Hello once again, my lovelies. Here we are, at the last chapter of my last commission. I gotta say: This is a great fic to leave off on. Thank you again, D. KnightOfShadows, for giving me such a fun, fluffy Arkos story.

Enjoy!

Athena's first birthday party was a small affair, which was just how Pyrrha wanted it. It was in January, not long after the New Year, which was fitting considering all of the new beginnings taking place.

Ren had proposed to Nora over the holidays, and they were planning on having a wedding during the fall. "The more time we have to prepare, the better," Ren had insisted when Nora wanted to have the wedding in spring.

The relationship between Jaune and Pyrrha only grew stronger over time as Pyrrha navigated the media and her upcoming return to modeling and Jaune continued putting aside money, hoping to reach a point where his sister wouldn't have to support him anymore. His father had gotten a raise at work, and had started sending him a small allowance.

Jaune had a feeling that his parents felt more than a little guilty for needing to move their only son out of the house. He was long past feeling bitter toward them, though. After all, he never would have met Pyrrha if he had stayed at home. He was making do with his regular paychecks, so he put his monthly allowance aside, hoping that he'd eventually be able to start going to the Vale Dance Studio for lessons.

Everything was coming together as perfectly as one of the bows on Athena's presents. Her face was being cleaned by her mother after a very enthusiastic meal of chocolate cake. Once she was presentable, she was given her present from Ren: a collection of translated storybooks telling various Asian folktales, including The Four Dragons.

Nora had bought a fluffy baby-blue dragon plushie, which Athena absolutely adored and refused to put down.

Jaune, thinking practically, had gotten Athena some new clothes and shoes. He knew just how quickly babies grew, after all. The last time he had gone home, he found that his youngest sister had nearly doubled in size during his absence.

Athena was very tired after all the attention, and stayed awake long enough to introduce her new "wagon" to her teddy bear. As she started to doze off, Pyrrha scooped her and the two stuffed animals up, taking them to bed.

Nora sighed wistfully. "Ren, can we have one?"

"When we're in a more financially-stable position, we'll talk about it," Ren replied, a slightly nervous tremor in his voice. He certainly wasn't against having one, maybe two children with Nora in the future, but he wasn't ready to have one in the immediate future. How long would she be willing to wait?

Nora noticed her fiancé's hesitant expression and hugged his arm. "I just think Athena's ridiculously adorable. That doesn't mean I'm ready to be a mom yet. No pressure, okay?"

"Thank you." Ren kissed the tip of Nora's nose, an action that never failed to turn her into an adorable, blushing mess. "Besides, I'd like to focus entirely on you for a while," he whispered.

Nora nuzzled his chest, hugging him tightly. "Stop it! You're making me blush!"

Ren smirked. "I know."

"If you guys are done being sickeningly adorable," Jaune cut in with a grin. "Want to watch a movie?"

Nora stuck out her tongue. "You should talk!" she remarked, eying Jaune's hands as they massaged Pyrrha's shoulders.

The two couples sat comfortably through a movie before Ren brought out DDR. Pyrrha and Nora were all too happy to ogle their boyfriends as they tackled harder and harder songs and combos.

After Ren and Nora left, Pyrrha changed Athena and brought her back into the living room for dinner, having to deal with a lot of extra squirming. After her nap, the birthday girl only wanted to play.

Jaune helped clean her face once Pyrrha managed to get most of the food into Athena's mouth. He sat down on the floor with her, watching as she attempted to walk a few steps before falling on her hands and trying again.

Pyrrha sat a few feet away, letting Athena make her way toward her. During the early days of Athena's walking attempts, Pyrrha had wanted to pick her daughter up the first time she fell over, but Jaune had urged her to let Athena pick herself up.

"Mom kept helping my older sister, Mary," he had explained. "Because of that, it took her way longer to learn to walk than it should've."

So, Pyrrha had let her daughter practice. Now, Athena could cross the room with only a few falls and stumbles. It wouldn't be long before she could run. That would certainly be interesting!

"Mama!" Athena said as she sat down in her mother's lap, smiling up at her, hazel eyes shining, holding out her dragon plush for Pyrrha to see.

"Hello, again," Pyrrha whispered, kissing her daughter's brow and gently taking the dragon so that she could fly it around Athena's head.

Athena giggled, reaching for the dragon as it landed back in her arms again.

Jaune sat down next to them, grinning when Athena held the dragon out to him next.

"Dada!" she chirped.

Pyrrha and Jaune had long since gotten used to Athena's chosen title for her mother's boyfriend. Neither of them minded much. Privately, Pyrrha already thought of Jaune as Athena's father, but she never said so.

While they definitely loved each other, they still hadn't been together for even a year, and she didn't want to put any pressure on Jaune, even if he obviously seemed to enjoy the fatherly role he had been cast in.

She just leaned against Jaune's side, smiled as he kissed her face and played with her daughter, and enjoyed the moment for what it was.

…

It was below freezing, and Jaune was shivering when he came home, even with the car's heating system on at full blast. It got worse when he entered his apartment and realized that the radiator was busted again. Why?! he wondered. Just because this is a cheap apartment, the building people think they can be lazy! Jerks…

He called the superintendent, then went across the hall.

Pyrrha immediately noticed the several layers Jaune was wearing when she answered the door. "The heater again?"

Jaune nodded mournfully.

"Well, you'd better get in here," Pyrrha said, letting her boyfriend into her own perfectly-heated apartment. She watched him shed some of his layers with a smile. Though she disliked the fact that Jaune was paying for a flawed apartment, she couldn't bring herself to hate it whenever he came over because of it.

Jaune, she had found over the course of the winter, was even cuddlier than usual when he was cold.

She went about making hot cocoa and getting his favorite fleece blanket. When she went back to the sofa and sat down, she was almost immediately pulled into a needy embrace. Jaune unabashedly nuzzled his cold cheeks against her shoulder, slipped his chilly hands under her shirt, and curled up close as he tried to drink in as much warmth as possible.

Pyrrha shivered at the drastic difference in temperature, even as she pulled him closer and started peppering warm kisses all over his face.

Jaune grinned, guiding Pyrrha down onto the couch as he lay down, positioning her on top of him. "That's better!"

"It looks like your hands and face are in order," Pyrrha purred, kissing his now-warm lips. "Does anything else feel cold?" Her hands were already "checking" under his shirt.

"You know, now that you mention it…" Jaune's grin turned into what he considered a very sexy smirk.

Pyrrha had to suppress a giggle, as was often the case when Jaune tried to act seductive. He always ended up appearing more adorable than anything. That wasn't a problem, of course. Pyrrha had quickly learned that she had a very potent weakness for adorableness. She kissed slowly down his neck, determined to make sure her poor boyfriend was sufficiently warmed.

They ended up having to reheat the hot chocolate. As they sat together, half-asleep and content, Pyrrha said something she had been thinking about for several weeks. "Jaune, I was wondering something."

"What's up?" Jaune asked, smiling down at her.

"It may seem a bit forward, but what do you think about moving in with me?" Pyrrha asked.

Jaune considered it. Honestly, it sounded wonderful, but he knew he needed to think, at least for a minute, before committing to something like that.

"I practically live here already," he admitted. "And we don't have any trouble sleeping together. I'm used to Athena's schedule by now." It seemed perfect, no matter how he looked at it. "Are you sure you want me around all the time?"

"Why on earth wouldn't I want that?" Pyrrha asked. "Whenever you come home, I hope that you'll come here instead of going to your apartment. It's always a better night when I spend it with you, and we spend your days off together already."

Jaune's heart warmed at Pyrrha's words. "Honestly, I always want to come here after work," he admitted. "You always make me feel better, even if it was a bad day. I was actually worried I was being too clingy coming here so often now that it's winter."

Pyrrha chuckled, hugging him a little tighter. "I'm perfectly fine with clingy. You should know that by now."

Jaune grinned, kissing her cheek. "I guess that settles it, roomie."

…..

Valentine's Day was an absolute bust.

Jaune couldn't believe the sheer lack of decency some people had! He had very nearly gotten into a fistfight with a photographer who had recognized Pyrrha and followed them into the restaurant. Then, the appetizers and drinks took forever, despite the fact that they had reservations. Then, a couple nearby broke up very loudly at the next table over. Then, the food wasn't even that good, despite this supposedly being a classy establishment. The waitstaff was totally unresponsive, and calling the manager seemed like a waste of time at that point.

When Jaune asked if they should just pay for the appetizers and leave, Pyrrha agreed immediately.

So, they drove off, all dressed up with nowhere to go. They went back to Pyrrha's apartment, which they now shared. Yang was surprised to see them back so soon. "Athena's sleeping," she said, turning off the TV. "What happened?"

"People," Jaune grumbled as he sat down on the couch. "I hate people."

Yang grimaced sympathetically. "I just got a call from Ren and Nora. I guess they had to deal with idiots too. They said they're just staying in and booing bad romcoms until they fall asleep."

"Huh." Jaune tilted his head. "That actually sounds like a good idea."

"No, thank you," Pyrrha said as she took Yang's pay out of her wallet. "I've seen too many romcoms, and I find them more tedious than funny. What else would you like to do?"

"What about making fun of slasher movies?" Jaune suggested.

"I don't watch many slashers," Pyrrha admitted. "Is there a lot to make fun of?"

"Ooooh, yes!" Yang said with a big grin. "You should start her off on Texas Chainsaw Massacre!"

"Then, Friday the 13th!"

"Do you have the Scream movies?"

"I mean, yeah, but I should show her some classics before I start her on the satire."

Pyrrha smiled at the two. "Yang, would you like to stay?" She handed her friend enough money to cover the original amount of time they were going to be gone.

Yang noticed this and tried to give some of the money back. "Hey, I was only here for two hours."

"If you stay," Jaune reasoned. "You can be the one to check on Athena until the original time we agreed on. Technically, you'll still be babysitting."

Yang hesitated, then agreed. "I'm always up for some slashers. Just kick me out once you two want to start banging."

"Yang!" Jaune groaned, rolling his eyes.

Later that evening, after three movies and Yang's departure, Jaune and Pyrrha were lying on the couch, speculating their chances of survival in a slasher movie.

"I'm dead for sure," Jaune said with a resigned shrug. "I'd be the comic-relief character, and those always die."

"I wouldn't be the final girl," Pyrrha noted. "Didn't you say they have to be virgins?"

"Eh, it depends. Usually, they're safe if they don't have sex while the horror movie is happening."

"How does one know if the movie is happening?" Pyrrha wondered.

"Well, if a bunch of people turn up dead and the police are suddenly dumb as bricks, that's a pretty good sign." He yawned, combing his fingers through her hair, which she had taken out of its ponytail once they changed into their pajamas. "Sorry tonight didn't go well."

Pyrrha snuggled closer and yawned. "I don't know what you're talking about. I thought it was grand."

Jaune smiled, falling asleep with his girlfriend in his arms and the scent of popcorn in his nose. Not a bad Valentine's Day, after all.

…

It was ironic. Pyrrha got through the entire winter without getting sick, only to be struck down with the worst cold she'd had in a long time at the beginning of spring.

Jaune honestly wasn't surprised. Athena had been battling with a cold for the past week, and was finally getting better. Pyrrha hadn't left her side at all during that time, and was reluctant to do so now.

"She's almost fully recovered," Jaune assured his girlfriend as he tucked her into bed. "I can handle her. You need to focus on getting better."

"I can still take care of her," Pyrrha protested. "I caught her cold, and a person can't catch the same cold twice. That means she won't get sick from me."

"That's not the issue," Jaune said firmly. "I can take care of you, and her. If you don't rest, your cold will go on way longer than it has to. Wouldn't you rather get better as quick as possible, so you can play with Athena without sneezing every ten seconds?"

"I…" Pyrrha sighed. "I know you're right, but…"

"It's hard. I get it." Jaune leaned down to kiss her, only to be pushed away.

"Hold it!" Pyrrha scolded. "I'm not about to make you sick, too."

Jaune grinned. "Okay, okay. Just lie there and let me take care of you. Want your laptop, so you can watch a movie?"

"That would be nice," Pyrrha said. "One of the Ghibli ones, please. It doesn't matter which."

"You got it!" Jaune fetched her laptop and her DVD of Castle in the Sky. "Now, don't move. I'll get you some lunch." He paused to make sure the humidifier was at the medium setting, then hurried out.

Athena was walking around the apartment with her blue toy dragon. She stomped over to Jaune. "Mama!" she demanded.

Jaune shook his head. "Sorry, kiddo. Your mom's sick. You gotta put up with Dada for now."

Athena pouted.

"Hey, I'm not so bad, right?" He knelt down. "Want me to put on Big Bird for you?"

Athena's eyes lit up at the mention of her favorite TV character and willingly let Jaune lead her to her special cushion in front of the television, where he put on Sesame Street. He made sure she was totally focused on the screen before going to the kitchen.

Ren had made several Tupperware containers' worth of chicken soup, so Jaune was able to get a platter ready relatively quickly. He was pouring orange juice when a clatter caused him to hurry back to the living room.

Athena had gotten distracted, and wandered from the cushion, knocking over one of the plastic chairs of her tiny tea set. She was on the floor, just beginning to cry.

Jaune swept her into his arms easily. "What's wrong, kiddo? Did you get a booboo?"

Athena sniffled. "Buhbuh!" She held up her hand, which was slightly pinkened from her landing on it.

"Whoa, that's a big one," Jaune said gravely. "Let's see what I can do." He sat down on the couch and made a big show of inspecting her hand, making a bunch of comical, overly-exaggerated expressions of concentration as he did so.

His scrunched brows and jutting tongue were just hilarious to Athena, who started giggling.

"Aha! I know the cure!" He blew a raspberry on Athena's hand, which set the baby to screaming with laughter, wriggling in Jaune's arms as she slapped harmlessly at his face.

Jaune laughed with her. "See? All better. Now, stay here with Wagon and Big Bird, so I can take care of your mommy."

Athena was still giggling as Jaune set her back on her cushion with her dragon and hurried back to the kitchen to finish Pyrrha's lunch. When he went into the bedroom, she was sitting up, eying the door.

"What's got Athena laughing so hard?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just my goofy face," Jaune replied brightly.

Pyrrha chuckled, scooting back so that Jaune could place the tray in front of her. "Thank you, Jaune," she said, smiling up at him.

"Hey, no problem," Jaune said, trying once more to kiss her, and being pushed away yet again.

"I am not getting you sick!" Pyrrha said, shaking a finger at her boyfriend. "If you get to lecture me about being careful, I get to do the same."

"Fine," Jaune sighed loudly. "I'll just be deprived until you get better."

"I suppose I'll just have to make it up to you once my cold goes away, won't I?" Pyrrha asked, her eyes glinting mischievously.

Jaune grinned. "Well, when you put it that way, I guess I can handle it."

Just the same, after putting Athena to bed that night, before going to sleep on the couch, Jaune couldn't resist giving his sleeping girlfriend a quick peck on the forehead as he tucked her in.

….

Jaune woke up early on a day off for the first time in ages. He couldn't help it. He was just too excited to sleep! That afternoon, he would finally be attending his first lesson at the Vale Dance Studio.

He put the coffee on and started breakfast before checking on Athena, who was still fast asleep. When he went back into the bedroom, Pyrrha was just waking up.

"Good morning," he said, kissing her cheek as she sat up.

Pyrrha yawned, smiling sleepily at him. "Good morning. You're up early. You know your lesson isn't until the afternoon."

"I know, but I'm really excited!" Jaune's grin practically lit up the room. "This is the first step! The Studio gives out scholarships for their best dancers, so I could actually go to college if I do well enough."

"I have no doubt that you'll be the best student there," Pyrrha said honestly. After months of experiencing Jaune's passion for dancing and witnessing his skill firsthand, she was convinced that he could go all the way. She even had a few agents in mind for when he reached that crucial first step.

"Thanks, Pyrrha!" Jaune kissed her again. "Breakfast will be ready when you are!" He practically skipped out of the room.

Pyrrha got ready for the day, picked up a newly-awake Athena, and went back into the bedroom to take out a wrapped present she had hidden in her drawer. She went into the kitchen and was greeted with the smell of bacon and hashbrowns. They rarely made eggs in the morning, as one of them had to feed Athena first, leading to their share of the eggs being rubbery and cold by the time they sat down. Bacon and hashbrowns could be kept warm for a longer period of time.

After feeding and washing Athena, Pyrrha sat down at the table and nudged the package toward Jaune. "Something for your first day."

Jaune pushed his plate aside and ripped opened the package. His eyes lit up when he saw what was inside: a pair of brand-new dancing shoes. He immediately recognized the brand as one of the best, and hurried to try them on. They fit perfectly!

"Pyrrha, thank you!" Jaune gasped. "These are amazing!" He circled the table and kissed her deeply, not caring that both of their mouths tasted like bacon.

"Not as amazing as you," Pyrrha replied. "I hope you won't be too tired to show me what you learned when you get home."

"Is milady asking for a dance?" Jaune asked, waggling his eyebrows. "Because, I'm sure I can oblige."

"Why, thank you, my good sir," Pyrrha replied with a wink. "I'd be absolutely delighted, I'm sure."

That evening, Jaune returned in high spirits. The first lesson had consisted mostly of figuring out what level to start in, but the instructor had said that Jaune could start with the semi-advanced lessons the following week.

Feeling very proud of himself, Jaune was quick to turn on his boombox and sweep Pyrrha into an impromptu waltz. Pyrrha didn't dance much, but she was able to catch onto the steps relatively quickly, and was all too happy to let Jaune take the lead.

Athena stopped her playing to watch, clapping her hands excitedly. She burst into a fit of giggles when Jaune picked her up and started dancing around the apartment with her in his arms.

Pyrrha watched the two, her heart feeling fuller than it ever had. Considering how full it usually was, that was definitely saying something.

…

Ren and Nora's wedding was everything one could expect from such an event, which meant, of course, that no one could possibly have expected any of it, except for a select few who had known the two for years.

The theme was a combination of their passions: lotus flowers and lightning, zen gardens and Viking ships, slow dances and disco balls. Elements that would have clashed anywhere else came together perfectly here.

Jaune officiated the ceremony and, as per Nora's request, began the wedding with a statement of: "Mawwiage. Mawwiage is what bwings us togethah today." He went through the whole sermon with a totally straight face, and everyone was laughing by the time Ren and Nora were called to say their vows.

Ren took a breath, glancing at the people gathered, then at Nora. "I've never been good with words," he started. "But, with you, I never had to be. You always know what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling, sometimes before even I do. They say that, when you marry someone, you give them half of your heart while they give you theirs, entrusting each other with the deepest part of you."

He took Nora's hand. "That's not true today, because you already have my heart. You always have."

Jaune sniffed quietly, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. He had been waiting for this moment since high school, since middle school! Ren and Nora had always been so perfect for each other. Hearing the often-silent Ren pour out his heart was making Jaune particularly emotional.

That was nothing compared to Nora's reaction, however. Tears filled her eyes, spilling down her cheeks as she leaped forward to hug Ren. "I…I just forgot mine…" She hiccupped quietly. "Ren, you're… I…" For once in her life, Nora was at a loss for words. The sheer emotion of what Ren had just said had managed to wipe her mind clean.

Finally, unable to vocalize anything else, she stood on her toes and gently tapped his nose. "Boop!"

Ren's eyes welled up as he pulled Nora into a deep kiss. That was all he needed to hear.

They both recovered by the time the reception started. There was no best man's toast, because Ren didn't think a monologue was necessary. Jaune had no objection to not having to tell embarrassing stories about his friends in front of a ton of people. He was happy enough to get right to the dancing.

The first song Ren and Nora danced to was "Never Gonna Give You Up," because Nora just couldn't resist Rickrolling all of the guests. Once everyone started hitting the dance floor, Jaune and Pyrrha eagerly joined in. They ended up near Yang and Weiss, the latter of whom had become particularly close with Pyrrha after Jaune had introduced them.

"The clashing colors wouldn't be to my taste if it was my wedding," Weiss was saying. "But, it's perfect for those two," she conceded.

"Is that a hint that you two might be tying the noose soon?" Jaune asked, winking cheekily.

Weiss huffed. "That's a vulgar way of putting it, isn't it?"

Pyrrha bit back a laugh. "Truly vulgar."

"I didn't hear a no," Jaune pointed out.

Yang was grinning. "Neither did I!"

Weiss's face turned red. "I thought we were here to celebrate Ren and Nora! If you'll excuse me, I still need to compliment Nora's dress." She walked off quickly.

Yang snickered. "Teasing her never gets old." She glanced at Jaune and Pyrrha. "Between you, me, and that giant pink cake, I'm thinking of popping the question soon."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Pyrrha gushed. "Good luck!"

"Thanks!" Yang said. "For the theme, I'm thinking Fire and Ice. What do you think?"

"I like it!" Jaune said. "They clash, but they also compliment each other. I'm sure Weiss can come up with some fabulous color schemes."

The three laughed, but quickly resumed innocent expressions when Weiss returned.

As the night went on, Jaune found himself thinking: What would his wedding be like?

His cheeks flushed as he thought about it. He wasn't sure about themes, colors, or music, but he did know one thing: Whenever he fantasized about that special day, there was only one person he could see standing beside him.

He drew Pyrrha close for a slow dance, feeling how perfectly her body fit against his. The simple fact that, after this, he'd be going home with her to Athena, sleeping by her side, and waking up to another day with her, made him happier than his high school self had ever thought possible.

Soon, he decided. I'm going to ask her soon.

…..

Pyrrha had decided to go for the casual approach when celebrating her one-year anniversary with Jaune. Though she was starting to communicate with her agent in earnest, she had made sure to get all plans for the month squared away the day before, insisting that no one call her the following day.

She would be dropping Athena off at Ren and Nora's house in the evening after dinner. According to Nora, it was high time for the kid to be introduced to It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

This would allow them to spend an uninterrupted evening together, doing whatever they felt like.

When Jaune got home from work, he found Pyrrha and Athena waiting for him. Pyrrha had prepared a special dinner, and managed to keep her daughter from getting most of it on her face.

After dinner, Pyrrha went for her coat so they could drop Athena off, only to be stopped by Jaune.

"Can I ask you something?"

Pyrrha tilted her head. "Of course." She noticed for the first time how nervous Jaune looked. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, definitely!" Jaune assured her. "I just, well…" He rubbed the back of his neck. "I wanted to ask you something, and it's something I should ask while Athena's here, since she's involved."

He walked Pyrrha back to Athena's high chair. The baby was blinking curiously at her "Dada," strangely quiet for once. It was as if she sensed something big was about to happen.

She wasn't wrong.

Jaune got down on one knee. "I don't have a ring, because I thought it would be better to pick something out together," he started. "I didn't do a big, public thing, because I knew you'd hate that. I thought forever about what I would say, but I realized that I couldn't say anything I haven't already told you. I love you, Pyrrha, and I love you, Athena."

He glanced at both of them in turn. "You've made me happier than I've ever been. I already think of myself as your partner and your dad, but I want it to be official."

He took a deep breath. "Pyrrha, will you marry me? Athena, will you take me as your stepdad?"

Athena, who had started sucking on the wing of her dragon, held it out to Jaune with a smile. "Dada!"

Tears sprang to Pyrrha's eyes as she knelt down and pulled Jaune into a kiss that left both of them gasping for breath.

Panting, Jaune took the dragon plush and touched its snout to Athena's cheek, making her giggle. His eyes remained fixed on Pyrrha. "I guess that's a yes from both of you?"

Pyrrha laughed. "I think you can safely assume that."

In the end, Pyrrha called Ren and Nora to cancel the babysitting appointment, so that she, Jaune, and Athena could spend the evening together. If one looked at it technically, it was an anniversary for all three of them.

They watched Disney cartoons, which Athena adored. They took turns rocking her to sleep. Even as she slept, Jaune held her in his lap for a good while before conceding to put her in her crib.

He lay down on the couch, anticipating Pyrrha's return so that they could cuddle for the rest of the night. The pillows held Pyrrha's scent, a spicy, sweet, gentle smell that Jaune had learned to associate with comfort, home, and everything he had always wanted out of life.

In that moment, he saw a clear vision of their future together. He could see himself becoming a professional dancer, touring the country with Pyrrha and Athena. Pyrrha would do photoshoots and modeling sessions for whatever magazines she wanted. Athena would grow up in a loving environment, no matter where that ended up being, and would always be encouraged to follow her own path.

It was exciting to think of what kind of woman that cute little baby would become. Jaune felt honored that he was going to be there to guide her.

Pyrrha carried her daughter to bed, smiling down at that sweet little face, marveling at all that had happened since she had brought this wonderful life into the world. For so long, she had been in a dark place, talked down to by her parents, without even a single friend to turn to. She had truly been on the verge of believing that she was nothing more than a failure.

Then, Athena had forced her to change, forced her to realize what she needed to do for both of them. She had broken away from her toxic parents, utterly and completely, and would never let herself be drowned in their bile again. She had met the love of her life, a man who looked at her and saw a person rather than a model, an individual to love rather than a figure to gawk at.

Most importantly, she had learned that she could make a life for herself, one that was truly worth living. She could keep moving forward. She wasn't alone anymore, and she never would be again.

She placed Athena down, tucking her in with her teddy bear and dragon. "Thank you, Athena," she whispered. "Thank you for everything."

Athena gripped her mother's hand in a tiny fist, and yawned. "Mama," she murmured before quickly falling asleep.

I have had a great time writing for the RWBY fandom over the years. That's largely due to you, my wonderful readers. Your encouragement has kept me going through the dry backlogs and writer's blocks. In the case of my commissions and P/atreon, I was shown that people love my writing enough to pay for it. A future where I can support myself by being a writer seems like a true possibility.

Stay tuned for when I come back to finish "Wings of Dust," because I won't leave you guys hanging on that one. Also, keep your eyes open for my original works, which will be released under the name Tori Sol. I can promise that what you'll experience then will be leagues better than even my finest fic.

Thanks again, everyone, and peace out!