Disclaimer - "Mystery Case Files" and all related characters, events, and concepts belong to Big Fish Games, Elephant Games, and Eipix Entertainment. I get no monetary benefit from this. My benefit is the enjoyment of dealing with beloved characters. Original characters, however, are mine - please contact for permission before using. This includes Darnell as a defined, fleshed-out character in his own right.

Aftermath
by DragonDancer5150

Chapter 8 - Ravenhearst Undone

Darnell stepped out of the elevator on the sixth floor of the apartment building and counted down doors to one halfway along the hall. He brushed his fingers over the narrow plate on the door, remembering the conversation four years ago that had led to the name engraved on its face.

"I imagine you'll want to change your name, after everything that's happened."

"Yes, I believe it would be for the best."

"Any preferences?"

"I haven't really thought about it. I don't know." She looked up at him. "Do you have any suggestions?"

He put up both hands, deferring with a grin. "Not my choice, miss. I'm not the one who'll have to live with it."

"I . . . I suppose it would be untoward if I were to ask the honor of sharing yours," she asked, demure. Then her eyes widened as she realized what she was seeming to propose, even as he gave her a surprised, arched look. "I don't . . . I don't mean it like that! I-I'm sorry."

He chuckled. "It's fine."

She thought a moment. "If I may . . . what was your mother's name? Her maiden name?"

Darnell swallowed, fingers brushing the nameplate a moment longer. His mother had been killed in an armed robbery when he was a young teen. He'd been honored for the woman now living in the apartment to share her maiden name and thought his mother would have to. Stepping back, he rang the doorbell.

"Coming!" came the muffled reply from somewhere within. A moment later, the door opened.

Darnell studied the young woman before him. She appeared to be in her early twenties. Considering the era, the detective thought she couldn't have been but sixteen or eighteen when she'd originally come to England as a teacher. She wore a skirt, which he'd half-expected, but it was strange – pleasing but strange – to see the very modern, comparatively-revealing top she wore above it, with its short sleeves and the V-neck that showed her collarbones. She'd cut her dark auburn hair much shorter than it'd been, just brushing the tops of her shoulders.

Her blue-green eyes widened in pleasant surprise at the sight of him. "Master Detective!"

Darnell remembered his fedora, snatching it off his head as he dipped slightly in a nod of greeting. "Ms. Cotrona."

"Oh, no . . . no, sir. Emma, please. I think you've earned some familiarity, at least."

The detective gave her a lopsided grin. "At least. Darnell, then."

Emma's own grin widened. "Darnell. Of course." She looked him up and down. "My goodness, it's so good to see you." From her stance, Darnell guessed that it was only her Victorian sensibilities that kept her from moving to embrace him or even offer her hand.

"You too, Emma." Oh, Victorian sensibilities be damned! Darnell thought, reaching to pull the young woman into a hug. Oh my goodness, I'm so glad to see you're all right! He managed to keep that inside for now, not wanting to dump on her everything he'd been through over the past several days, or what had happened to Rose and the girls.

Emma startled, but then she was clinging back just as hard. "I've missed you so, my dear friend," she whispered against his shoulder after a moment.

"I've missed you too. I'm so sorry I've not come to visit sooner. I should have been checking on you regularly, seen how you've been doing…"

"No . . . no, Darnell, you've already done so much for me! I could never ask you to do more." She stepped back to better make her point but caught her breath when she got a look at his face. She searched his eyes, finally commenting in a soft voice. "Something's happened." There was no question in her tone.

Darnell blinked in surprise, then huffed a soft, sardonic laugh. "Yeah . . . a lot of something." He looked away. "I'm sorry. I didn't come here to trouble you. I just happened to be in the area and thought I'd drop by to say hello." That wasn't true at all. He'd been struggling to concentrate on his reports when he finally gave up and jumped in his car to drive to Warwick, a town just south of Birmingham, specifically to see for himself that at least one of the quartet of former spirits was yet unscathed by Alister's evil.

Emma studied him, then smiled gently, brushing his cheek with her fingers. "Darnell, you don't have to lie to protect me."

Darnell shifted. "I…" He shrugged and shook his head, offering a rueful grin. "You've suffered enough. Like I said, I don't want to trouble you."

"Trouble me, my dear friend. It's the least I can do after all you've done for me." She stepped back, beckoning. "Can I invite you in for tea? In fact, you'd be welcome to stay for dinner, if you have time. I haven't started anything yet, so it'd be quite easy to fix enough for two."

"I'd love that, Emma. Thank you."

She smiled, and the genuine brightness in her eyes after all the pain and grief she'd been through did more to set Darnell at ease than he had anticipated. "No, Darnell, thank you. For coming to see me. We have so much to catch up on."

He stepped past her and she closed the door behind him. He'd only meant to stop by for a few minutes before turning around to head back home, but his reports could wait another day.

This visit was too long overdue, and he intended to fully make up for the last four years. For Emma, and for the lives he'd failed by not doing this sooner.


Fun Facts: "Cotrona" as a name may seem out of the blue, but there's a story behind it. ^,^ If you're familiar with the blogging site (and popular site for text-based RPGs), Dreamwidth, feel free to go look at "neverasked4this", which is my rp account for Darnell. Needing a PB (played-by) for him for icons, I found actor DJ Cotrona and am really happy with him as the face of my version of the Master Detective. (neverasked4this period dreamwidth .org [slash] profile and …[slash] icons). In trying to come up with a name for Emma to take, discarding the last vestiges of her ties to that unholy manor, I couldn't come up with anything I liked and finally figured…why not? ^_^