Epilogue
In which the band gets back together.
Dear Francis and Elisabeta,
Congratulations! You have solved yet another case and taken out a feared mass-murderer! That deserves some applause, I think. As I write this, I'll take a short break to clap.
Ah, that was nice. I especially liked the last "scene", if you will, of that case. I can only imagine what went through your mind, Francis, when Miss Peeters gave you my name. "She can't be telling the truth! Can she?" before you decided to shoot her. Brilliantly done. I actually wasn't expecting you to kill her, but to simply restrain her until authorities could arrive.
That being said, it is my firm belief that the two of you work best when you're together. Elisabeta, you've had a nice vacation with your husband. It's time to get back to work, or the consequences will be much more dire.
The holder of Bella's fourth pin was Arthur Kirkland. I know you know who that is, and I know you know him well. As did I, once…but that is all in the past. The point is, since you are partially responsible for his escape (if the two of you had not decided to stop working together, I would not have needed to help release him), you should be responsible for his recapture.
I believe he'll be going to find his son, somewhere in Sweden or Finland. Good luck!
I'll be looking forward to witnessing more of your adventures.
-The Rose
The letter had arrived at precisely noon on the day Francis had killed Bella Peeters. He'd recognized the seal immediately, and been almost afraid to open it, but Elisabeta had taken the initiative and done it for him. "Now that you've told me all about this Rose, I figure we face her head on. And that means not being a pansy about opening letters."
But as she read it, Elisabeta grew angry. "Who does she think she is? 'You've had a nice vacation with your husband, it's time to get back to work'? Really? Who does she think she is to be able to dictate my life for me?"
"I haven't the slightest clue, my dear," Roderich replied sadly. "But I don't want you to get hurt. Why don't you go along with her demands for now to stay out of trouble?"
"That's just the thing, Roddy." Apparently while Francis had been gone, Elisabeta had started calling her husband that. "I'll be in even more trouble if I go along with it. Do you know how many times I nearly died when I was on cases with Francis? At least three. In five cases."
"Technically, you were already in danger before you even met me—"
"Shut up, Francis."
"I just don't want to think of what could happen if you refuse and stay here with me," Roderich said.
Elisabeta gazed up at her husband for a moment, then looked away swiftly. "You're right. Who knows what she could do? She could put you in danger, and I don't know how I could live without you." Her eyes were big with tears and she stared up at her husband.
"Elisabeta…"
"Roderich…"
"Francis," Francis cut in, knocking the two out of their stupor. They blushed simultaneously. "Now that we're finished with that, we need to discuss our next move. Preferably on a train to Sweden."
"Or Finland. I have a friend in Finland," Elisabeta added absentmindedly.
"We'll go to Finland first, then," Francis said.
"I'll need to pack…"
"The maids have taken the liberty of doing that for you, Miss." The three turned around and saw Chelle Dupont holding Elisabeta's suitcases. "I-It is our job."
Oh, boy. Here comes the guilt train. "Hello, Chelle." Francis attempted a smile.
"Hello, Monsieur." She looked away. "I'll just leave these here," she added quickly, dropping the bags and running, presumably for the hills.
Elisabeta couldn't help but giggle at the incredible awkwardness of the situation. "Wow."
"Please shut up."
Within an hour, Francis and Elisabeta were finally at the little town's train station. Elisabeta, it seemed, wasn't able to stop kissing her husband long enough to get on the train, and Francis literally had to manhandle her on, with the help of a porter.
Finally, the journey began, and the train was quickly out of Nowhere, Austria. Elisabeta had been fidgeting ever since she and Francis were alone, and he decided to ask her what was wrong. "Why are you doing that?"
"Doing what?" she asked quickly, jumping a bit.
"Playing with your hands and your hair and things. You're nervous about something. What?"
Her eyes were fixed on her lap. "What was it that Bella said that made you shoot her?" she asked quietly. "Was it the name?"
Francis looked out the window. "Yes. It was the name."
"Did you…recognize the name or something? Was it someone you know?"
"…Yes."
"Well, who was it?" Elisabeta asked curiously. "An ex-lover, or a friend?"
Francis whipped his head back and stared into Elisabeta's eyes. "Jeanne Romée is the name of my wife.
"My dead wife."
AN: Didn't see THAT coming, did you?
Yes you did. Oh, you totally did. I don't know right now because it will literally be a month and a half until I post this from the time I'm writing this based on my update schedule, but I know you all saw that coming.
Anyway, I'm going to take a short break from THIS POINT (August 6, 2012) to do my homework before writing the next story. So from your point of view, hopefully there will be no changes, but from where I am, there's going to be a gap.
Still, I hope I'll continue to get new chapters out every week! And if not then, well, sorry.
EDIT: Yeah it's closing in on November and I haven't even started on the next story yet. But I know the title! "The Disappearance of Lord Peter Kirkland." So, uh, yeah. Tumblr has been very distracting. Plus four AP classes. Plus learning to knit. Plus allstate auditions. Plus Homestuck. (My god tier is Mage of Heart! Now I feel like I have to cosplay as Meulin..)
Anyway. I will work on it when I have the time. (So, never.)
I hope you enjoyed! :D