But I Promised You That I Will See You Again...
Another weak smile showed when Bass said he wasn't ready. Hansel figured that his brother in arms wasn't quite ready to let go yet, but whether or not he wanted to stay at this point was no longer his choice. He could feel his heart beat growing weaker, the cold slowly creeping up his body. Of course, being as stubborn as he is, he would hold on until he couldn't hold on anymore. It was what he always did. He always fought until he couldn't move. Even now, he knew that once he stopped moving, once he stopped breathing...it would be the end of his fight for good. There was no getting back up. No second chances. No coming back home. He was so, so grateful to Bass for giving him a home, even if he was the biggest pain on earth to deal with. If he could go back in time and change some things, he would have. He would have found his sister sooner. He could have done more for Bass. He could have probably left his mark on the world and leave a changed man. But at the same time, perhaps if those things had been changed, then he would have never met Alice or had his children, even if for just a few short days. He had felt what it was like to truly love. And that was something he wouldn't trade for the world.
Part of him felt bad that he hadn't told Bass that he had found someone and started a family after he had left a few years ago. But the memory of it had been much too painful, and he didn't want pity over it. He had loved and lost. And it had been a hard loss for him, but it served to push him on whether or not he had a purpose after that. He had grown colder towards some, and not so much towards others during his life. Bass was one of few that he had allowed behind his walls. And he didn't regret that at all.
"I promise." His eyes closed when Bass promised him. His smile growing a little more. "Good." He was content with Bass' answer. He shifted slightly as Bass moved to curl up with him, his warmth felt over the creeping cold. But even that wasn't enough. He hated to see his friend cry. He didn't think he had ever seen Bass cry before. Then again, Hansel never did either...until the day he lost those most important to him. He had learned that no matter how old you were, or how tough you tried to be...there would always be something to draw out those emotions that broke you down. Everyone had their kryptonite. And his was the loss of his sister, his mate, and his children.
He kept his eyes closed, his breathing slowing down. He would try to conserve what little bit of energy he had left to stay just a few seconds longer. He was ready to see his beloved mate and children. They would finally get to be a true family. They could be together. Assuming of course, he didn't go to the depths of whatever dark world there was. With all those he had killed during his time as a bounty hunter and assassin, he was afraid he wouldn't get to go where Alice waited. He supposed he'd find out in a minute or two...
His snow flecked ear listened as Bass spoke, the pale man asking where his family was buried. Offering to take him to where they rested. Hansel's heart clenched harder, his throat tightening as his eyes opened to meet Bass' own. Tears would fall without his wanting them to, lip quivering slightly as it fell into a broken smile. "Over the northern mountains...a place called Ilmen...the days are longer there...but it's beautiful..." He remembered the days he and Alice ran through the forests, the fields, around their favorite lake. "They're buried...beneath the weeping cherry tree..." He remembered that tree quite well. It was where he and Alice had met. Where they spent most of their time together. Where he proposed. And now...where she was buried. The tree always seemed to be flowering, its soft pink petals often covering them like fresh fallen snow. It was...beautiful...
With the last bit of strength, he reached towards Bass and gave him a grateful lick on his muzzle. He would get to go back to them. He would get to go home where his heart was left behind. "Thank you..." Slowly, his head would return to rest upon the earth. The curtains beginning to close over his icy blue gaze. His heart grew weaker. Breathing slower. The world around him getting quieter. His body colder. This was it...
Behind closed lids, darkness enveloped his world. Seconds began to feel like an eternity...his world fading away. And just when he thought he would be forever lost in darkness, she came. Alice. She came for him...and in that moment he knew, he was going where she was. He would be spending the rest of eternity with her. I'm coming home...
-Exit Hansel via death- |
