Alright, you guys. Prepare yourselves for... *cue drumroll* the final chapter. That's right. After this it's done. I made this chapter extra long as a special treat for you guys. I'd just like to thank all of those who have reviewed, especially tjmack.

I'd also like to dedicate this entire story to my sister.

They say when the time has come to move on, that physically, mentally, and spiritually one knows when to let go completely, with no regrets, no reservations.

Juliet knew that time was here for her.

Turning her head slightly, she caught sight of Shawn, dozing off in the armchair. She smiled sadly, taking in his peaceful-looking face for what she knew was the last time. Her shaky hand reached out for him, and he jolted awake in an instant. She spoke, but the oxygen mask made it so muffled that he couldn't understand her. He stood and carefully lifted the mask.

"What did you say, Jules?"

"Read... to me... please." Her voice was barely above a whisper. Shawn searched the armchair and the floor surrounding it before locating Catcher in the Rye on the end table next to the chair. It had been her favorite book of all time and Shawn had read it aloud to her four times already, never complaining when Jules begged him to start it all over again.

"I felt so depressed you can't imagine," he read. "What I did, I started talking, sort of out loud, to Allie. I do that sometimes when I get very depressed." In a way, Shawn thought that reading any passages about Allie to her was kind of ironic.

Juliet's breathing was heavy and sporadic as he read to her. She went over and over each section of Shawn's face, memorizing him. Shawn glanced at the clock next to Jules's bed.

"What do you think? Should we keep reading?" he asked. Jules weakly shook her head no and tried to take off the mask.

Shawn put it back on. "Leave it on, Jules. I know it's uncomfort-"

Juliet's voice came out muffled and Shawn lifted the mask up, away from her face.

"I... can't. I can't, Shawn."

"Okay. Alright, baby." Shawn couldn't fight his tears anymore. he bent down and reluctantly shut off the oxygen tank and ever so carefully removed the mask from Juliet's face. He caressed Jules's cheeks with both his hands, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I'm... so... so tired, Shawn."

Shawn dropped his hands into hers and held on tight. "I know, sweetheart. I know you must be. But you know what? You have been so strong, Jules. I don't know if I could ever be as strong as you."

"You... You've... always been... this strong." Juliet smiled weakly. "That's... how... I know... how... to do it. Because... of you."

Shawn looked down at the book and let go of Juliet's hands. After carefully climbing into the bed with her and gathing her tiny body in his arms, he picked up the book and started reading again. If he read, if he pretended it wasn't happening... God, don't let it happen. Not yet. Give us one more day.

Juliet's eyes filled with tears. She slowly scooted closer and closer to Shawn. God, how she wanted to stay here forever. She wished she could be safe in his arms for the rest of her life, listening to his voice as he read to her and his hearbeat, her most favorite lullaby in the world.

Then again, it might turn out that way.

As Shawn read on, she felt her eyelids getting heavier and heavier. And so she snuggled closer to the man she loved, let herself relax, and closed her eyes.

And in her heart, she said goodbye.

And she let go.

"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody," Shawn finished, closing the book. He glanced down at Jules, who appeared to have dozed off at some point. But his gut told him something was wrong, and it took him a moment to realized what it was.

She wasn't breathing.

"Jules?" He gently shook her shoulder. "Jules? Juliet Spencer, this isn't funny." He shook her shoulder a bit harder. "Jules, c'mon, wake up."

He pushed himself up into a sitting position and roughly shoved two fingers against the side of her neck, just below her jaw.

Nothing. No pulse beat steadily beneath his fingers.

Shawn jumped up frantically. "No! NO! Jules! Please, God! No! Juliet!" Shawn shook her hard and waited for Jules to breathe again. "Not yet! Please!" He touched Juliet's face and kissed her cheeks. "Oh, God." He laid his body over Juliet's as he sobbed.

Shawn couldn't peel his eyes away from the grave. Chief Vick had offered full police honors, but he'd declined. He knew she wouldn't have wanted that huge production at her funeral. She would've wanted somthing small, friends and family only.

Her portrait smiled back at him over the large bouquet of flowers place on her glossy mohogany casket. He couldn't help but think about how healthy she looked in the picture, nothing like the pale, sick woman in the casket. His eyes darted to the tombstone next to Juliet's, a smaller white one that marked the grave of their daughter. He hoped that at some point in the day, the sun would be angled so that Jenna's grave would rest comfortable in the shadow of Jules's tombstone.

He was aware of the sympathetic glances he and Lassiter were recieving, but he chose to ignore the,. Today was about Juliet, his wife, the love of his life, his soulmate. Today was about her and nobody else.

He listened vaguely as people gave their speeches about Juliet. They said how she was so strong, so brave, how she would be missed dearly. He cracked a smile as Lassiter recounted her first few days at the precinct. He nearly broke down when Buzz told them of his memories of her.

He stood slowly and crossed the small space to the spot just in front of the casket. He had to blink away tears and clear his throat before he was able to start.

"To summarize what Juliet meant to me is like trying to stuff an elephant into a four-foot-square box; it's impossible. I thought I would be ready for this when the time came. I thought I would be ready to say goodbye.

"I now know that this, too, is impossible. Despite what I though, I will never be ready. I will never be ready to wake up in the morning and have to remind myself that she's not next to me anymore. I will never be ready to come across a picture or a home video and remember exactly what was going on. I will never be ready to fully let her go. I will carry her memory around with me for the rest of my life."

Shawn paused to blink away the tears that were blurring his vision and to clear away the lump in his throat that was making it difficult to breathe. He retreated back to his seat. He watched sullenly as the casket was lowered into the ground.

As people began to leave and go home, Shawn remained seated, staring at the hole in the earth that had swallowed Jules. He stared at it blankly, even as they began to fill up the grave with dirt. He remained behind after they finished, staring at the clumps of dirt that now separated him from Jules.

He found himself rising to his feet before he even contemplated telling his legs to move. From inside his jacket, he pulled a small picture frame and set it on the ground between Jenna and Juliet's graves. Inside it was the picture Jules had found beneath Jenna's pillow after she died, the one of the three of them leaving the station.

He straightened up at a gust of wind ruffled his hair. Leaning his face up, much as Jules had done at Jenna's funeral, he let it caress his face as he reached inside his pants pocket. A handful of white rose petals tumbled out and fluttered in the breeze. He watched the petals as they danced in the wind, climbing higher and higher. He watched them float up to Juliet and Jenna, until he couldn't see them anymore.

And then he watched some more.

Fin.

Please don't kill me.

(Just for the record, I had this ending planned all along.)