A/N: Our final chapter, friends! It's been great!

XXX

Some internal force that didn't belong to her had Mary moving her feet to the space Marshall had occupied not long before. She swallowed and tried to remember to breathe. How could the winds have changed so quickly? Ten minutes ago she'd been fine. She was more skilled than she'd realized at blocking out situations she didn't want to deal with.

Stan was waiting and gesturing her into the house where it was cooler and there was more light.

She could do this. She could.

The sounds of the boys, Brandi, and Peter faded when she made it to the living room. She noticed Jinx had indeed tidied up in the kitchen. There were only two red velvet cupcakes remaining, stacked next to the cookie jar. She tried to focus on them, tried to see only those two domed treats; the rich crimson of their cake, the swirl of their sweet frosting.

"I should be getting on my way, inspector," Stan said.

Her eyes blurred as she found him standing in front of her. He looked only slightly uncomfortable, and more determined than anything. There was a heartrending, soft smile playing around his lips and his brown eyes were warm with affection. Mary felt as though she could melt into them, lose herself, and be just fine.

"You don't want to stay for coffee or something?" she spit out stupidly.

Was she really asking him to hang on? Was she honestly doing that?

He was painfully understanding, "Nah, it'll just keep me up. I need to get going."

He wasn't really going anywhere. She was being silly. Maybe he wouldn't be her chief anymore, sure, but he wasn't falling off the face of the planet or dying or walking out the door and never coming back. She could see him whenever she wanted.

But it wasn't the same. That resistance she felt to change was yanking, tugging hard and fast on her heartstrings and even as much as she tried she felt sure they were going to sever in two.

It was showing on her face and she hated that. But she knew it to be so because Stan softened his gaze even further and stepped into her circle.

"Do me a favor," he whispered. "Don't say anything. If it's of the smart-ass variety, even if it's not; this is all I need."

Mary wasn't sure what to say to that, but she was glad to have been offered the opportunity to stay silent. Even if she couldn't obey.

"What's 'this?'" she asked quietly. "What's…'all you need?'"

"I should've clarified," he admitted, shuffling his shoes on the hardwood. "This is all I need…"

There was more preamble in it this time and Mary forced herself to wait. She would wait as long as she had to.

"I need you to know that I am so proud of you kiddo."

There was a lump in her throat so big she was sure she was going to choke. She didn't want to cry, but she wasn't sure she could stop it. All of her resolve pooled into holding it together, at least until Stan left the room.

And she didn't want that moment to come.

"You are a devoted wife, a fantastic mom, and one…hell of an inspector," she sensed the finality in his voice and wanted to tell him to keep going even as embarrassed as she was. "That's all I need you to know. You and Marshall are gonna be just fine."

Mary allowed the thought to invade that this was an interesting statement; she and Marshall always dealt with the perils of WITSEC with or without Stan, although they preferred with. It was the rest of their lives she was unsure about, and she wondered if that was what Stan was referring to.

"I don't know what to say…" she whispered, shaking her head and trying to come up with something, but her mind was jammed.

"Low and behold…" he was even closer now as he tried to tease and lighten the mood, but Mary's heart was thudding faster and faster. "I told you not to. You followed a direct order."

He smiled and she tried to do the same but she seemed to have forgotten how. And when she saw his shorter figure spreading his arms, she had to step into them so he wouldn't see her shed the tears.

"It's about time," he finished, and then she was gone.

It was only a single drop that fell from her eye, but she'd already hugged him, quick and brief as Stan would thought she'd want, before she'd already been released and pulled the tears back in. It was probably best she hadn't hung on. She'd have fallen apart and that was best left for later when she was alone. Nobody needed to see that.

"You're a good girl," he said softly, which was exactly what Marshall had said the day before. "Don't forget that, all right?"

It was likely she would, but Mary nodded regardless, mostly as a means to keep herself from bawling.

"All right," she repeated.

"Okay," he said, and he reached up to pat her arm a few times. "I gotta get going."

No. Don't. Please don't.

She'd been trying so hard, trying so-so hard to accept all the change – to be strong and chin up as Jesse had done, as Sam had done when Marshall had been so severely injured. But she wasn't sure she could anymore and she needed this to stay the same. It had been such a constant and she couldn't stand to let it go.

"Mary…?" he wanted her attention.

He didn't have it. Stan rubbing her hair after she'd been abducted. Stroking the small of her back when Marshall had been shot the first time. And the countless times he'd stood by her the second time and every other, less important day he had put up with her antics, her disrespect, and her games.

"Hmm?" was all she managed.

And in spite of all that…

"You know I love you, sweetheart."

Now she needed him to go because she was going to spill over without warning if he didn't. She nodded vigorously, feeling the sting in her eyes and the tightness in her throat. Her cheeks were hot and she could've sworn she was stuck in a cage she felt so trapped.

"Mom?" called a familiar voice, striking her like a two-by-four and she jerked her head upward to see Sam with his head stuck in the doorway.

"Jinx and George are leaving; they want to say goodbye to Stan," he reported.

All Mary could do was nod, and Sam accepted this, disappearing once more. Stan himself threw her a pleading look, knowing she was done, knowing he was expected to move on so she could do whatever she had to by herself. The way she always wanted it.

"I…" she knew he needed to get going. "I…" her chest was so tight. "I mean…"

He was already on his way to the door and nearly there when she found at least a portion of the words – the best she could do.

"Me too."

Stan smiled and nodded his approval before she saw him slide out the door and vanish from view.

And just like that, she lost. The tears just poured from her eyes like someone had flipped the knob on the faucet – unattractive and full; waterfalls, cascades, rivers, and streams. She had to get out – it was in her blood to run when this sensation wended its way in. Although by herself regardless, she could still hear the chatter of the partygoers on the driveway and turned, striding on dirty feet into her bedroom.

She worked and she worked as she stood staring at the back wall to get herself together, to be all right with all the upheaval but some force inside her gained a sick pleasure from just letting it out. And she couldn't stop.

Out on the drive, Marshall couldn't help but notice the conspicuous absence of his wife and had a very shrewd idea what had become of her. Watching Stan shake hands with George and Jinx, even Brandi and Peter, he considered going in to check on her but knew he needed to play host a little bit longer.

Then he remembered how brilliantly the boys were growing up and threw caution to the winds.

"Guys…?" he turned to Sam and Jesse, but it was Sam to whom he spoke just out of habit. "Why don't you go inside and make sure mom's okay."

Sam looked a little nervous, but he wasn't stupid.

"But she won't want us to see…"

"I know," Marshall interrupted gently. "But I want you to check on her," he reinforced.

"Me too?" Jesse's reaction was certainly different; much more eager.

"Yes, you too," Marshall assured him. "Just do what you think is best; I'll be in-in a minute."

Sam wasn't sure what that would be, but knew this was important to his father and that he would be doing it himself if he could. Resigned, he gestured for Jesse to come along and his cousin followed, leaving the babble of the fast-declining party.

There was a hushed glow about the indoors as Sam nudged the door part-way shut and stood in the living room, staring at the backside of his mother in her bedroom. He knew she was crying and he still didn't do a good job equating that with Mary. He remembered a few times she'd been really upset while Marshall had been in the hospital and she'd cried but otherwise, she was so guarded with emotions. He was never sure what to say to her in such a rare state.

He recalled Jesse at his elbow and knew Marshall wouldn't want them to just stand there. Glancing at his cousin, he noticed he didn't look ill-at-ease in the least – just saddened by what he could ascertain going on beyond.

"You should go first," Sam suggested.

"Me?" Jesse was perplexed. "Why?"

"Because you're good at all that…stuff," he shrugged, unable to pin a label on it. "The hugs and everything. Way better than me."

As if Jesse could've been given better prompting. The idea that he was good at something – anything – that Sam had said so, that it was something Sam was not good at? Well, if that couldn't get him going nothing did.

Mary just stood there by herself, forcing herself to breathe, slow and steady out her mouth to get in control but it wasn't working. She knew she should just succumb, that she should give in because she'd always known how much she was going to miss Stan. It was so much all at once and she'd just feel better if she could let it go. If only she knew how.

It wasn't like when Marshall had been shot. It was such a perfectly good reason to cry and it had been so horrifying, she'd never thought twice about it. Tears just for the natural progression of time weren't worth it. Were they?

That was when she felt the soft, gentle touch on her belly. The oddest spot – not her back or her shoulder, because she'd been expecting Marshall. But this tiny sensation right below her ribcage and when she looked down to see where it came from, she saw the enormous green eyes that matched her own staring up at her with the utmost sympathy and kindness.

And she realized that Jesse was safe. She didn't need to save face in front of him. He understood emotion and weaknesses better than almost anyone else.

Without a word – because Stan was right; they just weren't needed – she kneeled and placed her arm around her nephew's back, pulling him in next to her. Side-by-side, temple-to-temple; this prompted her to turn and kiss the crown of his soft blonde hair.

And then she just cried. Not a mess, not out-of-control, just tears of embracing the change and having someone to hold in her arms along the way. She mourned the loss of that unquenchable thirst she'd always had to just hang on for one more minute. To just hang on.

Jesse was silent for a long time, never moving, never even initiating the full hug. They simply crouched end-to-end, still and soft.

"You'll miss Stan?" he finally whispered.

She nodded, which made her sniffle a couple times, but she rubbed his back to help herself stay curled just over the edge of the cliff.

"Am I helping?" he wanted to know.

She let out a shaky laugh, closing her eyes against the tears, and told him the truth.

"Yes," she promised. "You are."

And a second set of hands found her shoulder. When Mary turned to see their size and shape, she knew they belonged to Sam. And his warm pressure from above was the final piece that allowed her to float safely back to the ground. Not perfect, but all right. She was all right.

"I'm okay guys," she assured them. "I'm okay."

And Marshall stood in the doorway, watching his wife – a woman who had once claimed to have an aversion to touch, tears, and even children – allow herself to be enveloped, weeping softly, and being held by two of her favorite boys in the world.

While sadness such as this shouldn't bring him relief – it did. It did, because Mary had grabbed hold; pulled it in and made it her own. He was certain, without a shadow of a doubt, that doing so and not dwelling as she had on James would bring that closure she so desperately needed.

He watched her pat Jesse's back, stand and kiss Sam's hair before composing herself and turning around to see him standing there.

There was loss in the red rings around her eyes, but a tired and approving smile came with them as she let the boys escape and she stopped to kiss him for the second time that night.

"I'm really going to miss him," she whispered, but boldly.

"I am too," Marshall admitted. "But I've got you."

Mary nodded, "And I've got you too."

The roads had been long, but if the embraces and the tears were any indication, Marshall was pretty sure they'd made it.

A/N: I hope there aren't too many people who are disappointed in the bittersweet ending, but it's kind of supposed to be a good thing – that Mary is embracing what causes her pain and learning to accept it so she can move on, instead of bottling everything up. Plus, we've got Jesse learning that he excels in an area where Sam might not, showing that everybody's good at something.

Thank-you so much for all the wonderful reviews; gotta do my big long list – usafcmycloud, jekkah, carajiggirl, JJ2008, Jayne_Leigh, henrylover94, cool cat, BrittanyLS, JMS529, jasonlover21, and Caia. My numbers have gone down a little since my last story, but I am grateful to anyone reading whether you're reviewing or not. I don't fancy myself some brilliant writer, so it's nice that anybody's taking the time. But the part of me that craves feedback hope you'll send me out in style with this last chapter! ;)

Although I said with "My Way Home" that I would be done, that was obviously not true since I created Jesse's tale, and I may have ONE more up my sleeve before Sam and the gang are put to bed. Not for another future, but to fill in key or select moments we missed in Sam's years that there wasn't a story. A collection of one-shots may be in the works to pull it all together before I finally have to let these characters sail into the sunset and start anew.

Thanks again for reading! XOXO