Wassup, peeps?
So anyway OH MY GOD WE'RE AT THE LAST CHAPTER. I never thought I'd make it this far…
Well, let's get on with reviewer response, shall we?
Babygirl555: Yeah, I put the comic relief bit at the end simply for that purpose. :) Get that tissue ready, cause man is this chapter mushy!
JaredMilne1982: Hey, don't worry about it-sometimes LIFE gets in the way. Well, Doe has calmed down some, but also, she doesn't beat up old guys. C'mon-she's got standards. XD Yeah, I tried writing it like the original ending, but the only outcome that worked was Doe beating the living cap out of Glinda (what was that about her calming down?). Hear hear!
GothicWolfGirl652: Glad you approved of the length and the activation! ^_^ Yeah, at this point, there isn't much else…*shifty eyes*
Enjoy the last chapter!
Doe's P.O.V.
I could only cling to Brutus as we spun and soared-there wasn't much else I could do. I didn't even know which way was up anymore. The thought crossed my mind that Glinda was wrong, or that the Witch had put some kind of evil spell on the shoes before she died.
How would I even land in the right place? I hadn't said Kansas, and there could be a million Kirk Gales out there!
Suddenly, I stopped spinning and began falling, down and down and down.
My eyes were still spinning from before, and I couldn't see anything-I had no way of knowing where I was or what I was about to land on, but the odds weren't in my favor. I shut my eyes tight, bracing myself for the worst.
I landed on something cushy and springy.
Confused, I opened my eyes to find myself on a mattress, being held up by four moving men. They were staring at me, dumbfounded, and with good reason-I had just fallen out of the sky, after all, and I was still wearing my dress from the Emerald City.
Feeling awkward, I cleared my throat. "Uh, thank you, gentlemen." I jumped off the mattress. "As you were."
As I jumped down, I noticed that the previously-ruby slippers had now turned silver. I guessed that meant I couldn't use them for transportation anymore.
Not that I wanted to-that wasn't exactly one of the most pleasant experiences of my life.
Brutus was barking over my shoulder, and I turned.
Right there in front of me was my apartment building.
"We made it..." I whispered to myself, then turned to Brutus. "We made it, Bru! We're home!"
He barked happily, wagging his tail.
"C'mon!"
We both sprinted across the street. I burst into the building, nearly breaking the double door, and the two of us launched up the stairs.
Finally, we reached the door of our apartment.
Shaking out of nerves and happiness, I knocked on the door.
I heard Kirk's familiar stomp on the other side of the door.
"You bastards better be bringing me some good fuckin' news, 'cause I swear to God-!"
He cut off when he saw me at the door. He looked like he hadn't shaved in a while, and his shirt and pants were dirty. His eyes were bloodshot.
I suddenly wondered if all that was my fault.
I was unbelievably happy to see him, though.
"Kirk! I was so scared, I thought I'd never see you agai-"
WHAP!
He had slapped me right across the face. I held my burning cheek, biting back the profanities. "Kirk!" I yelled. "What the hell was that?"
"AND WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?" He yelled, dragging me into the apartment. "WHAT THE FUCK'S WITH THE DRESS?"
"Kirk, hold on-!"
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKING LONG WE WERE LOOKING FOR YOU?"
He was pissed. The only time he used the 'F' word that many times was when he was seriously pissed.
"Kirk, listen-"
"The police tore the state apart looking for you!" He wasn't as loud, but he was still yelling. "They even looked in fuckin' Nebraska, you were nowhere!"
"Kirk-"
"You couldn'tve called or anything?"
He slammed his hands down on the table,looking at it, rather than me. "I haven't slept, dammit! I quit the mechanic gig cause they wouldn't let me off to look for you! Every night I'd go everywhere I could think of and just call your name-you're telling me you never heard me once? Jesus Christ, you could've been dead for all I knew!"
I was shocked. 'So that wasn't an illusion the Witch just made up,' I thought. 'He really was worried about me.' I felt incredibly guilty.
"Kirk..." I bit my lip to stop it quivering. "I'm so sorry-"
"Y'know what, forget it! Just get your dumb ass the fuck over here!"
And the next thing I knew, Kirk had pulled me into a huge bear hug.
After a momentary shock, I hugged him back just as fiercely. "I missed you, Kirk. I worried about you every day I was gone."
"Yeah, yeah, okay," He said as we pulled away. "We're done with the mushy stuff. As long as you don't EVER pull that again." But he was smiling.
"Promise," I nodded.
He knelt down to Brutus. "You took care of her, right?"
Brutus yipped indignantly, as if to say, "Of course I did!"
"Good man." Kirk ruffled the fur on top of Brutus' head. He stood back up.
"So, Dodo," He started, and I never thought that dumb nickname would make me so happy. "You never did answer my first two questions."
"What were they again? I just remember you nearly blowing my eardrums out." I replied.
"Where were you, and what's with the dress?" He repeated.
I considered if I should tell him or not for a moment. On one hand, he probably wouldn't believe me. But on the other hand, what else could I tell him?
I looked to Brutus for advice. He nodded.
I sighed. "Okay, I'll tell you. But two promises first."
He looked weirded out, but said, "Okay..."
"One, this story doesn't leave this room." I started. "And two-this is the most important one-you have to believe everything I'm about to tell you. Because it all really did happen-I didn't just bump my head or something. So no matter how ridiculous this story gets-and believe me, it gets pretty ridiculous-you have to believe it."
He considered this for a moment. "Well, you never were good at making up stories. Alright, I promise. To both of 'em."
I smiled. "You might want to sit down-this might take a while."
"Time's one thing I've got plenty of," He assured me as he slumped onto the couch.
Brutus hopped up beside him. I sat on the easy chair across from the two.
"Shoot." He said, urging me on.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes..."
And the story just flowed out of me.
As I told it, I looked at Kirk, relaxed yet listening intently, at Brutus, sleeping next to Kirk, and at our little, rundown apartment.
It sure as hell wasn't bright and colorful Oz...
'But this is my home,' I thought with a smile as I continued to tell the story of my amazing adventure.
So that's the end of this story!
BUT WAIT! I still have one more little trick up my sleevy-sleeve, yes I do! *giggles uncontrollably* If you all would please follow me…
…..By "follow me" I mean hit the "Next" button.
Go ahead.
Click it.