Roderich locked eyes with Ludwig. The younger man just had time to shoot him a sympathetic look before Basch barreled towards him, fury flashing in his eyes.

"You son of a bitch!"

He got up into Roderich's face. Roderich crossed his arms to create a barrier between them, not liking the breach of personal space.

"It's nice to see you too, Basch. Now, are you going to tell me why you're acting so aggressive or will you continue to hurl insults at me?"

Basch blinked, then scoffed. "Really? You have the audacity to pretend like you have no idea what this is about? Well, let me be specific, then. You impregnated a human woman, who had your child,"

Basch put a finger up, listing Roderich's crimes on his hand. "You abandoned said child." He put up another finger. "You left her to die!" Another finger. "And you didn't fucking tell anybody about what you did, because you're a spineless coward!"

He balled his hand into a fist. "Am I missing anything?"

Roderich was frozen. His limbs felt like they were full of lead. All he could do was just stand with his arms crossed, staring down at Basch.

The moment that he had dreaded for centuries had finally come to fruition. And it was just as terrifying as he had imagined.

He was tempted to whirl right around and run out the door and flee back to Vienna. If he did though, he had a strong feeling that Basch would chase him and beat him up. A less than ideal result. Roderich much preferred verbal assault to physical assault.

He held his ground.

It was time to face his fears.

Roderich finally unfroze enough to speak. His voice came out weak and unsteady. "It was the 1700s, Basch. You remember how things were."

He continued, voice becoming stronger. "Having a child out of wedlock was anathema. If I hadn't kept it a secret, I would have doomed not only me to being a pariah, but Erika and her mother, too. I couldn't do that to them. I kept it a secret to protect everyone."

"So you admit it?" Basch asked, staring Roderich directly in the eye. "You're Erika's father?"

Roderich swallowed. "Yes." His cheeks burned as he said it, cementing the truth to everyone in the room.

Basch narrowed his eyes. "What type of father abandons his child and leaves her to die?"

His words cut into Roderich like a knife, causing anger to flare up in him. Roderich raised his voice. "Have you forgotten that I'd been in a state of constant war and turmoil up until the last fifty years? I was too weak and too busy fighting in neverending conflicts to raise Erika after her mother died!"

He left out the fact that he wanted to raise Erika after Anna Maria died. That he had tried to. It wouldn't change anything. He still abandoned her. Both him and Basch knew it.

He continued on. "Plus, it was her association with me that nearly killed her! It was for the best that I kept her away from me! I wouldn't be a good father if I had gotten her killed because she was close to me!"

"You wouldn't be a good father in any situation," Basch growled. "Because you're lazy and weak and selfish, just like you've always been. Even when it came to your own fucking daughter. Especially when it came to your own daughter."

Basch shook with rage. His words were calculated, simultaneously ice-cold and piercing and fiery-hot and biting. "You are the most pathetic, despicable, and cowardly man I've ever met, Roderich Edelstein. I'm sickened that I ever called myself your friend."

Roderich had no idea how to respond to that. He looked away, face burning in embarrassment. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to cut it!" Basch yelled. "You left Erika to die!"

His voice broke on that last word, and he raised his fist. Before Roderich could react, Basch pummeled his fist into his face.

Pain exploded from his cheek, and Roderich stumbled sideways, knocked off-balance.

"You're lucky I left my rifle at home! I want to blow your brains out for what you've done!"

Basch grabbed his collar, preventing him from falling, and wound his fist back for another punch. Ludwig darted across the room, ready to intervene when a familiar voice screamed out.

"STOOOOOOPPP!"

Erika's voice rang out across the room. Everyone froze in their tracks.

Erika had appeared in the doorway, looking distraught. She was breathing heavy, and her face was flushed. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall.

The three men were stunned into silence. None of them, not even Basch, had ever heard Erika scream like that. Ludwig had never seen Erika display such volatile emotion. Around him, she was always so sweet and good-natured and mature. Roderich hadn't seen Erika upset like this since she was a small child.

"Stop it!" She cried out, hands moving to her head in distress. "Stop fighting!"

"Erika, he—" Basch uncurled his fist and gestured to Roderich. His other hand didn't leave his collar. "He abandoned you! He has to pay for what he's done!"

Erika shook her head, short hair whipping around her face. "I don't care! This…this isn't about you, Big Brother! This is about me! And I don't want this!"

Her voice broke. "I didn't want any of this."

"Erika…."

Erika shook her head again, hands never leaving her head. A strangled sob left her mouth, and she started to cry. Before anyone could comfort her, she ran out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

For a moment, everyone stayed frozen, the absolute shock of the situation immobilizing them. Basch was the first to move.

"Erika!"

He let go of Roderich and ran out the door after her, the fight forgotten. Roderich and Ludwig were alone.

Roderich's cheek stung. He sighed, adjusting his glasses that had been knocked askew during the skirmish. Ludwig stared down at the rug, not sure how to react.

A muffled laugh sounded from the coat closet. That laugh soon turned loud and maniacal.

Narrowing his eyes, Ludwig marched over and yanked open the closet door, revealing Gilbert sandwiched in between the coats, doubled over in laughter.

"That was the funniest shit I've seen in a long time, oh my God." He broke out into laughter again, wiping a tear from his eye.

Ludwig just rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. Roderich opened his mouth to berate Gilbert but before he could do so, Ludwig grabbed his sleeve and pulled him away, leading him to the kitchen.

Once they were in the kitchen, Ludwig went over and opened the freezer. He pulled out one of those medical ice packs and handed it to Roderich. "Here. For your face."

Roderich took the ice pack and held it to where Basch had punched him, mumbling a thanks. The cold soothed his aching cheek, although he'd probably be sporting a nice bruise later regardless.

Ludwig watched him, an unreadable look on his face. Both men stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

The sound of Erika's sobs played over and over in Roderich's head. Shame burned within him knowing that he had caused her so much distress.

I didn't want any of this, she had said. That sentence hurt more than Basch's punches ever could.

Roderich wondered if there was any possible way he could ever hope to apologize to Erika for everything.

Ludwig broke the silence. "I will admit, I am a little upset that you never told anyone that Erika is your daughter."

Roderich sighed, then started to explain his actions again, but Ludwig cut him off. "I heard your reasons and I understand why you did what you did. I just wish you had told us."

He made eye contact with Roderich. Disappointment reflected in his blue eyes. Roderich felt even worse.

"I could have kept a secret."

—-

From the start, Erika did not want to go to Ludwig's house

If it were up to her, she would have stayed home. She would have spent a few days to herself sorting out her emotions and how she felt about Roderich being her father. Then, once she was ready, she would have confronted him in her own time. And definitely not in such a violent way. She probably would have ended up either calling him or texting him about the test results.

But her big brother was so hellbent on going and confronting Roderich, so furious about the whole situation, that Erika had no choice but to go along with him. She didn't want to risk pissing him off even further. Plus, Basch would be very upset if he had bought two train tickets just for one of them to not be used.

So she traveled with Basch to Ludwig's house. They didn't have to wait long for Roderich to show up. Not long after they arrived, Ludwig and Gilbert got a text from Roderich saying that he was returning.

Erika had been upstairs when she saw Roderich arrive out the window, pulling his suitcase up to the door. She went downstairs as quietly as she could, not wanting to draw attention to herself, and hid behind a doorway. She watched the scene unfold from there, curious as to what Basch would say to Roderich.

She was not expecting her big brother to be so aggressive.

As she watched Basch pummel Roderich, all the negative emotions that had been building up in her the last few days burst out, and she couldn't take it anymore. She lost her shit and yelled at Basch, something she'd never done.

And now she found herself running out the door sobbing.

She didn't have a set destination in mind. She just ran. She had to get out of there.

She was vaguely aware of Basch running out the door behind her and calling her name, but she paid him no mind.

She ran into the garden that was behind the house, running down the worn stone path until she was in its heart, surrounded by flower bushes and trees. There was a stone bench in its center, overlooking a scenic overview. The house, including the garden, stood on a hill, and to the south, the foothills of the Alps rose into the sky. The scenery was beautiful, but it did nothing to soothe Erika's soul. She collapsed onto the bench, shaking with sobs.

"Erika!"

Basch ran down the path into the garden, stopping when he saw Erika crying on the bench.

He walked over and sat beside her. "I'm really sorry you had to see that."

"Are you sorry you did that?" Erika's voice was full of uncharacteristic bitterness. "Or are you just sorry I had to see it?"

Basch flinched at Erika's unusual harshness, before sighing. "Look, I…I let my negative emotions get the best of me. I'm sorry."

"This whole situation shouldn't be about your emotions," Erika said, sniffling. A tear ran down her cheek. "It should be about mine. I'm the one who's affected the most by this situation. You never asked me how I felt."

Basch sighed again, looking down at his feet. "You're right. I never did." He studied her. "How do you feel?"

"I don't know." Erika frowned for a few moments, trying to put words to her complicated feelings. "Shocked and confused, I think. And a little sad."

"No anger?"

Erika thought for a moment, then shook her head. "No."

Basch just sighed a third time. "…you didn't want to come here, did you?"

"No." Another tear slipped down her cheek. "I wanted to stay home."

"I'm sorry." Basch's voice softened. "If you had told me you wanted to stay home, I would have listened."

"You were already mad. I didn't want to make you madder."

"I wouldn't have been mad, Erika. Nothing you do can make me mad at you." He wrapped his arms around Erika, bringing her into a hug. "I love you, okay? Nothing will change that."

Erika returned the hug. "I love you too, Big Brother." Basch's warm, cozy arms encircled her, and she buried her face into his shoulder. For some reason, this simple gesture made her start to sob again, and she cried into his shirt.

Basch tightened his hold as he felt her start to cry again, his hand coming up to the back of her head and stroking her hair. Erika clung to him, continuing to cry. He started to rock her, pressing a comforting kiss onto her forehead.

Neither of them said anything. The only noises around them were birdsong from the nearby trees and the buzzing of bees and insects as they flitted from flower to flower. A warm summer breeze blew, jostling the windchimes hanging by the house's back door. Their melodic tinkling carried on the wind into the garden.

Eventually, Erika's tears ceased, but she didn't dare let go of Basch. He didn't dare let go of her either. After the heartache he had put her through, it was the least he could do to hold her as long as she wanted.

They stayed like that until Ludwig called them in for dinner.