While Sara was packing the last of her personal possessions into her standard issue duffel bag, she heard a gentle knock at the door. She smiled to herself before going to open it, guessing that it must be Gowans coming to say goodbye. Sara and Ted had become good friends over the months they'd been training recruits together. He knocked again a little harder and Sara, shouted, "I'm coming, Ted," as she walked to the door.

But when she opened the door it wasn't Ted who was standing outside. The smile that had been playing at the corner of her mouth faded instantly when she met Tegan's hazel eyes looking back at her. Her breath caught in her lungs, and pulse sped up. This is exactly what she wanted to avoid. She didn't want to have to deal with all the emotion that clouded her mind whenever she thought about this woman.

Tegan spoke before Sara could. "Please, Captain. May I come in?" Her voice was soft submissive. Sara could tell that if she told her no, Tegan would leave. But instead of asking her to leave, Sara opened the door wider and nodded. Tegan stepped inside moved out of the way of the door that Sara shut behind her.

Tegan was the picture of humble and passive. She didn't meet Sara's eyes, she barely looked up from her feet. She looked very small to Sara, which was something she never would have said about Tegan before. Tegan didn't say anything for a long time, but Sara could tell she was trying to. So she waited, wondering what Tegan wanted to say that had her acting so out of character.

Tegan took a deep breath. She had come all this way. She was standing in Sara's quarters, something she had wished for many times of the past weeks. But now that she was there, she couldn't speak. She knew she had to say it. She had to tell Sara what had been going through her mind for the past eight weeks. She took a deep breath and lift her head to meet Sara's steady gaze.

"Captain," she mumbled hesitantly. " I, uh… I had to come tell you something. Now that you're leaving, I know I may never see you again, so I had to tell you how I feel." Tegan's chest tightened and she felt tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She cursed silently to herself. Damn it, Quin. You can't break down now. Later, but not now. You have to hold it together. Just for five minutes.

"Captain, I'm sorry to say this… But I think I've fallen for you." Tegan took a shuddering breath, letting that sink in for a moment. She was so embarrassed and ashamed that she couldn't even look up at Sara.

"I didn't mean to. I promise. But it just happened. This whole time, since that first day when you pushed me so hard for staring at you… ever since then I've committed myself to being the very best. And this is the first I've been able to admit it to myself. But I've been doing it for you. This person standing here, is because of you.

"So, I want to thank you, Captain. Thank you for pushing me. And I want you to know I'm going to miss you. I'm going to miss your eyes and your smile and your voice. I'm going to miss the way you push me to be better, even if it's just by your presence." Tegan felt a tear running down her cheek. But she refused to acknowledge it.

"And I want to apologize for what happened last time I was here. I was wrong, and I never should have pushed you. I shouldn't have kissed you, and I needed to tell you before you left that I'm sorry." She finally looked up at Sara. To her surprise, Sara was crying. She was just standing there with her arms at her sides silently sobbing.

Tegan didn't know what to do. She was shocked. What had she said? Before she could try to guess, Sara took two steps toward her and put her hand on Tegan's shoulder. She brushed away the tear on Tegan's cheek gently. Then she leaned in and pressed her lips against Tegan's gently.

Tegan shuddered, and now she couldn't keep the tears from coming. Sara broke the kiss and wrapped her arms around Tegan, pulling her into a tight hug. They both cried, holding each other tightly. They cried for what could never be between them. Tegan cried for Sara leaving. Sara cried for leaving Tegan. And they both cried for the broken hearts that would be left to mend themselves alone in the others absence.