AN- 'Ello! I'm back with the 4th chapter! I do have to say; I am starting to like writing like this. Anyway, I hint MAJORLY at the coupling in this chapter. You have to get it by now. But really, this chapter will take their relationship further. I think I captured really ticked off Bikky pretty well. If I did a crappy job of it, you can flame me. I also put a few character OOC. I don't think they are that badly OOC, but still, I had to bend them just a little. I also am writing the funeral from my experience when my grandmother passed away. So I don't really know how a funeral home runs, but I have a pretty good idea of how a service goes. Oh! And the name of the cemetery isn't named after Elvis. It's the name of the place where my grandmother is buried. Anyway. Enjoy!

Chapter 4

"Are you about ready Bikky?"

Carol called from the other side of the bedroom door.

"Yeah. Just go and make sure Dee is ready to go. Berkeley said he would be here at 12:30 to make sure we were there on time."

Carol went and popped her head inside of Dee's bedroom.

"Hey."

Her soft voice called to the man who was wearing a black suit.

"Hi."

He replied back weakly.

"How are you holding up?"

Carol asked softly.

"I don't know. Not well I suppose."

Dee was sitting with his head down, and holding onto the one thing that still smelled very faintly of Ryo; his pillow.

"Berkeley will be here soon. We should go downstairs and wait for him."

Dee nodded his head. He put the pillow down, and got up. He followed Carol out of the room, and into the living room. Bikky came out of his room not long after. He was wearing a black suit as well. He refused to meet Dee's eyes. Part of him hated Dee, but the other half of him wanted to feel sorry for him.

"Let's go."

Bikky said while walking out of the door.

The ride to the funeral home was quiet. Ryo's funeral was to be held at Hillside Funeral Home, and his body was to be buried at Graceland Cemetery. Dee had opted for cremation, but he decided that he would much rather have Ryo buried instead.

"You guys go on ahead. I want to talk with Dee for a moment."

Berkeley stated to Carol and Bikky. They were the first ones to arrive, so Berkeley wanted Bikky to have some time with Carol and Ryo before everyone else arrived. When they exited the car, Berkeley turned around to Dee.

"Are you ready Detective Laytner?"

Berkeley spoke softly to Dee. He knew this was going to be hell on him.

"I...no. I'm not. I can't go in there. I won't be able to look at him, knowing I was the cause of his suicide. I just...I feel so alone right now. Bikky won't speak to me, and Carol seems to be the only one who will talk to me. Then there's you, but you're not always there."

Dee felt the tears pricking at his eyes.

"Dee, I will be there for you today. As well as Drake, JJ, and Ted. Bikky...he will get over it. He's going to college in a few weeks, right? It will give him time away from you, and time to think."

Dee nodded his head.

"You're speaking right?"

Berkeley looked puzzled.

"I thought you would want to, but if you want me too, I guess."

Dee nodded his head again.

"Are you ready now Dee?"

Dee got out of the car. Berkeley followed him. As they neared the door to the funeral home, his heart pounded even faster. He was starting to freak out. He and Berkeley walked into the building. There was a long hallway, and several doors along the hallway. The two of them walked down to the second door. This was the room, where his beloved Ryo lay. Dee couldn't push himself to go in. Berkeley stopped, and looked at Dee.

"I can't. I am going to wait in the car."

"No you're not. You and I are going to walk in there together. You are stronger then this."

Dee nodded his head.

"Now. Take a deep breath and lets go."

Dee took a deep breath as he and Berkeley made their way into the room. He didn't even know he had walked in with his eyes closed. He had been hanging onto Berkeley the whole time.

"Open your eyes Dee."

Dee did so, and looked towards the coffin. Ryo looked like sleeping beauty. If only he could kiss him and wake him up from the spell.

"Come on."

Berkeley led Dee over to the coffin. Dee began sobbing.

"Oh God Ryo."

He couldn't stop the tears. He felt arms encircle his shoulders. He was surprised to look up and see it was Berkeley who had done it.

"It's ok Dee."

Berkeley led Dee over to a seat and sat him down. A young woman came up to both of them.

"You must be Berkeley Rose. I am Stacy McNillan. I am the funeral director."

Berkeley stuck his hand out and the two of them shook hands.

"This is Dee Laytner. He was Ryo's partner. Both on and off duty."

Stacy nodded her head.

"Poor guy. I see a lot of people lose loved ones, but he looks like he is taking it the hardest."

Berkeley kept silent.

"Oh. He...Oh. I get it."

"Yes. It's quite sad. He is one of the strongest men on my team, and now..."

He looked down at the still weeping Dee. People began to file into the room. The first ones to enter were JJ and Drake.

"Well. I should be going now. I'll need to know who is speaking, and what song should I play?"

Berkeley was about to speak, until...

"I'll be speaking. And I want Amazing Grace played at the end. At the burial I want the Lords Prayer said."

Stacy nodded and left.

"You sure you are going to be able to speak Dee?"

"Yes. It's what Ryo would have wanted."

Berkeley nodded his head. JJ and Drake sat down by Dee and Berkeley. Carol and Bikky sat on the other side of the room. More and more people began to come. Ryo's family, those who could come, sat on the side with Bikky and Carol. Officers and friends sat by Dee. People, who knew they were a couple, came up to Dee and gave him their condolences. Every once in a while Dee would have his bouts of uncontrollable sobbing, in which resulted in Dee crying on Berkeley's shoulder, while Drake, JJ and Ted tried to comfort him.

"Now, lets have Detective Dee Laytner come and speak for us."

Stacy nodded towards Dee, who got up and went to the podium. He looked at Ryo's form lying there.

'This is for you buddy.'

"Good afternoon."

Dee said to the room of people.

"Ryo and I were a hard knit duo. The times we shared while on the job were some of the greatest moments of my life. I remember this one office Christmas party, when me, Ryo, and JJ all did karaoke to 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.'"

Dee smiled slightly. It was the first time in a while he smiled.

"But being at work wasn't all fun. There were times when we had a really hard case with children involved, and it would just eat away at Ryo. The guy could never stand it when children were involved in cases. I would take him out for dinner and then we would go back to his place."

Dee braced himself for what he was about to say. He knew a lot of people on Ryo's side wouldn't have approved of it.

"Me and Ryo...we were...lovers."

Collective gasps came from all around the room. Dee looked out at the crowd for the first time. He got cold stares from some, while from others he got looks of sympathy.

"I would normally rub his shoulder's and tell him it's ok. He and I...I loved him more than anything. When I found out that he had taken his life..."

Dee chose his words carefully. He didn't want to give out that he had been the main cause for it.

"I just couldn't believe that he had done it. This gentle man...who wouldn't hurt anyone... had gone and ended his life. I...don't...know why...he did it. But, I'm sure he had a good reason too."

Dee noticed Bikky leave the room. This was all Dee could take. He had to stop now.

"I would like everyone to bow their heads...I would like a silent prayer."

Everyone bowed their heads, and after a minute Dee spoke up.

"Amen."

Dee sat back down, and Stacy took the podium again.

"Now, if everyone will come and pay their lasts respects, we will have everyone file out of the back door, and wait in the lobby, and after that, if we could have the pall bearers come up."

Stacy walked away to go and make sure the hearse had arrived. The music began to play, and everyone began to file and leave. Dee, Berkeley, JJ, Drake, Ted, and Bikky were the only ones left.

"Ready boys?"

Stacy asked. The six of them nodded and carried the coffin out to the hearse. Bikky, Dee, Berkeley, and Carol rode to the cemetery. It was about ten miles away. The four of them just listened to the silence as Berkeley drove.

"Dee?"

Dee turned around to Bikky.

"I...don't know what to say to you. 't sit through your speech, because I..."

Bikky sighed.

"I'm uncomfortable with who you are. It never bothered me before, but now, I just..."

Bikky didn't finish his sentence. He had started to cry. Carol held him, and shushed him like a baby.

"I hate you Dee."

Bikky said through his tears. Dee hung his head. He didn't have anyone left now.

"I'm sorry."

"Bull shit. That's not going to bring Ryo back, you son of a bitch!"

Bikky tried to hit Dee, only to be stopped by Carol. Berkeley tried to drive, until finally he had enough.

"Will you two stop fighting? This is a funeral, and I expect the both of you to behave and show some respect for Ryo. If you two love him as much as you say you do, then you will get along with each other until the funeral is over."

Dee and Bikky went back to their current positions: Dee just looking blankly at the floor and Bikky looking out the window.

"We're here."

Berkeley said gently to the three of them. Dee's expression never changed. Even as they said the Lord's Prayer, and even as they lowered Ryo's coffin into the ground. He threw some roses into the ground after him. Ryo had always liked roses. Dee remembered the time that he had bought some for Ryo on their first night going out together. He remembered how happy Ryo was when he had given him six long stem roses. Dee was startled out of his thoughts.

"Ready Dee?"

Dee looked from the ground to Berkeley.

"I guess."

Dee and Berkeley walked back to the car. They got into the car, and Dee was the first to break the silence.

"I guess Bikky went in a different car?"

"Yes. I sent him and Carol with Ted. I told Carol to have him stay with her for a while."

Dee nodded his head. That was best. He replayed what Bikky had said to him over and over in his head.

'I hate you.'

'I'm sorry.'

'That's not going to bring Ryo back!'

Dee felt the tears roll down his cheeks again. He was afraid that Bikky really did hate him. Bikky was practically his only family left, besides Penguin that is. But even she was getting old, and would soon pass on as well.

"Then no one will be left. I'll be alone."

Dee said to himself, forgetting for a moment that Berkeley was sitting in the car next to him.

"You're not all that alone Dee. You have friends at the precinct who care about you."

"Yeah, but that's not what I mean. I mean as in a relationship. When Bikky goes away, I won't have much family left, and I won't have anyone to come home too. It's been too long since I was a bachelor, and I can't go through this alone."

"Dee...You aren't the only one going through this."

"Oh yeah? And who else is? I think I have taken this harder then anyone. You know why? Ryo did it, because of me. Bikky hates me, because Ryo did it. Ryo's family hates me, because Ryo and me were together. Hell, you probably hate me because Ryo killed himself."

Berkeley stopped the car off at an oasis and looked Dee right into the eyes.

"Dee. I do not hate you because of Ryo. Ryo made the choice himself. You, or anybody else for that matter forced him into doing it. He made the choice himself. Bikky is only going through this because Ryo was such a softy, and he was always afraid that this sort of thing would happen. Now, how you patch things up with Bikky is up to you. I think it would be best, if he stayed away from the apartment, and left for college. That way he would have some time to think, and not be pressured into anything. As for other people going through it, maybe they aren't taking it as hard as you, but everybody at the precinct is taking it pretty hard. No one else there besides myself, and JJ know the reason he committed suicide. I told JJ not to tell anyone about it."

Dee nodded his head.

"Do you still want to go to the dinner, or just go home?"

Berkeley asked. He knew Dee would probably just want to go home. But still, he had to ask.

"Just take me home please. I can't face Ryo's family right now."

Berkeley nodded. He drove off in the direction of Dee's apartment. He felt really bad for Dee. He also felt something else for him. Something that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

'It's probably just sympathy for him.'

Berkeley glanced over at Dee, who was slumped against the seat, and looked blankly out the window. It started to rain outside. It was almost as if Dee could control the weather to match his melancholy mood. They were soon at the apartment, and Dee started to get out of the car.

"Thank you. For driving."

Berkeley began to get out of the car as well. This confused Dee.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to make sure you're ok. You'll need someone here tonight."

Dee nodded his head. He was unsure of Berkeley being nice all of a sudden, but still, it beat being alone.

AN- And that concludes chapter 4. I think I did ok. Ohh! Did you see that? I think it's pretty obvious now who the couple is. I am debating on what I should do next. Should I have Dee start working on cases again? I want him too, but I don't know what type of cases to have him work on. Review and tell me what case you think Dee should work on.