A/N: So, here it is. The final chapter. While it obviously can't have the usual happy ending I tend to give my fics, I hope the closure it gives everybody makes up for that. Thanks to my reviewers DizzyDrea, Haleybug52, TwilightPony21, and DS2010. Thanks also to ChiiChii and Dontscrem for addimg this story to alerts.

Chapter Seven: Closure

The morning is cool and crystal clear. The sky is a blazing azure blue without any hint of a cloud, and the sun is warm, but not scorching. The birds are singing. The crickets are chirping. The air is stirring in a gentle breeze. And the graveyard is green.

It never ceases to amaze me how something so closely associated with death and sadness can still be so beautiful. Isn't it ironic that graveyards are often scenic? In a sad, morbid, melancholy kind of way.

As I pick my way through the short grass, it occurs to me that I've never, not once, visited Callen's grave. I was too busy working undercover ops for the CIA – too busy burying my past.

This will be the first time I've been with Callen (in a sense) since his death. I suppose it's appropriate, given that we've finally avenged his murder.

It doesn't take me long to find what I'm looking for. I was there when they placed Callen under the earth, after all, and although I was half-dazed with grief, I can still remember the location as clearly as glass.

Callen's grave is right next to his sister's, with a simple gravestone marking the spot. I run my fingers over the seven-year-old inscription as the emotions I've kept buried for so long quickly bubble to the surface of my being.

G Callen, 11 March 1970 – 19 September 2012.

That's it. That's all it says. Granted, it's a small stone, and there isn't much space for more – but it's sad that that, and the grave it marks, is all that remains of the man who was once an urban legend, a spectacular agent, our team leader…and my husband.

I don't think anyone knows. Callen and I did it in secret, about two months before he died. We never told anyone. And today…today would have been our seventh anniversary.

I laughed as Callen pulled me along the corridor of the City Hall.

"This is crazy – you know it's crazy, don't you?"

He just gave me that smile that always warmed my heart, and said, "I know."

My answering smile was disbelieving. "And you want to do it anyway?"

His eyes turned serious. "Kenz, I've been keeping people out long enough, and we're not getting any younger. I've finally found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, and I don't want to wait any longer."

"Wow," I said teasingly. "I'd like to meet this woman. How did she manage to capture the heart of the elusive G Callen?"

He smiled. "That," he said, as he pulled me close, "is for me to wonder about, and for you to keep doing." Then he kissed me softly on the lips. "I love you, Kensi Marie Blye, and I want you to do me the honor of becoming my wife. Do you?"

There was a time when I'd have said no. I had already answered this question once before, to another man – and that didn't turn out well. Hence my enormous commitment issues. But Callen, I knew, was different. We understood each other, and we had a lot of things in common. There was even something positive about the fact that we had the same job – though our marriage would undergo twice as much danger as it would if just one of us was in NCIS, the fact that we both were agents meant that we wouldn't have to hide anything from each other. Unlike Sam and his wife, we would have no secrets, no lies, no half-truths. We could be completely honest.

More importantly, we were deeply, passionately in love.

So, I looked in his eyes, held his face in my hands, and kissed him before making my unofficial vow.

"I do."

I drop to my knees and make myself comfortable – I'm going to be here for a while.

"Hi, Callen," I say, my voice threatening to break. "It's July 29. Our anniversary. I don't have any flowers for you today, but I'll bring some next time. And I'm…" I have to pause, to get rid of that annoying lump in my throat. "I'm sorry I stayed away so long. I hope you don't take it the wrong way. It's just…I couldn't deal with it. The pain of losing you was too much…and I tried to run. God, Callen…I ran as hard and as fast as I could but the pain just wouldn't go away." A few tears escape my eyes, against my permission.

Oh, hell – who am I kidding? There's no way I could stop crying now even if my life depended on it. My pain and grief have been hidden way too long, and they need to come out before I go insane.

Callen's grave is a good place to do that. Nobody can blame me for crying here.

"I've got news," I say through my tears. "We got the guy who killed you. His name is – was – Jason Baxter. We had to kill him." My voice drops to a whisper. "We avenged you, Callen."

I pause again, allowing my catharsis to continue. My anger, hurt, and hate suddenly leave with my tears, seeping away, making me feel lighter, happier.

"I'm sure the others told you that OSP was decommissioned," I tell him. "But…we're bringing it back. When we were working the case, we realized that we belong together, at OSP. The past seven years when we were doing our own thing were like a shadow compared to the week we were looking for Baxter together. Gibbs is the current director of NCIS, so we had no trouble convincing him – and Vance pulled some strings to get it approved. It'll be a little different, of course. For one, Hetty's not coming back. She's way past retirement age by now, you know that – so she's gonna convert a few of her homes into safe houses for us. She'll be our safe haven when things get rough.

"Eric will still be in charge of Ops, though. I can't imagine him doing anything else, anyway. But you'll never guess what Nell's gonna be." I smile, remembering the redhead's absolute surprise when Hetty informed her of her new position. "She's our new Operations Manager. You know she's like a mini Hetty anyway…and apparently Hetty was training her to take over. Who knew, huh? She'll have to juggle her NCIS duties and being a mother, but you know her – she may be small, but she's got a will as strong as Hetty's. She'll do it all right.

"As for me…I'm lead agent now, and Deeks resigned from LAPD to join NCIS officially. He's still my partner – only now I have to deal with training him on top of everything else. I still don't know what I did to deserve this." I shake my head fondly, knowing even as I say it that Deeks is no rookie. "Actually, I take that back – he's not my only partner. Sam and Deeks and I – we've moved beyond that. Our team's special. We're not going to partner up with specific people like we used to. It's just going to be the three of us, looking out for each other, working together. No one else is coming into our little group – nobody could hope to if they tried. We've been through too much together – no outsider would ever understand.

"Anyway, rambling aside, we're OSP's new elite. And we're a unique bunch." A chuckle escapes me as I say that word – I still remember the pickup line Callen used on me when we first started dating, so I can't resist adding, "Like my style." Unique style, indeed. I think that unique (pardon the pun) line was what made me first start falling for him.

I look down and realize my fingers have unconsciously been playing with the grass. The sun's getting hotter, and I know I'm coming to the end of my little soliloquy.

"I still miss you, Callen," I tell him quietly. "Every day. I know the hurt will never really go away, but I think I can start letting go now. I'll always love you…but I know it's time for me to move on." My final tears fall thick and fast. "I wish you could be here," I whisper, sniffling. "But I know you're still with me, in a way. I know you're watching over me from wherever you are now, and I like to think that you'd be proud of me."

Wiping my face, I stand, gazing one last time at the plain gravestone and the name that means so much to me, before turning to face the rest of my life.

The thought of getting up each day used to fill me with dread, because all I could see was darkness and fog – but now, I look forward to what's ahead, to what the future holds, because I know it will be different.

For the first time in seven years, the sun has come out again.

A/N: And...that's it. That's the end. Thanks to everyone who has joined me for the ride, and thanks in advance to whoever reviews or favorites this story. It's been a blast. Bye everyone!