Author's Note: Sorry for the delay but life has been throwing me some curve balls so far this year. I've been trying to find a new car. Well, a used car, but new to me. Also, this has just proved to be a tricky chapter in general, and a bit shorter than intended, but alas. Anyway, apologies. Thank you to everyone who has followed this story, especially those of you who took the time to review and comment. My message box is always open if you want to talk Jori or bounce fic ideas off me or have me beta or anything at I don't intend on writing any more Jori (need to focus on my original fiction), if you are looking for more Jori fics to satiate your needs, let me recommend some of my favorites just in case you haven't hit them yet... My all-time favorite is "The Sun's In My Heart" by missanomolus. Runner ups include: "Tightrope" by dontyouwannadance (I know, who hasn't read that one?),"Closest I Get" by sirrryesssirrr, "Just Friends" by A. Kline, and both parts of the "Motion" trilogy by kabensi over at Archive of Our Own (and part 3 is still to come, so there will be new reading in the future!) Now, enough of that, time to wrap things up over here. Chapter title comes from the song "Give Up the Ghost" by Radiohead.

Again, thank you all for reading!

Epilogue: Give Up The Ghost

When she steps foot on the cemetery lawn, she stops in her tracks and closes her eyes for a moment. She can hear Tori getting out of the passenger side and making her way around the car to join her. It's been just over a year since they last stood there, when they lowered Cat into the earth. Work had prevented Jade from getting there on the actual anniversary, or she blamed it on work at least.

Tori doesn't say anything, just waits patiently for Jade to take the step forward, waits for her to be ready. She takes her hand and gives it an encouraging squeeze and Jade feels like she can do this after all, so she steps forward and Tori stays at her side.

It's been a long year, Jade thinks when they stop at the grave. Such a very long year.

Tori takes a seat on the grass, though she doesn't let go of Jade's hand and the other woman remains standing.

"Hey Cat," she says to the earth, her voice barely audible. "We've missed you."

But they aren't really here for that. Of course they've missed her and wherever she is, she knows that, Tori is certain.

This is about Jade. It'd always been about Jade. She needed to make her final amends.

She'd written a letter to Cat, as she had to everyone else, but she didn't open it. She simply sat it next to the tombstone.

"I'm not sure how to do this."

Tori shrugged. "There isn't a right or wrong way, Jade. She knows you're sorry. Is there anything else you want to tell her?"

Jade inhaled deeply, recalling a time long past with the bubbly redhead, maybe three months after Tori Vega had wowed everyone with her big showcase and waltzed in to dethrone Jade West as the school's top talent.

"I think you and Tori would make a cute couple!" Cat giggled, hugging her purple giraffe as she sat cross-legged on Jade's bed.

"What?!" Jade intended to sound more repulsed and less worried, but she didn't succeed.

"I know you're always mean to her, but I think it's like when Tom Bollings used to pick on me in grade school and my Nona always said it was because he liked me."

"I'm mean to Tori because I don't like her."

"Uh huh," Cat nodded, giving Jade an exaggerated wink.

"I don't," Jade insisted, annoyed that Cat appeared to actually believe otherwise.

"Your secret's safe with me!" Cat chirped, motioning to zip her mouth shut.

"Cat-"

"I know you, Jade. I know how you are. I've only known Tori for a little bit, but I can tell. But don't worry. I'll keep your secret. I think you'd be happier if you didn't keep it secret though. And she's even prettier than Beck!"

Jade half-laughed. "You were right, Cat. About so many things. I should have listened to you a long time ago."

Tori nodded in agreement, though she didn't know what Jade was specifically talking about. "It's been a whole year," Tori breathed when it seemed Jade wasn't going to say anything else.

"It doesn't seem like she's been gone that long," Jade said as she finally took a seat on the grass beside Tori.

"No, it doesn't. But that's not what I meant. Today you are officially one year clean and sober."

Jade nodded, but didn't take her eyes off the tombstone.

"That's a huge accomplishment, Jade," Tori continues. "And I know most support groups and things have medallions or whatever to commemorate hitting the one year mark, but you didn't do this with a group, you did it yourself."

"I did it with you. I could never have done it without-"

"It was you," Tori interrupted. "The credit is yours. The accomplishment is yours, and so I didn't think a medallion was right for you, since you did it on your own instead. Anyway, here." she shoved a small rectangular box at Jade.

"What's this?"

"Well, open it."

Inside the box was a tiny glass figurine.

"It's a sailingfin tang!"

"Sailfin," Jade corrected, absentmindedly wondering if Tori was deliberately messing up the name at this point.

"Whatever, this is your one year token. It's fragile, so maybe not the most practical."

Jade stared at the tiny brown and yellow striped fish figurine in the palm of her hand.

"I didn't do this on my own, Tori. You carried me through it. You carried me the whole time."

Tori leaned in her, slipping her arm around the other woman's waist. "I just kept you fed and watered."

"What, like a dog or a plant?"

"I just mean that I helped with the superficial stuff. But its an internal thing and I couldn't relate. I've never had...in groups you can at least talk to other people who've been there too. I haven't, so it's not like I've been providing any insight or essential support. I just made sure you didn't die."

"You say that like it's a small thing."

"Why are you making it so difficult for me to congratulate you?"

"Sorry."

"Do you like the fish?"

"I do."

"Good."

"One year isn't the end though," Jade said then, her voice wavering somewhere between dread and hope.

"No, it's only the beginning," Tori agreed. "But it's a good start. A really good start."

"And you'll be here to help me the rest of the way."

"I will."

Jade let out a shaky breath. "I think maybe I'll be able to manage it then."

"You will. I know you will," Tori smiled, not the faintest bit of anything other than absolute certainty in her smile.