Chapter 13: Live and Let Die

"There are precious few at ease

With moral ambiguities

So we act as though they don't exist."

— The Wonderful Wizard Of OZ, Wicked

Lili Vogel was insane. That was the conclusion Alfred had come to. He was dealing with a madman. Or, mad girl, in this case.

He'd heard about crazy fangirls, but had luckily never experienced one himself. His fans were civil and nice, cheering him on when he caught a bad guy, not trying to bring justice to them themselves…

"Are you really saying you're going to kill everyone in this room beside me?" Alfred deadpanned, the notion sounding ridiculous even to his own ears. Even more so when Lili nodded excitedly.

"They'll never bother you again! Oh, and don't worry- those other guys you fought may have been actors, but there's still plenty of real criminals for you to go after!" She could barely contain her excitement, only further confirming Alfred's suspicions regarding her mental health.

"Killing people is bad," he reminded her. "Besides, you're just one small girl! You really think you can take on people the size of the Russkie-"

"Silly! I'm not alone. How could I have brought you guys here if I were?" She snapped her fingers, and immediately a couple of bulky man poured into the underground cellar. "Let's start with the one who hurt you the most," she said, nodding at the men to open the cage where Matthew was located.

Alfred could feel the blood drain from his face. "Wait, you're serious?! You're just kidding, right?"

Lili shook her head, smiling even as Matthew was roughly removed from his chair.

"Nope! Because you see Alfred, I'm the only one who's completely honest here! Oh, besides you, of course." And with another cutesy wave, she was off, the door slamming shut behind them.

xoxox

"Mattie!"

Alfred was struggling wildly in an attempt to break free. Even if Matthew had lied to him, he was still his brother, and he had to save him! Lili may think she was helping him, but in this situation, she was the real villain. How had he ended up being acquainted to this many lunatics anyway?! Couldn't the world just stay simple, black and white, good and bad, with no surprises and difficulties?

"Quiet down," the man known as Yao snapped. "I cannot think with you whining!"

Alfred wanted to protest, but only then saw the expression on Ivan's face. He was staring up at an opening in the bars, wearing a contemplative expression.

"Ivan? What are you doing? You figured out a way to escape?" He was talking much too fast in his agitation, but he had no idea what they were going to do to his brother, and he needed out now!

"Da, hang on…" His brow scrunched together even further, but then he let out an exclamation of victory when his hands were suddenly freed. He flashed Alfred a knife Lili had apparently overlooked- she may be a big fangirl, but when it came to being a criminal mastermind she still had a lot to learn.

"Hang on, I will get us out of here," the man mumbled to himself, and even though Alfred really shouldn't be trusting him anymore after this, he felt his heart pounding in anticipation.

Ivan easily undid the lock with a bobby pin, opening the door. Meanwhile, Yao was already making great use of the ropes around his hands to clamber up the bars, slipping his flexible body through a gap at the top. In a matter of minutes, everyone was freed, and Alfred couldn't help himself when he flung himself into Ivan's arms for just a second.

"We have to save Mattie," he growled, going ahead, stomping the door down.

They ran down long hallways, not encountering any living beings. When Alfred looked left, he saw his friends, when he looked right, he saw those he should have been seeing as enemies, had his brother's plan worked out the way he wanted.

Who were the heroes, and who were the villains? Maybe they were all a bit of neither, and a bit of both. All he knew, was that right now, they were fighting for the same cause, and that was all that mattered.

He stomped open another door, finding himself in a large open room- was this a factory of sorts? In the middle, few figures were visible.

"Lili, let my brother go!"

The girl looked up, that innocently sweet smile still adorning her features. The burly men she'd hired, or knew, or whatever, immediately shot to action at their arrival. They lunged forward, successfully blocking the way between Matthew and the others.

The only way through would be by using his fists. And he wasn't the only one who'd come to that conclusion.

"Leave my boyfriend alone!" Gilbert shouted as he jumped onto one of the men; Elizabeta helped Roderich out with another, Feliks showed a surprising amount of cleverness when he floored a guy without help, and Yao looked like a professional as he threw martial arts into the mix.

Alfred didn't hold back- of course, he wasn't aiming to kill, he simply wanted to get passed these guys, but that didn't mean they deserved having it easy when they were helping that crazy woman. But right when he had defeated someone and thought he could finally break through the barrier, he suddenly found someone coming full-speed at him. He braced himself for the impact and-

A metallic sound permeated the air as Ivan jumped forward, holding up his faucet to block the attack.

"What are you doing?" Alfred hissed, even as the other seemed highly preoccupied.

"What does it look like?! Go help your brother, he needs you more than these men do!"

Alfred opened his mouth, then closed it. He nodded, and left Ivan to take care of this opponent.

Almost there, he could already see the expression on Lili's face…

And then he saw the knife in her hand.

He skidded to a halt, eyes growing wide. The sounds of the fighting going on behind him grew distant. All he could see was that wicked girl, his brother, and the knife. Matthew had never looked so scared in his life.

"Don't come closer," Lili warned him. "Or his guts will spill."

"You're crazy!" Alfred countered. "And if you were really a fan of me, you'd know I wouldn't want innocent people to get hurt!"

"Is he really innocent though?" she asked, for the first time putting on a more serious expression, a cold glare much too uncharacteristic for such a sweet-eying girl. "He lied to you, tricked you, and betrayed your trust. Now he has to pay!"

"Lying to people isn't worse than killing them!" Alfred shouted, to which Lili reacted with a dry and humourless laugh.

"He is a traitor, and he has to be punished!"

And then she shoved the knife down.

As a child, Alfred had always thought that seeing someone you love die would result in the world slowing down, as if it acted solely to your own wishes. When he grew up, he found that death had no such effect on the physical laws of this earth. Time didn't slow down, the world didn't stop spinning.

It all happened in a flash, actions and happenings running through each other until they were one big blur.

Lili stabbed his brother. Matthew spat up blood. Somewhere in the room, someone screamed. The sound of a gunshot. Red and black covered his vision, and his own breathing whistled through his ears. Someone fell to the ground- it had to be Matthew, his twin, his only brother, the one who'd bake pancakes for him on sick days, whom he had helped to study for his chemistry finals, with whom he played baseball and hockey, who knew about all his birthmarks and how he could never grow a beard and hated Dora the Explorer.

But as he fell to his knees, blinking, disorientated, he could see Matthew still standing… Why? How?

Matthew's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Blood was spreading around the wound in his chest. And then he too, was falling.

Alfred surged forward, instinctively seeking to protect his brother from harm. He captured him, feeling his still warm body. His throat felt so extremely dry.

"Al…"

"Mattie, it's okay, I'm here. You're gonna be okay."

His eyes shot over the wound, and he strained his neck when looking back. "Somebody call an ambulance!"

"Alfred… I'm so sorry…"

"Sssh, it's okay Mattie. You don't have to talk right now, you just have to get better. A-and don't fall asleep on me, okay?"

A presence appeared behind him, but Alfred only had eye for his brother. He grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"You're going to be okay, you hear me?!"

Matthew smiled. "I'm so… proud of you…"

And then he closed his eyes.