I couldn't let another year pass by without finishing this story. This last chapter has been written for an age, but I was never happy with it until now. I hope you all will forgive me for leaving it so long. To everyone who stuck with it all this time, THANK YOU. Your support means the world. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2015.

It had been just over three days since the idea to part ways with each other and have their memories washed away had come about. Though it was far from a perfect solution, and as hard as it was to imagine not knowing each other, to Monica at least, it truly seemed like the only way to fully move on and recover from the entire ordeal. Of all the things that Andrew would have thought of to remedy the situation, it certainly would never have been this, but Monica had always been adept at thinking of solutions to problems and he couldn't help but give her credit where it was due with this one. Sometimes he felt like she was much wiser than she even knew herself.

Going forward with this decision was painful to think about but in reality, it was brilliant. There was an odd sense of tranquility in knowing that they would be going back to their old lives, able to focus on work, and no longer have to deal with these overwhelming emotions any longer. As angels, dealing with love and loss and unbearable grief of this nature should never have been something they had known. As it happened, they had experienced something that no two other angels ever had. Coming back from this on their own felt like an impossibility.

It wasn't what either of them wanted, of course. The true 'perfect' solution would be going back to how things were before all of this had happened. But that wasn't an option – it wasn't as if they could go back in time and take it all back. It had been simple really, asking this of the Father. With a shaking voice, and holding onto Andrew's hand so tight her knuckles were white, Monica had asked Him if He would be willing to do that for them, even though it wasn't one of the choices they had been given. She had an answer within seconds.

"He ... said yes," she whispered tearfully, releasing her grip on his hand and looking away. A part of her had hoped that maybe He wouldn't agree, that they wouldn't be left with the reality of walking away forever on their own terms. But she knew inside that it was the best way, the only way. It was the chance they needed to start fresh and begin again. Surprisingly, it was Andrew that was having a more difficult time accepting it. At first, he had agreed but when he really gave himself time to dwell on it, he absolutely loathed the idea.

"I really don't know about this," he said quietly several days later, raking his fingers through his hair in agitation. They had just spent another day avoiding the situation entirely and once again, he suddenly felt the need to try and talk her out of it.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Monica … please can we talk about this?" He asked her desperately, abandoning his decision to not try to convince her that this would be a horrible mistake.

"Andrew," she replied gently with a sigh, stomach twisting at the pain she could so very clearly see in his eyes, "I know it sounds awful, I do. But … can't you see? It's the only way. Unless you have a better idea … "

"But I DO," he shot back, louder than he meant to and he instantly regretted it when she shied away from him slightly, her eyes wide at his outburst.

"I do have a better idea," he started again, taking care to control his tone for her sake, "but I've already said it six times and if you don't think that being human, together, you and me, is something that you can handle, then who am I to ask that of you? I just wish you could see what I see when I picture us that way … I love you, why is that not enough?! This is absolutely insane, how can you even think that this is okay?!"

"God, Andrew … please, I can't keep having this fight with you," she replied desperately, her voice breaking, "it's not that I can't see a life with you, it's not that I don't want that! But you don't know what it was like, you weren't there, you can't make that decision fully informed, not like I can! I just feel like I'll never have peace again, always worrying about everything and wondering if we've made a terrible mistake. At least this way, we can walk away and it'll only hurt for a minute. We won't remember and it won't matter … "

"You think it won't matter, but I'm not so sure," Andrew countered, his words dripping with bitterness, "I think deep down, it's always going to matter. Even if we don't know what it is, there's always going to be something missing inside. We're going to be working and focused and sure, it'll be like before we met except for one thing … there's going to be a giant hole in our hearts and we'll be lucky if that alone doesn't destroy us. Just think about that for a second. It's not right, me without you … "

At that, Andrew turned on his heel and stalked out of the room and out the back door, leaving Monica alone with her shattered heart and the echo of his last words to her in the air. She didn't want to think about that because she feared that he was right. Deep down, it would always hurt, being apart from each other, even if they didn't understand why or what was missing. Their love, and the bond that their friendship had forged between them years ago ran deeper than even they knew.

Monica counted to sixty in her head and then followed him. It was colder out, the sky was a slate grey and there were snow flurries in the air, the first of the season. She wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep warm and headed towards the clearing in the middle of the woods. Instinctively, she knew he'd be there, and she was right. As she neared the opening in the trees, she could make out his figure leaning against the trunk of a pine. Even with his back to her, the shaking of his shoulders gave it away that he was crying. In all the years that she'd known Andrew, she could count on one hand the times that she had seen him openly lose control of his emotions. Normally, it was she who had always needed a shoulder to cry on and it was him who had always been there for her, forever the sounding board, always the protector and the one to chase away the tears. Monica's stomach lurched painfully at the sight of him in such a vulnerable state as it was so extraordinary unlike him.

She purposefully stepped on a twig as she approached him in an effort to alert him to her presence. Immediately, he tried to mask the fact that he'd been crying but his attempt was half-hearted and futile. She reached up and took both of his hands in hers and pulled them away from his eyes.

"You don't always have to be the strong one, you know," she said, doing her best to keep her trembling voice steady. Like he had done for her so many times in the past, she gently brushed away a tear as it fell from his emerald eye.

"I don't like this," he said finally, after several long moments of silence, his voice hoarse with emotion.

"I know," she replied, her own voice but a whisper, taking his hand again and threading her fingers through his.

"Please do this, Andrew. For me, please … " she all but begged him, her eyes pleading, piercing into his heart.

"What if this turns out to be the biggest mistake we ever make?" He asked her, his very last effort to try to change her mind.

"I suppose that's just a risk we'll have to take," she answered softly a moment later, her brown eyes flooded with unshed tears. Andrew slid his arm around her waist and tugged her closer, burying his face in her hair and holding her as tight as he could, and he knew then that that was it.

"No," he said, voice muffled against her auburn tresses, "I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree on this one."

He drew back from her just enough to meet her lips with his, kissing her softly before continuing,

"I love you, it's very simple," he said, with a heavy sigh of surrender, "and because I love you, I'll do this for you, even though I don't like it. Even though I think this is the worst idea in the history of the world, I'll do it. If you're sure that this is what you want, I'll do this for you because I love you."

Before she could say anything back, he captured her lips again and this time, he could taste tears at the corners of her mouth. Andrew knew that no amount of begging or pleading with Monica to change her mind would help now. It was done, decided and he was simply tired of fighting with her. Knowing that their time was limited, arguing with her was the very last thing that he wanted to do. He too was emotionally drained and truly didn't know how much more he could take.

"I just have one condition to all of this," he said carefully, "if we're going to do this, we just do it. I don't want to wait for them to come for us, I don't want it to be like last time. I can't bear it for anyone to take you from me again. We know what's coming, so let's just go. The longer we wait, the less strength I'm going to have to let you go."

Monica sucked in a quick breath as her heart thudded against her chest at his words and she gripped him tighter. She wanted this, yes, but the thought of just picking up where they were and going right then and there was more than unpleasant.

"You want to go … now?"

"No," he answered matter-of-factly, reaching out and cupping her cheek in his palm, "I want to take you back inside, cook a meal, light a fire, and … no, wait … forget the meal …" His voice was low and his eyes darkened significantly.

"I just want you and I want to forget one last time what you're asking me do. Then, we go in the morning. Okay?" His lips were on hers again before she could even think of a reply and his intention was clear as he grasped her hand in his and lead her back to the house.

The warm afternoon sun melted into blackness and gave way to a brilliant, clear night. The clouds from earlier in the day had blown over and left a soft, downy blanket of snow covering the earth. The magical effect of the moonlight glittering on the drifts was beautiful, but it could not be compared to the magic happening within the walls of the small log house tucked away in the woods. The pair inside knew nothing except each other, the intense heat of passion contrasting sharply with the still air of their surroundings. Much like the last time that they had experienced an impending separation, though it was on their terms this go around, time seemed to speed up drastically the moment they made their decision. But unlike last time, when they had been so shaken up and Monica physically ill, and anger had fueled Andrew's emotions and words, there seemed to be a peace that settled over them now, which helped to mask the profound sadness of what was coming. Last time, they had spent their last hours together dreading the dawn and fearing what it would bring. This time, they knew exactly what was coming and they spent every moment of what remained just loving each other and trusting in the fact that soon, it would truly all be behind them. No more would they have to worry or wonder about things that were simply out of their control and understanding.

The night was over before they knew it. As the sun rose above the horizon and bathed the mountainside in a wash of brilliant light, it was also setting on their time together.

"Is this selfish, Andrew … " Monica asked softly, snuggling further into his arms and closing her eyes, "taking the easy way out?"

Andrew considered her statement thoughtfully.

"I don't think this is the easy way out," he replied, his hold on her tightening instinctively, "walking away from you, knowing that it's the end, forever. There's nothing easy about that at all. You might be right, that it'll only hurt for a minute and then we won't know any better but … that one minute isn't going to feel so great."

She knew that he was being too kind with his words. That moment when they said goodbye for the last time and walked away would be far worse than not great and that the longer they waited, the worse it would be. She turned to him then and the look in her eyes spoke volumes. It was time to go, but she couldn't say it out loud. She didn't trust herself to speak but she didn't have to. Andrew knew. He brushed his thumb over her cheek and then kissed the same spot softly. He nodded and tried to put on a brave face for her sake.

They only had to will themselves away from the mountain house and mere moments later, they found themselves in the same place of reflection in a far corner of Heaven where they had been reunited mere days ago. In the distance, Tess stood waiting for them, already briefed on the situation. Still grasping Monica's hand tightly in his, Andrew stepped out first and lead the way to meet her.

Tess watched the pair approach with a sadness in her heart that she couldn't remember ever feeling before. When she had been informed of what was to come, she couldn't quite believe it. More so when she learned that it had been Monica's idea. The three of them working together had been such a constant over the years. Imagining the happy trio broken up and going separate ways was devastating, especially given the circumstances. It was a huge blow for her too, losing them both at the same time.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, babies?" She asked sadly when they finally stood before her.

Monica couldn't speak still and only nodded, biting her lip against the tears that she was trying desperately to contain. She braved a glance in Andrew's direction and found him in a similar state.

"When the Father informed me of your decision, I honestly didn't know what to think," Tess began, reaching out and taking each one of their hands in one of her's, so they stood in a circle, "but I know that you wouldn't have decided this without giving it a lot of thought, so I won't argue. I love you both so much and I'm very proud of you. I hope that you can both go forward from today renewed and with peace in your hearts."

With that, Tess stepped forward and embraced them tightly in turn. She would always think of them more as children than just charges under her watchful eye.

"So, you'll say goodbye here and when you walk away from this place, you leave your memories of each other and your time together behind. The Father will take care to replace those memories with new ones and it will be as if you never met each other and continued on separate paths. You'll each be given the option of new jobs or staying where you are, but you'll have a new supervisor either way. My memories of you, along with the rest of our mutual friends, will not be affected by your decision. Our memories remain intact and it'll be up to us to keep them tucked away for both of your sakes. Do you have any questions for me, babies?"

Monica had dozens, but she kept them to herself. Looking into Andrew's distressed eyes, she asked only one,

"Is there a chance that Andrew and I will ever meet again?"

Andrew's heart thudded painfully against his chest and he squeezed her hand tighter. He hadn't thought of that.

"Well," Tess answered carefully, "you can decide that right here and now. If you want the Father to ensure that you never cross paths again, He is willing to do that. Otherwise, there is always a chance that someday, somewhere, you might meet again. But that's up to you."

Andrew turned to face Monica with a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

"I think we just found our compromise," he said quietly, tucking a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "I'll do this for you, even though I really don't want to, if you agree to leave the possibility of meeting again up to chance for me."

She smiled back slightly, a single tear escaping her eye, and she nodded. He didn't waste any more time and gathered her fully into his arms and held on tighter than he ever had before.

"I think I can do that," she replied softly into his ear, "at least we have that."

"This is my cue to go, I think," Tess said in the background, regarding them both warmly, "you both know what to do when you're ready." She was gone before either of them could blink, leaving them alone to say goodbye.

Andrew didn't loosen his hold on Monica for several long minutes. It wasn't easy, letting go for the last time, especially now that there was nothing else left to do but walk away. He lowered his lips to hers in a fierce kiss, so full of love for her in that moment that he thought he might break in half. He had no idea how he was going to let her go now. She tightened her arms around his neck and tried not to think about the fact that the time had finally come, but she was failing and the tears were building rapidly.

"I don't know if I can do this … " she said softly, a small sob catching in her throat. Andrew felt his heart leap but he didn't dare get his hopes up that she could be changing her mind at the last minute. He pulled away from her enough to look into her maple eyes.

"Of course you can do this," he whispered back, forcing a small smile, "it'll only hurt for a minute, remember?"

That was all it took for her to lose what control she had. He had been right. This minute was going to be the very worst of them all. The internal war against her emotions was finally lost and she buried her face in his shirt and dissolved completely. Andrew's own eyes shone with tears and he lifted them to the sky and prayed for strength for what had to happen now.

"Look at me," he said after a few moments, gently lifting her face so that he could look her in the eyes, "I love you more than I can even say, I know you know that …" He could feel her trembling beneath his touch.

"You have changed me forever and I wouldn't be the angel I am today had you not walked into the picture all those years ago. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like not knowing you, but I'm positive that a life without you in it simply won't be as bright."

Monica just nodded, every breath she took a gasp between sobs.

"I wish that I could promise you the world, but I can't. I can only promise you one thing now, Princess - that I will always love you," Andrew said, taking her hand and holding it over his racing heart.

"The funny thing about memories is that they only live in our thoughts and in our eyes. So my mind might forget you and my eyes will forget your beautiful face … but my heart can't forget you and it will never, ever forget that I love you."

Monica stepped out of his embrace then, tears still cascading down her face. She knew that if she didn't go now, she never would. She squeezed his hand tightly one last time and flashed him a brilliant smile through her tears.

"I love you, Andrew."

And then she backed away from him slowly, eyes locked on his, taking in his glistening green eyes and sandy blonde hair for the last time. Andrew swallowed hard against the painful lump in his throat as he watched her go and he had to fight himself to not leap after her. Somehow, he remained standing where she had left him. She had gone all of four steps when he was suddenly struck with a thought and called after her.

"Monica, wait … I almost forgot …"

He moved forward and closed the distance between them quickly. He reached inside the left front pocket of his coat and withdrew the fine gold watch that he'd carried as long as Monica had known him. She knew what he was going to do before he even spoke.

"I want you to have this."

He reached for her hand and placed the watch into her palm. She shook her head and blinked quickly through a fresh round of tears.

"Andrew, no … I can't, you love this watch, it's so special to you," she said hoarsely but he wouldn't hear it.

"Not nearly as special as you. I want you to have a piece of me with you, and this way … you always will." He pressed his hand into hers, closing her fingers around the watch, and drew her into his arms one more time.

"Now go … or I won't let you."

She tore her eyes from his then with a nod, turned away, and began walking. Where she was going, she wasn't sure. But she knew that with every step she took, she was closer to being free from the heartache and the pain of losing him again. She didn't dare look back because she knew that if she did, she wouldn't be able to keep going. With a deep breath and all of the strength that she possessed in her entire being, she gripped the gold pocket watch and stepped forward into a bright flash of light and her last thought of this life was wondering if she would meet Andrew again.

Editing in the 'COMPLETE' label to the summary was a little strange. Honestly, I don't think I'll EVER be ready to give these angels up. So, there will be a sequel. Hope that's okay with you all.

;)