A/N: In between working on finishing this AND my side project with SKRowling, I have been pushing myself on my secret BIG project that I want to do next. With only a couple of chapters after this, hopefully I'll have it ready.

Worse comes to worse, I'll probably be a week or two until I drop it.

Stay tuned!

A cool breeze blew through the cemetery as two figures walked along the row of deceased loved ones.

The fairer one stopped, gently indicating to the taller one this was the spot.

"That's her?"

Jade nodded solemnly. Tori bent down to read the marker of the grave they stopped at.

"Beverly Anne West, Proof That Angels Exist."

When choosing the epitaph, Jade went with her gut. It just felt right.

Tori looked up at her girlfriend.

"There aren't any dates."

"I know," Jade sighed. "Auntie Bev insisted on it. She said what's the point of being infinite when your birth date and death date are carved in stone!" She smiled watching Tori chuckle. "Besides, she'd be the first to say that she never acted her age, so why advertise some number?"

The Latina stepped aside so Jade could lay the lilies in her hands down on the grave. They were a mix of purple and blue, her favorite colors. She then hugged the blonde tightly.

"She sounded like an amazing woman," Tori remarked, feeling misty-eyed. "Wish I got to know her."

They turned to see the others arriving further down.

"You go ahead..." Jade nodded. "Just give me one more minute."

Tori squeezed her arm and walked toward the group.

Her movements were somewhat stiff since getting released from the hospital. Fortunately for her, she didn't get any nerves pinched from those violent stabbings. Jade looked on for a second, grateful that things ended happily for her. She couldn't stomach the idea of Tori being here among the dead.

Jade lowered herself to her knees. The ground was pretty cold but dry at least. It wasn't rainy like the last time she was here.

Contrast to the day she laid her aunt to rest, Donna's day turned out to be a sunny one.

"I know, I know..." the medical examiner shook her head. "She's beautiful."

Jade rubbed her hands together.

"But it's more than that..." Jade went on. "She's strong and loyal and..." she sniffed. "Tori does everything with such an intensity, such passion..." a blush manifested against her will. "When I'm with her, I feel like I have her full attention. Her full love."

The pale one drew in a deep breath and let it go.

"You were such an important person in my life...one of a kind...I didn't I could do this but...I'm glad I held on." She started tearing up and wiped it away. "And I just know you were there holding my shoulders as I walked on."

Jade could imagine Bev whispering in her ear, "You got this!"

She kissed her hand and pressed the palm against the grave marker, passing a sign of affection to her late aunt. Then Jade cleared her throat and straightened out her black outfit. When getting dressed this morning, Tori remarked that Jade looks good in everything but black is especially fetching on her. She said that Jade should wear black more often and not just wait for more somber occasions.

The doctor bounded over to meet up with Adam and his Uncle Bob whom she thanked for coming, saying how much this must mean for Donna.

Jade led them to the grave site, which was underneath a healthy Pacific Dogwood. This tree provided adequate shade for the funeral and the young lady who sadly left this world too soon. She did the mental math and figured that Donna was only 24 years old when she died.

And beneath her name and dates were these words: "She burned too bright for this world." It was a quote from Wuthering Heights. Emily Brontë was one of Donna's favorite writers. Adam did the honors coming up with something fitting for Donna's grave and Jade had to admit it made her tear up.

Behind Jade were approaching footsteps that made her turn around.

There was Dr. Reynolds. Jade held her heart that he came around.

"How are you, Jade?" Greg leaned and noticed Tori, who recognized him and waved. "Your better half is here, I see."

Jade blushed.

"Speaking of which, Camille sends her love," he smiled. "She had to stay with the kids. One's going through it and the other one is beginning to sound sick. Isn't that how it always works?"

The blonde chuckled.

"I'm glad you came," Jade sighed.

Blue eyes caught sight of a couple of familiar faces walking up the hill. Andre and Traylor came up, along with Beck. They were both dressed very nicely with dark colors. The Canadian fiddled with his necktie. Traylor shook her head with a smile at the detective.

"Guys!" Tori came up.

"You didn't need to..."

"Stop!" Andre cut her off. "It was our pleasure."

The tragic story of Donna Blakely made its runs around the precinct, and it touched people's hearts. Cat shot a text message to Jade, offering her prayers since she was out of town for a family reunion and apologized for not coming. Jade told her it was fine and thanked her for being a good friend.

"Don't you clean up nicely," Tori remarked to her partner.

Traylor hugged Andre's arm, leaning her head against him.

"Yeah, every now and then he has to look like he didn't just roll out of bed."

"Or couch," Tori shrugged, locking eyes with him.

Andre sighed and wrapped his arm around his love.

"Or couch..." he mimicked.

Beck squinted at the arrival of the priest.

"I think they're about to begin," he acknowledged. "We should..."

"Yeah," Jade nodded. "Let's go."

Everyone got in their positions to stand on parallel to the burial site.

The father began his eulogy.

"As the air gets colder, it's clear winter is on the horizon. But that will eventually pass and will we see spring once more. Sadly, unlike the seasons Donna Blakely's rebirth cannot be seen by our mortal eyes. She is with God now and I am certain that Donna is moved to see people here today who mourn her passing. It is all the more solemn in that she was very young and had only begun to think about her future..."

Images of Donna freezing to death in the middle of nowhere plagued Jade's mind and she clung to Tori. The taller one kissed her head, silently letting her know that it was okay to cry for however long. Jade looked over at Adam who was beside himself but bless him he was keeping it together as best he could.

"...Donna's body lays to rest thanks to the generosity of those present..."

Dr. Reynolds took care of securing the grave while Jade handled the coffin and hearse. Tori offered to take everyone out to lunch following the service. She didn't care that the number of guests had doubled. This was an important day, and she knew what this meant for Jade, closing an important chapter in her life.

The medical examiner dedicated unknown hours and energy into finding Donna's identity. Once she was "found," Jade was determined to find some answers and give her the proper resting place she deserved. She thanked God she was able to do both. Had it taken any longer, Donna would have been carted away by the state to be incinerated anonymously. Jade had no problem with cremation, but it had to be the person's idea.

It was also a comfort that the monster who drove Donna to become lost in the woods was on his way to multiple life sentences. If the death penalty was off the table, she hoped that parole was too.

When the priest finished, Adam said a few words trying to sound less formal and contextualize the kind of person Donna was.

"We were really close, you know..." he shakily said. "No matter the situation, she always found a way to make me laugh." A faint grin snuck onto his face. "I was struggling with this shelf I was building. An hour into this thing, I'm surrounded by wooden planks and screws." Adam looked up at everyone. "Donna walked in the room. And I'll never forget what she said...Donna said, Don't move! I'll run to the engineering building and get help!"

The group attending laughed at the memory.

"She would've been a great teacher," Adam added. "I mean...what kid in her class would dare act out, knowing she could destroy them with one line?" He had to catch his breath, torn between laughing and sobbing. He breathed in deep before finishing his thought. "She was naturally funny, like the right thing to say would just come to her. I never understood this skill until I got to know her more and saw how...things weren't so easy for her."

He let that last sentence hang for a second.

"People say that some of the funniest people to ever live had the roughest life. Maybe it's that humor can get us through some really bad times. Maybe it's because they understand what real pain is and when they see someone else in distress, their first instinct is to try to take some of that pain away." Adam rubbed his arm slowly and closed his eyes briefly. "Donna's gone now..." his voice broke. "...but she's not really gone if I continue to carry that grace with me, where I can hope to be as good a friend to others as she was to me."

Adam looked down at the coffin.

(If only I could've done more for you.)

That finishing thought he kept to himself. Adam was sure if he said it out loud, he would lose it and not be right for a long time.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, stepping down.

The priest closed with a few passages and then stepped on the lever to begin lowering the coffin.

Nearly everyone bowed their heads and closed their eyes, not being able to see her going into the ground. With everyone reverent, the father closed us out.

"O Father, grant peace and solace to all gathered here, grieving the loss of our loved one. Bless the departed soul with eternal rest in Your loving embrace. May we find strength and comfort in Your presence during this time of sorrow. Guide us as we say our final goodbyes and cherish the memories shared. Amen."

"Amen," the mourners all said.

Even those who didn't follow organized religion could not ignore the heaviness in the air and held out for some hope.

Jade put her arm around Adam and the two walked down the hill as they began to fill the grave with earth.

"Those were some great words you said back there," she told him. "You did better than me when I had to deliver a speech."

"Yeah..."

"What is it?" she asked.

Adam sighed.

"I feel like I failed her."

"What?" Jade scoffed. "No way! If you knew she was in that much trouble and knew where to find her, you would've come!"

They looked back at the site, which was a beautiful spot with the sunlight hitting the tree.

"Besides...it was your idea to go where she was discovered." Jade said, patting him on the back. "If we didn't go there, we never would've found...him."

Bastard wasn't worth having a name, let alone being referred to in a sacred place like this.

"If it's any consolation, Adam...you helped find Donna justice."

"Really?"

"You are the one who creamed the prick with a door," she whispered to him. "I'm sure, in a way, she was leading us."

Adam hugged himself and nodded.

"Thanks, Jade. That helps."

Since the group had grown in size, their original venue for the luncheon was too small. So, this many folks this soon they settled on a Chinese buffet. Adam commented that this was fine as they've ordered Chinese food more than once.

"Really?" smirked Jade. "College must've changed since my day. We could only afford instant ramen."

"Same at the academy..." Tori seated beside her. "How can you turn down five packs for a dollar?"

Greg's eyes bugged out.

"How much? We used to get more than that. Man, I'm old."

It was a long and emotionally wrought morning, plus some had to travel very far to get here. A nice substantial meal was the ticket and the appeal of getting food right away and trying whatever you wanted was enough. While the sadness of Donna's passing never left, the atmosphere was more jovial, with Adam sharing more anecdotes about his dear friend.

He had the table rolling when he regaled about the time they were understudies for a second-year play. They barely rehearsed but that wasn't the worst part. Apparently, Adam and Donna weren't paying attention when they signed up for this production, mostly focused on the performing arts credits the college demanded. It turned out that Donna's part was a man and Adam's character was female.

The image of these two reading their lines, going through the scene while they were both in drag was hilarious.

"She sounded like a real one," Tori smiled with a triumphant fist. "Fearless."

"Please tell me there's pictures of this play!" chuckled Uncle Bob as Adam hid his face.

Jade turned toward Tori with wanting as she felt a tan hand on her leg. The detective's warm gaze let her know that she did good, that today was a success, and she should be happy that Donna got a proper sendoff.

As people came and went, they communicated purely with their eyes.

(I love you.)

(I love you, too.)