*So this is the last chapter of this story. It's been a blast to write, and I'm sad (though relived at the same time, lol) to see it come to a close. Thank you to everyone who's read and to everyone who has reviewed as well. I'm glad you guys enjoyed this one, and I hope you like the final chapter as well. The song at the end is by Evanescence*

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For a long time she walked. Her mind had ceased to use coherent sentences, and now all she could see were the faces of the two men she loved, standing side-by-side. That was something she never thought she'd see, but her worlds had collided, and now she had to find her way all over again.

She didn't know what to think. The idea that Tony might still be alive had never even crossed her mind, and it took her awhile to accept that it was in fact, true. She had seen him with her own eyes – and more importantly, everyone else had seen him as well. He was alive, and he was back, and everything she thought she knew before had gone out the window.

He had said he wasn't planning on coming back. Ava remembered back to their conversation – the one she had thought was a fever dream. His eyes had been sad, sadder than she'd ever seen them before, but he had told her it was okay to be happy with Don. He had let her go.

Did that still stand?

Wiping away a tear that had made its way down her cheek, she finally looked up, knowing she had probably managed to get herself lost. She looked around the unfamiliar street, and when her eyes rested on a church just north of her, she immediately turned in that direction and continued her walk.

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It was almost two hours later that she was fitting her key into the lock, and opening the door of her apartment. Jen was pacing across the kitchen, her cell phone pressed against her ear. As soon as she saw her friend, though, she stopped and stared at her.

"I'll call you back, hun," she said before hanging up the phone. "Where have you been?"

"I needed to clear my head."

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?" she asked, her voice rising slightly. "I find out that you were kidnapped, and then Hawkes takes me to the lab while they try and find you, and then I finally get word that you were okay, but that you'd disappeared!"

Ava looked at her with tired eyes. "Are you really going to lecture me right now?"

Jen stared at her for another moment and then sighed. "No. Are you okay?"

She shook her head, and tears began to fall down her face. "No," she whispered.

Jen was there in an instant, hugging her friend tightly and letting her finally cry. All the pain of the day – getting kidnapped, watching them beat Mac, seeing Tony again, seeing the look of heartbreak on Don's face – finally came to the surface, and there was nothing she could do to hold back the flood. Clinging to her roommate, Ava cried as hard as her heart wanted.

It was a long time before she was out of tears, and then Jen led her over to the couch. Curling up in a ball, Ava waited for Nightmare to jump up into her lap, and then petted her for a few minutes, trying to get her thoughts back in order.

"I guess you know about Tony?" she finally asked, her voice hushed.

Jen nodded. "Yeah, Hawkes told me."

"You don't seem very surprised."

"It kind of made sense." When Ava looked at her sharply, she held up a hand, silently asking her to wait. "Remember when you had the fever dream?"

"You mean the one that wasn't really a dream?"

"Yeah," Jen replied quietly. "That one. After you told me about it, I was looking through your jewelry box…and I couldn't find Tony's cross."

Ava frowned. "You think he took it?"

She shrugged. "If he was really letting you go…" The other woman nodded, and they sat in silence for a minute. "What are you going to do?" Jen finally asked.

"What do you think I should do?"

"You know I can't answer that question for you," Jen said, her voice sad. "All I can tell you is that both of them love you."

"That's not exactly helpful."

"Isn't it, though? No matter where you go, you'll be loved. Completely."

"But that doesn't mean that they're both the right choice."

"No. I guess it doesn't." She shrugged. "I think there's only one question left you have to ask yourself."

"And what's that?"

Jen looked at her steadily. "Which one has your heart?"

Ava nodded slowly. "That's the question I came down to."

"And can you answer it?"

"I can now."

"So what are you going to do?"

Ava got up from the couch and headed back into her bedroom. She came out a moment later with a sweatshirt one, and a peaceful look on her face.

"I have to go talk to Tony," she said.

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He was staring out over the water when she got there, the sunset casting the sky in brilliant colors. Her chest still constricted at the sight of him, but it wasn't as painful as before.

"The Brooklyn Bridge, huh?" he asked, somehow knowing that she was there.

"Pretty view," she explained.

"Can't argue with that." He looked around. "Not exactly private, though."

She came up to stand beside him, leaning on the rail. "This city's not big on privacy."

"So I've noticed."

They were quiet for a long time after that. People walked past them and cars drove by, the sounds of the city filling the silence between them. The sunset slowly faded into evening.

"Do you still love me?" Ava asked suddenly, finally.

Tony nodded, but didn't look at her. "Yes."

"But you were ready to let me go."

"You're happy with Flack. I had Chloe check him out when you got partnered with him. You couldn't have picked a better guy."

"And if I told you that I wanted to try things with you again?"

His jaw tensed. "Then I would give it everything I had." He finally turned, leaning back against the rail and looking over at her. "But you're not choosing me."

She turned her head and met his eyes. "How did you know?"

Tony shrugged. "I know you."

Ava looked back out over the water again. "It's been too long, Tony," she finally said. "I've been through so much, and…I'm not the same person I was before. I don't think either of us is." She shrugged, her eyes filling with tears. "And I don't think I can sacrifice this amazing thing I have now, on the off chance that we might be able to get back to the amazing thing we had."

"You're making the right decision," he said quietly. "We both know that."

A tear slid down her cheek. "I still don't wanna hurt you."

He reached out, resting his hand on her cheek, his thumb brushing against her skin. "Which hurts more, Ava?" he asked. "The idea of walking away from me? Or the idea of walking away from him?"

She gave him a sad smile, her hand coming up to cover his. "I already said goodbye to you once."

"Makes it easier the second time, doesn't it?" he asked gently.

"Easier to know that I'm choosing the right path." She frowned. "Does this mean I don't get to see you again?"

He shook his head. "I'll always be there when you call. You know that." He paused. "I'm not staying in New York, though."

"I didn't think so. Manhattan doesn't really seem your style. You'll let me know, though? Where you end up? How you're doing?"

"Of course."

She reached into her pocket then, and pulled out her engagement ring. "I have to give this back," she said, setting it into the palm of his hand. "I remember how happy I was that night." Looking up, she searched his eyes. "We would have been great, Tony."

He nodded, and a tear slid down his cheek. "Guess God had different plans for us, though."

Biting her lip, Ava wrapped her arms around his torso and held him tightly. There was no hesitation as he returned the embrace, and for a moment, the rest of the world fell away as they reunited. Ava breathed him in deeply, noticing the way he still smelled like Tony, but how there was something new there as well. They really were different people now, and it was time to let go of the past.

They finally pulled back, and Tony took her face in his hands, staring at her. Then he leaned in and kissed her softly, barely a whisper against her lips.

"Goodbye, Ava," he whispered.

She squeezed his hands one last time and then let them go. With her past behind her, she turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.

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Danny banged on the door again, knowing that sooner or later one of the neighbors was going to complain.

"C'mon, man! Let me in!"

"Having issues, Messer?"

He nearly jumped out of his skin as he turned around and saw Ava standing there, a smirk on her face.

"What the hell are you doin' here?" he asked.

"Don't you have a key?"

He frowned. "Left it at home. Thought the bastard would let me in."

"You sure he's in?"

Danny nodded. "Mac drove him here. Didn't think he should be drivin'." He narrowed his eyes. "You gonna go in there and break his heart?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know. Maybe 'cause the love of your life came back from the dead?"

Ava moved past him and stopped in front of the door, pulling out her own spare key. "For the record, Danny," she said, sticking her key in the lock, "the love of my life is in this apartment."

He stared at her for a minute and then smiled. "You're not leavin' him?"

She smiled back. "Goodnight, Danny."

Without waiting for a response, she walked into the apartment, shutting the door and relocking it behind her. She turned and saw Don sitting in his recliner, his feet in the air and a beer in his hands.

"Finally remember your key?" he asked dully.

Ava walked forward, slipping her shoes off. "I never forgot it."

His eyes widened and his head jerked around when he heard her voice. Staring at her in disbelief, he was silent as she looked down at him.

"Are you drunk?" she asked.

He shook his head, finally finding his voice. "This is only my second one."

Ava nodded and took it from his hands, setting it down on the coffee table. Without a word she climbed up into the chair, her body wrapping around his as she laid one arm across his chest. Looking up at him, she studied his blue eyes, seeing the pain and resignation and heartbreak clearly. Then she raised herself up slightly and kissed him, her hand sliding up his chest and around the back of his neck. Flack kissed her back, his mouth opening under hers almost immediately, and they sank into each other. He kept his eyes closed when they finally pulled back, his forehead leaning against hers.

"That didn't feel like a goodbye kiss," he whispered.

Ava stroked his face until he opened his eyes again. "That's because it wasn't," she said firmly.

He frowned, searching her eyes. "But…you love him."

She nodded. "I do. But I love you too, Don." She kissed him again. "He's my past," she murmured. "And you…you're my now. And my future. I don't wanna be anywhere that's not with you."

His eyes filled with tears. "You…you really choose me?"

"I choose you," she reassured him, a small smile on her face.

He rested his head against the back of the chair, and she could feel the tension seeping out of his body. "I thought for sure I'd lost you," he said. "I didn't even know if you'd come say goodbye…"

"I would have," she interrupted. "If I had gone with him, Don, I wouldn't have just left you hanging."

He looked at her closely. "So you said goodbye to him?"

"Yes."

"Will you stay tonight?" he asked, his voice hushed.

Ava smiled. "Of course. Close your eyes, Donnie. I'll still be here in the morning."

She wrapped her arms around him again and held him closely as his eyes fluttered shut. His grip on her was tight, and the warmth from his body was comforting. Running her fingers gently through his short hair, she took a breath and began to sing softly, feeling as though she had finally come home.

The words have been drained from this pencil

Sweet words that I want to give you

And I can't sleep

I need to tell you

Goodnight

When we're together, I feel perfect

When I'm pulled away from you, I fall apart

All you say is sacred to me

Your eyes are so blue

I can't look away

As we lay in the stillness

You whisper to me

Baby, marry me

Promise you'll stay with me

Oh you don't have to ask me

You know you're all that I live for

You know I'd die just to hold you

Stay with you

Somehow I'll show you

That you are my night sky

I've always been right behind you

Now I'll always be right beside you

So many nights I cried myself to sleep

Now that you love me, I love myself

I never thought I would say this

I never thought there'd be

You