Pip's heart pounded as she read it again.

And again.

And again.

Four words, yet they meant so much.

They had done it, Ravi was a no-nonsense guy when it came to things like this.

He wouldn't dawdle around and say this if Max was found innocent.

She turned on the news, and the lady confirmed it. Max Hastings had been found guilty of first-degree murder and first-degree arson.

Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard, unsure what letters to press.

Of course. She decided.

How could she not remember him? She felt her eyes glaze over as a new message popped up on screen.

I've missed you. She could barely see the keys as she typed I missed you too.

She escaped to the bathroom, locking the door behind her as the tears finally escaped, running down her cheeks freely and dripping onto the floor off of her chin.

She saw . . . on screen before another message appeared: So what now?

Honestly, Pip had no idea.

She wanted to get into her car and drive there right now.

She wanted to throw herself into Ravi and cry and apologize for leaving him, all those 697 days ago. She wanted to fit into his shoulder, like the way she used to.

She wanted to see his wide brown eyes glazed over, as he smiled and told her to stop crying. She wanted him to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.

All these wants, they weren't really wants. They were needs. She needed Ravi, she needed her fingers to fit into the dips of his knuckles. But most of all, she needed to see him smile.

To see it cut a dimple into his cheeks, and know she was the reason he was smiling.

The wants faded out of her head as her attention turned back to her phone. She couldn't just go back there now, that would be suspicious. Ravi couldn't leave suddenly, either.

Can I call you? Appeared underneath his last text. Yes. Pip replied. Yesyesyesyesyes.

A few moments later her phone started vibrating. She almost dropped it in the rush of pressing the green button.

She held it up to her ear. "Hey, trouble." Ravi said, softly.

She let out a laugh, tears falling into the open hole that was her mouth.

"Hey," She said. She could hear his breathing through the phone, it was heavy, like he'd been crying too.

"How've you been?" He asked, as Pip shuffled around on the bathroom floor.

"Honestly? I really don't know. Been busy. With school. How's your internship going?" She asked, wiping her cheeks.

"Getting along. Oh, when was the last time you spoke to Josh? On the phone?" He asked.

"Oh. Uhm, A year ago, maybe?" Ravi chuckled.

"You're going to freak out when you hear his voice. He's gotten tall, too. You're still taller, though." Ravi sighed.

"I wish I could see you." He said. "Yeah. Me too," Pip whispered. "Sarge?" Ravi sniffed through the phone.

"Yeah?" She said, rubbing her nose with her palm.

"I love you," She could feel her eyes glazing over again. What she would've given to hear him say that 697 days ago and all the days in between.

"I love you too." Her voice broke midway through.

"I'll be up there tomorrow, okay?" He said, almost whispering.

"Okay." She said, closing her eyes and exhaling shakily. "I love you." Ravi told her again. "I love you too." She said, hanging up.

Because just like 1 year, 8 months and 15 days ago, she never wanted there to be a last time. That night she slept easy, knowing she would see her one and only, her missing cornerstone, for the first time in a forever.

Pip woke up early. She lolled about in bed, waiting for 8 am to come.

She was meeting Ravi in a park at 8:30, and time had decided to be spiteful to her and tick in what felt like eons.

She decided 8:15 was acceptable and started walking to the park, the wind playing with the ends of her hair.

The sun was watery through the clouds, but maybe Ravi's smile would light it up, like it used to.

She was walking on the main path when she saw him. Looking completely nonchalant midstride, his hands in his pockets as he stared off sideways into the trees.

Her heart stopped as she cried out his name. The word rolled off of her tongue, like it had never left.

He looked up, and his face slackened as he saw her running towards him.

He ran too, and he folded his arms around Pip as she buried herself into his shoulder.

"Hey there, Grumpus." He whispered gently.

Pip began apologizing, over and over again as her tears dampened his shoulder.

"Oi." Ravi interrupted. He took her chin between his forefinger and thumb.

"Is- is there someone else?" She asked. She had been wondering this since at least day 27.

Ravi blinked.

"Pippa Fitz-Amobi. I know you're smart, but did you seriously lose that many braincells without me?" He shook his head.

"No. There is no one else, Pip. You're my Sarge, my one and only." He tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear, as she screwed her eyes together to stop herself from crying.

"I love you." She said, slowly opening her eyes.

And there it was. Ravi was smiling, creeping upward from his mouth, through his cheeks, to his eyes. And it lit up the sun, like it always had. She could almost feel the warmth radiating off of it, and it melted her heart.

"Love you too, Sarge."

And he kissed her, and she filled with the glowing feeling she could only get from his kisses.

She wanted to stay like this forever, standing in a park, lit up with the smiling sun, glowing with the feeling. Because they were Ravi and Pip. They were Sarge and Chief Inspector.

The gun was still there, going off inside her. But it sang a new song. Together. Because they were Team Ravi and Pip, and they were together again.