A/N: Thank you to Cris and anon5 for the reviews. Yes, anon5, really only one more...

Chapter 36 - Epilogue

Don sat on the stairs, the perfect vantage point to look out at his family and friends. So much was changing—Charlie and Amita married and going to England, David taking a job in Washington... And maybe things for him, too. For the better, he hoped, although a not so small part of him was looking at Charlie and Amita with envy. There was still so far for him and Robin to go before they'd be at that point. Things were still hard, they were both still recovering from everything that had happened and trying to find out who they were together again. Slow had been their motto, and it had been keeping them both fairly trigger free, but he just wanted things to be back to normal again.

He heard footsteps and turned his head from where he'd been looking at his brother and dad to see Robin walking towards him, champagne glass in hand. Her hair was out, and the blue dress she was wearing highlighted her curves and showed off her beautiful legs. The necklace he'd bought her shone at her throat. She'd started wearing it in the previous week and it had made him ridiculously happy to see, particularly when she'd said, after he'd asked, that it had been given to her by somebody she loved. The taint that Claymore's actions had given it was finally gone.

Robin sat down on the stairs beside him and took a sip of her champagne before placing the glass on the stair beside her and turning towards him. She put her hand up to the back of his head, running her fingers through and playing with his curls. It was always soothing and he loved it as much as she did.

"You okay?"

He looked at her and then back at Charlie. "I want that to be us."

"I know. I do too. We're getting there, Don." She entwined her arm with his and rested her head against his shoulder.

It was the right moment, he decided, to let her know his decision. He dropped a kiss on the top of her head before speaking. "You know that I was offered that Special Agent in Charge gig? I'm going to take it." He'd been surprised, in one way, when he'd been offered the job. After the mess that Claymore had created and the emotional turmoil that he'd been through, he wasn't sure whether he'd be up for the possibility of promotion any time soon or whether he'd been completely screwed in that regard. The prospect of more paperwork wasn't appealing, but it was time for a move. It would also be easier on his shoulder and leg. Yes, he'd been cleared for fieldwork and he had full movement, but his shoulder, in particular, ached on and off. More on at the moment after hitting the pavement with two people on top of him.

She lifted her head back up to look at him, but kept her arm through his. "That's good. I wasn't sure whether you were thinking about quitting."

The thought had been there in the back of his mind. Pettigrew's death, the horrors that his job could put him through, the worry that he wasn't making a difference. He'd kept it to himself, although he'd known that Robin had gotten the sense that something was wrong and it was more than just losing his gun. It had brought it all to a boil and he'd started to wonder whether, if they couldn't get his gun back, it was a sign that he should quit. The time he'd been spending with Bradford had made him realise how crazy that thought was so he'd never vocalised it, but it was there. He shrugged and smiled, slightly self-deprecating. "It's my job. It's what I do. I'm good at it."

"It is and you are." Robin leaned in and kissed him, soft and sweet. There were no flashbacks, no repulsion, just a moment that he wished would never end.

"What was that for?" he asked when they finally pulled apart.

Robin just smiled at him and he almost got lost in it. Everything that had been there before was still there in the look she was giving him. They would be okay. He felt a silly grin of his own develop.

Her smile widened. "Don't do that, I might have to kiss you again."

He laughed. "That a promise?"

Robin untwined her arm from his so that she could face him more directly and leaned in again. This time he was a more active participant, putting his hand on the back of her head, feeling the softness of her hair. Extending the kiss and enjoying the rush it brought. When she finally sat back she was flushed and he knew that he was the same. She started playing with his hair again and they sat in comfortable silence.

"It's going to be hard for you, with Charlie gone."

"It's not like we've never lived in different cities before, or even different countries. And it's only going to be a couple of months," Don dismissed, knowing that she was right, even as he did so. Charlie had been a huge support during his recovery and not having him right there would be difficult. Even if it was just to shoot some hoops with, now that he wasn't limping and could raise his arm above his head.

"But that was different. You weren't as close then."

He shrugged in reply and she gave him a fond, but exasperated, smile. Being able to pick and choose what he told people and keep his emotions to himself again was something that he was revelling in, now that things had started to settle. It had been driving Robin a little crazy, he knew, because he was being unpredictable about what stuff he would talk about. But she'd seemed to understand, even without him explaining it.

"So, I was wondering, what do you think about cats?" Robin asked casually, too casually, if he was any judge. She was trying to act like the answer didn't really matter to her, but it did.

"Cats? I take it we're not referring to the musical?" That got a smile. "I like them."

Her grin widened and she kissed him again.

"If I'd known I would have gotten that response, I would have told you months ago," Don jested.

"I want to get a cat," she explained.

"I figured."

"But if you didn't like cats..."

"I was out the door?" Don suggested.

She waved her other hand in a 'maybe' gesture, still smiling. "I want you to help me choose one. I don't want it to just be my cat. I want it to be our cat."

"Really?" She was making him want to kiss her again.

"Really."

"Okay. We could look at shelters next week?" Don suggested. There was no doubt that she'd want a cat from a shelter, one that definitely needed a loving home.

"It's a date."

He gave into the urge and kissed her.

They were going to be okay. He was certain of it.

-FIN-

Thank you in advance to any reviewer without a site account (who I won't be able to reply to). I appreciate all comments. I hope you all enjoyed this as much as I enjoyed writing it! I have other fic in the works, so stay tuned...