One More Time

Chrysalis

Special Dedications: Stelosnarcos, who specifically commissioned the epilogue and forced this out of my head months sooner than it was going to be (and probably made the story better that way), Alexander Simpson, and AtomicStryker. Thank you for being Patrons.

Also, dedications to Aaron Leach, GrumpyCat42, Rinso, Yuno is Life, and Ann E. Casap, for being my most consistent reviewers. I value reviews very much, and those numbers next to the story and description means a lot to me, and next to patrons, it's the best thing you can do to support me. It's also the most free thing anyone can do.

Please enjoy the final episode of One More Time. I hope I gave the series justice, and the ending Max and Chloe deserved.

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"Where is me crew? Tell me, girl, what have you done with me blasted crew?"

"I'm sorry to bear the bad news, captain, but the crew had the sudden urge to walk the plank."

She let out an exaggerated scream, and the audience laughed. "You dare to commit mutiny on my ship? You want to embarrass me? To start a war with the notorious Bluebeard?"

In her dirty rags and wrapping, she managed to produce a cutlass. "I guess I do."

And then the scene froze.

Off to the side, Kate held up two small colored signs to the children. "Okay, kids. What do you think happened next? Do you think they fought each other bravely on the crashed ship, or do you think Cadet Max tried to outsmart the nasty old Captain Bluebeard?"

"ARGH!" the children replied instinctively at the name, before the majority began to yell for the swordfight. Still, Kate held up the sign for the first option, a picture of two swords clashing, and after seeing the hands raised, held up the sign that showed her illustration of Max leapfrogging over 'Bluebeard'.

"Oh, wow. You guys are pretty clever." In her opinion, the password that told them what to do next, 'clever', was just as clever. "Well, as you're about to see, you chose the right one."

Bluebeard unsheathed her own sword, a thinner blade, and pointed it at Max. "Don't underestimate me, missy. Prepare to join me comrades in Davy Jones's locker!"

She ran forward, and Max silently counted down until she stabbed into a large crack in the platform. Under the tall stage, Victoria, on cue, let go of the spring-loaded board, and it popped up, hitting the tip of the beard directly, but Chloe sold the near miss well, jumping up and falling back on the foam bedding. Max ran forward, and as Bluebeard rose to her hands and knees, quickly used her hands to pounce over her adversary, indeed like a frog would. "Argh!" she growled, and the kids followed suit. "Get back here, or I'll make you pay!"

"What are you gonna do?" she teased, her hand grabbing the flag pole to spin back in the captain's direction, leaning off it. "Send your friends after me? It's just you and me, Captain. And, by the way – blue is totally not a good color on you."

She growled. "You take that back, traitor!"

Max hopped off the beam and spread out her arms. "Come at me, Cap'n!"

With another war cry, (Argh!) she charged again.

The set that they had put together was something all four of them were proud of – It was a giant ship, really, built around Arcadia's lighthouse, posed as a shipwreck. On the outside, it was elaborately done, but it was very basic on the inside. Nothing really extravagant except for the spiral staircase that took the guests to the top of the scaled down ship.