Victoria did indeed begin to leave him, for something had changed in her since she had laid eyes on the priest—no longer was she the compassionate, gentle girl she had once been.

Emily stood by a sizable crack in the temple wall that she had been about to escape through when Victoria's abrupt lack of pity caused her to halt, utterly astonished. She glanced at Victor but he would not meet her eyes, his head bowed low as he listened to Victoria's receding footsteps.

Suddenly Victoria froze, a look of shock crossing her face. She spun around with a gasp, eyes round with surprise, even as the entire temple rained shards of stone down upon them; it was crumbling at an alarming rate. Dashing towards Victor, she swept him up effortlessly and ran as quickly as she could manage in Emily's direction, where she and the corpse bride slipped through the crack just as the temple fell once and for all.

The ground still shook and there seemed no place to hide; a large depression in the thick trunk of a nearby tree caught her eye and she hurried there, Emily close beside her. Thankfully, they all managed to fit within it, though Victor's long legs did extend a little further outside than Victoria felt was safe.

When Victor regained consciousness, he found himself in the Ball and Socket Joint once more. Piano music assailed him and the sound of raucous laughter was all too prominent. Rising halfway from the two chairs he had been laid across, he uttered a cry of dismay and leaped hastily to his feet.

"Hey, there; wait a minute, bud, I feel like buyin' yew a drink after treatin' ya like I did—back then, remember, when we met in your room? Well, I'd like to apologize. I guess I wuz a little excited or somethin' when I shoved ya under your bed an' all that, but..."

"No need to apologize, sir," Victor told Bonejangles quietly. "It was all for the best, was it not?"

"Why, so it wuz," laughed the skeleton, slapping Victor on the back. "So...it...wuz. Why, that reminds me; I've written yew and your girlfriend a nice little ditty in honor of...whatever ya did down here that saved this joint from ruin!" he turned towards his watching band, ignoring Victor's protests. "Let 'er rip!"

It was a well-written song with a catchy tune, but Victor was not in the mood for it. No sooner did he hear Victoria's name mentioned than his hands flew over his ears and he tried to make his escape, tripping over himself many a time whilst he did so. But no one would let him leave; with a despairing sob he collapsed on the floor.

"Keep away!" he snapped, wild with pain, "Let me out of this...this wretched place! Why am I not home? Why..."

"Maybe," interrupted Bonejangles in a teasing fashion, "you haven't got a home."

"What if I haven't?" cried Victor, facing him. "Does that mean that I am to remain here? I'm not dead—let me leave!I can stand this no longer." Noticing the hurt, offended looks of those who surrounded him, he added softly, "Forgive me; you must understand that some things..." he bit his lip viciously, "...really haven't gone..." drawing a shuddering breath and shutting his eyes swiftly, he found himself unable to speak further.

"At least you didn't marry her before you knew what she was really like, right?" Maggot said lightly.

Victor made no reply.

"This might be of some comfort to you, petite garcon," said Paul. "Votre grand maison has been redone, so to speak; why, the whole town was burned to the ground and yet it has all reappeared! I think that when you destroyed that book Emily told me of, all the harm Barkis had caused with it just went poof! Vanished. C'est magnifique!"

The head-waiter's happy news reached the ears of Victoria Everglot as she entered the pub. No one seemed to meet her gaze and no one thought to offer her a drink or even speak to her; she blinked back tears, forcing her way through the crowd that surrounded Victor.

One gruesome individual tried to halt her. "You haven't any business here!" he snarled, shoving her back.

She tried to push him in return but all the strength seemed to have gone out of her. "Oh, Victor!" she screamed out of habit as she was pushed into one dark corner of the pub.

Victor raised his head. "Victoria?" he said.

"Forget her," Maggot hissed, "she's done enough damage in your life, mister. Relax now. Down, boy, down!" he added frantically as Victor rose.

Everyone became very quiet. Victoria was no longer hindered as she ran towards Victor and, having reached him, embraced him so tightly that she drove all the breath out of him.

"Oh, Victor," she sobbed, "I didn't mean what I did; you know I didn't, don't you?"

When he did not speak, she chanced a look at his face. In that single moment all her fears diminished and she held him still more tightly. Victor watched her affectionately, his pale lips curved in a smile of pure joy. Neither of them acted very surprised at the other's behavior, much to the onlooker's astonishment.

"Hmm. Aren't you going to reprimand her?" asked Widow, abruptly making herself known.

Victor gazed up at the spider as she dangled from the ceiling. "Why, where have you been?" he asked. "The last time I found myself here I don't remember seeing you."

"Don't try and change the subject!" she fussed.

"Leave him be," said Maggot with a sideways look at her, "I like watching true lovers finally ending up together, don't you?"

"Just remember," Widow said, "it is commonly known that I do not hesitate to devour my husband on our very wedding day!"

Victoria stepped away from Victor and he offered her his arm; she accepted it with a small laugh, murmuring something about feeling quite silly, yet enjoying it immensely. Everything was right at last—and they had never felt happier.

"Well, Victoria," said Victor, "shall we go home?"

And now we shall leave these adventurous characters in their happy state, for this is, in fact...the end.