"Adora"

Adora wiped her eyes with her sleeve and Catra rubbed her eyes as if trying to adjust her sight.

"What am I looking at?" Catra muttered. Bow looked scandalized. Glimmer swatted her arm.

Mara smiled and it was tinged with regret. "Adora. Sweet girl. You made it"

Adora was openly crying now, tears rolling unnoticed down her face.

Mara glanced at Catra with a knowing smirk. "I see you took my advice on love"

Adora and catra blushed, both suddenly interested in the grass.

Glimmer and Bow made exaggerated "Oh" sounds while mockingly stroking their chins.

"Still on the fence about murdering all of you" Catra muttered. Adora gave her an unimpressed look then turned to Mara.

"I'm sorry" Adora whispered "for what happened to you"

Mara shook her head. "I would do it again a thousand times. I love Etheria and I would always defend it. But I regret leaving poor Razz like that"

"We put a pie on your chair" Adora blurted out "In the ruins"

Mara beamed at that "I'm glad you're taking care of her. She's not getting any younger"

"I'm sure that's technically true"

Mara laughed. "Besides, I get to spend eternity with Light Hope. We have so much to get caught up on. She hurt me, she hurt me a lot. But she wants to make it right. And I want to let her. I love her"

Adora looked behind herself smiling tenderly at Catra. "Yeah, I know the feeling"

Catra's ears flattened timidly.

Mara kissed Adora on the top of her head. "I have to go now. Remember you are not the end but the beginning"

Mara touched Adora's cheek lightly as Adora moved her hand over Mara's, Mara dissolved into pure light.

Glimmer, Bow and Catra hugged her tightly. Adora melted into their warmth.

Glimmer pulled away and appraised Adora slyly "what did Mara mean about love?"

"Uh…"

"Yeah, come to think of it" Bow said thoughtfully "How did you guys survive the Failsafe anyway?"

Adora and Catra went bright red.

Catra rubbed the chip scar on the back of her neck "I…may have confessed I've always been in love with her" she coughed awkwardly.

"And we kissed" Adora added.

"Adora!" Catra protested.

"what? We did!"

Glimmer and Bow squealed and spun Catra around chanting "Catra's first kiss! Catra's first kiss!"

"shut up! I've kissed girls before!"

"Yeah right" Glimmer scoffed.

"Ugh…"

Adora wasn't paying attention. She was holding the sword, deep in thought. The beginning, not the end…

…

In the present, Angie was asleep on Adora's lap as Adora sat on the Captain's chair.

Fin was sitting on the floor staring up, enraptured, at their mother "I love stories about Mara" they whispered, hugging Melog tight.

"And we didn't stop teasing them" Glimmer said. Catra nudged her and Bow laughed.

Adam went pale and Cringer rubbed his leg gently. Marlena took Adora's hand.

Adora squeezed her hand back as Darla touched down on Brightmoon's front courtyard.

Adora smiled uncertainly at her mother and brother. "Ready to meet the rest of the family?"

"Family" Adam muttered as if it were an unfamiliar word.

They trooped out of Darla. Micah was practicing spell circles in front of the castle doors.

He raised his eyebrows. He was expecting his daughter and her friends but not an old woman, a man that looked like Adora and an alarmingly large cat.

Glimmer gave him a big hug which he returned while appraising the newcomers. "Baby Girl, why is it every time you kids go offworld you bring back strays?"

Adora laughed and put Adam in her patented headlock, usually reserved for Catra.

"ok, stray, want to see our room?"

To be continued…