A/N: Thank you all for coming along on this wild ride. This is, unfortunately, the ending to the story. But, in due time, there will be a story coming that will have an update on Feliks and Toris inside of it. Stay tuned, and thank you so much for reading!

November 11, 2014, Iowa City, Iowa

Amelie Bonnfoy sighed as she put her wallet back into her purse. She pushed her long, blonde braid over her shoulder and adjusted her glasses. Her hand went to the small baby bump on her lower abdomen as she fought back a wave of nausea. All she wanted was to go home and rest. Ever since she had discovered she was pregnant, her life had become much too hectic to bear without at least three naps a day.

She glared impatiently at the grocery store cashier before her. It felt like he would never figure out how to print the receipt, even though she had insisted that she didn't need one. Her patience was running thin as he tapped away at the register. She didn't have time for this.

Once it was printed, she snatched the receipt from the man before her and shoved it into her shopping bag. With a scowl, she marched off toward the door, accidentally bumping into a man going the other way on her way out.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," she apologized. She looked up and saw a tall man with long, brown hair and green eyes. Insulted that he completely ignored her and kept walking infuriated her.

After a moment, she turned around to yell at him just in time to hear the loud blast of a gunshot. Her eyes searched wildly for the gunman. She was frozen in place. Amelie couldn't even think clearly, completely lost in the chaos that instantly surrounded her.

People were screaming from every direction, trying to run to safety. Parents were shielding their children with their own bodies. Though Amelie knew she had to run, she felt as if her feet were cemented to the floor. The only thing she could do was watch everything go down. All noise faded out and all she could see was people falling all around the store.

Move, you idiot! Do you want to die?! She squeezed her eyes shut, opening the back up once she heard the gunshots growing louder. Her blue eyes instantly focused on the man she had bumped into, gun in hand. Amelie watched him pull the trigger as the cashier from before fell to the ground, his chest stained a deep scarlet.

She quickly pulled her phone out of her purse, no longer paralyzed. In seconds, she snapped a picture of the man and bolted from the store, running toward a car in the parking lot that was pulling out of a place. Her fists pounded on the passenger's side window as she screamed, "Please let me in! I'm pregnant! There's a man with a gun! We need to get out of here!"

The driver of the car let her in and drove her to safety, pulling her phone from her pocket and calling the police to report what had happened. Yet when the driver looked over at the pregnant girl in the front seat, she noticed that the blonde was unconscious. She quickly drove the girl to the hospital, knowing that since she had witnessed a mass murder, the stress could be fatal to the small life inside of her.

March 4, 2015, Fort Madison, Iowa

Toris couldn't believe it. There was no way. He couldn't have killed all of those people. The court had found him guilty, but he couldn't accept it. He would never harm another person.

His thoughts went dark. How did that picture of him come to be anyway? Though it was blurry as hell, there was no doubt that it was him in it. How could that high school girl have taken a picture amid such chaos? And how could he have wound up in it? Was he really in such intense denial? Then again, if he had killed all of those people, surely he would have remembered it, right?

He pulled at his hair in frustration. Why couldn't he remember anything about that? The picture obviously hadn't been doctored or anything, but he still couldn't believe any of it. Toris just couldn't bring himself to accept that he had done something so horrific. It was unheard of. He wanted to remain in denial until he was proven innocent.

Everything hurt; his head, his chest, his spirit. He couldn't have killed all of those people! There was no way! His mind was a mess as he tried to think of a way that he could prove his innocence, but there was nothing. Nothing could ever take away the verdict after proof had been shown. Nothing made sense anymore. Would anything ever be okay again?

"Toris?" Feliks asked, entering their cell. "Hey, how are you holding up?" His voice was tinged with concern, but his cellmate refused to look up. The blond kneeled before Toris's bunk. "That must have been a devastating shock. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"My life is over," the other inmate muttered. "I'll never be able to face my friends and family again. They probably think I'm some horrific monster by now. No one will ever care about me again. I've lost everything."

Feliks had had enough of his self-loathing talk. He had been like that since his trial two days previous, and the blond was sick of it. It was one thing to insist upon his innocence, but now that he had been proven guilty it was time for him to stop obsessing. There was no way he could change the past or the facts.

"Shut the fuck up, Toris!" he snapped, smacking Toris across the face. "Get over yourself. Literally nothing has changed since when you got here. All there is now is just solid proof that it was you."

Toris was burning with rage. "How can you say something like that?!" he shouted, hands moving on their own and gripping around the other's neck. "You don't know what's going on in my head! You don't know how I feel! We are two completely different people, and there's no way our thinking is even similar! You're a cold-blooded murderer!"

"In case you haven't realized it," Feliks struggled to say through his cellmate's tightening grip, "I've only killed one person! You killed twenty-six!" His vision began to darken. "Maybe I'm the fucked up one," he choked out. "After all, I actually loved someone like you."

Feeling the blond go limp in his grip, Toris slowly let go. After breathing heavily for a moment, the brunet suddenly realized the severity of what he had done. He felt hot tears of shame roll down his cheeks as he held his roommate in his arms. His heart felt as if it were breaking in two. Toris's fingers quickly checked for a pulse, and he was relieved to find a faint one.

"I really am a murderer," he whispered to himself. "All I do is hurt others. It's best that I'm not around anymore, isn't it?" His eyes filled with tears as he looked down at his unconscious lover. "Feliks, I'm sorry for hurting you. Don't worry, though. You won't have to worry about me anymore." Toris pressed his lips to Feliks's forehead. "Maybe it was a mistake for you to love someone like me."

Toris found himself in an empty space. There was nothing around him, not even walls, ceilings, or a floor. He felt he was just floating around in emptiness. Was there anything other than him here? He began to desperately look around, trying to find one thing to cling to before he became nothing as well.

A bright began to shine in the distance, and he ran toward it, desperate for something to prove to him that his very existence hadn't been a lie. He reached out toward it, trying to grasp his last shred of humanity in his hands. If he were to let it slip away now, then he was certain he would never feel like a person again.

As he reached the light, he could see that it was actually something being projected before him. Getting a closer look at it, he saw that it was his life, but only certain parts of it. Straining his eyes to get a better look, he was horrified at what he saw.

The him in every snippet of his life he saw was violent and terrifying. All that version of himself did was hurt people. What was going on? Was this who he really was? Was this how everyone saw him? He saw himself beating up Alfred as a child, choking out the boy at school who made fun of him, and even himself holding a gun and taking the lives of countless people in a grocery store. His eyes welled with tears when he saw himself attacking Feliks, who was just trying to be supportive of him.

He reached out to the Feliks in the snippet and was suddenly cast into the vague emptiness once more. "What have I done?" he whispered to himself. "Who am I? What am I?" Toris looked down at his hands and felt disgusted. Though they were clean, he still felt as if they were stained with blood.

"Who would you be if not Toris?" a soft voice behind him asked. He turned quickly to see Alena standing behind him. "Seems like you've been having a rough time, huh? It's hard to look back at the hurtful things you've done to others once there's nothing left for you, isn't it?" She frowned and then smiled sadly at him. "We all loved you, Toris. Sure, we knew you did some undesirable things at times, but we all still chose to care about you. It was our choice to support you and let you know how much you meant to us." Her eyes began to overflow with tears. "So why?" she weakly asked. "Why did you do this to us?!"

"Do what?" he asked Alena, who was slowly beginning to fade away. "What did I do, Len?" Toris tried to reach out and grab her to keep her with him, but his hand went right through her now-rapidly fading body. "Please, Alena! What are you talking about?! I don't understand!"

Left alone in the vast emptiness once more, Toris began to feel terribly frightened as he looked around himself. He was searching for someone, anyone. It didn't matter who it was as long as he wasn't alone anymore.

A soft sniffling could be heard behind him, and he spun around to see his mother crying. She looked just as she had both times the verdicts had been read. Her shoulders shook with sobs, making her look as if she would topple over at any moment. "Why?" she whimpered. "Why did this have to happen?"

"Mom?" Toris asked, reaching out to her. "Mom, it's me. What's going on? Why are you crying?"

"You were always so vibrant and full of life," Justina Laurinaitis said, tears gushing from her eyes. "Why did you have to go and do this to us? I hate being alone all the time. The house is so empty without you here. My heart is forever broken. All I want is to have my little boy back! Is that too much to ask?! Bring back my son!"

"But Mom, I'm right here!" he called to her. "Please listen to me! I'm right here!"

"How could you do this to me?!" she wailed as she, too, faded away. "How could you leave me like this?! Why did it have to be my son?!"

Toris pressed his hands over his ears, trying to drown out his mother's sobbing. It was clear that she was sobbing over him and the things he had done. If he were in her position, he would be sobbing as well. He felt ashamed that he had done such a horrible thing to his own mother. How could he have been such a horrible son and never once realized how much pain he had put her through? His body felt weighed down by his shame. Why couldn't he have just been a better son to his mother and never had to make her worry or cry? This was what he deserved; being alone in this emptiness.

"Oh, my God," a familiar voice groaned. "You can not be thinking what I think you're thinking." Feliks was rolling his eyes in annoyance when Toris turned to face him. The thing that set him apart from the other two was that he was looking directly at the brunet. "Your self-loathing really will be your downfall, I swear. Why can't you just accept the things that you've done, intentional or not, and move on? You can never become a better person if you're too focused on your mistakes, now can you?" He reached a hand out to Toris. "I can't believe I fell in love with such a pessimist."

Toris grasped Feliks's hand tightly. "Feliks! Oh, my God! You're okay!" He pulled the blond into him and hugged him tightly. "Where the hell are we? This place is terrifying!"

"Your conscience, maybe?" the other man guessed. "You have to get out of here, Toris. Please come back to us. Things are kinda weird without you, you know? I don't like it. It's unsettling and makes me anxious."

"How did I even get here? What's going on?" Toris asked, panicked. "I don't remember how I got here at all. How do I get back to everyone? Or at least get to a place where people can talk to me and not fade away directly after? I'm scared, Feliks!"

"Geez, you're such a pain," Feliks sighed. He smiled at his cellmate. "Can't you figure out all of these things out for yourself? Why are you so troublesome?" The blond rolled his green eyes, exasperated. His gaze suddenly went to his hands. They were becoming transparent. "Listen, Toris, you need to come back to us, okay? We'll all be waiting for you."

"Come back?" the brunet asked. "But how?! I don't even know how I got here!"

His cellmate's hand reached out to him. "Come on, Toris, let's go. Everyone's waiting for you."

Toris grasped Feliks's hand tightly. "Go where?" he asked. "What is even going on?"

A blinding light overwhelmed his field of field of vision. He could feel himself becoming cold, but at the same time he was warm. What was this feeling? Where was he going? He could no longer feel the blond's grip, but he could tell he was moving somewhere, even if he couldn't figure out where. All he could hope was that it was somewhere with everyone else.

A soft beeping was the first thing Toris heard before he opened his eyes to see a white ceiling above him. He slowly glanced around him. Everything was white, including the sheets on his bed. It wasn't until a few moments later that he realized he was in a hospital of some sort. What the hell had happened to him? What happened to Feliks and their cell?

A nurse walked in to check on him and noticed that his eyes were open. "Toris?" she softly asked. "Can you hear me? I'm going to get the doctor, okay?"

Unable to reply, Toris watched her rush out of the room. Where was he? Why was he in a place like this? What had happened to him? His head swam with many questions, all which he had no answer to. Hopefully, everything would make sense soon.

Dr. Adnan walked into the room and smiled down at Toris. "I see you're finally awake," he said. "That was quite some stunt you pulled, let me tell you." He examined his patient's expression. "You don't remember what happened? Your face tells me that you have no idea what you're doing in a hospital. A quick look at your forearms will tell you all that you need to know."

Daring to glance downward, Toris could see that his arms were bandaged up with a little bit of blood leaking through. He felt sick. Though he could pretty much picture what he had done and knew that it was self-inflicted, he could barely believe it.

"You lost a lot of blood, Toris," the doctor sighed. "The doctors here didn't know if you were going to make it or not. To be fair, you nearly flatlined twice. You really held on, though." He whistled low, impressed. "I'll tell you one thing, you had your friends and family worried sick. When you get out of here, you had better give them a proper apology, you hear?"

"Loud and clear," Toris weakly assured. Was that emptiness where he had been the space between life and death? How long had he been there? "Dr. Adnan, how long have I been unconscious?"

"Let's see here," Dr. Adnan said, thinking. "They found you and your cellmate at about five PM, so I'd say you've been out for about three days."

"Wait," the brunet said. "What do you mean by 'found'?" His heart rate rose in panic, sending the machine next to him on a beeping frenzy. "What happened to Feliks? Is he okay?" He wouldn't have been able to bear it if something were to happen to his lover.

"You nearly crushed his windpipe," Adnan sighed, looking dismayed. His expression instantly changed to a happier one. "Feliks is perfectly fine. He was pretty shaken up, especially after finding out what had happened to you. Let me tell you, Toris, you have a lot of apologizing to do when you get out of here. You know that, right?"

"Good thing I'll have the rest of my life to atone for it, right?" Toris joked, relieved that Feliks was still alive. "He's really gonna kick my ass when I get back." He laughed bitterly, smile becoming a cringe. "If I even get to go back."

"You will," the doctor assured. "After all, I'm pretty sure almost dying is punishment enough for attacking your cellmate. Just so you know, if you attack him again, your ass is getting transferred. Understand?" He laughed. "The warden was pretty pissed off about it all, though. He might give you some shit for awhile, but just ignore him. He's always looking for something to be angry about."

The patient let out an uncomfortable laugh. "I'll keep that in mind." His mind then went to his memories of the emptiness before regaining consciousness. "How's my mom? I can only imagine how awful this whole ordeal would've been for her." He frowned. "She must've cried a lot."

"She came to see you every day," the other man said. "We sent her to the nearest hotel to rest up, but she should be coming to see you again soon. You really scared her, Toris. Don't pull stupid shit like this again."

"Understood," the brunet agreed. His mind then went to the empty space once more. He hated how his mother and Alena had cried, especially over someone like him. It was then that he realized how fortunate he really was to have people who cared about him enough to cry and get mad over things like this. He really was one lucky guy.

March 10, 2015, Fort Madison, Iowa

Toris stepped out of the police car and back onto the prison grounds. He had spent the past few days accepting the fact that this place was his new home. Nothing was ever going to change that, so he might as well make the best of it. After all, it wasn't like he really was alone.

He was led to the warden's office to check in. This was the part he was dreading. The warden was always a dick to everyone, and he knew that today would not be an exception to that. If anything, he would be more angry than normal since he didn't get his way in regards to transferring Toris.

"Welcome back," Vash Zwingli gruffly stated, glaring daggers at the inmate across his desk from him. "Let me make one thing perfectly clear. The next time you pull that kind of shit, you're gone. Do you understand that? Dr. Adnan will not be jumping in to save you a second time. You will be gone before your stupid brain could even begin to comprehend what had happened in the first place, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it," Toris said, smiling from relief. He made a mental note to thank Dr. Adnan profusely during his next appointment. After all, if he hadn't stuck his neck out like that, Toris would never be able to see Feliks ever again. And the thought of that was unbearable.

"What the fuck are you smiling about?" Vash snarled across the desk at him. "Do you not realize the severity of your actions? You're in the doghouse now. One misstep, and you're gone. What about that makes you smile like that?"

"That's not what I'm smiling about," the inmate replied, resisting the urge to laugh. What was wrong with him? Usually, he trembled in fear before the warden, but now he was here on the verge of laughter. Why wasn't he scared of him?

"Then what the fuck are you smiling about?"

"I'm just so glad to be back," Toris cheered.

Vash groaned loudly. "I don't even want to look at you right now," he replied, an irritated edge to his voice. He looked up to the guards that were escorting Toris. "Get this stupid motherfucker out of my office," he commanded. "I can't even stand being in the same room as him at the moment." He fixed an emerald green glare on the inmate. "Don't let me see you in here ever again, understand?"

"Got it!" Toris replied with a nod. He was quickly escorted from the office, but not before hearing something get thrown against the wall. At least it was thrown at a wall, and not him.

Once in his cell, Toris saw Feliks sitting on his bunk, waiting for him. He rushed to the blond and hugged him tightly, wishing he would never have to let go. His emotions and feelings came pouring out of him as he felt his cellmate embrace him back.

"Not too tight," Feliks said, voice hoarse. He managed to break away from Toris. "Got anything you need to say to me?"

"You were right, and I was wrong," Toris began, the words pouring from his heart like a broken dam. "I did kill all of those people. I killed them, I hurt Alfred, and worst of all, I hurt you. I'm sorry for what I did, and I know that sorry will never be able to fix any of it." He stopped to catch his breath. "Was there anything I missed?"

"You tell me," the blond replied with a mischievous grin.

Toris grasped the other's hands tightly in his. He gazed into Feliks's eyes. "After accepting what I've done, I do, in fact, have one more thing to say to you." His mouth formed into a smile. "I'm home."

"Yes," Feliks replied before leaning in to give Toris a peck on the lips. "You are. Welcome home."

The End

Dedicated with love to my dear friend Chase, and all others whom the Iowa Mental Health System failed. You are all still loved.