Well, I'm sad to say this is the final chapter of Forever and For Always. It was such an amazing experience to write this story and I'm very sad to see it go. But, we all know all good things must come to an end. I am very thankful to those who read this story from beginning to end and I appreciate all the wonderful reviews. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Thanks again. Now, read on.

Oh, and sorry about the huge time period between this chapter and the last.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ghost Whisperer, seriously, stop asking.

He was trying to hold on, but breathing was becoming extremely difficult. All he could do was lay there, in a pool of his own blood. The pain was intense, but he ignored it when he heard Melinda's cries and struggles.

"Melinda…" he tried to say; he fought hard with his last ounce of strength, knowing it was not wasted on her. "Melinda."

Her head whipped around from looking at Sam's smirk, to Jim's unmoving body. Had he spoke her name? Was she just imagining his sweet voice? She stared at Jim's face, hoping desperately he was alive.

"Mel," he said hoarsely.

"Jim!" she moved closer to him, caressing his face. "Jim, can you hear me?"

"I…love you." he said, trying to pry his eyes open to look at her one last time.

"I love you, too. Forever." she sobbed.

"For always." and with that, his last breath was taken.

Melinda's eyes closed in misery as the tears cascaded down her cheeks. He was gone, there was no getting him back. Her body shook in agony. Now she knew the true meaning of loss, like in the movies. The pain in her heart, the spinning in her head, the ache throughout her entire body; yeah, that was how it felt without the love of her life. Now what reason was there to live?

"He's gone, Melinda. Now it's just you and me." Sam snickered.

Melinda turned her eyes to Sam in pure hatred. The nerve of this man, to talk to her like he hadn't just taken a life - her life. Without Jim, there was nothing. She would've stood up if there wasn't a bullet lodged into her leg.

"You and me? There will never be a 'you and me'. You killed my husband, you shot me, and you think I'm just gonna run to you?" Melinda bellowed. "You are a fucking mad man!"

"Watch your mouth, bitch. Don't forget who you're talking to." Sam raised the gun to her.

"Or what? Am I supposed to be afraid of you because you have a gun?" Melinda yelled, her eyes glaring past the gun. "You're an idiot. Is this how you get all your women? Because you don't have enough balls to win them over without killing someone? That's pathetic. You're pathetic."

"I'm warning you. Shut. Up." The trap was set.

"Only a loser like you would have no guilt." she said irately.

And snap goes the trap; a shot was fired.

_o_

Melinda bolted straight up in her bed, trying to catch her breath. The visions of her dream flashed through her head like a picture show. She tried to wrap her mind around it, but it just didn't make any sense. Why would she have such a dream? Her heart ached in her chest as she remembered seeing Jim dead beside her. The impact of getting shot herself woke her up to reality. She looked around the bedroom she shared with Jim. She was home. Suddenly, she had to find her husband. Throwing the covers off, she jumped out of bed and ran down stairs in search of Jim. She ran into the kitchen to see him cooking breakfast.

"Hey, sleepyhead." he smiled, but it faded when he saw the look on her face. "Honey, what's wrong?"

She didn't respond. Melinda rushed over to him and hugged him tightly. She pulled his head down to hers and kissed him senseless. After seeing him in her dream, she felt relief wash over her to have him back in her arms, safe and free of bullets. Jim was surprised but kissed her back, curious about her behavior.

"Mel, are you okay?" he asked when they broke apart.

"I'm just so happy to see you." she smiled.

"Babe, I saw you before we went to sleep last night." he chuckled.

"Yeah, and what an adventure I had in my dreams." she said.

"No other guys, right?" Jim joked as he poured eggs into the skillet.

"Well…" she started. Jim gave her a pointed look. "There was this one guy. His name was Sam. He was extremely handsome."

"Okay, don't need to know this." Jim said in a jealous tone, making Melinda smile.

"But he was completely delusional and evil." she said seriously.

"Wanna talk about it?" Jim asked.

"Maybe later. Right now, I'm hungry." she smiled. "Where's Aiden?"

"He's still asleep. Why don't you go get him and I'll finish up in here." he said, placing the now scrambled eggs onto a plate.

"Okay." she agreed and gave him a gentle kiss. "Love you." she called over her shoulder as she left the kitchen.

"I love you, too." Jim smiled.

Melinda walked into her son's room to find him still slumbering peacefully. She smiled and moved over to the bed, sitting next to him.

"Aiden, sweetie. Time to get up." she ruffled his hair.

Aiden stirred a bit before opening his eyes. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the morning light.

"Morning mommy." he smiled at her.

"Morning baby." she kissed him on the head.

"Time for breakfast?" Aiden asked.

"Yup. Daddy made French toast and scrambled eggs." Melinda said.

"Yay!" Aiden got out of bed and ran into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

Melinda smiled at her son's enthusiasm and got up to do the same. When the two had finished, they went down stairs to enjoy their breakfast as a family. The three sat in the kitchen eating while Aiden rambled in pure joy about the best dream he had that night. Melinda shook her head with a smile, thinking how funny it was that her son had pleasant dreams while she was having nightmares.

After breakfast, Jim had dropped Aiden off at a play date's house after some hesitation from Melinda. All through the day, Melinda wouldn't let Jim out of her sight. He thought it was humorous that she got so worked up over a dream. But, he knew better than to tease her about it. Jim had to admit that it was also adorable how much she wanted to be around him; it was a feeling he would never get tired of.

"Mel, I'm going to take a shower now." he smiled as they walked into the bedroom, Melinda attached to Jim by the hand.

"So? Like I haven't seen you naked before?" a small smile played across her lips.

"Point taken." he chuckled. "Well, then. You're far too dressed for a shower."

Jim started playing with the hem of her shirt. Melinda smiled and rest her hands on the waist of his jeans. The feeling that he might disappear at any moment, and her dream would turn out to be a cruel reality was slowly starting to fade as she returned to this world.

"You are, too." Melinda pulled his shirt off.

They smiled at each other and began undressing one another as they made their way to the bathroom. Their shower was filled with a comfortable silence besides the steaming shower head that surged calmingly over them. Melinda was comforted by his protecting embrace, relishing in the safety it provided. Even though it was just a dream, it scared the living daylight out of her. The image of Jim's dead body flashed in her mind and made panic rise in her chest. She knew a vision when she had one, and strange enough, that's how the dream felt. Meanwhile, Jim was still wondering what Melinda's dream was and why it was affecting her so much. She was too busy clinging to him to tell him what happened. But, It was just a dream, right? Well, one thing he's learned was that dreams, especially Melinda's, weren't always just dreams.

_o_

Night had fallen over the city of Grandview and most of it's residents were saying goodbye to another day. In the Clancy/Gordon house, Aiden was being put down for bed.

"But, I'm not tired." he protested.

"Well, it's nighttime, buddy. It's time for bed." Jim said tucking him in.

"I can't sleep…if I'm not tired." Aiden yawned.

"Yeah, sure, baby. Good night." Melinda kissed him. "Love you."

"Love you, too, mom." Aiden's eyes started to close. "Love you, dad."

"Night, bud. Love you, too." Jim kissed him on the head.

Jim and Melinda stood in the doorway, watching their little guy sleep for a minute. They shut off the lights and closed the door a little.

"Mel, are you okay?" Jim asked as they stood in the hallway.

"Yeah, why?" she asked.

"You just seem different. All day, you were a bit off. I just wanna know if you're okay." he replied.

"Jim, I'm just fine." Melinda smiled. "It's only that dream I had. It felt like a vision, but I didn't see any ghosts today. Plus, I just wanted to be with you."

"Oh, well…" Jim smiled and pulled her close to him. "I'm glad you're alright."

He kissed her passionately, which she responded to happily. The fears and worries she had built up since waking up that morning had washed away as quickly as they had came. The feeling of having a vision still shook her up a bit, but Melinda let it go with the day's past stress. Jim was alive, and he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. A smile graced her lips as she came to the revelation. She pulled away from him as the kiss came to an end.

"I love you." she looked into his eyes, and the emotion reflected in them.

"I love you, too." he smiled and kissed her forehead.

The couple walked hand-in-hand into their bedroom and climbed into bed. The amount of emotions that flowed through her was almost breathtaking, but Melinda welcomed each one with an opened heart. She turned on her side to get more comfortable, and was surprised to see two ghosts standing by the window. A man and a woman. Melinda sat up in bed as a feeling of recognition hit her. They didn't look familiar, but they felt that way. Melinda took a closer look at them and noticed the man had multiple bruises on his face and bullet holes were visible; you could tell he was shot in the back. The woman had a bullet hole in her right leg above her knee and one in her chest, right over her heart; she looked like she'd been crying as well. Suddenly, it hit Melinda. Her dream was a vision. She had dreamt of a real lives - lives that were now over.

The man and woman smiled at her as their wounds swiftly disappeared from view. They looked at each other before reaching for the other's hand. Their eyes turned back to Melinda for a moment before the two slowly faded into the night. Melinda sat there, processing what had just taken place before her, and a smile appeared on her face. That was Jim and herself, both happy, in love, and together. She finally made sense of her dream, and it warmed her heart. The couple that had graced her with their presence crossed over with no problems, considering how they had been robbed of their lives, and Melinda took great comfort in the fact that they were together…Forever and For Always.

I almost cried writing this chapter, especially the end. I know this was a short chapter, but I think it was well written. What did you guys think? Did it make you sad? Did you like it? Please review and let me know how you enjoyed it, or if you didn't enjoy it. Anyway, Forever and For Always is over and I hope to be starting another story soon, so thoughts on that are strongly advised. You all were such loyal readers, much appreciation to you. Thanks, guys.

Oh, and if you guys didn't know, No Ordinary Love is almost over as well. Just a few more chapters and that one will end, too. I had an idea of writing a sequel. I want some feedback on that, also. Thanks!