Ivan Belmour was Jimin's best friend, and he didn't tell Jimin about Jericho's betrayal. None of them did. Throughout Jimin's life, he wasn't sure what to think. At first, he thought his life was a joke. Then Aria was born, and all those thoughts faded away. And after Aria was gone, the only reason why he was living was because of his philosophy. The philosophy he gained from being a parent.

All life was precious.

Quite ironic considering his career, and it was even more ironic since he was shooting at the enemies behind them. He managed to fight them off, but his pistol clicked, and he didn't have time to go into his bag to get another. It was only a matter of time before more men would come. Without looking, he dropped the metal and didn't flinch when it hit the ground.

Why would Ivan lie to Jimin about Jericho? There were few possibilities Jimin could think of, and out of those possibilities, one made sense. One option that made Jimin's blood boil, his heart pumping while adrenaline clogged his veins.

The one option was that Ivan didn't want Jimin to kill Jericho. At first, it could have been because of Ivan's need for money and power. However, after they got together, after Ivan left his Underworld? It went deeper than that. If Jimin were to make an educated guess, it'd be that Ivan wanted Jimin to move on.

Killing Jericho wouldn't bring him peace.

All life was precious, yet here Jimin was acting on the fury he had built up for years. Here he was, making a deal with two separate groups, and both deals ended with death. It didn't matter who won. At the end of the day, if they managed to take out the High Council, they still lost. June, Theo, Asa, Ivan's blindness. Who was next? Sure, they would protect the children and bring the Underworld into chaos, but they would live scarred for the rest of their lives.

Ivan didn't tell Jimin because he wanted Jimin to move on with his life. He wanted Jimin to get away from the anger, the wrath, the impulsiveness. If killing the man who directly killed his daughter didn't bring him peace, then how would killing Jericho be any different? Why take another life to appease his own?

Was he pissed? Beyond belief. It was years ago, maybe he had to let go. Maybe letting go of that would be what brought him peace. He felt like a battered body going through the motions, his senses overwhelmed by what was happening around him.

Ariel was hyperventilating, holding his clammy hand with her smooth one. He held her close and kept running, time slowing down. Cameras were monitoring them, sending in more troops by the dozens. He was sure they were splitting the guards up. Half to deal with Jericho, the other half to deal with Charlotte. Their odds were a hundred to one at best, yet Jimin wanted to believe in that one. For some reason, fire sparked within him, and he went faster, Ariel moving with him.

They continued, but their plans were crushed when the door on their left got kicked off its hinges. Charlotte shouted and went to retaliate against the handful of foes there. The world spun as the men aimed their pistols for Ariel. Her eyes bulged, her mouth about to let out a scream from the terror radiating off her.

Jimin blinked. When his eyes opened, he wasn't in the castle anymore. He was in the hallway of his old home, the smell of smoke in the air. Slowly, his head turned to see the kitchen he grew to adore. Dark locks curled down her body, the young girl stirring while Jimin stood there. He was mere feet from the bathroom, his hand outstretched as if he was going inside. Instead, he ran to Aria.

He shouted her name, the young girl meeting his eyes. His footsteps pounded on the floor, his grin coming out. It wasn't reality. It took him a beat to realize that, but that didn't stop him from going to her. In seconds, he reached her body, scooping her up and holding her against his chest. Right as he did, the explosion came. He was the one who took the blast. He was the one who fell to the ground and burned. However, that meant Aria was safe.

Jimin blinked. His eyes opened, and he was back in the castle. Their adversaries were gone thanks to Charlotte, his arms around Ariel, him standing in front of her. She brought her gaze to him, her pupils wide. He stroked her cheek, his eye smile breaking through to the surface. The kitchen. He knew why he saw it. He didn't even need to feel the pain to know. Flames came in the form of gunfire, but unlike all those years ago, the gunfire didn't hit Ariel.

"Not this time," he whispered. And after, he slumped to the ground.

"Jimin!" Charlotte shouted, Ariel jolting from the sudden lack of contact. Charlotte came over, Jimin holding his stomach where the bullet hit. Ariel was unscathed, and that was all that mattered to him.

Charlotte and Ariel dragged Jimin behind one of the pillars, him slipping his bag off so he could take out extra pistols. However, the women in front of him were far more concerned with finding medical supplies.

"Jimin, please get up," Ariel said, Jimin trying to no avail. He groaned and fell back down, panting from the exertion.

"I can't, kiddo. I'm too old," he said with a small smile, Charlotte rifling through his stuff to locate bandages. He checked the closest pistol for ammo, Charlotte ignoring his movements to focus. "Don't bother, I'm sure it tore my stomach lining. I have maybe 10 minutes before I bleed out, less than 5 if it hit any organs or arteries."

"God dammit Jimin, I'm not losing you!" Charlotte said, her voice cracking. He peeked up at her and shook his head, brushing away her tears.

"Don't be sad, please don't be sad. The last thing I'm gonna see before I die are those beautiful eyes I love so much. I know we've seen better days, but just know that I'm going out happy, okay? It's alright, Char. It really is. I know you can get Ariel out of here and stop this." He paused, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I trust you, Charlotte Evermore."

She laughed, but it was cut off by a choke of tears. "You shouldn't."

"I know," he replied, smiling.

More men stormed into the room, Charlotte grunting as she held them off. Jimin peeked out and did the same, and when the fight was over, Jimin realized they had maybe a minute before they were ambushed. However, he couldn't form a plan since Ariel was sobbing, her hands grabbing at his shirt.

"I'm so sorry, honey," he said, bringing her into his embrace.

"Please don't go," she replied in a whimper. "You're all I have left, please don't leave me." Her body convulsed, and Jimin feared she was on the verge of a panic attack. He tried shushing her, but it didn't work. Her cries were uncontrollable, him stroking her hair. He did the last thing he could think of.

"Baby mine, don't you cry. Baby mine, dry your eyes," he sang, Ariel whacking his chest.

"You asshole! Now's not the time for this!" she said, burying her head against him and clawing at whatever she could get her hands on.

He chuckled, kissing the top of her head. "Rest your head close to my heart, never to part, baby of mine. Little one, when you play, don't you mind what they say, let your eyes sparkle and shine. From your head to your toes, you're not much, heaven knows, but you're so precious to me." He broke off, tearing up and closing his eyes. "Sweet as can be, baby of mine. Oh, baby of mine."

"Don't go," was her final plea, shouts echoing down the halls. They were out of time, and they both knew it. "You have to be okay, please."

"I will be." He kept one hand over his stomach, the other on her face. "I didn't think I was worthy of a happy ending, but you gave me one. Now go, I'll do what I can to hold them off. Make them pay for what they did to us." He handed her the bag containing the Dumbo plush, her taking it and strapping it around her back. "Take care of her for me, yeah?"

"I will," she replied in a whisper.

"Char," he said, her nodding. "Tell Jericho that..." He broke off, taking in a breath. "Tell him he's my brother too."

Charlotte agreed, taking Ariel's hand and pulling her up. That was when the reality of the situation hit, Ariel lurching forward to try and grab Jimin again. "No! Please, just one more minute. One more, I'll never ask for anything again."

Her cries fell on deaf ears, Charlotte resorting to picking Ariel up. She still reached for Jimin, her face peeping over Charlotte's shoulder so she could stare at him. Each step that separated them had him wishing he could get up and run to her. Her sobs reverberated across the chasm of Jimin's mind, his hand reaching up as if that would comfort her. And then, she gave one last cry.

"I love you, dad!"

It was his turn to break. All the strength he used to hide himself faded away, and he showed the true Jimin to her. He was inches from death, the pain in his lower half masked by adrenaline and the need to make his last words count. He grinned, keeping his eyes on Ariel. Despite the situation, despite the pain, despite knowing he was about to die, he wasn't scared. Not a drop of fear entered his body as he opened his mouth to reply.

"I love you too, baby girl!"

That was their final exchange. They made it to the back door and went through, shutting it behind them. Madam Amara would suffer, and the High Council would collapse. He knew it would. He knew Charlotte would succeed, and he knew Jericho would take care of her. Ariel would find a way too. She had to. For him.

Chatter broke out, signaling there were hostiles in the vicinity. He heard the march of footsteps approaching, but he couldn't stand. His muscles ached, the pain hitting him now. It made him want to scream. No sounds came out. That was because the air around him stiffened, and he looked up. There was a hand waiting there for him. It was a figment of his imagination, yet for some reason, it didn't feel like one.

Aria.

The young girl aided him, him taking her hand and standing up. That was what made him let out a yelp, the ones in the room coming closer because of it. As soon as he was up, Aria disappeared. Not for long. He was going to see her again soon, and that made him the happiest man in the world.

A foot stepped into his view, and he stomped on it, firing at the man there, then the one next to him. Two more were waiting, but Jimin got the jump on them, downing them like he did to their friends. A woman strolled into the room, her pointing a pistol at him.

"Seong Jimin? The best fighter in the Underworld?" she asked, him wobbling and glaring. "Never thought we'd kill you before Mr. Belmour. If you surrender, we have medical supplies around the corner. We could still save you."

He spat out a chunk of blood on the ground in front of her. "Fuck you." She narrowed her eyes, Jimin doing the same. "High Council?"

"Yes, my name is Willow. It's nice to formally meet you."

He shook her off. "Your Council is good, maybe too good, but you made one mistake."

She leaned back on the balls of her feet, and Jimin heard more footsteps. More people were coming to kill him. To kill Charlotte. "And what mistake is that?" she asked, Jimin holding his ground. After a long life, Jimin could finally rest. Aria was waiting. It was time for Jimin to go.

"You fucked with my family."

~~~
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