Epilogue

The celestial elementals were the only ones who knew when their original universe finally collapsed, but they were far too interested in their pet projects - creating new solar systems for their galaxy - to particularly care about such trivial details. Rather than being hot news, it was more an aside in conversation. Due to the time discrepancies between the two universes many generations had come and gone since the first planet had been settled. Only the Greats - and not all of them at that - had any memory of the old universe.

The Great Mother, Tante Mattie, went on taking quiet care of the many youngsters she liked to surround herself with. Of course, being the oldest person in the entire universe, to Tante Mattie everyone was a youngster. She wasn't beneath a little favouritism: her son, the first of the Greats to be born in the new universe, was half X-ternal and half mutate, named for his departed father and half-brother: Jean-Henri.

The Great Spy, Mercy, was somewhat shocked to find out that her shapeshifting abilities as granted to her by Candra, also gave her long life like Mystique. She assumed it had been a mistake on Candra's part. None of her children ever inherited the same, but like Gambit, Mercy was blessed with many generations of descendants. Mercy was also occasionally called the Great Oracle or the Great Historian, as she was best known for the extensive knowledge of people past and present. If any needed information, she was the one to speak to. Of course, they had to find her first.

The Great Story Teller, Carrie, was sometimes called the Great Librarian as well. She would travel the world ensuring children were being brought up literate and sharing her love of stories with all who would hear her. She always had books with her, but she would often tell stories in the oral tradition as well.

The Great Entertainer, Ryan, also often travelled the world, as the Greats were prone to do. He accepted the title with a shrug, thinking of himself more as a producer than an entertainer. Nevertheless, wherever he went there was great theatre and music to be found.

The Great Protectors, Logan and Laura, guarded the wild and children respectively. Logan was difficult to find, preferring to stay in the wilderness, but any disrespect shown to the animals was certain to draw him out. He had no objecting to hunting as long as it was for food. The ones who killed for sport, especially the ones who wounded an animal but didn't bother to end its suffering, would face Logan's unbridled wrath.

Laura was seen more frequently, ever wary of the exploitation of children, and quick to put an end to such problems when she found them. She appreciated not having to follow rules and regulations to deal with such people any more. Those she allowed to live were forever marked with two parallel scars across their face: a warning to others.

Ryan and Laura were often seen in each others company. Those people of average lifespans often speculated that they were romantically involved. The other Greats refused to speculate on any relationships between them, preferring for such things to develop naturally in their own time without any pressure from peers and idle gossip.

The Great Ambassador, Kendall, was the self appointed intermediary between the elementals and everyone else. Communication between elementals and everyone else was an art form, and few managed to master it. Such communication was necessary, however, as the elementals could get rather protective of the world they had so lovingly created.

The Great Messenger, Courier, no longer had a working long distance teleporter, but he didn't mind. He had other means of travel and liked being able to actually see the world instead of zipping through it all the time. He managed communications and shipments between the various communities and Greats.

It was said that the Great Storm, Ororo, would bring rain upon crops in the middle of droughts, and guide the lost and stranded to safety during the worst of storms.

Likewise, the Great Ice, Bobby, would redeem those in danger of freezing to death. Occasionally, during cold weather sports, competitors found their contests becoming inexplicably more difficult and were certain that they heard cheering upon their completion.

The Great Volcano, Amara, always gave ample warning before her adored volcano chain erupted. The farmers who worked the fertile fields were always grateful for the extreme advance notice that always gave them time to harvest the latest crop and get well out of range.

The Great Farmer, Ira, was happy to get back to what he loved most. He spent a great deal of time with the elementals initially, learning all about the new plants they'd created and how to best allow them to thrive. He was occasionally seen at the volcano farms, but more often at the other farms on the planet, and occasionally on the farms on the space station, which still had old universe plants and-as the generations passed-required more specialised knowledge.

The Great Fires, Pyromancer and her only surviving daughter Sorka, were the only fire elementals to defy the odds and commune with their element. Given that there were no eternally burring fires, this was no mean feat. They could be found anywhere there was a fire, whether it be a camp fire, a bonfire, or a raging bushfire.

The Great Thief, Gambit, also known as the Great Restorer and the Great Dealer, tended to steal things that had been already stolen by other people and return them to their rightful owners. Stealing just wasn't the thrill for him it had been in his youth, especially now that security systems had become rather basic. He was responsible for introducing and retaining the game of poker in the general populace, and subsequently also made a point of ensuring that gambling was strictly a recreational activity.

The Great Queen Rogue much preferred the title the Great Peacemaker. Her word was law, but she maintained that she couldn't remain fair and just without her friends at her side. As much as possible she channelled any disputes between communities into friendly competition, but occasionally a harder hand was needed to keep the peace. She was held in such awe by the populace that they said she was so Holy that it meant death for any unholy person to touch her. Although Rogue hated such talk, she allowed the rumour to remain for it made sure that everyone kept their distance.

The Festival of Hugs started the day that Rogue got full control over her powers and decided to celebrate by giving out hugs to the general populace. The rumours about her deadly holiness fell into myth and became a tale which parents used to scare their children into behaving.

As exciting as the first Festival of Hugs was, the real celebration didn't come until three years later when Rogue gave birth to a son, Olivier. The newborn was so precious to Rogue that Gambit actually started to feel jealous of his own son. Fortunately, the initial euphoria wore off in the wake of the realities of parenthood, which not even the Greatest of the Greats could avoid. Gambit was much happier when Rogue stopped monopolising Olivier's time, and two years later they welcomed another child, Rebecca, into their family. The Great Queen and Great Thief promised to raise their children right and true, knowing the task was made all the harder for the celebrity that Olivier and Rebecca were born into.

And thus it was that the stories of old became myth and legend, passed down from one generation to the next. Some changed to fit the evolving culture, others fell into disuse to be unearthed by eager seekers, but the heart of them always remained the same:

Be faithful and kind.

Never allow despair to make you give up.

Always be thankful for the air that you breathe.

End!

I can't believe it's over. I really can't. I'm honestly tearing up as I'm writing this. My baby has all grown up!

I started writing this story almost 4 years ago, 1.5 years before I posted the first chapter, and finished it back in September although it continued to receive edits until yesterday. It has been a joy to write, though at times I despaired of ever finishing it. The day I realised I was up to writing the endstory, it was such a shock I didn't know what to do with myself.

I learnt much from writing this. I made many mistakes too, as are prone to happen with what is essentially a first draft. My biggest mistake was making this just one story instead of a series. The pacing suffered, character development suffered, and I had to drop so many plotlines in the process. I wanted to do things with The Hand and the Hellfire Club, and I had this whole subplot planned for Bishop that I never got to follow through on (though you guys did catch a glimpse of what I had in mind for that idea in his cameo appearance in chapter 119).

A special thanks to my writing buddy, JayCee's RedGold, who gets 12% of the credit (JayCee: Argument could be made for 15%). She has been a tremendous help since the day I first shared this story with her. I couldn't have done this without her feedback, her encouragements, her willingness to let me bounce ideas off her, and her occasional rewrite of a scene (or part of a scene) I was struggling with.

Another special thanks to God, who helped in His own way, and also put up with my prayers of despair: "Oh please God, please let me finish this story I can't take it anymore!" Hehehehe.

I just want you guys to know that I really am crying now.

Thanks to all of you, dear readers, for being with me on this journey. Thank you to all who read, thank you to all who shared, and thank you to all that took the time to leave reviews. Even the simplest review is encouraging, and much appreciated. You are appreciated. I love all of you, and I swear I'm not just saying that because I'm all emotional right now.

Thank you!

Now, I know many of you will be wondering what's in store next. Well, I'm taking a break from fanfic to work on some original stories. For the first time in eight years I've got some original stories nagging me to write them and it's an awesome feeling. I fully intend to write fanfic again, but I suspect that I won't be writing any chapter fanfics until after the Gambit movie comes out, heh.