Okay, I know you had to wait a long time, but here is the chapter. And what did I promise I would do? I told you I would find a beta! I wouldn't lie to you all!

So, this whole chapter is dedicated to my FABULOUS, MIND BLOWING, AWESOME, AMAZING, BREATHTAKINGLY ASTOUNDING BETA- TheLoneHunter! THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO YOU! THE MOST MARVELOUS PERSON ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH!

Warning- You may need tissues at hand.

Roach held Alison close as Matvei and Ice lowered James' body into the shallow hole they had made. The green blanket that he had died in was wrapped around him, the blood remaining in the rough fabric. The raw and primitive way the funeral was arranged made it seem as though the body in the blanket was nothing more than an unwanted toy being discarded, no longer wanted by anyone. Roach felt Alison tense against him as the last of the blanket disappeared and the dirt was pushed over it, sealing James forever into the crudely made tomb. Matvei patted the dirt down gently, and Roach pressed the cross that Ice had fashioned out of twigs into her shaking hand. He heard her let out another sob, and with tears streaming down her face, she pushed it into the soft dirt at the head of the makeshift grave.

Alison went back to him, and Roach felt a heart throb in a wave of unexpected pain. It hurt him to see her in such grief, and it was even worse because he knew that he could not comfort her in the slightest this time around. Roach was much better at physical wounds than pain that dealt with the heart. He himself had lost a few friends in combat, but mourning this excruciating had never been present. He knew that now was not the time for such sorrow. They needed to focus on staying alive, moving on, and getting it together. Roach feared that they were wasting precious time, but he also had the knowledge of how important this was to Alison. If he didn't know any better, it was for Ice as well. Roach cleared his throat, knowing it was time to say some words, and let high running emotions settle.

"I know that we expected that he'd pull through, because he was such a strong fighter. Sometimes, things happen that we don't expect. This is one of those times." Roach coughed, giving himself a mental slap as he spoke. He knew that the words were all the wrong things to say, like cold water being poured over a burn rather than soothing it. Roach looked into his heart as best he could, hunting for words that would mean something, no matter how little. They suddenly came to him in a violent manner, with such a force that it was a lightning bolt striking his heart. He spoke the words aloud with a confidence that he hadn't held before.

"He was a brave man. He knew that he was shot, but he didn't tell any of us, until I saw it. He didn't breath a breath that told us that he was in pain. He kept fighting, moving forward. He had been in so much pain already, and pushed past it to reach freedom. James wanted to be free with all his heart, through all the pain, and he died knowing that he had escaped their clutches. Now, in death, he truly is free. He is free of the pain, the suffering, and the misery that he was going through. We're still here to tell his friends and family that he loved them, and to let them know that he isn't suffering any longer." Roach swallowed deeply, pushing aside some of the own grief that suddenly stirred violently in his heart. Roach was not the only one who thought that James was going to make it. It seemed that the man had gone so far and fought so hard, only to let it all slip away through outstretched fingertips. Alison was still crying, her tears ebbing only in the slightest. Roach wondered whether or not it was because she was comforted by the words, or just running out of tears to cry. Ice was the next to speak.

"Yeah. He was brave. You should have seen him back at the prison. Any time they asked him where it was, he would tell them it was up their ass. He was a fighter, and he never let anything get him down. I'm glad I knew him. Hey, James, if you can hear me, we'll give them hell for you buddy." Roach was surprised to hear the rationality in the man's voice. It was rid of the madness that had tainted it earlier, and it was rather firm and strong. It was sure of the words it spoke, and the ferocity in them was nearly frightening. Roach was surprised by the turn of events, and the way that Ice looked down on the grave with such pain and fury. Roach couldn't tell which was stronger, as it seemed both emotions were fighting quite a battle in his mind. Alison had stopped crying for the most part now, only enough to say a few stuttered words herself.

"Jameson Lucas Rockwell, one of the bravest men I've ever known. You never gave up, never stopped fighting, and most of all, never stopped being happy. You were glad, smiling, up until the minute you died. You were even smiling as you slept, when you left us without a sound. You kept on being joyful, and positive. While they might have hurt you, taken your dignity, and in the end, killed you, they never won. You never let them win, and you died a free man. I'll miss you James." She let a little sniffle escape, and placed a flower at the foot of the cross. Roach knew with a pang in his heart that the flower was nothing more than a beautiful weed that was found in the forest. James would most likely never have any true, beautiful flowers placed upon his grave. It also hurt him to know that the words that came from her mouth were wise beyond her years. She never should have to deal with what she had, and now, it was obvious the toll that had been taken. Alison's words might have come from a young mouth, but combat had aged her mind by several years. Matvei was the last of the group to speak, and to no one's surprise, his words were free of any emotion.

"I never really knew him, but I only regret that I couldn't save him in time to get to know him better. As they all said, you were brave James. Thank you for not letting them win. Thank you, James." An unspoken knowledge passed through the group like fog, and it was then that they were finished. Roach picked up his bag, and the others did as well. He slung it over his back, picking up the gun he had salvaged, and took Alison's arm to support her. They moved into the woods, no one looking back at the gradually shrinking mound of freshly turned dirt. There were no more tears to be shed.

THANKS AGAIN TO MY BETA, TheLoneHunter! YOU ROCK!