A/N: Wow, what an amazing ride this has been, you guys! I'm so sorry it's over; I've REALLY enjoyed this story! Thanks to EVERYONE for all your incredible reviews throughout the whole thing; you all are just amazing and I really can't express my thanks enough! ;o)

Enjoy the last chapter! :)

Paradise Broken

Chapter Thirteen

Joe had woken up early, and, unable to get back to sleep, he had pulled on his jeans and a jacket, padded quietly down the hall from the Drake's guest bedroom, and let himself out the front door. He sat on the porch, thinking.

Everything that had happened in the past three days was unbelievable. But he knew they were true. It made him wonder. If there were books that could shape the entire course of history, then what's to say there weren't other impossible things out there?

Like Black had said, other realms, universes, maybe even another world. The books had to have come from somewhere, right?

He was mulling this over when he heard a soft sound from the driveway; a foot scuffing pavement.

He glanced up warily, not knowing who would be out and visiting at five-thirty in the morning, then froze.

Samuel Abraham stood on the pavement, his blonde hair blowing in the slight breeze and his green eyes smiling at Joe. And he was perfectly whole, unharmed, and healthy.

Joe stood up uncertainly. Was he seeing a ghost? It was quite possible; nothing seemed too ridiculous after everything he'd witnessed in the past few days. But he knew, somehow, deep down, that this was Samuel—alive and well, not an apparition.

"How—?"

"My father was broken," Samuel's sweet voice rang out. "With my death, he was driven to the point where his grief was so humbling he was a child again. And he wrote in the books. Thanks to my father, I'm alive. And I'm going to return to him at the monastery soon, although we won't be there for much longer—Project Showdown obviously went horribly wrong."

Joe heard a quiet gasp from behind him and saw his brother, father, Johnny, and Sally standing in the doorway, staring at Samuel in amazement.

"Marsuvees Black is still out there," Samuel continued as if no one had interrupted him with a gasp of disbelief. "But that's okay. Because, as you learned, Joe and Frank, the light cannot be overrun by the darkness for long." Samuel strode forward and embraced Joe. Joe returned the hug, his head still reeling. "Thank you for your contribution to the stories of history, Joe," Samuel murmured, then stepped back, his eyes shining. "And don't be afraid to believe in the impossible. Sometimes what you can't see and touch is more real than something you can."

And then he turned on his heel and ran, graceful and smooth, toward the monastery. Joe watched him go and felt everyone else's eyes on their back. He turned and gave his brother a hug and shook his father's hand. He ruffled Johnny's blonde hair and gave Sally a kiss on the cheek.

They had learned a lot in three days. Good—Samuel. Evil—Marsuvees Black. The souls struggling in between—Paradise.

In a few hours time, the Hardys would be on their way home to Bayport, where their adventures in Paradise would become further and more distant and difficult for even them to believe. They would eventually forget the details until something came along that required them remember. One thing was for sure, though: they would never, ever forget Samuel.

A/N: Well, there you go; I hope you enjoyed the story! I am SO thankful for all of your stellar reviews, you all are just amazing! Hope to see you all again soon!

Thanks again!

~Emachinescat ^..^