Hey everyone. Auryn here. Just letting you know, this story is pretty much like my others. The italic sections are past reflections, and random italics in non-italic sections are thoughts. You probably could have figured that out, but I thought I'd explain just in case. Credits to Shadows Fall for the title lyrics and Within Temptation for center lyrics.
Enjoy the story!

Another Hero Lost

A short story by Auryn Rei Evroren

Part One: Frozen

It rained heavily in Los Angeles that day. The entirety of the Prosecutors' Offices had turned out for the funeral of one of their greatest comrades.

Lana Skye stood farthest away from the casket, off to the side, not wanting to even look at it. Yet she couldn't tear her eyes away. Lana knew that they had been desperate to convict Darke, but she had never, ever imagined that they'd end up doing something like this. That she would. It felt…dirty, for a Detective to do as she had done. Lana suspected it always would. But it was worth it, was it not? Ema was free, and safe, and happy…though for how much longer, none of them could know. Lana was not looking forward to the look in her little sister's eyes when her big sis began drawing away from her. But what else could she do?

Her arms drifted up and wrapped around her, almost as if Lana was holding herself together. The rain outside tapped on the window of the little funeral home. Lana immersed herself in the sound, trying to forget. To forget everything.

I'd never leave you.
But fate has come to silence me.
Darkness is all I see.
I cannot reach you.
And soon the earth will cover me.
It's become so hard to breathe.

"Fancy seein' you here, Miss Lana," came the sorrowful, drawling voice from right next to her. Lana jumped- she hadn't even noticed him come up!

"Marshall." She acknowledged him, her voice dead. Not that Jake noticed. He, like Lana, was drowning in his own thoughts, though they were in no way the same.

They stood in silence for several minutes, listening to the rain and thinking.

Finally, Jake spoke.

"Somethin' ain't right," he said, a bit worriedly. He kept his voice low.

"Not right?" Lana asked, slightly intrigued, and not in a good way. "What do you mean, Marshall?" Oh hell, was he about to see through her defenses?

Jake shook his head unsettlingly. "My bro…he wouldn't get hisself killed by an idiot like Darke," he said, looking slightly savage at the thought of Neil's supposed killer. "He was a better fighter, guaranteed."

Lana did her best to lead him away from any more interest in the subject.

"No one can know that," she said quietly, though she knew Jake was right. She had watched them wrestle each other, twice on playful occasions, once during an actual fight between them. Twice, Neil had won, and once, Jake walked away complaining that Neil had let him win.

Jake looked at her incredulously.

"You're wrong, Miss Lana…I know."

"Hey, Jake-o. Who's that?"

"Her? That's Miss Lana Skye, she's a detective."

"Like you."

"Yup."

"So…she workin' on the Darke stuff?"

"Sure she is. Her n' Mr. Gant always work th' big cases, they're the tops."

Neil whistled. "She looks like one of them clever types," he mused.

Jake laughed.

"Danger, bro. She's downright mean when she wants t'be."

Neil just shrugged.

"Then I'll just learn not to make her want to be mean," he said as if it were an obvious answer. A smile never left his face.

"Marshall…I wouldn't…" I wouldn't look into it if I were you.

"I would dwell on it. It will only make things worse."

Lana turned away from Jake, and ignored the several sharp breaths that indicated he planned to speak against her advice. However, he never said a word, and in a moment, Jake Marshall had left to mourn on his own.

I can feel your sorrow
You won't forgive me
But I know you'll be alright
It tears me apart that you will never know
But I have to let go.

Finally, working up the courage, Lana approached the casket. The two people already standing there moved out of her way…she didn't see who they were, but they must have known her, judging by the awed silence that heralded her arrival.

She stared down at the still body of the man she had known…and loved.

Why, Neil? Why did you have to go after him?

You would've done th' same.

She could almost hear him in her mind.

I wouldn't have engaged an armed attacker, unarmed, and alone!

Not even for your sister?

That's different. She's my sister. What does she mean to you?

Maybe she didn' mean nothing. Maybe…it wasn't her.

Lana could only think of one follow-up for a line like that.

Maybe it was you.

She turned away, a single tear running down her cheek. I wish you would be the one to say that…not me, fooling myself.

She walked away with all deliberate speed, not looking back, nor meeting the eyes of anyone whom she passed. She did not even pause until she felt a small hand grip her arm.

"Lana…where are you going?"

Lana turned to see the last person she wished to see. There, clinging to her arm and looking as if she had been crying for quite a while, was her little sister, Ema.

"Ema, I have to go."

"Why?"

"I just do! Can't you ever stop asking questions?"

Ignoring the hurt look in her sister's eyes, Lana tore her arm away and ran for her car. Ema was an emotional fourteen-year-old. She would get over it.

But would she ever understand?

No.

Tell me I'm frozen
But what can I do?
Can't tell the reasons
I did it for you.

Knock knock.

"Enter."

The door opened to reveal a young man Lana didn't know.

"Here Miss Skye- Mr. Gant asked me t'give you this."

Lana looked up as a small stack of papers hirt her desk.

"Oh, well- erm, thank you…"

"Marshall," he supplied.

She was surprised. "Marshall? But isn't…?"

Neil smiled, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Jake-o's my brother, ma'am," he said. "And I'm Neil. Jake told me you'n Mr. Gant are top notch 'round these parts."

Lana began flipping through the papers, only half-listening.

"Mm, yes, I suppose," she said distantly.

Neil was not deterred.

"I also heard you're workin' on the Darke case," he said slyly.

Lana nodded. "That's correct. Have you got your nose poked in everywhere?" There was no change in her tone, but Neil had no problem detecting the small joke. He grinned. "Naw, ma'am," he said good-naturedly. "I just know who to listen to."

Lana went on reading, then suddenly threw down the papers.

"They've left it blank again!" she exclaimed irritably.

Neil raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Beg pardon, ma'am?" he said calmly.

Lana spun the papers around and pointed silently to a single blank line reading 'Assigned Prosecutor'.

There was a brief pause, then a wide smiled broke out upon Neil's face.

"I reckon I c'n fix that," he said, and proceeded to fill in the blank line with his own name.

It was Lana's turn to raise her brows.

Their gazes met.

"Well then," she said. "We have work to do. Take a seat."

Lana jumped at the knock on her car window. She looked up, saw who it was, and got out with a nod to her partner.

"Damon."

He stood there, smiling as ever, under a bright orange umbrella, which he held politely over her as well.

"Ho ho ho, good evening, Lana," he said cheerfully. "Been swimming lately?"

Lana raised an eyebrow, and Gant's laughter increased.

"Ho ho ho, I thought not. Ah, well. Dreadful occasion, this, isn't it?"

Lana nodded, not really seeing him.

"Yes, dreadful. Of course."

Silence ensued for several minutes, until-

"Look, Lana-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Your sister-"

"What about her?"

Lana's sudden harshness left Gant momentarily speechless. Then he spoke again.

"Why do you do this to yourself?" he asked, putting a comfroting hand on her shoulder and rubbing slightly.

She barely even noticed.

She didn't speak.

She only looked up at the funeral home's doors.

Silence.

"That's hardly a fit question. I wonder….why don't you, Damon?"

He didn't answer.

Lana should have known it then.