The last chapter! Not in Victoria's P.O.V! A sequel's being thought of (a couple artsy-fartsy friends and myself are debating the plot and whether or not it'll come out Mary Sue-ish or not), and I'll post a chapter to this if I post it, saying something like: Hey! I made a sequel! The title is this:...

And, the last chapter of A Hidden Life begins... NOW.

Victoria woke up during the middle of the day. It wasn't the sunlight that bothered here, it hadn't been Sillabub kicking her tail in her sleep, it had been Jemima's snoring.

Without opening her eyes, Victoria complained to Jemima, shoving her with a back paw, "Jem, close that damn mouth of yours. Some of us have memories we need to sleep through."

Jemima blinked awake, her blue eyes dull with sleep, squinting in the sunlight. "What, Vick?" She asked.

Eyes still closed, Victoria muttered, "You snore. I'm requesting that you stop doing so."

Jemima understood it first. "Victoria," she said, barely able to contain her excitement, "think really hard about what you just said."

Victoria rolled over and looked at her. Icy blue eyes confused. Then they widened. "Oh. My. God." She stood up, ears pointing straight up. It didn't matter that her fur was dull and matted. Didn't matter that the blood that had spattered her fur hadn't come out. That look of pure joy on her face wasn't changed. Regardless of the messy fur, she was still beautiful to me. She was still my Victoria.

"Jem, Jem, Jem, Jem!" Her voice rose to a squeal worthy of Etcetera. "I can hear again!" She'd woken up Sillabub now. Etcetera and Electra, who were also near them, did not wake up, as they can sleep through loud explosions.

Victoria could hear again, and she always will be able to. As myself, Pouncival, reached Heaviside, I was welcomed into our godesses's arms. Everlasting Cat's arms. She'd told me that Victoria and I were soul mates - that we'd always be able to find each other again. She'd given me the opportunity to return to earth, to return to Victoria.

I chose to stay for a little longer - maybe another couple hundred years. I'm waiting for my Victoria, my soul mate. I don't mind it. I just can't wait to see her again. Instead, I asked Everlasting Cat for a favor. I'd asked her if she could give my Victoria her hearing back. She hadn't even hesitated. Victoria was deaf no longer.

I considered this my final gift to her. Back down on Earth, she was debating things with Sillabub and Jemima, completely awake now.

Sillabub nodded, agreeing to Victoria's theory. "It makes sense. Not twenty-four hours after he, you know... died. You get your hearing back."

Victoria turned her icy blue eyes to the endless blue sky, and said, "Thank-you, Pouncival."

In this way, I'd made it so Victoria didn't have to hide as much anymore. She didn't have to hide how helpless and frustrated she had been. In a way, I'd made Victoria's hidden life a little less hidden.

~Fin.