Epilogue


Some time later Shrek and Fiona were lying beside each other on the 
damp earth of the cave floor.  Shrek rested on his back, his 
breathing slow and content.  Fiona was on her stomach at a slight 
angle to Shrek's right side and nestled against him.  Her chin sat 
on her cupped left hand which in turn rested on the right side of 
his bare chest just below his shoulder.  Shrek gently stroked her 
hair as Fiona languidly traced little haphazard patterns across the 
hairy middle expanse of his chest with her right index finger.  They 
were still surrounded by darkness, and so neither noticed that much 
of Fiona's black and blue makeup was now smeared across Shrek's face 
and elsewhere.

As Shrek's hand wove its way through Fiona's ungainly locks, he 
asked in a low voice, "Fiona?"

"Yes, Shrek?"

"Ye did say you were going t'grow your hair back like it was before, 
didn't ye?"

Fiona smiled in the blackness.  "Oh, I don't know," she teased.  
"I'm kinda getting used to this ograrian style.  Don't you like it?"

"I liked it better they way ye used t'wear it," he said.  "Like I 
told ye b'fore, that was you."

Fiona thought for a moment, then said, "Okay.  I'll grow it back.  
But on one condition."

"What's that?"

After a short pause, Fiona replied, "That you braid it every so 
often.  Like you did that day your parents came to visit.  That was 
... nice."

Fiona could hear the smile in Shrek's voice as he said simply, "As 
ye wish."

Fiona smiled again as she continued tracing patterns.  Then she grew 
more pensive.  Shrek apparently sensed it, and asked,  "What is it, 
Fi?"

"Well," she said, "Shrek, I've been thinking ..."

"A dangerous pastime," he teased.

"I know," She smirked.  "But ... well, I was thinking about ... our 
children."

"Children?" Shrek echoed, his voice a little tighter.

"Our EVENTUAL children," Fiona clarified.

"Oh!" Shrek said, and breathed a little easier.  "Well, no need 
t'worry now!  They'll be fully recognized as one-hundred percent 
authentic ogres."

"If they ARE ogres," Fiona said quietly.

"Huh?" Shrek grunted.

"I mean ... with my background ..." Fiona tried to explain "... 
being born under that enchantment ... and both my parents being human 
when I was conceived and all ... plus what with frog DNA being tossed 
into the mix ... I mean, who knows what THAT will cause?  I remember 
hearing about an island where --"

"Whoa!" Shrek said gently, interrupting Fiona's increasingly nervous 
rambling.  "What's bothering ye, Fi?  Just spit it out."

"Well," she replied, "I'm just worried that --" as Fiona continued 
drawing patterns on Shrek's chest her finger chanced upon a large 
centipede that was crawling among his chest hair.  Fiona took a 
moment to pluck it off his chest and munch it down before 
continuing, "I'm just worried that our children ... well, what if 
they're not ogres?"

Shrek was silent for several seconds, then said, "So?  What if 
they're not?"

"Back during the dinner the day you met my parents, you sounded 
pretty adamant that you wanted our children to be ogres," Fiona 
pointed out.

"I assume they will be.  And I'd prefer it, t'be honest," he 
admitted.  "But if they're not, they're not.  We'll love 'em just 
the same.  Do ye think Donkey or Dragon loves their kids any the 
less for their ... uniqueness?"

"No, not at all.  They seem to adore them."

"The same here.  What's important, Fi, is that they'll be OUR 
children.  Anything that's a part of you I'll adore and cherish, 
just as I adore and cherish you."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really, really," he assured her, his voice honest and strong.

Fiona felt relief rush through her.  "I love you, Shrek," she said.

"I love you, too," he responded.  Then a smile spread across his 
face and he said, "If nothing else, though, there is ONE ogre trait 
that I hope our children will inherit."

"What's that?" Fiona asked.

"Our incredible stamina!" Shrek replied, and rolled towards his wife.

Fiona giggled happily.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Shrek snapped at her nose.  She nipped at his ear.  They clawed 
their way into each other's arms.  Like fire and smoke, these two 
belonged together."  ~ From "Shrek!" by William Steig
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


~ THE END ~