A/N: this is it. The last chapter in the NYAS series. It had to end this way or I would have kept writing it. I loved creating this world and characters, but I gots to move on. Let me know what you think and check out my other stories if you're so inclined (or, you know, a glutton for punishment).

"Dean."

He heard her voice like a distant dream calling to him. He shifted his tear filled eyes and time seemed to stop as he met brown, kind ones staring back at him. He recognized those beautiful dark orbs, he would know them anywhere. "Abby?"

She smiled at him and ran a hand down his bloodied face, even as he stared at her in utter amazement. She looked exactly like he remembered her, beautiful and happy. She looked at him with all the love he mirrored back. She was wearing white. She was always wearing white. "It's time to let go."

"Are you real?"

She smiled again and lifted his head gently, only to kiss his lips tenderly. He felt hers on his, felt her hand caress his face, and as he reached out, he felt her. That was when he broke down, tears freely falling down his face in relief, happiness, joy. She was there? She was really there, or was his dying mind coping? He didn't care. He didn't fucking care! "I missed you so much!"

"I know." She said and pulled him into a warm embrace, stroking his hair comfortingly. "But it's over now. You did so great with Evy. Didn't I tell you you'd be a great father?"

"Will she be alright?"

"She'll be fine." She whispered in his ear and he breathed a sigh of relief. She took his face gently in her hands and directed him to look at her. "She'll grow up, she'll love, and she'll live to a ripe old age. She'll be happy."

"Unlike us."

She smiled sadly, "We were a tragedy, despite our best efforts. We were always meant to be an epic, fleeting love, doomed from the get go. But, doomed or not, I wouldn't have traded any of it. You were, and always will be, my Knight in Shining Armor. I Love you, Dean Ambrose."

He looked at her and smiled, the pain in his side forgotten, the hurt forgotten, everything forgotten. There was nothing at the end of everything except just him and her. He knew everything would be alright when he heard the helicopter overhead. Seth had done it, Evy was safe. He looked Abby in her beautiful brown eyes, kissed her, and let go.

...20 years later...

"You look beautiful," he said, leaning against the door. Evy turned and smiled, looking so much like her mother on her wedding day. Then, Seth was merely a groomsman, today he was walking her down the aisle.

"Thanks Uncle Seth." She replied and gave a little turn, her blond curls swaying with the folds of her dress. Then she stopped and looked at him and he was struck by how much she reminded him of Dean. That same tenacity masked by a mischievous smirk.

"Roman told me you're starting at HQ after your honeymoon." He said, the touch of concern in his voice not lost on her, not with how she was always so good at reading people.

"Intelligence Division, Uncle Seth." She answered, though seemingly slightly disappointed by that fact. "I wanted to apply for Shield, like my father. He was the frist Shield Captain afterall. I felt like I owed him that much."

"I know." He responded with a small, sad grin. "And you would have made a wonderful Shield agent."

She eyed him suspiciously, much like her father used to do. "You told them not to admit me, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry Evy. You're father would have wanted you to make it on your own and not just as his legacy. As head of HQ, I made an executive decision. You're more suited for the intelligence division. Roman will make sure you live up to your potential there."

She crossed her arms over her chest and sank into the small couch she was provided by the church. He pushed off the doorway and walked to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. He held out a small rectangular box to her, "Look, I don't want you to be mad at me for trying to protect you. I wanted to give you your gift early."

She took it and held it in her hands, eyeing the package. "What is it?"

"Open it and find out."

She tore off the wrapping paper and cardboard, only to stop. Her hand shot to her mouth and tears filled her eyes. "You found it?"

"It was in one of your father's old notebooks." He answered. "Roman found it when they were cleaning out HQ storage before they moved to the new building."

In her hands, cradled ever so gently between her fingers was a photograph. One she thought she had lost years ago. One precious to her as the breath in her lungs. It was the photo that sat on her bookshelf in the home she shared with her father before he died, the one of him and her mother dancing at their wedding. Seth watched her happy tears fall and took her face in his hands to wipe them away with his thumb. "I thought they should be here with you today. They loved you so much."

"I forget what he sounded like." She said suddenly.

Seth laughed, "He was gruff, and a bit of a crazy person. He made me promise not to let you date anyone like him. I think I've accomplished that, Alexi turned out to be a wonderful man."

"Tell me about him again?"

Seth kissed her on the forehead. "Later. You're getting married!"

Two weeks later Evy arrived at the HQ building and stopped in the entranceway to look around the new, expansive space. Directly in front of her was a large reception desk where she was to check in before being directed to Roman and the intelligence division. But to her left was a wall of photographs. And inscription above them read 'For those whose names won't be forgotten'.

She took a moment to scan the large wall, almost staggered by the amount of photographs she found. Some she recognized, some she didn't. All were accompanied by a small epitaph. There was Dolph, who was killed in action when she was 15; Antonio Cesaro was killed on a mission not long after that; and William Regal who died only a year ago. He was like the grandfather she never knew and she missed him dearly.

Yet, one photo stood out amongst the rest. It was the one photo she had been longing to see. She approached it and smiled, running her fingers over the glass. "Hi daddy."

He looked so young in this picture. He couldn't have been much older than she was at the time. He was looking straight ahead, his blue eyes mischievous and, somehow, happy. He was dressed in the traditional Shield gear, the same uniform given to Agents today. She sniffed back the tears as she read the inscription below his photo:

Captain Dean Ambrose. Shield Division. Died in the line of duty protecting other agents. Survived by his daughter, Evylina.

"Evy!" She heard a familiar voice call.

Roman was walking toward her as she turned around. She was always struck by how he always seemed to look so youthful, even in his middle age. His black hair was only just beginning to grey at the temples and his movements weren't quite as sharp as they had been once, but she would dare anyone to try and best him. He was former Shield after all. He stopped next to her and shook her hand, a very professional gesture as opposed to the large hugs she remembered growing up.

"Are you ready for your first day as a spy?" He asked with a playful wink.

She laughed slightly, "Yes, I was just saying hello to my father."

Roman regarded the photo sadly, "I wish he could have seen what you've become."

"Me too, Uncle Ro."

"He deserves more than a photo on a wall." He added sorrowfully. "He saved all our lives that day. Your father was a great man, though he'd probably call me some ribbing name for being so sentimental. For someone who started from such a terrible place, he did great things that no one will ever know. No one but us."

"He used to tell me stories about your adventures." She said with a sad smile. "I can't remember much of them now."

"Maybe that's for the best." Roman said. "Besides, it's time for you to make your own. I'll take you to your desk and Seth will be down shortly to greet you."

Roman led her through the new building to the intelligence wing. There, he took her to a desk, a nameplate that read Evylina Ambrose sitting on the wood surface. They remembered that she opted to keep her last name after she got married.

As she settled into her seat, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Reaching into her bag, she produced the photo her Uncle had given her on her wedding day and placed it next to the computer screen. Her mother and father should be here with her.

She hoped wherever they were, they were still dancing like in the photo.

Happy together.

Forever.