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“It’s happening really fast,” Pete says nervously as we stand up.

“It is, but it needs to,” I remind him. “You’re getting married tomorrow, and then you’re going to be leaving with Elijah.”

“Shit, when am I going to pack?” He asks, panic starting to fill his eyes, and I can see him starting to overthink.

I pull him in for a hug again. I’m going to miss him like crazy.

“You’ve got your girls and the guys, actually. We can all help,” I tell him. “You’ve got this. It’s the right thing for you guys. Plus, Trick is the coordinator for Elijah’s team as well. You know that he’s going to try even harder to make sure that we all have time off together, and even work jobs together. It’s only because you’re going to be gone for months, possibly longer, that it feels like it’s a permanent, we won’t see each other again kind of thing. I would never let that happen.”

Pete takes a deep breath and smiles. “I know. Thank you. I need to make a plan for packing.”

“Not tonight, and not tomorrow. You enjoy spending time with your family and getting freaking married! The day after, we can sort everything else out,” I tell him. “We’re still having a leaving party here like we planned to say goodbye to Elijah, and now you too. We can pack and sort stuff during the day. The guys have everything handled here. Jynx is still around, Zemi will probably want to come and help, and Lyric can come and sit with us if she wants to, or stay up here with everyone else, depending on how she’s feeling.”

“Thank you,” he says, hugging me again.

“There’s a lot of hugging going on out here,” Trick says as he walks out through the doors. He immediately shivers, since he’s only in a t-shirt, “It’s also fucking cold. Are you two alright?”

I nod and try not to cry again as I say, “Yeah, well, yes and no. Pete is going to go with Elijah and join their team.”

Trick smiles and pulls Pete into a hug. “I’m really going to miss you, but I think that it’s definitely the right thing to do. If I were in your position, I would be doing exactly the same thing.”

Pete clears his throat, his eyes still misty. “Thank you for being so understanding. I know I’m kind of springing this on you.”

Trick chuckles, “Don’t be ridiculous. You’re family. This is what you want to do and what’s going to work best for you and Elijah. I understand. We understand. I’ll let Mr. R know now, since he’s going to need to get some things in place before you head off after the wedding.”

Pete just nods as he watches Trick pull out his phone and make the phone call.

“It’s all gotten very real, very quickly,” he whispers.

“I know,” I reply. “It’s exciting though. Why don’t you go and tell Elijah, and I’ll fill the others in, if you want me to?”

“I can tell that I’m super anxious at the moment because my brain just said, 'What if he doesn’t want you to be on his team?' And that’s the most ridiculous thought I’ve ever had, he loves me and he’s marrying me for goodness sake,” Pete says with a weary chuckle.

I grin and raise my eyebrow. “It is. I’m glad that you’ve sorted that out with yourself though.”

Pete chuckles.

“Mr. R said that he had a feeling that it was heading this way, so he’s already got the paperwork and things ready to go. The only thing he needs to do is sign it and get you to sign it. It should be in your inbox now,” Trick explains.

Pete pulls out his phone and smiles, “Damn, that was fast.” His fingers hesitate over the screen for a few moments before he starts to tap. He looks up when he’s done, his eyes wet with tears again. “Done. I am officially no longer a part of your team.”

I pull him in for a tight hug, “You’ll always be a part of our team, and most importantly, you’re family. That won’t change no matter whose team you’re on or even if you stopped working for the organization altogether. If any of us did. We’re all still family, and that’s a forever kind of thing.”

“Ever’s right, and I’ll try to coordinate our jobs when I can,” Trick says, unknowingly repeating what I told Pete earlier.

Pete nods and smiles, “It feels right.”

“Good,” I grin. “Let's go and tell the others. How do you want to do it?”

“Can I tell Elijah and the guys, and then I’ll make a big announcement for everyone?” Pete replies thoughtfully. “That’s probably the easiest way to do it.”

Trick and I nod. Trick replies, “Of course.”

Pete smiles and rushes inside, the dogs following him in, and Trick pulls me into his arms.

“Are you okay?” He asks me gently, his voice quiet as he holds me.

I nod, “I am actually. Of course I’m going to miss him like crazy, but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t be away from you guys, and I don’t know how they’ve done it for this long. He was so upset and really struggling this time, especially since there was no actual end in sight, and I really do think that this is the right thing for them all.”