Epilogue

Face sat in his Corvette in one of his favorite locations that overlooked the ocean.

He liked to come to this spot to think and clear his head; something he seemed to be doing a lot of lately.

The team would be starting its first job since Face had been injured the next day and Face was looking forward to things getting back to normal. He had taken strides toward that end over the last few weeks by moving out of Hannibal's condo, finishing up his physical therapy, and ridding himself completely of his cane.

It was when he was unpacking up his belongings that Face noticed the envelope Amy had left for him. It took him a shot of scotch before he had the nerve to even open the envelope…and one more before he could begin reading. By the time he was through he had downed a couple more. He wasn't a big drinker so it hit him hard, but no harder than the words on the pages. She had gone for broke and poured out her heart...and in the process reminded him of why he had loved her so much to begin with.

Her final paragraphs were permanently etched into his mind:

Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote the following words: "I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.'

I never truly understood the meaning of this phrase until my own actions caused me to lose the man that I love. In my darkest moments, which are many these days, I look back at the precious time spent and don't regret a second. I am a better woman for having known him and his wonderful friends. What I do regret, however, is that we won't have more time. I wish we had time to build memories and start a new life together.

This reporter has spent years following leads and looking for the next big story. What I know now is that this should have been the biggest story of my live…my love story. Unfortunately, for me there will be no happy ending. I can only hope and pray that for my love the same won't be true.

Amy Allen

Breathing in the salt air, Face could see a new pier being built in the distance. It was a replacement for a pier that had began to lean and eventually collapsed due to a weak foundation.

Perhaps that was what had gone wrong between him and Amy; the foundation for a relationship had been too weak. If that was true then, like the pier, they could start over. They could start from scratch, build a strong foundation and stand together for years to come.

On a whim…though in reality it had been building for weeks…Face picked up the phone and dialed the seven digits.

"Hello, you have reached Amy Allen. I am unavailable to take your call, but of you leave your name and number I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Have a nice day."

Just hearing her voice again stole his breath and it took him a few seconds after the beep before he could speak.

"Hi…um…Amy…it's Face…er…Templeton. I…um…just wanted to tell you that I agree with you. It's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all. But you know what is even better? Not losing.

So…well…anyway…the guys and I will be out of the country for a few weeks and I was thinking that…um…when I get back you might want to take a walk on the beach with me?

There's this new pier I thought we could check out together…"

The End