A/N: Alright, we're finally at the epilogue of this story! I'm so sorry I waited this long to finish it, but the last few years have been a strange ride. Without further ado, enjoy the final chapter!
Music: "Reacher Preps" from Reacher OST
One Week Later
Frank sat in a booth at New York Jitters, writing in his ear journal. Every so often, he'd pause writing, only to take a sip of coffee, then get back to it.
Been a week since The Purge happened. The country's still recovering. Luckily, the Judges can help with that.
Frank stopped, looking around, and grabbed his mug, drinking his black coffee.
Didn't think Fargo would push for them this soon. Maybe we changed the timeline more than we thought when we used the stones-
Frank suddenly saw movement out of the corner of his eye, and before he knew it, a man younger than him slid into the booth, staring at him with a grim expression. Though younger, the man's physique suggested he was a fighter, but the blonde hair was a dead giveaway to Frank.
"Kevin?" Frank asked in disbelief. "I thought you were dead."
"Good to see you too cuz." Kevin smiled. "But my name's not Kevin."
"Oh right." Frank rolled his eyes. "Sure, Thad."
"It's not even Thad anymore."
"Fine, what's your name now?" Frank asked.
"Reacher." the man leaned in close. "Jack Reacher."
Frank frowned slightly, remembering the first thing he said.
"So what happened to you then, Reacher?" he murmured. "I thought you died when your old football team's house burned down."
"The Goat house." Jack smiled, leaning back. "Those were the days. But no, I managed to get out, start a career in the Army, then became a private investigator."
"Is that what this is then?" Castle furrowed his brow. "You here to give me something that'll tie some other asshole to Purge Night?"
"I already did." Jack told him. "How do you think you guys were able to find out about Ross' secret partner?"
Two Days Ago
Grace Mallory walked to her office in the Flatiron Building, coming to a stop at her desk. On top of a stack of paperwork was a file labelled "Classified", which upon opening, revealed pictures of herself with the now deceased Secretary Ross.
"I wondered when you would discover my involvement." Grace murmured, turning around to see Frank pointing a silenced pistol at her.
"Hello Mallory." Frank mumbled, stepping closer and quietly shutting the door. "How long?"
Grace knit her brows in confusion, about to speak, but Frank cut her off.
"Don't. Don't try to bullshit. I know everything that you and Ross were planning, but how long had you been planning all this?"
Mallory gave Castle a cold stare, taking a deep breath.
"The day my grandchildren were murdered by a supe." she revealed. "That was when I realized they were all too dangerous to be left alive."
Frank hung his head low, but kept the gun steady.
"Was Dredd part of your plan? You wanted him dead?"
"No." Grace quickly said. "When I met Joe- back when he was Butcher- I saw myself in him. We both wanted to take down the Seven. And then, when Lamplighter burned my grandchildren to death…"
Frank looked back up, a moment of understanding passing between them.
"I don't know if you were always like this. Maybe you were when you worked with Zemo. Maybe you got changed when Myers snapped his fingers and brought everyone back. But you went too far. Joe's dead because of what you and Ross did."
"That wasn't us." Mallory defended. "That was Brightburn-"
"Cut the shit!" Frank yelled, before calming down. "You and Ross worked with Brightburn to develop the tech to jump different Earths. Maybe not directly, but the threads are there."
"So I guess this is goodbye then." Mallory guessed, stepping back and sitting at her desk.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's right."
Frank fired his gun twice, hitting the CIA woman in the chest. As her body fell, he pocketed the weapon, turning to leave.
"Goodbye Grace."
"I assumed Redfield or his team found it." Frank murmured, drinking his coffee.
"They did. I just found it quicker." Jack smiled wryly. "But enough of that. I heard you've taken on a sidekick."
Frank snorted, rolling his eyes again.
"Wouldn't have been my first pick. Or any pick." Castle told him. "I'm just going along with her sister's suggestion, to make it 'fair'."
Last Week
Washington
Frank watched Millie and Ryan step out of the portal, looking slightly disheveled, but otherwise unharmed. His emotions overtook him, and Castle ran forward and wrapped Kessler in a hug, while Becca did the same to her son.
"You alright? You good?"
"Yeah." Millie smiled, looking up at her father. "Brightburn's dead. I killed him myself."
Castle nodded numbly, before everyone could hear someone grunting and yelling. They all looked around, confused, before Russo looked back over to the Bat-Beast.
"What the fuck?" Billy asked out loud.
The monster in question didn't even look like… well, it's normal self, in addition to being very dead. It's limbs were hacked to pieces, the guts and entrails ripped from the body, and the face… it looked mangled to the point you couldn't even tell what animal it had originated from. And standing over it…
"Cass!" Bela barked out, striding over towards her sister, who was still swinging her sickle. "Enough!"
If Cassandra heard her sister, she didn't show it, and continued hacking away at what was merely a torn up corpse now.
"Goddamit Cass, stop!" Bela yelled, dispersing into flies and zooming towards the brunette, materializing in time to grab her arms and force her still. "It's already dead!"
That seemed to snap Cassandra out of her rage, as she backed up, her eyes widening.
"Cass, we've talked about this." Bela said sternly. "You need help with your anger."
"Bullshit!" Cassandra yelled, crossing her arms. "I- we- don't need help! Don't you see Bela? We can do whatever the fuck we want!"
The blonde shook her head in disgust, folding her arms as well.
"Clearly, you haven't listened to a single fucking word I've said since you and Dani came back." Bela sighed. "Fine. I think I'll need to take extreme measures."
She looked around to her allies, eventually spotting Batman.
"Bats, do you think you could train my sister?"
"What?!" Cassandra roared. "You want some human to train me?!"
"Mostly to resolve your issues." Bela told her. "You don't have to kill everything you see."
"I agree." Lady Dimitrescu added. "It is frankly unladylike Cassandra."
Batman looked between the siblings, before eventually nodding.
"How long would you want me to train her?"
"As long as it takes." Bela shrugged. "Who knows, maybe you can give her a colorful costume just like your last few sidekicks."
"Are you shitting me!" Cassandra screamed. "This isn't fair! Dani's the one who likes this bat-guy, have her go!"
"Yes!" Daniella smiled with glee. "I'd love to spend quality time with Gotham's Dark Knight!"
"No. Cass will be trained." Bela said adamantly. "However… I do believe our friend Frank Castle could help Dani with her own fighting skills."
The bug woman looked over towards Frank, who seemed to be weighing the options.
"You should do it, Frank." Cass whispered to him. "At the very least, it'll help keep an eye on them."
"Fair enough." Castle murmured, before looking up.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll do it."
"Didn't think you'd want to teach anyone how you work." Reacher smirked. "You gone soft?"
"It's just to keep those sisters in check." Frank told him. "Bela has Chris. Cassandra's going to stay with the Bat in about a week. And Winters is gonna help me with Daniella."
Jack kept his smile, but leaned back, looking out the window.
"What a world we live in. Full of bioweapons, supes, metahumans, aliens, magic…"
"And the Devil." Frank interjected.
"Come again?" Reacher asked.
"The Devil's on Earth." Frank revealed. "Turns out he's a good friend of Constantine's."
Two Days Ago
Los Angeles
Constantine walked into the Lux nightclub, going straight to the elevator and pressed a button for the penthouse. As the doors closed behind him, he sighed, looking up.
It might be foolish for him to come here, but what was seeing an old friend?
When the doors opened, John strolled inside, seeing Lucifer Morningstar playing the piano, his back turned towards him.
"Hello Luci!" Constantine announced, walking right up towards the colossal instrument. The man's eyes shot up to meet him, glowing a dark red, and he slammed his hands into the keyboard, causing a few pieces to fly up.
"What do you want now, Johnny?" Lucifer seethed. "I've already come back to Earth to see the Detective and her child, only for this bloody Purge bullshit to interfere! Haven't you and your colorful band of misfits done enough?!"
"Come on, mate, the Purge wasn't on us." Constantine scoffed. "Truth be told, I thought you stayed here because you didn't want to be bothered by it just like Crisis…"
"Come now, Crisis was years ago!" Lucifer retorted. "I was a different person back then! And what happened in DC was happening across the bloody country!"
"Come again?" John frowned.
"Are you deaf as well as being stupid?" Morningstar growled. "The Purge was in full swing here! It's Los fucking Angeles!"
John pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out an exasperated sigh.
"I'd hoped it wasn't the case."
"Well, it was." Lucifer huffed. "When that alien Thanos killed half of all life in this universe, I thought Chloe and Beatrice would never come back."
"But now that she has, you don't want to lose her again." Constantine murmured. Lucifer looked up and nodded, before his eyes reverted to normal.
"Why are you here, Constantine? Don't you have your own cleanup to do in New York?"
"Yes, but I wanted to check on an old friend." John told him, as he pulled out a pack of cards.
"What's a friendly game of poker between old friends?"
Lucifer let out an amused smile, standing up and approaching John.
"You know you can't beat me."
"Willing to give it a shot though." Constantine flashed a conman's smile.
"Yeah… would've been nice to have the actual Devil helping us." Frank muttered, drinking his coffee. "But I get it."
"Well, Constantine was right." Reacher told him. "The Purge didn't just affect DC. It didn't even just affect the United States."
Music: "Gonna Need A Gun" from Reacher OST
Paris
The world went upside down that night Frank. Nations around the globe got hit with crimewaves, even if it was still illegal.
Two masked men ran down a darkened street, holding onto bags of cash. Behind them were the sounds of sirens, but the men kept running, only for a silhouette to drop down in front of them. The masked men widened their eyes, turning around, but another figure dropped behind them, trapping them in the alley.
"Well Ladybug, looks like we found who robbed the jewelry store a few blocks down!" the second silhouette laughed.
"You got that right, Cat!" the first person called out, stepping forward and revealing a woman wearing a red jumpsuit and domino mask with black spots, holding onto a bright red yo-yo. Before either robber could react, she flung the toy, smacking them both in the head. At the same time, Cat leapt forward, spinning around, and kicked both criminals in the head, rendering them unconscious.
Cat stepped into the light, revealing his black and white uniform with a cat ear mask and yellow eyes. He and Ladybug closed the difference, looking fondly into each other's eyes.
"God I love you Ladybug." Cat murmured, while his partner slipped her arms around his neck.
"And I love you… Cat Noir."
Saint Petersburg
There's not a lot of heroes around the world like the Avengers. No Thunderbolts. No Boys. Just a few stragglers in costumes.
Three men in red jackets and cartoonish masks ran through darkened streets, looking back behind them in fright.
"Did we lose him?" one of the men asked. The other two looked behind them, seeing nothing but darkness.
"Yes. I think so."
All three men looked back in front of them, just in time to see a hooded figure drop down to the ground, having his face covered by what appeared to be a plague doctor's mask from the Dark Ages.
"Fuck!"
The Plague Doctor raised his hands, and flames shot out of the wrists, engulfing the three criminals. As the perpetrators screamed, the doctor looked on, the fire dancing in his mask's eyes.
"Sounds like I'll have my work cut out for me." Frank mused, closing his book and standing up.
"Leaving already?" Reacher asked.
"Yeah." Frank nodded. "I got a funeral to attend."
Jack slowly nodded as well, meeting Castle and shaking his hand.
"I know it might not mean much, but I'm sorry." he said. "Joe seemed like a good man."
"It means enough." Frank murmured. "And thanks."
Frank turned on his heel to leave, stepping out of the Jitters just in time to see a flash of golden lightning.
"You ready?" Barry asked. Frank silently nodded. Allen wore a look of sadness, but nevertheless grabbed Frank by the shoulders and sped off.
Music: "The Place That I Call Home" by Edison Highway
"Do not store your treasures on Earth, where moths eat them, and rust corrupts them, and thieves break in and steal." Father Lantom recited, looking out across the church sanctuary.
Frank and his family stood in the pew right behind Becca and Ryan, who smiled gratefully at their friends. Next to the podium was the coffin that housed Joseph Dredd, finally at peace.
Ryan clenched a fist, noticeable only by his mother. As a final middle finger by Brightburn, when they found Joe's body, it had…
Well, let's just saw there was a reason the casket wasn't open.
The funeral was relatively small. Not too many showed up, really. Just Dredd's immediate family, the Butchers and Vienna, as well as Castle's, and a few allies, such as the Flash. The rest, like Redfield or Chief Judge McGruder, well… they expressed their condolences, but they didn't really know Joseph like the closest to him did.
"Store your treasures in Heaven, where moths cannot eat them, and rust cannot corrupt them, and thieves cannot break in and steal. For where your treasure is, that's where your heart is also."
Back at the Castle house, both Riley and Millie finished packing and going downstairs, just as Frank and Cass met them in the living room.
"Are you both sure about this?" Frank asked. The two girls looked between each other, before nodding.
"I can't stay here." Riley confessed. "There's… there's nothing left for me. I shouldn't be this torn up over Billy's death, but I am."
Anderson looked at her step-daughter with sympathy, as she rested a hand on her shoulder.
"There are many different forms of love, Rye." she murmured. "Whatever you felt for Lenz… it meant something."
As Cass and Riley smiled at each other, Frank looked over to Millie.
"You too, Mill?"
Kessler silently nodded, looking down.
"I killed someone in cold blood, Frank." Millie whispered. "It was just like with the Butcher, I wanted revenge. I took the Compound V because I felt I wasn't enough. I wanted to regain some of that power, ever since Necropolis."
She looked back up, tears streaming down her face.
"I need to sort this out on my own."
Castle sighed, before stepping forward and wrapping her in a hug.
"You wanna do this yourself, I get that. But you'll always have a home here, alright?" he told her, while looking towards Riley.
"Both of you."
The girls sadly smiled, before picking up their bags and leaving out the door, with Frank and Cass watching them go. Sure, they felt sad to see them leave, and yet…
There was a glimmer of hope for them.
"Your eye is like a lamp, for it provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your body is filled with light."
Gotham
After the funeral, Russo entered Wayne Manor, only to see Commisioner Gordon and Beth standing in the foyer, the latter in handcuffs.
"Beth?" Billy asked out loud. "What's going on?"
Kane glanced at him sadly, before stepping forward.
"Before you say anything, this was my choice." she told him. "I turned myself in. I can't… I can't escape what I've done."
"Then stay as Batwoman." Russo pleaded. "Redeem yourself by-"
"No." Beth said adamantly. "I… I have to do this. It's what my sister would've wanted."
Billy opened his mouth to argue, but quickly closed it, knowing deep down… she was right.
"I'll wait for you." he murmured. "I don't care how long it takes."
Kane smiled, stepping towards him, and planting a small kiss on his lips.
"Goodbye Billy." she smiled, before Gordon took her by the arm and led her away.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Russo." he murmured on the way out.
That was the last Billy saw of either of them for a long time… but true to his word, he waited for Beth to get released.
"But when your eye is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is darkness, how deep that darkness is."
Ryan trudged up a mountain, ignoring the cold wind. The funeral was supposed to be tomorrow, but he didn't want to be there. Despite what Becca, Millie and even Alice said to him, he still believed he could Joe.
As Butcher continued walking, he could make out two figures in the distance, sitting down. Upon getting closer, Ryan squinting his eyes, seeing… Joe?
And… Billy Butcher, sitting next to him?
"Ello, son." Billy grinned, standing up. Ryan frowned, while Dredd stood up as well.
"Are you… are you real?" Ryan asked.
"Course we aren't." Billy snorted, tapping the side of his head. "We're in here, mate."
"Why are you both here though?" the kid asked. Dredd huffed in annoyance, before taking off his helmet.
"We're part of your crossroads." Joe told him. "What's that one saying…"
"Two wolves, mate." Billy reminded him. "Two wolves inside us all, and you gotta decide which one to feed."
Ryan scoffed, looking away.
"But you do have to choose, Ryan." Joe continued. "You can't keep punishing yourself."
"I don't know how." Ryan confessed. "Everytime I close my eyes, I see… him."
Dredd looked over to Butcher, who held up his hands in a shrug.
"I know what you mean." Joe revealed, setting down his helmet. "When I first killed Rico, I… I couldn't sleep. Didn't eat. I could see his face every time I closed my eyes, despite Vienna holding no grudge on me for it."
Ryan looked up, while Joe averted his gaze.
"Did they ever stop?"
Dredd nodded slightly, looking him in the eye.
"Yes… when I met your mother."
Ryan felt tears prick his eyes, but Joe continued.
"She was my world, Ryan. She helped me realize this world's still fighting for."
"Before that cunt Homelander snatched her away." Billy interjected.
"Our point is, there's still good here." Joe insisted to Ryan. "But your mother needs you right now."
Ryan slowly nodded, as Joe and Billy began to merge together.
"Grud, I miss you, son."
Butcher smiled, watching Dredd fade away.
"I miss you too Dad."
Frank watched the coffin be lowered into the ground, in front of a gravestone that read Joseph Dredd, Died 2028. The stone was placed next to what used to be Becca's own gravestone, back when she was still missing.
"I don't know what to say." Ryan mumbled. "I feel like anything would be meaningless."
Becca looked over to Frank and Cass, giving them a hopeful smile. Realizing what she meant, Cass reached out to her husband pshycially, speaking to him with her mind.
Frank… it should be you.
Castle looked at his wife, who gave him an encouraging smile, and nodded.
"When I met Joe, it was when he called himself Billy Butcher." Frank began. "It was shortly after my own family died, at the hands of a rogue supe. He was a bit rough around the edges, but I began to understand him better, when he told me what happened to his own family."
He paused, looking towards Becca and Ryan, before continuing.
"I watched Billy become a better man, even after he resumed his previous identity as Joseph Dredd. In a lot of ways, he made me who I am, and inspired others to fight for justice, for better or worse. He was my brother… and like Billy Russo, I became his."
"Life will go on, of course. The world existed long before us, it'll exist long after. But our journeys are far from over. I don't know what the future holds, but in my experience, you can't ever assume. Joe may be gone, but his mission carries on. It's up to us to carry that torch, so that Joe will live on in all of us, and everyone he's inspired."
Secretary Fargo looked out across the hangar, seeing the rows upon rows of his new Judges lined up. Fargo smiled, putting on his own helmet, before descending the stairs.
"That mission could take us to the ends of the Earth… across time… and throughout the multiverse."
Mega City One
Ryan and Caitlin flew past the mega block structures, weaving around the buildings and hover cars. Below them, Vienna Dredd rode a Lawmaster cycle, speeding through the streets to keep up.
"If the past seven years have taught me anything, it's that this world- this universe- is bigger than any of us have imagined. Even bigger than we initially thought. It's just a little bit darker now, now that Joe's gone."
Frank finished his eulogy, stepping back, as the coffin was completely lowered. He turned away, preparing to leave, when Millie grabbed his shoulder.
"Hey wait." she told him. "We still have the reception."
"Reception?" Frank furrowed his brow. "What're you talking about?"
Kessler grinned, as the both of them, as well as the funeral guests, began to glow in a blue light.
"Ryan and I were able to pull a couple strings." she revealed, just before they all vanished.
Once the blue light faded from his eyes, Frank looked around, realizing they were all in Castle Dimitrescu. The opera room, to be exact. Behind everyone who was at the reception were a few friends they had met over the last few weeks; Doctor Strange and Wanda, Alice and her friends from Hackensack, James Bond, Paloma, and his wife and child, and many more. And up on the stage were the three daughters; Daniella playing the drums, Cassandra I'm the electric guitar, while Bela gripped a microphone.
"Ready?" Bela shouted to her sisters.
Music: "Further On Up The Road" by Bruce Springsteen
"Fuck yeah!" and "Let's go!" were their responses, followed by Daniella immediately beginning to beat the drums. After a few beats, Cassandra let out a riff on the guitar, giving Frank a clue on what they were gonna sing.
"Where the road is dark… and the seat is sowed…" Bela sang, making Frank wear a small smile.
"You planned this?" he looked over to Millie, who smiled knowingly.
"You never were able to make it to that Springsteen concert." she reminded him. "So I decided to bring Springsteen to you."
Frank smiled- genuinely smiled- and hugged his daughter, as the music went on.
"Where the gun is cocked and the bullet's cold
Where the miles are marked in blood and gold
I'll meet you further on up the road"
Frank drove down the road in his van, coming up on a trio of bikers. The bikers in question turned around, firing at the van with their mini uzis, making Castle swerve slightly.
"You ready?" the Punisher asked, looking to the passenger side to see Daniela Dimitrescu. Once she nodded, holding up a pistol, he looked in the back, seeing Ethan Winters carrying a machinegun.
"One batch. Two batch. Penny and a dime…"
"Got on my dead man's suit and my smiling skull ring
My lucky graveyard boots and a song to sing"
Gotham
Batman looked out across his city, hearing the distant cries of rioting. Behind him, buzzing could be heard, but by the time he looked over his shoulder, the noises stopped; standing behind him was a woman in an armoured suit like his, but with a black hood and a dark red bat emblem.
"Come on." Bruce told her. "It's going to be a long night."
Cassandra looked up, her golden eyes meeting his, before he jumped off the rooftop, extending his cape to glide. She took a deep exhale, before jumping off as well, detaching several of her flies to carry her into the air, soaring through the night.
"I got a song to sing, keep me out of the cold
And I'll meet you further on up the road"
Central City
Barry sped through the streets, passing cars and cyclists, when two men in ski masks caught his eye. The speedster slowed down a fraction of a second, just noticing them enter a bank. Allen smiled, believing that stopping them would be easy, as he quickly sped inside, just in time to see a woman wearing a black coat over a white shirt, as well as fishnets, point her hands at the robbers.
"Pu meht eit!"
Two long cords of rope appeared out of nowhere and lunged at the criminals, wrapping around them and making them stumble. The Flash arched an eyebrow, staring at the woman in curiosity.
"Uh, thanks, miss…"
"Zatanna." the woman smiled, looking at the speedster with intrigue. "I'm a friend of Constantine's."
"Further on up the road, further on up the road
Where the way's dark and the night is cold
One sunny morning we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road"
Mega City One
2068
Frank sat on a park bench at what used to be Central Park in New York City, watching his daughter play with his grandson. Cass was busy at home, leaving him to watch over his daughter Sara, while she played with little Jake.
"Frank."
Castle looked up, seeing Ryan Butcher slowly float down to meet him. Gone was his red suit with the blue cape, in place were the colors of the Judge's uniform. The perks of being deputized by the Justice Department, he supposed.
"Ryan." Frank nodded, turning to look back towards his daughter and grandson.
"Frank." Butcher murmured, looking out towards Castle's family. "How are they?"
Frank smiled, watching Sara and Jake chase after each other.
"Happy."
"And you?" Ryan prodded, looking at his "uncle". Frank sighed, staring at his older, more scarred hands.
"The same."
It had been forty years since the Purge. Since then, the Justice department had deployed the Judges nationwide, with other countries such as Russia following suit not long after. Because of the new police force, Frank eventually slowed down his activity as the Punisher, before retiring altogether. By the time that happened, his hair had gone completely white, he was covered in more scars than when he served in the Marines, and had gone blind in one eye. As opposed to Ryan, who simply had gray hairs on the sides of his head. Seeing him now… he looked so much like Homelander, yet couldn't be farther than him personality-wise.
"Ryan, listen." Frank told him. "You are… you're nothing like your father, alright? Don't let anyone tell you differently."
Ryan nodded, before he began to float back up.
"I'll see you around Frank."
Frank bowed his head, hearing Butcher fly off, and continued watching his daughter and grandson.
"Now I've been out in the desert, just doing my time
Searching through the dust, looking for a sign"
Arkham Asylum
Frank, Billy, Cassandra Dimitrescu, and Bruce waited by their limo, as the outer gates opened, and Beth stepped out. It'd been a long time since Beth Kane turned herself in, to serve her sentence for what she'd done as Alice, by true to his word, Russo waited for her.
Frank looked at Billy, seeing the gray in his hair. The same color marred them all; Bruce, Frank, even Cassandra, who had streaks of silver against her dark brunette locks.
Once Beth was within reaching distance, she lunged towards Billy in a passionate embrace, kissing him deeply.
"I've missed you." she murmured. "I'm surprised you waited…"
"Hey, I keep my promises." Russo chuckled. Beth smiled, before turning towards Frank.
"Beth… I'm sorry."
"For what?" she asked. Castle looked at his boots, sighing.
"I thought I could redeem myself by helping you, all those years ago."
"Because of what happened with Amy Bendix and her sister." Beth realized. Frank nodded, looking back up.
"I'm sorry."
Beth's lips pulled up into a smile, as she held out her hand.
"One day you'll find peace Frank."
Frank looked into her eyes, before grabbing her hand.
"One day."
"If there's a light up ahead, well brother I don't know
But I got this fever, burning in my soul"
In the dreamscape, Gibb watched her friend Lori, as she and her husband Will Rollins made out in bed. It wasn't easy bringing her here; after Gibb found out her best friend died, she had Constantine help her get to Heaven to properly say goodbye. Once she realized that Will was among the Vanished due to Thanos' Snap, she decided that like her, he needed closure. So, with the help of Constantine and Lucifer, she built a bridge from her realm to the afterlife, allowing Lori to cross over and visit Will in his dreams.
I hope you do not abuse this power.
Gibb turned around, seeing a pale man with black hair, wearing a long black coat, and staring at her intently.
"Of course not, Lord Morpheus." Gibb said reassuringly, as she bowed on one knee.
I am grateful. Morpheus mused. The manifestation of Frederick Krueger from the Corinthian's spawn was most unfortunate. Even moreso that it was done when I was held prisoner.
Gibb hummed in agreement, standing back up and looking back at Will and Lori.
"I just want to give my friends the peace they deserve." she whispered.
"So let's take the good times as they go
And I'll meet you further on up the road"
Kamar-Taj
Doctor Strange and Wong watched Wanda teach students in the courtyard, as they heard the familiar sound of sparks. Turning around, they saw a portal open up, revealing Constantine and Bela Dimitrescu step out to greet them.
"Constantine." Strange nodded respectfully. "Miss Dimitrescu."
"Doc." John replied, giving a mocking bow.
"Why are you here, exorcist?" Wong questioned. John smiled, as he waved his fingers to conjure some glasses and a bottle of whiskey.
"Fancy a drink mates?"
As the men began to drink, Wanda looked over towards them, stopping her lesson.
"Miss Dimitrescu?"
Bela widened her eyes slightly, seeing Maximoff walk towards her.
"You remember me?"
"Of course." Wanda smiled. "You were with Stephen and John when I was rescued."
"But I didn't do anything." Bela frowned. "I was just trying to find a means to stop one of Brightburn's allies."
"You were still there." Wanda reminded her, smiling mirthfully. "But what brings you here?"
Bela chuckled, looking towards Constantine and the two sorcerers drinking together.
"I wanted John to teach me a bit of magic."
"You want to train?"
"I wish…" Bela took a deep breath. "To understand it better."
Wanda slowly nodded, as she held out her hand, and wisps of scarlet energy rose from her palm.
"Very well. Are you ready to begin?"
"Further on up the road, further on up the road
Where the way's dark and the night is cold"
New York
Bucky and Sam stood in front of a gravestone, slowly reading the name and date.
Tony Stark
1970-2022
Bucky fidgeted with his fingers for a moment, before clearing his throat.
"I'm… I'm sorry, Tony." he murmured. "I'm sorry for what I did. To Howard. To Maria. And you."
Barnes looked away, shuddering as he remembered that night. How he bashed in Howard Stark's face, then strangled his wife to death.
"I know, I didn't have a choice. Hydra brainwashed me, but… Steve and I should've told you. I should have told you, the minute I remembered who I was."
"It wasn't your fault."
Bucky widened his eyes, hearing a familiar voice behind him. Both he and Sam turned around, seeing a man with black hair and a matching beard and stubble smiling at him. Right next to him was a blonde haired man with a full beard, wearing a black sweatshirt.
"Tony?" Bucky stated in surprise, before looking at the blonde man in a more shocking manner.
"Oliver Queen? I thought you- both of you- died!"
"We did. But it got boring, so we decided to vacation back on Earth." Tony quipped.
"He means he begged me to let him come down here." Oliver exasperated.
"Okay Ollie." Tony rolled his eyes. "I thought we were going to leave that part out."
"Wait, how are you guys even here?" Sam asked.
"Didn't you just hear me, bird-boy?" Stark arched an eyebrow, while Oliver let out a sigh.
"When I died fighting the Anti-Monitor, I still retained the powers Jim Corrigan passed to me." Queen explained. "I'm now something else- the Specter."
"So why are you here? After all these years?" Bucky asked.
Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Thought I'd lift that burden from your shoulders, Barnes." he revealed. "I don't blame you for my parents' deaths. Not anymore."
"But… but I-"
"It wasn't you." Tony interrupted. "HYDRA fucked with your mind for decades. I'll bet you didn't even recognize my mom and dad until Zemo played the footage in Siberia."
Bucky slowly nodded, looking at the ground.
"I am sorry. For what happened." James murmured. "You, me, Steve… if I knew sooner, if I had told you… then maybe both of you would still be alive."
"Maybe." Tony agreed, holding out his hand. "But we can't change it now. But you can stop carrying that stone around your neck."
Bucky gingerly reached out and shook Stark's hand, while Oliver folded his arms.
"If your business is finished, we need to go."
"Go? You just got here!" Sam exclaimed.
"I'm only able to come back on account of the Multiverse being in danger." Queen explained. "And since it isn't…"
Stark rolled his eyes again, as the handshake ended.
"Fine. Couldn't even go and get a drink."
"Rain check." Oliver promised, before his eyes glowed green, and the two dead billionaires vanished in a flash of emerald light.
"One sunny morning we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road"
Frank, Millie, and everyone continued watching the Dimitrescu sisters singing, the crowd cheering them on, as Bela suddenly shifted her lower half into flies. She flew towards Millie, grabbing her by the arm, and flew back, pulling her up on stage.
"Come on, finish it with us!" the blonde said enthusiastically, while Millie looked over at Frank.
He was smiling. Smiling more than she had ever seen him smile before. And that gave her the boost she needed.
"One sunny morning we'll rise I know
And I'll meet you further on up the road"
Frank grinned, proud of his daughter for everything she had done in the last six years, and began to think of what the future could hold.
If anyone told me all those years ago that I'd gain a family after losing Maria, I'd have thought they were crazy. But now, with Cass, Mill, and even Riley at my side for a while, I'd say I'm one of the luckiest assholes out there. I don't know what will happen to all of us down the road, but I think I've reached the end of my war.
And I'll meet you further on… up the road.
End of journal entry.
A/N: And that's a wrap! As of now, this series is finished. I do have some plans for other stories I could tell of course, but for now, Frank's adventures are over. And just to be clear, those scenes of the future are at unspecified points in time, except for the conversation Frank and Ryan have.
I am thinking on doing an entire story about Cassandra being Batman's sidekick, as well as another one about Frank taking Daniella under his wing. The Batman one would be based on The Long Halloween film that came out recently, and the latter would be more or less original, which would feature the characters from different regions of the world. The ones from Paris are from the show Miraculous, Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir, while Saint Petersburg with the Plague Doctor superhero is from the comic series Major Gromm. The Batman and Punisher stories would eventually have a crossover of a couple chapters too.
Also, I've thought about revisiting the Star Wars universe with Ryan Butcher, with some characters tagging along. Just like with the Mandalorian story, it would deviate from what's currently happening in the shows, so Mando season 3 wouldn't be canon.
I'm also thinking on another fic that features Allyson and Michael. It's about time that they got their own solo adventure, which would be a bit of a combination of Halloween 2018 and Kills, and possibly some elements of Ends thrown in. I don't know.
I do have plans for one final story as well, but that's far down the pipeline. So for now, this installment serves as a good finale, as it comes full circle for Frank, Millie, and Ryan.
But that's it for this one! I'll be working on my Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness story now (finally!)