Ratged: G
A/N: I guess you could call this an epilogue to the epilogue of my War and the Ring fic. I was rereading those the other night and this came to me. Thank you Moonlighter for checking it over and offering feedback.
The Letter – A War and the Ring Story
Mick came in the front door carrying the mail and walked into the kitchen where Beth was cutting vegetables for her dinner. “Hey,” he said giving her a peck on the cheek.
“Hey yourself,” she replied with a smile. “Glad you checked the mail; my arms were full of groceries when I came in. Is there anything good?”
Mick riffled through the handful of envelopes. “No, no, no…oh, here’s something.” Beth looked up and saw Mick holding a pale blue envelope as he set the rest of the mail on the counter. She went back to her work as he turned it over and opened the flap, withdrawing the contents.
“Well? What is it?” When Mick didn’t answer she looked up again and watched his expression change as he read the letter.
Dear Mick,
I don’t know if you remember me, but my grandmother Anna Maria and I met you and your lovely wife Beth a year ago at a café in Paris when Grandmother recognized the ring you were wearing.
I’m sad to say that Grandmother passed away six months ago. I have recently been going through her things and found your business card which you must have given her on your walk. Grandmother was a little different after our trip. I don’t know if it was the vacation itself, or meeting you, or both, but she seemed happier somehow. Not that she was unhappy before, but she just seemed more contented. Even after her weekly visits to the cemetery, which usually left her feeling melancholy, she would seem cheerier. She died peacefully in her sleep and was not in any pain.
I hope I am not being presumptuous in writing to you, but I thought you might want to know. Please give my regards to Beth.
Yours sincerely,
Catarina Mancini
P.S. I also found this picture of Grandmother as a child among her things and thought you might like to have it. It was taken when the war ended.
Mick brought the black and white photo out from behind the letter and stared at it. Anna Maria was a few years older than when he had met her, but other than being taller she looked just like he remembered. She stood with her mother Anne, the grandfather he met that day, and another man he presumed to be Anna Maria’s father. They were standing together in front of the farm house. Lost in his thoughts, he was startled when he felt Beth gently touch his shoulder.
“Mick? Are you okay?”
He nodded. “Yes,” he answered softly. He held the letter out to her. “It’s from Anna Maria’s granddaughter Catarina that we met on our honeymoon in Paris. Anna Maria died six months ago.”
“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry,” Beth said as she leaned her head on his shoulder and read the letter.
“And she sent this picture.” Mick gave it to Beth.
“What a lovely gesture! There’s quite a resemblance between Anne, Anna Maria and Catarina, isn’t there?”
“Yes, I guess there is.” Mick set the letter down and began absent-mindedly rubbing his ring.
“Are you okay?”
Mick turned and smiled at her. “Yes, I’ll be fine.” He gave her a light kiss. “I’m just going to go sit in the office for a minute.”
“Sure, I understand.” Beth picked up her kitchen knife again and watched Mick take the letter and photograph into his office.
Mick sat in his office, turning his ring around and around on his finger as he reread the letter and stared some more at the picture. With a sigh, he put them back in the envelope and put it in a drawer of his desk. He stood up and walked to the window, looking up at the evening sky. “Rest in peace, Anna Maria,” he whispered. “Heaven has another angel.”
The End
I'm so glad this follow-on story occurred to you! It's a perfect way to come full circle with the story of the ring... and I'm very glad Anna Maria remembered Mick and was comforted after they met (again) in Paris. 
I'm so glad Mick has Beth to help him find new connections to life and happiness. And I'm very glad he knows that Anna Maria was happier in her final months, knowing the truth.