A/N Well, folks, here it is. The last chapter. It's been a long time coming, I know. I apologize for the long wait – this was harder than I'd anticipated. And so, without much further ado, we begin… NEW NOTE: Nothing huge, but I've added a couple of lines in the middle there, as a response to all those of you who asked about Elfangor and Loren.

Disclaimer: I do not, have never, and will never own Animorphs nor any of its characters. They belong to Ms Applegate, to whom we owe our thanks. The song belongs to Art Garfunkel.

Two years later…

I walked briskly down the plaza walkway, past various stores and cafés. There was a slight chill in the wind, and I was glad of it because it took my mind off the way my stomach was leaping around inside me. I concentrated on the wind and the way my feet hit the concrete with each nervous step. Ridiculous that I should be feeling so jumpy and nervous. That after all the battles and crazy, dangerous missions we'd been through, something so normal could do this to me.

I tried to pretend it was just a casual meeting like any other. That's how the others would be seeing it. I was the only one who knew differently. I tried to go over again in my head what I was going to do, what I would say, but I knew it was fairly pointless. I had no idea how it was going to happen. Better not to think about it now.

I came all too quickly to the door of the café where we were meeting. I took a deep breath, and opened the door. As I walked in, the blast of air conditioning hit me. It was like walking into a wall of cold. Not exactly soothing to my nerves. I shivered, and glanced around the room. There she was – Rachel, as beautiful as always, waiting at a table. We were the first ones here. She saw me and waved, smiling. I smiled shakily and waved back. I walked toward her. Should I do it now? I wondered. Or should wait and hope a chance opens up later? We might not be alone again, and if I put it off, I might never do it.

I reached the table and sat down next to her, leaning over to greet her with a kiss.

I bruise you, you bruise me.

We both bruise too easily,

Too easily to let it show.

I love you, and that's all I know.

"Hello Tobias," she said with a smile that simultaneously threw my nerves all over the place and gave me courage.

"Hi Rachel," I responded. I hesitated, chewing my lip nervously.

She tilted her head, concerned and curious. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I shook my head. "No, nothing. I just – I –" I took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the little box. Rachel's eyes widened when she saw it. I flipped it open. "Tobias," she breathed. "Is that –?" I nodded.

"Will you marry me, Rachel?" I asked, all my nervousness strangely gone now. When I saw the delighted look on Rachel's face, my heart soared.

She threw her arms around me and I hugged her back. She drew back and looked me in the eye. "Of course I will, Tobias," she said with a laugh, and I smiled. Then we didn't talk for a while, as our lips were otherwise occupied.

All my plans have fallen through.

All my plans depend on you,

Depend on you to help them grow.

I love you, and that's all I know.

When we broke apart, I took the diamond ring from its box and slipped it onto Rachel's finger.

Click!

There was a quick flash of light as one of the café's other customers decided to capture the Kodak moment. Probably thought they could make a lot of money selling it to the tabloids. Unfortunately for them, they hadn't been quite discreet enough.

"Hey! Creep!" Rachel stood and rounded on the guy. He was young, probably a few years younger than we were. "You ever hear of a thing called privacy?" She towered over him, menacingly. "I think you'd better give me that camera." The aspiring photographer turned to make a run for the door. And ran smack into the short, dark-haired guy who was blocking the exit, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Rachel really isn't someone you want to have mad at you," Marco advised the camera guy. "I suggest you give up the camera."

I had to admit the guy had guts. He was surrounded by three powerful celebrities, but he wasn't backing down so easily. "What will you give me for it?" he asked.

Marco raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his chest. "What do you want?"

Five minutes later, the guy left with three autographs on a napkin, and we had a new camera.

When the singer's gone, let the song go on.

We settled back down at our table, trying to ignore the stares we were getting from the café's other patrons.

Marco shook his head sorrowfully. "So Rachel, I guess this means there's no hope left for you and me."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Maybe someday Marco, you'll find someone short enough for you who will actually be able to stand you."

Marco grinned. "Maybe," he responded, and then he looked at me. "Good luck," he said, patting my arm. I laughed and took Rachel's hand in mine.

A waitress approached our table, looking star-struck but trying marginally successfully to cover it. She gave a big, somewhat shaky smile, and asked, "What can I do for you today?"

Marco smiled lewdly and opened his mouth to speak.

"Marco." Rachel gave him a warning look.

Marco made a face. "Hey, I was just going to ask for a cappuccino."

Rachel rolled her eyes and turned to the waitress. "I'll have a frappaccino." The waitress nodded and turned to me.

"Could I have a hazelnut coffee, please?"

The waitress nodded again. "Will that be all?"

At that moment, the door opened and another small group bustled in. Everyone turned his or her attention to the man and his pregnant wife who were followed by a strangely pretty man who just didn't seem quite able to fit in. Something about him made him look just a little bit uncomfortable with his surroundings.

"No, we're not done just yet," Marco said with a laugh.

Jake, Cassie, and Ax joined us at the table. "Do you need a minute?" The waitress asked.

"Umm…" Cassie scanned the menu.

"I'm just going to have a black coffee," Jake responded.

"I guess I'll have… a ch– no… yes. A chai tea, please."

Ax stared blankly at the menu. "He'll have a mocha latte," said Marco.

"Okay." The waitress smiled and walked to the back of the café, and we all stared at Marco.

"Marco, are you crazy?" Rachel asked. "You're going to have Ax drink coffee and chocolate at the same time?"

Ax's eyes widened. "Cawwww-feee. Fee fee fee."

Marco winced. "Oops."

"Nice going," said Jake. "So. What did we miss?"

But the ending always comes at last.

Endings always come too fast.

They come too fast, but they pass too slow.

I love you, and that's all I know.

Marco grinned. "Well, we got a new camera." He held it up. "Digital, too."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "Should I ask?"

"You don't need to. Just take a look at the last picture."

"Hey! Give me that!" Rachel reached for the camera.

"Oh, what? You're gonna keep secrets from them now?"

Rachel frowned and sat back. "No, but the whole point of getting the camera was to have a little privacy."

I could feel my face getting red, and I tried to stop it mentally. Unfortunately, this strategy rarely works.

"Is that a diamond ring on your finger?" Cassie asked.

When the singer's gone, let the song go on.

It's a fine line between the darkness and the dawn.

They say, in the darkest night, there's a light beyond.

Marco laughed. "There's no fooling you, Cassie."

Jake looked up from studying the camera. "Wow. I guess we missed a lot." He smiled at me. "Congratulations."

I smiled back. "Thanks." Rachel was holding out her hand for Cassie to see.

"I don't understand," Ax said. "What is the significance of this ring? Ing."

"It means they're getting married, Ax," Cassie explained. She smiled at us. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"Hang on," said Jake. "How does this explain about the camera?"

Marco laughed. "Let's just say that it once belonged to a man searching for his fifteen minutes of fame."

"Ah. And do I want to know how you came to be in possession of it?"

"Don't worry. I stepped in just in time and managed to reason with him."

"Uh-huh."

Rachel snorted. "Yeah. You and your wallet."

"Hey, I didn't give him any money, did I?"

"No, but you were going to."

"So what did you give him?" Jake asked.

"He left three celebrity signatures richer," I explained.

"I see. So you sold out to some guy with a digital camera?"

"Oh shut up. You know he was gonna go to the tabloids," Marco retorted.

Jake laughed. "I know."

"Just be glad you guys weren't here or he probably would have asked for a complete set."

Cassie turned to me. "How are your parents doing, Tobias?" Elfangor and Loren had gotten remarried soon after the war ended.

"They're fine—still ridiculously happy."

"Excuse me." A young girl was standing about a foot away, fiddling with her necklace and kind of bouncing on one leg, as though she wanted to move closer, but was afraid to. We stared at her.

"Yes?" Cassie prompted.

"Um, I – I was just wondering –" she turned and glanced back at two other girls who were sitting a few tables away, watching anxiously. They nodded encouragingly at her. "We – we've read your books and heard all your stories, and we were just wondering – what happened to the Time Matrix? Do you know where it is?"

Marco laughed. "Even if we knew, do you really think we'd go around telling every kid who asked?"

"What is your problem, Marco?" Rachel asked. "Do you have some kind of disease that blocks you from developing social skills?"

The girl's face was beet-red. "I – I was just wondering, th-that's all. We – we're huge fans, see."

Cassie smiled at her. "What's your name?"

"Jennifer."

"Well Jennifer, the truth is that we really don't know where the Time Matrix is. It's hidden somewhere, but nobody alive today knows where. And we'd like to keep it that way. It's a very dangerous weapon."

Jennifer nodded. "I understand. It was really just exciting to finally see you in person." Her face was starting to redden again. "It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you too, Jennifer."

The girl smiled and hurried back to her friends.

"Popular today, aren't we?" said Jake with a smile.

"Next there'll be a news crew in here to document Coffee with the Animorphs," Marco added.

Cassie shook her head, bemused. "Did you ever think our lives would be like this?"

"Fame and fortune?" responded Marco. "Always." Everyone laughed.

Cassie continued. "I mean, there were so many times when everything could have gone horribly wrong. When we could have failed, or one of us could have been killed."

"Some of us were killed once or twice," said Jake with a laugh.

"Indeed, we have been quite fortunate." Ax spoke up for the first time.

I looked around at my circle of friends. It was true – we had been fortunate, and, I couldn't help but think, none more so than me. I had gone from a life of loneliness and sorrow to a life as a part of a group. Cassie was right. We had survived through more trials than it had ever seemed possible. We had nearly been killed many times, but we were still here. Truly, it seemed, hope would always remain, whatever happened. And for the time being, a deep contentment spread through me. I was home.

But the ending always comes at last.

Endings always come too fast.

They come too fast, but they pass too slow.

I love you, and that's all I know.

That's all I know.

That's all I know.

A/N And so we come to the end. Or should I say, the beginning? J I have to say that the process of writing this has been almost therapeutic for me. I know many of us were upset and terribly saddened by the ending of the series. One of the things that disturbed me the most was the fact that hope, which had been a theme up to the point, seemed to have disappeared at the end. Over the past few months, I realized something. Maybe (and this is just one wild idea) we were meant to use the lessons of hope we'd learned through reading the series in order to understand the ending. There are a few things that give me this idea (and if you don't feel like putting up with my strange ideas, feel free to skip to the bottom of the page). First, if any of the Animorphs embodied hope more than the others, it was Cassie. And Cassie, out of all the others, survived. And then there's the title of the last book: The Beginning. These words are used at the end of T.H. White's The Once and Future King, at the end of which King Arthur dies, just like Jake and the others. However, it's not a depressing death – there's the suggestion that he will return in some way, that it's not really over (the once and future king). The point is, hope remains, no matter how bad things seem. We just have to take the time to find it. Well, that's the end of my little sermon. The song is "All I Know" by Art Garfunkel, for anyone who wants to know. So this is it. It's been fun. With one last huge THANK YOU to all of my reviewers, I'll say goodbye for now.

Taka ichijouji: Thanks. I certainly did take my time, didn't I? Thanks for understanding. Love ya!

Gryphon124: Tell me about it. I think I cried for a week after the last book came out. But – there is hope! Hope you liked this last chapter.

JoJo: Thanks for sticking with it! Sorry about the wait – I know this one was particularly long in coming. Hope you liked it anyway!

Tobias1452: Well…so much for the soon part. Sorry 'bout that. But I finally did it!

Anonymous-cat: Thanks – hope you enjoyed this one too. Sorry it took so long!

Dragon: Whew! Well, I have to say, your review really made my day. It's nice to know I can create emotions in people. Thanks. Hope you liked this one, and please don't kill yourself. J

Aldrea: Well, I didn't update soon, did I? Do I still get part of the pizza for the happy ending? J

TheAlmightyMasterT-Chan: Glad you've enjoyed the story. I love that I can make people cry. I just feel so…powerful. Hmm. That sounds a little sadistic, doesn't it?

Jamieson Z: Thanks! I probably will start another fic, eventually. It may not be for a while though, and it'll be a bit different from this one.

LilManiac: Thanks. Hope you liked the last chapter!

D.H. L'Orange: Thank you! K.A. had such a huge influence on me that it was really fairly natural to stick to her style. Thanks for reading!

Concrete Angel: J I love this. All I need to do for a quick ego boost is come on this site and read over my reviews. Thanks a lot!

neech: Okay. You – are awesome. Thank you. I do actually plan to be a writer one day. I want to write young adult novels. Always good to have a confidence boost! Thanks.

Starcast Dreamer: Glad I could help! Writing this has actually helped me to cope with Book 54. Good to know it has the same effect for others.

Faith-sama: Laughs I know what you mean about "Odd things." And thank you. I do feel special. J

Cor-chan: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the last bit here!

Dani: Thanks. About contacting K.A.A…. well, it is an appealing idea. I do think, as I said before, that there was something of a purpose to they way she ended the series. I have actually been planning for a while to attempt writing to her through Scholastic, if just to thank her and tell her how much the series mattered to me. Maybe someday I'll get around to it. You know, those ideas of yours aren't bad. Hmm… Well, thanks again!

Rad: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! Thanks for reading!

Raven: You're welcome! It's nice to be able to make people happy. J

SD: Oh, a kitty? I'm jealous. J Thanks for the review!

darklover: Well, here it is. The last chapter. Hope you liked it! And thanks for reading!

Silverchild of the Winds: Thank you! I hope you liked this one too!

KimberFlames: Thanks a lot! I love Tobias/Rachel. J

Cyberspace: Thanks, and I agree completely. Well to try and answer your question, the older version of Tobias…well, he pretty much has ceased to exist in this timeline because of the changes made. I guess you could look at the two timelines as being parallel…in that case, I guess Cassie would be the only living Animorph in the original timeline. Hm. Interesting. Well, thanks again, and sorry for the wait!

RT FAN14: Glad you liked it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading!