Well...sad news.

This is the second last chapter. All that's left is the epilogue.

You guys have no idea what this realization is doing to me. I'm literally sitting here, crying, because when I finished editing this chapter, I knew it was almost over.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Without further ado, here's the next chapter.

Don't kill me.

Chapter Thirty-Four

July 28, 1945

It was raining.

Not that Meg was surprised by this; it was July in London after all.

Hurrying down the stone steps, she opened her umbrella before blending in with the crowd.

She had been back in London for almost three weeks, but it felt like much longer; so much longer since Austria.

Upon her arrival at Base, Marco had summoned her and Adam to his office separately. Meg was first, and when she stood before him, she couldn't help but run into Marco's outstretched arms. She had always kept the professional distance, but after everything that had happened recently, she needed the comfort of a father's arms.

"I'm alright," she assured him, and for the first time it was the truth.

She didn't know if it was Lew, or the fact that everything was at peace, but she hadn't had a single nightmare since everything had happened. It had worried her at first that maybe her brain was in denial, but even after arriving back in England the nightmares had stayed away.

After their reunion, Marco had told Meg to sit, a look of worry spreading across his face. It terrified her, and she wondered what he could possibly be planning to say.

"Just tell me," she'd insisted, knowing the news wasn't good. There was no way he would be making that face if it were good news.

"We're retiring you from duty," he said, putting it straightforward.

Meg let out the breath she had been holding. She knew this was a big possibility, especially after everything. She knew Marco wouldn't be able to keep his fatherly feelings out of this, but she also knew it was the wrong choice. She had been an agent for over ten years; she was willing to give ten more.

When she told this to Marco, he shook his head.

"We're not asking you for more Meg. You're done serving."

Before she had time to protest, he continued.

"Since you've been gone we've had a great influx in IIAA students. With the war as good as over, no doubt more agents will be willing to enroll their children. We're going to need more teachers; teachers who have actually been on the field and done what they're teaching."

Meg realized what he was saying, her eyes widening.

"We want you to teach for the IIAA."

Although it wasn't what she wanted to do, it was a big honor. And if staying an agent in the field wasn't an option, what better way to use her talents than to teach students who would one day be taking her place in the IIA world.

But what about Lew? What about the perfect life she pictured them having? While it would have been hard, but not impossible, for her to be an IIA agent and live in New Jersey, being a teacher for the IIAA required her to be in England. Living in the States was completely out of the question.

Would Lew want to move to England and live with her? Did he love her enough to give up absolutely everything? Did she want him to?

"Meg?" Marco asked, bringing her back to the present. "Do you have an answer?"

Despite everything, she'd be an idiot to not take it.

"Alright," she said, smiling as she stuck out her hand for a handshake.

It was time for new beginnings.

Now here she was, hurrying through the rain to get to a familiar pub. She was running late and she knew it was something she would be called out on upon her arrival.

Walking through the door, she shook her umbrella and closed it up, setting it in the umbrella stand by the door.

"There she is!" Harry shouted when she approached them, shaking the water droplets from her coat. He raised his half empty glass in her direction, as if he was cheersing her.

"Sorry," she apologized as the rest of the men at the table turned to look at her. She looked around, taking a mental roll call.

Harry, Ron, Dick, and Lew.

They were all here. They were all safe. A breath she didn't realize she had been holding was released. Then her eyes widened slightly as her mind registered that Dick there and Harry laughed, throwing his arm around the major's shoulders and squeezing him roughly.

"We practically dragged him from his room," he explained and Meg shook her head as she slid into the booth next to Lew. Immediately his hand found hers under the table, squeezing it tightly. It had been so long since she had seen him, it was driving her crazy.

"That eager to see me again Dick?" she teased as she returned Lew's hand squeeze, stroking her thumb over his palm.

"That's what they said to finally convince me," Dick explained with a roll of his eyes. "'How do you think Meg's gonna feel if you don't show up to see her Dick?' So now I have to keep everyone in line while we're here."

"Well I can help you with that," Meg said with a smile. "I have classes tomorrow morning so I can't be drinking."

"Look at you, a big time teacher now," Lew said, speaking for the first time. "Giving all your students the opportunity to hear your war stories?"

"They wish," Meg snorted. "Tomorrow's a decoding test. They need to pass six of them before they can get a pass and move up a level," she explained, reaching over to take a sip of Lew's whiskey.

She had missed him. She had missed all of them over the past three weeks, but mostly Lew.

She and Lew had kept to their word, writing letters to each other as much as possible. It was almost like he was back at Aldbourne and she was stationed back in London. Back before the war had damaged them all.

When he had written that he and some of the guys were taking a week long furlough in London, she had to hold back from bouncing around the room with the excitement of seeing them. Of seeing him.

But her excitement was marred slightly. Marred by the fact that she had to talk to him. They had to discuss what was in their future, and she didn't think he'd like to hear what she had to say. She had thought they'd have more time to live in perfect, engaged bliss, but now he was here, and it couldn't be put off. She had to tell him.

Pushing those depressing thoughts from her mind, she moved her hand up to pat his thigh, squeezing it lightly. He glanced down at her, grinning at the touch and she blushed. She had missed that grin.

Seeming to notice the sideways glances passing between the two, Harry slid out of the booth, motioning to the bar.

"Dick, Ron, come with me to get a drink," he said, trying to be casual.

"Harry..." Dick said, obviously about to remind the Lieutenant that he didn't drink.

"Just walk with us," Ron said gruffly, catching on and practically pushing Dick out of the booth.

"Real subtle," Lew said as the three men walked away. Meg just chuckled, turning to face him. Reaching up, she placed her left hand on his jaw, stroking the skin with her fingers. She had almost forgotten what he felt like.

Obviously wanting more than that, Lew leaned in and captured her lips with his. However, before it had really started, he pulled away.

It was much too fast for her liking and she sighed, knowing it was all they could manage in public.

"I've missed you, again," she said, both of them smirking.

"Same here," Lew replied, reaching up to brush a damp strand of hair behind her ear. Despite her umbrella, the rain had somehow still managed to soak her hair.

"Lew I..." Meg started before trailing off. She didn't want to have this conversation here. Not when the others would be returning any minute. Neither of them deserved that; and selfishly she hoped she could put it off forever. "How have things been in France?" she asked, changing the subject. Lew noticed but he didn't say anything.

"Alright. A lot of the men have gone on to other things so there aren't a lot of Easy left together."

"When do you think you boys will get shipped to the Pacific?" she asked and Lew shrugged, leaning back in the booth.

"Who knows," he responded, lifting his glass to his lips. "Are you sure I can't get you anything?" he asked, nodding in the direction of her empty hands.

She shook her head, reaching over to straighten his Captains bars on his collar.

He watched her hand before looking up into her eyes.

"Is it bad that all I want to do right now is take you back to my hotel room and make love to you all night long?" he asked, his voice becoming husky. It sent chills down Meg's spine.

"No, because I want the same thing," she whispered, looking down at her lap before glancing back up to catch his eye.

It was at that moment that the other three returned, Harry and Ron with drinks in hand.

"We're heading out," Lew announced as he slid out of the booth.

"Already? But Meg just got here," Harry whined but Lew ignored him, practically shoving Meg's coat up her arms.

"It was nice seeing you boys again," Meg said with a smile. "I'm sure I'll see more of you in the coming week."

The three tipped their hats to Meg as Lew began to herd her toward the door.

They barely made it to his hotel room. In the elevator he pinned her against the wall, pulling her coat back to trail kisses down her neck as he held her wrists up above her head. She sighed as his lips seared her skin. This was what she had missed; the passion and fire between them.

When the elevator opened on the fourth floor he grabbed her hand, yanking her down the hallway and to a stop outside his door. As he fumbled with his key she grew bold, stepping forward and reaching up to kiss his ear, sucking gently before scraping her teeth across it.

"Meg," his voice came out strangled as the keys jangled more in his hands. She smirked, taking them from him and sliding the correct one into the lock.

Lew pushed the door open with her body, shoving her into the room and kicking the door shut behind them.

Pinning her back up against the wall, he ripped her coat off her arms, flinging his arm back to toss it behind them. Grabbing her by the hips, he lifted her up, Meg wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Lew," she whispered against his lips, lifting her arms up to run her fingers through his hair. She needed this. She needed to feel him. To remember him. To never forget what this felt like.

As he carried her to the bed, she turned her head away from him, reaching up to wipe a tear from her cheek.

As dawn approached, Meg lay there, awake but exhausted. She smiled as Lew traced kisses down her side, his stubble tickling her skin.

They hadn't slept a wink all night, instead spending the time getting reacquainted with each other's bodies. What had started out rough and full of need had turned into gentle, soft, romantic passion and Meg never wanted it to end.

But it had to.

"I'm not going to be able to stay awake for my classes today," she said, her fingers moving on their own accord to run through his hair.

"Call them off. Stay with me," he said, his lips reattaching to her skin.

"I can't," she said and he stopped, looking up at her.

They both realized at the same moment exactly what she meant.

She loved him, she truly did, but she also loved the IIA. It was her life. Could she really give it up for New Jersey? Could she ask him to give up New Jersey for her?

The answer to both those questions was no, and they both knew it.

"Meg," Lew said before cutting himself off. He pulled himself up next to her, resting his forehead against hers. "No," he said, seeming to decide something. "I can't do that to you."

"Lew," Meg started to protest but he shook his head, cutting her off.

"You and I both know how much you love the IIA. It's what you were born to do. I can't be selfish and ask you to give it all up and move to New Jersey with me."

Meg wanted so much to argue with him; to tell him he was wrong and she wanted nothing more than to join him in New Jersey forever. But something held her back. It was her hesitation that made him nod.

"I never used to understand when people would say they loved something enough to let it go," Lew said, leaning over to kiss her shoulder. "Now I do."

"Lew," Meg said, feeling tears begin to form. She had never been much of a crier before meeting Lewis Nixon. How had he changed that in her?

He reached up, swiping a thumb under each eye to catch the tears that were there.

Realizing he was waiting for her to say something, she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry," Lew said as he pulled her close. "Let's not worry about this today. Today, there's just you and me, nothing else, alright?"

She nodded as he pulled her in for a kiss.

She would cry about it later.

Two days later Japan surrendered. The streets filled with people as they cheered and celebrated. Meg stayed in her office, looking down at everything from the large office window.

She didn't feel like celebrating much of anything.

A knock caused her to jump and turn around. Adam was standing there, an apologetic smile on her face.

"Alright kiddo?" he asked, coming to stand next to her.

Unlike Meg, Adam hadn't been relieved of duty. He was still an agent, going off on missions. He had a new teammate, a man named Gerald who was a little younger than Meg, fresh out of the IIA. Adam got annoyed with him sometimes, just as any seasoned agent would do with a newbie, but Meg knew he was a good kid. In fact, he probably made a better partner than she had.

She'd be the last to admit she was jealous; but she was.

"I'm alright," Meg said, turning from the window to look at him. As her brother, he could tell from her facial expression that she was far from alright but he ignored it, holding out an envelope.

"This was dropped off for you," he said as she took it, knowing immediately who it was from. She didn't even have to look at the familiar writing on the front.

With trembling hands she tore it open, holding back a sob when her mother's ring fell out, landing in her palm.

"Is that..." Adam started but stopped, realizing the object had upset Meg. Sliding it onto her finger, she reached into the envelope and pulled out a slip of paper, unfolding it.

Meg,

With things ending how they have, I don't deserve to hold onto this. I'm returning it to you, because I know how much it means to you. I will always remember how much it meant for you to give it to me. I'll remember that moment for the rest of my life. What you were wearing, the look on your face, how your hair smelled, and how perfect that ring felt resting against my skin with my tags.

I love you. I always have and I always will. That won't change because of all this. We both know you need the IIA in your life, and it's because of that that I'm letting you go. How could I ever expect you to move to New Jersey with me, when you belong in England, doing the job you've trained for your whole life? I've been called selfish and spoiled in the past, but this would take the cake. You deserve to be happy Meg, and the IIA deserves to have its best agent teaching its pupils. I won't be the person who comes in the way of all that.

I'll never forget you and I hope you'll never forget me. Know that.

Much love,
Lew.

Unable to help it, Meg raised a hand to her mouth, covering it as a strangled sob tore from her lips. She knew this was happening, but seeing it written on paper was so much harder than she had ever imagined.

How could she do this to them? Why wasn't she changing her mind?

Because deep down, she knew it was the right thing to do.

Instinctively, Adam stepped forward, wrapping his sister in a hug. At the contact, her body shook as cries poured from her, tears drenching his shirt.

"It's alright Meg," he said, rubbing her back with his hand. "It'll be alright. Whatever it is, it'll be alright."

Her hand dropped down, the letter dangling lose from her grip. Adam easily pried it away, eager to see what Lewis Nixon had said to make his sister so torn up.

As his eyes skimmed the page, his whole demeanor changed. He finished it with a sigh.

It turned out Lewis Nixon was an alright man after all.

Okay, okay, I know. You all are probably mad and angry and sad and all those negative emotions that you could possibly be. But, before you think the phrase "cop-out" or think that I got lazy and just decided to do this, know that I had the ending written before I was even done with the first 1/4 of this story. Like I mentioned above, I'm crying. I cried when I wrote it the first time all the way back in July; I cried when I edited it tonight. It's tough, but it's how I always planned on it going.

That being said, feel free to let me know what you think!

LovingBOBThePacific - I'm impressed you picked up a special connection with Marco! Impressed and pleased that the undercurrents of the relationship came out a bit so it wasn't completely BAM out of nowhere. I'm interested to hear what you think about this chapter...because I'm pretty sure you're not gonna be too happy with me. :( HOWEVER, if you're not ready to never talk to me again by the time you read this, I'll let you know I've been posting my Aaron fic on my Tumblr (kayteetootle) and people seem to be LOVING it hahaha. It's a little on the...uh, more PG-13 side but if you want, go check it out. Thanks for your review!

IceColdInAlex - Thanks for your review! Stunning!? The last chapter was stunning!? That's an incredible word and I don't think anyone's ever used it to describe my work before! So thank you. In regards to Meg saying "will you tell them," it's meant in reference to her whole ordeal with the General and Christian. I had originally written the scene out differently in my first draft so maybe it got a little lost in translation there. Basically, Meg didn't want to have to retell her story again, but those men all saw her beaten up and near death so obviously they're wondering what happened. That was her being caring enough to have someone tell them what happened. As for calling me cruel for separating them...I'm kinda nervous about what you're going to say to me now...

ilovemedia18 - Thank you for reviewing! Don't worry, as you can probably tell from this chapter, she's not going to Japan! And yeah, poor Lew. And poor Meg too. Poor both of them. Poor you, and poor me, and poor everyone who reads this chapter hahaha

G.E. Brooks - First I want to tell you that I have to put a space between the E. and the B of your name because otherwise FanFiction like, deletes the Brooks part. I have no idea why...or maybe it's FictionPress. Either way, I'm not taking any chances! hahah thanks for your batch of reviews today! I enjoyed them at work! I can just imagine the HUGE grumpy face you have right now...and I'm pretty sure you knew this was coming hahahaha. It DOES seem like just yesterday! I don't even remember how that happened. All I remember is sending you the bigass file transfer and thinking "oh my God she's going to kill me before this is through..." haha. Thanks for the review! Love you!