Standard Epilogues in the Semi-Distant Future

The champagne cork popped off and soared through the air like a bullet. Luckily, Moss got none of it on his suit, even as the bubbles spilled out on the pavement and an innocent bystander was unceremoniously hit in the balls. Roy slapped Moss twice on the back as Jen cheered with the rest of the crowd, who clapped with thunderous applause.

Imogene looked lovely, as always, with her hair done up in that new 1970s-style she'd had for about a month now. She'd peppered a few little flowers in the back of her bun. It was hard for Moss to conceptualize just how much time had passed since the first time they'd drank champagne together. It felt like it could have been yesterday, only now, he could look into her eyes and just know she felt the same as he did. Exactly the same. Without having to ask.

"Nice job, sweetie," said Imogene, planting a kiss on Moss' cheek. He blushed.

"Congratulations, mate," said Roy, patting Moss on the back again.

"No need to congratulate me," Moss laughed, as he began to fill the champagne glasses. "Congratulate my stunning girlfriend. You remember she's my girlfriend?"

Roy smiled proudly. "Yes, Moss. You two have made it very obvious."

"I don't know if you two have noticed," Imogene hissed. "But there's a huge comic book section in the aisle to the right. And some of them are signed copies!"

"I know what I'm getting up to after this," said Moss.

Imogene kissed Moss' cheek again, beaming, and switched on her microphone, tapping it to test for feedback. She stepped on the small podium she and Moss had set up in Foyle's for this very occasion, and the crowd went mostly silent, except for a heckler in the back. It was oddly enthusiastic for a book launch—many of Imogene's friends from college had flown in. Ginger sat in the front row, giving her a huge thumbs up. She looked more put-together these days, like a complete version of herself. Imogene felt that way, too.

"I suppose now I have to make an announcement," she, well, announced. "Thank you to everyone for coming out tonight. It's a real pleasure. So, the story behind this book is...well, it's a bit of a long story."

She hesitated. Douglas gave a hoot in the back. He was shooting her with the "rock on" signal.

"Basically," she continued. "I've been working in fanfiction for a long time, which I'm sure a few of you may know me from, but this will be my first foray into original epic science fiction superhero romance—a bit of a mouthful, I know, but as someone who's had to read this old thing over and over again for the past few years now, I can assure you, it's worth it. So, without further ado, I'd like to finally unveil my first book to all of you—Traitor of the Stars!"

Richmond pulled down the white banner that covered the easel, revealing a poster of the book's cover surrounded with flashing Christmas lights. Flash. Flash. Double flash.

"Is that what the publishing house ordered?" Roy whispered to Jen from below.

"No," said Jen. "Not at all."

"I figured it would accentuate the constellations on the cover," Richmond explained quietly. "It needed a little more energy, but they wouldn't let me play Skylines and Turnstiles."

"Oh wow," Imogene giggled, patting her hair nervously. "Thanks for that, Richmond. Anywho, first off, I couldn't have done this without my friends from Reynholm Industries IT. Jen, who helped me find a good agent—the best Relationship Manager there is. Thank you for being someone we can always count on to help us overcome our awkwardness and come off as halfway respectable human beings. Without people like you, people like me don't make any money. You're a heck of a smart lady, and we love you."

Jen swatted the air, and grew admittedly misty-eyed, even though she enjoyed the applause.

"And to Roy, my 'risk manager,' who helped me out of a series of potentially bad decisions, complete with a model replica of the press and real fire! Thank you, Roy. I know we've had some rough patches here and there, but I consider myself lucky to call you one of my most beloved and dearest cheerleaders."

Roy sniffled.

"To my friend Ginger, who's read and thoroughly critiqued every draft of mine, and took me out to party for real whenever I needed a much-needed break from the computer screen. I want you to know I've always got your back, and I appreciate how you've always had mine, through thick and thin. You're my best and longest friend in the whole world. I have so much respect for you, queen! With you, every night is girl's night in the best way."

Ginger leapt from the crowd and cheered. "I love you!"

"And of course," Imogene continued, "To Moss, as we all call him, my partner in so many crimes. Whenever we bake snickerdoodles together, I want you to know I will always be committed to making one half of the batch crunchy and one half chewy, just as I will always cherish how much we love and accept each other for our authentic selves. Um...I guess you'll have to hear the rest when we get home...if you know what I mean."

Moss beamed at her as the crowd laughed. Jen and Roy each wrapped an arm around Moss. What a good gang they all were. There was no better trio. Imogene gathered herself, and looked back at her friends one last time.

"Also, I just wanted to say, I've been a bit of a freak, a loser, a little bit immature, and I've almost never known exactly what I wanted. But through it all, I've never really felt like any of those things, because I've surrounded myself with the best crowd I could possibly ask for. You guys aren't just a bunch of standard nerds. You're super-mega, super-star, ultra-magnificent, hyper, mega-nerds. Thank you for all the time you've spent with me on this project, through all the trials and tribulations of getting this book off the ground, all the times it stopped and started and started again. You guys are the best readers, writers, thinkers, and creators I could have asked for, and I couldn't have done it without each and every one of you."

She adjusted her glasses, and allowed herself to grin from ear to ear. Moss handed her a glass of champagne, and wrapped an arm around her. He still looked fantastic in a corduroy suit. He would always be fantastic. She was lucky. Everyone in the bookstore raised their glasses of champagne, sparkling under the fluorescent lights.

"A toast," Imogene announced. "To the next chapter."