By, Allison McKenzie

He looked over the cemetery, the green grass made the place look happier then it was. The sun peaked out from behind a cloud and he almost expected it to hide from him, like he had tried to hide from this. He just keep expecting her to be waiting there as he pulled up to a crime scene, or to see her sitting at her desk as he walked into the office. Which she had made him move; he smiled gently as he remembered it. He walked in one morning and she’s sitting on his desk in slacks and an almost see through shirt. She had known what she was doing.

"Dylan, I want to move into a new office." She said moving her shoulder just a bit so he could see down her shirt.

"Why?" He asked when he finally picked his jaw up of the floor.

"Look, you need some light in your life before you grow old and I’m forced to wheel you around the old washed out FBI retirement center." She said running a hand through her red hair, which now held the tiniest dusting of gray. The way he had always expected her to go gray, it actually made her look smarter.

"And what makes you so sure it won’t be the other way around?"

"Because you’ll do it just to make me happy, and because I’ll never grow old. I’ll live forever." The word forever echoed in his head as his mental picture of her faded. She had changed so much then, so lively and happy it was like she had gotten younger not older. Her smile had been infectious then, he had smiled a lot more. And even more when Cathy, his long lost sister, had gotten married. Casey had been the maid of honor, and he had walked his baby sister down the aisle.

The same woman walked up to him now. Only older, her hair had gone to a lighter black over the years. Older children comforted their mother and a taller man walked behind her. She stopped in front of him.

"You’re here to see her." He nodded once. "Good, she will be glad." He looked down at her. "Dylan, she would have understood why you didn’t come for three years. She knew you better then anyone else in the world, she knows it would be hard." He nodded. "Oh, and Maggie’s there as well, you should go to church with her tomorrow, we are." She walked away. He look down the hill towards the thing that scared him, he had never been afraid of the dead, death was a normal thing for him, but so few things had touched him the way she had.

The hand on his shoulder didn’t startle him, he had heard the kids coming. He glanced to his side, his son, Billy, was hardly a kid now. His red hair blew in the chilly November wind, the gentle brown eyes gazed back at him. A small blond came up beside the boy, his girlfriend, a luxury he had rarely experienced himself when he was young.

"It’s ok Dad. She’s not going to jump out of the grave just because you haven’t come to see her since the funeral." The blonde nodded. Sighing, Dylan nodded himself. "If she didn’t understand you she would have never married you."

That reminded him of their wedding. She had wanted such a low-key wedding he had been surprised. But it was the perfect thing for her. She had made Cathy her maid of honor, to the playful disagreement of himself. Andrew, who approached from his side now, had been his best man. What a day it had been for them. Cathy’s first child had stolen the rings and Casey’s garter. And then he had gone for a walk 2 minutes before the wedding to think.

She had come looking for him, scared he’d been hurt or something worse.

"I hope your not planing to get out of this by pretending to die." She had said as she walked up to him.

"No, but its beginning to sound like a good idea." She sat on the grass next to him.

"Casey!" He pulled her into his lap so her dress wouldn’t get dirty. Sighing he asked the question on his mind. "Are you sure you want me Cas?"

"Oh, Dylan. Is that it? Your worried I’ll get tired of you or something?" He nodded, "How could I get tired of you? In seven years I have never once even thought of a transfer. If I didn’t understand who you were and why I need you then I would have never made it this far, or married you."

"Seems rather stupid now." He said sheepishly.

"That’s why I love you…"

"Banks." He turned to the older now bald man beside him.

"Nice you see you again, sir. How’s life? And your jaw?" Mitch Andrews smiled. Over the years Dylan had socked the man for several things, sometimes he still did it.

"I just paid my respects to your mother. She was a good woman. She tried so hard in the end to fix it. She want you to forgive her so bad, I think that’s why she went when she did. She could finally rest when you forgave her." Dylan nodded and again his eyes turned to the figure by the grave.

"You been down to see her yet, sir?" Still called him sir, even thought they had both gotten out of the service.

"Yeah, I gave her some carnations. I remember I got you jealous by sending them to her once." Dylan smiled, and gave a little laugh.

"Yeah, socked you in the jaw for that one. Got my ass suspended and she took time off to be with me." Small smile crossed his lips again. "The whole time she teased me by sending flower to herself and signing the card with other guys names. Drove me nuts. You know I always thought I would never be remembering the bad stuff, but when I do it always seams so funny to me. Makes me miss her all the more." The tall man nodded.

"I know what you mean. All the things you remember, they’re all the good times, all the fights, the happy moments, and the sad ones. You realize that every moment you had with her is a happy one. She would be happy that you’re finally coming to visit. Now as your stepfather, you ex-boss, and your friend go down there, you will feel better afterward." The man nodded and walked away, leaving Dylan Banks by himself. Putting one foot in front of the other her made his way down the hill to the three graves that shone happily on this sad day.

He opened his coat and the gold on her necklace flashed in the sunlight. He fingered it and then pulled out a black wallet and a rose. He flipped open the black wallet and stared intently at her badge. He then placed it on her grave along with the rose. Maggie stood behind him, along with his daughter, Katherine. He leaned down and kissed the top of her grave.

"Your son’s turning out just fine. He made it through the academy, you won’t believe what he’s doing over there. He’s got the section reopened. Taking after us, wouldn’t you say? I know he was here earlier, maybe he told you, maybe not. Don’t worry I’ve taught him how to die, and come back with a flare and still come out on top. He’s got a pretty steady girl now, maybe you’ll get lucky and become a grandma.

"I think the guys down at the FBI are finally filing your file for the wonderful death procedure." a tiny smile. "Want to be sure this time." He turned to look at Maggie, something was there, a sparkle in her eye that he hadn’t noticed before. "I know it’s rude but, could I have a minute alone with her? Don’t worry Katie, I’ll tell her about you too. I don’t think I can’t, she’d be thrilled." It was there in Katie’s eyes, too. They knew something very good and weren’t telling him, he’d get it from them eventually. Maggie ushered the child away and her turned back to the grave. He sat down in front of it like the two of them did when they went to talk to Missy, Casey’s dead sister.

"Tell Missy I’m sorry I haven’t been by to see her for a while. I’ll do it later. Oh, I miss you so much Casey. It’s just getting so hard, every time I look at something it reminds me of you. It tried packing everything that reminded me of you away once. The house was so bare and I still saw you walking around the house. I think your haunting me sometimes. That might be fitting, since I haunted you all you’re life.

"Well, you should be very happy to know that your daughter, Katherine Emily Banks, received her Ph.D. I’m so proud of her, I know you would be too. I…We bought her a ticket to Ireland. She’s going to be so surprised. I know you always wanted to go there, I’m sorry we never did." He sighed and almost collapsed on her grave. "She’s so much like you. But you knew that, God I’ve been talking and acting like you’ve been dead fifty years not three. I still can’t keep my heart from hoping that this is a trick. One great get back at me joke. If it is I won’t be mad, I promise. But I guess that’s just asking for too much huh? Well, I wish that those guys could have at least given us a body. But at least we know that your dead, the blood loss was too great. Sorry, you know me."

A bird cawed off in the distance and it finally hit him that she was gone. He leaned forward and kissed the stone that sat as his only reminder of the woman he’d loved. "I’m so lost Casey. I just don’t know how to go on with out you." He paused, the tears threatening to start and never stop. "I love you."