AN: Here we are at the final chapter of Chaos, Thy Name is Rocky. I just wanted to bring up that when Rocky told Malcolm to choke on a bullet in the last chapter, that was a callback to Chapter 12 when Malcolm told Rocky to choke on his tie. If anyone had been hoping for something a little more poetic from our favorite brown tabby, you probably noticed that poetry wasn't something Rocky did during the entirety of this story or in his appearances in Heller the Bodyguard. I, unfortunately, am not well versed in poetry and knew attempting would give me a headache. So, sorry to those hoping for Rocky poetry in these stories. Read the webcomic, watch the pilot, or read other fanfictions to get that specific fix. Speaking of the pilot, OVER 6.5 MILLION VIEWS! Here's hoping it's getting closer to getting picked up for a full series.
One small translation before we start.
Madame: French for Mrs.
Now then, the conclusion to Chaos, Thy Name is Rocky.
Ch 14: A Second Fire Begins a New Life
Rocky and Bernadette are standing out on the street, the two staring at the blazing inferno that used to be Malcolm Hawthorne's apartment building.
The brown tabby looks to the black cat. "I'm surprised you wanted this."
"Malcolm used a fire to take my family from me," Bernadette says without looking away from the fire. "I'll have this one take what mattered most to him."
"Too bad he isn't still alive to cry about his loss."
"His body burning with his kingdom is still a victory."
Rocky takes the time to look around the area.
All of the rescued women are staring at the burning building which used to be a prison to the lot of them. Everyone is happy, though some feel uncertainty over what's going to happen to them next.
Ginger is one of the happiest since she has her brothers Shadow and Rusty with her.
Another woman is looking at the dark furred tabby. She has been thinking about Shadow ever since he caught her fall. She feels hopeful since he has been returning her smiles.
Mordecai and Freckle aren't around since Zib and the other guys from the jazz band came by in a car to help Rocky. Discovering everything had already been settled, Zib and another guy from the band decided to stay behind while Mordecai and Freckle would leave with all of the rest in their car.
Zib told Rocky how Ivy stayed behind and was now waiting back home for her husband. The brown tabby guessed it would likely start out with shouting, switch to being glad that they're both okay, then they'd take things to the bedroom.
Zib was initially approached by some of the women, all intrigued by him (even Ginger'd eyed her former customer, though she didn't head over). It was very awkward for the jazz cat in red to dash the hopes of all those girls by telling them he's in a committed relationship. Now, he is smoking a cigarette that he lit with the fires from the burning building.
The other guy from the band is speaking with one of Zib's women that switched over her attention to him. Being single, he's loving all the attention.
Rocky just then remembers something. "Bernadette, I have a surprise for you." He runs over to his nearby parked car (which is somehow still functional after the crash), grabs an object inside, and brings it to the black cat. "It's Cactus Friend."
Bernadette glares at the potted cactus and its drawn on face. "Must that thing continue to exist?"
"Want to throw it into the fire?"
The black cat smiles. "Together."
The two each hold a side of Cactus Friend's pot as they approach the burning building.
"Un…" Bernadette begins to count in French.
"…deux…" Rocky continues.
"TROIS!" the pair shout as they chuck the potted cactus into the open doorway of what once was a building. They head back to their original spot feeling quite pleased with themselves. Their eyes meet and the two are suddenly engaged in the most passionate kiss that either has ever experienced.
Right then, the apartment building collapses in on itself.
Most people around either cheer or let out sounds of surprise at the suddenness of it all.
Rocky and Bernadette don't notice any of this, they're so focused on each other. The two eventually separate, both gasping for air. When the brown tabby and black cat do finally see the collapsed building, they hold hands and smile at the smoldering remains. The couple feels quite excited for the future.
One year later…
Bernadette wakes up in a bed to the familiar tune of Frère Jacques. She rolls over to get a look at the source.
Sitting up in the bed, the blanket covering his lower half, is a bare chested Rocky playing his violin. He smiles at the black cat as he finishes the song. "Good morning."
"Bonjour, Darling. Is this how you plan to wake me every day?"
"When I'm the one who wakes up first." The brown tabby sets his violin aside.
Bernadette crawls over to Rocky, the blanket falling from her nude body. She presses up against the brown tabby's back and slowly trails her fingers down the front of his torso. "I intend to wake you with the smell of pancakes."
The combination of physical sensations and the promise of pancakes makes Rocky moan with pleasure. "You really are the light of my life." He twists around to kiss Bernadette.
The pair lie back down.
Rocky buries his face in Bernadette's neck. "Last night was amazing."
The black cat smiles as she strokes the back of the brown tabby's head. "It was, Darling. I am still surprised it took this long to have our first time."
"I just wanted to make sure you were really ready after everything."
"Merci. Although, I do not appreciate you lying about me being your first."
Feeling very confused by this accusation, Rocky backs away from Bernadette. "What are you talking about? You are."
"You seemed to know what you were doing."
"Oh, that? I was just following advice I got from Freckle, Zib, and Mordecai."
"The first two I understand. What did Mordecai contribute?"
"He told me that the right words can have a big effect."
"Oh." Bernadette smiles. "He was right. Tell him thank you the next time you see him."
"I will, but I think he's the one person who won't appreciate gratitude for this."
"True. He is odd." As Rocky lies back down, the black cat runs her hands over his body. "Do not take this the wrong way, but I adore how big you've gotten."
It's true that Rocky has filled out and even gotten a little broader in the past year. "I don't see how I wouldn't have gotten bigger with all the amazing food you've been filling me up with. I've also spent the last year lifting up and carrying around objects."
"Why is that?"
"I wanted to make sure I didn't fail at my very first husbandly duty of carrying you across the threshold."
Bernadette fondles the ring on Rocky's finger. "You succeeded, Darling."
The brown tabby kisses the ring on the black cat's finger. "Look at us. Married with our own apartment."
"To think it only took a year to save up for this place."
"Really? You, the best cook at the hotel? Me, violin player for the in house jazz band of St Louis's greatest speakeasy?"
"You have a point." The black cat smiles. "I am grateful to Madame May for giving me that job."
Mitzi was able to find jobs for all of the rescued women at the hotel, Little Daisy Café, or Lackadaisy. Some of the girls have even found real relationships. Shadow and the girl he helped are now engaged, one of Zib's former women is going steady with one of the other guys from the band, and even Horatio Bruno has a lady charmed by his ability to sing operatic tenor.
Ginger returned to Nebraska to be with her ill mother. The redheaded orange tabby plans to stay with her mother while she's still alive, but even returning to St Louis after her death isn't something Ginger has decided on yet.
Rocky smiles at his wife. "Bernadette? Do you think you're ready to…go again?"
The black cat smirks. "Tempting, but we promised your cousin we'd spend the day with him and Ivy."
The brown tabby groans. "We're newlyweds. Freckle and Ivy will understand it if we'd rather have some alone time."
"Don't you want to spend time with your nephew?"
"Technically, Baby Vic is my first cousin once removed. Also, they live four floors above us. We can see him anytime."
Freckle and Ivy's baby turned out to be a son. They named him Viktor after the one eyed Slovakian (they call the baby Vic to differentiate the two). When Rocky chose to tease the older man about possibly crying over such an honor, Bernadette needed to drag the brown tabby away from Viktor just in case the red furred tom decided to punch him. Ivy'd initially wanted to name the boy Norman, but Freckle absolutely refused to name their son after somebody who'd worked with Malcolm Hawthorne, even if he'd been manipulated into his situation. Compromising, they made Norman Vic's middle name.
Bernadette gives her husband a big kiss. "Darling, I do wish to have our first outing as a married couple."
Rocky smiles. "Aww, I can't say no to that." He gets up and heads for the bedroom door.
"Darling," the black cat calls out.
"Yes, My Love?" the brown tabby asks with a grin.
"You have no clothes on."
Looking down, Rocky realizes his wife is right. "Oops." He gets underwear out from the nearby dresser. "That could've been bad. Don't want to be arrested for public indecency again."
Bernadette gets out of bed and starts looking over what to wear. "Again?"
"This was before I met you. I was at Lackadaisy during the day. Feeling so very bored, I decided to try smoking purely on a whim. I swiped a cigarette from one of the guys and lit it up. It was a really odd cigarette though. It had a strange shape and made my head feel kind of funny. At some point, I suddenly thought it was a good idea to take off all my clothes and go outside."
The black cat almost laughs at this story. "I'll explain later. Now, we do need to hurry."
The two finish getting dressed and exit the bedroom. They don't bother getting breakfast since they'll be eating while they're out with Freckle, Ivy, and Baby Vic.
At the door that leads to the hall, Rocky pauses, his hat in his hands. "Bernadette?"
"Oui?" the black cat asks as she put on her own hat.
"I just want to say I'm sorry."
The raven haired woman turns to her husband. "Quoi?"
"In case I do something wrong or forget something since my head isn't all there. And…if any of that ever makes you feel like you ended up married to a complete mess of a person."
Bernadette stares at her brown tabby husband before shaking her head with a smile on her face. "Rocky…" She grips her husband's lucky tie and uses it to bring him in close. "I'd never want you any other way." The black cat kisses the brown tabby.
Once he's released, Rocky puts on his hat and holds his arm out for Bernadette with a big grin on his face.
The couple leaves the apartment and meet Freckle, Ivy, and Baby Vic (the spitting image of his father except for his Ivy like coloring) by the exit to the building. The group heads outside together and get into Rocky's car. They drive off for a fun day together. The best part of all this, the car has been Cactus Friend free for a year.
The End
AN: With this, the story is finished. As is me writing any more Lackadaisy stories. I still love this series and look forward to more from the webcomic and the animation. Still, I feel I've done what I can in regards to writing fanfiction for this fandom. I have a lot more to say before I move on to other projects though. If you're wondering what I think happens with these characters within the world of these two stories I've written, here it is. Viktor ends up speaking regularly with his daughter Alena and eventually sees her in person. Mordecai and Clara have one more child, a son, a few years down the line and name him Isaac after Mordecai's father (Mordecai's sister Rose was upset she wasn't able to use the name since she and Noah didn't have any more sons). Mordecai and Clara's daughter Hannah grows up to marry Freckle and Ivy's son Vic (as that guy Lou predicted in the previous chapter). Young Isaac grows up to marry Rocky and Bernadette's future daughter Luna (named after the friend Bernadette lost in Chapter 10). Mitzi and Zib remain devoted to each other for the rest of their lives, though they do not marry. Zib just doesn't seem the type to ever go through with marriage and I feel Mitzi would believe being married once to Atlas May was enough for her. Considering the webcomic is likely to end on a much more depressing note, those of you wanting something a lot happier can come here and take comfort in this version of events. Anyway, I had a blast writing these stories (that was a figure of speech Rocky, put away the dynamite). This is Purkso Livin saying farewell for now to my readers and look forward to whatever stories I'll be releasing in the future. I'm actually writing something now. See you later!