The funeral was dry, that's the only way you could describe it. There were no tears, no sounds, just empty people sitting beside each other. Sean sat in front of Emma's casket, with blood shot eyes the entire time. He wouldn't speak, he wouldn't eat, he just sat there like a zombie. I wanted to shake him and break him of his trance, but I knew it would be pointless to try. Sean would never be the same again, and nothing could change that. When the funeral was over, we all stood in front of her headstone waiting for Sean to speak, waiting for him to tell us what was next. Like he always did. When he didn't say anything Zig sat down, while loosening his tie. "So, what's next captain?" He whispered.

We all stared at Sean, waiting in anticipation, and for the first time that day he spoke. "Nothing right now. I don't know, I just know that we are in no shape to go after anyone right now." His words were barren, and it was painful to listen to him speak that way.

I took a step forward and stood beside Him, leaning my head against his shoulder. "We'll do whatever it takes to avenge her death." I whispered.

Sean moved away from me and sat down on the grass beside Zig, crossing his legs. He sat there for a few minutes before speaking again, leaving us to wonder what was going on his mind, rather his soul. Just as my thoughts began to eat away at me, he spoke again. "I've been doing a lot of thinking today, and I just think that maybe it's best if we don't do anything at all. Not just about this, but anything, I think it's time to end things."

Bianca squinted her eyes in confusion, looking down at Sean. "What are you saying? No. That's not an option brother. Pull yourself together, if not for yourself then for her!" Bianca's eyes were full of confusion and anger and we all cringed at how Sean would react to her outburst.

Zig and Sean both stood up at the same time, and began dusting themselves off. When Sean looked at Bianca his eyes were soft, and I could of sworn I almost saw the corner of his mouth pull up into a smirk. "I'm not saying that I don't want revenge, but I'm saying that I have to do it alone. Look at us guys, just look around for one tiny second." Sean was half talking to himself, and his hands were shaking. "We're slowly dying off, who's next? I can't stand to see any of you die anymore, I just can't." Instead of looking around we all looked down at the floor, because we knew his words were true.

Bianca began to cry and grabbed onto Sean's wrists causing all of us to snap our heads back up. "This is more than a gang, this is a family, the only family I've ever known. Don't break it apart, please!"

Sean gently pulled his wrists from her hands. "This doesn't mean we aren't family, we will always be a family, but it has to stop Bianca." Sean's words cracked, along with Bianca's heart.

She took a step back shaking her head in disbelief. Eli stood beside her and wrapped an arm around her, letting her cry into his chest. In my own way, I felt the same loss Bianca was feeling. This really was the only family that we had, all of us. "Sean, will you really not let us help you?" I asked quietly.

Sean hesitated before answering me, but he eventually spoke with determination echoing in his voice. "I can't. I'm going to sell the house, it's the first step to everyone moving on from this life, from this poison that we all have allowed ourselves to wallow in. It's what Emma would have wanted, it's what I should have done long ago." At the mention of her name, his eyes clouded over and he was once again hollow.

My eyes began to sting, and warm tears fell from my eyes. "So this is where it ends?" I breathed.

Sean nodded and pulled me into a hug, "The rest of you come here." He commanded. We all huddled together, as it began to rain. We stayed that way for several minutes, before Sean pulled away. For a few more hours we all stood there, joking and laughing about old times, but as the sky began to darken one by one everyone left until it was just me by myself. I sat there for hours, staring at the stars and talking to her. I was happy that the cycle of violence was ending, but I was worried about Sean going after anyone by himself. I needed her to speak back to me, but the only response I got back was silence. She would know what to do, she was Emma Nelson. Was. I curled my fingers into fists, and my mind wandered to Eli. I needed him so bad that I could feel a literal ache in my chest. The more I wished for him to hold me and make it all go away, the angrier I became. As the rain began to cease I briefly wished he were dead, or that I had never met Eli Goldsworthy at all, but I immediately regretted the thought.

"Clare Edwards?" I stood up, and took a step back. The man in front of me was pale with dark black hair, and blue eyes. He wore blue jeans and a black collar shirt, with a wide grin on his face.

"That's me." I responded firmly.

"The famous FBI agent Clare Edwards?" He asked, as he took a step forward.

I crossed my arms, "Who wants to know?" I replied less firmly.

He smirked, "My name is Josh. I was just wandering around, you know, clearing my head. Then, I happened to see you standing here all alone. You know it's dangerous to be out alone at night, right?"

His tone suggested that he hadn't accidentally found me, and my instincts started to kick in. I walked forward so that we were only inches apart. "Who the hell exactly are you josh, and what do you want from me." I spat.

He towered over me, with a menacing look on his face. "Watch it there, don't get too feisty now. We wouldn't want for you to end up like your good friend Emma here, would we?" His eyes were full of fire, and I could see a deep hatred for me in his eyes that I couldn't understand.

"How do you know Emma?" I shakily asked. I had been around numerous criminals, but something about the man before me made me weak. I became flustered, and he smirked noticing my uncomfortableness.

We both slightly turned our heads, as the sound of footsteps crunching against the wet grass grew closer. After a few seconds I could see that the man walking towards us was Eli.

"Is there a problem?" He questioned angrily as water droplets dripped down from his hair.

Josh stepped away from me, sliding his hands into his pockets and smiled warmly at Eli. "No my friend, I was just making sure this beauty was ok." He chuckled. "Actually I was just trying to tell her that it's very, very dangerous to be out alone at night." His eyes averted back to me. "Maybe you could explain that to her, I didn't quite get through to her. Anyway. Since you're here now, I shall be on my way." As he began to walk away Eli, who had been a good few feet from us, made his way in front of Josh. He quickly pinned him up against a tree, grabbing him by his shirt collar. This only seemed to amuse Josh further, and his smile grew. "Excuse me kind sir, have I somehow upset you?"

A growling noise escaped Eli's throat, and I ran to his his side. "Eli stop it."

Eli ignored me, keeping his eyes on Josh. "Don't come near her again, do you hear me? You're apart of Astons gang, I'm not stupid."

Josh raised an eye brow, "Ah, that name doesn't ring a bell. I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else."

Eli pushed Josh back into the tree with greater force, and his eyes became wild with rage. "I'll kill you if you so much as look at her again. I'll kill you!" He growled.

I grabbed Eli's arm, and began to tug at it with as much strength as I could. "Eli let go, please. Let's just go! Please." I cried.

Eli turned his head to look at me, and when our eyes met, his slowly began to return to normal. He released Josh, and took a step back. Josh dusted himself off, "Well, that was interesting. Good day you two." As he was walking away he slightly turned his head back, "oh and agent Edwards, don't forget what I said."

Eli and I stood side by side, until Josh was out of sight. I began to shiver, weather it was because I was cold from being soaked, or from being scared I couldn't tell. "What is wrong with you, are you stupid?" Eli asked.

My eyes widened in shock, "What?"

Eli crossed his arms, and the rain began to drizzle again. "Why would you be out here alone like this? Especially during a time like this, do you want to die?" Eli's words were full of angst, and I began to start shaking more.

"I can take care of myself." I shivered.

Eli's eyes softened, and he began to pull off his black coat. "Here." He put it over me, and began to drag me to his car. I angrily pulled away from his grasp. "Clare what are you doing? It's raining, let me take you home. Don't be stupid."

I threw his jacket on the floor, and the rain began to pour so hard I had to scream for him to hear me. "Stupid? You are the stupid one, you are so stupid Eli! Why! Why did you let me go! And why, why do you keep pushing me away still!"

Eli put his hands on top of his head, "Clare this is insane! Get in the car please!"

"No!" I screamed. "Not until you tell me why you don't love me anymore!" I was sobbing at this point, and I could feel my knees become weak."

Eli ran up to me, so that our faces were only inches apart. "I don't love you because I hate you! I hate you so much, for making me love you!" Eli's chest began to heave. "I have been in agony for the last two years, because of you! Everyday without you has been my own personal dose of hell Clare!"

"I don't understand!" I cried.

Eli wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled my body to his, crashing his lips to mine. I kissed him back with desperation, trying to soak up every second I could. I ran my hand through his hair, trying to pull him closer to me, but all too soon, he pulled away while keeping my face between his hands. "I hate you because of this. I am so weak around you I can't stand it. Clare, seeing that man standing over you, with that look in his eyes, it scared me more than anything has ever scared me in my life. I let you go the day of Vince's funeral because I never wanted to be in the exact position Sean is in now. I wanted you to live a normal life, a life I couldn't give you. As long as you were safe, I could live, but I couldn't if something happened to you."

I squinted my eyes in desperation. "Then come with me Eli. Listen to Sean, and leave everything here behind. You have choices, you don't have to stay here. That man, he knew me somehow. He was watching me, I have no doubt. It's dangerous here, we can go away. Please."

Eli dropped his hands from my face, while shaking his head. "Then what Clare? This is all I know now, I can't just go back to a normal life. I can't." I could see Eli wrestling with his own self, and it gave me hope that I could get through to him.

I gently pressed my lips to his for a brief second, "Eli you can do anything, even if you don't know it, I do."

Eli sighed, while resting his forehead against mine. "So we're doing this, we're going to be normal people now?"

I laughed. "We're going to be sick people if we don't get out of this rain."

Eli wrapped his arm around me, and we began to walk towards his car. He kissed the side of my head, whispering into my ear. "I love you Clare."

I really like the symbolism that this story sort of has. It's nothing I did on purpose, but I think it's really cool how the Emma/Sean relationship parallels with the Clare/Eli one. They were both the stand out couple for their generation on the show, and obviously Sean and Emma didn't work out, compared to Eli and Clare who did. So Emma dying sort of is symbolic of that. That may make no sense, but I was watching an interview with "Sean" and it had me thinking LOL.