Oh my...i feel like i didn't get much done with this chapter, but sometimes you just need to write one for fun :D I hope you still enjoy it, despite it all~ Oh, and thank you very much to everyone who answered my question last chapter! Feliciano's POV will be available soon after i finish the story, which is awesome news! Have a great day, everyone :)

Before I realized it, we were driving down the long, twisting driveway of an impressive house. Somehow, I had no existing memory of the way here, though I didn't think I had fallen asleep. Looking around groggily, I found Feliciano's pale face had a little color now, though he was still shivering, and that Gilbert was somehow already awake. I watched as he and Matthew attempted to communicate through the language barrier they had, finding with surprise that the canary, of all things, seemed to be translating for them.

"Your brother's awake," Matthew noted, smiling. "Good morning. Are you feeling better, Ludwig?"

I felt aches and pains I hadn't through the adrenaline, my body still burning and stiff from the cold. But I nodded anyway. "Yes, thank you."

He studied me a moment, as if seeing through my lie. "We're almost there. It looks like Feliciano is doing better, thankfully, but I still want to get some decent food into him."

"Mattie's gonna make flatcakes!" Gilbert told me excitedly. "Real, live Canadian flatcakes! With maple syrup!"

I eyed my brother, wondering just how long he had been pestering Matthew for. "I apologize if Gilbert has been annoying you. He has been going on about pancakes since we left Germany," I sighed, knowing that most people who met Gilbert were intimidated.

Matthew's cheeks reddened. "Oh, no, Gilbert's not annoying. He's actually really fun to talk to," he admitted, his voice getting quieter with every word. Then, looking mortified, he added, "U-uh, Gilbird, you don't need to translate that…"

The Gilbird puffed up indignantly on Matthew's head, squawking in disapproval.

"How can you understand that thing?" I wondered, adjusting Feliciano on the seat so that his head rested on my shoulder. "To me it just sounds like a normal bird."

Matthew put on the breaks as we reached the house and turned the engine off. "I…I don't know. I've never been able to speak with birds before, but for some reason, his chirping sounds like words to me." He got out of the car, hurrying over to open the door for me as I took Feliciano in my arms. "He really does look better."

And he did. The bluish tone had faded from his lips, his skin gaining more color with every moment he spent in warmth. He was even mumbling in his sleep now, which he had been far from doing on the boat. A swift recovery for someone who had been through so much.

"Let's go put him in a bed," Matthew suggested. "And I'll get to work making some dinner."

Gilbert and I followed him inside the lustrous old cottage house, too tired to really appreciate how beautiful everything seemed to be here. Even inside, it was well decorated and neat, but all I could really see was the intimidating staircase that Matthew was climbing. Sighing, I forced myself to take it one step at a time, every muscle in my body screaming in protest as I hauled Feliciano's weight as well as my own. Gilbert followed beside me easily, an obnoxious smile on his face as he studied the butt of the man in front of us.

"Hey, West," he whispered to me, even though Matthew couldn't understand us anyway. "Don't you think Mattie is totally hot?!"

I gave him a sideways glare. "I have said it before and I will say it again. Do not violate our host. Anyway, it is clear that is he is too good for you."

Gilbert snickered. "Good boys are new for the awesome me!"

"Have you dated men before?" I asked, honestly curious. Maybe these feelings I had for Feliciano weren't as odd as I'd first thought, though using my brother as an example wasn't really the most reassuring.

He studied me for a second, taken off guard, but soon burst into the rambunctious laughter that more suited his irritating personality. "AS IF! I like boobies!"

I narrowed my eyes at him, readjusting Feliciano in my arms and trying not to feel uncomfortable with his reaction. "Well, Matthew clearly does not have breasts."

The Canadian glanced back us with a light blush, hearing his name used for likely the thousandth time. I felt guilty for gossiping about him, but Gilbert's reasoning was something I needed to hear. What had attracted him to another man if he usually liked women?

"But look at his ASS!" He gestured at it, just to be sure I knew exactly what ass we were talking about.

Matthew's face flamed the color of his hoodie. Obviously, he had seen that gesture as well. "U-um…" In self-conscious embarrassment, he pulled his shirt down further just as we reached the top. "Okay…I'm sorry about this, but I only have two guest rooms. Ludwig, would you like to share a room with Gilbert?"

I felt my eyebrow twitch. "I would rather stay with Feliciano, if that is alright. I want to monitor his condition."

He looked mildly surprised, but showed me to a woodsy brown room with a large sliding door that had a stunning view of the forest and led out to a balcony. On another wall, there was a stone fireplace, the flames that flickered inside the pit warming the entire room and occasionally burning a strange shade of green. The colors cast warm shadows across the entire space, giving both the loveseat that sat near to the fire and the queen bed on the opposing wall an open, comfortable feel.

"It is quite beautiful here," I praised, wrapping Feliciano under the covers of the bed. "You have a good eye for decorating."

He offered a shy smile and looked away, into the lively fireplace. "Thank you very much, but I'm not the one responsible. This was actually my father's home. You see, this used to be a bed and breakfast that he ran once, when he was a little older than me. It was made to be a place for couples to go to, so that they could have a romantic stay away from the world." His sapphire eyes shone as he spoke, the reflection of the fire giving the impression that they were shimmering. "It was really popular for several years. But after awhile, people stopped coming and he had to close it down. Of course, this was his home, so he still lived here." For a moment, he paused as memories flooded his mind, his face falling.

Gilbert noticed the change in Matthew's expression and I watched as he struggled to compose his worry for the other man. Clearly, though he'd known him for only a few hours and couldn't understand more than half the words he said, something was already developing in his heart. I was sure he wasn't used to feeling such raw emotion, and was quickly proven right. He had no idea what to do with it.

My brother turned to me, fidgeting, and mumbled, "What's wrong with him? What is he talking about?"

I shook my head at Gilbert, turning back to Matthew. "He gave you this house, then?" I asked.

"That's right, he left it to me in his will, though he had only recently learned that he even had a son. My father…died almost a year ago. I only knew him for half a year, but I could tell he was a great guy," he explained. "His dream was to get the bed and breakfast back up and going someday. I was going to help him, too. Only, he died before he could even realize the only thing he'd ever wanted out of life." He stared down at his feet sorrowfully for a moment, before looking back up with an apologetic grin. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to go into all that. I better go show Gilbert to his room and get started on dinner! I'll come get you when it's time to eat, okay? Please help yourself to anything in here." With that, he led my sputtering, confused brother out the door.

I sighed heavily when they were gone, turning to where Feliciano lay on the bed. His breathing was even now, no longer short and gasping as it had been. He muttered in his sleep and turned over, hugging the comforter into his arms contentedly. Exhausted, I fell onto the loveseat and stared into the fire, thinking over Matthew's hole-filled story about this house. His father was dead, too. Could nobody have a happy story? Was that how the world had to be? Surely a nice guy like him should have had everything go right in his life. At least living in Canada, he had been spared the horrors Europe had to offer.

More blood-tinted images flooded my mind, memories of my time at Auschwitz gripping me. So many potentially happy stories I had ended myself… Why was I even thinking this way? Feliciano was finally safe. I had succeeded in my mission to get him out of harm's way, to protect him until he could no longer fear walking into broad daylight. Yet I couldn't forget a single image from the camp. They had all been permanently burned into my mind.

Still too anxious to even try to sleep, I pulled out the letter that had been sitting untouched in my pocket for weeks now, setting it down on the coffee table in front of me. Antonio. It had been so long, yet he still had no idea about Lovino. How could I even begin? Being asked to tell someone that you had murdered their lover…it was a nearly impossible task. But I had to be the one to do it. I knew it was too late to ask for his forgiveness, to even begin to think he would be able to logically comprehend why I had had to kill Lovino. However, if put in his position, I would want to know about Feliciano's death.

Determined, I scrounged up a pen from the room and set it to the paper.

'Dear Antonio,' I tried.

My mind hurriedly blanked, my hand hovering uncertainly. I had no idea how to tell him the story, how to explain from start to finish his boyfriend's fate. Even introducing the topic was too strenuous for my exhausted brain. I sat back in the seat, closing my eyes and exhaling the stress. Would I ever be able to find the right words?

I let my thoughts wander to pleasant places, halfway falling asleep, never letting my guard down. I no longer had the ability to relax into deep sleep. Every noise had me flinching into consciousness. When I heard the soft patter of feet on the floor, I started upright frantically, only to find Feliciano had wandered over to me. He held something in his hand, and was staring at it with a look of hollow sadness.

"Feliciano?" I mumbled, not understanding. "What…"

His eyes flicked up to me from the object, which I recognized as paper. "Are you writing Toni, Wiggie?"

Then I understood. My gaze went over the table and, finding it empty, I sighed. He had found out. "Yes. I was…going to inform him." I felt stiff from napping upright, my whole body still sore.

He set the note down again, his expression so melancholy I longed to pull him into my arms, just to assure him he would never be alone. As it turned out, I didn't have to move a single muscle; he did it for me, folding himself into my grasp. His body was still cold, but the rest he had gotten seemed to have helped exponentially.

"How do you feel?" I asked, dutifully feeling his forehead.

"I feel much better!" he said, forcing a smile onto his face. "But I'm really hungry now…Hey, Wiggie, ve~?"

I glanced down at him wonderingly.

His eyes shone. "I think you should tell Toni the truth about what happened to Lovi. He'll definitely forgive you if you do. Okay?" He cuddled closer to me. "I know you blame yourself for fratello dying, but it wasn't your fault at all. If you explain that to Toni, maybe you can still be friends!"

I brushed my fingers across his cheek gently. His optimism in me was unfailing. "Every single word will be the truth," I promised. "I never intended to tell him lies. However, whether we will be able to become friends…that is Antonio's decision to make."

"He'll forgive you!" Feliciano said confidently. Then, suddenly, he looked around in puzzlement. "Wiggie, where are the doggies?"

I glanced around. They were nowhere to be seen. "I guess they did not follow us up here." Thinking back, I could recall the dogs lying down in Matthew's living room for a nap, just as tired as the rest of us.

Feliciano broke from our embrace, meandering to the door and opening it, peeking out. Grinning happily, he ran from the room to the banister that opened up to view both the kitchen and living room of the first floor. I followed him, looking down to see Matthew stirring batter in a bowl while Gilbert snuck his finger in to steal a taste, a mischievous grin on his lips.

"Hey!" Matthew scolded quietly, but he was smiling, too. "You have to wait."

I assumed that Gilbird would translate that for him, but the canary didn't move from his spot on Gilbert's head. In fact, it seemed he was completely unconscious, sleeping while they spoke. That meant that despite everything, they had been communicating without help. And flirting. I grimaced at my brother, watching him play with Matthew despite my warnings about it.

Gilbert snickered, but his face quickly lost all traces of humor and took on a thoughtful look. I hadn't even been aware he possessed such an expression. "I…" he muttered.

I started in surprise. Was he going to attempt to speak English? Maybe even he knew basic phrases, though he had never put them into practice near me. Matthew looked equally surprised, glancing over to him as he placed the dough onto a griddle.

However, neither of us got a chance to hear Gilbert, because right at that moment a blur of white came streaking into the room and sent my dogs into a crazed frenzy of barking. I heard Feliciano squeal as the figure of a baby polar bear emerged, baring his teeth at them with a growl. Matthew dropped his bowl onto the counter and ran into the living room, scooping the tiny bear into his arms.

"No, Kamojiki! They're friends!" he explained to the squirming animal, who looked up at him with blank black eyes.

Nobody could speak for a moment, staring at the odd image. Even the dogs had shut up.

Finally, after a long silence, Gilbert summed it all up. "What the fuck?! A bear! It's a bear!"

Matthew's face reddened in embarrassment. "I told you to stay in my room," he said in exasperation. "Why did you come out?"

The bear grumbled, setting its beady glare on my dogs.

"That's no excuse… I'm taking you back, and this time you should really stay, okay? Unless you're going to be nice to the dogs."

I felt like I was watching my brother communicating with his canary all over again, something I had been sure only he was crazy enough to do. Evidently, I was wrong.

The bear slumped in his grasp, demonstrating that he was going to be good with a snuffle. "Alright then," Matthew sighed, placing his odd pet down on the couch, much to my dogs' dismay. He glanced up at all of our startled faces, his flush deepening as he remembered he had an audience. "Uh…th-that's..." His eyes dropped back to the floor. "I didn't plan on keeping him. But he got abandoned by his mother and so I took him in. I couldn't just leave him there to die…"

Feliciano headed down the stairs, making his voice comforting as he said, "That's so nice!" even though he was obviously still shaken. "What's his name, ve~?"

Matthew gave him a relieved, spared smile as the Italian came to stand next to him. "Well, I have a hard time remembering it sometimes…so I put a collar on him. But then he ate it off, so I don't really know…"

"You called him Kamojiki earlier," I offered, following Feliciano's lead.

"Did I…? Somehow that doesn't seem right, though." Uncertainly, he shook his head. "Anyway, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier. I thought maybe I would get a chance to explain before you saw him."

Gilbert, still shocked, slunk into the living room with us and peeked over the back of the couch at the napping ball of fur, the bird on his head doing his best to snarl. "Whoa! It's real! I want to touch it!" Thoughtlessly, he thrust his hand forward into the thick, clear hairs.

Matthew looked unnerved, but the bear just turned its dark eyes on my brother sleepily, before letting them slowly close again, content and unconcerned. Relaxing, Matthew gave Gilbert a soft grin, his eyes full of awe. "He never usually lets anyone touch him but me. My older brother, Alfred, can't get near him." He watched for a moment, before drifting back to continue his cooking.

"I have no idea what the awesome Mattie is saying," Gilbert cooed to the bear, stroking its ears while Gilbird flew over to Matthew in a jealous rage. "I wish he spoke German!"

"Maybe you should learn English," I suggested, irritated. "Since you and Matthew seem to have some inexplicable attraction for each other."

He pouted for a minute. "The awesome me knows some! Like… 'strawberries' and 'apples'!"

Matthew looked over from the pancakes, confused by the sudden dropping of fruit names.

"Yes, because that is going to do you so much good in a conversation," I grumbled sarcastically "Try saying something rational."

He looked at me thoughtfully. "How do you say 'I think you are sexy awesomesauce?'"

"That is not rational." I looked at him sternly, my brow furrowed.

"How about 'Do you have chocolate chips to put in the pancakes?'" he suggested, glancing over his shoulder at the man in the kitchen. His eyes followed Matthew's every movement, his normally hard ruby irises gentle. "Or… 'I think you're really hot'?"

I could see he was struggling with his unexpected feelings and decided, perhaps, I could help him out. "How about you tell me what you were going to say in the kitchen before the polar bear came into the room?"

He surprised me by blushing, but he quickly turned and laughed, pretending nothing had happened. "It was nothing important! The awesome me can't even remember anymore!" he lied.

I stared at his tensed back for a moment, before sighing. "Fine. Let me know if you suddenly decide to remember." Unperturbed, I headed into the kitchen to help Matthew, feeling bad for never offering, only to find Feliciano had beat me to it.

With interest, I also noted that Matthew had extracted a large bag of chocolate chips from the cabinet for the next batch of pancakes.

"After dinner, we'll need to find you guys some new clothes so that you guys can shower..." he was saying to Feliciano. "Then, after you sleep some more, I'll show you around the house and some places I like to go to in town."

Feliciano's eyes were bright with happiness. "And I'll show you how to make yummy pasta~!"

Seeing him so completely at ease, smiling unfailingly despite his near-death experience just hours before sent a thrill of satisfaction through me. Since the moment we had left, I had wondered if I was making all the right choices. If putting him through so much stress was worth it. Now, seeing the result, I knew my hesitation had been unnecessary. Feliciano was without a doubt safe here and, as soon as I could manage, I would make his dream of living freely in America come true. Of course, first I would have to find a job. The thought of labor sent the burning fire through my wounds again, but it was tolerable. I was sure anything would be tolerable to me in the wake of one of Feliciano's smiles.