Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Author's notes: Thanks for waiting and being patient. Well, as promised here's the concluding chapter and epilogue to my little fic. Hope you all enjoy reading it. And as always I'd like to thank the following reviewers:

Bloody Love: Hey, don't worry about reviewing twice. I'm just happy you're enjoying yourself with the story, sorry for the delay though. Thanks a bunch!

WW: Thank you for that wonderful review. Well, it's a good thing I'm done with the story, 'cause I think I've sucked my brain dry trying to come up with just the right twists and turns (he he).

GoldenRat: Thanks, that's sweet of you to say. And you have my word that what you want will be in the remaining chapters. Happy reading!

neko: *gulps* (he he) sorry about the cliffhanger. I usually don't like doing them. And totally understandable with how you feel about Wufei, but you can't deny he's adorable. Thankie!

sweetangel14: Thanks for the encouraging review! Sorry it took a while to get this chapter up, but at least it's finished. ^_^

Amy: Well, I hope that finishing this story will cure you of whatever is ailing you.^_^ But hey, if this doesn't cure you, I'm sure all those anime and books will. I know that always does the trick for me. And yes, like you're mom I'll be an RN too someday (hopefully).

KB: I hope I didn't make you wait too long. But thanks for the review, I really appreciate knowing that my readers are always itching to read the next chapter. It makes me work faster. Hmm, but I guess I just contradicted myself there (he he *rubs back of head*) Sorry!

ALohiLani: Wow, thanks so much! I'm quite flattered. Glad you liked it. Well, enjoy reading the conclusion. ^_^

Chapter Eleven: Full Circle

Sally frowned. At least she thought she did. She could not really tell if she was asleep or awake. Seeing as there was nothing but a black void before her, Sally reasoned that she was probably in that state where one finds oneself between sleep and wakefulness. She tried to open her eyes, but try as she might, they seemed too heavy for her to lift at the moment.

As she was wondering why she felt so tired, events from the other night came rushing back to her. Before leaving Lucrecia's place, Sally had made the decision to finally confront Wufei about her feelings for him. If he felt the same way as she did, then in a way it would explain his behavior, odd as it may seem. She felt a bubble of amusement as she realized just how right she was about Wufei never knowing how to be romantic at all.

Her thoughts turned sober when she recalled what followed that night. The gun was not a total surprise to Sally. What shocked her the most was the possibility of death before she gets to tell Wufei she loved him. But if she had to do it over again, she knew that going between the gun and the boy would always be the decision she chooses. She only prayed that she would live long enough to tell Wufei how she felt.

And to think, I almost never got that chance, Sally thought. And she might not at that if she did not wake up soon. She again attempted to wake up, but found herself tiring even more. Weariness finally won over and Sally felt her mind succumbed to sleep once again. Sighing to herself the woman thought of a certain black-haired man. Please, she silently called out. Please wait for me.

…Wufei.

********

Wufei woke up with a start and immediately checked on Sally. He frowned when he saw that she was still asleep. But he could have sworn he just heard her call his name.

Laying aside the book he had been reading, Wufei quietly drew closer to the prone figure on the bed. The young man gently took hold of Sally's hand and stroked her palm with his thumb.

"Come on, Sally," he told her softly. "Open your eyes already. There's so many things I want to tell you."

Wufei tenderly brushed her cheeks with his fingers. "I'm sorry, okay… please wake up."

"Maybe she just needs to hear you say you love her."

The softly spoken words caused the dark-haired man to jerk in surprise. He turned around to see one of Sally's friends standing by the doorway.

"Sorry," Relena said with a smile. "I didn't mean to startle you." She quietly approached the bed and looked down at the other woman. "How's she doing?"

"Still the same," Wufei answered.

Relena turned to the man when she heard the weariness in his voice. "You should go home and rest. You've been here since yesterday."

She herself had been at the hospital since the night of the shooting. She eventually had to leave just before noon after receiving a call from their supervisor wanting to have a meeting with her. Relena was not sure if she should leave Sally, but the young man insisted that he would keep watch. At first she was a bit surprise to see him again yesterday morning. She did not know what his relationship was with Sally, but her suspicion was confirmed after seeing him stay by her side the entire day and night.

"I want to stay and make sure she's alright," Wufei said now. Then realizing something, he extended his hand towards her. "I'm sorry. I never got the chance to introduce myself yesterday. I'm Wufei Chang."

She shifted a small potted plant she was carrying. "Relena Peacecraft," she said taking the proffered hand.

Wufei's brow rose up as he eyed the plant. "You wouldn't happen to be the friend who's waiting for her boyfriend to come back based on whether a plant blooms or not, are you?"

Relena felt her cheeks warm up. "She told you about that, huh? Well, guilty as charged. But be as cynical as you like, I believe in his promise." She then placed the plant on the bedside table. "It's become a symbol of hope for me. I thought I'd bring one by for you and Sally. Just to remind you to never lose hope."

Wufie opened his mouth to criticize the girl for her foolishness, but thought that it could not hurt to belief in such. At this point he would belief in almost anything to see Sally open her eyes.

"Don't worry," he said instead. "Hope has been my constant companion since the first time I've met Sally. I'm not about to give up on it now. Not when I'm this close."

She was not sure what exactly that comment meant, but Relena was awed by the passion she heard in Wufei's voice and the tender look he gave Sally. In a way, she understood what he was feeling right now.

"Get some rest Wufei," Relena told him. "At least get something to eat. Sally wouldn't want you tiring yourself out."

"I will in a minute." He continued to gaze at Sally's face and hold her hand.

Relena stayed for a little while, the two keeping a vigilant watch in companionable silence.

********

Pale moonlight shone through the window as two eyes slowly opened. They blinked several times before getting their focus. Sally carefully turned her head as she surveyed the dim room, but suddenly grimaced as a twinge of pain pierced her abdomen. She looked over to the side to search for the call light that would bring a nurse to the room and paused. Lying on the chair next to her was a familiar looking paperback book.

Sally ignored her pain as she slowly leaned over to pick up the book. Her breath hitched as she read the title. Oliver Twist.

It's the book I gave him six years ago, she thought in awe.

The book was worn out like it's been read through numerous times. She opened the book and looked at back of the front cover. Her eyes misted over as she saw the words she knew would be there.

To Wufei,

I know you said you don't like reading. But I hope you'll give this book a try. Well, I hope you find the path you're looking for.

Always yours, Sally

Was he here all this time? she asked herself, looking at the book.

"Wufei…" she breathed just as a figure walked into the room.

********

Wufei gently blew on his coffee before taking a sip. The people in the nurse's station knew him by now and did not even bother to stop him as he made his way to Sally's room. They had long given up trying to tell him that he could not possibly stay in a patient's room after visiting hours. Besides, a lot of the women thought that what he did was very romantic.

A few hours ago, with some reluctance, Wufei finally went home to take a quick shower and a bite to eat. Then after making a few phone calls to the bookstore and to New York, he once again made his way to the hospital.

The young man tiredly sighed as he bent his head to massage the back of his neck. Maybe the woman was right, he thought wearily. I think I do need to get some proper rest.

Wufei's head was still bowed when he entered Sally's room. His steps faltered a little when he thought he heard someone say his name.

Now, I'm hearing things, he told himself. I must really be out of it if …

His thoughts trailed off as his eyes took in the scene before him. He blinked to make sure he was not hallucinating before softly calling out, "Sally?"

Blue eyes rose up to meet Wufei's dark ones and for a few seconds neither one of them said anything. The black-haired young man reached out to turn on the lights and quickly walked towards the bed.

"You're awake," he said almost in disbelief.

"Yeah," she said looking down at the book in her hands. "A little tired but…" She could not take it anymore, she had to ask him. She held up the book. "You kept it all this years?"

"What… oh yeah, that," he mumbled, he tried to hid his blush by turning to put away his coffee. "I got bored one time and I gave it a shot. It's not that bad. I guess I can tell why you like that book so much."

Sally gave a soft chuckle. "For something that's 'not that bad' it sure looked like you read it a lot. Have I somehow managed to convert you into liking books?"

"Yeah… somewhat," he replied with a shy smile.

It was too much for Sally to see the normally indifferent young man to act shy. So she laughed. Not only was she enjoying Wufei's predicament, but she was also giddy with joy that he actually cared enough to keep both her presents. The thought jarred her out of her musing as she realized that he did care. All this time she had been too worried about her own emotions that she never saw what was right in front of her the minute Wufei came back to her life.

Wufei got worried. One minute Sally was laughing, the next she was still as a statue.

"Sally, are you alright? Does your wound hurt?" He stepped closer to check if her earlier actions had caused the wound to bleed again. His hands grabbed the blanket, but before he can pull it aside, Sally snatched his hands away.

"Stop that," she reprimanded. "Quit fussing. I'm fine."

Wufei frowned. "Well, you wouldn't be in this condition if you weren't foolish enough to confront someone with a gun."

"I wasn't exactly trilled to come face to face with the barrel of a gun, you know," she shot back heatedly. "But it was my job to protect that boy."

"You could have died!" he shouted, remembering the story they told him about what happened that night. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and leaned over the bed. "I mean, what were you thinking?! Did it ever occur to you how I'd-" Wufei cut himself short before he finished the sentence and took a calming breath. He knew that he could not just blurt out his true feelings while he was angry.

"I don't need this right now, Wufei," Sally said in a controlled voice. "Don't you think I knew just how dangerous it was. I was there for crying out loud. And even knowing that I might die that night, I still took that chance because it was the right thing to do." Sally paused and looked away from him. "Look, maybe you should leave. I- I'm really tired… I don't want to argue about this with you."

Wufei stared as he fought the urge to kick himself. This was not how he expected for things to turn out. He once again let his anger get in the way. Knowing that he was really close to ruining any chances he had with Sally, Wufei decided to just swallow his pride and apologize.

"Sally, I'm sorry," he said as he drew a hand across his face. "Here I am being a jerk when I should be commending you for doing what you did. You're right. You don't need this. It's just that…" Wufei looked away, a pinkish hue tinting his cheeks. "You gave us quite a scare and I – well, me and the others were just worried."

The young man faced her again and saw that all her attention was back on him. Wufei cleared his throat, his eyes darting away.

"Listen," he began uncertainly. "Since I'm apologizing… About that thing in the restaurant… you know with your friend? I'm really sorry I acted… well, for acting like that."

"You mean, like a jealous boyfriend?" she asked with a raised brow.

Wufei shot Sally a wide-eyed look, at a lost for the right words. "Uh…"

"It's alright, Wufei. I should have expected it. I mean, you've had the same attitude from the first time I've met you."

Wufei started to feel uneasy. Did she really have such a low opinion of him? He wondered nervously. All this time, was she just being nice to the poor, orphaned little boy she knew?

He did not know if he can take much more of the accusation in her eyes. He looked away in shame. Then he heard her speak again, this time more softly.

"I can never stay mad at you though. Beside I wouldn't have you any other way."

For a moment he was not sure what she meant by that. But when comprehension finally came, Wufei swung his head sharply back towards Sallly's. What he saw in her eyes made him stop breathing for a second. There was warmth and acceptance in the blue orbs. And if he was not mistaken, even love.

This has got to be a dream, he silently said in wonder.

Sally laughed softly then leaned in closer. She gave him a mock frown and in a loud whisper told him, "I think this is the part where you're suppose to kiss me."

When Wufei only continued to stare at her, Sally became worried. She reached out a hand to give him a shake.

"Wufei, are you –" She gave a surprised squeak when the young man suddenly pulled on her outstretched hand.

Her squeak turned into a moan as their lips touched and melded together. It was everything both remembered from their last kiss, yet so much more. The kiss was gentle, but filled with passion at the same time.

Wufei placed a hand on the side of her neck. He stroked the sensitive skin with his thumb before using it to tilt her head back to deepen the kiss. There was a soft whimper, but neither one knew who it originally came from. Wufei's other hand released the wrist it was holding to cup the woman's face.

Sally let herself go and surrender to the kiss. The hand that was trapped between them clutched at Wufei's front shirt as strong emotions began to overwhelm her. She knew that this was what she had been waiting for all her life. When the two finally separated, both were breathing heavily and wearing the same dazed expression on their faces.

"Wow," Sally said shakily.

"Ditto," he whispered huskily.

Sally found herself looking at Wufei's parted lips. She cleared her throat and was about to ask for another kiss when a cheery voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Well, look who's finally awake."

The couple broke apart guiltily as the nurse approached the bed. She faltered when she saw their flushed faces and stammered an apology.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I can come back later to –"

"No, that's okay," the two said at the same time. They looked at each other and blushed.

The nurse hesitated, but went ahead to check on Sally's vital signs.

"Are you feeling any pain right now?" she asked the blond woman.

Sally winced when the once forgotten pain made itself known again. "Yeah, a little. I think it's what woke me up."

"And here I thought it was because of me," Wufei said with a smirk, recovering from his embarrassment.

Sally raised a brow and smiled. "A little too sure of yourself, aren't we?"

The nurse discreetly laughed at the two as she prepared the pain medication. "Okay, this should help with the pain," she told the other woman, slowly pushing in the medication into the IV tubing. "It's going to make you a bit sleepy, but you need the rest anyway. I'm sure Mr. Chang will still be here when you wake."

"Hmm," Sally murmured, her eyes beginning to feel heavy already.

Wufei took her hand in his after the nurse left. He brushed wisps of hair from her face and asked if she was alright.

"I'm fine," she answered sleepily. "Promise you'll be here when I wake up?"

"I promise. I'll always be here for you."

She smiled contently. "You asked me earlier what I was thinking the night I got shot," she murmured, her eyes drooping shut.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, 'kay?"

"No," she softly protested with a pout. "I wanna tell… you… I was thinking about… you."

She finally gave into sleep just as she said the last word. But before totally going under, Sally felt Wufei's soft lips touch hers in a gentle kiss.