A/N: Here it is. The final entry for A Ghostly Love. You have no idea how difficult it is to end the tale. I apologize for any feelings it may induce but I fear they will be unavoidable. There's not much I can say, except enjoy.

Disclaimer: I'm still clearing it with legal if I technically might own Judith and Nicholas since they are not the same characters from the movie. I mean Disney can't claim ownership if the characters are several hundred years before their versions, right? And one of them is even dead!

Chapter 14 - The Finale

The light of the morning had long ago broken over the horizon by the time Judith finally opened her eyes. It was unlike her to slumber so late into the day and she would not have if not for the words of her fox the night before.

"Sleep my dear Judith, for tomorrow burns the Hunter's Moon. And I believe we will both need as much strength as we can gather."

So she had. Staying with Nicholas until the moon's light began to wane, the bunny had finally dozed while silvery paws stroked her ears. The light touch had felt like a gentle breeze ruffling her fur, soothing her mind into pleasant dreams that lasted until her waking moments.

Stretching languidly while letting her body slowly acclimate to the world around her, Judith felt the strain on her muscles. Looking at the tangled sheets around her, the rabbit groaned. It was not a common event, but every so often she would find her limbs and neck stiffened by a night of restless sleep. It would not cause her to waken groggy or be severely tired throughout the day, however she would find moving to be problematic for several hours until her body began to relax.

Unless I can remedy it now. Her thoughts led her along a path she had not strode down in some time. The last time she had experienced such a morning, Judith had sought out help from one of the few mammals she would so innately trust with what needed to be done.

Glancing around the empty room and knowing her love was most likely still nearby, she spoke to the air trusting that he would hear her. "I must head into town, Nicholas. If I am to be ready for our rendezvous tonight I feel this will be a necessity." He could not speak to her or even appear while the sun shone, however she could allow herself to imagine seeing him nod, a faint smile on his ghostly lips knowing she would return to him soon.

Gathering her clothes, Judith went to draw a bath. The hot water would do wonders for easing her bones but it was the cleansing of her fur that was her true goal. When she would sleep fretfully, much as she had just done, she tended to perspire heavily. And for the help she had in mind it would not do to appear in such a state.

It took a fair bit more time than she normally would require to prepare the bath. Her limbs and muscles seeming to protest against being used even if it was for their benefit in the end. Eventually though she had immersed entirely into the steaming water. The relief, while not complete, caused the doe to release a low moan in satisfaction, easing the pain and stiffness. It felt glorious and Judith spent several minutes simply basking in the feeling before beginning to lather her fur.

Remaining in the bathwater until it had dropped to a lukewarm temperature, the gray-furred mammal with the white underbelly and throat eventually was forced to emerge or suffer a retightening of her semi-relaxed muscles when the cold finally reached them.

After quickly drying and dressing in a pair of thin trousers and a light blouse, Judith stepped outside her front door and began a slow walk along the cobblestone path. Normally she would ride her bicycle into town, but with the stiffness in her legs she decided that would cause more of a hinderance than a help. The air was brisk, a reminder that fall was reaching an end soon and winter would be coming to take it's place. Her motions served to keep her warm against the slight chill but she would by lying to herself if she did not admit she should have brought her wool sweater. Halfway to town however was not a suitable distance to be scolding herself for what was and could not be undone, so she kept her feet plodding along one after the other until a very familiar house came into view.

Approaching the door, her eye caught the small soft pink sign that had taken up residence beneath the bronze knocker. It had only recently been added, a gift she had given her friend and one that most likely served it's purpose well.

'Loved ones can enter,
Friends please knock.
If you are selling something,
I will punch you in the cock.'

She had to shake her head at the simple piece of wood hanging proudly on the door. It was not to her taste however when her eye had landed on it back in the city, she knew it would be truly an unforgettable birthday gift for her dear friend upon whose door she now knocked heavily.

It was only a few moments before she heard a soft thud and a string of suggestive words that made her ears blush heavily. Judith forced herself to contain a giggle at the other mammal's expense though it was with some difficulty. "I swear upon my mother's grave that you will be the first thing to end up in the fireplace when snow falls," she could hear grumbled from inside. "Yes, who is it?" This time the voice was less full of aggravation and more so of false cheer.

"Trisha? It's Judith." Before she could utter her next words the latch was undone and the door swung open wide.

"Sweetheart! Oh come in, come in," the brown doe ecstatically grasped her paw and all but pulled her into the home. "Sit, sit. I need just a moment to make myself presentable." Whipping off the shawl that she had hastily thrown over her shoulders when the knocking sounded, Trisha struck a pose in the thin garments she was currently wearing. "Much better."

Judith was unable to contain her giggle this time, choosing instead to muffle it heavily behind her paw. While to most mammals the ensemble would be considered indecent, even risqué if worn out in public, it was a common thing for ladies to wear when entertaining other females in their homes. Etiquette on dress when together was something of an unspoken agreement. Clothes that were cumbersome or uncomfortable were not a necessity when it was two females in a house. Trisha usually took it a step further with her guests, utilizing the Lapin style rather than the traditional one used by all species. Her garments were rather short, though Judith knew this was more of a comfort thing over an enticement one as she imagined any male the brown doe would ever entertain would be exposed to something far racier.

"What brings you to my humble abode at such a late hour in the morning? Normally if you plan to stop by you are early. Most often far too early for my taste." A sly grin came across her lips as a sudden thought entered her mind. "Were you up late last evening? Perhaps enjoying a certain someone's company?"

Judith flushed. Trisha was the only other mammal who knew about Nicholas and she often used that knowledge to spark conversations about her sex life with the spirit. The doe seemed to delight in causing Judith to blush and squirm and her appetite for stories, particularly those of an erotic genre, was insatiable.

"I need your help." Rubbing the side of her neck gingerly, Judith watched as her friend's eyes widened and a pitying look flashed within them.

"Oh honey, again?" Trisha winced as her friend did too, the nod coming from the gray rabbit causing a slight pain. "Alright, come with me." Taking her by the paw, Trisha led Judith to her bedroom. "Remove your garments. Come on, it's just us bunny girls here." While most rabbits were not overly self-conscious about baring their bodies in front of other lagomorphs, Judith often found it difficult to disrobe in another mammal's presence. However she trusted Trisha completely making it much easier to comply, though the white of her fur and the insides of her ears did turn a pinkish hue. "That's it. Now, face down on the bed."

The moment Judith's front made contact with the ludicrously soft mattress and down comforter she let out a contented sigh. She knew how much Trisha had spent on her bed and she often wondered if she should make the same investment. Climbing up beside the doe, Trisha placed her paws along the tensed muscles and began to apply pressure.

At first, grunts of pain emanated from the bunny, but soon those sounds of distress changed into chitters as the relief from her pains flooded her system. "So. What does your foxy lover have in store for you this evening? You mentioned something about the Hunter's Moon yesterday and how it would be a night you would never forget."

It took a moment for Judith to collect her thoughts, the feelings from her rapidly loosening muscles being almost rapturous. "I am not sure to be honest. He has revealed very little other than for me to achieve some rest during the day." She knew where Trisha's mind was likely to take her after hearing that and, not wanting to be pumped for additional details, decided to change the subject to one she had been curious about. "Now, we always talk about my love life, however a rumor has reached my ears that a certain lycaon whom a certain bunny has been eying since he arrived two weeks ago, has recently approached said bunny. And considering the scent on this bed is no longer one of a single mammal, I would like to know how your night went as well."

Trisha grinned widely before spinning the tale for her friend.

After visiting with Trisha and earning a respite from her muscle tension, Judith had returned home soon after. Even with the amount of rest she had gotten that morning, the treatment from her friend had coaxed her into a drowsy state. With a comfortable fire warming the bedroom, it took very little for the bunny to lay back and once more slip into the worlds beyond the waking one. Soon, almost too soon it seemed, her instincts gently drew her back to consciousness.

A flash of moonlight crossed her sleeping eyes, disrupting her deep slumber. Her mind and body warred against one another, to either chase her dreams back through the hidden veil or to emerge from the depths and join the waking world. Still torn between the two paths before her, a sudden presence in the room had her eyes opening wide, all thoughts of sleep abandoned.

Standing at the end of her bed was the ghostly form of Nicholas Wilde. The fox who had spent centuries tortured in his madness and betrayal, unable to rest with his spirit torn asunder much as his heart had been.

"Have you come for me, Nicholas?" Her body shivered as the canine nodded. "Is it your wish to join with me tonight? Is it my love you seek?" Again he nodded.

Solidifying enough to allow him to sit on the bed she knew taxed him greatly, and as he did so, she made sure to focus on him knowing its importance.

"Judith," his echoing and haunting voice was ever present, though she had never heard it this soft, nor this gentle. "It has been many years, longer than yours, your parents, or even your grandparents that I have been alone. Without love or joy, only loneliness and sorrow. But I have loved you since the night we met. And I wish to show you how deep that love truly goes."

Letting his words ring within her heart and feeling the truth of them, Judith lay back and untied the knot securing her robe. Keeping her eyes on his silvery form, she let the cloth fall to the side, revealing her nude body underneath. "Come to me, my sweet Nicholas."

Unable to maintain his solid form any longer lest risk his strength fading too soon, Nicholas let himself float towards her, focusing on his paws only when they were to touch her fur, allowing her to feel him as he moved up her body. He came to a rest when his eyes were staring into hers. "I cannot ever be what you fully desire, Judith."

Gazing up into the brilliant gleam of emerald, his eyes the only thing part of him not always the silvery gray of his ghostly form, she let her amethyst orbs burn into his. "You do not know what I desire, Nicholas. I would not be laying here, asking you to come to me, if I wasn't sure of my feelings and desires. I have shown you time and time again how much you mean to me and nothing will ever lead me away from you."

Feeling the back of his paw stroking along her cheek had the bunny closing her eyes. His touch was unusually warm, warmer than the low flames in the corner fireplace. Though she knew it was foolish, she stretched her paw to place it where his cheek would be. She was surprised when her fur met resistance, his muzzle solidifying under her touch. He leaned into the paw, his eyes closed and an unearthly whine filled the room. One of longing and loss. A lament that she had become so familiar with. Her heart both breaking and soaring for him, she nodded, tears falling down her cheeks.

She gasped as his touch vanished and a new feeling surged inside of her. She shut her eyes as a heat like none she could ever imagine seared through her body. It spread through her arms and down her legs, filling them with an intense warmth. Heat began blossoming within her chest, an overwhelming feeling of contentment and love washing over her. She opened her eyes to gaze at her fox only to find he had vanished.

"I have not left you, Judith. I am with you." The sound of his voice was not what she heard, but rather felt it within her own mind.

"Nicholas? Are you…inside me?" hearing a chuckle she had come to associate with the fox's mischievous spirit from within her, she felt a blush creep along her ears at the unintentional double entendre.

"I am still with you, Judith." She felt a steady beat alongside her own heart. Their rhythm moved in cadence, complimenting each other. She wasn't sure if it was a memory of his own heart or simply his spirit being so near to hers.

It was while she lay there, still basking in the pleasure of the moment, that she felt it. A pulsing of energy swelling in her chest. It began as a light spasm, one she wrote off as a tremble after the sudden warmth in her chest of her body, but it started to grow. Soon it was if her nerves being stimulated all at once while her fur began to stand on end. A light emanated from just above her bosom and though it was muted it still attracted her attention and caused a sense of curiosity and concern to flow through her.

"What is-what is happening, Nicholas?" The light, which only moments had been a dim glow over her heart, unseeable while surrounded lamps and the fireplace, had suddenly focused and grew. Shining brightly, a golden hue had spread along her chest and torso, extending outward to her arms and legs, infusing her with a warmth and energy such as she had never known.

"We are joined, Judith. Two souls now as one." As if his words had opened her mind to the secrets of the universe, his meaning became clear. She could feel his essence within, and as the glow fully enveloped her, she realized it was far more than something as simple as that.

"I feel…I feel so strong," she declared from a mouth that was now also a muzzle. Her sense of smell had increased ten fold, allowing her a view into hidden aspects of the world she never realized existed. She could smell the fireplace, the burning of the logs and their smoky scent. She was able to smell what Finnick had placed in his pipe that morning drifting in through the open window. "I don't understand, Nicholas. What is happening?"

"Do not be afraid, my love. It will last only for tonight, but it is a gift. A way for you to truly know the world as I do, and one that I can give to you. Now, Judith. Run!"

As if a command from the heavens, Judith fell onto all four paws, feeling the soft carpeting beneath her tiny yet also very large feet. Stubby claws were consumed by longer and sharper ones that dug into the fabric, ready to bolt. Feeling something strange in her jaws, she ran her tongue over her teeth feeling both her rounded front ones and at the same time a muzzle full of sharp fangs. It was as if she was both a rabbit and a fox in the same moment.

Before she could focus on what her mind was having difficulty understanding, the urge to run overcame her and she leapt into motion.

Speeding from the room on all fours, she twisted around the corner, feeling two of her smaller paws flying into the air, yet the larger ones never lost their grip on the floor's surface. Though she was confused, she felt no fear, instead she was gripped by the exhilaration of something she had never experienced and, if what Nicholas had told her was true, she never would again.

Finding herself headed straight for one of the side rooms that had a balcony overlooking the grounds, she made to turn but was stopped by her love's thoughts. "Do not stop, Judith. Trust in me." Having doubted him at the beginning and nearly losing him, she promised she would never do so again. And so she ran straight and true. At the last moment, a surge of power in her legs had her flying through the air, clearing the railing and soaring out into the freedom of the air.

Though somewhere in the back of her mind screamed a small voice obsessed with survival, the power and freedom her form granted her was enough to drown out that voice. With barely a sound did her paws hit the ground as she raced across the grounds, bathed in the moonlight. "All that I was, and all that you are, Judith, we are now as one."

The trees and bushes passed by her eyes barely allowing her to focus on one let alone the entire forest. But where her sight could not focus quick enough, the sounds of the wind and crickets rushing by her ears was vastly audible. She could not believe how strong her hearing was right then, more powerful than she had ever experienced with her own ears, able to discern where a firefly passed before glowing into brilliance. But her hearing was not the only sense being overwhelming.

Scent was never something a bunny relied too heavily on. A sweet smell coming from the kitchen or the mark of a loved one on their cheek was the most often used function of a rabbit's small nose. Now however, her entire being was flooded with all of the scents of the world around her. Where in her bedroom she had sampled only a few different smells, the vast array now that they ran along the grass was almost debilitating.

"Nicholas. How-…how on earth did you manage to even leave the bed during the day? The strong mix of pine and tulips alone is enough to make me dizzy." She was not exaggerating with that statement either. With each breath she drew a new scent, one that she was sure would cause her mind to all but shut down. She felt a light chuckle from within, a fleeting glimpse of merriment tracing along her nerves.

"During our kit-hood it is much more difficult to distinguish them which can indeed lead to dizziness. I myself can recall a time when I was barely all of four years. I was told I fainted when entering my great-aunt's cottage. She had been experimenting with new recipes and the overwhelming combination left me on the floor. My father was not immune either. My mother would merrily tell the story at each festival gathering about how he had needed to sit down for a while or face his own muzzle ending up on the floor."

Judith giggled at the thought of a tiny four-year old version of Nicholas sprawled out on the floor. Possibly snoring peacefully while adults maneuvered around his sleeping form. At the mention of his father, and not for the first time did she wonder about his parents, she tried to imagine someone older. Perhaps with a dust of gray along his muzzle. A touch taller.

"You would not be wrong." Judith was jolted slightly by the voice echoing through her mind again. Was he able to hear her thoughts? "I can. We are joined together. Our consciousnesses and souls are now one. OUR consciousness. OUR soul. Everything about each other is open to the other."

Judith felt she should have been surprised at the idea but rather than causing her concern, she felt even more elated than previously. After months of being able to merely touch an imagined form, finding herself tied to her predator in such an intimate, the most intimate, manner left her speechless. Thankfully speaking was not required. She could feel his emotions flowing through her, matching her own of love and excitement. He too was overjoyed to tie with her in such a way. After centuries of loneliness and only being able to express his love for the bunny in a muted fashion, having their spirits intertwined was the greatest feeling he had ever experienced.

Without the need for words and the feelings flowing between them, Judith resumed her run. She was as a primal mammal. The wildness of her heart and form rejecting all thoughts of acting a civilized manner. The thought of abandoning all four paws for garments to cover herself with seemed absurd. She felt freer than any time before in her young life.

"There were many times that my mother and father would catch me outside as a young kit doing much the same thing. I was always more attached to my instincts than was seen as normal. Where a lot of young children will strip down to escape the oddity of how clothing feels, I would take to all fours and race through the woods and surrounding countryside."

Emboldened by his memories racing through her mind, Judith pushed herself even faster. The rush of air passing by her muzzle, ruffling her pointed ears and forcing them to lay flat. "This is glorious, Nicholas! I never want to forget this feeling."

For what felt like hours the two of them sped through the forest. They had long ago left the grounds of the manor, something which Nicholas had been unable to do for more than two centuries. He spent some of the time remarking on how different the world looked. What used to be farmland with barely a few trees scattered throughout was now acres upon acres of wood.

"I can remember this once was the mining area where they had accidentally stumbled upon a vein of silver. My what a mess that had been to deal with." They were currently overlooking a smooth flowing river, one that had widened considerably over decades of time. The last sign of any sort of mammal-made structure was a shaft of wood and iron that had avoided the erosion of rushing water. "It certainly is strange to see some things so familiar, yet so alien."

Judith began to feel her strength waning. The feeling of power and enhanced senses began to dull. "I wish we had more time, but I believe the Hunter's Moon has begun to set." Turning, the doe could view the large orange sphere beginning to dip across the horizon. "We had best get back to the manor."

The trip home was filled with less vigor, but with no loss of wonder. Digging her claws into the earth, Judith trotted home slowly, wishing to stay joined with her fox for as long as possible. "Nicholas? I am curious. Did you know? About being able to join like this?"

She could feel his hesitation, but it was not one of trying to hide something. Merely of wanting to find the proper words. "There have been times during our…more intimate moments…when I would experience flashes. Bits of emotion and thoughts that were not my own. It did not truly make an impact on me until the Harvest Moon a few nights ago. I felt it far stronger than at any time before. I could almost imagine our souls touching. But I did not have enough strength to make it a reality. Only a fantasy that I knew neither of us would wish to hope for only to be dashed to the ground."

Judith cocked her head as she considered the implications of his explanation. Nicholas had to withhold a chuckle at her very canine-like action. "So the Hunter's Moon…that's what you were waiting for."

"Yes. I knew that if there was any chance of being able to join with you, to experience this moment, that I could only achieve it during the time when I was the strongest."

The two mammals in their singular form, one of flesh and blood, the other of mist and fog, emerged from the forest and began the slow walk across the grounds. Moonlight began to recede as from the East a dim glow began to illuminate the horizon.

Judith felt her body slowly rise from her lowered position until she was once again on her hind paws. Lifting her head, she let a bay escape her throat. It was a shock to her since she had never felt a desire to voice such a sound, but as it quieted and she felt a strong sense of sadness roll over her, Judith realized it was in fact Nicholas who had been so desperate to howl into the night sky. A way for him to express how much it hurt for their time to end. For ending it was. As Judith's eyes closed, she felt a sense of loss begin sweeping across her body. The emotions she had been feeling ebbed and disappeared while the thoughts in her mind faded.

A tear tracked down her cheek. A light touch brushed it away with a gentle care, bringing her to open her eyes once more. Standing before her was her fox. His silvery form the same welcome sight as it always had been before. His eyes now cast a look of emptiness that she was sure she held in her own. They had experienced something no other mortal could even begin to imagine. For a short time, there was no Nicholas and Judith. They were of one mind. One heart. One soul. And now, while neither of them regretted their joining, they both wished it could have lasted longer.

The sun was just beginning to peek over the treetops when the two mammals realized that Nick did not seem to be fading as he would in the past. The surprise on his muzzle mirrored hers, his emerald eyes tracking over his paws before him. His astonishment only grew as their silvery color began to darken into a clearer golden hue. The sun's light had touched upon his form, turning the mist into a heavenly aura surrounding him.

Judith, her paw hesitating as it reached out to him, pushed herself past the wonder to place it next to his arm. He would be intangible but he would still feel her presence and perhaps gain strength from that. Much to her shock, she not only touched his form, she also touched him.

Beneath her paws she could feel the coarseness of his fur, the strength of sinewy muscle underneath. Were it not for the knowledge that he was truly spirit, she would swear on her grandmother's gravestone that there was a living, breathing fox standing before her.

Nicholas gave a start when a strange sensation washed over him. It was something that tickled a memory long buried, a pleasant one that had not been thought of in well over a hundred years. Looking down, the tod stared at a small gray paw entwining itself in the fur of his arm.

He stayed that way for many moments, unable to break his gaze away from the sight of being touched for the first time since he had been lost so long ago. It took a second paw, one of dusky gray and white, to lift his head away. Emerald met amethyst as tears began to form in each of them.

"Judith." While still ringing with an echo, his voice now held a hopeful lilt the doe had not heard since the first time she had expressed her love for the fox. "Is this…real?"

Placing a paw on each side of his muzzle, Judith pulled him down to her, pressing her lips to his. The two of them felt the other for the first time. Neither dared to even think about how long it would last, only focusing on losing themselves to the moment. Judith felt strong arms encircle her, drawing her in close. She in turn dug her short digits into the scruff of his neck, unwilling to let him part from her.

Whether it was many minutes or merely a few seconds, the fox and bunny eventually pulled apart to allow Judith to breathe. Nicholas satisfied himself with stroking her long, gray ears, letting the end of his finger fiddle with the black tips.

A small stiffening suddenly shot through the vulpine causing Judith to pull her head off his chest in alarm. The wide-eyed stare was directed in front of him, but when she turned to look she could see nothing. "Nicholas?" Concern evident in her voice, Judith placed both paws on his chest. "What is it, love?"

"There is…" Though he could not feel them, he unconsciously licked his lips as if they had suddenly dried out. A habit he had not indulged since he had graduated from his governess's lessons as a child. Without breath or true flesh, it was instead his nervousness that brought it out. "There is a light."

"A light?" Her brow furrowed in confusion. The sun's rays were beginning to cover the grounds but it had risen on the east and was currently on their left side. She could not see any other source that he could be looking at. "What sort of light?"

"It is…bright. So very, very bright." His eyes narrowed though whether it was because of his thoughts or some ray she could not see, she did not know. "It looks as if it-," his voice suddenly cut off, a slight tremble going through his arms while his eyes widened in shock and awe.

"What? What does it look like?"

"A hallway. Or perhaps a tunnel." Keeping his eyes ahead, he gripped her shoulder and squeezed, keeping it in check enough so that he did not hurt her. "I think it is the afterlife."

Feeling a surge of astonishment with a healthy mix of fear, Judith grasped at his arm more tightly. "The afterlife? Like…Heaven?"

"I…think it is. It looks so calm…peaceful…" Hearing a sniff, she glanced away from what to her was an empty spot to see her tod looking close to weeping. He might have already been doing so were he still alive.

"But after so long…why now? Do you…are you thinking of…" She was unable to bring herself to say it, to say that she might lose the one mammal she loved above all else in the world. Nicholas however was as clever as always and knew exactly what she was omitting.

"I do not know. Perhaps my spirit being joined with one such as sweet and pure as yours has granted this chance." The vision of the portal before him was hypnotic, drawing his will towards it. "Judith. I had given up hope of ever finding myself released from this place. Centuries of torment. Of never being able to experience life, only to gaze upon it in sad mockery." With great effort he ripped his gaze away from the sight and let his eyes meet hers. "And yet…now that it has finally appeared to me…offering me the journey to the great gates…I find myself not wanting to leave."

The doe's heart felt as if it could burst with the love she felt for him. The very idea that he would give up, or at the very least postpone, the wonders of Heaven for her was overwhelming and she wrapped her own arms around his torso, burying her face into his chest. But another part of her began to weep for another reason.

"Nicholas. I want you to leave." Afraid of what she might see if she lifted her eyes, she kept herself pressed against him. "I cannot be the reason you were denied paradise. I love you, and as much as I would treasure every day more that I spent it with you, it is selfish and cruel of me to hold you to this world for any longer." She raised her head and sought out his gaze. The tears welling up inside of them was much like her own. "Please, Nicholas. You have been trapped here long enough. Go. And one day, I will be right beside you, and we can spend our happily ever after surrounded by music and love."

It was her genuine smile and happiness for him shining through her eyes that convinced him. Taking a moment to wrap her in his arms, he lifted her chin and kissed her deeply.

Backing away towards the light he had seen, keeping his eyes focused on hers, he could feel the warmth emanating from it.

"It is closing. Becoming fainter. Judith…are you sure?"

Giving him a content smile to ease his worries, she made paw motions as if to shoo him into it. "I will be alright, Nicholas. Will you be? It may be many years before we can be together again."

Reaching out, he grasped her paw once more while rubbing his thumb over the back of it. "I waited two centuries for you, my dear Judith. I would wait another ten if it meant I would see you again."

Releasing his grasp, though not without a look of sadness in his eyes, he stepped into it. For a brief moment Judith could see it, the brightness flaring behind him, bathing him in an ethereal light. Keeping her eyes on him, Judith finally let her tears flow. Ones of joy. Because though they would be separated for a time, she knew he would achieve a sense of peace long denied to him.

His voice became fainter with each word. "I will wait for you, my sweet bunny love. We shall enter the eternal paradise together."

And then he was gone.

"Paradise, my dear Nicholas? Oh you silly fox. I was in paradise the moment I fell in love with you."

Turning, the doe headed for their home. Because that was what it was. Though he would no longer wander the halls, it was still theirs. And it would be so until the end of her days when they would be together once more.

Fin

And so ends the story of Judith and Nicholas. Their tale would continue many years later, but the experiences of the paradise of Heaven is not for us to read, nor for me to write, and so I leave that to your imagination.

I am overjoyed by how many readers loved this story and the reviews and support has been wonderful throughout the whole journey. Thank you for making it a so much more enjoyable.

I have a new AU running, one with an absurd amount of sugary fluff. Join Nick and Judy as they go through their senior year of high school in 'A Rival Romance.' I hope to read all of your reviews and comments there as well.