Well, after having the original Ch. 12 and Epilogue erased and replaced by a year old police report, here it is; the revamped end to A Loss of Innocence. Enjoy...

Chapter Twelve

Middleton High School
Middleton, Colorado – June 7 08:02

Mrs. Clarkson stood at the front of the room watching impatiently as her students continued to mill about and socialize, despite the obvious fact that the final bell had rung over two minutes ago.

"Alright everyone, class has started, please take your seats."

Slowly, the defiant students began to sit down and remove various colored binders from their backpacks. A quick visual roll call showed that the only students missing (Aside from Kim and Ron) were Monique and Felix.

"Has anyone seen Monique?" Mrs. Clarkson asked. She had passed the girl on her way to the faculty lounge that morning, so she knew she wasn't sick.

"Mr. Barkin pulled her and Felix into his office about ten minutes ago." Some one in the back of the room shouted out.

"Oh, alright then." She made a note on her roll sheet and placed it on top of her desk. She then retrieved a copy of the class' current reading assignment and opened it to a pre-selected page. "If everyone could please turn to page one-hundred and seventy-three in The Importance of Being Earnest, we're going to pick up at Act III, Scene…" With a squeal of feedback, the school PA system came to life and interrupted the already aggravated teacher's lesson plan.

"All students report to the gym for an important announcement." The voice belonged to Middleton High's Principle, Steve Barkin.

As the student body began to file out and head toward the gym on the other side of the campus, there was a general feeling of uneasiness in the air. Subconsciously, many of the students could detect that something was wrong, they just couldn't quite figure out what.

Only a few students noticed the flag had been lowered to half-mast as they passed it heading toward the gym. What most of them did notice were Mr. Barkin, Monique, and Felix.

The teens were both seated next to a podium in the center of the gym. They were holding hands, though obviously for comfort and support rather than affection, and had their eyes fixed to the floor in a depressing manner. Behind them, Barkin stood talking with one of the schools counselors. His normally gruff and relatively emotionless face was ominously absent.

It was at this point that most of the arriving students realized something was very wrong…

Route 281 Westbound
Fairbank, Iowa – June 7, 11:31

Sean sat on the hood of his car, watching in silence as a patch of dark thunderclouds disappeared over the low, rolling hills in the distance. Kim was sitting alone about a hundred yards from the road next to a long-abandoned farm tractor.

Upon learning the news, Kim had gone into a state of shock and, in the three hours since they left the farm, had only spoken three words…

"Stop the car."

The three of them had returned to Oelwein to pack-up and switch cars and were on their way to the Waterloo Municipal Airport when Kim told them to stop. Assuming the teen was about to throw-up again, Sean quickly complied.

Rather than vomit, Kim had instead run out into the nearby field and remained there without moving for close to thirty minutes. The agent could tell from the earlier movement of her shoulders that she was crying, however, for the past fifteen minutes she had been still. Rufus, the last remaining element of Ron, had kept her company: both comforting her, and grieving with her.

Behind him, Sean heard Susan close her cell phone and exit the Crown Vic, grumbling as she joined her boyfriend on the hood of the car. With a heavy sigh, she looked over at Sean and shook her head.

"CDC's not moving on their decision Sean."

"I thought you have connections within the Center?" Sean commented bitterly.

"I do, but there's only so much David can accomplish." She looked across the field at Kim. "According to protocol 'any injury, illness, or death that occurs as a direct result of actions taking place within an area defined by Center personnel as a "hot zone" is to be handled by appropriate means'." She reached into her pocket and retrieved a recently bought pack of cigarettes, pulling one out and using her index finger to light the tip before continuing. "'Any injury or illness is quarantined, any death is isolated and cremated. No appeals, no exceptions.' His words." Sean watched as Susan took a long drag on her cigarette and let it out with a gentle cough.

"I thought you quit smoking in high school?" He commented. She looked over at him and gave a weak smile.

"I did…" She replied. Sean reached over, snatched the cigarette from her lips, and tossed it onto the dirt road.

"So don't start now." The two federal agents sat in silence for several minutes before Susan spoke up.

"You should go talk to her." She stated calmly. Sean shook his head.

"She blames me…" He answered in a tired voice.

"She doesn't blame you Sean."

"I would…" Sean dropped his head in shame. "It was my operation and my fuck-up. Now he's dead…how is that not my fault?"

"You want to start placing blame?" Susan asked, her voice rising slightly in hostility. "How about the fact that it was my intel that underestimated the Order's sentry movement. Or what about her father?" She gestured toward Kim. "His work is the reason we had to go in there in the first place."

"But it was my operation…" Sean replied, still not convinced. Susan grabbed his shoulder and turned him to face her.

"You want someone blame Sean? Blame Erik Noble. He's the one responsible for Ron's death, and he's dead as a result of his actions. So is his father…"

"What?" Sean gave her a questioning look.

"David just updated me; Kerry and several of his senior members killed themselves in the church, the rest of the group has surrendered peacefully." Sean shook his head in disgust and looked back out toward the grieving redhead.

"Why should I talk to her anyway?" Sean asked defiantly. "You're the one who was playing 'big sister' earlier. Besides, you've known each other longer…in a weird kind of way."

"But I haven't suffered a loss like she has." Susan answered. Sean let out a weak laugh and turned away from her.

"So what? I go up and say, 'Hey Kim, I know the person you love is gone but guess what, so is mine. Wanna start a club?'"

Susan said nothing. After several more seconds of silence, Sean stood up and, with a heavy sigh, headed out toward the rusted tractor.

Kim could hear someone approaching, but she didn't bother to turn around. It could only be one of two people, and she didn't want to deal with either of them right now. It wasn't that she necessarily blamed them for what happened, she just didn't feel there was anything they could say to help her at the moment…especially since she had learned that she wouldn't even have a chance to see Ron again thanks to some bullshit CDC protocol. She barely glanced over when Sean took a seat in the grass next to her.

"What do you want?" She asked, picking Rufus up off the ground and placing him in her lap.

"I want to show you something." Sean said. He pulled out his wallet and removed a small glossy photograph.

Kim took the photo and examined it. It was a group-photo of Sean, Susan, and a third girl with shoulder-length blond hair taken outside of what appeared to be a small-town burger joint. Sean and the blonde were both wearing dark blue police uniforms and their arms around each other's shoulders. Susan was standing behind them in normal school clothes and appeared to be giving the two officers 'bunny ears'. They all looked to be about seventeen or eighteen and had large smiles plastered on their faces.

"Who's the blonde?" Kim asked, pointing to the girl in the photo.

"That's Kathryn Mossman," Sean replied in a soft voice. "Her friends called her Kate. She was my Ron."

"What happened to her?" Kim asked, noticing that the teens' pose was almost identical to one of her, Ron, and Monique that was sitting on her desk at home.

"She was killed in the line of duty," Sean answered. "Murdered by a strung-out hype who thought she was coming to arrest him and confiscate his drugs."

"Were you there, when it happened?" Kim asked, handing the photo back to him. Sean shook his head and pulled out a folded piece of paper.

"No, I got to listened to it live over the police radio." He passed the piece of paper between his hands nervously. "Immediately after her death, I shut myself in my room and did nothing but drink. After several hours, I decided I wanted to be with her so bad, I put a round in my service weapon and tried to kill myself." The FBI agent finally faced her and Kim could see that his eyes were slightly redder than they normally were.

"What stopped you from going through with it?" Kim asked.

"Two things," Sean responded. "First was the fact that the gun I chose to use wouldn't fire if there wasn't a magazine inserted, a safety feature I overlooked in my intoxicated state. The second," He held up the piece of paper in his left hand. "Was this letter."

Sean looked at the paper in his hand and seemed to ponder a decision in his head for a few seconds before he handed it over to Kim. She looked over at the agent with questioning eyes and he motioned for her to open it.

"Susan came by shortly after my suicide attempt and gave that to me. Apparently she found it in Kate's locker when she was cleaning it out. It was addressed to me." Kim unfolded the letter and began to read it.

Sean,

If you are reading this letter, it most likely means one of two things; either the unthinkable has occurred and I am no longer there with you, or you are going through my locker without my permission…if that's the case, I'm going to fucking kill you!

Kim let out a small laugh and glanced over at Sean. The agent, already well aware of what Kim had found funny, smiled and wiped a tear from his eye.

"She had the most unique personality." Sean told her. "Kate could make you laugh in just about any situation."

"I knew someone like that too." Kim nodded and looked back to the letter.

If something has happened to me, I want you to know that, whatever it was; it's not your fault. I joined the department because I wanted to better the community, and myself, not because you were doing it too. I knew there were risks involved with a career in law enforcement; you made that clear to me, I only hope you can forgive me for leaving you in such a manner.

You know I don't really believe in God or the afterlife, but if there is a Heaven and Hell, the last thing I want to do is look up and see you taking a downward spiral over this.

I love you. I think deep down, I've always loved you; and I know that you love me too (right?), but you need to move on and continue with your life.

You are an amazing person and your 'Type-A' personality will allow you to excel at whatever you chose to do in life. Remember this, and know that wherever you go, and whoever you find love with, I will always be there with you...

Don't mourn my death Sean…celebrate my life.

I love you, forever and for always,

Kathryn Ann Mossman

For a moment, Kim thought the drops of water hitting the paper were rain, then she realized it was her own silent tears. Reading the letter, she had heard Ron's voice. It was as if he was there with her, reciting the same message into her ear, telling her that he loved her…forever and for always. She folded the letter and handed it back to Sean, but the agent waved it off.

"I want you to keep that Kim," He said, looking her straight in the eyes. "I want you to block out the Sean and Kate references and only hear what the core of the letter is trying to say. If you ever began to feel that you can't go on, you just sit down somewhere private, and you read that letter…as many times as you need to for the hopelessness to pass." He looked up at the sky and took a long labored breath. "It works…I know." Kim looked down at the folded letter in her hands and nodded her head.

"Thank you…"

"Thank Kate," The agent responded. "They're her words, not mine." Slowly, Sean stood up and offered his hand to the redhead.

"I need a few more minutes alone." Kim said, gently unfolding the letter and looking up at him with a slightly more confident expression. "Just a few…"

As Sean slowly headed back toward Susan, he could hear Kim reading the letter out-loud to Rufus. Her voice, while still weak and choked-up, seemed to be steadying with each sentence read.

Middleton High School
Middleton, Colorado – June 17 18:46

"And so, by the power granted to me by the Tri-City High School District and the Colorado Department of Education, I present the Middleton High Class of 2005."

On both sides of the podium, cheers and applause erupted. The entire group of gown-clad students turned to hug, kiss, or high-five each other. Even Kim allowed herself to smile and celebrate. This was it; she was now a high school graduate.

As the graduates began to fan out and regroup with their family and friends, the sound system came alive and began to play a gentle guitar chorus. As the words for the song began to echo across the football field, Kim walked toward the memorial erected for the one student who did not walk today.

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Every member of the Senior Class had graduated today, even Ron. As she approached the five by four framed photo of her best friend, Kim noticed someone else was already there.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Kim approached the solitary student and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey Bonnie." Her former rival turned around in shock and pretended to readjust her non-existent contact lenses.

"Stupid summer air is drying out my contacts…" Bonnie muttered, turning back to face the shrine.

"Yeah, this air can be hell sometimes…" Kim responded, not removing her hand from Bonnie's shoulder.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

After several seconds, the brown-haired cheerleader turned to face Kim.

"I was always such an asshole to him, wasn't I?"

"Actually, the term he used was 'Queen Bitch'." Kim offered. "But he never let it get to him. You could call him a loser and shove him aside, but Ron would just keep on grinning and come up with a funny retort behind your back." Kim smiled at the memories of Ron's cheery disposition.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

Without warning, Bonnie grabbed Kim and hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"I-I'm so sorry…" Kim was caught off guard by the girl's sudden one-eighty in attitude. After a few moments of uneasiness, Kim put her arms around Bonnie and began to comfort her as best she could.

Brick Flagg, evidently noticing his girlfriend's sorrow, came over to offer his condolences and take Bonnie home. Kim watched the quarterback lead the sobbing girl out of the stadium and turned to find her family (Mom, Dad, and Tweebs) as well as Sean standing behind her.

"Congratulations honey!" Kathryn and Bill cheered, running up and hugging their daughter. Sean stood back and watched, exchanging nervous glances with Jim and Tim who appeared to be eying the Glock on his hip in a manner that made him very uncomfortable.

After being smothered half to death by her excited parents, Kim walked over to Sean, who cleared his throat and extended his hand.

"Congratulations Kim, I…" Rather than take the agents hand, Kim wrapped both arms around the man and hugged him. As shocked and confused as Kim had been to be hugged by Bonnie, Sean's confusion was about five times that.

"Thank you." She said, backing up and looking the shocked agent in the eyes.

"Uh, for what?" He asked. Kim reached under her gown and pulled out a folded piece of white paper.

"For this." She replied. Sean smiled and nodded.

"I just wanted to let you know, the suit against you has been dropped." Sean said.

As if Ron's death hadn't been bad enough, three days after the shooting a lawyer, representing 'the interests of the Noble Family' had filed a lawsuit against Kim in civil court for wrongful death. According to him, Erik Noble was actually helping the rescue team in the retrieval of Dr. Possible and was firing on the terrorists when Kim shot him.

The Bureau reviewed Kim's statements taken between the shooting and news of Ron's death and concluded that the shooting was completely justified. They provided the Possible's with a team of defense attorneys who, apparently, made quick work in getting the suit dropped.

"What about the other lawsuit?" Kim asked.

On June 12, Kim had learned from her parents that Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable had also filed a lawsuit for wrongful death, this time against the FBI.

"The Bureau has decided to settle out of court." Sean informed her. "They're getting 1.2 million and, from what I heard, are moving out West after the funeral."

"Yeah," Kim replied. "I heard about them moving…" The two stood in awkward silence for a few seconds before Sean spoke up.

"So what are you going to do now?" Sean asked. Kim gave a slight shrug and looked back to her family.

"I'm not really sure at the moment. I'm thinking about late-admission to Harvard, but I'm not sure what I want to major in. After that…I don't know."

"Well," Sean replied, fishing a business card from his wallet. "If you ever want to consider a career in federal law enforcement, I have a good friend over at Quantico…the Bureau would love to have you aboard. Think you'd be interested?" Kim looked over the card and smiled slightly.

"Well see…"

- The song was "Time of Your Life" by Green Day. It was mainly put in to signify the graduation, but if you choose to find deeper meaning in it, be my guest. Next chapter: Epilogue.