Page 56 of When You're Gone

Finn felt a rush of gratitude andaffection for his old boss, a man who had been a mentor and a friend, even whentheir relationship had been strained. "Thank you, sir," he said, hisvoice thick with emotion. "For everything."

"Take care of yourself,Finn," Seward said, his voice gruff but sincere. "And know thatyou'll always have a friend at the Bureau, no matter where you are. If you’reever back in the States, let’s go fishing like we used to."

With that, the call ended, leavingFinn feeling strangely lighter, as if a weight had been lifted from hisshoulders. He turned to Amelia, a broad smile spreading across his face.

"That was my old boss at theFBI," he said, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "They'redropping the investigation into my actions. And he offered me my old jobback."

Amelia's eyes widened, a flicker offear and uncertainty crossing her face. "What did you tell him?" sheasked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Finn reached out and took her hand,his fingers intertwining with hers. "I told him no," he said softly,his eyes shining with love and conviction. "I told him that my home ishere now, with you and Rob and the rest of the team. And that there's nowhereelse I'd rather be."

Amelia's face broke into a radiantsmile, her eyes brimming with tears of joy and relief. She threw her armsaround Finn, holding him close as if she never wanted to let go.

"I won’t tell you I love youagain," she whispered, her voice muffled against his chest. "I don’twant you to grow tired of it."

Finn held her tight, his heartswelling with a love and happiness he had never known before. "I’m freenow," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Free of allthe weight of that damned case. Free to do what we want to do."

They stayed like that for a longmoment, wrapped in each other's arms, savoring the warmth and comfort of theirembrace. But eventually, they knew they had to face the world once more.

Hand in hand, they made their wayback to the station, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. They knewthat there would be new cases to solve, new mysteries to unravel, and newdangers to confront. But they also knew that they had each other, and that wasenough.

As they walked through the doors ofthe station, they were greeted by a sea of familiar faces - Rob, grinning fromear to ear; the rest of the team, applauding and cheering their success; andeven a few of the journalists who had been covering the case, eager for a finalword from the heroes of the hour.

"I know you don't want to hearthis," Rob said. "But the Home office wants to start a new divisionwith the three of us. It could be quite the adventure?"

“I’m in,” Finn said.

“So am I,” agreed Amelia.

“But first,” Rob said. “Why don’tyou both take a month off and… Erm… Get to know each other a bit more.”

“Thanks, Rob,” Finn said. Robpatted him on the arm and walked away, back to the crowd of people gathering.

Finn and Amelia smiled and waved,basking in the warm glow of their victory. But even as they savored the moment,they knew that their work was far from over.

There would always be darkness inthe world, always be those who sought to harm and destroy. But as long as therewere people like Finn, Amelia, and Rob, people who were willing to stand up andfight for what was right, there would also be hope.

---