A/N: Why is the end always scary? Ah, too philosophical a question and too emo an author at the moment to pose such a question. But here it is...it took me a while to figure out how to do it. A lot of it is sooo...VISUAL. I wish I could have somehow videotaped it and put it up! But I am a slave to the written word, and so have to figure out how to do scenes that are so "visual" in my head and put it on paper...or word document. Though I answered Crawler's question, I figured just in case anyone else was wondering, Munkus was in the rain. Symbolically. To Sarah, yes, he DOES deserve something cruel for what he did! Tant and Cori will make sure of that. They won't tell me what, though, but more torturous a punishment than I could imagine. To Wolfjet, I debated about the rock thing, so thank you for liking it, hehe! To everyone else, you seem to forgotten the epilogue!!! Sheesh! Lol, anyways, here it is. And until the next story...if there is to be one...I bid thee adieu. Well, au revoir...adieu is a little more dramatic.

EPILOGUE

In the days that came, the sky had freed itself of the congestion of storm clouds. The rain gave way to the typical London fog, and though it would work to dampen the fur of even the most fastidious cats, it was a welcome change.

Demeter found herself to be surprisingly stronger than she ever thought she could be. She was certain, when everything was over (considering that she survived), that she would be bitter towards her tribe mates. She thought she would have enough of them, and never want to return to them. She knew for certain that when this was all over, she would never want to speak to the very cats she swore to protect.

But she didn't take into account that the cats would be in mourning. She had begun to think that the loss of Munkustrap only affected her; that he wasn't that important to the others. She had thought of him for so long as all hers, she forgot she shared the tom with the entire tribe. Though she went on to think the reason he died was because of her, she had almost forgotten that he also died in an effort to protect the tribe. That, and the loss of Mistoffelees, and they seemed too paralyzed with grief to know what to do with themselves anymore.

She didn't want to feel close to them anymore, after what she had to go through with them. But when huddled together for the feeling of protection and family, for shelter from the storm that had begun to pour, the cats began to ask, "What do we do now?" And to her surprise, all the eyes of the tribe turned to her for an answer.

She would have thought she would have nothing to say to that, or she would have expected herself to back up into someone, hide her face, and say, "I don't know." But the only cat she would want to hide behind wasn't there to do so. So, she looked solemnly to her tribe mates, with a voice louder than she expected to come from her small frame, she told them, "We mourn."

And they did mourn…mostly through her. It was almost laughable, that after all she had been through, they were the ones now crying on her shoulder. And though she was broken hearted, relief over her situation finally being over made her feel no reason to mourn. Almost no reason to mourn.

When she finally showed them the grave marker, she felt ashamed to not have any tears left. So she hid in the rosebush, and hoped they would leave her be, until finally they all left.

Now, under the rosebush, she looked serenely to the grave. It seemed a comfort to her, and she hoped that finally, she could feel or see his presence again. She felt dread trickling up her spine at the thought that she may never see him again, even if he was a ghost. She needed to see him. She needed to…

In time, the brightness of the sun trying to shine through the fog caused her eyes to grow weary. Exhaustion had taken its toll on her, and she hadn't slept right for weeks, it seemed. With little to fear anymore, she curled up tight against the chill of the fog, and allowed the feeling of sleep to wash over her.

"Ah, you just keep coming back for more, don't you?" Demeter jumped at the new voice. When she looked up, there was Munkustrap standing before her, smiling warmly at her. Looking as alive as ever, really.

"Munkustrap!" she squeaked, jumping up on her feet and running to him. Her arms outstretched, she leapt into his arms. He caught her, embracing her, purring softly. "I've missed you so much!"

"I know," he said, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek.

"I love you."

"I love you, too." They stayed in their embrace for a while. Demeter relished in the warmth and the smell of him, the kisses she had missed and the feeling of him purring against her.

"You're back to normal," Demeter said, laying her head against his chest and feeling his soft fur.

"Well…" he hesitated. "I'm like this now because of you," he said, pulling her away by her shoulders so she could see him smile. "No more limbo. And I wanted to thank you for that." Demeter took his paw against her cheek, nuzzling it affectionately. "And I want you to do…two more things for me."

"Anything," she said, brushing his face with her paws, tickling his whiskers with her paw. She laughed at the half sneer he made at the feeling. "As long as Macavity is gone, I would do anything for you."

He clasped her paw and brought her against him, whispering in her ear, "Dance with me." Demeter smiled and nodded. She would never say no to that!

And so they danced, something known to humans as a waltz, to the music only they could hear. The low hanging fog made everything look almost too bright. Dew caught on the flowers and leaves nearby, and twinkled when catching passing light. The birds they usually ignored were chirping in the distance, safely hidden by the fog. They danced in the garden, for what Demeter wished to be an eternity. It felt right - euphoric. Just silver and gold, twirling together, without a care in the world.

Then after a while, she felt it time to ask. "What's the other favor?"

"Demeter," he said, stopping his waltz with her. She stayed with her paw clasped in his, her paw loosely on his shoulder, their bodies pressed together. He looked serious suddenly, and looked her straight in the eye. "You have to let me go."

"NO!" she said, grasping his fur, pulling him closer, if that were possible. As long as he was there, everything else was just a horrible dream, and he was there, always there, with her.

"You've cried for me," he said softly, gently wiping the tears that were beginning to fall down her cheek. "And you've mourned. And the only thing left is for you to let me go."

"I can't!" she cried, burying her face in his chest.

"You have to move on. I know you'll be fine."

"You're here with me now, why can't you stay with me?" she asked, her question nearly muffled by his fur.

He gently lifted her chin with his paw. "Because it's going to be a long time before you come to the Heaviside Layer with me."

"I'll ask Deuteronomy to send me to the Heaviside the next Ball," she said determinedly, frowning up at the tom.

"Not your time, and he knows that," he said. "You're destined for great things in our tribe. I'm not the one who needs you…I'm already gone. Shh, don't cry." He caressed her cheek as she was stifling her sobs. "You've done that enough for me. But the tribe needs you. And without Mistoffelees, they can use your intuition. You know all this, my love."

Demeter let out a sob, closing her eyes and letting her head fall against his chest. She grasped onto his fur. "I'll never forget you," she whispered.

"I know," he said. "But remember that I want you to be happy. Alright? Don't let memories of me stop you from doing what's important…alright?"

"You know me too well," she whispered, still clutching him tight. They were silent as she took in these last memories of him. Then she thought of the last moments with him alive, and it almost brought a smile to her face. Slowly lifting her head, she looked at his face – stern yet loving, as always.

She backed away a little, then a little more, still holding onto him, until they were tethered together only by their paws. And finally, reluctantly…she let go of his paw.

Demeter woke up, tears in her eyes, alone in the backyard. The beautiful roses were above her. The gravestone was in front of her. The fog had lifted, and the sun was beginning to come through. She let out a sigh, and got up.

Behind her was the human house that Munkustrap once belonged to. A smile flickered on her face as she remembered him telling her something about table scraps. They were probably missing having a cat as it were…and her family would have long forgotten about her, anyway.

She walked up to the familiar cat door before her, which would open a frightening world of possibilities. Of course she wondered what would become of her, but…if Munkustrap had faith in her… That she may once again find a place in the tribe, in the world. A world without him.

Frightening possibilities, yes. After cruelly being freed from the shadows of her past, she felt numb by what could happen now. But just a little braver, after what she did to finally protect those who spent most of their lives protecting her.

Demeter shook her head. Too many dreadful thoughts. For now, she would have to let it go, and jump through the cat door, to see what lie ahead.

-Fin-