Thank you again to everyone who has been following this story! It's been quite a long trek, hasn't it? I'm sad to say that this will be the final chapter...but I'm excited for a lot of other rwby stories I have planned (and partially written!).

I really hope this ending can do justice to the story I tried to create - and that it leaves everyone feeling glad that they took time out of their lives to read it.

I won't rule out a sequel, but I do have other stories I would like to write first - so keep an eye out for those! (Especially Bumblebee fans!)

Months had passed since Vale's threats had been defeated – time filled with new beginnings and renewal for people far and wide.

The city had thrown itself with gusto towards healing from its wounds. Construction of new buildings was already underway downtown to replace the ones devastated in the attacks. People were no longer fearful to leave their homes. The government was no longer on edge.

Cinder and Adam had been moved to the highest security prison in Vale – for the rest of their lives. The government leaders had thanked all of the huntsmen profusely for their bravery in saving the city from the attack, holding a grand ceremony celebrating the so-called 'heroes of Remnant.' Blake had even received her own special medal for her personal role in bringing the masterminds to justice.

They had never found out if Adam had volunteered for Cinder's plan, or was being used against his will – and Blake never bothered to ask. Right now, that question seemed insignificant to her. She was finally happy without him in her life, and she no longer felt a single shred of guilt for having abandoned him all those years ago.

As far as she was concerned, they were finally even.

And even though there were no longer Grimm to fight or terrorist plots to foil, the members of Team RWBY managed to stay extraordinarily busy.

Blake had eventually managed to convince Yang that moving into their own place might not be the worst of ideas now that Weiss and Ruby were married. And while Yang still wasn't particularly fond of the idea of Weiss doing anything "inappropriate" with her little sister, the blonde was equally afraid of Ruby catching her doing something "inappropriate" with Blake. So, while the two huntresses were away on their well-deserved honeymoon, Blake and Yang had packed up what few items they had and moved to the house Weiss had so generously provided for them.

And, true to Weiss' words, the new place was absolutely wonderful.

While nowhere near as large as Schnee Manor, Blake actually found it to be more comfortable in its modest size. Two stories with several decently sized bedrooms, Yang and Blake had quickly decided that they would really love living here. Weiss might be used to the abundance of empty bedrooms and massive gathering areas, but Blake had grown up with…well, less than that.

By far her favorite part of their new home was found by ascending a narrow staircase on the top floor that led to a flat door in the roof, where a small deck-like area could be easily reached. She and Yang loved to go up there at night and talk while looking up at the stars – laying flat on the oversized pillows they had dragged up there solely for that purpose.

And, it was literally only a fifteen minute walk away from Schnee Manor. Of course, it took Ruby only thirty seconds to cover the distance (they had timed it one day).

Blake and Yang had managed to get the Human Faunus Relationship Council off the ground, although there was still much, much more work to be done. Thankfully, Ruby had been right when she had said that Weiss would be helping them in any way she could. With all the moving parts that needed to be coordinated, Blake didn't know if they would ever have been able to succeed without Weiss' organization and input.

It was hard and demanding work, as Vale was still shrouded in deep rooted Faunus discrimination. Blake quickly found out just how ingrained the discrimination was and how difficult it would be to tear it all down. Fortunately, they had already gotten a few commitments from companies to establish equal standards for human and Faunus employees, while also establishing a program to rehabilitate ex-White Fang members to help reestablish them as contributing members of the community. But, as with all changes of this manner, progress was exceedingly slow.

But whenever she began to feel discouraged, she found herself to be extremely fortunate to have her own, personal sun constantly by her side. If Yang ever felt disheartened, she never showed it – always pointing out the positive to Blake and picking her up when she felt down.

Weiss had asked her once if she ever got tired of being with Yang 24/7, since the two of them both lived and worked together, but she never felt that way at all. After the three years they had spent apart, she still felt like they didn't get to spend enough time with each other. And she didn't think that that feeling would ever go away.

The same went for Weiss and Ruby, as well – Blake never got tired of being around her teammates. And while she didn't get to spend nearly as much time with them as she did with Yang, they had decided to schedule a weekly team dinner at Schnee Manor in order to make sure they didn't lose touch with each other.

The other half of Team RWBY was just as busy as she and Yang were, if not more so.

Weiss was busy rapidly preparing to take over a senior leadership role at her family's company. Her parents had begun to step out of the limelight as soon as Weiss had told them that she was ready, almost as if it had been a day they had anxiously been waiting for. Once the pressure had subsided, Weiss' relationship with her father had grown less tense. It likely helped that Weiss now felt grateful to him for his complete support when Ruby had been kidnapped.

Even though running the massive company was incredibly stressful, Weiss found that she was actually very well suited to the task, no doubt thanks to her upbringing. And on those days when she did feel more strained than others, she would just call Ruby. The brunette would almost instantly appear at her office door with a smile, a kiss, and occasionally a handful of cookies.

With a wife like that, it was nearly impossible to stay upset for long.

Ruby was the only one who had decided to pursue a career as a huntress. Due to her exceptional skills, she had very quickly climbed the ranks of the huntsmen. Now, she would run personal missions for Professor Ozpin and General Ironwood – the strictly confidential kind that she was not allowed to talk about (although Weiss would always get the information from the brunette in one way or another).

Ruby would sometimes be gone for days at a time, but managed to hardly ever miss their team dinners. Sometimes she would even speed home in the middle of a hunt just to make it in time. Weiss would scold the brunette for being irresponsible, but it was always easy to tell that she didn't mean it in the least.

Blake knew that Weiss worried about Ruby's safety often, but the heiress had learned to trust in Ruby's skills as a huntress. Plus, she had had that tracking device installed in Ruby's ring, after all. That, and a distress beacon. No matter where Ruby was, Weiss would only be a touch of a button away.

It was on one of these team dinner nights that Blake and Yang were currently walking along the peaceful neighborhood streets, calmly making their way to Weiss and Ruby's home. Blake was carrying their contribution to the meal – an appetizer of tiny ahi tuna tacos.

"Are you sure they're going to be ok with this?" she asked Yang for what must have been the tenth time this evening.

Weiss had complained after Blake and Yang had made tuna dishes for several weeks in a row. So, a new rule had been mandated that tuna could only be a part of the menu once every month, much to Blake's consternation.

Yang laughed off her concern, reaching one hand up only to have it swatted away when she tried to steal one of the tacos off of the platter for a second time.

"They'll just have to deal with it!" Yang replied happily as the towering Schnee Manor came into view. "Even though we made tuna tartar last week, it was technically last month too!"

Blake understood Yang's logic – it was the same rationale that had convinced her to make the tacos in the first place a couple of hours earlier. Well, that and Yang had already brought home the fresh tuna…which had smelled way too good not to eat tonight.

Walking up to the front door, she let out a small sigh.

She knew that Weiss wasn't going to like this…

Fortunately, it was Ruby who yanked the door open not even a full second after Yang had knocked, a flurry of rose petals blowing out of the door from behind her.

"Yang!" the brunette squealed happily, rushing forward and jumping into her sister's arms just as she likely had when she was a small child.

Yang caught her sister and wrapped her up in a tight, loving hug – closing her eyes briefly while her shoulders noticeably relaxed. Blake knew that Yang would probably never say anything, but Weiss wasn't the only one who worried about Ruby when the younger girl was away….

Once their hug was finished, Ruby turned and gave Blake a one armed hug, being careful not to disrupt the dish in Blake's hands.

"Ohh…what'd you br - tuna? Guys, really?"

"'Guys, really' what?"

Ruby held one hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she turned towards Weiss – who had just come gliding out of the kitchen to greet the guests at the door.

"Uh…" Yang replied, suddenly not at all confident in her argument when Weiss stepped closer and peered at the food Blake was holding.

Weiss rolled her eyes, but initially said nothing. Instead, she opted to give Blake a hug before turning and pointing an accusatory finger in Yang's direction.

"I know this was all your idea," the heiress stated calmly. Turning on her heel, she gestured for them to follow her into the kitchen for their meal.

Walking into the kitchen, Blake found that the rest of their meal had already been neatly laid out upon the dining table. Setting the plate of contraband ahi tacos down in the open space Weiss had immaculately left open just for that purpose, she stood back to appreciate the rest of the meal their teammates had prepared for them.

For having never cooked before she got to Beacon, Weiss had become a great chef (and an even more excellent baker – although she hardly baked anything besides chocolate chip cookies).

Tonight, the heiress had prepared a gorgeous looking meal of roasted duck, scalloped potatoes, and some sort of appealing vegetable dish that Blake doubted Ruby or Yang would even touch.

She took her usual seat – beside Yang and directly across from Weiss, who sat down moments later.

"Did Weiss let you help with anything this time, Ruby? Or were you in charge of 'not dropping the plates' again?" Yang teased, diving right into the potatoes and helping herself to an enormous scoop.

"She always helps," Weiss scolded the blonde, "And maybe you should be in charge of 'not bringing the tuna' from now on."

Blake giggled while scooping several of the tuna tacos off onto her own plate.

"But didn't she break all of your best china plates last time, Weiss?" Blake asked, noticing the soft shade of red Ruby was turning while Weiss huffed in indignation.

"Not all of them!" Ruby finally piped up, cheeks still darkening from her blush. "Two of them managed to make it…"

Blake and Yang laughed, while Weiss patted the top of Ruby's hand tenderly. Clearly, the heiress had already completely forgiven her somewhat-clumsy wife for her most recent mishap.

"You should have checked the weather that day," Yang began, her grin announcing the witty remark before it even came out of her mouth. "Then you would have been warned Hurricane Ruby was going to make landfall!"

Ruby giggled, but the joke only managed to make Weiss roll her eyes.

"Would it have also told me that there would be a flood of tuna again for dinner?" the heiress asked wryly.

"You're lucky you have four years left until my next wish, Weiss...otherwise I'd be making you eat tuna every single day," Yang teased.

"Oh, no, Yang, everyday would be too much," Blake cut in, pretending to come to Weiss' aid before smirking at the heiress. "But every other day might be just perfect."

Yang let out a loud laugh at Weiss' expense, while Ruby pouted at her own plate of food.

"It's not fair. I married Weiss and I don't even get wishes!" the brunette lamented, earning a look of shock from the heiress.

"I would think that marrying me would have been one of your wishes!" she remarked, somewhat shrilly.

"O-of course!" Ruby hastily replied. "I just meant...like…uh well, you know…"

Yang chuckled at her younger sister's unsuccessful backtrack out of her comment.

"I think maybe it's time for you to start granting some wishes for your wife, Weiss," Blake commented with an amused smile – earning herself a glare from her teammate.

"Not all of us need to be as…accommodative…as you are with Yang," Weiss retorted, causing Blake to snap her mouth shut and blush furiously at the implication.

"Mmm…this food is great, Weiss!" Yang said loudly, attempting to draw the topic away from anything she didn't want Ruby to hear (although Blake knew for a fact that Yang's younger sister was not as innocent as she appeared).

Weiss let the subject drop with a small smirk – successful in having won that little argument.

When dinner was over and they had cleaned up the kitchen, the four of them headed towards the simulation room. It had become something of a routine for them to practice each week after dinner together. It kept them feeling close and cohesive as a unit – something that could only be achieved when battling alongside close friends.

Plus, none of them wanted to be rusty if Vale ever needed to call upon them again.

"What would you like to fight today?" Weiss asked while she played with the control panel – an open, green field of lush grass appearing under their feet seconds later.

Jumping up and down on the balls of her feet, Yang threw two quick jabs in the air in anticipation.

"I think it's Blake's turn to decide," the brawler responded.

After thinking for a few seconds, Blake had her answer.

"How about some Paladins?"

Ruby nodded excitedly at the suggestion while Yang grinned at her in approval.

"Ok," Weiss responded with a few more taps on the panel. "Insane difficulty?

"Is there even another option?" Yang asked before she and Ruby shared a laugh.

Weiss sighed at the sisters' typical response.

"Yes, there are options for sane people."

"Well who would want to use those?" Yang replied, seeming to be genuinely curious.

"The people who don't like being slammed into walls by giant mechanized robots, that's who," Weiss responded curtly.

"Oh come on, like you don't have someone to nurse you back to health afterward," Yang replied teasingly. "I know for a fact that Ruby spoils you with attention whenever you get a paper cut."

Blake laughed as Weiss and Ruby both turned red in embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Weiss. Yang's really the one who wants to get injured so that I'll take care of her," Blake said, causing Yang to smirk as she muttered, "well that's not untrue" under her breath.

"Ok!" Ruby finally piped up. "Are we ready to go or what?"

They all managed to laugh before Yang answered for the group.

"Hell yeah."

Yang turned up her aura, eyes turning crimson as her hair became living flames. Blake pulled out Gambol Shroud, holding her trusty weapon out in front of her at attention, feeling her shadow clones on the periphery of her mind. Ruby swung Crescent Rose off of her back, the weapon snapping into place as it unfolded fluidly into a giant, deadly scythe. Weiss punched the last few keys on the control panel before pulling Myrtenaster from her side and spinning the dust dial to red.

They watched the far end of the room as four giant robots begin materializing in front of them - each one armed with enough cannons to level an entire city block.

"Care to make it interesting?" Weiss shouted to Yang when the machines were nearing the completion of their materialization. Yang raised her eyebrows in interest.

"I'm listening."

"If Ruby and I destroy our two first, there can be no tuna at all for the next six months."

Blake sucked in her breath before Yang turned and waved a hand at her in pacification.

"Ok…but, if Blake and I win, we only eat tuna for six months."

Blake grinned when she heard the counter offer - that was definitely something she could get behind.

Weiss nodded her head and properly shook Yang's hand before they turned their complete attention back to the machines that were rapidly whirring to life before their eyes.

"Yang…" Blake whispered when her partner returned to her side. "If we win this…there will be an extra reward for you when we get home."

The words turned the tips of Yang's ears red, but the blonde managed to play it off with a confident smile.

"Don't worry, Blake. We got this."

The brawler charged forward when the Paladins began spewing missiles towards her. Blake watched in admiration as the blonde lithely dodged the explosions to land a solid punch on one of the machine's legs, leaving a dent as if her fist were a sledgehammer.

Blake grinned as she raced to join her partner in the battle.

"Ugh…I totally thought we had that…" Yang lamented a couple hours later, holding her hands straight up above her head in distress. "Ruby totally cheated though."

Blake laughed at the allegation, not bothering to turn towards her partner as she opted instead to continue staring up at the stars above them.

"How did Ruby cheat?" she asked curiously, wondering what possible evidence Yang could have when Weiss and Ruby had clearly beaten them fair and square. Of course, it probably helped that Ruby was a fulltime huntress and used her skills every day, while the rest of them stayed in combat form only through the battles they ran in the simulation room together.

"I don't know! I just know that she did…" Yang replied in exasperation before letting out a heavy sigh. "I'm really sorry we lost all of your tuna rights though…and I'm extra sorry that I missed out on earning that reward."

"Oh yes…that is very tragic…" Blake remarked, voice taking on a serious tone just to make fun of Yang for actually believing she wouldn't get any sort of reward tonight. "But it's ok that we can't have tuna with Weiss and Ruby for a while. I just hope we can still have it here?"

It was Yang's turn to laugh.

"Of course! Anything you want, anytime," she answered easily. "All you have to do is ask."

They fell into a content silence while they continued gazing up into the night sky. It was crystal clear tonight – providing a spectacular view of an expansive blanket of stars strewn alongside Remnant's shattered moon. Blake observed at the stars closely – watching as they twinkled before her eyes. It might have been a little chilly up on the rooftop if not for Yang's aura; having the blonde lying beside her blocked the cold before it could ever come near Blake.

A satisfied sigh slipped out while she felt Yang's warm fingers tapping gently on the back of her hand – the blonde's shoulder pressed against her own.

There was no place in the world she would rather be than right here, right now.

"Did you ever think we'd make it here?" Yang suddenly asked, voice no more than a murmur as she seemed to have read Blake's mind.

"I would never have even dared to dream for this," Blake whispered honestly, hand tightening around Yang's when she felt her love for the girl begin to surge through her body.

"D-did you…maybe ever…dream for this?"

She heard a gasp escape her lips and felt her eyes widen when the ring came into view above her, followed by Yang's nervously smiling face once the blonde had propped herself up onto her knees – still holding the ring delicately out in her shaking hand.

Blake shot up to a seated position, eyes darting back and forth between the ring and Yang several times before finally settling upon Yang's lilac eyes. She could hear her heart thumping loudly, pounding against her ribcage, as Yang gathered the courage to speak.

"B-Blake…will you…will you marry me?"

She was grinning like a fool before Yang had even finished asking the question. Reaching out, she grabbed Yang and pulled the blonde into a firm hug – feeling her happiness begin to spill out of her as silent tears.

"Yes – yes, of course I'll marry you."

Yang pulled slightly away in order to gaze into Blake's eyes, her own lilac ones beginning to fill with tears to accompany her huge grin.

"You will?" she asked, eagerly this time.

Blake nodded her head, running her hand across her eyes to wipe away tears only to find them instantly replaced with fresh ones.

"Yes, I will," she repeated, only to be immediately swept up into Yang's arms as the girl kissed her for all she was worth.

When they finally broke away, both laughing out of sheer elation, Yang managed to slip the ring onto Blake's finger with still shaking hands before pulling her forward for another kiss – the one that told Blake just how much the girl loved her.

And Blake loved her back - with every fiber…every cell…of her being.

After everything the two of them had been through, they had finally found exactly where they were supposed to be.

Together.