Well, I flew out to Colorado on Saturday to surprise my older sister at her baby shower on Sunday. It was a rather intricate plan. :)

She got married last summer, and moved from Rock Springs, Wyoming to Rifle, Colorado. We go on about 1 vacation every year or so, and we always book flights through Orbitz, so we get weekly emails about special prices from our nearest major airports to various places around the country, and we got offered a ticket to Denver at an amazing price. So we bought the ticket, and I flew from the Eastern Iowa Airport to Denver. By the way, if you haven't been to the Denver Airport, you need to fly through there. I had a KFC, Pizza Hut, Caribou Coffee, McDonald's, and a Ben & Jerry's (A Ben & freaking Jerry's!) JUST in my terminal. (The 'A' Concourse)

After I landed in Denver, I took the Colorado Mountain Express to Vail, CO, where the wonderful friend of my sister's, the one who volunteered to throw the baby shower, picked me up and let me stay at her house for the night. The next morning we finished the decorations, and when my sister arrived, I hid in a room off the living room and waited for "the signal" Needless to say; my sister had NO IDEA, and was brought to tears when I stepped out. My sister and I are the type of people that can walk into a room of strangers and come out with a room of friends, and I'm "that one person" in our family who can make anyone laugh, no matter what the situation, so the two of us together in the same room creates a pretty funny day.

To make things better, I sprung the surprise on my brother-in-law when he got home from work. My sister and I had come up with a plan for that, but we didn't think everything through. She told him he had to call me, because I "had to talk to him about something urgent"…. But he came home and started talking about his day, and would. Not. Call.

So I called him. And when I came up the stairs while talking to him, he was in his underwear. He's REALLY part of the family now…. :D

So I came home on Tuesday, and although I love Colorado, I missed my friends, and was glad to be home. My sister had her baby the day after I left…

They're both doing well, and I already have plans to make sure I'm my niece's favorite Aunt :). Her name is Autumn Dawn (I know, it's weird… I had nothing to do with it.) and she weighed in at 5lbs, 7oz.

But enough on my adventures this week. I started getting moving on this Epilogue on Thursday, because I realized Rookie Blue wouldn't be on… It was a little depressing…

Enjoy!

If you've ever been in marching band, you know how hard it is to form straight lines.

They seem like something you should be able to do as a 2nd grader. They don't take thought. You just stand in line with the next person. But there are always those people who don't know what "in line" is, and they stick out like sore thumbs. Even with practice, there is always one person that is too stupid to let anything sink in, and they continue to stand behind the line, because they think they need to see everyone, not just the people beside them.

But today, even though they were doing it on the fly, the line fell into place like it had been practiced a thousand times. Like all the ignorant idiots had been tossed out of the formation. It was a day that had to be perfect.

No one would allow it to be anything else.

The civilians in attendance saw a sea of blue that was honoring it's friend in a way that brought tears to their eyes.

But the Officers and Detectives walking through the looming double doors were just trying to see through their tears long enough to say goodbye in a manner befitting Jerry Barber.

They woke up that morning, and pulled their dress blues out of the plastic dry cleaner's bag. They ignored the itchy fabric and the way the dark blue tie pulled at their throats. Every one of them stood in front of their mirrors and adjusted their name tags and pulled on a pair of rarely worn white gloves. They pulled their covers over their heads and took a deep breath as they judged their appearances, realizing that no matter how they looked, they'd never be ready for the duty that lay ahead of them.

A line of officers and detectives alike, all from 15 Division, drove their squad cars with lights blazing and sirens blaring as they made their way towards police headquarters. They parked on the street in front of the intimidating building. They walk in the front doors in a straight line, looking straight ahead, not pausing at the camera flashes from the media providing news coverage.

They walk down the aisle between the chairs set up for the dedication ceremony, making their way towards the front rows. They remain standing until everyone is in their place, and despite the fact there are 30 different men and women standing at attention, they raise their arms towards their foreheads as one.

In many ways they are one. They are one division, one police force… whether they work as a detective or traffic cop, they all belong to one brotherhood. A brotherhood that today is paying homage to the easy-going and witty detective that, in the end, gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Gail, Andy, Sam, Oliver, and Traci are front and center, not sitting or saluting like the rest of the officers in blue behind them. Instead, they're holding a flag. A flag that is to be hung on the left side of the memorial. Andy and Traci fold the flag, and hand it off to Oliver and Sam, who proceed to hang it on the hooks mounted in the wall. Meanwhile, Andy steps up to the podium.

"No one in this room knew Jerry Barber better than the cops seated here today." She starts.

"Every single day, he would grace us with his humor, and his practical jokes. We'd laugh at his terrible poker skills, and the struggles he had with any and all new phones he got. He laughed at his mistakes and embraced his flaws, but when it all came down to solving cases, there was no one better." She looks around the room.

"Jerry and I weren't particularly close… We were friends, but we never really considered each other as confidants until later on. We kind of found ourselves at the same places a lot, since my partner was his best friend and my best friend was his fiancé, he asked me for advice with Traci, and I asked him advice about… my boyfriend at the time. All rambling aside, although we weren't the best of friends, I knew him well enough, and respected him more than words could ever describe."

"His death threatened to tear apart 15 division. A few of us left, myself included, and a few of us just closed ourselves off. We all realized how much we took for granted, and how easily we could all get hurt. They say when a tragedy occurs, it either makes people closer than they were before or breaks them apart, but until you experience it firsthand, you don't have a clue how true that is."

"I was ignorant to what was happening at 15 Division, due to my taking a job with an elite task force. It kind of consumed all my time, so I didn't have time to think about the people I cared about. But I went to dinner with Gail Peck, and we came up with an idea to help bring 15 Division back together. It took a lot of time, and quite a few meetings, and let me tell you, those persuasive speech lessons from high school really do pay off." She smiles.

"And here we are today. Civilians and police officers together, honoring a hero. Without further adieu, I present to you the Jerry Barber Fallen Heroes Memorial Wall." Gail stands unnoticed in the corner until she pulls the large white sheet covering the wall. She yanks it down, and behind the cascading white fabric, the Memorial shows itself in it's gleaming new sheen. A slew of cameras flash as it's uncovered.

"For every officer of the Toronto Police Department that gives his or her life in the line of duty, a star will be placed on this wall in their memory. It will be a place where the family and friends of that officer can come and pay their respects. A place where they can leave pictures showing what kind of person that officer was. It will serve as a reminder, so that we never forget the cost of keeping this city safe. Thank You." Andy concludes and walks down from the podium. The company of officers rise as she walks towards them. She takes her spot next to Sam, and together, as one unit once again, they raise their hands to their foreheads.

"Serve and Protect!" A chorus of men and women together sound the police motto that they all hold dearly in their hearts.

After the service, the men and women of 15 return to their Division, and slip on their patrol uniforms or suits. Parade is a quiet and serious affair, a far cry from the outspoken officers and wisecracks that used to fill the room. Andy and Oliver are the last to arrive, and they see a glimpse of the old 15 reemerging when the cat calls and whistles erupt in the midst of the applause. Andy watches Sam as Frank introduces her and Luke's team to the rest of the room, and as he welcomes back Oliver and Andy. The words Frank is speaking become a jumbled mess as Andy loses focus, but a loud sneeze brings her attention back to the front.

"Your partners are listed on the board, try and take it easy today." Frank suggests.

Andy smirks as Sam walks out the door without checking the board, accustomed to riding alone. Oliver chuckles when he sees the reason for the grin, and walks out the door with his rookie, shaking his head a little. When he walks past her, he pats her on the back.

Andy grabs a quick cup of coffee and follows Sam towards his squad. He is just starting the engine when she opens the passenger door and gets in. She buckles her seat belt and blows on her coffee trying to cool it down, like she did nearly every other time they rode together. Sam looks at her with an incredulous expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" He stammers.

"Drinking my coffee…" She trails off.

"No, I mean, why are you in my squad?"

"Oh! Well, it's gonna take a few days to get the task force transferred and operational, so I'm doing patrol for a week or so. Frank approved it."

"But why in my squad? I'm supposed to ride alone permanently."

"I requested you be my partner. But if you want me to go…" Andy reaches down to undo her seatbelt, until a hand stops her arm.

"No, it's fine… But after everything I did and said to you, why do you want to ride with me?"

"Because in spite of everything you said, and in spite of you dumping me in an alley, and in spite of you leaving me standing in the rain… I'm still hopelessly and irrevocably in love with you."

Sam just stares.

"It's not gonna happen overnight. I have too many trust issues for that, and you're still not totally yourself. You're getting there though, and I'm gonna have to deal with them someday, but right now, I just want to start."

"We've already started."

"No, we never started. We jumped into the middle of our story, not bothering with the beginning, because we didn't realize that the beginning is the most important part." She smiles at him.

"We're gonna go out for drinks, and then we'll go to dinner. We'll spend a day off at a zoo or adventure park, where we're gonna get to know one another. Then we can buy a dog and name it Boo."

"How did you know I want a dog named Boo?" Sam chuckles a little.

"Jerry. And then confirmed by Oliver." She grins.

"Getting Ollie to give you all the dirt now, I see."

"Yep."

"Then, umm, drinks tonight? At the Penny?" He asks.

"I'll be there." She confirms.

"7?" He offers.

"Sure." Andy says. "You gonna drive anytime soon?"

"Um, yeah." Sam puts the car in gear and drives through the iron gates.

They cruise around the city for a few minutes when Sam looks over at Andy while they're stopped at a red light.

"Andy?" Sam takes her hand and hold it in his.

"Yeah?" She looks down at their intertwined fingers.

"For the record, I'm still totally and irrevocably in love with you too." They look at each other with smiles on their faces, and their hands stay together as they drive away.

Oh. My. Monkey Balls. I just finished a story. Mark this day on your calendar, folks!

But I am a little sad this is over. This is by far the best story I've written, and it shows in the response to the very first chapter that continued until this epilogue. I can't thank you guys enough. Every single person that reviewed, or favorited, or followed, or even just read, deserves a cookie. But I'm a bad baker…

Anyway, thank you EVERYONE! I'll be laying low in the RB fandom for a while, but I will be reading and reviewing all your fantastic stories, and if I'm hit with sudden inspiration for a story at a random time, you'll see me again. Meanwhile, I'll be re-watching all the seasons of Rookie Blue, and waiting for Hawaii Five-0 and Haven and Blue Bloods to premiere later this month, so until then, Glee will just have to keep me occupied. Along with the finales of White Collar and Covert Affairs next week :(

Catch you later!

Becca