The application was submitted. Instead of digging up her body, he had gone to the funeral house to ask Skeeter if he could look into the coffin before it would be buried later that day. Since the man had a habit of doing favors for the club, he had agreed without asking questions.

Happy's words kept racing through his head. What should he do when Dana's body wasn't in the coffin? Tell the others? He had no idea if Dana had a plan, so it was impossible to estimate how he could help her. He wished that she had called him too; then he could have trusted his own intuition instead of Happy's.

He glanced at the other side of the table. Juice was shoving his food around his plate. He looked horrible. There were large bags below his eyes, and even after one week he had lost a lot of weight. The hope that Dana might be still alive would undoubtedly make him feel better – but for how long? How much longer could he bear the thought that she was still terrorized by her rapist and the murderer of her child and mother? Kozik already felt how it was tearing him apart. A part of him believed Happy, and if he would find her body in the coffin tomorrow it would feel like she had died again. Hope made people feel alive – but it could be devastating as well.

The insecurity... He thought it was heavier to bear than the grief.

Every period of mourning came to a conclusion. The insecurity however never ended.

Before Kozik went to the funeral house he bought a few bouquets and visited the graves of Opie, Chibs, Gemma and Tabitha. It wasn't something he did often, but now he was here it felt wrong to ignore them.

Three friends who he had lost because of the same man. None of them had gotten justice; Maddox could still do whatever he wanted and Kozik felt so frustrated about it that he dreamed at least once a week about one of them appearing to him, calling him a traitor because he hadn't avenged them.

He shook off the dark thoughts. He had done everything he could; he was no wizard – he couldn't do the impossible. He had to acknowledge that Maddox was superior to them, as much as it was contrary to his nature. Sometimes one was confronted with enemies they couldn't defeat. That was just life.

Gravel squealed underneath his boots as he made his way along the graves. He was too early for his appointment with Skeeter, although he doubted the man would mind.

It was cold in the funeral home when he entered the building. Apart from him, there was nobody.

It didn't take long before the undertaker showed up and led him to an adjacent room where he was keeping the coffin. Nervousness was squeezing his guts as he walked closer.

What if she was really in it?

What if she wasn't?

He didn't even know what he favored; it would be a shock anyway. He had to deal with her death for the second time, or he had to accept that she was still suffering.

After taking a deep breath, he lifted the lid.

It was empty, there were only stones in it.

Dazed, he stepped back, the lid fell back with a bang. The impact of the blow traveled through his body.

She wasn't dead. She wasn't dead at all.

"You were right."

Three days had passed since he had discovered the truth about Dana's death. Ever since, his mood was darting between two opposite emotions.

Happy sighed on the other end of the line. Kozik could clearly hear his relief – apparently he had been less convinced of his own rightness than he had wanted Kozik to believe.

"What now?" Kozik asked quietly. "I haven't told the others yet."

"Better keep it that way," Happy said to his surprise.

"You sure?" Kozik could barely believe his ears.

"This is family business, not club business."

Kozik wasn't sure if he agreed with Happy, but deep down he knew this was the right decision. Not only for Juice, also for the others. What was the point in telling them that she was still alive if they couldn't do anything to get her back? Dana and Maddox wouldn't reach out to them again. There was a big chance they would never see her back anyway, and he felt how the hope for her return was already messing with his head.

"Okay. I'll keep the truth to myself."

It was silent for a while. "Thanks," Happy said. "We've tried it our way so many times and it never led us anywhere. Now I have to trust her. But I... I had to know for sure."

"Yeah..."

Kozik understood – but he felt the heavy weight of the secret on his shoulders.

If they ever found out the truth, he might lose his patch. Or his life.

But that was something he was willing to sacrifice. For Dana's safety, for Juice's mental health – and he also believed it was what was best for the club.

Now they were no longer focusing on an elusive enemy, the club could look to the future again, instead of dwelling on the past.

To the guest who left a review yesterday; thank you so much! It's great to here that someone is enjoying the story (: