Dro: And here comes another chapter. You know, I didn't expect this to be quite this long...Hm...Anyway, have at it!

Chapter Summary: Alfred is forced to deal with a side of Ivan he never knew existed. Then, someone unexpected (or is it expected?) arrives.

Warnings: Violence; Language

Disclaimer: Dro is too lazy to even do exercise, much less make the millions necessary to purchase the rights to APH.

Ivan was silent, and that fact made Alfred more nervous than he'd ever been around the man before. Ludwig—who Ivan had actually let walk free—was holding his hand, guiding him along the riverbank as they trailed slowly behind the towering Russian. Toris' body, Alfred knew from Ludwig, had been wrapped in Ivan's coat and was now cradled in the man's arms. Ivan had seemed to dismiss the two of them completely, and now he was acting like they didn't exist at all. He hadn't made a single move to acknowledge them. Alfred had honestly considered just leaving with Ludwig, but…he just couldn't.

Maybe it was Toris himself. Alfred had liked Toris. Toris was a decent person, kind, gentle, loyal. And he had probably been such to Ivan since the day the pair had met. Which meant this had to have hurt the Russian. Ivan made himself seem untouchable, but he was human just like everyone else, and it was starting to show. Ludwig abruptly tugged him to the right, and Alfred realized that Ivan had changed direction. An alarm went off in his head.

"Ivan, if we leave the river, Arthur and Mattie won't be able to find us."

Ivan made no response, and Ludwig slowed to a stop. "What do you want to do?" He asked quietly.

Alfred thought quickly. They hadn't seen any sign of Arthur and Matt yet, so maybe they could get away with this for at least a few minutes. "Let's go. I want to keep an eye on him."

Ludwig hesitated. "We could escape from him."

Alfred considered this but dismissed the idea. "He's already freed you. I'm sure you're more than skilled enough to escape from him with time to prepare, yeah? And he knows that. I just really don't think he cares." And that was another question. Why did Alfred care? His brother and cousin were out there somewhere, and yet, he had this unending compulsion to follow Ivan. "I just…I just want to see what he's going to do."

Ludwig conceded. "Fine. So be it." He began to lead Alfred again, and the ground shifted from sandy and muddy to hard and grassy. Alfred realized they'd ended up in a field after a few more minutes of walking, and he suddenly realized what Ivan was going for.

"Oh…"

Ludwig came to the same conclusion. "He's going to bury him." Ludwig pulled him forward a few more feet before stopping again. It had been a long while since Alfred had actively wished to see, but now he wanted it more than anything. He could hear Ivan begin to dig a grave for Toris, but he couldn't see what was happening, and that upset him. He wanted to bear witness to Toris being put to rest, but again, he was prohibited from experiencing such a thing. He would have to make do with just sound. Like usual these days. He clenched his left hand into a tight fist, biting down hard on his lip. He had never gotten to see Toris' face. He had only a vague outline of what the man looked like. He knew the man's personality, his voice, the way he moved and acted. But he would never know how Toris smiled or how his eyes expressed his feelings. He would never actually get to see the hands that helped him or how Toris' kindness permeated the man's entire demeanor.

And, he knew, he would never again see such things with any other person he met. He was barred from doing so. He—

Ludwig's hand slipped out of his own, and he turned his head to the right. "Ludwig?"

He heard the man step forward. "Do you need help?"

Ivan's digging stopped, and the sound that emerged from his mouth was more a feral growl than anything else. "Not from you."

Not from a Nazi, he meant. But Ludwig refused to acknowledge it. "I am sorry about your friend. He did not deserve such a death—" A sudden rustle of fabric accompanied a harsh choking sound from Ludwig's throat.

It took Alfred several moments to process what had just happened. "Ivan, stop! He just wants to help you!"

"I do not need help from a Nazi bastard! It is you who cost me Toris! You! You are filth! You are—!" A fierce smack cut him off, and he reeled backward, releasing Ludwig's abused throat. Ludwig choked for several seconds. Alfred stood motionless, amazed that not only had he managed to find Ivan's face but also that he had actually managed to slap the man in the first place. He would not have been so bold only minutes ago. But he would not allow someone to hurt Ludwig. Ludwig had been hurt enough, and much of it had been indirectly Alfred's fault. Ludwig had sought to protect him, had saved his life, had nurtured him back to health. It was only fair that he return the favor.

"Ivan, stop." He calmly commanded. "If Ludwig was just another Nazi, would he still be here? No, he would have fled back to the other officers and given them your position. But he didn't. He's still here. He's still here even though you've kept him in captivity. He's still here even though you've threatened to torture him. He is not them. He is not a mindless killing machine. And you know that. Unlike me, Ivan, you are not blind. And you should able to see Ludwig's nature much better than I can. He didn't want Toris to die any more than you did." He sank to knees, searching for Ivan's face. When he found it, he cupped the man's cheeks, gently caressing the one he'd smacked with his thumb. "I understand what Toris meant to you, Ivan. Mattie and Arthur…they mean the same to me. They're irreplaceable. They're all the family I have in the world. And I don't pretend to know what you've been through. Not at all. But I do know that Toris meant a lot to you, that he was your constant companion for years on end. So I get it, Ivan. Both of us do. When you care about someone like I care about Mattie and Arthur or like Ludwig cared about his brother, it…" He sighed. "When something happens to them, it does things to you.

"But you're stronger than that, Ivan. You're far too strong to let this stop you, and you know very well that Toris wouldn't want you to fall apart. He was as dedicated to you as you are to your country, your job, your purpose. He wanted to help you succeed in everything you did. So don't let him down. If you let yourself fall apart here, you won't be able to go on. You—"

A thumb pressed against his lips, silencing him. "I know…" Ivan whispered. "I know." He repeated. "I know." Shakily, he rose to his feet, pulling Alfred up with him. "I…need…help…with it."

Ludwig, who was apparently stunned at the display, finally seemed to snap out of it. "Of course." Alfred backed away and listened closely. The pair of them began to painstakingly dig the makeshift grave, and Alfred slowly relaxed. He'd had no clue if trying to rationalize with Ivan would work or not. The Russian was unpredictable, and he was unsure of how to deal with him while he was in this emotional state. He hadn't even been sure Ivan was capable of this emotional state, but now he was starting to realize that all his perceptions about the man may have been dead wrong. What if this was what Ivan was hiding under the surface? All those scars, all that obvious mental damage that had been done. What if Ivan's sarcastic, sadistic front was just a thin mask that veiled this. What it he was really this unstable? Alfred had been approaching Ivan as if he was a vindictive bastard through and through. But he wasn't, was he?

He was a man that had faced the darkest sides of humanity and lived to tell the tale. But how much of someone could really survive all that had Ivan had been through? Alfred wasn't even sure he could've gone on to live at all after such torture. So how had Ivan? Was this even the real Ivan? What if Ivan had been a completely different man before everything? What if this was just an unstable remnant that had been left behind when the rest of the man had shattered?

And if that was so, then how did Alfred deal with this? Toris' death was obviously a trigger for Ivan. What if he didn't get better? What if he stayed this way? What if…Alfred stopped himself mid-thought. Why was he acting like he was going to stay with Ivan? Ivan was his captor. Ivan had taken his loved ones hostage. Ivan had threatened to do so many terrible things to them all. So why…why was he acting like Ivan was someone worthy of staying beside? Ivan was not his friend. Ivan was just…

What was Ivan to him?

A hoarsely whispered Russian prayer brought him from his thoughts, and he listened intently at the string of words he did not know. Alfred realized they'd finished, and he felt another pang of guilt. They were going to leave Toris' body in a shallow grave in the middle of enemy territory. He didn't deserve such a dismal final resting place, but it was all they could offer him right now. The SS was probably still looking for them. They never seemed to stop. So they had little time. Not to mention they'd been here for nearly an hour. Arthur and Mattie were probably wondering what had happened to them. If they failed to find each other, that would create a whole other mess that he just couldn't deal with.

Ivan continued to murmur in Russian for several more minutes. Neither Alfred nor Ludwig dared to speak. When he was finished, Alfred waited and listened to the sound of Ivan and Ludwig covering Toris' body. He didn't even get a casket…

The sound of rapid footsteps startled them all, and Ludwig and Ivan picked up the pace, patting the dirt down quickly. The next thing he knew, someone had grabbed his arm was hauling him along. He found himself wedged between the two men in the thick brush of the forest. Something clicked, and Alfred realized that Ivan had pulled out a gun. The he realized something else. There was only one set of footsteps.

"There's just one?" He whispered out loud.

"Strange." Ludwig agreed.

Ivan said nothing, but Alfred felt him shift as he raised his gun. Then a sound caught his ears. The man running toward the grassy field was panting hard, a low groan emerging from his lips every few seconds. In a voice that Alfred very much recognized.

Ivan's arm tensed just before he pulled the trigger, and Alfred pushed him as hard as he could, knocking him over. The crack of the gun echoed throughout the entire clearing, and the next thing Alfred heard made his blood run cold. Arthur screamed in pain.

Arthur.

"Arthur!" He leapt up from the brush. "Oh God, are you okay?" He tried to make his way out of the thick vines and bushes, but he tripped. God, oh, God, why did he have to be blind? But then, a miracle. Ludwig strong arms wrapped around him and hauled him back up, leading him through the hazardous vines and back out into the clearing, picking up his pace as they grew close to the sound of Arthur's low, pained moans.

"Arthur!" He sank to his knees just in front of his cousin. "Arthur, where did it hit you?"

"S-shoulder…" He groaned out.

"Ludwig…" He pleaded.

"It is all right. I do not believe it is lethal."

"Who the hell cares if it's lethal? I've got a bullet in my bloody shoulder!"

Alfred heard the rustling of the forest behind him, and he turned around in anger. "You shot Arthur!" He accused.

Ivan's voice was still hoarse. "I did not know it was him. He…his face was not visible to me."

"That's not an excuse!"

"Alfred, stop!" Arthur said. Alfred froze mid-yell. "We…we have a bigger problem than this."

He spun around. "What?"

It was then that he finally noticed his brother's absence. "Arthur, where's Mattie?"

Arthur's tired voice shrank to a mere whisper. "They got him." He sighed. "The SS got him. I couldn't protect him, Alfred. I failed. I let them take him. I…"

Silence stifled the around them, and Alfred felt like he was suffocating. He didn't notice he was crying until a loud sob choked its way out of his throat. They had Matt. The SS had Matt. Oh, God…the things they'd do to his brother. He jumped as a hand grasped his own.

Ludwig.

"We will get him back. If it is the last thing I do, Alfred, I will get your brother back."

Dro: You know, I don't see this ending very well...

Next Chapter: Matthew and Gilbert have a chat. Gilbert has a plan. Matthew isn't sure he likes it very much.