Chapter 30

"Alright ya tarantula, yer next," said Miss Kitty after Wylie Burp had finished tying up Cat R. Waul with a rope, brandishing her shotgun at the arachnid.

"Ya know what boss, maybe we shoulda figured that they'd ambush us when we got out of the mine," Chula said irritably.

"Shut up, Chula," Waul snapped.

Tanya sat Vartan down on a rock gingerly, as Tony looked him over, and cautiously approached Waul.

"Why did you save me?" she asked.

Waul looked down at the mouse, "Oh that idiotic control-freak Ratigan had pushed me to my last nerve. I specifically told him that you were off limits."

"Because?"

Waul turned away a bit, "Because dear girl, you've a voice like an angel. I only wish that it didn't have to belong to a mouse."

Tanya frowned, "Well, thank you for saving my life. I mean that. But just know I'm never falling for your lies again. It doesn't excuse what you've done, or what you were planning to do."

Waul sighed and sulked. Tanya turned around, and walked back toward Vartan.

Olivia hadn't stopped hugging Fievel after they escaped. She continued to hug him and kiss his cheeks over and over, making the boy blush as Tanya looked on and smirked.

"I'm so glad yer alive Fievel," she said.

"I'm glad too," he giggled, hugging her as Hiram patted Olivia's head.

She then turned around and hugged her father tight, "Oh, we're all together again, we can start livin' like normal again."

"But what about Basil and Nellie?" Fievel asked, looking back into the cave.

Olivia's ears went down. They didn't know what would happen.

"Basil's always found his way outta trouble before, dearie," Hiram assured her, "We probably haven't seen the last of him."

Meanwhile, Tanya wrapped Vartan's wounded arm with a strip of her dress as he sat down on a rock.

"You think you'll be okay?" she asked.

Vartan, dazed and pained, looked up at Tanya, "I think so…"

"You know…I really liked your sketches of me…"

Vartan blinked, "You…you saw them?"

Tanya nodded and giggled a little, "I'm sorry for snooping but um, yes I did see them…they were really good, you put so much care and detail into them…"

Vartan blushed a bit, "I draw everyone, you know."

Tanya smiled, "Well I wouldn't mind letting you draw me again, this time while I'm paying attention. That is…if you're staying here in Green River. I um…I hope you are."

Vartan looked down a bit, "I haven't anywhere else to go…unless with Nellie but…we do not even know if she and Basil are alive…"

It was then that a deafening explosion shook the entire mesa. They saw smoke rise into the air above the rocky outcropping.

"What was that?" Miss Kitty asked.

"Must have been the mine cart dat had Nellie and Basil…" said Tony.

"Reckon we ought to see what happened?" Wylie asked.

"We…we have to see if anyone lived!" said Olivia.

The group agreed, and, taking their prisoners with them, walked around the mesa for a few minutes until coming across the large chasm, and looking up to see where the tracks on the mine ended. Smoke was still billowing from the pit.

"I don't think anyone coulda survived dat," said Tony, peeking down.

Olivia's ears went down, and she hugged Fievel, sniffling and wiping her eyes on his shoulder as he looked up sadly.

"Hey down there! A little help if you please?" came a shout.

Everyone looked up, and saw Nellie and Basil looking down from the edge of the tracks.

"They're alive!" Olivia said happily.

"But how are we gonna get them down?" asked Tanya.

Tiger thought for a moment and looked down at Fidget, "Say bat, bring 'em down and maybe I'll take some time off your prison sentence."

"Really?" Fidget asked, "Umm…how 'bout one year?"

"Nah, too high."

"One month?"

"Yeah, that's better," Tiger answered.

"Each?"

"You're pushing it, but alright…"

"Betta fly up and bring 'em straight back too," said Miss Kitty, "I'm a pretty good shot."

"S-sure sure, I'll bring 'em right down." Fidget said, as Tony undid Fidget's ropes. He stretched his wings out, and flapped them a bit before taking to the air. He returned with Nellie first, who received hugs from both Fievel and Olivia, and secondly he came down with Basil, who grimaced when the children attached themselves to his battered legs in a tight hug. The two of them suffered scrapes and bruises from the fight, and from jumping out of the cart.

"What happened?" Tanya asked.

"Well, I don't think we'll be hearing from Ratigan again this time," Basil said proudly, "He was blown sky high by his own trap."

"Is he really gone fer real this time?" Olivia asked worriedly.

Basil patted her head, "I'm confident that he is."

Olivia hugged Basil even more tightly. Basil, despite himself, began to smile, and he hugged her back.

Basil and Nellie then explained everything that had happened, as the group set off back to Green River.

There was a large gathering at the train station two days later, when Nellie and Basil booked their tickets that would take them back to New York, where they would then take a boat to London. All of their friends old and new had come to see the couple off. Tiger wore a cowboy hat and a longcoat, sporting his shiny new sheriff's badge and accompanied by Miss Kitty and Wylie Burp. He'd taken to his new job well, though Wylie stuck around to give him pointers, and help watch over the prison cells that held Cat R. Waul, One-Eye, Fidget and Chula. Once Pee-Wee and Noodles were tracked down, Tiger had them sent to a reform school. Sweet William and his gang vanished, probably off to some other western town.

Tony and Bridget were there to see Nellie and Basil off as well with their daughter; Bridget having decided to fill the political void left by Ratigan and campaign to become the country's first ever female mouse mayor. The Mousekewitz's and Flavershams were gathered together as well, having become quite close in recent days.

"Thank ye so much again for helpin' to bring me daddy back to me," Olivia said, hugging Basil around the waist as Fievel looked on, "I…I know I said goodbye to ye in London not thinking I'd see ye again but…it ain't any easier this time…"

"Chin up, dear girl," Basil said, wiping the tears from her cheeks gently, "You have your own path to follow. And I didn't do everything; you and Fievel handled yourselves expertly in this situation. Why I believe you may someday rival my own detective expertise."

"Ya really think so?" Olivia asked excitedly.

"Indeed."

"Before you go Basil," said Papa Mousekewitz, "I vant to thank you again for rescuing my children. I've made another violin just for you."

Basil grinned as Papa handed him the violin, "Ah, splendid! Fidget destroyed the last one you made for me. I must say yours was perhaps the best I ever had."

Nellie walked over to Vartan, who'd been standing beside Tanya, "You sure you're going to be okay on your own?"

Vartan smiled and nodded, a bandage still around his arm, "Ayo, Nellie. Mr. Flaversham is letting me live with him, as I work as cashier in his toy shop."

Tanya smiled, "He'll be right next door."

Nellie smirked, "You really were a worthy assistant. I wish you well. Perhaps we'll meet again one day."

"Perhaps," he said with a smile, before opening his sketchbook, "I nearly forgot, this is for you and Basil."

"Oh really?" Nellie waited as Vartan took the page out and handed it to her, revealing a detailed sketch of herself and Basil cuddled comfortably on a sofa with Vartan leaning against the back of it. The memory tugged at her heartstrings, "I think I'll have it framed when we get to London, thank you so much Vartan."

"Good bye Nellie, I'll miss you," Fievel said, coming up to her and giving her a hug.

"Aw I'm going to miss you too," she said, bending down to hug him back, "Feel free to send me letters, Basil and I want to know what's going on in this town. You and Olivia can be in charge of telling us all about it."

"We'll be yer eyes and ears," said Olivia with a smile.

"I'm confident that this town will be quite crime-free from here on out thanks to you two," Basil said, "What with Sheriff Fievel and Detective Olivia joining forces."

The two of them giggled happily, holding each other's hands.

The train whistle blew in the distance.

"Right then," Basil said to the small crowd, "I bid you all farewell. I daresay we've been almost like family in recent days. It will be hard to say goodbye."

There was a chorus of goodbyes. The train slowed to a stop at the waiting platform.

"Next time we have time for a vacation, we know where to go," said Nellie with a smile, "Goodbye everyone."

The mouse conductor called "All aboard!" and Nellie and Basil hurried onto the ramp to the mouse train cars beneath the human ones. Nellie was ready to try her luck in London, having already written the exclusive article on Ratigan's final demise that she hoped would get her foot in the door.

"I sure am gonna miss Basil," Olivia sighed, looking to Fievel, "Well now what do ye wanna do?"

"Hmm…wanna go rafting?"

"Ya canno' be serious…"

"Hey we'll have oars this time!" Fievel argued.

"We don't got a raft anymore."

"We'll build a new one!"

Olivia sighed and giggled, putting an arm around Fievel's shoulder as everyone left the train station. The adventures never ceased with Fievel around. Olivia felt glad that she'd be a part of them from now on.

The End