A/N: Well, wouldya look at that? Another year gone by already. Time flies, it really does.

Don't forget, if you have any prompts or requests please send them to me either on or on my Tumblr, which is here: For all the effort I put into updating Just A Mistake y'all best follow me.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this year's instalment!

For all the years of training it took to become one, you'd think that death scythes would receive decent paychecks. Not that the money he was earning was bad per se, but it certainly wasn't enough for a grown man and a growing child to live comfortably on. Christmas had been slightly disappointing, as there had been no money spare to buy a tree as Soul was focused more on buying Emilee the present she had asked for. And even then, he'd made her write her Christmas list in June just to be sure that he would have enough money to afford whatever it was she wanted. Halloween was worse; they didn't have any spare change to buy candy and so had been forced to tell trick-or-treaters that they had run out or, when that method stopped working, switch off all the lights and pretend they weren't home. Their house got egged either way.

"Soul, you're on in three."

Which brings us to today. Soul was waiting in the backstage area of a popular jazz venue of Death City called The Necking Bearcat, where he had inadvertently become hottest attraction after applying for a job there in a bid to earn some spare change. Crowds would flock there night after night to see him play and his wages rose higher than he could have ever imagined. Which was pretty damn lucky, as Emilee's birthday was in a few days and he was still yet to find her a present. She was currently having her face slathered in thick stage makeup by some of the burlesque dancers who had recently been hired. They seemed to be the only ones who enjoyed having a nine-nearly-ten-year-old running around while they were trying to get ready. Most of the more veteran acts turned their noses up whenever she waltzed past and Soul had the sinking feeling that were it not for the crowds he was drawing in he would've been forced to take Emilee elsewhere. Would that he could, but it felt unfair to leave her with his friends, especially as his working hours often ran into the early hours of the morning. He didn't feel comfortable with leaving her alone in the audience for several hours, so backstage was-

"Soul, what are you waiting for? That was your call–get on stage now!"

Snapping out of his thoughts, the albino quickly dashed over to the disgruntled-looking stagehand and followed him to the wings, where he stepped out onto the stage into the glare of the spotlight and was met by a rumble of applause. He seated himself at the piano waiting for him and cracked his fingers once, before raising his hands above his head and bringing them down onto the keys as he began one of his most recent compositions. His fingers danced across the keys, eliciting sweet majors or dull minors, twining together to produce a warm tune that flooded throughout the venue. The crowd went wild, and from the wings Soul could spy Emilee watching him with a broad smile on her face. One tune melted into another, then another, and before long his set was over. He gave a tired grin to the audience before sliding his hands into his pockets and sauntering offstage. Tonight's performance had been good. No doubt he'd be in for a big bonus from his boss. Who, speak of the devil, was waiting for him backstage. With him was a tall woman, taller than himself and Soul, with dark skin and bleached blonde hair styled into a Mohican. She was staring around the stage area with a look of curiosity on her face, and raised an eyebrow when she saw Soul approaching, nudging to the boss as he came over. The portly man turned around, grinning.

"Soul, my boy!" he threw an arm around Soul's shoulders, pulling him into a friendly embrace. "Good show, tonight. But then again, aren't they always?" he chuckled. The woman cleared her throat.

"Mr Hendricks...?"
"Ah, yes, I haven't forgotten you. Soul, I'd like you to meet Vivienne; she's going to be our newest performer."

Soul nodded in approval and offered a hand to shake. "Nice to meet you. What's your act?"

Vivienne reached out and shook his hand. "I sing," she smiled, although it faltered slightly as she realised how sweaty Soul's palms were. She subtly wiped them off on her jeans when she pulled away. Mr Hendricks was grinning from ear to ear at their interaction.

"Technically, Soul, it's your act too!"

Soul froze.

"What?"
"Well, Vivienne here is a talented performer. She already has crowds coming to see her perform. So I figured, bring them here, add you and your crowd, bada-bing, bada-boom, this place sees business like it's never seen before!"

The scythe could only stare in slack-jawed shock.

"I-I—Mr Hendricks, sir, with all due respect—"
"Come on, Evans! This is a win-win situation! Double the money for both of you, plus something else to put on your résumé!"
"Sir, I'm a pianist, not a backing band—"
"Well it's a good job I'm not asking you to be a backing band! You two are an act now. She sings the songs you play."
"I don't play songs with lyrics. My music's all instrument. I've never played with a singer before!"
"Then it's a good job I'm giving you two the weekend to rehearse. Your first performance is next Monday."

Soul's eyes widened in shock. Not only did that only give them three days to get everything together, but—

"S-Sir! I can't do that day, that's my little girl's birthday and—"
"And it looks like she'll have to spend it backstage this year. Annoying my performers. Again," he added with a pointed look. "Keep that kid in line, Evans. I can't be dealing with any more damn complaints."

With a satisfied huff, Hendricks clapped Soul and Vivienne on the shoulder and walked away, leaving them stood in awkward silence. The singer cleared her throat.

"So...er, if you want we could start rehearsing tonight? After everyone's left."
"No can do, I have to get my daughter home. I can do tomorrow morning, though. First thing?"
"Yeah, sure. Meet you here around 8-ish?"
"Sounds like a plan."

Vivienne smiled. She had a nice smile. It rose more towards the left side of her face and made a dimple appear. Asymmetrical, Kid would've complained. Soul kind of liked it.

Realising where this train of thought was leading, he shook himself mentally. This is a strictly working relationship, and not even that if he got his way.

"So what kind of music do you think we should perform? Not making jokes towards you, but I'm more of a soul kinda girl. What are you into?"
"Jazz, mainly. Bit of swing. No ballads. Strictly no ballads, that's where I draw the line."
"We could rework songs into jazz covers. That sound good?"
"Sure. I don't know what you're able to sing but I can play pretty much whatever sheets you throw at me so I'll let you choose what we perform. Choose the songs tonight and we'll work out the arrangement here tomorrow."

Vivienne smiled down at him—she was six foot tall at least—and nodded. "Alright, will do. See you then, then."

With that, she turned and left.

Soul let out a sigh. He had two more performances to get through and they flew by in no time, and soon enough it was time to head home. He picked up Emilee (who was by now wrapped in several feather boas, fast asleep) and started the walk home, depositing her in her bed when they arrived before flinging himself down on his own. He fell asleep instantly.

The next morning found the two of them seated at the piano in the Bearcat as they arranged the sheet music for several songs. They had chosen six and were currently rearranging Stevie Nicks' Edge of Seventeen to be more of a jazz piece. Vivienne was a damn good singer—from what little Soul understood about vocalists, he could tell that her vocal range spun three or four octaves. Mr Hendricks was definitely right; they were going to be a huge hit together. And, whether he wanted to admit it or not, there was definitely chemistry between them. They were currently seated within close proximity of each other, so much so that their thighs were pressed up against one another. Neither of them made a move to back away.

"Here, let me show you the melody I was thinking of."

He slowly guided her hands over the right keys, moving them along in time with the tempo. It was so corny and cliché and he knew it, but damn he couldn't deny it. He liked Vivienne. Or Viv, as she had insisted he call her. And judging how she moved oh-so-slightly closer as she laughed, she seemed to like him too.

"We seem to make some sweet music together, hon."

Soul grinned.
"It seems we do."

Viv placed a hand on his thigh.
"Care to make some more?"

Woah woah woah woah woah. This was going too fast. Whatever he'd had with Kid had happened too fast, and look where that had landed them. If anything happened here he wanted to take it slow.

"Only if it comes after several dates and an established boyfriend-girlfriend type agreement," he tried. Not cool, he thought. Viv seemed to think so, too, as she frowned and moved her hand away.
"You know I was just playing with you, right?"
"No, I know, I'm sorry; it's just...I had a relationship a few years ago and it went really fast like that. I want to take things slowly. You know, if you want to...uh...maybe go on a date with me sometime?"

Viv laughed. "Honey, if the date is as good as the proposal then you can take me out as many times as you want."

With that, Soul smiled.

The rest of their rehearsal went smoothly. They arranged a date for Sunday night, so that they could hang out in a non-work environment but also polish off their music and make sure it was ready for the stage. However, in all the haste to prepare their act and make their date a success, Soul had forgotten—

"Daddy, can we have hot dogs for my birthday dinner tomorrow?"

—Emilee's birthday.

"Sorry, honey. I was going to make a curry."
"But you always burn the curry."
"Hey! It's not burnt, it's just well done."
"If that's what you wanna call it."
"Well, I do. Now, I need to get changed. Could you do me a favour and answer the door when aunty Maka gets here? She's dropping off some food for me and—...a friend."
"Is Uncle Black Star coming over?"
"No...It's a, uh...a lady friend of daddy's."
"...Aunt Liz?"
"No. Look, she's kind special so be on your best behaviour, okay?"
"Okay."

Soul smiled and kissed her forehead. "Thanks, squirt."

He'd tried his best to find Emilee a babysitter. But Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty were on a girl's night out and Black Star was in bed with a broken leg from a training mishap. Maka was dropping off a meal for Soul and Viv (that he was to tell her he'd prepared and cooked himself) before heading out on a date with a guy she'd met at the DWMA, who was a teacher there like she was. So, in the end, Soul figured it was just for the best to introduce Viv and Emilee from the get-go before anything got too serious.

Soul changed out of his sweatpants and jumper and into a checked shirt and jeans. Presentable, yet not trying too hard. Just right. He yanked the ratty headband he'd been using to scrape his hair back off his head and brushed the white spikes out, trying to somewhat tame it. He didn't look too shabby, and when he returned to the kitchen he found a steaming Tupperware box of ravioli on the counter and a note from Maka wishing him good luck. He was somewhat disappointed to have missed her, as he wanted to ask for a few pointers for his date and hopefully offer a few for hers. Never mind, he'd catch her later.
There was a knock on the door that snapped him out of his thoughts, and before he could answer it first Emilee was already there. Soul held his breath as he watched his daughter regard his date coolly. The little girl looked the woman up and down several times, before shaking her head.

"Not today, thank you."

And with that, she promptly shut the door.

Scooping her up, Soul held her one-armed as he opened the door to a bewildered-looking Viv.
"Sorry about that, I honestly don't know what came over her! But if you want to wait in the living room I can serve up dinner and we can get started on some of our sheet music."
"Sure, sure. So this is where you live?"
"Yup, this is Casa del Evans."

Oh, wow. Smooth.

Emilee glared. "That means it's our house."

Viv regarded her with one eyebrow raised.

"Is your name on the rent contract?"
"W-what?"
"Because if it's just Soul's name on the contract then technically it's his house."

Emilee flushed bright red in embarrassment. She wriggled out of Soul's arms and to the safety of her bedroom, the door to which she slammed behind her. Soul sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I'm really sorry about that. I've never had a date come over to our apartment before and I don't think she's comfortable with strangers..."
"It's fine, don't worry about it. I have three nephews at home so I'm used to younger children. They're fun."
"Thank god you think like that. I had a date once who gave her whiskey from her purse to make her settle down."
"Did it work?"
"Well, if you define 'work' as 'three hours of vomiting and dry heaving, one trip to A&E and a visit from suspicious police officers' as working then yeah, like a charm."

Viv laughed.

"Nice comeback, by the way."
"Three nephews, honey. You learn things."

The two spend the evening chatting amicably, writing up their sheets and altering several tunes to allow for an easier harmony. Soul's favourite so far was a downtempo version of Ariana Grande's The Way, as Viv had decided that they should perform it when Soul mentioned it was Emilee's favourite song. She seemed to genuinely like his daughter, and for him that the make or break deal in a relationship. Eventually they finished their editing process, and stretched out on the couch, talking.

"How long have you been singing for?"
"About a decade or so. Only started to hit it big about a year ago. I used to be a plumber before I took up singing full time."
"Is this the part where I make the obligatory 'checking out your pipes' joke?"

Viv gave him a joking shove.

"So, how long have you been playing the piano for?"
"Um...as long as I can remember, really. My parents were musicians, they both played instruments. And my brother too. They started us from a really young age."
"Are you teaching Emilee?"
"Nah. I asked her if she wanted to, but she said she thought it was boring."
"That's kind of a shame. It's such a waste for you not to have anyone to teach your skills to. Oh! I know! Why don't you become a piano tutor?"
"I dunno, I'm not...I'm not the best person to do that..."
"You'd be brilliant. You know you would."

Soul smiled and moved closer to her.
"You really think so?"
"I know so."

The two began heavy petting, trailing soft kisses along each other's throats and jawlines. Soul lightly bit Viv's ear, taking care not to let his overly sharp teeth cause her harm. That had scared off one or two dates in the past.

"So. Is this us making sweet music together at last?"
"Mmmhh...yup...you're going to get so many compositions written for you after this."

Viv pulled away in surprise.
"You'd actually do that?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, I've wrote a few for my friends, plus one for Emilee."
"Have they ever heard them?"
"My friends have heard theirs..."
"But Emilee...?"
"Never could see a right moment to do it. I wrote it after she was born so it's kinda special, but..."

A lightbulb seemed to go off in Viv's head.
"Didn't you say tomorrow is her birthday? Why don't you perform it at the end of our set?"
"I dunno, Mr Hendricks might not like it."
"Are you kidding? Mushy song declarative of feelings? The crowd would go wild for it. It'd rake him in tons of dough."
"I guess we could. I haven't been able to get her a present this year so I could give her this instead."

It was actually not a bad idea. That night, after Viv left, Soul dug out the old sheet music and set about relearning it in preparation for their performance. Remembering it took hardly any time at all.

The next morning saw Emilee turn ten. It was officially ten years since Soul had become a father, ten years since he had lost Kid (whose grave he was planning on visiting later) and ten years since his beautiful baby girl had been brought into the world. The very thought almost brought tears to his eyes, and not just because of the thought that he was getting old.

Emilee unwrapped her presents in a storm of glittery pink paper, revealing books from Maka, a doll from Tsubaki, cinema and restaurant vouchers from Black Star and a pair of heeled boots from Liz and Patty that Soul had made Emilee promise she wouldn't wear until she was older than he was.

She didn't hear him over the sound of the heels clacking against his wooden floor.

The day was fun, with Soul making birthday waffles for breakfast, birthday corned beef sandwiches for lunch and birthday (burnt) curry for dinner. They went out during the day to visit Lord Death, who gave Emilee a mask and cloak similar to his own. Soul was made to wait in a separate room while the two played.
Afterwards, the two Evanses made the journey to Kid's grave to deposit flowers. After the incident last year, Soul kept the trip short and sweet. Everything he needed to say was written in a note hidden in the bouquet of eight tea roses.

"I don't know what to say. Do I need to acknowledge the audience before we start, or...?"
"It's your call. Get out there and do whatever feels right."
"Alright. Alright, okay."

To say they were nervous was an understatement. Soul and Viv waited patiently in the wings for the current act to finish so they could go on and get the whole thing over with. The awaiting crowd was huge. And the only thing that was preventing the other acts from being nervous was the knowledge that no-one was there to see them. Soul and Viv had no such privilege. But in barely any time at all it was their call, and they slowly made their way across the stage to the piano and the microphone, respectively. Viv opened her mouth as if to say something, but decided against it and looked to Soul and nodded her head in time to count him in.

They began to play, and before long all their nerves melted away. The harmony between the tinkling keys and Viv's vocals resonated throughout the club, filling it with sweet music. The crowd whooped and cheered after every song, louder and more enthusiastic each time. Before long their original set was over, and all that was left was Emilee's song. Viv handed Soul the microphone. He cleared his throat.

"We have one more song tonight. This is a special piece, one I wrote myself for a very special girl. A very special girl whose birthday it is, and—oh, God, that line was so cheesy. What I'm trying to say is: ten years ago I lost a dear friend of mine, but in his place received a daughter I feel truly blessed to father. The past decade has been far from easy but she's been my sole motivation for waking up each morning and getting out of bed. Mainly because she wants pancakes, but I digress. Emilee, you've given me so much, and all I can really offer you in return is this song. I hope you like it."

With that, he began to play. The tune was soft, airy and light, although several parts dropped an octane or two in various places. He could see Emilee stood watching him from the wings, her honey-hued eyes bright with tears. Not of sadness, not of joy, just...appreciation. Everything he'd felt in the days, months and year after Kid's death and the struggle of raising his girl alone was penned into this composition, the notes like a part of his soul on paper, the memories converted into music. He allowed his eyes to flutter closed as he allowed the past to wash over him. And before he knew it, he was done.
The crowd was silent, stood in slack-jawed awe. A pang of fear hit Soul in the gut. He'd thought it was good. Had he been wrong? He felt awful, he felt like a fool. He felt as if—

He felt a pair of thin arms wrapping themselves around his shoulders, squeezing tight enough to leave bruises. Emilee was hugging him, sobbing into his shoulder as she choked out wobbly 'thank you's and 'I love you's. It took longer than it should have for Soul's brain to respond but when he did, he hugged back just as fiercely and pressed kisses into her hair. By now, the audience were on their feet in wild applause. Viv stood, teary-eyed, looking at the two.

And Soul smiled. Because here, with her face buried in the crook of his neck, was the girl who represented his entire future; a girl conceived from the errors of his past who was opening all sorts of doors for new opportunities. And before him, a woman who offered the chance of a new romance and hope.

And for the first time since Kid had died, Soul felt well and truly happy.

A/N: I think this might be the first entry in the Just A Mistake-verse to be a 100% happy ending. Yo.

This story took ages to write as I could never quite come up with the tone or emotions I wanted to convey. But yes, things are going to start looking up for Soul and Emilee. For now. Or until I write next year's.

If anyone feels like drawing fanart for this series then please for the love of God send it to me because I swear seeing it would make me so happy that I'd probably combust. So pleeeeeaaaaase? :D

See you next year!