Hello again, guys. I love to write my friend fic and this is one of them, based off Snow-White and Rose-Red (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_White_and_Rose_Red). I hope you guys enjoy it. ---- Medic had picked the cottage that was the second farthest away from the village. The only reason he hadn’t gotten the one that was the farthest away was because Sniper, a hunter, had gotten it first. However, they had found a nice trade-off when Sniper would bring him some of his bounty in exchange for free medical treatment. Still, Medic didn’t have a lot of neighbors, which was what he’d loved about the location of his cottage. He put a log in the fire and held his hands close to it, hating how he got so cold so quickly. Snow fell outside and Medic had just started cutting up vegetables and meat for a nice, rich stew when there was a thudding knock on his door. The Medic felt a slight crease form between his eyebrows. It was late, and if Sniper had spent another night out too late hunting God knows what Medic was going to make him an amputee just to make a point. He put down his knife and swore, stomping up the door. “Sniper, I don’t care if your holding your pants up with your intestines, it’s late and I don’t have time for—†Some snow swept over his bare toes and Sniper wasn’t the one who knocked on his door. There was a gigantic bear standing on his doorstep, its brown fur matted with snow. Adrenalin paralyzed Medic right where he was standing. The bear exhaled loudly, its hot breath washing over Medics’ face. He let out a series of sounds that hurt his throat; they were too high-pitched and pathetic. His could feel his breaths coming in too shallowly for the inhalations he was attempting to take. He felt his knees go weak and his heart flutter in his chest. He had time to think “Mein Gott, I’m going to faint,†before he did just that. :::: The back of Medic’s head hurt but he was warm. He cracked his eyes open and saw his fireplace, the log broken apart into glorified coals. He groaned and touched the back of his head, his side aching from lying on the floor. His cranium was tender and he smacked his lips together. Why was he on the floor—? “Are you all right?†A thick, Russian-accented voice growled a few feet away from him. “Should I get a doctor?†Medic snorted. “I am a doctor.†Reality began to catch up with him and Medic realized that someone was in his home. He sat up quickly, ignoring the nausea and dizziness that swept over him. He turned toward the voice and holy shit there was a fucking bear— “Wait!†And it talked. Its mouth moved awkwardly around the words. “I am not—I do not mean to be so scary.†If a bear could wring its paws, this one would be. It was sitting; it’s big eyes downcast, and it was so pathetic that Medic couldn’t help but relax a little. It kept ducking its head down and when Medic caught the bear’s gaze it whimpered. The Medic rubbed his eyes and when he took his hands away the bear was still there. “You can talk.†The bear nodded. Medic covered his eyes, pressing his palms against them. “No. No you can’t talk.†He took his hands away and stood. “Hallucinations. I’m hungry, food will—it will clear my mind. No more hallucinations.†The Medic went back to the kitchen and poured the ingredients in the pot. He stirred it and put it in the fireplace, adding some kindling as the stew heated up. He watched it bubble, a delicious smell filling up his cottage. He spared a look over his shoulder and sure enough, the bear was still there. It hadn’t moved and it still looked so guilty. Medic’s stomach growled and he put on some potholders and took the pot out of the fire. It smelled delicious and Medic licked his lips as he scooped some out and into a bowl. He leaned against the counter and looked back at the bear, which began to creep closer to the fire, its fur still wet from the snow. It sat back down and actually held its paws close to the fire. Medic sank his spoon into the stew and knew that a few bites later and the bear would be gone. “It’s very cold outside.†The bear glanced up at him. “I was hoping I could stay inside…†The bear looked down at its paws. “It is very cold.†The stew was fantastic. The meat was tender and the flavor that burst across Medic’s tongue made him sigh. Sniper’s venison was always good. He ate his way through the first bowl and the bear was still there, only now it was licking its chops more. Medic was full but he’d eat the whole damn pot if it made the bear go away. He began to scoop out more stew, frowning. “Why are you still here?†The bear licked its chops again. “Do you want me to leave?†It whimpered again, and the sound was so pathetic that it made Medic look twice. “Please… Doctor, it is so cold…†A rumbling echoed in the cottage and the bear curled in on itself, growling softly. The Medic suddenly felt like maybe he was the beast and he slowly approached the quivering animal. He knelt down on the floor and reached out until his fingers touched the bear’s fur. The animal’s muscle jumped and it picked its head up and the Medic let his hand stay on the bear’s flank. “Feels pretty real.†He pet the fur gently. “I guess… I suppose there is a chance that you are not a hallucination.†The bear nodded vehemently, it’s pink tongue darting out again. “I am real.†Another rumble happened and the bear whimpered. Medic figured that if he was in for a penny, he’d might as well be in for a pound. He stood, brushing off his knees. “You’re hungry.†The bear nodded and Medic sighed. “Come on.†The bear got up and followed him into the kitchen and when the Medic stopped the bear maneuvered itself up onto its hind legs, towering over Medic. Medic pushed the bowl and spoon over and the bear clumsily tried to grab onto the utensil—but with no thumbs it quickly gave up and just grabbed the bowel and drank it. When it was done it exhaled loudly and Medic refilled the bowl. It kept eating and when the pot was finished Medic had time to put the bowl in the sink before the bear lunged and hugged him. “Ach!†Medic flailed and when the bear didn’t take a bite out of him he struggled to try and not collapse under the bear’s weight because it was heavy. “Easy, easy!†The bear’s wet nose pressed against Medic’s cheek. “Get off, dummkopf!†The bear kept nuzzling him and while it wasn’t hurting yet, it could if the bear kept resting its weight on him. “Get off!†He shoved the animal as hard as he could and the only reason the bear moved was because it wished to. It dropped back down to all fours, and Medic swore that the bear was smiling. “Thank you.†It’s teeth shined. It was grinning. “Thank you so much, doctor!†Medic was still a little dizzy and he figured that maybe if he slept his life would return to normal—back to a place where animals didn’t talk and smile at him. Medic swallowed a yawn and glanced at his bedroom door. “I’m going to sleep.†He pushed himself off of the counter and the bear stood suddenly. Another jolt of instinctual fear coursed through Medic’s body but it faded when the bear’s paws stopped just a few inches away from his stomach. “Wait.†It held out both of its paws, and even though the bear towered over him it still seemed to duck its head, like it was… shy almost. “I am… I am Heavy.†Its paws trembled a bit. “What is your name?†Medic watched it… him… Heavy and sighed, sticking out his hand, not jumping when the two paws closed around it lightly. “Medic.†He let the bear shake his hand. “Call me Medic.†He slid his hand out of the bear’s paws and shuffled to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him but it didn’t close all the way, a crack of light coming in from the kitchen. He stripped off his clothes until he was just down to his trousers. The blankets were cold but Medic just grimaced and pulled them over his body anyway, shivering until his mind was too tired to care about the cold. ::::