Epilogue

So the outcasts were free to begin their lives afresh. The newspapers were filled with the re-telling of their adventures and were the only topic of conversation everywhere, it seemed. No names or photos were used in the articles; only initials so that their identities were more or less unknown. Only direct friends, family, and some former coworkers of the outcasts knew the truth. In an effort to prevent a limelight, no one spread the word to the public. Randall was the one who gained the most recognition, due to being well-known at one particular factory, but was glad the general population was kept in the dark about who he was. It was a great feeling, being able to walk around in public without having to worry.

Only a few days later, and it was obvious everyone in the group would reintegrate into the Monster World at a different pace.

It wasn't too hard for Naomi at first. Shortly after returning, she had her unkempt hair trimmed, had her claws and teeth sharpened, and had an entire new wardrobe in no time. She was forever smiling, being able to indulge her vanity. A thing as simple as having nice-looking lavender hair was enough to keep her blissful beyond belief. Her mother worked as a nurse, and was so overjoyed at her daughter being home, that she at once offered Naomi a place to stay, to which she accepted.

Then, she ran into some roadblocks. The sorority sisters of the Python Nu Kappa who had turned her in so long ago made amends; even Carrie Williams. But it soon became clear that Naomi's friendship with them would never be quite the same. The entire gaggle of them all worked at Scream Industries, but no positions were available for Naomi. Having landed in hot water at Scream Industries had given her an uncertain reputation there, so returning to her old job of scaring would not be a possibility. Having experienced the Human World and a rough life of exile had had a profound effect on her. She had no desire to repeat the banished experience, and had a new appreciation for life, now. But she found herself unsure where to go from here.

Bernard had little trouble adjusting those first few days. His son had taken over the family fishing business many years ago, and it had become extremely successful. Over a dozen boats and whole teams of monsters now worked for the company. Nicholas went out on the water himself nearly every day; sometimes even delivering the catches himself. Local markets and smell restaurants were supplied by him, although getting the reputation to this point had been a struggle. Bernard had been exiled for causing a disease outbreak from tainted fish, so of course it had been a harsh blow to the business. Nicholas often brought his daughter out on the water, as well as his wife. Bernard was more than happy to be able to work once again, and marveled at the fleet of impressive boats. With all the progress that had been made, Bernard couldn't have been prouder.

The Brennen family lived very close to the ocean, only a short drive from downtown Monstropolis. It was a very large, fancy sort of place due to the family's wealth accumulated over the years. The sudden riches were extremely overwhelming for the humble Bernard. It was a little bit over-the-top for his spoiled granddaughter to grow up in. He was still surprised at being in the sudden role of grandpa, and of having a daughter-in-law as well. But day by day, he liked the role more and more. The grand home would take some getting used to, though.

The vast Brennen house meant a luxurious place for Becca to stay. Having nowhere to go, she was welcomed with open arms. Her suite even had an attached balcony overlooking the yard, but despite the lavish quarters, she was still a bit sad with the prospect of being here. She was very unlike herself, and it showed: quieter, polite, and she didn't even bother quarrelling with Randall or Naomi…it was a bit disturbing. The death of Suzie was looming over her and would be for a long time. The others vowed to try their best to help her though this tough time, but it wasn't easy with her defensive attitude and stubbornness.

The authorities released the McKeen family photographs and other personal belongings. All were returned to Becca and going through the mementos seemed to help her mood. But she had yet to go out and begin a new life of her own.

"Working again might help, Becca. You can't stay cooped up in here all the time," Bernard advised when he came to see her. She had been holed up in her room for a week straight, doing nothing but pouring over old photographs.

"Sure I can! Watch me," She snapped. Then sighed in regret. "Sorry…it's just too soon since Suzie…" She trailed off. She would not heal from the death of her sister anytime soon. "I just need more time."

Becca's old job as a Scare Coach was one she had been passionate about; mostly because she enjoyed bossing monsters around. But she was not feeling up to job-hunting. What place would hire her after learning of her past, anyway? Now was the time to mourn. She spent a great deal more time with Randall nowadays; knowing he was with Suzie when she died was somewhat of a comfort. Suzie's death had affected them both, but they were becoming closer, better friends because of it. Becca had no idea how the rest of her life would turn out, with her only family gone. She was much too gloomy to care right now.

As for Randall, things were moving along smoothly. Reluctant to step foot in Monsters, Inc., he did so after some pushing from Samuel and found a position on the maintenance crew. With his knowledge of machines and mechanics, he was often asked for more complicated repairs around the factory. Facing all the old faces was intimidating. Some had no idea why he had disappearing for so long, what with there being lack of evidence of his involvement with the scream extractor incident. Most were still slightly nervous around him at first; but slowly, they began to notice the change in Randall Boggs—still notoriously impatient and short-fused, but he now had a deeper respect for others, was friendlier, and sometimes kinder. He wanted to gain more respect and trust around here, despite being on the lowly maintenance crew, and there was a long way to go.

Upon first stepping foot back into the place, Randall braced himself for a meeting with the two monsters who had thrown him into the Human World in the first place…only to find they weren't even here! During the spring and summer months, some employees began taking their vacation times; this included the blue buffoon and the green sidekick. They wouldn't be due back for some time.

"He's CEO now?" Randall hissed in bewilderment upon finding the giant portrait of the blue-furred monster in the foyer. He rolled his eyes with sarcasm. "Of course he is! That's the only logical thing to happen after hurling me through a door! Just wait until those two get back…no doubt they'll have read the papers by now and pieced the story together." Then he realized what an unnerving conversation that would be. Suddenly he dreaded the thought of seeing those two again. Once the duo returned from their vacations, then what? There wasn't much point in revenge. Randall had already gone through enough punishment, and revenge sounded like something the old him would have done. His resolution was important; after all that had happened, he still wanted to prove anyone could change.

But he would worry about that later. There were plenty of other things to keep him occupied. Like dealing with Samuel and Rex, who spent so much time at the factory it was a wonder they didn't just move in!

Randall had always been ambitious. Maybe the demeaning maintenance job would only be temporary. All of the positive attention from his family was strange; he wasn't used to it at all. Zachariah nagged and encouraged Randall to pursue a more worthwhile goal, but he was still glad to have both of his sons back home, safe and sound. Earning his father's pride was important to Randall. He vowed to think about something more aspiring later, though. Being back at the factory felt like a step in the right direction—but there was a distinct downside: Samuel worked in the same building. Rex was also a frequent sight at the company daycare. Often the kid disappeared to seek out his long-lost uncle, always during the worst times. Randall was forced to put up with it all. The Boggs' clan had never been very tightknit, but was certainly spending more time together then before.

…

With Fungus' help, Randall quickly constructed a door which led to the highlands of Iceland. Fungus had helped build the thing in a hurry, and after testing it a few times, Randall pinpointed the location of Suzie's grave. He vowed to keep his promise to bring the others to visit her. When building a normal closet door, it required lots of testing to make sure it had linked with a counterpart closet in the Human World; typically it was a complicated process. But for the doors that led straight into wilderness for the purposes of banishment, the process was much faster. They basically led to nowhere.

With Fungus monitoring the door from the other side, the four outcasts set out on the expedition. A full two weeks had passed since returning, but having become so close, the four found time to meet every day. Randall led today's outing, and was pleasantly surprised at finding Iceland to be very scenic in the spring: rolling hills of grass, fresh , crisp air, and an endless blue sky. Seeing the wildlife and stunning landscape made Becca beam. This may be where Suzie had breathed her last, but it was a beautiful place to be her final resting place.

The group paid their final respects to Suzie, leaving flowers at her makeshift grave and saying a few kind words. The place brought back horrific, unwanted flashbacks for Randall; the traumatic days in Iceland came flooding back all at once.

Bernard noticed him lingering in the background. While Becca and Naomi sat by Suzie's grave, talking quietly, the older monster said to him, "You're probably tired of hearing this, Randall, but it wasn't your fault."

"Oh yes, it was," he insisted. He was beginning to regret this trip to Iceland. "Everything leading up to it was. You forget I was never completely honest to you all. If I hadn't lied, we never would have ended up returning to the swamps, I would never have gotten shot, the pneumonia wouldn't have spread, and there wouldn't have been any reason to search for medicine…getting help from monsters was all my idea, anyway." Randall sat down on a rock, finally confessing his guilt. It was true; he hardly needed to explain it. Getting lost in Europe with Suzie had all been his doing; he never should have gone looking for help in the Monster World. If not for his actions, choices, and manipulating ways, Suzie might still be alive.

Over by the grave—just a camouflaged pile of rocks, really—Becca was fighting her grief, just as the others expected. She was good at hiding her true feelings. She knelt with a far-off expression, looking around at the Icelandic landscape in admiration. Naomi was talking to her to offer words of comfort. Ever since winter, she had tried to fill the sisterly role that Becca was missing.

Randall sighed. Seeing tough Becca like this was more then he could bear.

Bernard, on the other hand, saw things differently. "Your actions also led up to all banishments ending, everywhere. No one will ever have to fear such a punishment again."

"True, but—"

"Stop with the guilt trip, Randall! It was a horrible accident…none of us will recover anytime soon, and even the newspapers were shocked at hearing of her death. She was so young; far too young to leave us so soon."

"I say I never should have joined the group. This all could have been avoided."

"But then you'd still be living in that twisted old tree, and we'd still be a group of nomadic travelers, just trying to find enough food to get through the day. That's no way to live."

Becca and Naomi overheard, and sat down in the lush grass to join in.

"Oh, that's right," Naomi agreed with Bernard's statement. "Who'd want to spend the rest of their life just surviving? I'd rather be living. I couldn't be more grateful for being back home." She said this kindly, with gratitude in her voice.

"Listen, Randy," Becca started. "We all screwed up real good and got kicked out of our world. If you hadn't joined the group that day, who knows where we'd all be now?"

Randall got the point. 'All banishments lifted' had a nice ring to it. But he would never forget Suzie, not would the rest of the group. She would've liked this outcome; the four friends swore to visit this place often and remember her always. Cool spring breezes rustled the wild grass, and the sun lifted their spirits. They began reminiscing times in the Human World, back when their year of hardship began. Like Randall's first day meeting them.

"You almost killed me with that shotgun!" Randall exclaimed to Becca.

'Sorry about that. Can you blame me?" she laughed. "When something tracks down our camp, it's not usually another monster. But seriously, I am glad you turned up that day. It led to all of this."

The door which led back to the factory was standing upright of its own accord nearby; a large, carved wooden thing that was very sturdy and reliable. It acted in the same manner as a banishment door. Randall had only spent a couple of days getting it to work; the red light above the frame was lit, meaning Fungus was still doing the job of monitoring it from the other side.

As the group enjoyed hanging out carefree in the field, Randall thought back to his time alone in the swamp. Such a depressing time that had been…he had often wondered what his bleak future would be, living there forever.

His friends began throwing corny jokes to one another, laughing at the sheer stupidity. The spring sun shone nicely, and the view from the cliffs was spectacular. Everyone was relaxed, just like old times in their campsite. The door was ready and waiting for them when it was time to leave. Every now and then, Fungus popped his head through to check that it was still operational. There was no need; it was working perfectly. The group of monsters was glad to do nothing out here on the grass. Goodness knows they deserved it.

Randall wasn't sure what would happen to them next: he still had to deal with his estranged father, not to mention continue to redeem himself. Bernard had a whole new silver platter of wealth suddenly before him, and a new family. Naomi was completely lost as to where to go from here, and Becca…she was in for a long journey of healing. Randall tried not to focus on their impending problems right now. Out here in the highlands, they could take a breather.

He let out a couple of laughs with his friends. Their pasts may have been bleak, but with a chance to start things new, their futures were looking brighter.

The End

YES! DONE! There you have it. My epic adventure story has come to a close. I'm very proud of this project and am so glad it's been posted again for everyone to enjoy. Thanks for sticking with me all this time, and I hope you liked it! Feel free to leave reviews, so long as they are worded politely. Thanks!

While editing this epilogue, I was careful to leave plenty of loose ends. For I have a sequel planned for this story. It won't be nearly as long, and more of an add-on to this story, really. The idea for a sequel has been in my head for years, and I've got the whole thing plotted out. (really. I started getting ideas for it AGES ago!) And I absolutely HAVE to write it before the idea grows so big that I go crazy and my head explodes! It will be more of a drama/friendship/family theme and I hope to see you tag along for the tale.

I'm working on a short Frozen fic at the moment. Once that is complete, keep your eyes peeled for another Randall story! I can't wait to get started. Feel free to make suggestions for the title! Something along the lines of The Monster World: (fill in this blank space.)

Love: P.D. :)