Alternate Ending: The End

When he first opened his eyes, the sunlight burned white and pain erupted through his muddled head. Mathias clenched his eyes shut and groaned while groggily moving a hand to rub his forehead. He tried to open his eyes again but more slowly this time.

There were spots in his vision and his mind still felt like it weighed a ton of bricks but he was able to glance around… his room. His bed… Why the heck was he still in bed? And empty…

The emptiness was a strange sensation. Mathias has never felt it before. It literally felt like part of him had been torn away and left a gaping hole. Mathias rubbed lightly at his chest in confusion.

What the hell happened?

He tried to think back to his last memory but everything was a blur. He couldn't make out any specific details. Ah! Lukas could help him! Where was…

Mathias shot straight up in his bed, ignoring the room spinning and the sudden pain the erupted in his head.

Lukas!

Where was he? Mathias couldn't feel his connection anymore. It wasn't like he was far away, it was more like a brick wall. He couldn't even feel the connection. The gaping hole… he was the missing presence in the back of his mind that was always there. Mathias never knew he could feel this alone. It was worse than the time Peter fell into the dried up river bed.

Oh. Right.

Where were they anyway? Berwald, Peter, and Tino.

Mathias tried to get out of bed, but his legs shook horribly and the room kept spinning. He had to sit back down on the bed before he fell over. The door to the room creaked open and Tino peeked his head in. And just as quickly he looked in, he left.

A few moments later, Berwald came in. He… didn't look so good. He looked worn and tired. He didn't say anything to his brother as he crossed the room to sit on the bed next to him.

"How are ya feelin'?" he asked quietly after a long while. Mathias was confused. Why was his brother acting like this? Yes, he was usually quiet, but never this sullen.

"Em… confused, honestly. What… what happened?" Mathias answered. Berwald looked down at his hands over his lap and was quiet for a long time. Mathias thought he was going to speak up again after a while.

"You were hurt bad Mathias," Berwald started off slowly. "Real bad… didn't think ya were goin' ta make it. Nobody did. The bullet was too deep an' ya lost alo' o' blood. Lukas… he did everythin' he coul'…"

"And…?" Mathias pressed on. When Berwald didn't answer he started to worry. "Berwald, what happened?"

Berwald swallowed thickly. This was going to be hard to explain. "He… he… I'm sorry." He quickly rubbed his eye. "He loved ya a lot, y'know?"

Mathias narrowed his eyes. "Why are ya usin' past tense, Berwald?" he growled suspiciously. He could only guess, but he prayed it was wrong.

"Enough ta risk his life fer ya." His younger brother sighed. "I'm sorry, Mathias. I'm so sorry…"

Of course, Lukas would do anything for him… even if it meant using any amount of magic necessary. Magic was, of course, a literal part of a familiar. If he drained his magic too low, it could be fatal… And saving a person's life from near-death… required too much magic…

With that simple statement, Mathias knew. He knew his best friend was gone. His lover. His life-long companion. He jumped up, ignoring the pains shooting through his body.

"Where?" he demanded of Berwald. "Where!?"

Berwald could only point in the direction of his and Tino's room.

Mathias raced down the hall to their room and opened the door, only to stop in the doorway. Lukas was lying on the bed in his human form. At first glance, he looked like he was just asleep, but Mathias knew better. He knew he like to spread out and cover the entire bed when sleeping in either form. And he tended to snore too.

Mathias shakily approached the bed and dropped to his knees when he reached it. He gripped Lukas' hand. It was stiff and cold.

"No…" he whispered brokenly. "No, no, no… Please! No!" He stroked the soft blonde bangs lovingly and fixed the crooked barrette in his hair. "Please Lukas, please! Please wake up! I love you…"

Mathias slowly lowered his head on to the bed, still gripping his lover's hand tight, and cried.

A/N

Um... yep. Sorry it's not very good, but like I said, this one was really just a joke anyway xD

Also, even though Masthias really did lose alot of blood in the other ending, the bullet missed anything vital, so Lukas could heal him pretty easily.

Anyways, tell me what you think lol and thanks for reading!

You've been awesome! :D