So as I was watching the ending of the second season of Gunslinger Girl (a lot of of's, I know), I was thinking of this is what should have played after the credits were done. I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did writing it.

And for those of you that are still waiting for my Avatar stories, I have them all done in my mind. I just need to find some time to type them up. I'm getting them on the way.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING ASSOCIATED WITH GUNSLINGER GIRL OR FUNIMATION (unless you count the movies I have bought).

Enjoy.

The Final Scene

"Franca, you have to slow down! You'll never make the curve!" He waited for his partner to respond, to step on the breaks, to do something. All that he saw was blood dripping off the chin of the half-conscious blonde. Then her words made his blood freeze.

"Franco, I'm cold." He gasped as the words sunk in. He had seen many people fade like this after he had pulled the trigger. Even the great Christiano knew she wouldn't make it if they went over.

"Please, Franca. Step on the breaks." She couldn't do it. They just kept speeding towards the rail. She started to fall over. He managed to catch her; then he held her in his arms. He even felt the tears run down her cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Franco." He couldn't let this happen. He didn't want her to leave him. Not until he told her the truth about his cold heart. How she had melted it. If only he had more time. The man in the back just closed his eyes and waited for the end.

"Hold on. Don't leave me, Caterina." He closed his eyes, too, just before the car sailed over the cliff and into the sea.

Jean was making the final report to headquarters about the Cristiano incident. Bodies were being taken out of the mansion as he spoke over the phone.

"Yes, we neutralized the mansion. Pinocchio is dead. Cristiano slipped passed us, but it seems the car he was in drove off the highway into the sea. We haven't found any bodies yet, so we will probably have to drag the water." He paused for the reaction. "Two cyborgs were seriously injured, but we didn't lose any. Understood. We will head back in the chopper." He just hung up the phone when Marco came by.

"Is Rico, alright?" he asked.

"She's fine. She just needs to be repaired and she can start working. How is Angelica?"

"She's fine. She's a little disappointed she didn't stop the car, but she'll be alright. By the way, we found Cristiano's body on the cliff rocks. It appeared he tried to swim out, but he broke his legs on impact. Poor bastard didn't stand a chance against the waves."

"What about the others?"

"We're still looking. We will probably have to wait until morning, but I don't see how they could have survived." Jean nodded and walked off. This part of his fight was finally over, but he still had more work to do.

A breeze ran through the vineyards of Frascati, making the grapes rustle and click. A small rocking chair squeaked as its occupant pushed her feet up and down. The patio also creaked as a man carried his bottle of white wine and two glasses. He gently placed the glasses on the table and started pouring.

"It's not even noon and you want to drink?" the woman said with a smile.

"You should talk. You did the same thing before you almost got us both killed." He frowned when he looked at her. He had never seen her so beat up, but she was lucky to be alive. An arm in a sling and bandages on her head kind of made her cute anyways he decided.

"Well, it looks like we are a perfect fit." He stopped pouring the wine and went in front of her. "But still, we couldn't save Cristiano or Pinocchio. I feel so useless." She gasped when he grabbed her good hand.

"You did all you can. That's all anyone can ask." Then she smiled as she looked out over the fields.

"Don't you think it's time to take a break, Franco?" He smiled and grabbed her chin. What he did next really surprised her. His kiss was full of love and passion, something she knew he was hiding for a long time.

"How about a permanent break? We could stay here for the rest of our lives. This could be the quiet life you wanted all those years. It's time you let someone else find justice for you and this country." He paused, waiting for an answer to go with that sad face of hers. "But even if you don't want to stop, even if you still want to bring justice to this land, I will gladly fight with you. First, I have to tell you something."

"Franco…"

"That night when I thought I was going to lose you, I couldn't bear the thought of never telling you. Even as I pulled you out of your seat and jumped before the car plunged into the ocean, it broke my heart to know that I may not get the chance to tell you what you did to my cold heart. You gave me something to live for, to protect. You melted the ice that surrounded this thing in my chest. I never want to lose you. I will always be with you. I won't let you fade away ever again."

"Franco," she said as she leaned in to return his kiss. "I love you, too, and I will never leave your side again."

"Caterina." It felt better to say that name. It was her true name, and it matched the beauty of his love for her. He decided he would never call her Franca again.

"And as for staying here," she mused as she grabbed her glass of wine, "let's take a while, but we may need to go out again if Italy needs us." He smiled and toasted to that.

"And so the business continues. I'll enjoy this vacation while it lasts." They both raised their glasses and drank until the sunset, just like they always did. The only difference this time was that they went to bed together and slept in, knowing that they would always be together.

Fin.