I don't own Cherub

Word hadn't got back to campus, when Lauren and Dana arrived. They both headed to the chapel still covered it blood. Kyle caught Lauren's arm on the way passed the gardeners shed.

"Where is James?" asked Kyle angrily, "He owes me a fiver and he borrowed my PSP game last month and never gave it back. Stupid git." The next thing that Kyle knew he was being pinned up against a wall of the gardeners shed with Lauren's hand around his throat.

"If I ever hear you bad-mouthing my brother again, I will break both your legs as painfully as possible and then your neck." Lauren snapped angrily close to tears.

"Lauren, what is the matter?" Asked Kyle curiously, then he gasped, "Is that blood?"

Then Dana spoke up, "I'll explain if you come with us." Kyle followed them to the chapel and Dana and Lauren began to light candles.

"This must mean..." said Kyle slowly.

"Yes. James is dead." said Dana heavily. When Lauren heard those words she began to realise it was true. That she would never see her brother again, or hear him, or be able to come to him for comfort and support again. She started to feel dizzy and couldn't breathe.

"Lauren!" shouted Kyle knocking over a table as he started towards her. "Quick, Dana help me! She's hyperventilating, she might pass out. James said she had to be injected with a knock-out drug on their mother's death to stop her collapsing." Just as Kyle was talking to Dana, Lauren slumped forward and knocked herself out on the pew in front.

"Too late," said Dana bitterly

When Lauren came round, she felt very dizzy and had a splitting headache. She looked out her window and saw the sun high in the sky and wondered why she was in bed in the middle of the day. Kerry leaned over and said softly, "hey, how are you doing? You had a nasty fall!" Then the reason why she had feinted came back to her. She tipped her head back and started to cry bitterly. Dana entered the room and smiled in a sad sort of way at her. Kerry looked at them with a quizzical look.

Dana spoke up next, "Zara wants to see us as soon as possible Lauren."

Kerry couldn't hold it in any longer, she had to ask. "Why? What's happened? Tell me!" Kerry demanded. Dana shook her head slowly saying, "You'll find out soon enough."

The girls put their heads around Zara's door and were surprised to see every member of staff, Terence McAfferty, the Prime Minster, the Intelligence Minister and someone who they took to be the Head of MI5.

"Dana, Lauren!"Zara said shakily. Dana crossed the room and hugged Zara and started to cry for the first time since James's death. Lauren just sat down on a chair by Mac, their old chairman. Mac leaned over and squeezed Lauren's hand but she had gone numb she couldn't feel anything, she felt as if she had no emotion left.

"Where is he?" Lauren heard herself whisper.

"He's in a private ward in the Medical Centre." Zara replied her voice shaking. "He looks so peaceful! I asked you to come to tell you that I have to tell the whole of Cherub about his death and about the very survival of Cherub. I have called a special assembly but you can both stay up here with Mac while I tell them.

"No!" said Lauren, startling everyone and Dana looked up from Zara's arms. "Dana and I have to tell them because I can't let you have the guilt." Zara looked at her uncertainly then she saw the determined look on Lauren's face. A wave of relief passed over her face.

"Lauren, are you sure this is what you want to do?" Mac asked her looking her in the eyes.

Lauren looked him straight back in the eyes and said, "Yes, I owe him this!"

"Lauren!" Dana said almost laughing, "You don't owe him anything" Lauren turned her face away from Dana's smiling one and looked at the wall, focusing on the blurry picture on Zara's wall of James by Joshua Asker. "Lauren?" asked Dana questioningly with her smile fading.

"It was my fault you were both in the warehouse at 2 in the morning." she said sadly. Everyone looked at her in wonder and in Dana's case disbelief. She looked at the picture not really seeing it and swallowed hard. I let slip to Big D that James was uncovering the truth of Thomas Green's death. It's my fault!" She avoided everyone's eyes and then broke into the most desperate bawling anyone had ever heard. "It's my bloody fault!"She shouted at the top of her voice tearing at her hair like a mad or demented person.

"Lauren..." whispered Dennis King, a senior mission controller, "You can't blame yourself. You didn't cause it. You didn't shoot him!."

"Ohh, I dunno," said Dana angrily, her eyes swimming with tears, "if it wasn't for her James would still be alive!"

"I know and I am so sorry!" Lauren said quietly with tears pouring down her cheeks.

"I hate you!" Dana suddenly screamed at Lauren. She tugged herself out of Zara's comforting arms and lunged at Lauren, knocking her to the ground. Lauren just lay flat out on the floor not bothering to protect herself, crying bitterly.

"Stop!" shouted Chloe Blake stepping forward to pull Dana away. "This doesn't solve anything. It won't bring him back. It's no-one's fault. It was an accident."

"Yes it is! It was her fault. She admitted it." Dana accused looking at Lauren with hatred pulsing in her body. She launched herself at Lauren again. Chloe turned and appealed to the room, "help me!" she said gesturing to Dana before attempting to pull her off again. Mac, Chloe and Dennis King stepped forwards and roughly hauled Dana up as she was still attempting to kick Lauren in the head while Meryl Spencer bent down and lifted Lauren up off the floor. Meryl sat down on a chair near the door and cradled and rocked a sobbing, exhausted Lauren to her chest. Everyone looked accusingly at Dana and she suddenly deflated of anger and saw what she had done.

"Come here," commanded Zara and Dana came towards her felling the furious stares of the entire room on her. Zara looked ready to hit Dana but Maureen put a hand on her arm so she turned to watch Meryl whisper to Lauren trying to assure her it wasn't her fault and that she shouldn't blame herself.

Meryl turned to Dana and said "Are you sorry, Dana?"

Dana couldn't speak with guilt so she just nodded with tears in her eyes. "You can't blame Lauren or anyone else for that matter! Anyway we need to inform Campus and the whole of Campus has already been waiting down stairs for nearly an hour! Do you still want to tell them? I will if you don't want--"

"No!" said Dana quickly, "come on Lauren."

She reached a hand towards her and she flinched away, terrified. Dana looked at her and then reached out for her hand saying, "Come on, we have to."

Mo, Shak, Connor, Callum, Bruce, Kerry, Gabrielle, Michael and the rest of the Gang were gathered around a table in the dining room.

"Where's Kyle and James?" Mo asked Shak.

"'Lo" said Kyle sadly suddenly appearing behind them, with tears down his cheeks. Before they could ask him what was up, Dana and Lauren walked into the room with tears cascading down their cheeks. Connor nudged his twin, "What do you reckon is the matter?"

"I dunno." Shrugged Callum, checking his watch. "Where's James? He's late."

"I thought that he was with Dana," said Kerry rolling her eyes. "Though he's probably decided he would rather go to bed than come to the assembly, and we'll have to put up with his moaning for the next month about how he'll have to clean out the changing rooms for the next month or so." Kyle surprised them by sobbing even more. "Shh. Lauren's talking!" Kerry said, motioning for him to be quiet, whilst everyone else on the table watched him closely.

"I suppose you all want to know why this assembly has been called. And why I am stood up here." Lauren took a deep breath. "As you know it has been a long time since the serious injury of a CHERUB," she nodded towards Gabrielle who was sat in the corner. "But even longer since the death of a CHERUB." Everybody immediately sat up straight. Lauren couldn't go on; she gestured to Dana and walked towards Zara who hugged her and whispered in her ear she was so brave.

"The death of a CHERUB hasn't happened for many years, but I am afraid there are now 5 names in the chapel."

"Where's James? He can't miss this!" Mo said.

"I am sorry to announce that James Adams is dead!" Most of the girls in the room burst into tears. Everyone on the table looked at each other in disbelief and then Kyle.

"Is it true?" Gabrielle asked Kyle and Kyle just nodded before breaking into a fresh wave of tears. Dana and Lauren shuffled over to join their table. Kerry got up and hugged Lauren who sobbed on her shoulder. Dana sat down, feeling numb, next to Kyle. She looked like she didn't know where she was and what she was doing there. She looked so lost. All she could think about was their last kiss. How could he be dead? Kyle put his arm around her and she leant against his shoulder, looking straight ahead. There was an awkward pause. The twins got up and left muttering something going to chapel. Kyle watched as Mo, Shak and Bruce all comforted a still sobbing Lauren. Lauren stood up muttering something about a backpack and photo album.

"I'll come with you." Dana said comfortingly. Lauren just nodded. As they left Shak turned to Mo.

"Do you think they'll be alright?" He said.

Mo nodded. "They've got each other and us lot," pointing at the table, "It may just take time."

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