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Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

~~~

It was late, reaching around ten at night. The door thudded as its last visitor came in. Fredrich was exhausted. He spent the entire day in his office, trying to dig deep into the Nightingale virus that had infected each computer. It was almost an exact replica from the real virus. The only difference was that Fredrich kept his on lockdown, it was impossible for anyone to extract it. Whoever used the fake virus had studied it for a long time.
The virus left once Sean's body was taken away. That left the detective with searching the video cameras for a sign. To his dismay, the cameras all shut off for an hour during the strike, which was what happened with all Nightingale hits. There was no evidence left. No reports of a strange person walking around, no DNA left behind or weapons, no information the nearby prisoners could give, and a clean strike with one bullet. A perfect strike. But at the same time it wasn't. Because the real Nightingale was sitting at his dining table, gazing up at the ceiling in confusion over the fake hit.
He had gotten a few hit requests for the thief before, all from spurned rich people that had valuables stolen. He never accepted them because it was rather hard to track the constantly moving thief, and the assassin always stopped hunting people if they get thrown in jail. There's no sport in hunting a caged animal, anyway, and it's far too tedious to assassinate in a building filled with officers. Why would someone so intent on copying the Nightingale break a cardinal rule? Or were they attempting to convince the public that the assassin was changing?
Fredrich removed his glasses with a sigh and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Nothing was adding up. He shouldn't take this too seriously, though. Most of the time when there's a decent impersonator they learn how heavy the burden of blood is, and if they don't turn themselves in or get caught they just stop altogether. Surely this person was the same.

Without proof, you'll never catch me.

Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

Fredrich glanced at Ellery when he came in, considering telling him the truth. Ellery always worried whenever something revolving around the Nightingale happened. Besides, this was most likely nothing. It would hopefully die out in a day or two.
"It's nothing," Fredrich dismissed. "One of the prisoners died, so I've been looking for the killer. Nothing serious. How was your day?"

Without proof, you'll never catch me.

Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

The detective listened to Ellery. Ah, that's right. Daniel had a slumber party. He had forgotten. That boy was growing fast. Soon enough he'll be able to drive on his own and will be out later than his own parents. Then, in the blink of an eye, he'll be heading to college. The thought of helping Daniel decide on a college and paying for it suddenly made the Austrian very tired.
Before Fredrich could get up to get ready for bed, however, Ellery brought up the subject of having another kid. He sighed, "Ellery, not this again." The songwriter always urged for more kids, and thus Fredrich had to keep reminding him that his job requires no more children. The fact that he lets Ellery and Daniel live with him is dangerous enough. Bringing in more people would be nothing more than bringing in more targets for rival assassins.

Without proof, you'll never catch me.

Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

Fredrich leaned back in his seat, arms crossed and eyes closed. He was as still as a statue. It almost looked as though he were asleep until he responded to Ellery's thoughts.
"What makes you think no one's targeting us?" he asked quietly. He opened his eyes a fraction to look at the songwriter. "Just because you haven't been kidnapped yet? No, there are a lot of bounty hunters, assassins, and detectives on the prowl. There are several in this very city. Do you want to know how being a family man is a bad idea? Do you want me to show you all the personal requests to attack family first before taking out the target?
"Daniel's not lonely. He has plenty of friends, of which he's with right now. Besides, he was an only child when we found him."

Without proof, you'll never catch me.

Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

"And what exactly does that mean, Ellery? You didn't get to grow up with your family so you deserve all the kids you could ever imagine? Did you forget that you're not the only victim between the two of us?" Fredrich demanded. "I lost my parents at an early age. Even when I was taken in by my aunt she died shortly after, and right in front of my eyes. I didn't grow up with a family. I didn't grow up with the hope of finding a relative. I grew up alone and was forced into the adult world. I never got a chance to see this dreamy family world you love to look back on all the time, and I don't want to." He paused as Ellery stopped and moved to leave. Fredrich rolled his eyes. He had spent an entire day working on tracking a fake assassin, only to come home to Ellery's absolute need for more children. The detective closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose for a second. Ellery was right, he had to admit. They were far too different.
After about half an hour the door to Daniel's room opened. Fredrich didn't say anything, he moved silently to the bed and sat down at the edge, leaning forward so that his forearms rested on his knees.
"I know you want children. I know this life is like a cage for you," he said softly, his cold blue eyes finally moving to look at him. "But no matter how much you want them, I'll always say no. It's not to spite you and it's not because I don't want a bigger family. Looking after you and Daniel is already overwhelming for me now that it's piled over what I do now.
"But these fights we're having, it's not just about kids. It's about everything. How we spend our free time, where we go, what we eat. You're right, we're in two completely different worlds. That's why I think we should end this, whatever it is. Take Daniel with you, you'll take better care of him. If you need help with money or anything else then I'll do what I can." The bed creaked as he got off, moving to the door. He paused to look over his shoulder at Ellery, then turned and left, closing the door behind him.

Without proof, you'll never catch me.

Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

Dusk arrived many hours later, and shortly after so did Fredrich. He opened the door, his sharp eyes immediately catching everything that was missing. It was all of Ellery and Daniel's things. It didn't surprise the detective. What did surprise him was that Ellery hadn't started packing as soon as he broke things off between them.
Fredrich lightly swung the door closed as he walked into his freshly empty apartment. Dark colors from decorations greeted him, a wall of windows that overlooked the bright lights of the city buildings shined at him, the only sound that he could hear were the whooshes of passing cars and people walking down the hallway. This was the loneliness he coveted.
Fredrich moved to his bedroom, catching sight of the shirt. He hesitated before moving slowly towards it, picking it up. This silence, half of him eagerly welcomed it back while the other half noticed how eerie it had become. Even with all those fights, at least Ellery had greeted him with a smile. Fredrich stared at the shirt for what seemed like hours, then he moved it closer. Maybe he could catch his scent... He stopped himself. No, it was useless now. Shaking his head, he tossed the shirt over his shoulder and moved away from the room. Just because he was home didn't mean he was done with work.

Without proof, you'll never catch me.

Fredrich Waltz

In this world, one cannot say anything without proof to back them up.

~~~

A few months had passed since that horrible event. Eddie Winters was declared guilty for the recent Nightingale strikes under the guise of an imitation assassin. However he went missing in the middle of his stay at the hospital.
As for Fredrich and Ellery, it took several talks, some of which threatened their relationship, but after a while things settled. They understood each other and their relationship shakily made its way back to the way things were before that incident.
Did Fredrich feel bad for crushing Ellery's dream of wanting children? Of course. It was hard every time he had to see the songwriter's significantly dimmer eyes. However, he had never been one for a family. Even if he had, this was for the best. There were plenty of people wanting to take out the Nightingale, even if it meant torturing a child.

Fredrich sat on his armchair in the living room, headphones on (with dubstep blasting) as he gazed at hit requests. Since it was the holidays, there were even more, especially from people spurned from divorces. Many suicide requests, too. He was calloused to the heartfelt requests and their page long reasons for why they wanted the hit.
The music he listened to was so heavy that he couldn't hear the quiet knocks at the door.

Without proof, you'll never catch me.