Gerald smiled as he glanced across at the young man. "My classy lady, as you say, has departed this world, and gone with our daughter to take care of Mother." The pain was no longer what it was, even at times like this, as the passage of the years had given the wounds time to heal. Instead it just left an emptiness that nothing could fill, ever. Even the anger and torment had gone, as there was none to blame, none from whom to seek answers, or against whom to have retribution. It had been the elements, and conditions on the night. Black ice, a corner, and a stone wall. His wife and their daughter both were taken from him in a simple car accident.

All the years he'd spent working with the Council to aid the young Chosen in their development to face the evils and demons, and none of it had mattered a damn when it came to keeping his wife and daughter safe from the vagaries of the weather, and road conditions. His fervour for his role had died a little that night, and in its place had come the a different purpose.

He turned and started walking again.