Last chapter guys, epilogue tomorrow

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It happened so fast, faster than any moment in his life. Like when you fast forward during a movie to return where you left off.

It was fast when his vision cleared just enough to see the creature in front of him pull the trigger of the gun. He saw death coming straight for him, so he closed his eyes.

He didn't see Evan kick Sutton where the sun didn't shine, ripping away from his grip as he fell to the ground in pain.

He didn't see the creature in front of him slightly lower his gun in shock as he fired the shot.

Finally, he didn't see Evan use all of his remaining strength to jump between Jonathan and the bullet zooming straight for him. Or the sudden flash that occurred when the bullet made contact.

But, when he opened his eyes, he did see that the creature was still and unmoving, and he felt Tyler undo his bindings that were keeping him chained to the wall.

He looked down, and saw Evan, a pool of blood growing around him, still and quiet, his chest barely moving.

Falling to his knees, he crawled towards the hybrid in concern and shock, turning him so he was on his back.

"Evan, Evan talk to me." He shook him, no response. Blood poured from the hole in his chest, while his shirt clung to the gash in his stomach.

"Evan, don't leave me, please. You didn't have to save me, why would you save me? I was so horrible to you, so why'd you do it? Why? Damnit, Evan please, don't do this." The tears were back as he lifted Evan's head gently, hearing Tyler softly wake up Craig behind him.

"Talk to me, Ev, I love you. You hear me? I love you! I....I.....I love you, please....come back." His breathing slowed, and unlike the last few moments, time was now in slow motion.

This was his last opportunity, Jonathan realized, to hold Evan in his arms and feel his warmth, his comforting warmth.

"Kiss him already, fuck head!" Tyler shouted behind him. "You'll regret it if you don't." He was crying too.

Jonathan didn't want to, it wouldn't work, out of everything, that was probably one of the few things he learned.

Love doesn't fix everything.

And it certainly wouldn't fix this moment, a kiss wouldn't make Evan look at him like he was the only thing in the world again, wouldn't make him forgive him for everything that's happened. In fact, all it was gonna do, was make everything worse.

Because it couldn't bring him back.

But still, he did it. He kissed him, he pressed his lips against Evan's until he felt them grow cold, until his skin sent a shiver down his spine, and made goosebumps appear on his arms, until his body got still and Jonathan could feel the absence of life in his own body.

When he pulled away, he felt a pit of emptiness grow in his stomach, a feeling he didn't deserve to feel after everything he had done.

---

And oh, that kiss, his kiss, was going to be the death of him.

---

The tears made a return, blurring his vision and senses so that he didn't feel Craig- or maybe it was Tyler- pull him away from Evan and drag him into the next room, where everyone looked up.

"Why him?" Jonathan croaked through his tears, pain tearing at his chest, thinking over everything that had gone wrong. "It should have been me!" He screamed, nearly choking on his tears.

---

"There isn't a happy ending to every story."

---

There was a crash, upstairs, and Craig swore loudly, although even his voice was choppy.

"Who else is joining the fucking party?" Bitter and cold, but tears were hidden underneath.

---

"I do care, okay? He's my best friend, of course I care."

-

"Evan! Thank Lucifer you're alright, I don't know what I would've done if something had happened to you."

---

They got the others out of their cell, and Craig made sure that none of them went into the next room. He didn't want everyone to see a dead body today.

There were loud footsteps on the stairs, and Craig pushed himself to the front of the group, hoping to take the first blow if need be.

Police officers crashed through the door, holding up guns and pointing them at the group, only to realize that they had been the prisoners.

"Where are your captors?" His voice was official, but all the group could do was point to the next room, tears now shining in all of their eyes as they knew that their captors wasn't the only person in there.

"Oh my god." They heard the officer say, and that's when Craig broke down, falling to his knees and letting it all out.

Sobs wracked his body, causing him to shake heavily as he spoke in incoherent sentences while everyone else watched.

"Didn't deserve it- he was better- should've been- why- fucking why." He couldn't stop, the thought of never seeing his best friend, his brother, ever again was too much to handle.

He didn't know who gripped his shoulders and gently lifted him up as they led him upstairs to where the ambulance and police cars were.

But he knew that when they brought up the first body bag it was Evan, because it had to be, he felt it.

The same way he felt a part of him lying shattered at the bottom of his chest, probably like how the bullet was in Evan's.

It was a relatively warm day, but all he could feel was cold as he sat on the bumper of the ambulance, a blanket uselessly wrapped around him, alone. His friends had retreated to their families, now crying and holding onto each other. He knew that their parents had given him a few glances of pity, who wouldn't?

His tears had run dry, and all he could do was stare at the run-down building that had been their prison and, for Evan, their tomb.

So many sounds were being made around him, but for Craig, all became silent.

And, for once, Evan wasn't there to break the silence.

---

A man sat down next to him, a suit was what he wore, along with a grim expression, but there was no pity in that gaze.

Craig had long ditched the blanket, it was useless anyway, it couldn't keep Evan warm anymore, so it couldn't keep Craig warm.

"I'm sorry, son, and I know that you're gonna hear a lot of that phrase for the rest of your life, but, just know, you don't have to listen. Because they didn't do anything.

"But, I'll tell you what I'm sorry for, I'm sorry for blowing off going to the police station last Tuesday, because if I had gone then, then I would have seen this picture, incredible picture really, of these friends, all smiling, their eyes glued to a screen. And if I had gone last Tuesday, I would've recognized a boy in that photo a lot quicker, and want to know how I recognized that boy? Well, he saved me once, and I thought to myself, 'this is it, this is how I can repay this hero'.

But, that wasn't the case, unfortunately, because, the sad truth is, heroes don't want to be saved, and when we got here, I realized that.

I know, I sound like some crazy old man who's just speaking in tongues, but I want you to know that your friend, your brother, was a hero, and you should never let someone tell you that they're sorry that a hero did his job."

"What are you trying to say?" Craig's voice cracked, but at least he had spoken.

"I'm saying, that I'm the mayor, and Evan saved me once, and since I can't repay him, I'll repay you, anything you want. You don't have to think about it now, but I just want you to know, you always have a friend at City Hall."

Just like that, the man stood, and walked away to join the discussion that the officers were having.

Craig sat there, his gaze returning to the crumbling house once more, and the longer he stared, the more he realized something.

He was the only living guardian in existence, all the others were dead and gone, Evan now included in the bunch, but he didn't feel different.

Because he didn't save anyone, if anything he just watched people die, all while standing on the sidelines of it all.

"I'm so sorry, I took your spotlight again, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, but I hope you know, Ev, that I really miss you." He choked on the name, but he still made it through the phrase before everyone joined him, Tyler wrapped an arm around his shoulder, the others sat on the grass in front of him, and the parents watched from a distance.

For just a second, a second, Craig felt what Evan had treasured so much about this group. That unfamiliar sense of friendship, of closeness, of love, of protection, of trust, he felt it like it was the first time he had known it could be true.

And somehow, someway, Craig knew that it was that feeling that made Earth home, a real home.