Sorry it's been so long. The last few months have been kind of busy for me and I haven't had a lot of time to write. However, I did finally manage to get this done.

Visiting A Fallen Friend – A Criminal Case One-shot

Review Responses:

Guest - Thanks for calling it amazing, I'm glad you think so!

Guest - Yes, I am definitely planning to continue this.

Guest - Thanks!

The short, dew-tipped grass was damp against the soles of my shoes as I slipped through the great wrought-iron gates into the small cemetery, heading for a grave slightly set to the side of all the others. The stone at the head of the grave was rough and worn, unmarked except for two sentences that had been carefully carved into the surface. The first was simple; two words, two numbers. A name, and a date. "Michelle Zuria 1971 - 2016".

The second sentence was longer, taking up most of the next two lines. "A steadfast friend, a loyal partner, an enthusiastic seeker of justice. R.I.P".

I crouched down in front of the grave, resting one hand on the grass in front of the stone, and set down the bouquet of flowers that I had been carrying in my other hand. "Hi, Michelle. I know it's been a while since I last visited, but things have been hectic. I don't know if he's told you yet or not, or even if the two of you spend any time together up there, but we did it. We shut them down. SOMBRA have been destroyed once and for all, and every one of their agents who hasn't defected from them has either been arrested or killed. We won".

I sighed, wiping a tear from my eyes. "If I'm honest, I miss you. We all do. After we solved your murder, Sanjay found a photo of the four of us laughing in the cafeteria not long after you joined the team. It had been taken the day that they were teaching you how to interrogate suspects and Jack pulled your leg by saying that we always end it with a pun. Of course, then he confessed that it was a lie and we all started laughing anyway, but you did genuinely get very good at making puns by our last case together".

I paused after speaking, imagining her rolling her eyes and laughing at the memory of that day and the events of that picture. Then I spoke again. "He found the notes you made as well, especially the one you made a couple of days after we closed the case at the Olympic Games in Rio. 'Accidentally got high with Jack last night. It was dreadful but hilarious. Must hang out more with team'. Of course, Carmen scolded Sanjay for rummaging through your belongings, but then she admitted that she was glad that he had found your notes and that it was nice to show you were happy among us. Jack also admitted that it was weird to think that you were SOMBRA when we first met you in Singapore, and wondered who would have thought you would eventually have become our partner and friend. I suggested that we frame the photo and hang it in the cafeteria, to serve as a permanent reminder of the good times we had with you. So that's what we've done".

I sighed. "I still can't help but wish you hadn't died in that bell tower, that it had been someone else instead, someone unaffiliated with our team. I wish you'd been there to see SOMBRA's final defeat for yourself. I wish you could have been there when we won the UN Peace Award for our actions. We saved the world, Michelle. I just… I wish you had been there to see it. But then again, you were there, weren't you? You may not have been there in body, but you were there in spirit, silently cheering us on the whole damn time, with a fiery pride in your eyes when we finally took down the vice-president of the USA for being affiliated with them in the first place. And an even stronger pride when we were given the UN Peace Award".

The sound of the wind blowing through the trees shifted slightly, sounding almost like my late partner's laughter. "I thought so".

I stood up, brushing the damp grass from my pants as the sound of soft footsteps approaching the grave became obvious. "I thought I might find you here. Just can't seem to stay away, can you?".

I shrugged. "Just paying my respects, same as you".

Grace gave me a soft smile as she drew level with me and knelt to place her own bouquet of flowers on the grass in front of the stone. "I see great minds think alike" she observed.

I looked down, noting that we had both brought bouquets of the exact same type of flower to place on Michelle's grave. And then I looked back up at the coroner, nodding in agreement as I met her eyes with my own. "Indeed, they do, Grace. Where are the other members of our team?"

"Back at headquarters, making sure that all loose ends regarding all of the cases involving SOMBRA or their allies have been tied up for good. SOMBRA may have been dealt with once and for all, but that doesn't mean that we can suddenly afford to start missing information" the red-haired woman replied.

"I agree with that, definitely. We can't afford to take the chance that we'll miss something and inadvertently give our enemies a chance to regroup" I said quietly.

She looked down at our former partner's grave sadly, unshed tears shimmering in her eyes. "Sometimes I still find it hard to accept that she's actually dead. I mean, I know that she is dead because I did the autopsy on her myself, but even after everything we've seen it's still hard to accept. If that makes any sense whatsoever, anyway".

I nodded, knowing exactly what she meant. "It does. I feel much the same way myself".

She sighed, before turning back to me. "Since we're here, in New York, do you want to go grab a burger or something before we head back to headquarters? There's probably a fast food place not far from here, maybe we can pick something up for the others as well".

I smiled at the red-haired woman. "I think that sounds like a perfect idea".

She smiled back at me as I agreed with her suggestion. "Good. And maybe while we walk you can tell me more about the cases you worked on while you were in Pacific Bay. Your emails were very vague on many of the important details…"

There we go. I hope you enjoyed it. Songs for this update are:

Talking To Myself - Linkin Park

Shape Of You - Ed Sheeran.

As always, leave a Review if you enjoyed. And definitely also leave a Review if you have any ideas on other Cases, or even storylines, that you'd like me to write about!