Well, this is it. The ending. *tosses handful of confetti in the air*

I'm so sorry this took so long. Life just kind of kicked me in the teeth about April, and yeah... I don't really like how I've ended this, but whatever. I'm considering making a little extra epilogue that details what exactly happens to Feliciano, but I may not get around to it.

Anyway, enjoy.

The TV droned on, Matthew and Erika silently watching without really absorbing the program. Villa Silvia was mostly silent, only the TV and the sounds of Francis working in the kitchen disturbing it.

Matthew was on his feet and in a defensive pose in a second when he heard the doorknob on the front door turn, Erika instantly ducking behind him. Noise from the kitchen ceased, indicating Francis had heard too, but he didn't appear.

Finally, the door swung open, revealing Ludwig and Lovino, Fia cradled in the brunette's arms. The Canadian relaxed, a relieved smile finding his face at the sight of his friends and their daughter. Erika sprinted to her parents with a soft, wordless cry, Ludwig easily picking her up again and cradling her in the crook of one arm, his other wrapped around Lovino's waist to keep his husband and elder daughter close as well. Paying no attention to Matthew, The German somehow managed to steer them into the living room to collapse in a heap together on a couch, whispers and tears and kisses flowing freely between the four.

Matthew's smile widened, the blonde turning off the TV and leaving them alone.

In the entryway, he found Gilbert and Antonio quietly talking with Francis, presumably updating the Frenchman on what he had missed. He caught the eye of his husband, the Prussian smiling exhaustedly at him.

"How are they?" Gilbert asked.

"Resting. They'll be fine," Matthew informed them.

"The police will be here soon, I think," Antonio added. "We did take the victim from a crime scene without a word."

He was right, two police officers showing up less than a half hour later. Francis and Antonio easily fielded their questions in flawless Italian, making sure to give easily backed up or covered up lies when they had to.

"Did you get Feliciano?" Matthew asked tensely after a while, his Italian a little rustier but not anything noticeable.

The senior officer shook her head reluctantly. "No. Sorry. He was apparently badly injured, but he ran as officers arrived on the scene. We're currently looking for him."

Matthew nodded, though he knew they wouldn't find anything. If Feliciano didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. It was only chance that the twins sat in the living room now. Still, he faked a tired but grateful smile. When the officers finally left, the four Nations wordlessly took up guard positions around the family.

They stayed there all night.

ooooo

The thin dirt road was clogged with vehicles, mostly police, but there were a few others there too. Police officers swarmed through the small house, tearing it apart, but there was nothing that might indicate whom had lived there. No photos, no cell phones, no identifying documents, no useful DNA, and the computer was destroyed.

However, there was plenty under the house to keep them occupied.

"Chief, look!"

Police Chief Aldo Orlano jogged from his parked car to the head officer on the scene, Lucia Demasi, barking, "What's happened here?"

Lucia shook her head, her normally bubbly expression replaced with a grave one. The one she normally reserved for the really terrible murders. "We got an anonymous call several hours ago. Nothing but this address and a warning that there was disturbing things here. Couple officers came out, looked into it. There's... there appears to be a large underground basement, accessed by a trapdoor in the kitchen."

Orlano raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"The basement was filled with bodies."

ooooo

Over the rest of the day, they removed the remains of over eighty people of various descriptions. The following months found the corpses went back over fifty years, and nearly all of them were identified as missing persons that had just disappeared over the decades in the area. All were killed in a clean, business like fashion, no signs of torture or anything else. No common factor between the victims besides where they were when they disappeared and their deaths.

The killer- and his motivation- was never found.

The house was left to rot.