An epilogue to the story, Bewitched: A Meeting of the Minds at the Pussywillow Lounge. It's forty years later, and Darrin's time is near ...

All the goodbyes had been said. Samantha, Tabitha, and Adam had waited with him for days, watching over him and holding his hand while the minutes between Darrin and death shrank to a precious few. After Darrin descended into a deep sleep, his family decided to go across the street to a diner for dinner. The staff had Samantha's cell phone number and swore they would call when Darrin woke up.

Although the looks the doctors and nurses gave each other made it clear they thought "if" was a more appropriate word than "when."

As soon as it was quiet in Darrin's room, there was a chiming sound. Endora appeared next to the bed. She hadn't changed a bit in the years since the incident that had so completely altered her relationship with her daughter's mortal husband.

Not changed physically, at any rate.

She looked down at the frail form lying there.

So fragile, she thought sadly, and sighed. I am sorry now, for everything I did to him ... before. I really didn't understand mortals then. To be fair, I didn't really want to. Now I see there is more to them than I thought. Because once we stopped sniping at each other, I could see that he really was a good husband, and a good father. A good ... man.

"Darrin?" Endora whispered, touching his cheek. He started and opened his eyes to see her standing beside him. Then he smiled.

"It seems I'll never get used to you using my real name," he whispered.

"I could call you 'Dustbin' if it would make you feel better," she replied with a wink.

"I don't think anything could make me feel better at this point." Darrin looked over at all the machinery helping to keep him alive, and the morphine drip to cut the pain. "But I appreciate the sentiment ... I think."

She took his hand and squeezed.

"You'll have them all to yourself soon, Endora," he said with a little smile. "I envy you the future. But I thank you for the past. For the time you allowed me to have."

"I should thank you," Endora whispered. "For making me see that mortals have their good points. Even ones who marry my daughter." Darrin smiled and squeezed her hand in return. He closed his eyes.

There was a long companionable silence, but finally, it was broken ... by Endora.

"I was thinking back to the incident that changed things between us, and I believe I know why you were able to endure what I did to you, and make peace between us."

Darrin's eyes popped open. Endora smiled.

"No secrets between us, 'Darla,'" she said, and Darrin seemed to relax in the bed. "The truth is, my little trick backfired. You actually enjoyed being 'Double-D,' didn't you?" Darrin seemed to turn inward and think. After a time, Endora pressed further. "Didn't you?"

Darrin nodded. "No more secrets. I did like it ... some of it, anyway. Not all. Not the powerlessness of being a piece of meat for the club owner or the backstage manager ... of letting them touch me whether I wanted it or not. But when I was Darla, I was twenty years old again, healthy and alive. The girls stuck together and helped each other out, like sisters. And when I stepped out on the stage, every man in that room wanted me. For all of the things I've done as Darrin ... for everything I've ever accomplished ... I have never felt so ... desired ... since those three day so long ago."

Endora nodded. "I remember being wanted that way. Intoxicating. How the men would flock. That feeling of being precious ... of being the center of a man's universe, even for a short while."

Darrin nodded back. "I didn't want to stay Darla, because of Sam and the children," he went on. "They needed me. I had a home, and a family, and a life. But when you turned me into Darla without a reason, I knew how badly you wanted to punish and humiliate me. My time in Darla's heels was time for me to think, and I realized we couldn't keep going at each other like that, or both of us would lose the woman we loved."

Endora bowed her head, just a nod, her eyes closed.

"I wish I could give you immortality," she said softly. "I wish I could make you ... one of us. I think witches could learn a lot from mortals, if we ever got past the prejudice for the non-magical. But I can't even heal you, Darrin. It is forbidden by the Witches Council." He sighed, and nodded. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. "There is ... something I can do for you. One gift I can give. If you truly want it."

Darrin looked at her confused.

"Remember when we made our truce? I said you should behave yourself, or 'there is always an empty seat in the dressing room at the Pussywillow Lounge, waiting to be filled.'" His eyes widened. She nodded. "I kept that seat open since that night, more out of nostalgia than anything else. It's still waiting ... for you. Darla."

"Sam ..."

She interrupted him. "Samantha can't know, Darrin. Not ever. I'm taking advantage of a loophole no one knows is there, and I'm just barely within the rules as it is. If Sam knows and they find out, they'll assume she was in it with me, and punish us both."

Endora looked deep into his eyes. "This isn't an extension of your old life. It's a whole new one to live. If you choose. You've always been proud of making your own way. Here's your chance to start again, and build a better life. For Darla. And for you."

Suddenly, Darrin's heart monitor began to beep irregularly. He gasped from the pain, then looked at the machine, and back at Endora. She nodded, and smiled, and squeezed his hand again.

"Say yes, mortal," she whispered. "Say yes, and live a while longer. For me."

Darrin nodded, and closed his eyes. His heart stopped.

Darrin Stevens died that night and was buried in a private service. Samantha and the children grieved for their lost loved one, then disappeared from the mortal realm soon after -- Sam to finally take her place on the Witches Council, and the children to explore their heritage with their grandmother.

And Darla? She appeared back in the Pussywillow Lounge forty years earlier, just in time for her midnight slot on the night she left, so long ago. She stayed on there for a few years as a dancer, eventually becoming the headliner. She made enough money to buy the place outright, and surprised everyone with her business acumen. Her knack for advertising and promotion turned "Darla's Place" into a Bayonne institution -- and kept customers coming back, night after night.

Darla was a wonderful boss. She paid the women who danced there well and treated them like family. Even after she became the owner, Darla kept dancing, and eventually found a man who didn't care what she did on stage, as long as she came back to their bed every night.

Sometimes, the other women in the club would see her drift off into memory, and watch a wistful smile slip onto her face. Even so, she never missed an entrance. She enjoyed every minute in the spotlight. And she was always there for a friend.

Because no matter where she'd been before, she knew where she was now. And Darla Derwood was happy.

"Double-D" was home.

NOTE: I just had to bring Double-D home. When I realized I'd left a loophole, I couldn't let it rest. It was too good an opportunity to miss. *grins* I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

*hugs*

Randalynn