Disclaimer: The concept is mine, the rest belongs to Disney.

A/N: A slightly dark fic, told mostly in third person narrative. Inspired by Drangonland's "Forever Walking Alone".

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Dr. Anton Mercer had always felt so alone until she came into his life. Consciously, he never asked for this. But it seemed everything he touched died.

His friends, relationships. He knew he should have known this would happen to her, too. He could feel his grief cutting through him. Tearing deep down into what was left of his heart and soul.

Images of her were all that filled his tired mind. Though by now he knew better than to sleep. All he dreamt of was her. How her smile could light up a room. How happy she was when they were together. But then the images would change and once again, over and over, he saw the image of how he had found her.

There was nothing he could do to stop the attack. Not even in his dreams. Not when his dreams were memories of the recent events.

Convinced he couldn't go on, Anton wished more than ever that he could turn back time. To have been by her side, for that creature to have taken his life instead.

"It should have been me!" he cried to his friends. "I should have been there! He wanted me! But what better way to destroy me than to kill her?" he went on.

He knew they couldn't understand, but still it was what he felt. So many reminded him of the reasons he had to go on, but all seemed meaningless now.

All he could think was if he could have been there she would still be alive. In his arms. In the bed they secretly shared nightly.

He felt the loss of her eating at him more as the days passed. Each hour was just one more away from that tragedy, causing him to feel farther from her as each ticked by.

There was nowhere for him to turn to ease his pain. Burying himself in his work was no use, he only longed more to be buried beside her. But even that brought tears to Anton's eyes.

That ground had been so cold the day they lowered her into it. Far too cold for someone who had been so warm, he thought. How could that creature have taken that from her?

The one woman who had vowed to prove to him that even he deserved to be loved was gone and he had never even had the chance to say goodbye.

For long days he only cried and mourned. He had fought so hard for so long to keep his emotions hidden, but without her there was little he felt capable of holding on to.

He couldn't believe that his heart so broken was capable of still beating. Especially when he knew that each beat was still full of love for her.

While uncertain of his strength, he felt determined to fight on. He couldn't let that monster win. Now when he had taken something so precious from him. He felt empty and alone despite whomever claimed they were there for him. They couldn't understand this.

He prayed to her to watch over him that day. Part of him hoping that even if he lost he would be with her again soon. But he was currently far more determined to win, to avenge her and strike that creature down.

His lifeless corpse, an ending to the horrors that had plagued so many would be his gift to her. It would be his only comfort now.

"I only wish you were still here," he spoke softly to her headstone once he had destroyed his creation, once he knew he had fulfilled one of his final promises to her. "Never will a day come that I won't love you," he added as he knelt slightly and laid down a single pink rose.

The Rangers couldn't believe what they had seen earlier that day, still unable to comprehend how much he cared for her. But at the same time, despite how it had ended for them, still each wished to know that kind of love for themselves.

Fin

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A/N #2: Who was the woman Anton loved to that degree? That is entirely up to you…