Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: This note is going to run a bit long, but it's the last one so please bear with me. Wow. This is the last ever update of this story. That's still so insane to me. I've been working on this story for over a year, and now it's finished. That also means that Warehouse 13 has officially come to an end for me. There are still the DVDs, but that just isn't the same somehow. Anyway. Enough of the emotional. Sorry this update is so late. My day has been beyond busy. But I got it up before midnight in my current time zone, so I call that a win. This epilogue is set six years after the last chapter, and it occurs when Claudia very first becomes caretaker. Originally it was just going to be the first part of this chapter, but then I had all of this headcanon on where everybody else's lives were going and it sort of snowballed into this giant thing. It's much longer than the other chapters, but that seems fitting as the last one. Plus I wanted to be sure I did everyone justice. This is all based purely on my own headcanon, so hopefully it doesn't clash with your own personal ideas. There are also three details that I should explain before you read. Firstly, in the finale episode Myka makes a comment about HG not being with Nate and Adelaide anymore. Personally I don't buy that at all. Her relationship with Nate might have been a bit strained after "Instinct", but I also think that he really does love her and she loves him. Also Adelaide really looks up to HG and can sort of fill the hole left by Christina's death. Plus they both know the truth about her now. Where else in life will she get that chance? So for the purposes of this epilogue I left her with Nate and Adelaide. Secondly, I chose to bring Nick Sutton back into things. After having been immortal for 500 years, I think living as a normal person would get pretty boring. I'm willing to bet that he eventually found his way back to the Warehouse. Thirdly and finally, the fact that Mrs. F has been disconnected from the Warehouse and lived to tell the tale makes me think a caretaker could choose to step down if they wanted. And with how long she's been alive and how much of her family is now gone, I think eventually Mrs. F would be ready to be with them again. Not in a death wish sort of way, but more of the fact that she's been alive so long and it's time for her to finally be reunited with her family. So I have her stepping down rather than dying. Plus that would've been way too depressing. Everything else in this epilogue should be explained. There's also a quote at the very end of this chapter by Frank Herbert, the author of the absolutely incredible "Dune" saga, which you should definitely read if you're even remotely into science fiction. But enough of me talking. Without further ado, here is the final chapter to this story. I do hope you enjoy it.
Endless Wonder
Mrs. Frederic sat quietly on the bench outside the classified regent sanctum as she soaked up the sunshine. For the first time in over a hundred years, she could no longer feel the familiar presence of the Warehouse in her mind. Even after spending the last week becoming accustomed to the loss, it still felt strange. But while she did miss it, she also knew in her heart that it was time.
"Ready to go?" a familiar voice asked.
Mrs. Frederic started ever so slightly at the sound. She looked over her shoulder to see Claudia standing behind her. Dressed in black slacks and a blazer with her hair twisted up against the back of her head, she looked every bit like a business professional. For a moment Mrs. Frederic was struck by how much the twenty-eight-year-old woman in front of her had grown over the years. But then Claudia smiled and the same girl she had once been shone through in her eyes.
"How does it feel to have someone else doing that to you?" Claudia asked as she stepped around to the front of the bench.
"I believe you would say it has been a long time coming," Mrs. Frederic said, returning her smile.
"It certainly has," Claudia agreed. She sat down on the bench beside Mrs. Frederic and placed her hands in her lap. "I sent for the driver, so he should be here any moment."
"Are you ready?" Mrs. Frederic asked her.
"I think I am," Claudia said honestly. "I can feel the Warehouse calling me back." She looked over at Mrs. Frederic. "Are you sure you'll be alright without it? My connection is still young. I'm sure the regents could reverse it if you wanted."
"No," Mrs. Frederic said, shaking her head. "My time as caretaker has come to an end. I have lived a long and full life. Much longer than I deserved. But my husband and son are both gone, and now my grandson is with them. It's time for me to return to a normal life."
"What will you do now?" Claudia asked.
"Without the Warehouse keeping me young, my body will resume the natural aging process," Mrs. Frederic said. "I will live whatever time I have left as a consultant to the Warehouse. And in a few years, if I'm very lucky, I'll die quietly in my sleep."
"Well, I, for one, hope that day is a long way off," Claudia told her. "And I want you to know that as long as you live, there will always be a place for you at the Warehouse, Mrs. F."
"Thank-you, Claudia," Mrs. Frederic said. "But as the new caretaker, I think it's high time you started calling me Irene."
"No can do, I'm afraid," Claudia said with a fond smile. "You'll always be Mrs. F to me."
Whatever reply Mrs. Frederic might have made was cut short by a black car pulling up in front of the bench where they were sitting.
"Here we are," Mrs. Frederic said. It might have been Claudia's imagination, but she thought she detected just the slightest glint of moisture in her mentor's eyes.
She stood up from the bench and held out her arm.
"Shall we?" she said. Mrs. Frederic stood up and placed her hand on Claudia's arm.
"I believe we shall," she said with a smile.
The driver had exited the car, and he held open the door for Mrs. Frederic before walking Claudia around to her own door. Once they were both seated inside, he returned to the driver's seat.
"Where to, Miss Donovan?" he asked, directing the rearview mirror so that he could see her in the backseat.
"The Warehouse, please," Claudia told her.
"Right away, ma'am," the driver said.
He put the car in gear and began taking it down the long driveway. Claudia took the moment to look around at the flawless interior of the car.
"I could get used to this," she said with a grin.
"I'm sure you will," Mrs. Frederic said with a chuckle. "I'm sure you will."
X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X
"Hello?" Claudia called as she pushed open the door to the B&B. She looked around the entryway to find it surprisingly empty. After not seeing anyone at the Warehouse, she had assumed they were all at the B&B. But there was no shouting or running down the stairs.
"Where is everybody?" she asked as she stepped inside.
"I assure you, I have no idea," Mrs. Frederic said.
Together the two women walked into the living room. Claudia stopped walking as she caught sight of a banner hanging across the back wall of the room. It read WELCOME HOME in bright shiny letters. She barely had time to read the sign before there came a giant yell of "Surprise!"
Suddenly there were people jumping out of everywhere. Some had been behind the couch, and others had come out of the dining room and the indoor patio. A few were blowing loudly on noisemakers. Someone had even rigged confetti bombs to the ceiling that promptly exploded.
Claudia's eyes swept the living room as everyone crowded in. She couldn't believe how many people were in the house. Abigail was at the front snapping away with her camera. Pete and Myka were both standing behind her with their three-year-old daughter Erin in Myka's arms. Artie was near the back, his hand entwined with Vanessa's. Steve was off to the side next to Nick Sutton, who had just been named as his new partner. It turned out being immortal for five hundred years made normal life pretty dull. Nick had made it four years before returning to the Warehouse to begin an apprenticeship. Now that Claudia had become caretaker, Nick had graduated to full agent to fill the empty spot.
But the regular team members weren't the only ones present in the room. HG was also there, and so was Jane Latimer. Joshua was there too, minus his Swiss wife and infant son, as was Claire, though without her musician fiancé. And at the back of the room wearing her quiet but proud smile was Emma Jinks, who had all but adopted Claudia over the last few years. In short, with the addition of Mrs. Frederic standing behind her, every person Claudia cared about was standing in the room.
"Oh my gosh!" Claudia cried with joy.
"Welcome home, Claude," Myka told her with a smile.
"Surprised?" Steve asked with a smug grin.
"Definitely," Claudia said with a nod. "You guys, this... this is amazing. Thank-you."
"Congratulations, kiddo," Artie said proudly.
Trailer darted out of the crowd to greet Claudia, and she bent down to scratch his ears just the way he liked. Little Erin was right behind him, scrambling out of her mother's arms and onto the floor where she promptly raced toward the new caretaker.
"Aunt Claude!" she squealed. Claudia scooped the young girl up and hugged her tightly.
"How's my favorite niece?" she asked.
"I'm your only niece," Erin said with a giggle.
"That you are," Claudia confirmed with a smile. She looked up at her siblings, who were both making their way over. "Speaking of which. Josh, where is my nephew?"
"Well, since this is kind of a Warehouse thing, I thought he and Mia should sit this one out," Joshua explained apologetically.
"Fine," Claudia relented as she gave him a side hug around Erin. "You're forgiven."
"You're so kind," Joshua said with a roll of his eyes. He stepped back so Claire could step forward to hug Claudia as well.
"I can't believe you're caretaker now," she said proudly.
"Me neither," Claudia said. She grinned uncontrollably and the two sisters let out a small squeal together that caused Erin to giggle.
"Come here, you," Pete said, coming towards them. He wrapped his arms around both Claudia and his daughter in a tight hug. Claudia laughed and returned it as best she could. Then Pete took Erin into his own arms so Myka could give Claudia a hug of her own.
"I'm glad you're back," Myka told her.
"I was only gone a week," Claudia said with a laugh.
"Maybe, but you left Abigail and I alone with all the boys," Myka pointed out as they released each other.
"I'm not a boy!" Erin piped up.
"Nope, but you are definitely Daddy's girl," Pete informed her. He reached up and tickled her stomach, causing her to laugh.
"Yes, she is," Myka agreed. But there was a proud smile on her face. Everyone knew how much she loved her daughter. And while Erin might have Pete's humor and boundless energy, she also shared Myka's love of knowledge. It was an interesting combination, but no one had really expected anything less from the littlest Latimer.
A bright flash caused Claudia and the Latimer family to turn around as Abigail snapped another picture. She pulled the camera away from her face and smiled.
"Don't mind me," she told them.
"Can I take pictures?" Erin asked the innkeeper.
"Abigail's teaching her to use the camera," Myka explained to Claudia.
"Really?" Claudia said in interest.
"She's pretty good," Abigail said. "Well, for a three-year-old."
"Can I, Daddy?" Erin asked, looking up at Pete. "Pleeease?"
"You have to ask Abigail," Pete told her. Erin immediately turned to Abigail.
"Please, Aunt Abby?" she begged.
"Okay," Abigail said with a chuckle. Pete set Erin down on the carpet and she hurried over to Abigail, who knelt down to show her the camera. She placed the camera strap over Erin's head and carefully handed the child the camera. Erin immediately wandered off across the living room in search of suitable subject material with Abigail close behind her.
"She's always so good with her," Claudia said, shaking her head.
"You're telling me," Myka said. "I don't know what we'd do without her."
"Okay, Miss Caretaker," Pete said, turning his attention back to Claudia. "How's about you spill the beans and finally tell us how the whole disappearing thing works, huh?"
"A magician never reveals her secrets," Claudia told him with a smirk.
"Aw, come on, Claude!" Pete begged.
"Nope," Claudia said firmly. "Not happening."
Pete's continued arguing was halted by Artie's voice.
"Alright, alright," he said gruffly. "Let the old man through."
Claudia turned to see him making his way towards her. She immediately stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. Artie chuckled and hugged her back.
"I'm proud of you," he told her. Claudia smiled at him as she pulled away.
"Thanks," she said sincerely.
"What about me?" Steve asked as he and Nick appeared beside her. "Do I get a hug?"
"Always, Jinksy," Claudia told him with a laugh. She opened her arms and they hugged each other tightly.
"I'm really happy for you," Steve said as he let her go. "You're gonna be amazing."
"Thanks," Claudia said. Then she turned and socked Nick on the arm. "How's it feel to finally be an agent?"
"It's pretty great," Nick said with a grin. "How's it feel to be caretaker?"
"Awesome," Claudia told him. "I can feel the Warehouse in my head. It's like it talks to me somehow. I don't know how to explain it. It's kinda weird, but also kinda cool."
"Alright, enough mushy gushy," Pete called over the roar of conversation. "If everyone will please make their way toward the dining room, there are all sorts of delicious foods just waiting to be eaten."
The room was filled with chuckles as everyone began making their way across the confetti-covered floor toward the kitchen. It took a bit of work to get all fifteen of them plus the dog into the room, but somehow they managed. A wide variety of party food was spread across the table, including a cake that read CARETAKERS ROCK with several music notes and guitars made of icing surrounding the words. Somehow plates were distributed and everyone began to get what food they wanted.
Claudia was near the back of the line, having been one of the closest to the front door. She reached the table to find that Emma Jinks had stepped back to wait for her.
"Hey!" Claudia cried as she warmly embraced the woman who had become something of a surrogate mother to her. "It's so good to see you!"
"You too," Emma said, pulling away. She looked Claudia up and down before shaking her head. "Look at you! You look so grown-up."
"Don't let that fool you," Jane Latimer said. Claudia turned to see the regent standing across the table putting some crackers on her plate. "I assure you she's just as childish as ever."
"I take that as a compliment," Claudia informed her.
"I thought you might," Jane said with a smile.
"I'm surprised you're here," Claudia said. "I would've thought you'd seen enough of me this week." Jane and Adwin Kosan had both been present for most of the week to make sure that Claudia's transition to caretaker went smoothly.
"Oh, I did," Jane teased. "I'm just here to see my granddaughter."
"Well, you'll have to get in line," HG said as she came up behind Claudia. The new caretaker quickly set down her plate on the table so she could give the British inventor a big hug. HG laughed and hugged her back. "Hello, darling!"
"You told me you were busy this weekend," Claudia said, releasing the British woman so she could punch her shoulder.
"Well, I am," HG said innocently. "Busy staying here with you."
"Cheeky," Claudia said, using one of HG's words. "How are Nate and Adelaide?"
"They're doing wonderfully," HG said with a smile. "Adelaide just received her scores for her SAT exam last week. Horrible invention, by the way."
"I agree," Jane interjected. As a former teacher, she had very strong opinions about anything to do with the school system.
"How'd she do?" Claudia asked.
"Let's just say she won't have any problems getting into college," HG said proudly.
"Erin Helena Latimer!" Myka called as her daughter prepared to stick her fingers into the icing of the uncut cake. "What did I say about touching the cake?"
"Don't do it," Erin mumbled. Her shoulders slumped dramatically and she turned to go find some other form of mischief to engage in.
"She's a feisty one," HG remarked to Claudia as they both picked up some cookies.
"She takes after her godmother," Claudia said pointedly. HG laughed.
"I suppose she does," she agreed.
"Abigail deserves a raise," Jane said, shaking her head. "I love that little girl, but it's a miracle she gets in as little trouble as she does."
"Did you really expect a child growing up here to sit still and behave themselves?" Emma asked with a smile. As Steve's one, she had come to know a great deal about artifacts and the Warehouse over the years.
"Good point," Jane said.
"I'm still amazed the regents allowed her to be their one," HG said. "I was strictly forbidden to tell Christina anything about my work with the Warehouse."
"Well, it did take a fair bit of convincing," Jane admitted. "But Artie was on board, surprisingly enough. And with Abigail watching her here during the day, it's not like she's running loose in the Warehouse. Besides, since somebody's one is actually two people," here she gave Claudia a pointed look, "we decided a little more rule-bending couldn't hurt."
"It's not my fault both of my siblings got whammied," Claudia said defensively. "They kinda figured out the whole magical object thing on their own. I just filled in the details."
A repetitive clinking caused them all to look up. Artie was standing across the small room hitting a spoon on his glass.
"Before everyone moves out of this impossibly small room," Artie said, earning a few chuckles, "I would like to propose a toast. For the last several years I have had the privilege of watching Claudia grow from a talented girl into a highly capable young woman. I could not be more proud of the person she has become. And I know that she will be one of the best caretakers the Warehouse has ever seen." He lifted his glass and smiled proudly at Claudia. "To our new caretaker, Claudia Donovan."
"To Claudia," Mrs. Frederic echoed, lifting her glass.
"To Claudia," the rest of the room echoed. Everyone lifted their glasses and there came the sound of glasses being repeatedly clinked together before they all took a drink of their chosen beverage.
"Speech!" Pete yelled. Erin was beside him, and he quickly scooped her up as they began to chant together, both beating the air with their fists. "Speech! Speech! Speech!"
"Okay, okay," Claudia said with a laugh. "Although I have to admit that speech was actually one of my weaker subjects in high school. Ironic, I know."
Everyone laughed a big at that. Claudia grinned before sobering a bit.
"But seriously," she said. "I did actually have something that I wanted to say to all of you. When I first came to the Warehouse almost ten years ago, I was a lonely kid looking for a way to save my brother. But what I found here was so much greater. I found a family. Brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, and even surrogate parents. People always talk about the artifacts or the crazy missions or even the Warehouse itself like those are the things that make this job great. But the truth is that what makes this place special are the people. The Warehouse has this crazy way of bringing together a group of broken people and turning them into a family. And that is what makes it truly magical."
The room was completely silent as they all processed her words. Many of the people gathered around had smiles on their faces. Claudia let her eyes drift across each and every one of them as she looked at all of the faces the Warehouse had brought together.
"Being caretaker has a lot of perks," Claudia continued. "I get to give orders, for one." That drew a chuckle from most of the room. "And the disappearing trick is pretty cool. But being caretaker also means that I have an extended life. At some point I will have to say good-bye to everyone in this room. I'll still be at the Warehouse long after all of you are gone. And you children, and maybe even your grandchildren. There will be a lot of new agents that come and go through this place over the years. I'll probably like most of them. I may even grow to love some of them. But I will never love any of them as much as I love all of you. You guys... you're my family. The first real family that I can remember having. And because of that, you will always hold a special place in my heart. I am so lucky to have all of you in my life, and I am so grateful that I have had the chance to get to know each and every one of you. You, all of you, are the Warehouse's gift to me. And no matter how long I live, I will never forget a single moment that I got to spend with you."
Her eyes were watering by the time she finished. So were many of the other eyes in the room. Beside Claudia, HG reached up to wipe her own eyes before clearing her throat.
"Hear, hear," she said with a wide smile. That seemed to do the trick. The rest of the room began smiling and clapping their agreement.
"Can we eat the cake now?" Erin piped up. Myka tried to shush her, but the rest of the room was already chuckling. Claudia grinned over at the young girl.
"As the new caretaker of Warehouse 13, I say it is time for cake," she said strongly.
Someone went and got a knife from the kitchen, and then Artie began to cut the cake up into tidy squares. The first piece, of course, went to Claudia. After that everyone else quickly dug in. Within a few minutes the cake was all but gone.
Once they all had enough cake and snacks on their plates, they began to fan out into the larger living room. HG sat down in the big chair with Erin in her lap, happily thrilling her goddaughter with stories from her days as an agent. Mrs. Frederic, Jane, and Emma took up residence on the couch together. As mothers of children who had all grown and moved out, they apparently had a lot to talk about. Pete and Myka had sat on folding chairs next to Joshua, and the three of them were swapping humorous stories of their own young children. Claire and Abigail were seated nearby eagerly talking about their respective artistic mediums. Steve and Nick leaned against the wall together and discussed their most recent snag as they ate. Trailer was sitting beside them so Steve could scratch the top of the dog's head.
Claudia was one of the last into the room, having stopped to grab some Twizzlers before Erin ate them all. (That was another thing she had inherited from her mother: an addiction to Twizzlers.) There were still two folding chairs free in the living room, but Artie and Vanessa were still in the kitchen talking about something. Deciding to leave the seats for them, Claudia leaned against the side of the doorway into the living room as she ate her cake.
"So how do you like the party?" Artie asked as he came out of the kitchen with his plate.
"It's awesome," Claudia said sincerely. "Did you organize all of this?"
"Most of it," Artie said.
"And yet there aren't any clowns," Claudia teased.
"Vanessa wouldn't allow it," Artie said drily.
"I know you're not a fan," Vanessa said, coming up behind them with a glass of juice.
"Thank-you so much," Claudia told her.
Something shiny caught Claudia's eye, and she glanced down at Vanessa's hand in search of the source. Immediately her eyes flew open.
"Oh my gosh!" she cried excitedly. "Is that a diamond?!"
"We were going to wait to tell everyone until after the party," Artie told her quickly. "We didn't want to steal your moment."
"Believe me, there is more than enough moment to share," Claudia told him. She turned into the living where everyone else was gathered. "Listen up, people! Artie has an announcement to make!"
Everyone fell silent and turned to look at the trio standing in the doorway. Claudia smiled over at Artie.
"Your floor, Gramps," she told him.
"Well," Artie said, looking at all of the faces now focused in him. "Many of you know that Vanessa and I have been friends for a very long time. Longer, in fact, than some of you have been alive." That earned several smiles from around the room. Artie reached down and took Vanessa's hand in his own. "After many, many years of wonderful friendship, I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me. And she said yes."
The living room of the B&B immediately erupted into clapping and cheers.
"Finally!" Pete said dramatically.
"It's about time," Abigail said with a grin.
"Took you long enough," Steve teased.
"So will you both be living at the Warehouse then?" Nick asked curiously once most of the applause had died down.
"We'll probably try to find a place in Univille, at least for the time being," Vanessa said.
"What exactly do you mean by 'for the time being'?" HG asked curiously from where she sat on the couch with her goddaughter on her lap.
"May I?" Artie asked, looking across the room at Steve. The former ATF agent shrugged.
"You might as well," he said. "They'll find out sooner or later."
"Find out what?" Claudia asked suspiciously.
"It has been noted by some of you," Artie began, giving a mock glare to Claudia, "that I am getting on in years. And as much as I love the Warehouse, there will come a day when I will need to step down. With that in mind, I have decided to begin the process of retiring." He quickly held up his hand to stop the eminent protests. "Now before you all get excited, this is not something that will happen overnight. I could very well be with the Warehouse for several more years. But. The regents have asked me to start overseeing the training and gradual transitioning in of a new agent-in-charge. And they have decided that when it is time for me to leave, my job will be taken over by our very own Agent Steven Jinks."
"No way!" Claudia yelled. "That's awesome!"
She turned to where her former partner stood across the room and opened her arms wide in a gesture of excitement. Steve grinned back at her. Nick lifted his fist and punched his new partner in the shoulder. Emma was clapping proudly on the sofa while Pete and Myka both cheered from their metal chairs.
"Atta boy, Steve-o," Pete called.
"You've earned it, Agent Jinks," Jane Latimer told him.
"I concur," Mrs. Frederic said firmly.
"Thank-you," Steve said with a wide grin. "All of you. You have all taught me so much. And I can only hope that someday I can be half the agent Artie is."
"You'll do just fine," Artie told him with a grin.
"You're already half his size," Claudia joked, earning a glare from Artie and a loud round of chuckles from the rest of the room.
"Well, since we're all in announcement mode," Myka said as she reached over and took Pete's hand in her own. "Pete and I just found out that I'm pregnant again."
"And this time it's gonna be a boy," Pete predicted, drawing a laugh from everyone.
"Congratulations!" Abigail said warmly. She was seated next to Myka, so she leaned over and gave the agent a big hug.
"This day just keeps getting better and better!" Claudia said excitedly.
"I would also like to make an announcement," Nick said awkwardly. Everyone turned to look over at him. "And that announcement is... that I am the only member of this team with no announcement."
Steve reached up and gave his grinning partner's head a shove.
"Nice," Claudia said with a chuckle.
"Really?" Pete asked drily.
"We were kinda asking for it," Myka told her husband.
"I am surrounded by children," Artie said with a shake of his head.
"Oh, you know you love us," Claudia said, grinning over at him.
Then began the rounds of congratulations. Everyone got up from their prospective seats and began making their way around the room. Artie and Vanessa headed further into the living room so people could congratulate them as well as Steve and the Latimers. Claudia started to join them, but something held her back. Instead she remained leaning against the doorframe as she watched the various members of her extended family interact. Her heart had never felt so full.
She had only been standing there for a moment when Claire pulled away from the rest of the group and made her way over to Claudia.
"Everything okay?" she asked in concern.
"Yeah," Claudia said honestly. "I'm just savoring this moment. There was a time when I thought I'd be alone for the rest of my life. And now I'm surrounded by all these people who love me. Sometimes it still blows my mind a little."
"It is pretty incredible," Claire agreed as she looked out across the room. She leaned over and gently nudged Claudia. "You're a lucky woman."
"I really am," Claudia agreed. "You know, in one of his poems, Robert Frost basically says that eventually everything good has to end. I used to think he had it right on the money."
"And now?" Claire asked curiously.
"Now I think he was wrong," Claudia said. Her mouth pulled itself into a smile as she looked out across the room of people talking and laughing. "It's true that this moment won't last forever. Sooner or later it will come to an end. Someday the people who are here won't be anymore. Eventually even this house will cease to exist. But that doesn't mean it's over. This memory, this... feeling will live on in our hearts forever. No matter how long I live, I'll always have that with me."
"That's pretty deep," Claire said, impressed.
"Well, unfortunately, I can't take credit for it," Claudia said with a shrug.
"Did you steal it off the internet?" Claire teased as she leaned back against the other side of the doorframe.
"Nope," Claudia said with a shake of her head. Her gaze drifted over to Mrs. Frederic, who was currently engaged in a conversation with Vanessa. "I got it from a very wise woman who helped me learn an important lesson."
"And what was that?" Claire asked in interest. Claudia turned her head to smile over at her sister before looking back out at the rest of her family.
"That life is full of wonder," she said honestly. "And that sometimes the best wonders are endless."
"There is no real ending.
It's just the place where you stop the story."
-Frank Herbert
And there you have it. The very end of this story. This is the largest Fanfiction project I have ever completed, so I'm pretty proud of that. Thank-you so much to everyone who reviewed this story over the past year. You motivated me to keep going. Without your support, this would have taken me far longer. Before you leave this story, please take a moment to leave me a final review. You can tell me your thoughts on this chapter, on the story as a whole, and also if you have any other story ideas that you would like to see me attempt. I can't promise anything, but I will definitely give them a shot. Thanks again for all the support. This story has been such a pleasure for me to work on. Hopefully you guys have enjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I wish you all the best of luck on your own writing endeavors. Until next time!