Authors Note: Well this is it, this is the end. It's been a very long journey and I couldn't have made it without help. As I said at the beginning of the first chapter, this story has had five betas; Cynically Optimistic, Agent P!nk, Agent Spade, Malinche and finally DianeM. Crafting this story also took the best part of three or four years, I did have a big break in the middle though. Anyway this is the end, thanks to DianeM for betaaing this part, her eyes are the only ones that have combed over this. Thanks to everybody who has reviewed, in particular thanks to Jbird and JackofSpade for reviewing every chapter, thanks for the constructive criticism and the noting of favourite parts. I've been firmly bitten by the writing bug again so expect to see more J/S works from me soon. Enjoy!
The Malone Residence
Two years later
Jack had never realized he could be so happy. He'd married Maria because he cared for her and loved that she cared for him as well. He'd thought that that was all there was to it. He hadn't realized until he'd met Sam exactly what he'd been missing all those years. True, the last two years hadn't been all smooth sailing. When they'd got engaged last Christmas, there had been the thorny issue of OPR to deal with. Both of them loved Missing Persons, but they couldn't work in the same unit, not and be together publicly. In the end, he had been the one who had stepped aside. He'd taken over another unit, this one focusing on general cases that had federal jurisdiction. It was interesting and varied work; it wasn't his first choice, but being able to be with Sam more than made up for that. Plus, it meant that Viv finally got the top spot. That was his main reason as to why he should transfer and not Sam. He wanted Viv to have the job he'd denied her.
Sam had never realized that she could be so happy. True, it hadn't all been happily ever after. Jack had had to transfer units when they decided that they wanted to go public and get married. She missed working with him; the team wasn't the same without him. The team hadn't been the same in a while. In her mind she'd come to term Jack, Viv, Danny and Martin as the golden team. Viv and Danny were still there and the same as ever, although Viv was the boss now and Danny freelanced after work giving legal advice to those who couldn't afford it at his local community centre. There were two new team members, Paul Travis, a quiet introverted ex-Marine who'd joined the FBI from the crime lab, something to do with an explosion that no one talked about. Then there was Elena Delgado, who had made no secret of the fact that this wasn't her first choice assignment but who had stayed anyway. She thought that there might be something between her and Danny. She hoped it worked out because Danny deserved happiness, everyone did. She hoped that Martin would find it eventually. He had stayed in touch, as promised, although contact was sporadic. She gathered from Danny that he was moving again, to LA this time. Whatever he was searching for, she hoped he found it -- she certainly had.
"Hey, what you thinking about?" Jack asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind as they stood staring out of their window at the New York skyline.
"What are we doing, Jack?"
"We're looking out of the window at the disappointing sunset, I'm wondering how I got to be so lucky and trying to think of a way to proposition you," Jack summarized. Sam looked up at him and met his eyes. He smirked, "Or I could just do this," and with that he kissed her, kissed her so she could feel it. His kisses were always intense, always took her breath away and she reckoned they always would.