her, gently saying her name. When he put a hand on her shoulder, to turn her over, she shrieked and attempted to crawl away.

"Abigail! It ams me! Toki!" but she only whimpered in response. She did not look at him and Toki did not try to touch her again. He watched over here, vowing to kill anyone else who came in here and damning himself for being so preoccupied with thoughts of Skwisgaar that he was not able to stop Magnus and the others. Occasionally, they were given food, and daily water, but Abigail hadn't touched hers. Finally, Toki couldn't stand it anymore and moved slowly to Abigail, making sure she saw him crawling over.

"Abigail, you gots to drinks somesthing. Please."

"… I want to die, Toki. Please let me die," she whispered, her eyes meeting his. The despair and pain of what she'd experienced two days ago struck something deep inside Toki. He remembered that pain. The deep, deep pain that made death seem a sweet release from everything. He knew those eyes, because they were his own.

"No, no, Abigails," Toki whispered, reaching out, very, very slowly, to touch her hair. She let him, wincing when he made contact. "Dey ams gonna finds us. Soons. I promises." Toki knew he shouldn't promise such a thing, but, just like Abigail needed to hear it, he needed to say it. If he couldn't believe the others were coming from them, he might as well die, too. Abigail began to weep, and Toki with her.

_

"Now listen, boys. Stay with your assigned detail. Do not, under any circumstances, go, ah, off on your own. The Revengencers are dangerous, ah, very dangerous. As for the teams, take no prisoners, we have no need for prisoners. Kill everyone who isn't, ah, Toki and Abigail," Charles, and everyone else, were dressed in browns and grays to blend more easily with the landscape. The boys looked anxious, Nathan shifting from one foot to the other and Murderface tossing his knife between his hands. Skwisgaar was wearing his usual haughty sneer, and Pickles was cracking various body parts. "Be careful. We'll, ah, split off here. Nathan, Murderface, you're, ah, with me. Skwisgaar, Pickles, you go that way," he pointed down a long, dark corridor.

He knew that he should keep Skwisgaar close, but he was fairly certain Toki was down his passageway and wasn't sure he wanted the Swede to see Toki in whatever condition they would find him.

_

Abigail had finally fallen asleep after accepting some water from Toki and he was now sitting with his back against the cool stone, his thoughts going back to his friends. Skwisgaar always moved to the forefront of his thoughts, though. His favorite memory now was the night that Skwisgaar had held him as they fell asleep. Though it was excruciating at the time, the closeness, the memory of Skwisgaar's touch actually in his skin, he wanted more than anything to get into another physical scrap with the Swede. He wanted to hear Skwisgaar call him a dildo baby and say his guitar playing was awful. He'd cried every time Abigail had been asleep, and now was no exception. This time, Toki had to bite his knuckles to still his sobs.

"Skwisgaar…" he whispered, curling his knees to his chest.

"Toki…" oh god, he was finally insane from the confinement. He was hearing the lead guitarist's voice. "Toki!" The door to the main room, from which the main cell was carved out, was smashed open. Two hooded figures rushed through first. Pickles followed, gun drawn. Then, Skwisgaar, the lanky, beautiful Swede, followed, gun also raised, night vision goggles obscuring his lovely blue eyes.

When his gaze drifted to the cell and he saw Toki, he immediately dropped his weapon and bolted to the bars.

"Toki!" he reached through the bars, like he hoped to phase through them. Toki couldn't move as quickly as Skwisgaar, a bizarrely funny parallel to their playing onstage. Toki laughed once, a strange reaction, given the things he'd endured the past three weeks (he really had no idea how long it had been). He tried to stand, to no avail, and then crawled over to the gate. Skwisgaar crouched and reached forward, Toki's hand pressing palm against palm.

"You ams really here…" Toki whispered. Skwisgaar removed his goggles but said nothing in response.

"Get 'em outta dere, chief," Pickles ordered, and the Gears quickly set to work on the door. By this time, the commotion had woken Abigail.

"Skwisgaar? Pickles?" she rolled over and looked at them, owlishly.

"Hey, Abigail," Pickles smiled, a genuine smile, like he had at the funeral. "We're gonna get ya both outta here."

"Good," she collapsed back to the ground and closed her eyes.

"Toki, what haeppened to 'er?"

Toki's eyes met his and his lip trembled. It was too terrible to be spoken and Pickle's eyes widened, then narrowed.

Gunfire was heard close by. Very close.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the gang's mostly here," a voice said coolly from the doorway. Magnus held a gun easily at his side, leaning against the doorway. Before either of the Gears knew what was happening they were both on the cave's floor, bullets embedded in their skulls. Pickles waited, hoping the Klokateers they'd left outside would… that was where the gunshots came from. Pickles was the only one armed now, his shot had to count.

"Its was him," Toki hissed, knowing Pickles would understand. Unfortunately, the anger incited by this new information caused Pickle's arm to shake violently, making a straight shot highly unlikely. Still, he fired, missing, as expected, and Magnus took his own shot, hitting Pickles in the shoulder and causing him to drop his gun.

Magnus drew closer, and Toki felt Skwisgaar's hand tighten around his own. The blond then rose to his feet, back to Toki and Abigail, shoulders hunched, ready. "De only way you ams touchings dem is to kills me."

"Easily done," a cruel smile spread across his lips.

"Skwisgaar…" Toki's voice was small, far away. No. He couldn't lose his best friend in the world. No. Not now that he had him back. No! The adrenaline canceled most of the pain in his back and he pulled himself up to full height, throwing himself against the bars of the cell with all his strength. "Skwisgaar!" he cried in a horrible voice. "Don'ts!"

"Shuts up, Toki," he glanced over his shoulder and stared Toki down. Toki was
familiar with that look. It was the Swede's "you-don't-fuck-with-me-right-now" look. He couldn't back down.

"Skwisgaar, pleases…"

"I don't have the iwhole/i gang here, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. I'm sure my friends have made short work of the others. Anders," that must be the name of the masked man, "knew I could handle a couple of idiots like you two on my own. And he was completely right."

Magnus didn't see it coming. Pickles had managed to retrieve his gun and move to an appropriate angle behind Magnus. Skwisgaar's mouth twitched into a smirk.

The shot was fired. Magnus's hand went, instinctually, to his heart. Pickles had great aim, truly.

"Coupla idiots, huh?" Pickles taunted as Magnus fell to his knees, looking over his shoulder as Pickles pushed him to his side with a boot.

"Toos bad," Skwisgaar walked to him, glaring down. "I hads hoped he'd lives long enoughs for mes to torte-sures him."

"Eh, sahrry, man. Couldn't take tha chance of him retaliatin'." Pickles shrugged, apologetic.

"You ams lucky," he growled, as Magnus coughed up blood. "If you'ds have lived… the things I woulds have done tos you…"

Magnus chuckled, coughing again. "You wouldn't have the balls." Magnus died.

Skwisgaar scowled, giving the corpse a kick. Pickles reached for the radio by his side.

"Cahn you call Charles and de odders? Mai hand is kinda… fecked up, here."

Skwisgaar did as Pickles asked, and when they locked eyes, suddenly, all past hatred and tension was forgotten. Pickles and Skwisgaar had an unspoken agreement solidified. They simultaneously realized that while both cared for Toki, it was not, nor had it ever been, in the same way.

"Charles, it ams Skwisgaar."

"Are, ah, you boys alright?"

"We ams got to Toki and Abisgail, buts they ams in a cell. We can'ts gets them out and our Gears is dead. We killeds Magnus, dough."

"We've locked onto your position, we'll be there soon."

"Hurries up, Pickle ams bleeding from his hands."

"Roger." The radio's crackle was abruptly cut off.

"Don't worry, we're gahnna get you two outta dere real soon," Pickles crouched by the bars and looked in at Abigail. She stared back, her expression neutral.

Charles and the others made their way there in record time, and soon, the gate fell from its hinges and dropped to the stone floor with a clang. Skwisgaar, like an impatient dog, slipped through the opening as soon as it was large enough and knelt next to Toki, pulling him into a hug. Toki yelped in pain, but Skwisgaar didn't, couldn't, let go. He was muttering in Swedish, but too fast to be understood by the Norwegian.

"We, ah, should get out of here."

"Abigail, if ya can't walk, I'm gahnna pick you up and carry you, alreight?" Pickles asked gently, glancing up at Nathan, whose expression did not change, indicating that he'd given up pursuing the woman who'd come between him and his drummer. Nathan had never been that interested anyway. They were on a sub, what else was he supposed to do with his time?

"Okay," she whispered, closing her eyes. "I don't think I can walk." When Pickles gathered her in his arms, her legs were opened slightly, revealing blood stains on her inner thighs. The others looked away.

Toki was in much better shape than his cell mate and only needed to lean on Skwisgaar as they exited.

Returning to Mordhaus was a slow journey, but they somehow made it. Abigail was quickly rushed to the medical wing and given the best care. Toki was looked over by a Klokateer nurse who cleaned and restitched his wound. He was put into bed and given pain medication which made him sleepy. Skwisgaar sat by Toki's bedside, his guitar returned to his hands, playing while Toki slept.

Toki fully awoke two days later, his medication induced sleep interrupted by brief minutes of dazed consciousness faded away as he opened his eyes and looked quietly at Skwisgaar, who'd fell into a light doze, his fingers dancing across the frets of his guitar, still. Toki didn't wake him, just watched, smiling.

Skwisgaar woke with a start after a minute or two and instinctively looked Toki's way, seeing he was awake. Skwisgaar swung his guitar off himself in one graceful motion and sat on Toki's bed, smiling broadly.

"You was asleeps forevser. Like dat fairies tale about dat lady…"

"You's a lady, Skwisgaar!" Toki chirped, a familiar sentiment that he was glad to express again. Skwisgaar didn't mind; he'd missed it.

"Toki, I knows dat you am probablies tired and stills hurting, but I wants you to hears somethings."

"Whats?"

Skwisgaar took up his guitar. "I wants you to tells me what you thinks of this." He began to play. The sound was still Dethklok, but the feel of the song was heavy. Sorrowful but energetic, and then it picked up pace and became something akin to a joyful tune, still sounding very Dethklok, but unlike anything the Swede had ever played before. This went on for several minutes, the song growing more and more frantic, finally hitting a fever pitch and then tapering off, hitting another pinnacle and tapering off, and finally ending in a chaotic dance of the blond's fingers up and down, up and down, mesmerizing Toki. When Skwisgaar had stopped playing, he looked at Toki expectantly.

"Wowee… dat was… amazings."

"Does you think you can plays it?"

"Ams da rhythm as hards as dat? I don'ts know… it seems awfully compfiscated."

Skwisgaar chuckled.

"Dids I says something funny?"

"You dumb dildo," Skwisgaar laughed outright. "I wants you to plays it. Whats I just played."

"DAT was de rhythm?!"

"No. Dat was de leads part."

Toki was struck dumb. He couldn't have heard that right.

"Ams you just messings with me? Dat ams't very nice. I'ms injuried."

Skwisgaar smiled softly and rested a hand on Toki's. "I wants you to plays dis solo on de last songs of de album. And I ams't gonna records over it."

Toki didn't say anything. Rather, anything intelligible. He hiccupped and then began to cry.

"Don'ts cry, Toki. I just gots you back, and I can'ts stands to see you sads now," Skwisgaar used a thumb to wipe away one of his bandmate's tears.

"You ams never been dis nice to me before."

"I ams never realizing dat you ams so important befores." Skwisgaar rested his forehead against Toki's. "Min Toki. Jag har aldrig förstått hur viktig du var för mig. När du var borta ... det var som världen hade upphört. Jag tror att ... Jag tror jag kan ..."*

Toki knew that it was now or never. And now felt like a pretty damn good moment. "Jeg elsker deg så mye. Jeg har alltid." **

With Toki having said it first, somehow the words came much easier to Skwisgaar. "Jag älskar dig också."***

Skwisgaar drew closer and he whispered conspiratorially to Toki. "When you ams better… I still has my offers on de table. Except, dis time, there ams't no strings. I wants you to plays de last solo, and… I wants… you," Skwisgaar seemed almost embarrassed to say the last part.

"I can'ts believe this ams happening. This ams everysthing I ever wanteds, all at once."

"I wants to gives you anything I can. Anything you wants, Toki."

Skwisgaar kissed Toki again, still feather-light, but with a promise of many more kisses to come.

*I never realized how important you were to me. When you were gone... it was like the world had ended. I think that... I think I might...

**I love you so much. I always have.

*** I love you, too.