A/N: Last chapter, guys! Sorry that it's both really late and that it's a little short, I got in everything I needed to write in about 2,000 words, so I guess this could be considered more of an epilogue than a final chapter. Either way, I hope you like it!

Chapter Nine/Epilogue

Ryder, Puss, and Kitty continued their sprint until they saw the line of houses on the horizon, stopping at last to catch their breath and assure they were not being followed, though it was more out of instinct than concern. The man had made it very clear he was not interested in pursuing them, and they were more grateful for this than they had been for anything in their life.

"Is everyone all right?" Ryder asked after a moment, and Kitty nodded. Puss dropped his sword on the ground and leaned against the tree nearest to him, breathing hard.

The Doberman sighed and sat heavily down on the ground, relieved they had escaped. "That could've turned out a lot worse." he stated, very aware it wasn't helping.

Kitty nodded again in agreement, and then turned to Puss, tossing him his hat that she had grabbed as they had entered the woods. He did not even try to catch it, simply staring at it for a moment as it hit the ground as if he hadn't a clue what it was. "You are very lucky you were not killed!" she pointed out, not quite angry but wishing Puss had never put himself in that position to begin with. The ginger blinked at her, placed his hat back on his head, and then said, "I am sorry; I…did not mean to put either of you in danger."

She frowned; not at what he had said, but how his reply had been delayed. She took a step closer to him, eyeing his shoulder, which he had covered with a paw. "Are you all right?" she asked slowly.

"Sí," Puss replied with a sigh. "Just tired."

Kitty glanced at Ryder, wondering the same thing he was, and then she took a step closer to the ginger, who moved back. "I am fine, mi amor." he reassured her, and she did not say anything else about it. "But we…we still have nothing to give Neil."

"Don't we?" Ryder smirked, and Puss looked at him with a frown. Kitty grabbed the belt he had put around Ryder's neck and handed it back to him. He looked at it, confused, and then gasped as he saw that hooked to where his sword usually hung was a shiny, silver, very expensive-looking necklace. "How did you…?"

"I grabbed it on the way out," Kitty smiled, and he gave a small laugh and hugged her, relieved. He pulled back a moment later and looked at Ryder solemnly. "Thank you for saving me."

Ryder nodded and smiled slightly, and then stood, looking towards the houses. Something fell on his nose and he looked up at the darkening clouds, shaking the raindrop off and turning to the two. "We should probably go." he said, and glanced at Puss, looking him over. He obviously knew what the cat refused to admit to either of them, that the dart had struck him. It hadn't been a clean hit, at most a graze, as he was still unmistakably conscious of what he was doing, but drowsy nonetheless.

However, he did not bring it up, as he apparently did not want them knowing, and simply asked, "Are you able to?"

The ginger nodded, placed his sword back in his belt as he clasped it back around his waist, and then started forward, only stumbling slightly at first. Kitty followed him closely, and the three set off as it began to rain.

Neil sat on his living room chair, his foot tapping impatiently. He hadn't seen Ryder, nor the two cats, since the day before, and he really was beginning to worry they'd put themselves in more danger than they could get away from. And…was it his fault?

The man frowned, unsure. The ginger cat had looked very determined with the plan Neil himself never understood, maybe too determined. If they were hurt, it wouldn't be completely on Neil's part of why, but he would still feel bad he could not have done anything to prevent it.

Oh, shut up. he told himself. You know you could've found some way to help without making them do that.

Ignoring that slightly terrible thought, he sat back, biting his lip. It wasn't entirely his choice, anyway. The only way he knew how to get people around, especially in this case, when it was so far away, was to have his friend help him out. The man he knew, Diaz, was a very good friend of his, and also happened to work with the railroad system, which made him a reliable source to help people get around undetected, or at least safely. But his offers were always overpriced, despite knowing most of the people asking him could not get the money.

That was why Neil had started helping whoever needed it out, and in fact, after helping one of Ryder's owners get a friend somewhere, he'd become friends with the Doberman, as well.

But Diaz was always completely honest to his word—as long as he got his money, he ensured whoever it was got home.

If they even can, he suddenly thought. What if they had gotten hurt? Or worse, killed?

And then his doorbell rang, and he froze before shooting to his feet, setting down his drink on the table. Other than Ryder, he hadn't had an actual visitor in over a year—what were the chances that would change now?

He opened the door and the screen, looked down, and widened his eyes at the three bedraggled animals, and then gestured for them to come inside from the rain without caring they were all dripping wet. "Are you all right?" he asked as he shut the door behind them.

Ryder resisted shaking himself and cleared his throat, nodding slightly. Kitty stood uneasily in front of him and held out the necklace. "Please tell me this will be enough," she said, and although she'd meant it to come out pleadingly, it sounded closer to a threat.

Neil's eyes only widened further. "How did—I'm sure that will be fine."

Kitty sighed in relief, glancing at Puss, who smiled somnolently, leaning against the wall. She looked up as Neil leaned down to take the necklace from her, staring at it in both confusion and awe. He then eyed them almost suspiciously. "This isn't something that's going to be missed, is it?"

Puss scowled. "Just get us home!"

Neil frowned at him, seeming slightly concerned for a moment, and then nodded. "Of course," he said, sounding like he'd only just remembered what they were there for, giving a small smile.

"Today?" Kitty hoped, and Neil nodded once again, giving them the answer they'd been waiting to hear.

"Sí."

-Two Hours Later-

"So," Ryder said, turning to Puss, who had long since overcome the dull effects of what he continued to ignore ever happened. "I guess you'll be going now."

They were standing at the edge of a train station, awaiting Neil's return from the engine, where his friend was, with the 'okay' so they could board. It'd felt like an impossible amount of time had passed, but really it'd only been a few hours. After the last couple of days, twenty minutes felt like a year; they just wanted to get back.

"Sí," the ginger replied, looking at him and then Kitty as she came up beside him, taking his paw, her eyes widened in excitement.

Ryder nodded, and Puss glanced away for a moment. "Thank you," he said finally, making eye contact again. "For everything."

"Yes, gracias." Kitty added.

The Doberman smiled. "It wasn't a problem." he said.

"I…I was," Puss cleared his throat almost awkwardly. "Sorry."

Ryder smirked. "Don't worry about it." He sighed. "I'm gonna miss you guys, no matter how irritating you were."

Puss snorted, looking at Kitty, and then the three looked up as Neil suddenly came up beside them, smiling. "You guys are set," he told them.

"We really…appreciate what you did for us," Puss said, only a little sarcastic, and apparently Neil didn't register that part, but his smile faded anyway. "Yeah, well…I'm sorry I couldn't help sooner. I didn't mean to put you through everything I did."

"It doesn't matter." the ginger replied, and unlike the other times he had said it, he now meant it. "We can go now?"

"The train leaves in a few minutes. You're gonna have to ride up front with Diaz, my friend, but he'll get you where you need to go. The city closest to it, I mean…San Ricardo itself hasn't got a track."

The two cats nodded understandingly; like they weren't already used to walking everywhere they went, Puss especially. But they were going home, so it hardly was a big deal.

But in fact, he realized, frowning, his eyes on Kitty, it wasn't home; not without him having sneaking into the city, anyway, and while there, he always had to be on the lookout for guards.

"It'll be okay," Kitty said, as if she had read his thoughts, and he smiled a bit, gently grabbing her paw.

Ryder flattened his ears as the train whistle sounded, and the engineer, Neil's friend, bent out to call for everyone to get on if they were going to, eyeing the group of four with a small smile before disappearing again.

Puss turned back to the Doberman, as did Kitty, and suddenly, she bent towards him, giving him a brief hug. "Thank you for everything," she whispered into his ear, and he smiled as she pulled back.

The ginger looked at the train as it whistled a last time, then to Neil, who gestured to it a bit urgently.

"You should get on," Ryder offered, and Puss glanced at him, the fact already made quite clear. He opened his mouth to say something else, but found he couldn't, not knowing what he should say. Ryder turned to leave, and Puss silently followed Kitty as she jumped up the stairs and into the engine.

Puss hesitated, then put a paw on the window and quickly lifted himself up to see out of it, smiling slightly as he saw the Doberman had stopped, looking back at them, and finally, Puss nodded.

The Dobermen returned it, seeming to understand everything that small gesture was meant to say, and then Kitty, who'd gotten up beside him, gave a little wave as the train rumbled and then lurched forward, nearly sending them to the ground. But they kept their balance, watching Ryder, Neil, and the train station leave their line of vision, finally turning back to the man, Diaz, who looked them over. "So, San Ricardo, huh?" he began, sounding a little confused. "How'd you two get so far from home?"

Kitty gave a little sigh and glanced at Puss. "It's a long story…" she said.

Diaz shrugged. "Well, we've got about two hours…is that enough?"

The ginger cat chuckled, leaning against the side, crossing his arms.

"It should be."

A/N:...Why am I so horrible at writing endings? ANYWAY, Oh my God! I'm so happy; this is my second fanfic to be completed! Yay! :D Thanks for everyone who supported this story, reviewed, favorited, alerted...everything. You guys are totally amazing, and I'm so glad you stuck with me through the whole thing :D

I really did enjoy writing this, and I've even got a few ideas for a sequel, or at least another Puss in Boots story. It probably won't be out for a while, but I'd like to say I have hopes it will one day :) Thanks again, you guys!