Lovino started awake, unable to keep his screams at bay. The pain was back, in what should have been darkness everything glitched white and blue, moving in jerky movements around him. He fell to the floor, trying his hardest to dull out the pain by squeezing his head between open palms, but nothing worked and the pain seared. He could hear the worried cries above him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Looking up he found that, like before, the world moved and unraveled but the people stayed the same. He shook his head, mouthing a desperate plea, but he was floored by another intense round of anguish. It felt that, like the world around him, his body was being torn apart and rewritten.

Feliciano wrapped him into a hug and Lovino used the boy's shoulder to stifle his hollered cries. Finally, it subsided, leaving Lovino a crying mess but ultimately relieved that everything settled back into darkness.

"Does he need another pill?" Feliciano asked Gilbert worriedly.

"What time it is?"

"I—there's a clock in the kitchen."

Lovino pulled away from Feliciano, scrubbing at his eyes. "I—" was all he could get out, shaking his head. A whisper of the pain.

"No," Gilbert announced from the kitchen, staring up at the clock on the wall. "He still has an hour before he can take another one."

"Where does it hurt?" Feliciano was asking, inspecting Lovino's head.

Lovino brushed his hands away. "I—I'm alright."

"This happened when we first came to the String."

"This—what is this?" Feliciano asked worriedly.

"This—I don't know," Lovino said furrowing his brows with a shake of his head. "It's weird. Everything looks…jumbled, I guess. And I get a really bad headache that fucking hurts. And then it just all goes away, as if it had never happened at all."

Gilbert hummed. "Could be the String rewriting itself. You're part god, so you do have a connection with it. Maybe the String being rewritten while you're on it is what's affecting you."

"But that doesn't make sense. You guys said that the String rewrites itself all the time. I've never had this happen to me before."

Gilbert just shrugged. "Maybe it's because you didn't actually come into your powers until later. Most of your ancestors never came into theirs at all."

"Great," Lovino muttered, using the couch and coffee table to stand. "How often was it falling apart?"

The albino laughed. "Let's hope this case is over soon."

"Great."

It was the middle of the night. Feliciano showed Gilbert the cot that had been set up down stairs and broke into a closet with extra blankets. "Sorry, we had it set up for three people, not five." Feliciano was saying as he threw his arm's bundle down. "And I don't think Al would very much appreciate coming home to someone in his room."

"You're alright," Lovino sighed. He moved the table out and set up a bed on the floor.

"You sure you want the floor?"

"Used to it by now," Lovino chuckled, bunching up something of a makeshift pillow. It was a lot more comfortable than a jacket, at least. No buttons to dig into his cheek. It was easy enough to drift back to sleep, his body still beyond exhausted, but a small sound kept him awake. With a small groan he opened a single eye to try and catch what it was. "Are you crying?" he asked as softly as he could, just in case the boy on the couch was sleeping.

The boy sniffed with a stupid laugh. "No—No," he lied.

Lovino sighed into his arm before rubbing a knuckle across his eye lid and leaning onto his arm to catch Feliciano at eye-level. The kid smiled at him, but the corners of his lips seemed to be too deep and his eyes were still actively watering. "What's wrong?"

Feliciano shook his head and took a hand across his cheeks. He let his smile drop its extremity, replacing it with a smile that seemed to be fueled by the crying rather than any happiness. "I—I don't want to miss you again," he said pathetically.

Lovino quirked a brow with a light chuckle. "What kind of stupid reason is that to cry over?"

Feliciano laughed into his palm, "Oh, shush, you buttnugget."

"Buttnugget?" Lovino laughed.

The boy's laughing smile just fell and he stared, his lips pouting and his eyes blinking. Lovino stared back, lost. Lost as to why the kid was getting so emotional so suddenly, though the late hour was probably the biggest factor in it all, but also lost in a way that made it so that he couldn't tear his gaze away. "I don't want you to go," Feliciano whispered.

"I'm not going anywhere until this bastard is caught."

For the millionth time in the last year-and-however-long they'd known each other Lovino was tackled into a hug. Perhaps it was the second millionth time. Perhaps it was the first. Lovino chuckled, wrapping his arms around the boy's waist as he mumbled off childish insults.

"Hey, 'idiot' is in my jurisdiction," Lovino laughed.

Feliciano buried his face deeper into his neck. "You're the meanest person I know," he cried, his arms tightening.

"That means a lot, Fell, thank you."

"And you're dumb, and I hate that you're so stupid, and—and I hate you."

Lovino just laughed. "Love ya too," he said mockingly.

Feliciano sniffled, pulling away and putting their foreheads together with a stupid: "you're the worst, and you don't get along with enough people, and sometimes you're really lazy and—and I don't want you to go, Lovi. I—I don't—I don't want you to leave."

Everything about him was something Lovino had never seen before. It was all too different. His tears, his cries, his smiles, his touches. Lovino was at a loss of words, a loss of congruent thought, of breath. In his arms he held the only person he would die for. He held a person that didn't need his protection, but that would get it anyway. Not because Lovino felt that he could actually protect him, but because Lovino needed to feel that he could be a part of this difference, that he could keep a piece of it forever in his arms. That he could always stare into honest eyes, even if they were crying. It was strange, but Lovino would never in a million years ask for a less confusing feeling. Because he was never good with deciphering emotions, but Feliciano was, and he was good with words, and he was honest, and even if he was also an asshole that always got what he wanted, Lovino was okay with that. Because beyond everything else, Lovino wanted him to be happy. Tears of joy and smiles that didn't pout and quiver. Above all else Lovino just wanted him to be happy.

His pulse took to the sky.

Lovino could close the space between them. He wanted nothing more than to pull him close, to melt into him. Feliciano was already so near; he always was. Always so touchy. Hugs and hand holding and 'I love you's easy off the tongue. Lovino could play along. Lovino wanted to play along.

His hand rose to the nape of Feliciano's neck as he whispered his lips across the boy's forehead, trembling fingers light in auburn hair.

"Why don't we worry about this tomorrow? I'm tired."

Feliciano tightened his hug before letting him go with a nod. He forced Lovino to push out the couch and the two shared the floor, Feliciano insisting on it and Lovino only putting up fraudulent objection.

A sharp click brought to life an equally sharp light that seared into Lovino's face. He brought his free arm up to block it (the other being used as a pillow by asshole over there) with a groan.

"I'm going to presume you're the dickweed," the man holding the flashlight said above him. Lovino sat up in record time, turning towards the intruder that just chuckled and turned off his light. He held a plastic bag in one of his hands and pulled out a small package before throwing it down onto Feliciano's face. "Dicky brought some of these into the office. Thought you'd want once since you're decorating." He put his bag on the ground and started towards the kitchen. "And I picked up a few new movies," he called over his shoulder.

Feliciano groaned as he sat up, scrubbing at his face. "Thanks, Al," he yawned.

The man stooped down in the fridge, pulling out a beer and cracking it loudly. He leaned against the archway between the two rooms. "Lead was a dutz. Old man Montgomery is just that: old. I seriously doubt he had the strength to even walk to the bus on his own, much less kidnap a list of young women."

Lovino looked the man over. He wore an old-school blue police uniform with a gun and a small bat on his belt. His skin was dark but his face was young and his eyes, in the shadows of the living room, were black. He took a slug of his beer, which must have been the lot of it because he followed that up by crushing the can and throwing it onto the counter.

"Nice tree."

"I went to the church and they were have an auction. Unfortunately, Johnson didn't show. He hasn't been seen for a couple of days, I was thinking that we could look into it tomorrow. I got his address."

Alfred just shook his head. "Nah, that guy's got an alibi for all four murders. Air tight."

"That doesn't mean that he didn't do it. The bombs are likely remote-controlled, which means that anyone could be anywhere during the murders."

"Look into it if you want. Ludwig in bed?"

"Yeah."

He grouched something but dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Alright, don't make too much noise. Night."

"Goodnight, Al!"

He disappeared. "Fell, does he know about all the time-traveling shit?"

Feliciano hummed at him before nodding. "Yeah. We didn't mean to tell him, but he's really good at catching people in lies so we ended up telling him all about it."

"Won't that fuck up your future?"

Feliciano shrugged. "I don't remember anything differently—of course, I wouldn't know if anything was different if things changed before I was born, huh?"

"Guess not."

"Hey, look at this!" Feliciano cooed, holding up the object that Alfred had thrown at him. It was an over-decorated mistletoe still in the package. "I never even thought about getting one of these," he was saying as he opened it and scrambled to his feet. "Where should I put it?"

"I don't care," Lovino grumbled, laying back down.

Feliciano loomed over him, nudging Lovino with his foot. "Come on, get in the Christmas spirit. Christmas is on Friday, Lov," he whined.

"And what day is it?"

"Monday—er, Tuesday now, I guess."

Lovino flinched away from the crumbs of décor that fell from the mistletoe. "My Christmas spirit involves sleeping in, not trying to get people to make-out under a branch of poisonous berries."

Feliciano hummed. "Maybe I'll put it over Ludwig's door and be sure to wake up before him so that—"

"Give me that, you little shit," Lovino groaned, stealing away the branch.

Feliciano giggled after him as he walked to the archway. Looking up he found a good spot. "Get me a tack or something."

"Uh, I found tape?"

"Yeah, whatever." He reached up and pinned it in the middle of the archway and Feliciano quickly assisted by taping it. Lovino had to move his thumb in record time to keep from being taped to it. "There," he grumbled. "And because we're adults, no one is going to care that they get stuck under the mistletoe with someone."

Feliciano smirked at him. "You never know. Al would never try kissing me because I've already told him how much of a father figure he is to me, but he is totally gay."

"Black and gay? How the hell did he make it in the police force in the 80s?"

"I dunno, didn't tell anyone?"

"They're in for a surprise. 'You guys,'" Lovino said, attempting to mimic Alfred's voice, "'I'm black.'"

Feliciano laughed, pushing him and calling him a douche. "I'm just saying you gotta watch out. And I don't know, Gil totally seems like someone that would take to it."

"You sound hopeful," Lovino said with a glare.

Feliciano smirked at him leaning in a bit closer, placing a careful hand on Lovino's arm. Lovino found himself following the other's lead, dipping his head a little lower, his heart in his throat and—

"Conspiring under a mistletoe," Gilbert snickered, coming out from the door that lead to the basement.

Feliciano pulled away with a grin with a gentle. "Morning, Gilbert!"

Fuck, Lovino needed to get his shit together. Quickly he looked up and pretended to read the clock (actually, he did read the clock, it was a little after five) before walking to the sink and grabbing some water.

"Heard people walking around so I thought I'd come investigate and make sure no one was getting murdered. What are you guys up to?" Lovino could hear the smirk in the fucker's voice. He walked to the living room and wrestled out a pill.

"Al came home and woke us up," Feliciano shared.

Lovino was in horror when he saw Gilbert join Feliciano under the archway. The albino laughed at him when he choked on his water. "Hate to tell ya, Feli, but this isn't mistletoe," the pale man reached up and tore the taped branch down. "It's holly. Mistletoe has white berries."

"That sucks," Feliciano whined.

Gilbert just laughed. "You'll get 'em next time. So, does the day start now then?'

"Yeah, I don't think I could go back to sleep," Feliciano agreed.

Lovino groaned, setting down his cup. "It's only five, you guys."

"Murder never sleeps!" Gilbert declared dramatically. Feliciano shushed him with a giggle, telling him that Alfred was sleeping. The albino followed the information up with a whispered, yet more dramatic: "murder never sleeps!"

"I'll go get Ludwig up and we can have breakfast together. You guys are gonna love the cereal. I'm pretty sure they put actual crack in it. Alfred has a whole pantry of it."

"Crack in my cereal? That's a time saver!" Gilbert joked.

The four of them sat around the coffee table in the living room. Lovino and Feliciano sat on their makeshift bed, Lovino yearning for everyone to leave so that he could lay back down. The pain in his back had started up due to the couple hours between medicating, and he could really use a nap. Gilbert was on his third bowl of cereal and Feliciano seemed to be trying to match him.

Ludwig was buried in his file but looked up boredly every once in a while. One of these whiles he caught the sight of the holly branch on the table. He grabbed it curiously. "Holly?"

Gilbert was laughing at Feliciano as he was trying to distract Gilbert from eating while simultaneously trying to shove as much cereal in his mouth as possible to catch up. "Feli thought it was mistletoe."

"Oh."

Feliciano swallowed his mouthful. "Al brought it home with him."

"How do we know that this isn't Antonio," Lovino grumbled, balancing his chin on folded arms. "Anubis said he'd be here, and suddenly there's a new murderer? He could be behind them, or he could be using his Hollows to get these women to cult it up."

"To cult it up?" Ludwig drew. Lovino glared at him with an ugly sneer. He really wasn't in the mood for the blond's shit.

"That'd be a good theory if these women all had a pattern of losing someone close," Feliciano shared, "but we've already checked. The closest to a loss was that Erickson's fiancé had recently broken up with her. The other three were in happy relationships and didn't seem to be too distraught over any losses."

"Yeah, but a loss of a parent or a grandparent or something else? People die all the time, so telling me that none of them had someone close die is ridiculous."

"I'm not saying that it's not possible, just not probable."

"Has there been any Antonio activity at all?" Lovino asked, furrowing his brows. Feliciano shook his head. "Weird." Lovino hummed into his arms. "He showed me that one girl—"

"Wy?"

"Yeah. He showed me her, and you say that you didn't find her at all?"

"No, we didn't."

"Well, maybe he's gone after her?"

"Why would he go after a little girl who has already been taken?" Ludwig asked dubiously.

"I don't know. Tell me why serial killers do anything!"

"We'll discuss all that later," Feliciano sighed. "For now we really need to catch the Collar Bomber before he strikes again."

Ludwig and Lovino made a silent, glaring truce.

"Did these women have anything in common, like a physician or anything? They must have all been seeing their doctors regularly. Maybe there's something there."

"Different hospitals," Ludwig sighed.

"Insurance?"

"Oh, that's a good one," Feliciano decided, pointing at Ludwig with a snap. "I'm pretty sure most people around here are on the same insurance policy. A worker uses his company to find women that fit the profile of being pregnant and right away gets their address and possibly even their trust. It could explain why there's been no signs of break-ins or struggle."

"No struggle?" Lovino asked.

"None. No outwardly bruising of any kind or anything. Well, aside from the bomb."

"Weird."

"And if these women trusted the man hooking them up to the bombs, it would explain that."

Lovino shook his head. "Yeah, but would none of them struggle during or after placement of the bomb?"

"We suspect that they're told that if they oblige they'll be let go," Ludwig explained.

"It could be one of the reasons that the profile is after pregnant women. They may be more willing to go along to assure the safety of their child," Feliciano added.

"Are they all first-time mothers?" Gilbert asked.

"No. Three of them are, but the forth, Davidson, already had four kids."

"Four?"

"She was the oldest of the four women killed."

"Oh! Maybe the constant we're looking for is a single father between all kids!" Gilbert offered. "Some whore runs around, knocking up a bunch of chicks, and ends up going out and killing them because he can't let it get out because he's in some political office or something. He sends the notes to throw you off his trail, making it seem like there's more to the murders than the kids."

"I mean, it's possible," Feliciano offered weakly. "But very unlikely."

"Anyone test the DNA to see who the father of the kids is?"

"Forensics in this day and age are guess and check at best. I wouldn't base anyone's innocence or guilt off it," Feliciano sighed.

"Not to mention," Ludwig said, "the fact that I doubt any politician is going to offer a sample of their DNA to check to see if he's the father to a bunch of murdered children."

Gilbert nodded with tight hums. "Okay, well you said there was a lead last night—"

Feliciano shook his head.

"Oh, alright. Well then who else do we have to interrogate."

"We're not interrogating anyone," Ludwig said quickly. "This isn't work for the Confraternity. We have to play by the books."

"What! That's no fun. Not to mention extremely redundant!"

"It's how it is this time, Gil."

Gilbert groaned, visibly punctured by the news.

"So then where do we go from here?" Lovino asked. "Fell, you were saying something about a Johnson?"

Ludwig sighed.

"Yeah, he's pretty big at the church right now, but in a few years he will be arrested and sentenced for the murder of his pregnant wife. I was thinking that maybe us being here caused something in him to come out early and that maybe his murder of his wife wasn't one of passion but one that was fully meditated."

"Okay, yeah, that sounds like a great lead," Lovino agreed, furrowing his brows, confused as to why Ludwig was acting like it was a bad idea.

"Feliciano," Ludwig said under his breath, "we've been over this. The crime that you're going over was an abuse case. He killed his wife by beating her in the head with a flashlight. Advanced bombs and Neanderthal tendencies are two very different points on the spectrum."

"I know but—"

"Not to mention that we've already looked into it. Alfred and his partner got a warrant and found nothing. He had an alibi for every murder, and if it wasn't for a crime that's going to happen in a couple years, there's nothing even circumstantial on him."

Feliciano groaned. "We don't have much more to go off of, Ludwig!"

Gilbert cleared his throat. "Well, we can start with what you guys know about the bombs. I've discovered that they're controlled by timer, not remote, but that was the best I could get."

Ludwig sent Feliciano one last look before turning fully to his brother. "We know that they're used by the Columbian mob. These designs could have been inspired by a news or magazine article done on them, or they could be the products of an old mobster, or perhaps its just coincidence. That's all that we know about the make of them, and the bomb team picked up just as much as you did on basis of detonation."

"Well, mob could be a lead," Lovino tried. His opinion was met with scrutinized silence. He sighed. He really should stop trying to play detective. He closed his eyes and listened to the others talk in circles. They all seemed to keep their voices level and low, and soon Lovino found himself falling asleep at the table. Feliciano nudged him away and he grumbled a curse at him, but the kid was persistent (and had started pinching) so he raised his head to rejoin the conversation after sending Feliciano a weak glower. Feliciano just frowned back, scratching at his nose and looking a bit irritated.

"He has a background in mechanics, or maybe he's previously worked in the Military or some other job that dealt with bomb disposals. The profile based on the notes is someone that feels they have the right to the murders, which could indicate that he'd be extremely calm approaching the women and even afterwards. There is also a good deal of isolation that has to go into this, whether that be for a workshop or livelihood, so though he's cool he may also be a recluse socially."

"Or perhaps overly friendly to the point of isolation," Lovino yawned.

"Oh officer, I would never believe that he could do such a thing," Gilbert tittered under his breath.

"Perhaps," Ludwig agreed. "But he—"

"You know," Gilbert said pointedly, "have you guys even considered that this could be done by a woman?" There was a short silence, but Gilbert likely didn't notice. "The crime is done by a device, which means that we're not looking for some abnormally strong female, just a normal one."

"And it would help explain why the women are seemingly so willing to go along with everything," Feliciano agreed.

"But it's been a man that's been seen at the scene of all four crimes," Ludwig argued.

"Maybe we're looking for a tag team," Gilbert pointed out.

"Or maybe it's just a coincidence. Wrong place, wrong time," Lovino elaborated.

"Yeah!" Feliciano said with a bounce of excitement. "And it would explain why the note sent to the police was different in tone. Maybe she was angry that the police weren't considering a female suspect."

"Eighties, what a great time to be a serial killer," Gilbert sighed with a small smirk being pressed into his palm.

"I think the thirties were better," Feliciano pointed out.

"Ew, Tuberculosis."

Feliciano giggled. "Alright, so, let's shift the profile to a woman. Maybe a common daycare assistant that all the women were looking into?"

"Wouldn't Davidson already have a babysitter in place?" Ludwig pressed back.

"Well, maybe she needed a new one—"

"And I'm pretty sure that she's a stay-at-home mom."

"Alright, then maybe they all shopped at the same baby clothes store. Or maybe they all bought a single type of crib or mobile or stroller."

"Maybe she's a nurse?" Lovino asked.

"No," Ludwig shot, "they all went to different hospitals."

"Yeah, I got that. But say that they were all approached by a woman claiming to be a nurse or something. They take a liking to her, invite her for whatever-the-fuck people due during the eighties, and then they end up getting strapped to a bomb."

Feliciano shook his head. "I don't know. People don't just invite strangers in—" he trailed off before shooting Ludwig a look. "Unless—"

Ludwig nodded. "Davidson's husband had mentioned that she had all four of her previous children at home."

"And even if the others weren't planning to, that can't mean that they hadn't looked into it!" Feliciano cooed excitedly.

Lovino blinked between the two. He cleared his throat. "So, uh, nurse?"

"No, midwife." Feliciano said, standing up. "We can check tack-boards around town to see if we can find any advertisements. Maybe a newspaper. Uh, perhaps the hospitals give a list of recommended midwifes. If we could find a woman that's on all the hospitals lists, then we have a suspect!" Ludwig stood after him and Feliciano put out his hand with a light laugh. Ludwig sighed and the two shook hands.

"This isn't concrete."

"Best we've had so far. Let's catch this bastard!" Feliciano grinned. "Oh! And I can pick up some lights while I'm out. Okay, Lud, which one sounds better? White or colorful. And do you want the outside to match the tree?"

Ludwig was picking up the dishes. "I already told you that we don't celebrate Christmas."

"I know, but that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it." Feliciano picked up his and Lovino's bowl and jumped around Lovino to get out and follow Ludwig to the kitchen. "I just want your opinion. Please," the kid drew out the word annoyingly.

Lovino shot a look at Gilbert. "What are you, Jewish?"

Gilbert quirked a brow at him. "That hit to the ground didn't give you a concussion, did it?"

"Oh. Right." Lovino laughed lightly, finally being able to spread out on the bedding behind him. It was so much more comfortable than sitting or standing or being alive. Lovino just wanted to go back to sleep. He closed his eyes and listened as the two in the other room continued talking.

"Your opinion matters to me, Lud, please."

The taller blond must have sighed because behind running water there was a lapse of silence. "I don't really care—"

"White or colorful. Or they may even have just all blue."

"Why don't you just choose?" Another line of silent dialogue. Lovino could feel his stomach quench when he imagined the look Feliciano must have been giving him. Fuck, why wasn't he sleeping? Why did he give a shit what the dog had to say about Christmas lights? "Colorful for outside, white for inside." The blond's voice was soft, almost intimate. Lovino just screwed his eyes tighter. He hated that stupid fucking blond, and he knew that he did, because he was condescending and had a stick three feet up his ass. He was overly critical and compared to Gilbert dull. He was a child when it came to the idea of trust, but he still seemed to follow orders and brush off things that had actual risks like the Renegade. He—he was a bastard and Lovino hated him.

Lovino hated the way Feliciano looked at him. Hated the way Feliciano talked to him like they had been friends forever. Because they hadn't. They had barely known each other, damn it! Sure, Feliciano was often times overly-friendly off the bat with…well with everyone. Fuck, the first day Lovino had worked with him when the kid had told him he loved him. Lovino already knew that the kid was a people person. So, what was different here with Ludwig?

Lovino didn't get a chance to figure it out before he was getting kicked in the head.

"What the fuck?" he demanded, holding his head and shooting a glare upwards.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to kick you so hard!" Feliciano gushed.

"You're abusive, you know that?" Lovino groaned.

"There should be some extra jackets in the closet. If not we'll stop by a thrift store and pick some up," Ludwig said.

"Thanks, Luddy," Feliciano cooed, stuffing a gun in the back of his pants before shrugging on a coat of his own, concealing the weapon in its entirety. The boy shot a look down at Lovino who could only stare. "Well? Get up."

Lovino scrambled to his feet.

Lovino shook out a pill, sinking deeper into the collar of his jacket. It wasn't snowing yet, but it was fucking cold. Taking his hands out of his pockets just for the simple act of getting a pill killed him. He swallowed it dry before returning to the warmth of the seamed pocket.

Gilbert climbed out of the beat down vehicle that Alfred was letting Feliciano and Ludwig use during their time there. The door whined with every movement.

It was busy on the roads this morning. A few buildings around them dawned Christmas decorations. The four of them had been to three hospitals already, only one had actually given them a list as the others were small private offices that didn't recommend midwifes. They now stood in front of the Child's hospital. It was much larger than the other three, with multiple entrances and a lane that was reserved for ambulances only. They had parked on the southside which advertised a large MATERNITY WARD sign. Feliciano considered his new fake police badge as they made their way along the concrete sidewalk and to the swinging glass doors of the hospital.

As the other times, Gilbert and Lovino held back outside as Ludwig and Feliciano made their way in. Lovino leaned against the concrete wall with a sigh. His breath fogged in front of him.

The early morning was getting considerably lighter than it had been at seven when they left. It was still a bit dreary, however, under the clouds that swirled threateningly above them. Cars dotted the hospital's parking lot and a few people were walking in, their hands in their pockets and chins tucked in scarfs or upturned collars. Another small group a few paces down the wall were chattering while entertaining their cigarettes. It was strange to Lovino to see people smoking on property of a child's hospital, but he quickly reminded himself of the times and let it slide.

Feliciano and Ludwig were back. Feliciano grinned at them. "Alright, so we have two lists now!"

"More than one," Gilbert encouraged, offering a theatric thumbs up. "Can we get back to the car, now?"

Feliciano laughed and nodded his head.

The four of them shuffled back into the car, Gilbert and Lovino squished in the back while Ludwig took the wheel.

"Alright, we'll stop by the mall and then head back to the house." Feliciano said. "Here, Gil, you can start cross checking if you'd like." He handed two folders back to him. The albino took it in his lap greedily, flipping the binds open.

"These things aren't alphabetical."

"No, they're not."

He groaned, sitting a bit further back in his seat as the car lurched forward.

As the car rolled, so did Feliciano's mouth. He talked and talked about just everything he could think about, flicking the dash in a steady beat as he went along. Lovino rested his head against the window humming a "yeah" or something similar when Feliciano would direct a question or whatever at him. He seemed to be excited. Mostly about solving the case but also about what he deemed to be the greatest time of the year. It was ridiculous how his mind jumped. Murder to eggnog and back again. His talking, of course, encouraged Gilbert to join in with jokes. The both of them were a lot of attention whores, Lovino decided.

The constant talking continued when the car was parked and when they made their way into the cold once more.

The mall was fucking decked. Trees around the property were covered in lights that weren't currently on due to the time of day, as were the countless signs that advertised countless holiday sales. The four of them followed the sidewalk to the double doors that took them into the actual building. It was a two-story with open balconies looking down onto the lower floor. The ceiling was domed and let natural light in through countless glass panes. A large fountain took up the center of the area with benches dotted around the area. A group of people in Christmas hats were handing out fliers to sit on some old fucker's lap. Countless stores were advertised by large signs, and further down in each direction were large decorative trees. Colorful tinsel hung from the balconies, joined by large groups of garlands.

"There's a lot of people here," Lovino muttered, staring onto the scene of bustling groups and people already dressed in accessoried shopping bags.

"It's three days before Christmas, of course there's lots of people," Feliciano said with a light laugh.

"Let's be in and out of here," Ludwig sighed. "We have a lot to do."

Feliciano nodded. "Alright. I was thinking that Sears should have what we're looking for, so let's just head over there!"

"Do you really need all of us to go with you?" Ludwig asked.

Feliciano shook his head. "No, you guys can go wait in the car if you want to. I promise I'll be quick!"

Ludwig turned around to leave. He was almost to the door when a loud cry broke over the loud chatterings of the mall. Another cry sounded, and then everyone was yelling and backing away from the fountain.

The four of them all shared a pensive look before pushing against the crowd that forced their way to the exit. Breaking into the open the lot of the stopped.

A woman with tears streaming down her face stood there, a device strapped to her neck and a sign that read: I have a bomb.

And to top it all off? The searing pain of the String rewriting itself tore through Lovino's body. He tried to bite back his screams as Gilbert rushed forward.

"Someone call the cops!" Ludwig screamed.

Feliciano fell to Lovino. The whole world bounced and jutted. He looked up to Feliciano, focusing on how he was still and normal. Something just beyond the boys shoulder caught his attention, however. Through the pain he looked.

The crowd of people were normalized. Everyone except one person. Her features jutted and fell apart, making her stick out terribly against the backdrop of people she concelled herself in.

"Feliciano—" Lovino choked, speaking beyond impossible as the drill decorated his skull. "The murder—She's—" he raised his finger and pointed.

The stringy girl caught his stare and his finger. Before Feliciano could even react, she was pushing through the crowd. Feliciano stood, but he hesitated. "Go!" Lovino demanded, balling his fists against the ground and pressing his forehead to the ground, trying not to scream in front of everyone. He bit down on his hand, relishing in the tears, afraid of the feeling that started in his gut and drew along his skin. He had an audience, damn it.

All of his thoughts went into not breaking, not letting his powers spread. He held his breath and his tears. A few strangers came to help him. For what felt like forever he groveled on the tiled ground, strange hands rubbing his back and strange voices asking him what was wrong. He heard one of them say that an ambulance was on the way and could do nothing but cut off a string of curses.

Finally, the weight let up and he was able to breathe.

"Fuck," he groaned, rising to his hands.

"Are you alright, sir?" a man asked him. Lovino just brushed him off.

"Did you see which way—which way my friend went?" He pointed, and when Lovino stood insisted on him resting. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine," Lovino grunted. He looked back to Gilbert and Ludwig.

Gilbert was checking out the bomb furiously, a grin glinting on his features and his eyes alight with pure joy. The woman was balling, still holding the sign in front of herself as if she were beyond shell-shocked. Gilbert gave a wonderous holler as he unclasped the device. Like the douche he was, he seemed to show it to the crowd in his triumph. Of course, the people entertained him with a loud round of applause. The woman fell into Ludwig's arms, finally dropping the sign and holding onto him in a mess. The fountain behind them sputtered innocently.

Lovino, deciding that they had everything under control, turned and started through the crowd in the direction that the man had pointed. He had to stop and ask people for new directions, and thankfully everyone had been attentive enough to point him in the right direction. He flew up the stairs to the second floor, but here the directions got fuzzier and he had to guess.

"Did you see a woman and a brunet run through here?" Lovino demanded.

"Uh, maybe?"

That wasn't helpful!

Quickly he ran down the hall, dodging people left and right. He got to the end of the store and cursed. A neon Exit sign stared down at him and he decided to take his chances, running down the concrete staircase and out of the door that warned of an alarm.

Breaking into the cold he looked around. A few people littered the area but none of them were Feliciano or the mystery woman.

"Hey, did any of you guys see a woman run through here?'

"No, but a guy just ran out," someone offered, taking a deep drag off their cigarette.

"Which way did he go?"

So, Lovino was off once more. He found himself glancing down every ally he passed. Cars passed him in a hurry. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he growled to himself, slowing to a stop and spinning around. Had he missed something? Had they gone into another building?

"Stop there!"

His heart lurched and his feet were at it again. Across the street Feliciano stood with his back to him, his gun out and pointing upwards. The woman had stopped, half-way up a fire escape that was on the side of one of the buildings. A car passed between them, stirring the scene.

"Now come down with your hands visible!"

Lovino sighed. It seemed his friend had the upper hand in the situation. The fire escape creaked as the girl made her way down slowly. Lovino looked both ways, waiting for a good time to cross the street.

By the time he looked back up, his relaxing pulse turned on him. It all happened too quickly. One moment her hands were out and she was slowly stepping down the stairs, the next she was jumping down, her movements quick enough and expected enough that when she pulled out her own gun Feliciano didn't react quick enough.

Lovino didn't put any effort to holding his powers back. He ran forward, swinging his arm upwards and the pounding of his heart impossible to ignore. Just as a loud shot rang out a black wall rose from the ground, forming into a dome around Feliciano. The bullet hit and Lovino was physically forced backwards, but he didn't let the shield fall.

When he did, the woman was gone.

Feliciano looked to him in surprise. "Lovino—"

"Are you alright?" Lovino asked.

Feliciano looked down the ally. "Yeah." He let out a sound between a groan and a sigh. "Almost had her!"

Lovino laughed. "You almost got fucking shot is what you did."

"What's this?" the boy bent down, picking up what looked to be a dart. He handed it over to Lovino.

"A dart?" he asked.

"It looks like a sterilizer," Feliciano muttered back.

"Were there any drugs found in the murder victims?"

Feliciano shook his head. "No, none at all."

"Weird."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Fuck, we have a LOT to cover next chapter. Sorry if it's fucking long. But, I told you guys three and you guys are gonna get THREE.

Guess who is hella sick and prolly on her deathbed. Meeeeee. Yaaaaaayy. I miss breathing through my nose.

I got some eggnog mix because people don't actually sell eggnog until December, and I'll rate it in the next chapter for everyone like me who could literally drink eggnog just all year round.

You know, I've been thinking, and I've decided that my favorite thing about this fic is that it's brought in a lot of educated readers. Idk, I just really like that I feel I can have a real discussion with you guys. We all have differing opinions and writing styles and whatever, but I love it so much because that's really what this community is all about. I think that's why I decided to come back to Hetalia, because we might not be getting a lot of new people, but I'm totally okay with that because it means that the people that are active are people that have, like, grown up, or are growing up, you know? Idk, but I'mma use this as a segue to:

Shout out to PikaPika68. She's really a wonderful reader, and goodness is she getting dangerously close to predicting the climax. She's also been teasing writing some of her own fics, and I haven't asked what her current project is about because I'm hoping it'll be out before I leave and I like being surprised, but I'm totally crossing my fingers and hoping that we're getting a new Itacest writer. We really need more epic and plot based itacest shit, you guyssss.

Oh, and Raider, when you are able to make an account, and maybe even one day write a little, I think you should totally hit up Mrs. Pik. I have a feeling deep in my bones that you two would be great pals (((:

Does anyone do Discord? Because it'd be cool if we had a server to fuck off on.

COMMENT! Uhm, dog or cat?