Later that afternoon, the police came to question the couple. Valentin, still mostly in shock, refused to speak. He didn't want Fane to be found. He didn't want to know if he was dead or alive. To Valentin, it was over and he didn't want to remember it, hear about it, or think about it. It was done and that was it.

Gilbert, on the other hand, offered to answer all the questions he could, afraid that if he let them question the blonde, then the lone string holding his trembling sanity might snap. Valentin was already traumatized, and Gilbert didn't was his fiancé to have to relive it all. So he stepped outside Valentin's room and answered the questions he could.

"Alright, thank you Mr. Beilschmidt. We'll start looking for Sala as soon as possible." The taller of the two officers said as he put his notebook away. Gilbert shook his head and put a hand out as if to stop him. "Nein, don't. It would be best for everyone, especially Valentin, if you just left it alone. Believe me when I say, that if I ever see that bastard again, I will not hesitate to kill him." The officers glanced at each other unsure before the shorter spoke up, "Sir, with all due respect to your...uh, fiancé, justice must be done. We have to find the man who did this and put him away forever."

Gilbert again shook his head, "Nein! Damnit, don't. I told you where I left him. There's nowhere he can go, especially with shot out knees. And if there is, then you can check the hospitals in that area. I already checked this one and he's not here. If you are going to go after him, then please, don't bring Valentin back into this. We'll be leaving the country soon after Christmas. It's best if we all just drop this. Find him and put him away. Let that be the end of it." The taller officer sighed while the shorter rubbed his forehead as if in irritation or confused thought.

"We'll have to see what we can do, Mr. Beilschmidt." The taller officer offered. Gilbert nodded. "Danke." and with that, the German turned back into Valentin's room, closing the door with a soft click.

Valentin recovered slowly, being released from the hospital just in time for Christmas. At home for the holiday, Valentin was quiet, only speaking few words during the rest of his stay. The majority of those words were directed to his lover, but otherwise he was silent.

Each night, Valentin would stare into the mirror at the figure he couldn't recognize as himself. The scars and the burns mixed with the memories made him into a completely different person. He wasn't Valentin Nicolae-soon-to-be-Beilschmidt anymore. He didn't know who he was. It was as if...this shell was no longer his own.

He lightly traced over the burned scars over his chest and abdomen, almost absentmindedly. Slowly, his hand flew up to his throat then the scar on his cheek. He didn't feel like Valentin anymore. He put his T-shirt back on and almost reluctantly, he crawled into bed next to his lover who sat propped up on a pillow, playing some sort of game on his phone. Gilbert looked up and smiled at Valentin and he crawled in next to him. The smile melted when the Romanian flopped onto the mattress and rolled away from him.

"Gil..." Valentin croaked out. "Ja, leibe?" There was silence before Vali answered. "Do you still love me?" Gilbert looked at the Romanian as if he had an alien tentacle growing from the back of his head. "Of course I do Valentin. Why wouldn't I?"

"I'm not Valentin anymore...I don't look like him, I don't act like him...I'm not me...It's these scars, Gil...How could you love a scarred shell?" Gilbert set his phone down on the nightstand and curled up to his lover, pulling him taught to him. "Valentin, nothing about you or my love for you has or ever will change. I will forever love you with all my heart." Gilbert slid his hand over Valentin's, clasping it and interlacing their fingers, their engagement ring making the softest of clinking sounds. "If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have fought for you."

With that last statement, Valentin turned around as much as he could, looking deep into Gilbert's equally red eyes. There was silence between the two before Valentin turned back around. "But my scars..." he tried to make and excuse. Gilbert huffed and hugged his lover tightly, "So? Vali, when I look at you, I don't see your scars. I see you. Valentin. I see the innocent, happy, sweet boy I fell in love with when I was young and was unbelievably lucky to grow up with and get the chance to be engaged to him as an adult. I love you Valentin, not even your scars will make me stop loving you. Nothing will." He finished by kissing the shell of his lover's ear and nuzzled his neck.

Valentin tried his hardest not to smile, but he couldn't stop himself. The smile spread easily onto his lips and he turned around once more, straight into the lips of his lover. The kiss was simple, yet full of honest love. Valentin turned around completely and wrapped his arms around Gilbert's neck as the German pulled the blonde close to him. "I love you Gilbert." Valentin whispered once the kiss broke, trailing his fingers down his lover's cheek. Gilbert smiled, "I love you too, Valentin."

The covers were pulled over the couple, light clicked out, and the engaged fell asleep in each other's arms.

Valentin and Gilbert arrived back home in the U.S. people were still celebrating their respected seasonal holidays, but the couple simply decided to stay at home and recover. Valentin didn't like to go out due to his scars so he stayed inside and waited for Gilbert whenever he went out. He even stopped looking at wedding catalogues.

"Gil," Valentin began one night, leaning over the kitchen counter in his sweatshirt and pajama pants, his limp due to being stabbed to the bone during his capture, evident. "Ja Vali?" Gilbert replied, looking up from one of his textbook he wasn't supposed to be looking at. Valentin swallowed hard, trying his hardest to avoid his lover's gaze. "Valentin what is it?" Gil asked, becoming worried with each passing second. "You know that I love you, right?" Vali said, still trying his damnedest to avoid eye contact.

Gilbert swallowed, closing his book, "I do..." The Romanian cleared his throat, "W-well...I think...I think we should call off the wedding..." Suddenly Gilbert couldn't breathe. Call off the wedding? What? "V-Valentin...why?" Vali sighed..."I just...Gilbert, how am I supposed to walk down the aisle if I can't even walk outside? How am I supposed to face everyone, if I can barely face myself?" Gilbert slammed his hands onto the granite counter "Damn it Valentin! Stop!" He took a deep breath to calm himself after realizing he scared his fiancé.

He sighed before continuing. "Bitte, Vali...you can. You're beautiful still, why can't you believe me when I say it? No one is going to judge you for the scars you have. Just...please...believe that." Gilbert heaved another sigh and threw up his hands as if in defeat, "But, ok. We'll...we'll cancel the wedding... I just want you to be comfortable Vali..." Valentin rubbed his face with his hands and walked away, down the hall, closing the bathroom door.

Gilbert sighed and rested his head in his hands as he leaned on the counter. He just wanted his Valentin. Wanted the happy, bubbly, serious, nerdy Valentin he had before all this. That was all he wanted.

Gilbert knocked on the bathroom door after Valentin hadn't come out for a near half hour. "Vali, bitte. Come out. I'm not mad at you. I just want you comfortable. We'll postpone the wedding until you feel comfortable. Please, Vali, come out." It was a few moments before the bathroom door finally opened, and out stepped Valentine with a tear streaked face.

He only opened the door enough to show his face, the rest of himself hidden behind the door. "I'm sorry Gilbert..." he said, the tears not on his face stuck in his voice. Gilbert shook his head and pulled his fiancé in for a hug. "It's okay Vali. I promise I'll wait for you. As long as I still have you here with me. I know you've been through a lot, and you need time. I'm willing to wait for you. I love you."

Valentin hugged his love tightly, burying his face into the other's chest. "Thank you Gilbert. Thank you..."

It was two months before the couple started planning for their wedding again, pressing play on the remote that paused their lives and plans. They went to a wedding shop; a big feat for the Romanian.

"What do you think about this for the center pieces?" Valentin asked, picking up a red crystal vase of yellow roses. Gilbert set down the butter knife he was inspecting and looked to his fiancé. "Velvet and gold? They are very classy colors. I think those will do." Their theme was black and white with splashes of gold and velvet red. Valentin smiled and set the vase back down, wrote git onto a list he carried with him as a reminder of what he wanted so he could order them in bulk.

Gilbert hugged his love from behind, holding him close. He was happy that the wedding was back on. He had wanted to marry the Romanian for so long, his dream finally coming true elated him. Gilbert knew he wanted Valentin from the moment he saw him, and have the chance to have him for so long, even though the trauma of the blond being kidnapped, was a near miracle to him. One that he would not question.

As for Valentin, he was happy to have someone love him through all his faults. His confidence not yet quite to where it used to be, he was unsure if he and Gilbert would last. But seeing as the German had no intention of leaving was something Valentin could not thank enough. Both men were undoubtedly in love.

Soon it was the date of their wedding and both males were undeniably nervous. Gilbert was in a small room; Francis and Antonio (his best men) were helping him get ready. Well, it was mostly Francis as Antonio was too distracted by the potpourri to do much else. Gilbert couldn't stop fixing his hair or his tie, too nervous to think straight. "Mon ami, s'il te plaît, you have to calm down. And stop messing with your hair; you're going to ruin it." Francis scolded, rushing over to fix the Groom's hair.

"S-sorry...I'm just really nervous..." Gil apologized, wringing his hands, and looking around nervously. "Ouais...(Yeah...), we can tell." Francis snickered as Antonio crushed the potpourri into smaller bits in the bowl.

In Valentin's dressing room, the blond desperately tried to cover up the scar on his cheek with concealer. Mostly succeeding, Valentin 'humped' in satisfaction. Turning around, he looked to his brother for approval. Aleksander smiled and nodded. "You look great, Vali. I'm very happy for you." He said as he clapped his younger brother on the shoulder. Valentin straightened his white tuxedo jacket and smiled. "Come on, we're about to start~!" Sofia sang when she opened the door a crack.

Konstantin strutted down the aisle in his brown teddy bear suit, a little tux over it. He carried a small pillow, the two rings on it and he positioned himself near Gilbert. Next it was Valentin who walked gracefully down the red and golden trimmed isle. He could feel all other eyes on him, but the only ones he focused on were the ones of his ruby eyed lover.

Finally making it up to the altar, he took Gilbert's hands, blushing like the first time they embraced. The couple said their vows, each pledging their everlasting love for one another. Promising that they'd never let each other go. And with the binding kiss, it was final. The couple was married and...they couldn't be happier.

They've gone to hell separately, and emerged hands clasped.

The End

Author's Note:And so concludes the last installment of Saving Valentin. I want to thank you all for following and sticking through all the slow updates! You're all so wonderful! As for my next story, Adria, (also a Prussia/Romania with and introductory appearance of a good friend's OC of Serbia {who i shall ferociously ship with Bulgaria :D} and some other characters as well, there might be some...mature content but i dont think that will be bad.) So i hope you will stick with me for my upcoming story of Adria! Thank you all and Guten Nacht!