A/N: Hello everyone! I believe my big-old-long list of notes in the previous chapter led to an unfortunate misunderstanding: The previous chapter was not the final chapter, and neither is this one! I was planning for 10 chapters initially, but it seems I'm in need of one more chapter to properly tie off this story- or at least, the "first book" as this is.

So, don't fret. This is not the end of the first story. But I have been planning this scene from the beginning (if the story cover wasn't a hint enough already xD). Just sit back and wait for me to get the final chapter uploaded some time in the weekend, and I hope you enjoy the conclusion when it comes!

Thanks SiberianTiger and ThisStatementIsFalse for the lovely reviews, I just hope it's still applicable when the real conclusion comes around. Sit tight!

When we were back at the base, I want to say that mercenary work continued as it always did. But, I really can't say that things were exactly the same. In fact, it was… really kinda different. Not different in a bad way… just, different. Like, maybe I hesitated a few times to pull the trigger when Friedrich and Dell were in my way. I smack-talked them as I always did, but somewhere in the back of my mind I found myself hopin' they understood it was all for show.

I don't know if they felt the same… reservations that I did about killin' me. I think they did, though. It was somethin' in their eyes- …at least, Friedrich's eyes, not sure about Dell… that said he didn't view me quite the same way as he always did. I don't know. Maybe I'm just makin' stuff up. From here on out, we knew it was really strictly business. Kill each other, get paid for it, come back from the dead and do it again.

And so life in the deserts and dustbowls continued. On occasion Friedrich would ask me to test a new drug for him, and I'd give him the results. Save for that, it was pretty much the same sort of work I was used to. And I'm gonna skip ahead a bit, because not much happened for a while. At least, not until Christmas. When December rolled around, that was when Friedrich came to me with an interesting question that I wasn't really expecting.

It was an unusually frigid day- I remember bundlin' up in a sweater and scarf and preparin' for my day when Friedrich randomly showed up in our base. It was the first time he actually came into the BLU base himself, takin' a risk of bein' fried by the Pyro on first sight. I was just putting my socks on when I heard him knockin' on my door.

I opened it and blinked at him incredulously. "Doc? What're you doin' here?"

"I vas vondering somezhing. Can I come in?"

"Uh, sure." I step aside and let him in.

The doctor entered quietly, his arms folded behind his back. Under the dull fluorescent light I spent a moment to look him over. He seemed older than he was a few weeks ago. I'm not sure what it was- maybe a few extra gray hairs sprung up on his head, maybe it was a new line in his forehead that I hadn't noticed before. He got himself new glasses the day he got back from Boston, and they looked almost the same as the old ones did- but still, something struck me about them as giving him a bit of an older look, too.

"I know you might vant to go back to Boston and spend Christmas with your family…" The doctor began quietly, "…but I vas vondering if you… vould like to meet Klaus."

I stared at him for a moment.

This really came out of nowhere. I really wasn't expecting him to invite me along to see his son. To be honest, I've been really wanting to meet Klaus ever since I heard about him… but to spend my Christmas break to do it? It was a bit of a big decision to make all at once. So I just stared for a few minutes, scratching my head and tryin' to come up with an answer.

"I… I wasn't expectin' this, Doc." I gave him a weak smile.

"You don't have to, you know. It vas just an idea- I don't mind if you'd rather refuse."

"No- no, I… I want to visit him." I said, "I just- you know, I do want to see Ma again, see how she's doin' and all that…"

"Of course."

"…I'm just gonna need a few minutes to decide, is all."

"Take your time."

I picked my hat up off my wardrobe and stuck it on my head while I concentrated. I did just see Ma and my brothers just a month ago… but I wanted to see them again, see how she's changed and all that… but then, of course, Spy was gonna be there. I felt a scowl form on my lips. Maybe it'd be better if I actually left Spy and Ma in peace. Besides, it wasn't every day I could have a chance like this, to meet the kid I've been indirectly helping for the past several months.

"…Y'know? Life's short, Doc." I finally said as I turned to face him. "I'll go with ya."

He cracked a smile- a small one, but it was definitely there. "Gut, gut… danke." He said in German. "Ve still haff zhree days in case you vill change your mind…"

"Nah, I won't change my mind."

I wasn't the type of guy to go against my word once I had somethin' in my head. So it was settled, right then and there- I was gonna go with the Doc for Christmas. I'd have to call my Ma later and tell her- I'm sure she'd understand.

.

We took Friedrich's van to the rehabilitation center where Klaus was staying. It wasn't too far away- just a few hours North. Oh, Aleksandr came along too. I never actually talked to him much, but I always wondered why he stuck around Friedrich so much. I gathered that they knew each other, but why was he always sticking with Friedrich during vacation? Maybe he didn't have a family to visit?

Of course I wasn't about to ask him what his background was like. For all I know he could've had just as traumatic of a history as Friedrich himself. Maybe they were intertwined somehow. I had no way of knowin', just… mostly speculation.

When we finally arrived, the three of us wasted no time makin' our ways to Klaus's room. I had a present tucked under my arm- y'know, no sense in visitin' someone for Christmas and not getting them a Christmas present. Friedrich and Aleksandr brought gifts too. We made our way down the long hallways until we found his door.

Friedrich hesitated a moment, his hand resting on the doorknob but not turning it. It wasn't a long pause, but just long enough for me to notice.

When we entered, I saw him. A young guy, seated in a wheelchair, facing away from us so I couldn't see his face. He was starin' out the window. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the clean floor. When he heard us come in, he turned his wheelchair to face us. He looked exactly how I would've expected a younger Friedrich to look. He had a full head of dark hair, and just like his dad, he needed glasses. I suppose the main difference between them was that Klaus was so frail. His scrawny limbs showed obvious signs of atrophy.

There was a cat in his lap, too: nearly pure black with a white neck and chin, kinda like a tuxedo. The room was so quiet I could hear it purring. Klaus was stroking it slowly, each time his hand swept down the cat's spine, the tail shot up in the air.

Aleksandr pushed his giant body through the doorway after Friedrich and I came in. He greeted Klaus with his typical baritone laugh and clapped a hand as gently as he could on the guy's shoulder. "How is the little man? Doing well today?" He asked.

"I'm alright, Aleksandr." He replied, expressionless as he looked up at the Russian. "I vas vondering vhen you vould show up. It's a little later than usual." His German accent was detectible but not as strong as his father's.

I watched as Friedrich walked up next to him and gave him a hug, though it was one of the most detached hugs between a parent and child that I'd ever seen. Maybe it was the way Klaus barely managed to slip an arm over his father's back , or maybe the fact that it lasted only a few moments before Friedrich pulled away, or the lack of words shared between the two… I don't know. Maybe I was reading into it too much, but it seemed to be some sort of complicated moment for the two of them.

"Is that him?" Klaus asked, his blue eyes turning to meet mine. He was still expressionless- he didn't seem either happy or sad to see us here. The cat twitched its ears and lifted its head to look around the room at the newcomers.

"Ja. Zhis is zhe Scout."

"Do you have a real name?" Klaus asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. The first sign of emotion I've seen on him yet.

"Yeah, I gotta name." I stick my chest out a bit proudly. "Pheidippides."

"Rejoice, for we conquer." Klaus responded, the slightest of smirks tugging the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah." I said, scratching the back of my head. "That's me." I fidgeted with the package in my hands. "I brought you this- um… Merry Christmas." I held it out to him, and he took it.

"Danke."

"I brought little man one, too." Aleksandr handed him the package, and Friedrich handed his off without a word.

"Danke, danke." Klaus responded, wasting little time in opening the scant few presents he was given. Coincidentally, they were all books. The one I gave him was one of my favorites. I've read it so many times I don't really need it anymore. "The Grapes of Wrath". The two other books, I didn't bother looking, but Klaus seemed interested in them. At least, I hoped he was. I already gathered that the kid was kind of hard to read, despite his fascination with books.

"I've been vanting to read zhis one for a vhile. Danke, Aleksandr… Danke, Vater."

Friedrich lowered his head. "I haven't read it, myself. I… haven't had much time for reading anything but medical texts lately."

"I understand."

"Is good book, that one." Aleksandr pointed a meaty finger at a book in Klaus's hand. "Found German translation… though I read Russian one."

"Mmhmm… Scout, I didn't take you for the type to enjoy literature." Klaus looked back up at me.

"Yeah, I read a bit. Why?"

"From what Vater told me, you're more of an athletic type."

"Yeah, I am."

"Vhat is it like?" He asked, placing his stack of books carefully in a basket near his chair and turning his attention back to his cat. "Running so freely, no fear of death, dashing to victory like Pheidippides once did?"

I fidgeted uncomfortably. I wasn't sure why, but something about Klaus… struck me as lonely, just now. His emotions so guarded, just like his dad… but probably just masking something deeper.

"…I feel like I'm free."

"…Vater told me much about you. He said ve are a lot alike, in many vays…" he sighed. "But in zhis vay, ve are different. You are free… and I'm not."

My heart tightened up a little and I felt a weight in my chest just then, one I couldn't describe. Without thinking, I blurted, "You're gonna be cured, Klaus. Then maybe you can be a merc, just like me."

Klaus let out an airy, voiceless chuckle. "Mm. We'll see."

That's all I feel like tellin' you about what we talked about, kid. We spent three days at the rehabilitation center with Klaus. Aleksandr talked most of the time. Friedrich hardly talked at all. I don't know how to describe it. I don't think they didn't like each other, or that there was tension between them… but maybe the father and son had a way of speaking that was on a different level. Like they could communicate something just with their presence, or maybe they couldn't. Maybe just… being there, being quiet, was enough for them to feel loved. Or maybe they didn't. I don't even know what I think- but I hope whatever it is, they're okay.

Before I left, Klaus thanked us for coming and asked if I could come again some day. I told him I would, and that was that.

I don't think it was as exciting of a Christmas break as I would've had going back home, but I do think it was worth it, at least to see Klaus.

When we came back to merc duty the next week, I was refreshed and ready to start makin' some money. Friedrich seemed to be in good spirits, too, so generally things were back to normal on the battlefront.

Now, kid… I almost forgot why I was tellin' you this story to begin with. But now that I've got all that out of the way, Im finally here. This is the thing I've been wantin' you to know about me. Yeah, it was kinda a long story up until now and I admit, I got a bit carried away. But I want you to pay attention now, 'cause this is important. Otherwise I've just wasted my time if you don't listen to this. This is the whole reason why I've said so much up until now. Everythin' boils down to this. Because if Friedrich hadn't changed my life enough already, he certainly did then.

It was a chilly, stormy February afternoon that left us in the same situation as when I started tellin' you this story. A misplaced bolt of lightning took out the power in both RED and BLU bases, and the Respawns were completely out. The problem was, it happened in the heat of a fight, the high point of a match. It happened when I had the RED intelligence on my back, and I was a big RED target. And no one knew the machines were broken yet.

No one but Friedrich and Dell.

I think they were in the Respawn room when it happened- and they were the first two people to know about it. At this time I was caught in a crossfire outside the RED fort. Demoman was lobbing grenades at me, Heavy was unloading his minigun in my direction, and Sniper had his bow focused on my head. Thanks to some soda I drank earlier I was feelin' really hyped up and was dodgin' bullets left and right, not really all that worried about what would happen. In fact, I think I was a little overconfident.

Then I saw him comin'. He was unarmed, gesturing with those red-gloved hands of his raised high in the air, the tails of his labcoat wavin' behind him like a white flag. Dell was followin' close behind, but he was a lot slower than Friedrich. And they were both yellin'. Screamin'.

In that moment in time, I could only remember thre things happenin' all at once.

I heard Dell scream somethin' about a broken Respawn.

Friedrich pushed me down.

And the Sniper had loosed an arrow aimed right where I was once standin'.

I hit the ground. All the breath rushed out of me. I coughed and gasped in the cloud of dust I kicked up. I tried to process what happened. I felt somethin' warm and wet dripping on my chest.

My eyes focused and I saw Friedrich standin' over me, teetering, his head tilted back to the clouds and his arms dangling loosely at his sides. An arrow was sticking out of his chest, blood dripping from the fresh wound. He was wheezing. His chest heaved every breath, struggling to draw it in. His exhales were nothing but strangled, liquidy coughs that brought fresh blood trickling down his chin.

Then it hit me.

The Respawns were down.

Friedrich was dying.

He was really dying.

And it could've been me.

I heard Aleksandr roar. He dropped his minigun and charged to the doctor's side.

"Friedrich! Friedrich!"

By then the Engineer had caught up with us. His jaw was loose and his hands were shaking. He watched Aleksandr attempt to take the arrow out of Friderich's chest in a blind panic, and he screamed, "Heavy! Don't touch that arrow!"

The Heavy's large hand recoiled from the fletching and he looked over at Engineer, wide-eyed and terrified.

"We need to keep him alive until Respawn comes back!" The Engineer said, his voice teetering on the edge of panic.

I willed myself to get up. I was just in the way. There was nothing I could do. I just stared at him, stared at the red-stained coat, the way he gaped like a dying fish struggling to breathe out of water. I don't know what I was thinkin'- maybe I was in shock, but I reached down and picked up Friedrich's glasses that had fallen from his face, and carefully held on to them.

There was nothin' I could do. I was completely useless, completely helpless… and here he was, dying in my stead.

Sniper came down from his perch. I shot him a look that I hoped could really kill him- but in the end, all it was, was a look. He didn't even seem to notice me. He came runnin' across the dust, lanky legs driving him forward as fast as he could.

"I'm sorry!" He called. "I didn't know! I didn't mean to- … I was aiming for the Scout-!" He blabbered, his words strung together so tight it was nearly incoherent.

"Go get the doors open to the Medic's infirmary, Private Sniper! Private Heavy, pick him up and take him over there! Private Engineer, disable any and all defensive structures!" The Soldier was suddenly in the scene, barking orders and tryin' to keep everyone together. "I'm surprised the Administrator hasn't said anything yet, but it seems we've gotta take care of this problem ourselves,
maggots!"

I don't know where the Spy and Pyro were in that moment, but they couldn't have been far. I was too focused on followin' Aleksandr to worry about where they were. The Heavy had leaned down and carefully scooped up Friedrich and began to take him away as fast as his little legs could take him. I followed, feelin' the weight of what he had done crushin' me.

The Heavy brought Friedrich into the infirmary, and Sniper, Dell, and Soldier were already waitin' inside. I entered after Heavy. Spy and Pyro weren't around, neither was Demoman.

"Where's his medigun?! Find it!" Soldier barked.

Everyone was searchin' his office for a Medigun. It was Aleksandr who found one first- it wasn't the one Friedrich usually used, but it'd have to do. He seemed to know what he was doin'- he held it up to Friedrich and turned it on.

The injured doctor seemed to be growing increasingly weaker. He was still struggling to breathe, even as Aleksandr operated the Medigun, Friedrich didn't seem to be improving much. He was still fadin'. Just fadin' slower. The color was gone from his face, and he seemed to be struggling more and more just to breathe.

"Can we take the arrow out?" Aleksandr asked.

"It's risky… what if the Medigun can't bring him back to health in time? We don't know what that arrow pierced… if we yank it out he could die immediately." Engineer said.

"But if we leave it in there, he won't improve!"

"We can't take a risk- just leave the beam on him until the power comes back."

"These guns are made with batteries," Aleksandr replied. "It won't last forever!"

And just like that, the gun cut off.

Seemed Friedrich hadn't fully charged this prototype Medigun, because only moments after Aleksandr turned it on, it cut off again. The beam of energy dissipated. The electricity stopped. And Friedrich stopped breathing.

Silence.

No one said a word.

No one moved.

The Sniper gripped his head with both hands and just stared.

Then the power came back on. The lights flickered back to life and the base hummed with life again, but no one moved. We were all just… stuck in that moment, that moment of being too late. For a few minutes, we just stood there, watching the doctor, as though he might suddenly move again, come back to life along with the rest of the lights in the base, but he never did.

I couldn't stop myself from what I did next. I approached Friedrich's body and punched him. I punched him as hard as I could. I beat my fists on his chest and screamed.

"DAMMIT FRIEDRICH! WHO'S GOING TO SAVE KLAUS NOW!? YOU JUST – GAVE HIM UP! YOU GAVE HIM UP AND I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

"Stop! STOP IT!" Aleksandr grabbed me, and hard. He jerked me away from Friedrich, his hands nearly crushing my arms as he grabbed them and stopped me from punching him.

I sobbed- I sobbed like a baby. I struggled to get out of Aleksandr's grasp but he just held me harder. My back pressed against the chain of bullets over his vest. I just couldn't believe it. I couldn't believe what happened.

When I first became a Merc, I would've never expected the most terrifying member of the other team ever to die in my place. Before I knew him, I was scared of him. I once hated him. No one really liked him that I could tell.

And now here he was… stuck with an arrow, bleeding like a slaughtered animal, struck down by his own team so he could save me.

And he was dead.