A/N: Oh, wow. Look, it's the end. Really really the end, this time. Awwwww . . . two years of work coming to an end . . . and some lovely, lovely people were kind enough to keep reviewing and encouraging me all the way through. Love love love to you all, and I hope to see more of you all in the marvelous world of fanfiction. As always, leave a review, or even feel free to e-mail me! I promise you I'll respond.

Since I seem to have spent a lot of time talking for them, I thought it only fair that, at the end, the lovely heroines of this tale get a chance to put their two cents in.

Hi! I'm Annie, and I am here to save the day! Assuming I know where the saving is needed, what day it is, and I have my gondorian theme music playing. To readers and reviewers: If at any point in this story you found the characters annoying, corny, overly flamboyant, or uneloquent, know that these were not faults of the writing, but accurate depictions of how we really are. Congrats for sticking with us for so long. It's been fun.

Till we meet again,

Annie

"I hope you don't mind, hope you don't mind, that I put down in words how wonderful life is now you're in the world..."

I really appreciated you dragging us through Star Wars, unconciousness and all. Being able to hug all of the characters I wanted to made me so terribly happy. Thank you, dear.

Looooove,

Krista

DANIELLE: Uh . . . moo?

Danielle


And Laura? Well, for those of you who haven't figured it out yet, Laura's words follow. Thanks for tagging along on this wild ride; I'll see you all on the flip side. Without further ado . . .

EPILOGUE

Every story, no matter how marvelous, must come to an end.

The curtain falls, and we take our bows. The drama finishes, the story fades to the stuff of dreams, and the dull steadiness of reality rules once more.

Except, that is, when reality and dreaming are one and the same.

For a moment the screen is dark, a blank canvas, a breathless hush of anticipation. Then, with a burst of trumpets, words scrawl across the screen, shining against the sprawling vista of space as they weave a tale of magic, wonder, betrayal, love, and redemption. When at last the words fade into the stars, the story begins--an epic story to change the face of the world.

"If you watch that damn thing one more time, I swear to God I'll break it in half--and you, too!"

Obi-Wan looked up from his comfortable sprawl on the couch to glare at Krista, who returned his expression with equal malice. "I like it," he said, half-pouting and half-belligerent. "It's a great movie."

From across the room, Qui-Gon called, "You just think it's fascinating to watch yourself defeat the Sith from an impersonal viewpoint."

"Well, you only don't like it because you die," Obi-Wan said witheringly.

Surely enough, Qui-Gon did look somewhat nauseous at the prospect of watching himself be impaled again. The first time he'd seen the movie, he'd had to leave the room at that scene, and it had taken Danielle hours to console him. Recovering, he glared at his apprentice. "I don't see you watching A New Hope endlessly," he shot back.

Obi-Wan looked uneasy, but he had no reply. Merely frowning at his Master, he turned back and engrossed himself in the film once more.

"Well, whatever you think of the movie, we're all sick of it," Krista said, crossing her arms purposefully. "Can't you at least watch Episode II or something?"

"I hate that whiny brat who's supposedly my apprentice," Obi-Wan shuddered. "Gives me a queer turn all over whenever I think about it. And if that's what I look like with a beard, I shall never grow one."

"Vanity, vanity," Laura berated from the far side of the room, her eyes sparkling at him wickedly as she glanced up from her laptop.

"Are we all agreed?" Krista said, raising her voice. "This is the last time Obi-Wan watches this movie for at least a week, or he's banished for a month."

"Here, here," Danielle's voice called from the kitchen.

"Most assuredly," Qui-Gon said heartily.

"I am with you," Maul's deep voice intoned, also from the kitchen. He was none too fond of The Phantom Menace, either; for several weeks after watching it things had been very tense between him and Obi and Qui.

"Annie?" Krista prompted.

Annie, who had been sketching with deep concentration in her notebook, looked up with a deer-in-headlights expression. "What?"

"Just say yes," Krista instructed.

"Yes," Annie said, distractedly, and immediately returned to her drawing.

"Laura?"

"I understand your obsession with watching yourself work, Obi, but it really is an appalling movie, and even great ones don't hold up well to such incredible repetition. Find a new obsession, please."

"Very well," the Jedi groused. "If you all are so angry about it. And anything to make Laura happy," he added, with a sardonic half-bow in the author's direction.

Laura blew him a kiss in the same spirit. "If you're feeling argumentative we can always take this to the strip and fence about it, darling."

"After the movie, you're on."

"No, you're not," Qui-Gon said, still in his meditative posture in the corner, which had been cleared for just that purpose. "We're due back in our galaxy for a mission in a few hours. I'm afraid your little vengeance match will have to wait."

"Very well," Obi-Wan sighed. "Until then, Laura."

At this Krista decided she'd fought all that she could, and she returned to tormenting Sweetums, her most enduring pastime. The house settled down into its usual routine, everyone coexisting as peacefully as could be expected . . . under the circumstances.

Realizing that under no circumstances could the Star Wars visitors be expected to survive on Earth without constant supervision, the four Earth girls had rented a giant old house for the remainder of the summer, splitting the rent evenly. When each went away to college the house would remain a sort of base of operations where the Star Wars crowd could stay while on Earth and they could all reconvene every so often. It was extraordinarily crowded most of the time, amazingly conflicted, and never, ever dull.

In the kitchen, Danielle was humming contentedly to herself as she prepared dinner, utilizing one of the many cookbooks she'd purchased in Star Wars long ago. As she contentedly sliced cheese and chopped tomatoes, Darth Maul perched attentively on the stool across the counter from her, his eyes locked on the choice morsels before him. Every so often, one of his hands would dart out to try and snatch one, and with a reprimanding shriek Danielle would smack the offending hand away, usually before the Zabrak could pop his prize into his mouth.

Krista, through harassing Obi-Wan and deciding to let sleeping Nexus lie, positioned herself cheerfully in front of the computer screen, logging on to the internet and becoming one with her internet chats. Qui-Gon, finished with his meditation for the day, ambled over and began discussing with her the merits of Rush versus Styx, a conversation that never bored either of them.

Annie was contentedly doodling, a cartoonish sketch of a Nexu with two girls--one in Jedi robes, the other in Handmaiden garb--when she heard a suspiciously cheerful voice call her name from below. "Oh, Annie, darling? Essra and I are just popping out for a quick bit of shopping. Tata now!"

Annie dropped her sketchbook. "Oh, no, you aren't, Cassie! Jedi!" she shouted to the room at large. "Anyone want to help?"

An untold number of psychic minds all focused, and the two Tatooine divas attempting to sneak out the front door stopped short when, out of nowhere, the door slammed shut and locked of its own accord. "Oh, I see," Essra sniffed. "Still won't let us without an escort, Annie?"

"Not until you look human," Annie called, shaking her head in despair. "I swear, those two are more trouble than they're worth."

Everyone jumped as they heard the downstairs door slam, and Annie looked shocked. "What? But how could they have--?"

Her question died unasked when everyone heard the sound of booted feet scrambling up the stairs. In only a moment Luke appeared, looking flushed and very unsettled. "You've got to hide me!" he gasped. "I was at the grocery store, minding my own business, when some clerk took my hat off and started shrieking about some Mark Hamill person! There was nothing I could do to dissuade her, nothing! Now there's an entire screaming mob chasing me, and it's only a matter of time--"

"It's okay," Laura said soothingly, setting aside her laptop. "Take it easy, Luke. Annie, I don't suppose you'd mind nipping him back to his own galaxy for a while? You can take your troublesome café duo with you while you're at it."

"I think that's probably a good idea," Annie said, setting her sketchbook aside. "Come on, Luke; I think you'd better be back in Star Wars for a while."

Gratefully, Luke accepted Annie's proffered hand. "Thanks," he said, clearly relieved.

"No problem. Now let's just pick up Cassie and Essra and we'll have a little field trip." Still holding the Jedi's hand, she led him downstairs. "I'll be back in a few minutes," she called after her, waving.

Everyone shouted their goodbyes, settling back to what they were doing. All of them had made the somewhat unsettling but swift trip from Star Wars to Earth or vice versa numerous times now, and as it was a weekday they all knew Annie wouldn't want to be gone for long.

For, quite unexpectedly, not only had their pendants retained the powers lent to them by their Star Wars counterparts, they still had the power to transport their wearer and any number of guests back and forth between the galaxies. Anchored to the same location and time from which they had last departed, the pendants were now firmly locked in the sway of time--Annie's transported her to the desert on the day Atharca had sent her back in time, or to the steps of the temple like the others' did. Now whenever they returned the same amount of time had elapsed within Star Wars as it had on Earth, and they were able to keep track quite easily. In this manner, their guests were not trapped on Earth as they had once been trapped in Star Wars, and could live a sort of double life whisking back and forth between realities. Their friends were only too happy to transport them.

Thus, they all lived somewhat together in the big house furnished partly in true Earth style and partly with some of their favorite belongings salvaged from Star Wars. Some of their friends, especially Obi, Qui, and Maul, were with them as much as possible. Others, such as Amidala and Laura's senatorial friend, only visited rarely when their busy schedules permitted. The girls also hopped into Star Wars whenever the need arose or the whim seized them, living mainly on Earth but not forgetting the time they had spent in a galaxy long ago and far away.

After nearly two months of this peaceful routine and with summer at its height, the house had settled into a peaceful domestic rhythm. In the corner, Qui-Gon had moved in his exercises to yoga on Laura's Bai-Ling exercise ball, a routine to which he was absolutely addicted and which no one else could yet watch without laughing hysterically. Obi-Wan, while watching The Phantom Menace for perhaps the thousandth time, was also writing music--a skill picked up from the software Danielle and Qui-Gon had purchased for him, long ago. In the corner, Laura was writing, her fingers flying over the keyboard with an unceasing clackety rhythm no one even noticed anymore.

"Dinner in about twenty minutes," Danielle announced, wiping her hands triumphantly and giving Darth Maul's wandering hands another smack.

"Marvelous; Lyn's arriving in fifteen," Laura said, referring to her senatorial friend.

"And Sache and Eirtae in about thirty, so they'll be a bit late; oh well, more for us." On the computer, Krista suddenly cackled wickedly. "Hey, Laura, c'mere and read this. It's great."

"Not just now," Laura replied distractedly. "I'm kinda in a groove right now."

Krista turned to look at her friend fully. "Are you working on the story?" They all knew exactly what she meant by this, and suddenly everyone was paying attention.

"Yup."

Danielle exited the kitchen and Krista leapt up from the computer. Both girls instantly moved around their friend, trying to peer around at the laptop screen. Irritably, Laura said, "Hey, hey, back off, now," and they respectfully ignored her.

A clatter of footsteps on the wooden stairs heralded Annie's return, and she cheerfully announced, "Hey, I'm back." Seeing her three friends clustered in the corner, she asked, "What's up?"

"Laura's working on the story," Krista proclaimed solemnly.

Annie, who had just picked up her sketchbook again, set it aside with alacrity and bounded to join her friends. "Awesome! Where are you?"

Laura peered at it intently. "Nearly finished, as you well know. We're being all weepy in the meadow, and I've just said, 'This would make a great story.'"

All three onlookers groaned, and Laura looked up in surprise. "That's an awful line," Krista moaned. "It's so cheesy!"

Now Laura looked miffed. "I thought it was funny."

"I guess," Krista continued as though Laura hadn't spoken, "you're just going to have to let us edit it when you're finished."

"On a cold day in hell, perhaps." Laura regarded them all through slitted eyes. "Besides, what's wrong with it?"

"The dialogue," Annie said immediately. "For like the whole first half, I sound nothing like myself."

"Me too," Danielle said. "What was that one thing you had me say? 'Downward spiraling farcal delusion' or something like that? Like I would ever say that."

"And there's just a lot of general typos," Krista said. "Falling blades of grass, birthday presidents, stuff like that."

"My hot cocoa changes to coffee and then back again," Danielle pointed out. "And you totally forget about my sprained ankle after we escape from Atharca's. I sure didn't."

Laura crossed her arms. "Any other requests?"

"Yeah, could you make me a little more . . . I dunno . . . useful in the final battle with Atharca and Palpatine?" Annie requested. "Everyone else contributes something important. I just kind of get smacked around."

Before Laura could protest, Krista spoke up. "That whole part about me . . . uh . . . getting lost in the grocery store? I think that could be left out."

"I'm unconscious way too much," Danielle whined. "I think I spend like half of the story passed out the way you tell it."

"Of course," Laura said soothingly, a wicked gleam in her eye. "I promise you all that all of that will be changed. Now, shoo! I need to finish writing."

Her three self-proclaimed editors gave her one last admonishing look before dispersing, each returning to their various pursuits.

From outside one of their open windows, a sudden noise of many thundering feet, rather like a herd of spooked buffalo, drifted up to them. "Uh-oh," Krista said, perking up. "Mute that, Obi; don't give them any encouragement."

Obediently, Obi-Wan paused The Phantom Menace as Qui-Gon, distracted, looked up from his pretzel stretch. "What is it?"

"The Hamill-hunting Horde have arrived," Laura proclaimed, peering out the nearby window. "Good thing we got rid of him so fast."

Danielle frowned. "Why does it keep getting louder?"

"They seem to have surrounded the house."

"Oh, not again," Krista groaned.

"Fan-girls," Annie said contemptuously. "I hate 'em. Can't they just move on?"

"They're probably here for the duration," Laura said, resigned. "Star Wars folks, you know the drill. Keep down, stay away from the windows, et cetera."

"They're like a freaking swarm of locusts," Krista growled. "Couldn't we just buy a BB gun and pick some of them off? That'd get rid of them."

"They know where we live," Annie sighed. "I don't think anything will get them to leave us alone."

Danielle, in the meantime, had noticed something suspicious. "Hey, guys, where's Maul?"

No one noticed her speaking, because at the same time one of the girls below had taken a megaphone and bellowed up to the house, "SEND OUT THE STAR WARS CHARACTERS!"

Laura hissed for Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon to stay low, then leaned over and shouted back. "YOU PEOPLE ARE INSANE! THERE ARE NO STAR WARS CHARACTERS HERE!"

"WE KNOW YOU HAVE LUKE SKYWALKER UP THERE!" the megaphone retorted. "SEND HIM OUT!"

"YOU'RE ALL CRAZY! GO AWAY AND LEAVE US ALONE!" Slamming the window shut, Laura gave a huff of irritation. "Five minutes and we call the police again."

"They've got to hate us by now," Krista said.

Danielle, who had been searching all the while, now tried again. "Hey, guys! Where's Maul?"

Qui-Gon frowned. "Is he missing?"

"Surely he can't have gotten far," Obi-Wan said in surprise.

Annie, meanwhile, had noticed something rather odd. "Is that . . . screaming I hear?"

Everyone paused. Slowly, and with great foreboding, Danielle walked over to the window and peered down. "Oh, look," she said faintly. "There he is."

Everyone clustered around the windows, mutely watching the chaos below. "Well," Krista said. "No need to call the police. They're all gone."

"Except for that one. She's not moving anymore," Qui-Gon observed.

"I think I should run Maul back into Star Wars for a little while," Danielle grimaced.

Everyone muttered agreement, and Danielle, still rather white, went downstairs to recapture her still very Sithly friend. With all the noise and confusion, no one heard the rapping of a beak against one of the back windows, nor the squeak of protest as a window was nudged open. A tawny owl fluttered in and landed on the headboard, ruffling its wings with great dignity and affront. Swiveling its head once, it deposited a letter, complete with a glowing crest and seal, on one of the beds, then took to wing once more, departing soundlessly into the bright afternoon sun.

Later that evening, after dinner, when all their guests had returned for the night to their own times and galaxies, the four girls sat in the loft, the dim light from a nearby lamp casting their faces into shadow. Once more each had fallen to her particular pursuit, and a comfortable silence prevailed. In the corner, the TV played, providing a soft backdrop to their various pastimes.

"I guess this is it, then," Krista said suddenly.

Everyone looked at her in surprise. "What?" Annie asked, surprised.

"The end," Krista said, her eyes huge. "I mean, we killed the bad guys. We prevented war. We saved the world. That's it. We're done."

"Yay us," Laura said, raising an eyebrow. "Your point being?"

Krista looked ruffled. "It's just . . . I feel kind of lost now. Purposeless, sort of."

"She's right," Danielle said. "I feel it too. What now?"

As Annie blinked at them, Laura gave a demure and yet wicked smile. "Well, girls, I guess this is our happily ever after."

For a moment, there was silence.

"That was the cheesiest f--ing line ever."

"Bite me, midget."

"I love you, Laura!"

"Why don'tI believe you when you say that anymore?"

"Hey, knock it off, you guys! Listen!" Annie pointed at the TV.

The four girls quieted and looked at the screen, where a worried-looking anchor was speaking urgently. "Today, there have been several confirmed sightings of what many have been calling an 'alien life form,' and others, a creature of the devil. Whatever it may be, this giant feline creature has been wreaking havoc in the streets of a small Missouri town, attacking pedestrians and breaking into stores. So far there have been no serious injuries, but attempts to subdue the creature have been ineffectual . . ."

All four girls stared quietly as, on the screen, a giant Nexu frolicked joyously after a crowd of screaming people. Sweetums was clearly delighted to find an entire world of people so willing to play with him.

"So that's where Sweetums is today," Annie said, absently.

On screen, the anchorwoman continued. "Many fanatics claim that this creature belongs to the mythical universe of Star Wars, and others say that there have been other recent sightings of beings from the popular movie trilogy. Police encourage anyone with knowledge of the origins of this creature or information about these sightings to contact them immediately."

Numbly, Krista shut off the TV, and there was silence.

At last, Laura spoke in a falsely cheerful voice. "Who's up for a little vacation in Star Wars?"

Annie and Krista swiftly raised their hands.

Danielle dropped her head in her hands and shook it despairingly. "May the Force be with us."

THE END

(How could I possibly resist?)