When I awoke I was in a small room filled with dust and the midday sun. It was clear at least from my view on the old wooden four post bed that I was in either the master bedroom or their Alpha child's room. To my left was a stone chimney and to my right was large bay windows letting me have a view of the forest and over grown cornfield beyond. I stared out of them before hearing the door open just behind my head and a cold cloth placed on my head, "So feel like eating?" Antonio asked with a warm smile, "Or at least water?"

"Water please." I said as I slowly sat up, "How long have I been out?"

He handed me the glass before sitting at the edge of the bed, "Only a day or so but at least it wasn't anything to serious…"

Slowly I took a sip thankful that it stayed down, "What do you mean?"

"It's not important so just rest." He said as he started to stand.

I grabbed his wrist, "Wait, please." He looked down to my hand as I slowly let go, "Toni, can you please tell me? I'm…I want to understand what's going on and I can tell you're hiding from me."

"Yes we are." He sighed, "When you got sick we thought it might be…" He looked away, "They were experimenting in germ warfare, one of them causes the stomach to practically eat itself."

"W-What?!" Instantly my hands wrapped around my stomach as I stared at him, "What the hell!? Dude why, no how would I have gotten it?"

"You didn't Alfred. If you did you'd be dead right now." He said as he tried his best to calm me down. But I still sat there wide eyed as my mind raced a mile a minute. "As for why…well they had to test it before sending it over."

Again I felt like I was going to be sick but this time it was for different reasons. It didn't make any sense to me. I knew what the government was capable of when they took my brother but I never would have dreamed that they would attack much less kill their own people. Was I really this naïve about the whole situation? I thought as I slowly laid back down and covered my eyes with my arm thinking back to what that large Alpha had once told me, that they could always use Omegas…was that the reason? I was so deep in thought that I didn't hear him enter until he touched my stomach. "Does it hurt?" Gil asked as I moved my arm from my eyes and I noticed that my other hand hadn't moved from its original spot next to his hand.

"Nah its fine, I'm just still not hungry." I watched him for a moment as he sat down next to me, removed the cloth and felt my head. "Your hand is still cold."

"Yeah but at least you're not warm anymore." He removed his hand and replaced it with his lips. Often I wonder if I had told him to stop would our lives had been different, our paths would have changed then and there but something deep in my soul wouldn't let me tell him no. A little voice in my head or possibly my heart yearned for it so when he asked me if he should stop I told him no. But to my surprise he did stop, "Alfred I never asked you and it won't be awesome I took what wasn't mine to take so…" He stopped as he looked into my eyes.

I knew what he wanted me to say, it was so clear he wanted me as his mate I was surprised it took him that long to 'ask'. I thought of everything I could say to him, any angle I could use to get exactly what I want but I couldn't do that to him. I wanted to smirk and say the moment we crossed the border or reached my uncle I would but it just didn't seem right. So after a long pause I chuckled instead, taking his hand, "Yeah Dude." It was funny, I know if my mother had been watching she would have slapped the side of my head for being so informal before giving me a speech about how to treat my mate. So with that speech starting in my head I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his jaw lightly. "I'll be your mate."

With that he wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close, "Thank you Sparrow." He said quietly before he whispered in my ear, "We'll try for the border but I can't make any promises."

I nodded, "I know." He held me close for the next few hours; he wasn't an Alpha like others I had known. While they would gloat or boast that when they mated they'd take their Omegas instantly Gilbert would only want to hold me. He'd love to cuddle with me and honestly I adored it, while his hands were always ice cold the rest of him was warm and always made me feel safe.

After I was up to it we continued our journey well…nearly all of us. Kiku had a lot of time to think at the farm house and while he enjoyed our company he knew there was nothing for him over the border. "I'm sorry Alfred." He told me as we sat on the porch as the sun sank low on the horizon that day before we were leaving again. "But perhaps it's time I look for my sister…"

"Your sister?" I turned back to him; he rarely spoke of anyone in his family so while at the time I was curious as to why he finally would tell me. Today I know it's because he saw me as a trusted friend. "I didn't know you had a sister."

He nodded slowly, "She's a little younger than me." He won't give me much but I knew it was because he was so private but then at the time I wanted to know more.

"What's her name? And um is she an Alpha or Omega?" I asked hoping to get any answers.

He shook his head as he looked off into the distance, "She's an Omega." He wouldn't give me more than that no matter how much I tried but eventually I gave up and just sat with him as the stars just started to appear. "Alfred?"

"Yeah?"

"If I see your brother," I looked over at him as a lump in my throat grew, "I'll make sure to send him your way."

"I…" I didn't know what to say so I smiled and said the only think I could think of, "Thank you Kiku." He nodded as he gave me a soft smile. "And if I see…"

"Mei."

"If I see Mei I'll send her your way." With that I gave him my only remaining picture of my brother and in return he handed me a small photograph of a young brown haired woman with a kind smile, it was haunting really. Her eyes were so full of life and joy as she held tight to a large pink flower in her hand. "She's cute." I remarked as he nodded.

"She loves flowers especially pink chrysanthemums, they were always her favorite."

"Well…" I said, "Than if I see her I'll give her one and tell her…that her brother misses her."

I still have that photograph, it's aged slightly but it always takes me back to that moment on the porch it was then and there that I realized something important. While I was hurting…I wasn't alone.