The Cure

They visited Kate's grave the morning Neal was released from the hospital. By then, all of the loose ends had been tied in a neat bureaucratic bow.

Robert Eppes' body was buried in a nameless plot in a convict cemetery, having no living relative to claim the body. Michael Favor, the young man that orchestrated the entire disaster and Benny Favor's youngest son, was claimed by his older brother James. Michael never got over his father's death or his heart disease, even though he got the surgery all those years earlier. Knowing he was going to die anyway, he roped Eppes into his revenge plot. James is the only survivor of the Favor family, his mother having killed her self years before.

The two bodies of the killers were never found, but then, they were two lives no one was likely to miss.

Peter and Elizabeth helped Neal over the plots of others' lost loved ones and waited in silence as he visited Kate. But Neal didn't say anything. He only thought about the beach and a white, white shore line.

Lisa had visited him once more when he was awake. Neal tried to give her the pendant back, but she wouldn't take it. It was the pendant for Saint Anthony her mother gave her, she said, the saint of lost things and sometimes miracles. She left for her old town the next day.

Now, Neal placed the pendant on top of Kate's grave and smiled.

"Neal," Elizabeth asked quietly, "are you alright?"

He nodded, "I will be. I know she's happy there and I know she'll wait."

Elizabeth smiled, gently wrapping her arms around him. Peter placed his hand on his friend's back, careful of the healing injuries.

"I know it hurts," Elizabeth said, "but everything works out the way it's supposed to."

Peter smiled at his wife's encouraging words, but then frowned. He picked up a second pendant Neal had laid on the ground.

"Saint Monica?" he asked.

Neal only smiled. Elizabeth took the pendant from her husband, rubbing it with her thumb.

"Isn't she the saint of mothers?"

Neal smiled sadly, "Kate had a miscarriage nearly four years ago."

"Oh, Neal." Elizabeth gasped.

"It was supposed to be a girl, at least that's what we were hoping for, but we lost her four months in. Kate was devastated."

"I'm sorry, buddy," Peter said sincerely.

Neal nodded, "I have to believe that they're together now, and that they'll wait for me."

"I think they're doing a lot more than waiting." Peter said, "You've got more than one angel watching your back."

Neal grinned. Elizabeth placed the pendant with the other. Frowning, she looked at Neal.

"What would you have named her, your baby?"

"Liberty."

Peter snorted, "How ironic."

But Elizabeth had gone pale. Her look went unnoticed as the men turned back towards the car. She stared at the head stone and then past it where she saw a dark haired woman spinning around with a curly haired blond girl. They smiled and waved at her.

"El? Are you coming?"

"Coming Peter," Elizabeth called absently, but she was smiling at the heavens, "Real mysterious ways."

~The End~