A/N: This here is the last chapter. Glad to be here with you Mr. Frodo, here at the end of all things.

Disclaimer: 39 chapters later, I still don't own any of this.

Chapter 39

It was a week since the fight in the Reactor and the time had come for Hawke and the Soldiers to return to the city. Her strength had finally returned enough that Genesis stopped throwing a fit every time she tried to get out of bed. Her recovery wasn't something either of them had handled with much grace, to the great amusement of the three other soldiers. But now she was well again, Jenova was dead, and Shinra was starting to call and demand to know what they all thought they were up to. It was time to go home.

There was just one thing left to do.

Hawke leaned heavily on her staff as she walked. Her side ached and her breathe was a little laboured in the crisp morning air but she wasn't about to let a little pain stop her. Behind her the valley stretched out into the lower plains, she focused on the weathered path beneath her feet that led up Mount Nibel. It was a lonely little path that cut through the alpine shrubs, an old trail that didn't see much use and led far up above the Reactor.

A few meters away Genesis kept a careful eye on her. They both knew that Jenova had left her battered and beyond exhausted. Her life may have been spared but it would be some time before she recovered her full strength. It was a miracle she was up and walking at all. He had kicked up a massive fuss about her trying to hike up a mountain so soon. She had refused to be deterred however, so he simply had to come along as well, 'overseeing' apparently. She was pretty sure she didn't technically need the support (there were advantages to a weapon that was also a walking stick) but given what she was here to do, she appreciated his presence.

The thought of what she was doing made her nervous and oddly twitchy so she focused on something else for the moment.

It had been an exhausting week, even for those who weren't recently deceased.

After seeing what Jenova had done to Hawke, Zack had stalked down the mountain and promptly punched Angeal for trying to sneak away and kill her on his own. The older soldier apologized as much as he could. Without the voices to confuse and mislead him, Angeal had been ashamed of his own conduct in the matter. Zack almost immediately forgave him, only stopping to drag a promise out of him that he would never try to kill himself again.

From there Zack had run off to call Aerith. Everyone wanted to thank the Cetra for saving not just Hawke but probably the world as well. However when Zack called Elmyra had been the one to pick up.

Apparently Aerith had woken from her Fade walking trip only to immediately collapse from exhaustion. She recovered soon enough, but her mother was absolutely livid. With insight that bordered on magic, Elymra somehow divined that it was Hawke's fault and demanded answers. The apostate was still unconscious though and the angry woman had ended up on the phone with Sephiroth. When the General realised who he was talking to he tried to thank her for her daughter's part in saving the world, only for Elmyra to launch into a scathing lecture the poor man how no idea how to handle. Had the others not all been in varying states of exhaustion, they would have found it hilarious.

They had all been so exhausted in fact that it was sometime before the soldiers noticed Vincent's disappearance. Hawke wasn't awake long enough to find out at the time but the others had no idea where he went or why, let alone if he was a threat to anyone. It wasn't until four days later that he reappeared with no explanation and looking very pleased with himself.

They would have been incredibly suspicious if Hawke hadn't just gotten a phone call from Reno, telling her that professor Hojo had mysteriously died, shot by someone who nobody saw. The Turks had no idea what could have possibly happened, or who could possibly want to do such a thing. Terribly tragic really, also would he be seeing her at the pub this week?

Vincent had been getting along better with Sephiroth since. In fact, everyone had been getting along better. The absence of Jenova made more of a difference then anyone had expected and the three soldiers marvelled at how clear their thoughts were without her. Hawke was overjoyed that they were finally free.

Now however, she was just really sore. She slowed to a halt. They had reached a small shelf on the mountainside, having just climbed up the ledge. Her breathe was laboured and her staff was probably highly indignant at the misuse she was giving it.

Genesis came and stood next to her, giving her a look that very pointedly said 'I told you so.'

She very pointedly ignored it.

"What happens when we get back to Midgar?" She asked, disrupting the calm silence. "With Shinra, I mean."

Genesis looked out over the plains as he answered.

"The president himself called Sephiroth and asked what on Gaia we think we're doing." he said. With both Jenova and Hojo gone Shinra was far less dangerous but he still found sport in hating them. "Perhaps he'll declare us all traitors and we shall have to publically denounce Shinra as the villains they are."

"And if they don't?" Hawke asked. "I guess we could just privately denounce them as villains and I don't know, key their cars? Rig all their air conditioning units with fire spells?"

He snorted. "How devious of you, love."

"Are you going to keep working for them?" She asked thoughtfully after a moment.

"I don't know yet. That would depend on what the others decide to do. But if I did choose to leave, it's unlikely they'd just let me go. I'd probably have to go on the run." He gave her a hesitant look. "How would you feel if it did come to that?"

"Oh, I haven't been on the run in ages." She replied, grinning at him. "I was starting to miss it."

He chuckled, the hesitation fleeing before his usual confidence.

"Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess." He quoted idly, moving to stand next to her and giving her an adoring expression that she was swiftly starting to adore in turn.

He leant against the same rock she was leaning on and his hand snaked around her waist.

"I am pretty mysterious." She said, leaning against his side.

"Absurd woman." He said, smiling into her hair.

"That too." She hummed in agreement.

"How much further up the Mountain did you want to go?" He asked after a moment of content silence.

She sighed and planted her staff firmly in the ground.

"About here should do." She disentangled herself from him and squared her shoulders, moving closer to the ledge.

The plains stretched out before her. A blanket of low clouds covered most of Nibelheim's little valley and all the land beyond. They hadn't climbed all that high up the slope but already they had broken through into the crisp mountain air above the rolling white clouds. The smell of mako remained in the valley below; here it smelt of the hardy wild grass and little white flowers that thrived in the high altitude.

Even though it was already midmorning the sun had only just shown its face, the mountain range curving around to the south delaying the light of dawn for several hours. Now the dewy mountainside glistened and the cloud covered valley was radiant in the glowing light.

Hawke looked at it all and knew she had stalled enough.

"I would have done this on Sundermount, up beyond the old Dalish graves." She said, reaching into a pouch at her belt. Genesis said nothing from the rock, just watching respectfully.

This was her moment. Her friends deserved this much.

None of them had gotten a funeral. This was the best she could offer them.

She pulled from the pouch a collection of odd bits and pieces, a variety of things she had rooted around for in the village. They were nothing special in and of themselves, but they all held enough meaning for the occasion. It was unorthodox, but maybe that was best.

"We were all outsiders in their own ways. A regular Kirkwall pyre would have been too… normal." She said quietly.

The wind sighed forlornly past her. She took a deep breath and looked down at the little collection of oddities. With her other hand, bound in its gauntlet, she held up the first item.

It was a long white feather, its stem thick and hollow, perfect for writing.

"For Varric." She said softly.

"A Feather?" Genesis asked.

"A quill." She corrected with a hint of smile.

Then with a tiny push of mana she set it alight, the small flame consuming the plumage and leaving only a pinch of ash.

She closed her eyes for a moment, her head drooping. But then she stood up straighter and with a smile the dwarf would have been proud of, she picked up the next piece.

The cork of a wine bottle. The base was stained red, and the top stamped with the year of the crop.

"For Fenris. I hope he's finally moved on from those bitter Tevinter vintages." She said, letting a second flame burn away the cork. It was dry and lasted only a moment before it too was just ash. She smiled sadly to see it go.

"Look after each other, you two." She said. "May you find plenty new stories to tell and new troubles to fight."

The wind swept her hand clean, taking her little memorial out into the world where she could no longer fret over it. She would have to trust them to look after each other now.

She took a deep breath. Now came the hard part.

She held up a little golden marigold.

"For Aveline. I'd have gotten a copper relief of them but I didn't have any on hand." She said. Just the sight of it made her smile at the recollection.

"Why?" Genesis asked, sounding baffled.

Her smile grew wider.

"Metal is strong. Copper ages well. Flowers are soft." She said, offering no further explanation. The flower curled in on itself in golden flames. She cradled the ashes carefully in her hand, not letting the wind carry it away just yet.

Next she held a scrap of vibrant blue cloth. It was soft and silky. She'd cut it from a hat that nobody appeared to be keeping too close an eye on. Isabella would have approved.

"As blue as the seas that called to her." She said softly. "Oh, 'Bella."

"Why a hat?"

"She liked hats." She said with a shrug. "Not that I ever saw her actually wear one."

The cloth frayed in the fire, the colours fading away and the threads collapsing into ash.

She held more ash now then she did bits and pieces, only two items remaining. She took a haltering breath.

She held up a tiny green flower.

"For Merrill. Just as sweet and unassuming as she was." She said, studying the pointed little petals, overlapping in a beautiful pattern. It was just pretty, it was useful too, if you ground it down it would make the potion Mythal's Favour. Merrill had taught her that. If there was one thing the young elf had deserved it was the favour of Mythal, having served her so faithfully for so long.

Flames licked up the stalk of the flower, curling around the petals. It fell into sooty ash.

There was only one item left. She hadn't needed to go looking around Nibelheim for this; she had always carried it with her. Now it was time to let go.

She held up a fraying piece of emergency bandage.

"For Anders." She said, her voice barely a whisper. He had given it to her, 'For the worst case', he'd said. So she had kept it in her pocket for years, always awaiting a bigger disaster. For whenever she might desperately need to fix something.

"He was a healer once, a man who fixed things before the day he decided he wanted to break them." She said, turning the bandage over and over. Short of a Cetra, he was greatest healer she had ever known, and once a dear friend. She pushed flame into the bandage. The white cloth deteriorated quickly, its threads having been pulled loose and moth eaten over the long years.

Soon there was nothing but ashes and memories. Her eyes were dry, but there was a lump in her throat.

"Thanks guys. I had fun." She said thickly.

She held her hand up and the wind quickly picked up the mixed ashes. In a swirl of grey it was swept up and out of her grasp. The sighing breeze flung the last of the ashes out across the slopes, until it disappeared in the haze above the glowing fields and valleys.

They had weighed so little as to be barely noticeable, but to her it felt like a back breaking load that had been claimed by the wind. She would always have her memories and they didn't have to weigh a thing.

She lightly dusted off her now empty hand and smiled wistfully out at the plains.

"Good bye."

She stepped back from the edge, a soft smile on her face.

Genesis stood next to her and his hand entwined with hers.

The past had scattered to the winds before them. Now they would look to their future.

THE END

A/N: Tada! Thanks so very very much to everyone who gave this a read, especially those of you who commented, you're all champs in my book. I hope you enjoyed this madness as much as I did. Shine on, you crazy diamonds.

Also, there was fan art! I can't post links here but if you check my profile you can find the link to a beautiful sketch by the excellent Lucife56.

Also, Also: I have a bunch of extra snippets that didn't fit into this story, little prompts and excursions that usually take place after the ending and revolve around Hawke and Genesis. I don't have enough plot for a full blown sequel but I do have these oneshots, would any of you be interested in that? It would be a separate fic and just a lose collection of filled in prompts from whenever inspiration strikes. Any takers?