Come, break me down, bury me, bury me. I am finished with you.

They buried their ghosts, one by one. Germany buried at least a piece of Italy's for him in the soft soil under their roses, and in return Italy buried a piece of Germany's as their love became manifest, became physical. And then time passed, and perhaps they still had nightmares but perhaps those nightmares became less frequent and less real as memories faded with time.

Those ghosts they carried had broken them terribly. They were still healing from breaks that were beyond imagining.

But they were finished. It was done. Perhaps they weren't free, but they were finished. It was good enough.

Last one! Sorry it's so short...to be honest, I couldn't drag it out. I said what I had to. (Oh, and Cam, I'm kind of curious about how this is influencing the sequel... :P)