Welcome back, everyone. Here is the final chapter. I hope you enjoy reading.

I wanted to quickly address My Whole Life is Thunder's story since I have had a few messages in concern about them 'stealing' my plot. I have read over their story and I do see several similarities. However, I am sure it is just a coincidence, and I wish My Whole Life is Thunder the best of luck with their writing.

The Origin of the Ears

Chapter 5

That had been five years ago, and Louise had not taken her ears off willingly since that day. She knew that everyone thought it was a passing fancy, that she would wear the ears for a week or two, and then forget. But not Louise. She would wear them until the end of time.

It was Sunday evening, and Linda was waiting for the call from Principal Spoors, letting her know whether or not Louise could return to school. If he said no.. well, she didn't actually have a plan. She'd been so sure that he would say yes, but now, as the day went on, she became more and more unsure.

The restaurant was closed for the night, and she was relaxing on the sofa, while the kids' sat in front of the television. Bob was in their room, trying to find some of the boxes in which she kept her children's childhood keepsakes. Gene had been begging to see his old baby clothes and toys.

"Is this the one?" Bob staggered out from the bedroom with yet another box, and Linda rose. Walking over to him, she sorted through it.

"No. Sorry, Bobby."

"You know, I could use some help," Bob directed this question at his kids, who didn't look away from the TV.

"Well, I'm waiting for a phone call," said Linda.

"I know, Lin; I was talking to the kids."

"Captain Phillips needs our help more than you do," said Louise, her gaze fixed on the screen.

"Exactly how does eating popcorn and drinking soda help a movie character?"

"If you have to ask, then you'll never know," she shrugged, taking a long sip of her Coke.

"Hurry up, Dad; my childhood won't reminisce itself!" called Gene, lying on his stomach, watching the TV fervently.

"You know, Gene, if you want to see it, then you should help look," said Bob, and Gene shook his head.

"I'm unwinding! If I get up, that means I'll be too full of beans to get to sleep!"

"We didn't have beans tonight," said Tina, looking slightly confused.

"Never mind," Bob groaned, "your mother and I will find it."

"What? Bobby, I told you I'm waiting for a phone call."

"Well, won't they call your cell?" he asked, and Linda straightened.

"You know, I didn't think about that. They probably would."

"Okay, good, you can help me, but I really can't find the boxes."

"Are you sure?"

"I've looked through every single box; there aren't any left," he said, and Linda deflated, before brightening.

"Oh! They're probably up in the attic!"

"Oh, my God. Lin, it's late; don't make me go up there."

"You don't to, Bobby; I'll go get the ladder." Linda put her drink down, and went to the cupboard in the hallway, where the ladder was kept. Bob followed her, and took the ladder out of her hands.

"I'll do it, Lin. I'll hand you the boxes." Bob climbed the ladder, and opened the trapdoor. There he grabbed the boxes that were marked with things like "Photos" "Baby stuff," and the like, and passed them down to Linda.

"Oh, Gene, come look at this!" Linda called, causing all three kids to run into the hall. "It's your baby shoes! And the hat the hospital gave you when you were born! Awww!"

"Nostalgia Critic, get a load of this!" Gene sank to the floor, examining the contents of his boxes. "My posters of Britney Spears, and Liza Minelli!" he cried, holding them aloft. "Well, these are going back on the wall."

"Oh, that's my phone," Linda stood, and stepped over the jumble of boxes, heading to the living-room to take the call.

"Oh, hey, my stuffed Peggy-sis doll," said Tina, having gotten her own boxes. As the eldest, Linda and Bob had kept practically everything from the moment she was born up until she was five or six. Tina sifted through what felt like every single sleep suit she had ever worn, along with every pair of shoes, every hair ribbon, and every single toy she'd ever owned. "I've missed her." She cradled the toy. "You belong in my room," she said, before holding it away, and wrinkling her face. "Musty," she coughed.

"Hey, it's the General!" Louise grinned as she pulled her favourite childhood toy, General Woundwort, out of her box. The floppy rabbit was in desperate need of a wash, as it was almost black, compared to its usual brown. Like most toddlers, Louise had never allowed the General to be washed, as she couldn't spend the night without it. It, too, smelt terrible, but it was good to see him again. Maybe once he was all clean, he could help her and Kuchi continue their plans for world domination.

"Louise!" Linda sang, coming into the hallway. "That was the school!"

"They're not backing down, and I can't never, ever go back?" she asked optimistically, her face full of hope.

"No. They're letting you come back, and you can wear your ears! Alright!" Linda cheered, but Louise didn't look too pleased.

"Oh, that's great, Mom, real great(!)"

"Yeah, it really is!" cried Linda. "Finally, it took them long enough; I thought they were never gonna decide."

"Yeah, that would be a shame," Louise frowned. "Well, I'll be in my room, being mad. Goodnight, family!" She picked up her box, and stomped down the hallway.

Once she was alone, she sat on the floor, the General beside her, and continued sorting through her childhood memories. She found her toy vets' surgery, with the miniature puppies and kittens, and she found her toy cash register, more than likely a hand-me-down from Gene, who got it from Tina. She still believed the toy was her Dad's way of brainwashing them into becoming slaves for the restaurant, which, of course, had totally backfired.

Louise found little clay ornaments that she had painted, mainly of rabbits; she found some clay ornaments she had made. What they were was anyone's guess, the misshapen lumps were of no discernible shape. Still, they had (probably) been made with love.

She found a children's book with almost every page torn out. Her book on sharks which she got when she was six, was intact, however. But that was because sharks were cooler than fairies; sharks ate people.

Reaching further into the box, Louise pulled out something pink and woolly, and she saw that it was the beanie hat she used to wear constantly. She remembered, clear as day, ditching it when she had gotten her bunny ears.

The rule she'd made back then had followed her through life; she kept everyone at arm's length, knowing that they would laugh at her sooner or later.

She'd had her ears for so long, that she couldn't imagine them not being on her head. She wouldn't feel like herself. With her ears, she was unstoppable, a force to be reckoned with.

The following Monday, Louise marched proudly into school, her ears standing high on her head, with Gene and Tina trailing behind her. She fought to keep her face neutral as students and teachers alike, all of them woefully bareheaded, turned to stare at her. Though she managed to keep her face straight, she couldn't stop her eyes from gleaming; she had won. Louise could almost hear awesome, bad-ass music playing as she walked through those halls like she owned them. She really needed to hire someone to walk in front of her playing the music, as she walked in slow motion; now that would be cool. Maybe some dark sunglasses, too.

"Ah, there you are, Louise." The youngest Belcher's happy mood was instantly ruined by the appearance of Mr. Frond.

"Ugh, what do you want?" she did not attempt to hide her disgust.

"Principal Spoors wants to see you, and so do I."

"What?! I've been back less than sixty seconds! You can't pin anything on me!"

"He just wants to have a chat, same as me. So, come on."

"Why?"

"I don't know," said Frond, "but he just wants to speak to you."

"Ugh, fine!" Louise stamped down the hall to Spoors' office, with Frond, Gene and Tina following, and they waited while she went inside.

"So, welcome back, Louise," said Spoors, as Louise stood in front of his desk, declining to sit down.

"It's great to be here," she said sarcastically. Spoors frowned, and steepled his fingers together.

"As you know, we decided to let you return, due to your doctor's note," he said, in a tone that suggested he still didn't believe it.

"Mm-hm," she nodded.

"We're making an allowance for you, but I want you to know that this isn't permanent."

"What?"

"I made a rule saying that no students were allowed to wear hats, and I stand by that. I'm making an exception for you, but it's only temporary."

"It can't be," Louise barely refrained from smirking. "I have a real, official doctor's note, and you can't go against that."

"Regardless, you need to find some other way of dealing with your head problem that doesn't involve any kind of hat. Now, if you so insisted, we can let you wear a different hat with no rabbit ears." Louise almost choked on her own saliva.

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," she said casually. "And you can't do anything about it."

"Do you want to be suspended again?" his tone was suddenly sharp.

"Please, I'd love it." Spoors leaned back and sighed.

"Louise, just think about it. There's nothing another hat can't give you that this one isn't already. We're willing to allow you a small hat that covers your head, but with no ears."

"Why? The only person it's bothering is you."

"I already explained why to your parents."

"And they explained to you why I have to wear my ears."

"Another hat will do for the moment, Louise. It's time you ditched the ears."

"That's never gonna happen. Can I go now? I wouldn't want to be late for my first day back at school. Gosh, I've missed so much; I can't afford to miss any more," she smirked.

"Alright, fine, you're excused."

"See ya!" Louise cried and ran out of the room, only to bump into Frond. "Oh, right," she remembered, her happy mood deflating once again. She followed Frond into his office, looking annoyed beyond belief.

"Welcome back," he smiled, and Louise rolled her eyes.

"Are you gonna give me the same spiel Spoors gave me?" She folded her arms and tapped her foot.

"No. I know what he said to you, and I know about the doctor's note."

"So?"

"So, I was also there when your parents came here, and they explained why you need your ears."

"They told you why I wear them?!" Louise's eyes widened.

"No, no," Frond assured her, "they just said it was a legitimate medical reason for it. I just want you to know that Spoors doesn't have the power to suspend you again if the doctor's note is real."

"It's real," said Louise quickly. "So, he can't do anything about it, huh? Good to know." A grin spread across her face. She really was unstoppable. "That's really good to know."

"Please don't try anything," he said. "Spoors can't suspend your for wearing your ears, but he can suspend you for anything else. So, don't pull anything."

"I'll make that decision," Louise said. She gave him a knowing grin, before leaving the room.

Although it didn't feel great being back at school, it certainly felt great being the recipient of several jealous stares. This only furthered her belief that the rules truly didn't apply to her; she could do anything she wanted!

"Louise, you're back!" cried Andy in home room.

"And you're wearing your ears!" said Ollie.

"How come?"

"Because Spoors knows better than to mess with me," said Louise. "I said I wasn't coming back unless I could wear them, and he caved. So, I win."

"How come you wear them, anyway?" Though well-meaning, the twins were not at all bright, and appeared to have forgotten the golden rule; do not ask Louise Belcher why she wears her bunny ears.

"Because," she widened her eyes, and leaned in, gesturing for the twins to do the same, which they did. "Because it's not any of your business, that's why!" she screamed, causing Andy and Ollie to jump, and accidentally bang their heads together. "You deserved that," said Louise, "for asking."

"We're sorry," muttered the twins, rubbing their heads, and Louise only grinned.

"Hey, Louise," smiled Regular sized Rudy, as he caught sight of her in between classes.

"Hey, Rudy," she stopped at his locker, while he was getting his history book. "Betcha never thought you'd see me again, did you?"

"I knew you'd wear 'em down sooner or later," Rudy turned to face her, grinning.

"I knew he'd crack," she said confidently. "It was only a matter of time, and best of all; he can't suspend me again! I can't get in trouble!"

"Whoa, really?"

"Yep," Louise straightened up proudly, "about time that he recognised that I should be running this place."

"Well, if it's anything like when you were principal for a day, the kids will love it," Rudy nodded, as they walked down the hall, heading to their history class.

"Oh, you got that right, buddy. Maybe I'll let you be my secretary," said Louise, as they passed the eighth-graders.

"Ugh, how come Louise gets to wear that tacky hat, when no one else is allowed to wear any?" Louise and Rudy turned to face Tammy, who was leaning against a locker, oblivious to the person trying to access it.

"Excuse me?" Louise's tone was icy.

"You heard me," Tammy glared at the younger girl. "It's not fair how you get to wear that gross, ratty thing, while I'm not allowed to wear any of my hats. I have so many berets, and sun hats, and caps; and I can't wear them! They're all designer, top of the range! I was gonna wear a different hat every day; make it a thing," she pouted. "How is it that you get to wear a hat?"

"Sorry, Tam-Tam, I guess people just like me better," Louise shrugged, grinning smugly.

"What?!" Tammy screeched.

"What can I say?"

"People do not like you better than me!" Tammy growled, her face turning red. "I'm the most popular girl in school, and I'm the hottest girl in my grade!"

"Yeah, okay, you keep telling yourself that. Your desperation is hilarious," Louise smirked again, and continued down the hall, revelling in the sounds of Tammy's angry shrieks in the background.

All in all, it wasn't a bad first day back, and Louise still had a hint of smugness around her face when she and her siblings returned home.

"Welcome home, babies," smiled Linda, when the kids walked into the empty restaurant that afternoon. "How was school? Did it feel good to go back?" she said to Louise.

"No way," Louise swung her backpack onto the counter, and climbed up onto the stool. "It felt good to know that he's not gonna try anything stupid like that again, though." Linda only nodded, as Gene and Tina joined their siblings.

"Dennis got detention today for tripping Brad," said Gene. "Just stuck out his foot, and laughed." He looked concerned.

"Oh, I hate bullies," Linda twisted her apron violently. "Well, he better not touch my beautiful boy!"

"He won't, Mom." Gene assured her, "he told Miss Jacobson he was just having a bad day, and that he won't do it again." Linda pursed her lips, but did not press the matter. Whoever this Dennis was, she didn't believe him.

"And I found out that Lenny DeStefano is still texting Laura, although he's still dating Julie," said Tina. "I don't think that wild horse'll ever be tamed."

"Well, that Lenny needs to learn to commit to just one girl," Linda said, knowing full well Tina would have as many boyfriends as she could, if she were allowed. But it was okay; Tina was still young, she was learning. And if her baby wanted to have two, or even three, boyfriends, who was to stop her? No one, that's who! At least Tina would be honest and upfront, unlike this wannabe player Lenny.

"Do you guys have any homework?" asked Bob that evening, after closing.

"Yes," said Tina.

"Yeah," Gene whined.

"Nope," Louise lied.

"Okay, well, you better do it now before you go to bed," Bob nodded, and his children, bar Louise, groaned, and trudged off to get their backpacks. "Louise?" he called, and she turned to face him. "I know you have homework; make sure you do it."

"I don't have any! I've been back for one day!" she cried.

"I know you have it; if Tina and Gene have homework, then so do you. You don't wanna get in trouble on your first day back."

"I won't get in trouble; they can't suspend me any more," she grinned.

"Louise – wait, what?" This was the first time that Bob was hearing about this. "Really? Who told you that?"

"Mr. Frond. He said that because I have a real doctor's note, the principal can't suspend me for wearing my ears."

"Well, that's just for your ears; you can still get in trouble for other stuff."

"No I can't."

"I think you can," he told her. "Now, go do your homework, please."

"You've changed, Dad," she said. "Making me go back to school has turned you into a monster!"

"Alright, come on, Louise, go and get your backpack," Linda stepped in, and gave her daughter a little nudge. Louise only threw her hands in the air, and stomped away.

Later that night, when the kids were in bed, Bob and Linda collapsed onto the sofa.

"Who knew having kids would be so tiring?" Bob moaned, rubbing his eyes.

"I know. At least they're asleep now," Linda picked up a glass of her TV watching wine, taking a grateful sip. "Thank God for wine," she chuckled. "Where would we be without it?"

"I don't even wanna think. To be fair, they aren't that bad; I mean, they could be Tammy, or Jimmy Jr. Or the Pesto twins. Or any of those crazy girls from that Thundergirls troop."

"There's nothing wrong with the Pesto kids," said Linda firmly. "You just don't like them because you hate Jimmy Pesto."

"Lin, I don't – yeah, I do hate him; I really do," Bob confessed. "Stupid Jimmy Pesto," he growled.

"Alright, enough, Bob. I agree with you, though; our kids are great."

"Yeah; we're lucky to have kids that actually like each other, and us."

"I mean, look at Tina; she's the most confident teenager I know; she's not afraid to be herself." Linda beamed with pride. "That's rare these days, you know."

"And Gene," said Bob, "I don't think I've ever seen a happier kid; he's got great puns."

"And I've never seen someone his age write the kind of music he does," continued Linda, and Bob nodded.

"I mean, even our craziest kid is great. I know Louise has her moments, but she's a good kid."

"Yeah," Linda agreed, and they both sat in silence for a while. "Hey," she began, sitting up slightly, "I wonder what it would be like if, you know.. she'd carried on with the expanding stuff?" Bob sat up straighter, as well.

"Wow, can you imagine how different our lives might be?" he wondered.

"Who knows? I wish it didn't affect her the way it does," Linda said sadly. "But I know that as long as she has her ears, she'll be okay."

"You know, Mr. Fischoeder once asked me when we were going to start 'weaning' her off them," Bob revealed, a slight look of disgust on his face.

"Ah, what does he know?" Linda looked equally annoyed. "Maybe one day in the future, she'll change her mind, and decide to go back to the surgery."

"I always hope she will," Bob admitted. "But then, she's still self-conscious about the scars on her ears, so unless she had those fixed, as well, I don't think anything would change."

"You're probably right. But, can you just imagine, if she had all her hair back, what might be different?" Both she and Bob lapsed into thought; there were so many scenarios to consider. Would Louise be a completely different person, or would she be the same? Or perhaps even a little different? It was crazy to think about.

"I'm glad we didn't force her, though," he admitted. "She would have had hair, but she would have hated us."

"That's true; maybe one day she'll understand, and give it another try. She's older now, and it would be easier for her."

"Perhaps in a year or two, she'll be ready to listen," Bob nodded. "But, Lin, I don't think she'll ever give her ears up; she's too attached to them."

"I remember when you got them for her," Linda began to sniffle. "She was happy; she couldn't stop smiling. The first time she smiled since the fire."

"If they make her happy, then she can wear them for the rest of her life," said Bob, and Linda nodded. "I just hope she understands that it was an accident; I don't blame her for anything. I've told her that it wasn't her fault." Linda nodded again, and leaned into him, with Bob curling his arm around her. It didn't take long for them to fall asleep.

Louise, unbeknown to her parents, was still awake, and she climbed out bed, being sure to be quiet. She padded over to her dresser, and opened the top drawer, pulling out her little hand mirror, along with Tina's hand mirror. It was okay; Tina would never notice it was missing, and if she did? Well, if Louise wanted to use it, then she could; it's not like it was against the law.

For the first time since since she was four (barring two incidents), Louise removed her ears. She'd had a weird, strange urge to do this all day, and Louise just knew that once she got it out of her system, she could resume living her life.

Again, using two mirrors, she inspected the back of her head. Her heart was racing, and she cringed in disgust as she laid eyes on the bald spot. It had to happen to her, didn't it? She couldn't have been the hero she was trying to be, and had to be an idiot and get burned. If she had just managed to find her way to the stupid kitchen, she could have gotten some water, and put the fire out, like she'd wanted to. But the moment she'd seen that stupid fire, it was like she had frozen. It was the biggest fire she had ever seen, and she'd been half terrorised, half mesmerised by it. It was beautiful, yet deadly; she liked its warmth, but hated the way it made her cough and her eyes water. Even now, fire was something to be admired; something so dangerous and potentially out of control, yet could be contained, with a little work.

Louise had never revealed to her family why she wasn't in her bed when the fire began spreading, and, to her relief, they had never asked. It wasn't something that needed to be public knowledge.

Growling frustratedly, Louise pulled her hat back on, sighing in relief. When she had her ears on, she felt – not safe and secure, ew – but she felt like nothing could hurt her. It sometimes felt like her ears had some kind of power that helped her feel brave and confident. Not that she needed her ears to feel – oh, who was she kidding? She definitely needed her ears to function, but Louise strongly felt that it wasn't the big deal most people made it out to be.

Louise had overheard her parents talking about more surgery. What was wrong with them, and her operation-happy doctor? Why were they so intent on cutting her head open? Louise couldn't honestly see an upside to going through that surgery again. Except six weeks off school, but she knew the pain wasn't worth it, and the needles.. She shuddered subconsciously. Needles were not meant to go in skin!

Louise refused to go through all that again. It didn't work the first time, so why should it work this time? Her dad had said it was the only way that her hair would grow back, and it hadn't worked, so what was the point of trying? Besides, she was going through life just fine, thanks to her bunny ears. They made her Louise Belcher.

No one, apart from her family (and Teddy, and now the teachers), knew what was under her hat. They would never say anything, unless Louise gave her permission, which of course, would never happen. Her friends had learnt to stop asking a long time ago. Regular sized Rudy had never even questioned it. Louise smiled slightly as she stretched; she knew there was a reason that she'd kept him around. She knew he would never ask to see her head; why couldn't everyone be like that? It would save her from having to deal with a lot of stupid people. There was nothing wrong with a little girl wearing a hat with bunny ears. Or even, a grown woman, as she would be one day, many many years into the future.

Louise believed that she would be wearing her ears even when she was really old, like thirty, because they would still fit. If people didn't accept her with her ears on, well, they could just go take a long walk off a short cliff. She didn't need people like that in her life.

Louise remembered how, five years ago, her dad had leaned close to her, and he had said that she could wear her ears for as long as she needed to.

Maybe one day, she wouldn't need them, but for now, she did, and that was okay.

The following morning, she awoke, still feeling rather smug. Today was gonna be a great day, she knew it, as she got to flaunt her special treatment, and wear her ears.

Louise decided it was time to put her theory to the test; she needed to pull off a prank; something big, but not too big (she didn't want to use up all her good ones), to prove that she was above the law. But what prank? Dead fish behind the radiator? Laxatives in the water coolers? Hire someone to dress as the Grim Reaper and follow Mr. Frond around? All very good; maybe she could do all three? Talk about a memorable day.

Or maybe something harmless, but unforgettable? Like letting a bunch of chickens loose, or glitter filled helium balloons? Her smile grew wider; it was almost impossible to choose! But whichever she picked, it would have executed in the next couple of days; why wait, when she could do them right away? Just another little way of testing how invincible she was. She'd pull this prank off, and she couldn't get in trouble; she had a note, a real doctor's note.

Louise Belcher, future ruler of the world, current ruler of Wagstaff.

Yep, she thought, as she headed into school, mentally planning out her amazing prank. Life was good, all right.

~ X ~

And we are done! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed and added to their favourites, and also to those who just read it.