Note: Everyone missed the hidden clue at the end of previous chapter so I guess that the beginning of this one will come as a surprise, and many won't be pleased, but it had to be this way.

Thank you for the reviews on previous chapter!

Mello
Instinctively again, I had closed my eyes when the gun fired. It took me a few seconds to realise that my ears were ringing so much from the shot, compared to the previous ones, that the gun had actually fired right next to my head.
I immediately looked at my father, who was holding his bleeding hand, the gun he was previously holding laying at his feet, while two of the guys that were with Andreas and me arrested him.

I was unable, at that point, to process anything more. I looked at Andreas, who simply smiled at me, and at my father again, who avoided looking at anyone, his head low, but I could see tears on his face, and still so much blood.
I refrained my gag reflex, but I was starting to feel sick, the ferrous smell was overwhelming and Ourakova was probably empty of blood at this point. But as bad as it made me feel, I couldn't peel my eyes from her dead body and the darkening circle around her. I felt blank, totally numb. Not happy that she was dead, not sad either, just... nothing.

My ears were still ringing in a painful manner, from the shot and from feeling sick, and I only acknowledged the police cars when they came in sight, their noise covered by my pulsing eardrums. There were at least four or five, there was an ambulance too, and there was suddenly so many people, it was overwhelming. Too much noise adding to the bells in my ears, I winced.

"CLEARED!" a SWAT guy shouted at Andreas from the distance, as he approached in full gear, "Follow me."
Was it really over this time?
Andreas pushed my wheelchair into motion, and we crossed the whole level to an elevator at the other side, passing by the body, the cars, the people, but as much as I wiggled in my seat, Mail was nowhere in sight.
That's what brought me back to my senses: of course he wasn't there, as much as I needed him right now... He was still locked away, and I hoped really hard that this 'cleared' meant that it was all over now, and that they would free him so he could be with me.

All I saw was my father pushed into a car with a quickly made wrap around his hand, two cops around him, and Ourakova's body on a stretcher charged into the ambulance. All cars were driving away by the moment the elevator's doors closed. Of all thoughts, the one that came to me was: who would be cleaning the blood?

Matt

This drive wasn't ending, and as much as my body wanted me to fall asleep, I was trying to stay awake because I hoped that we would arrive at any moment now. The latest weeks, drugs, emotions, the car attack, the shots, it was all taking a toll on me but I was trying to stay alert. I was out of cigarettes, still not sure I was in good hands, and it wasn't easy to fight sleep, not was it not to worry. Sometimes the prosecutor just seemed human and caring, and the minute after, he almost looked like a bad guy, I didn't know anymore, but right now it wouldn't make a difference which I chose to believe so I tried to forget it.

If we could just arrive now, though... We were driving quite slow, the driver clearly receiving orders in his bluetooth earplug every ten minutes or so, but although I could hear a voice coming from it, I couldn't decipher the words. He sped up suddenly.

I straightened in my seat when we passed the fence of a restricted area a little while later, but couldn't fathom where we were. I just assumed that we had arrived. The car didn't stop in the parking lot in front of the building, though, but slowed down significantly as a line of police cars exited an underground parking, in which we were apparently entering.
Four cars drove in the opposite direction, followed by an ambulance, and I gave a look to the prosecutor, who proceeded to ignore me, probably because he didn't feel like being questioned once again. I didn't say anything, because to be honest I didn't even know where to start, although I had a gut feeling that all these cars had a connection to Mihael.

We slid down the narrow passage to a level that was absolutely empty. The car stopped, and I didn't wait for approval to try to get out, but the door security was on and I had to wait for someone to open from the outside.

The place reeked for sure. The smell was weird, and overpowering.
"This way." the prosecutor told me, pointing to the other side of the level. I looked in the direction he was showing, then back at the car as it left with the driver, the other cop following us. It seemed to be our final destination for now, but I didn't know which to choose between relief and feeling trapped. I hope I wasn't going to be locked away once again... but somehow, trying to escape didn't appeal to me, because it might be worse outside on my own.

We walked in silence, the smallest noise resounding between the walls. We avoided a large wet spot on the floor, but I suddenly looked back when I realised that it wasn't water, and that the smell in the air was coming from this, and was actually blood. I froze, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach as I remembered the line of police cars and the ambulance.
"Mihael is safe." the prosecutor told me, completely aware of where my mind was taking me. My shaky legs steadied again as we finally entered the elevator.
I was now scared to ask if I would finally see him, because I didn't want the answer to be no. It would be too much to take right now. But was he really safe? I started to doubt the prosecutor, still very much confused with whose side he was on.

The ring of the elevator made me start, and then it was all over.
The doors opened straight on some kind of big ass meeting room with a center table, lots of chairs, and a cosier area with a sofa and a coffee table, all very well adorned with crystal and drinks, and sitting on the sofa was Mihael, his plastered legs resting on a cushion on the coffee table.

I ran to him. Sitting beside him, I pulled him into my arms, holding him as tight as I could for a long minute before realising that I was probably hurting him, his middle twisted toward me, but he pulled me back to him when I tried to give him space. His head resting against my chest, he was crying softly, clenching my tee-shirt.

All the questions I had died in my mind, I just didn't care anymore, stroking Mihael's hair, my own eyes watering as I felt him sob against me. He would tell me everything, but for now I wanted him to cry as much as he needed. I had no idea whose blood was in the underground parking, what had happened, what he went through, but he was in shock and I was happy that I was able to hold him and comfort him now. I was still disturbed by the recent events myself, but at that moment some kind of instinct took over.

Andreas' phone rang, and he took a brief call. He came to us, but retaliated, closing the mouth he had just opened to say something, with the look I gave him. Don't you dare coming close to him now...
It was already pretty bad that I felt on display with him, the prosecutor, and I don't know how many cops or SWAT or FBI whatever guys were in the room, I wouldn't let him still a moment like that from me.

Mello
Each time I wanted to speak, I cried even more. Feeling safe in Mail's arms had freed all the emotions I had piled up in the previous hours, days even, and there was so much I wanted to tell him, but I was unable to. Did it even matter? It was over, Andreas had confirmed it and we didn't have a death threat over our heads anymore, but still, I had so much pain in me, I didn't know why, I should have been happy but I was overwhelmed with a sadness that made no sense.

I realised that I had soaked Mail's shirt with my tears, and it suddenly made me want to laugh, all at once because his shirt was now in a poor shape with the wetness and how I had crumpled it with my fists, and because of how his personal scent had calmed me down, reminding me that his presence was now for good. The usual smoke and soap, even if the soap was different this time.
"You don't smell like citrus." I told him, raising my head and looking at him with a smile.
"Of all things, this is your only concern?" he chuckled, kissing my forehead, pushing damp strands out of my face. That's when I realised that his shirt was splashed with dry blood, and that he even had some smeared in his neck. My smile vanished.
"Are you hurt?! What happened?!" I reached for the red stains, but he took my hand, kissing my palm.
"No, I'm fine, it's not my blood." he replied, which made me realise that he had had his share of shitty stuff before arriving here, and I felt somehow guilty for being so needy when he had obviously had it pretty bad too.
"It's over, we're fine now." he added, as if reading in my mind.

Andreas approached for the second time, and I felt Mail hold my hand a little tighter.
"Mail, your parents are in the elevator." Andreas said. I was happy to see them, and so was Mail, considering the smile on his face.

Matt
I gave a quick peck to Mihael before standing up from the couch, and the thought that my mother might freak out because of the blood on me came too late, as the elevator's doors opened.
"My little fox!" she extended her arms, walking to me, ready to hug me, but stopped in her tracks.
"I'm fine, don't worry, I'm fine, it's not my blood." I told her right away before she fainted.
She burst in tears and finally pulled me in her arms, almost choking me, uncaring that she would stain her dress.

I refrained my tears because I could still hear the chuckles in my back from when she had called me her little fox and my pride had taken enough of a blow for now, as the mummy's little boy.

My father stood behind, silent. All I could see of him was his shoes, and the suitcase at his side, but my mother finally let me go to redirect her attention to Mihael. She sat softly on the couch, facing him, and took his hand, smiling.
I turned back to my father, who seemed to hesitate a second before putting his hand on my shoulder, the pressure almost painful, but his eyes were so... I don't know, there was so much in them, they were hard to sustain.
He wasn't one for public displays, but I knew that it was his way of showing affection. I smiled to him, he smiled back, and everything felt normal again.

We were installed in suites on the floor below this one, my parents in one, and Mihael and me in the next one, which explained the suitcase my father was carrying. We had to stay here for a few days while the FBI apprehended the remaining people on Mr Keehl's list.
In the evening, my personal stuff from where I was locked away the previous weeks was brought to the suite, and I could finally take a shower, wash the blood, and get changed.
We had barely had dinner with my parents that I could see Mihael literally fall asleep, so we didn't extend the evening further, and went back to our room.

Rest was much needed for all of us anyway, my parents exhausted with weeks of worry, Mihael and me shaken by the latest events, it was about time that we got a good night of sleep without any anxiety for the things to come.

Mihael insisted on doing things by himself so I helped him undress but he shooed me out of the bathroom to wash himself, sat on a chair and threatening to splash me with the shower head.

We were supposed to have lunch with the prosecutor and Andreas the next day, and get a very eagerly awaited explanation of what had actually happened that we weren't aware of, what the plan had been and what went wrong. Mihael had briefly told me about Ourakova's death and the arrest of his father, which somehow worried me still because knowing he was in jail made me fear some glitch in the system that would set him free on a technicality, and also Mihael's reaction to all of this was weird, he seemed to have made a complete u-turn concerning his feelings toward his father, and although I could see where that was coming from, I still resented Mr Keehl so much that it was inconceivable for me to go past what he had done.

It's only when I slid under the sheets after helping Mihael in the bed, that I realised that we were actually going to sleep side by side, that things were really solved and going back to what we had wished so hard these last weeks.
I couldn't keep the tears anymore this time, all tension leaving me all of a sudden.
I fell asleep while crying, my head on Mihael's chest, his fingers in my hair soothing me.