From his vantage point over the garden, Cam watched with satisfaction as Maya walked into the school. Seeing the smile on her face as she'd realized that he was there had been one of the greatest things he could ever hope to experience. He remembered how he'd first felt when he'd moved on, and could sense the same feeling from Maya as she danced in the snow. He hadn't known until he'd passed just how deep their connection had run. In their short time together, Cam and Maya had experienced something that most people search for all of their lives and still never find: a deep, lasting love that could defy even death. He would miss what he could've had if he hadn't moved on, but there was no sense dwelling in that state forever. Just as Maya had known, Cam knew that it was not goodbye. It would never be goodbye.

Maya would be okay. She would graduate from Degrassi and travel to New York, LA, wherever the music took her. She would play concerts under the stars, gracing the world with a breathtaking sound of music. And someday, Maya would fall in love again, even if the small piece of Cam never left her heart. She'd settle down in a beautiful house, maybe overlooking the ocean. Every morning, she would wake up to the sound of the wind whistling through the window and remember that everything was okay. She would finally have that feeling that everyone she cares for is taken care of, in some way.

And someday, like the souls before her, Maya's time would run out. She would be old and gray, but her blue eyes would never lose their vibrancy, even after all the years. She'd kiss her grandchildren one last time and look back on her life with the realization that she'd made good on the promise to someone from so long ago. And as she crossed, she would become a reflection of her happiest memory, of the moment that she realized she was going to make it after all, even when the unthinkable happened. Of course, Cam would be there to greet her, with open arms.

Cam was energy now, but he knew this wasn't something new. Whenever he thought of Maya now, he felt himself drift back, not to that first moment in French class, but to something beyond the beginning of time. He knew that, at one time, their souls were pure energy, together as one, and now, before either one of them knew it, they'd be together again. For now, he would preserve their love in the heavens. It was up to Maya to keep it alive in her memory on Earth. And he believed, more than anything, that she would, no matter what transpired throughout her life.

Now, surrounded by the stars again, Cam looked around with intrigue. Orion was panting by his side, forever as faithful as he'd been in life.

"Where to first, boy?" Cam asked. The dog barked, looking up at him. Cam thought for a moment. He'd always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, and he knew the sun would be rising over Arizona very soon. He knew the colors of the canyon at first light would be amazing, particularly with his view. Now that his heart was no longer weighed down, he could fly anywhere. And with one more smile, Cam and Orion soared through the stars to catch the sun.

"Seeing death as the end of life is like seeing the horizon as the end of the ocean."

-David Searls

RIP Campbell Saunders

THE END