Rating: PG

Category: Epilogue

Series: 14^th (and final) in "Daedalus" series

Warnings: Spoilers for all other stories in the series.

Notes: This series begins a week or so after "Murder 101" and continues through the fourth season, and beyond. This is the final chapter of the series. It's been quite a ride, completing this series. For those of you still reading along, thank you.

Standard disclaimers apply. I don't own them, I'm just playing with them

~*~

"Everything you know is wrong; black is white, up is down and short is long. And everything you thought was so important doesn't matter.."

--Weird Al

~*~

Saturday, February 19, 2000

Megan Connor liked to think of it as her traveling coat. The colors were loud, the style a bit cartoony, but it gave her confidence. Blair had once commented that it was the "pink dingo" coat, and she had laughed. She knew she had made quite an impression her first day in Cascade, stealing a taxi in the airport garage to assist in apprehending a suspect. She was dedicated to her job, and a little thing like credentials hadn't stopped her from trying to catch a fleeing felon. Even if she hadn't understood just why he was fleeing or how Jim had seen the crime from across the garage.

She hugged the fur collar of the coat tighter around her neck, trying to block the chilly wind that coursed through the first level of the parking garage. She'd taken a taxi to the airport, wanting to make this as simple as possible. Her belongings had already been shipped ahead of time, leaving her with only a single carry-on to bother with. It would make airport security much simpler. She hated bothering with tagging luggage and then trying to find all of her bags on the belt later.

She pulled her wheeled suitcase along behind her, stepping through the double glass doors to the interior of the airport. She was a little early for her flight, but she didn't mind. Waiting here seemed better than waiting in her empty apartment. At least here, the airport was a transition place. Neither Cascade, nor Australia.

Her request to end her participation in the Officer Exchange Program had been met with disappointment by her friends in Major Crime, but they seemed to understand. At least, they pretended to, and that was something. She loved the men and women that she worked with. They had been through so much in the eighteen months that she'd been in Cascade, and made memories that she wouldn't trade for anything. She would miss them, but she needed a new start.

Just as so many of the memories were good ones, a good deal of them were not. The end of the "Daedalus" case seemed a good place to end her involvement with the Cascade Police Department. She missed Sydney, and she missed her father. Going back was the right thing to do.

She walked slowly toward her gate, trying not to think too hard about her last days at work in Major Crime. After the press conference, the Network information had been given out to the cities that were involved. All week long, Simon was fielding calls from precincts and agencies, reporting back that arrests were being made and suspects interrogated. Captain Murtaugh of Los Angeles, Agent Larabee of Denver, Lieutenant Van Buren of New York, Captain Pembleton of Baltimore, and many others. Networks around the country were falling apart. It felt good to know she'd had some hand in that turnaround.

She passed through the metal detector with no trouble, and walked slowly toward the chairs near her gate.

"Connor?"

Megan stopped short and turned around. Behind her and to the right, a small group of people waited. She sighed softly, but couldn't stop the smile. So much for a quiet getaway. Jim and Blair, Simon and Daryl, Joel and Lucas, Rhonda and Alan, and Henri. Only one face was missing from the group, but that didn't surprise her. It hurt a little, but it was expected. She and Rafe hadn't spoken all week. He had done his best to avoid her, and she hadn't pushed him. One day, when the pain had faded a little more, she would try.

"Did you really think you were going to sneak off that easily, Inspector?" Simon asked.

"I guess I should have known better," Megan replied. She walked over, looking at all of their faces intently. "I think I just wanted to avoid all of this. A lot of good-byes."

"Well, you don't get to make that decision this time," Jim said. "Besides, it's not good-bye forever, right?"

"The invitation to come back is always open," Simon added.

"I appreciate that," she said. "I'll be back to visit everyone. My work is in Sydney, but part of my family is here."

"Damn right," Rhonda said. "You still owe me another rock climbing trip."

Megan smiled. "That's good enough reason to come back," she said.

The hugging began. First Rhonda and Alan, and then on to the Taggerts. Past them to Henri Brown.

"I'm sorry he didn't come," Henri whispered, holding her tightly.

Megan pressed her forehead against his shoulder briefly, then straightened up. "It's okay," she said. "I don't know if I would have come, either."

She pulled back and unzipped her suitcase, pulling something out of the top. Henri laughed when she handed it to him. "Give this to him," she said.

Henri took the pink, stuffed kangaroo and tucked it under one arm. Megan didn't mind giving it up. The Major Crime crew had given it to her last year, after the Kroger ordeal. She'd kept it in her apartment, letting the googly eyes and miniature boxing gloves make her laugh whenever she was upset. Now she was ready to pass it along, to someone who needed it much more than she did.

"Take care, Megan," Henri said.

She hugged Daryl next, then stepped over to Simon. He smiled down at her for a moment before opening his arms. She fell into them gratefully, resting her head on his shoulder. From their first argument in his office over that taxi, to swallowing his pride and playing Daddy Warbucks at the Echo Theater last fall, Simon Banks was a cherished friend. Someone she would never forget.

"You're a dear man," she said softly. "Take care of your son, okay?"

He nodded. She kissed his cheek and took a step back. Simon tried to smile, but she could see his struggle to maintain some a semblance of stoicism. She was proud of herself, actually, for not breaking down.

"Dr. Sandburg," she said, her next-to-last good-bye.

"You know, you're still the only person who calls me Sandy," Blair said. "Who's going to do it now?"

"I'm sure someone will if you ask them nicely," Megan replied.

"Nah, it's your nickname," he said. "It wouldn't be right if anyone else used it. You know, my mom always said to detach with love. I guess sometimes it's easier said than done, huh?"

Megan bit the inside of her cheek. She would not cry. Not until she was alone on the plane. "Well, we'll always have Sierra Verde, won't we?"

"Yeah," he said, snickering softly. "Bullets flying overhead, crashing local weddings, treks through the jungle with armed gunmen."

"Good times."

Blair laughed and hugged her, a bit awkwardly with his sling still in place. It was almost over. She moved on.

Jim stared at her, his blue eyes giving away nothing. A lump rose up in her throat. Neither one of them spoke for several long seconds.

"Always the strong, silent type," she said finally.

Jim smiled. "Hey, I have a reputation here," he replied. "I've never been very good with this."

"Then how about a quick hug before I hit the road," she said. "I don't think there's anything left to say."

He nodded. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding him close. Jim was one of a kind, a true hero among them. She had come to understand, at least to some extent, what it meant for him to be a Sentinel. Cascade would be protected, as long as he was there.

"Take care of your city," she whispered.

"You take care of Sydney," he replied. "We'll see you sometime."

"Sometime."

She stepped back, looking once again down the row of faces watching her. They were all a little older, all a little wiser. The people she'd first met were not the people standing here today. And the people here today would not be the people she would see in six months or a year. There would be other cases, other challenges, and life would go on.

//Now boarding United Airlines Flight 453 to Sydney, Australia.//

"That's my flight," Megan said. It was time to go.

She turned and joined the queue of people migrating toward the terminal. The woman behind the counter smiled and took her ticket. Megan Connor stepped through the gate and never looked back.

~*~

Jim and Blair were the last to leave the waiting area. Simon and Daryl had hung around for a little while after the others had gone, but Daryl needed to get to class. Sentinel and Guide stood by the large windows, watching as the airplane trundled down toward the tarmac, out of sight. Jim listened to the engine, to the roar of the wind as it took off, rising up into the sky. Taking a good friend away with it.

"You think she'll come back?" Blair asked.

"Probably," he replied. He reigned his senses back in and looked down at Blair. "She left the kangaroo behind. Maybe that's a good sign."

"Do you think Rafe blames her?"

"I don't know, Chief," Jim said. "He's entitled to his feelings. But they were friends before. Maybe they'll be friends again."

His cell phone rang and Jim fished it out of his pocket. "Ellison," he said. He listened to the brief message, then snapped the phone closed. "Time to go."

"What's going on?" Blair asked.

Jim strode across the waiting area toward the security checkpoint, keenly aware of Blair shadowing him. "Robbery in progress at Bronwyn's Jewelers," he replied. "Someone tripped a silent alarm."

"The fun never ends, huh?" Blair asked, practically jogging to keep up.

"Not in Cascade," Jim said. "Most dangerous city in America."

"Good thing it's got its very own Sentinel."

Jim smiled, heading quickly toward the parking garage. He couldn't agree more.

THE END

1/25/05

COMMENTS?

BACK TO THE JUKE BOX