Kozik wiped his clammy hands to his pants. He told himself that he had gone through this before, the day that he had to tell Happy that Maddox had found his sister. This time, Happy would already know. Since Dana's only living relatives were in jail, the news must have reached them days ago. The fact that his request wasn't denied, meant that Happy hadn't messed it up as much as he had feared; he hadn't ended up in solitary or death row. That was a good sign – right?

Nevertheless, Kozik had the feeling that he was on his way to a bomb that could explode any moment, without anything to protect himself. There was no doubt in his mind that Happy blamed him personally for not finding his sister. He would blame them all – he would blame the whole world, he would hate everything and everyone around him.

The pieces of paper he had taken with him, were shaking in his hand. The moment he sat at the table, he put them down. He didn't want Happy to see his trembling hands, it was better to keep his nervousness to himself. The papers were a request for a transfer of Dana's grave. Dana's father couldn't sign it; he was separated from the rest of the world for at least a year – he was in legal terms dead, by which the pen ended up in Happy's hands

They wanted to move the grave to Charming. Not only because it was easier to visit, also because her daughter had been buried there. There was even a spot available next to the little girl. Juice wanted it really bad – the two together, so he could visit them at the same time. A little family reunion. He in the world of the living, them being dead.

Kozik found it hard to read Juice – not enough time had passed to decide how he was doing. Yesterday had been the first day he had been able to see his nephew again, and Kozik believed he found comfort in the little boy. The kid convinced his uncle that he couldn't just leave this life. He had nobody else and it gave Juice a purpose, someone to care for.

Whether it would be enough for Juice, Kozik didn't know.

Especially when the summer break would be over, when the boy would go to school again. When the pain would be less sharp; changed into a heavy burden, making every move hard. A burden that might be too heavy to bear one day.

Kozik was dragged out of his thoughts when Happy sat down across from him. His face was blank, although that shouldn't surprise him. Whether he would walk to the electric chair or the aisle, Kozik doubted his facial expression would ever change.

As if the papers were crinkled, he smoothed them over. "You holding up?"

Usually he would have hugged the man, but instinctively he felt that it was better not to touch him.

"I'm fine."

Kozik tapped with his fingers on the table, not knowing what more to say. There was no reason to lie and Happy's calmness worried him; it was a sharp contrast with the time Kozik had told him that Dana was gone.

Taking a deep breath, he shoved the papers forward. "Juice wants to transfer her grave to Charming. To their daughter."

Happy nodded slowly. He read the paper and signed it. Then he aimed his glance back to Kozik. It felt like he was trying to break into his thoughts, as if he was looking for information.

"She ain't dead," he stated.

The words were so unexpected that it took Kozik a few seconds to hear what the man was saying. And then he understood. His calmness, his stoicism. Happy hadn't seen her, hadn't touched her. He was living in denial, his brain couldn't comprehend that his little sister was gone, that he hadn't been able to protect her.

"I understand how hard it must be for you," he said, hesitating. "Especially because you couldn't say goodbye, like we did."

"She ain't dead," he repeated stubbornly.

"We all saw her, Hap. I laid a kiss on her forehead. It was her."

"It was a trick."

Sighing, Kozik raked a hand through his hair. What the hell was he supposed to do with this? Should he allow his friend to live in this fantasy?

"What makes you think she's still alive?" he answered eventually. "I've seen her," he repeated. "I touched her."

"That guy is capable of wiping someone's memories, why the hell shouldn't he be able to fake someone's death? Bet it makes a shitload of money; necrophiliacs don't have a lot of places to go to."

Kozik rubbed his face. "I understand it's hard –"

"She called me, a couple a days ago, before she 'died'. It was a goodbye. I know her man. She wants us to stop looking, she wants all of you to move on. You really think that motherfucker will ever kill her? Why would he? She got no place to go. He'd rather lock her up in his basement until he's in the mood the fuck her again – he has no reason to kill her." He leaned back in his chair, looking at him with a newfound fanaticism. "You know her too. Or she knows that she will never get away and want us to let her go, or she tries to convince Maddox that all the ties with her former life are cut. We share the same blood. She's gonna kill him, she's gonna let him pay for what he did to her little girl, for what he did to Juice. Maybe the fact that we would stop looking makes things easier for her. One of the last things she told me, was that I had to trust her. Now I get why."

Kozik massaged his temples. He had a point... But maybe he just wanted it too badly. Her still being alive; faking her own death to give them peace – or maybe Maddox had done it himself to get rid of them.

"I dunno..." he muttered.

"Dig her up. Prove me wrong."

Kozik's eyes shot to Happy's. Of course, his face was still blank. "You want me to dig up your dead little sister?"

He didn't blink. "Yeah."

Hey all! I've started a new Juice fic, it's called 'Roomies'. Most of my other stories are so dark or dramatic that it's sometimes messing with my mood, so I kinda wanted something lighter and funnier now the summer has started. ;D

This is the blurb (: Getting a room mate sounded like an easy way to save money. However, being stuck with the most annoying girl on the planet wasn't what Juice had in mind when he opened his apartment to what he thought was a decent and quiet young man.

You'd be the best to check it out! (:

Also, I'd love to hear what you think of this story, I don't even know if people are still reading it :')