A/N: Well, I wasn't going to post this chapter until tomorrow, but then I got two more lovely reviews, and now feel obligated to post this now. Usual disclaimer. Not too much to say about this one. I don't own Casablanca or the song "Time After Time." Read away...

Chapter 43- We're Gonna Be Fine

"Hey, it's ok now
Try not to cry
I don't understand this
Even though I try
You must go your way
I must go mine
And we're gonna be fine

I have to leave now
I know I do
A million reasons say so
Just one says stay—it's you
But look how you're smiling
Is that a sign
That we're gonna be fine

In ways I still can't name
I'll never be the same
You reminded me that I could fly
There's so much that you've already taught me
Can you teach me how to say good-bye

We must move on now
We'll see this through
It's nothing more than
The grown-up thing to do
But always inside me
Your smile will shine
And we're gonna be fine"

We're Gonna Be Fine from Big: The Musical

A few hours later, Greg woke up. Sara sat next to him, stroking his hand gently. He looked up at her and sighed. "Do you want to go get the girls?" he asked quietly. "I need to see them now, and say good-bye."

She nodded mutely and stood, hurrying from the room. Greg closed his eyes and leaned back against the pillow, only opening them again as he felt Nicola throw herself on him. He smiled at her. "Hey, sweetie."

She looked worriedly at him. "Daddy, what's going on? Sara won't tell me, and Aunt Catherine won't stop crying, and Uncle Nicky punched a wall, and—"

"Hey, how about you give me a minute to tell you, alright?" said Greg with a smile, but his eyes remained sad. He sat up slowly and put an arm around Nicola's shoulders. "Nicola, remember when your mom died? I told you that I was going to die soon, too. Well, it's time now. I'm going to go see your mom in Heaven, and I won't be able to be here with you anymore."

Nicola looked at him blankly, face pale. "You're gonna die?" she asked quietly, big blue eyes huge.

Greg nodded. "Yes, sweetie. My body's about ready to give out, and when it does, I'm gonna die."

"But Daddy, you can't die," said Nicola, pitch wavering towards hysteria. "I still need you here! You can't leave me!"

"Sweetheart, I will never leave you," whispered Greg, holding her to him and closing his eyes. "I will always be with you, even if my body isn't here anymore."

"So, you'll be like my guardian angel?"

Greg smiled sadly and kissed her on top of her head. "Exactly. I'll be your guardian angel, watching you from above."

She leaned back and smiled at him. "See, I told you that you were my hero," she said quietly before she threw her arms around him and gave him a huge hug and kiss. "Good-bye, Daddy," she whispered. "I'll miss you."

She hugged him tightly once more before she ran from the room in tears. Sara shared a worried look with Greg and handed him Freya, saying, "I'll go after her. You say good-bye to Freya."

Greg nodded, taking his daughter in his arms. "Hey," he whispered, smiling down at her. She giggled and blew a spit bubble at him, oblivious to what was going on. "Now's when I'm glad you're a baby, so I don't have to explain all of this to you," he said quietly, rocking her gently. "All I need you to know is that I love you. Even if you never remember one thing about me, remember that I love you. Because that is one constant in your life that I promise will never change, no matter what. Even when you're old and gray, I will still love you." He kissed her on the cheek. "Good-bye, my daughter, my baby," he whispered, tears slipping down his face.

Sara came back in the room and took Freya from his when he handed her to her. Greg waved one last time at Freya as Sara carried her from the room. Lying back against his pillow, Greg closed his eyes, allowing the tears to flood down his cheeks.

Sara came back in and silently took his hand. "God, Greg, I don't even know where to begin," she whispered, tears beginning to slide down her cheeks. "I don't know how to say good-bye to you."

"I wish I knew how to say good-bye," he said slowly. He turned to look at her and his expression softened. "Hey, don't cry," he whispered, reaching out and stroking her cheek with one hand. "I hate it when you cry. It'll be ok, sweetheart. One way or another."

"How can it be?" she asked sadly. "You're dying and leaving me here alone. How could that possibly be ok?"

"I'm not leaving you alone," he protested gently, weaving his fingers with hers. "I will never leave you, no matter what. I will always be with you." He paused, then asked contemplatively, "Remember our honeymoon?"

"How could I forget?" she asked mischievously, slow smile spreading over her face.

He grinned, then continued, "Not that part. Remember when we went and danced in the woods?" She nodded silently, eyes searching his, wondering where he was going with this. "Well, remember that song I played for you? Here, I'll refresh your memory a bit." He took a deep breath and sang quietly,

"If you're lost, you can look
And you will find me
Time after time
And if you fall, I will catch you
I'll be waiting
Time after time."

"I promise you, Sara," he said quietly, looking her straight in the eyes, "that's how it'll be with me. I will always be here with you."

"I know," she whispered, tears glinting in her eyes even as she tried her hardest to smile. "I know." She paused, then said worriedly, "I'm just so afraid of what I'm going to do when I can't smell you anymore, when I can no longer hear your voice or your laugh. I don't know what I'll do."

"That's what I made those tapes for," reminded Greg gently. "So that if you ever need to see me or hear me, I'm there. I promised that, and it won't change." She nodded, tears still shining in her eyes. "Hey," he said, smiling sadly as he squeezed her hand. "We'll always have Vegas."

"Casablanca?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Who knew you were such a big Humphrey Bogart fan…"

He just grinned at her. "Here's looking at you, kid," he said gruffly before leaning in and kissing her, deeply and sweetly and everything she needed to feel at that moment. She kissed him back, throwing her arms around her neck and leaning into it. He broke the kiss after a few seconds. "Ok, I think that's enough of that," he said, breathing slightly heavily. He smiled at her, a smile so brilliant and so poignant at the same time that it almost tore her heart in two. "I love you. This is not a final good-bye, because we will see each other some day. This is more like an 'until we meet again.'"

"Until we meet again," whispered Sara, touching his hand. "That has hope to it."

"Yeah," agreed Greg quietly. "Hold on to that hope, even when I'm not here. It'll help you get through the day."

She nodded slowly and clung to his hand tightly. "Greg, I promised I would never leave you. How can this happen?"

"Hey, it's ok," whispered Greg. "You will never leave me, just like I will never leave you. But where I'm going now, you can't follow." He kissed her once more before drawing her against him and just holding her for a few seconds. He let her go and lay back against his pillow slowly. "I'm really tired," he whispered, eyes beginning to close. "I'm gonna sleep now."

"Alright," she whispered, stroking his hand gently. "Sleep well. I love you, and I'll be here when you wake up."

He nodded, eyes already closed, and he murmured before he fell asleep, "I love you, too."

A/N: No, not quite the final good-bye yet. That's in the next chapter. So, just for reference, he's not dead yet. Just sleeping.