By Clorinda

Rated: PG

Category: Angst

Summary: Lose to gain. To lose a life is to gain sadness. One-shot. (Character death, without the regular corpse.)

Amy whirled around, her face stricken with blinding tears. Face was standing behind her, blocking the doorway, and she flung herself at him, sobs choking her as she tried to breathe. Surprised, but barely aware of it, he caught her, his eyes strangely dry. She pressed her face into the crook of his neck, holding on to him tightly as if he too would fly away.

Her grief split something inside him, and he was crying too, his head, like a heavy weight, buried in her shoulder. They clung to each other; and for the first time, Face held a woman in his arms without ever wanting to kiss her, just holding to her so that he wouldn't fall, just crying because he could react no other way.

Dead. No one could bring him back. It would be beyond them, them who had done the impossible. Death and resurrection. But it was beyond the impossible.

Hannibal watched them, barely seeing anything through the silver layers of heart-searing agony that can't come when you lose a son, and yet it crashes down like thunder when you lose a man who was as good as that.

In silence, he watched Face and Amy, knowing his favourite conman had lost that iron barrier that guarded his heart. Even the Face Man needed to cry, and Hannibal watched him with tears running down his withered face.

Dead. He had been mercilessly ripped away; he could have never died, and lived on like the hero he didn't die as.

He had been ill, and a deliberate overdose of medicine had killed him. With uncharacteristic ugliness and unflinching hands, Face had drawn the trigger and killed the doctor who had fallen with a smile.

And they all knew that horrible morning, that it was their fault that they had not seen through the fake, their fault that he was dead.

They stood in the room, the floor red with blood, but no one could do a thing when the door was cracked open and Murdock popped his head in.

"Mornin' Colonel, Face, milady. I went to the pharmacy to get some stuff for BA," He stared at them, their pale faces, and he felt it in his bones, as if death had warmed over.

—- End -—