A/N: It's time to meet the parents.

Amelia took a deep breath as she stood at the front gate of, what she'd been told and couldn't yet fully believe, was her family's mansion. The place was massive, three stories tall on the main building, with an added three when she counted the tower at its center. The sheer scope and size of the place left her feeling even more intimidated than she already was. Why hadn't her siblings warned her ahead of time that they were apparently loaded?

Beside her at the gate was Lucia. Luz had gone ahead an hour or so before them, saying something about wanting to be there for Amity, because their mom was likely freaking out about meeting her long lost daughter again, and Luz wanted to make sure her girlfriend had someone to lean on.

The gate had been left open for them, yet despite that it almost felt like an insurmountable wall was keeping her from entering.

"You okay?" Lucia asked, giving her hand a squeeze. "We can leave if you want, you don't have to do this today."

Amelia shook her head, "No, we're so close to going back home. I won't have many chances left."

"Just because the portal back is almost done doesn't mean you'll never be able to come and see them at a later time, when you're more prepared." Lucia soothed.

It was true, the portal was close to finished. With Hunter's lent resources, including royal blacksmiths, carpenters, and sorcerers at their disposal, as well as all the pieces Luz herself had gathered and Philip's journal(or at least, the Echo Mouse that had eaten it) as a manual, the door would be ready in a day or two. They'd be able to return to Earth, and with a key they'd be able to come back to the isles as easy as stepping through a door whenever they wanted. Amelia didn't have to do this today.

And yet she did. She had to get this over with. She had to see the parents she'd accidentally abandoned all those years ago.

She gave a tug of her girlfriend's hand, "Come on, lets go." And with that, Amelia straightened her back, summoned her courage and walked through the gate's threshold, Lucia by her side.

The walk up the road to the manor took an embarrassingly long time on foot, and with each step Amelia felt her courage began to wane. It brought to mind that the house wasn't the only thing that was large, the property itself was huge. It made her feel inadequate comparatively, a feeling she wasn't used to and tried to squash down.

When they made it to the front of the house, they were met by an entourage who were waiting in the front yard for their arrival. Amelia recognized Amity, Edric and Emira, all put into stuffy looking outfits that looked as uncomfortable as they were expensive. There was of course, Luz, who wore her normal attire, her kitty hoodie and her witches wool cloak, standing hand in hand with her own girlfriend. Amity's Palisman, Ghost, wrapped around Luz's ankle, rubbing against it and purring openly, while Luz's, Hecate, was coiled around Amity's neck and shoulders. It seemed like a testament to their bond that their palismans were as openly affectionate with them as their owners were.

That left two more figures, a woman with green hair and a stern, but beautiful face. She wore her own ridiculously exorbitant outfit, looking more like she should be at a board meeting for a fancy tech company instead of standing out on the grass, among nature. Her hair was in a tight bun, and her makeup looked professionally done, not a hair or eyelash out of place.

Beside her was a comparatively shabby looking man. His hair was a mess, like he'd only just dragged himself out of bed, and the five o'clock shadow on his chin and jaw, along with the bags under his eyes really helped sell the look. While the others were dressed in what Amelia was hoping was their best clothing(she didn't want to imagine how outfits could look more lavish than these), this man instead stood in an outfit more befitting an engineer, or perhaps a mad scientist, if they had a fetish for the color purple. The getup was covered in stains of various sizes and colors, and made the man stick out like a sore thumb next to his family.

These were her parents. Her mother and her father.

Seeing their lavish clothes, she felt like shrinking back, as she'd only worn what was available in her size from the Owl House's reserves of human clothing Eda had apparently stolen from the Human Realm over the years. A wrinkled old t-shirt two sizes too big for her with the logo of a band Amelia had never heard of, and jeans that had more holes in them than some would consider fashionable. She hadn't even had any makeup to wear. Beside her, Lucia wasn't much better, her clothing just as mismatched and unironed.

Her mother was watching her intently, studying every inch of her face with sharp, piercing eyes, taking in her appearance, from her clothing to her height to her hair color. Finally she gave a curt nod, "You really are her, aren't you?"

Her mother took a step forward, "I apologize, I had to make sure. The twi- I mean, your siblings, are very fond of pranks, and- it doesn't matter. You're here. Truly here."

She held out a hand for a cordial handshake, "I'm your mother, Odalia Blight. It's… I can not begin to describe how happy I am to see you alive, Emily."

"Amelia," The girl cursed herself silently for being so quick to correct that, and she could see her mother's smile twitch. "Sorry, what I mean to say is I go by Amelia now."

Odalia nodded in quiet understanding, "Of course. I heard over the news, how silly of me to forget. Whatever makes you happy." Despite her words, the smile on her lips looked increasingly strained.

She turned to her husband, "Alador, darling, come over here and greet your daughter."

The disheveled man scratched at the back of his head, and took a few steps forward. He blinked at her, taking her in, then seemed to realize he should be doing something with his mouth and attempted to smile at her. "You've gotten taller."

Behind him Emira groaned, and Ed booed, but Luz gave a genuine chuckle.

Alador stepped closer, close enough to lay his hands on her shoulders and look her properly in her eyes. Whatever he saw in them, Amelia couldn't tell, but he gave her a firm pat on her both shoulders and a half-way warm smile, "Welcome back."

Alador seemed to notice Amelia wasn't the only woman there, craning his head to his left to look at Lucia, who still stood beside Amelia, unwavering, if secretly nervous about meeting her girlfriend's birth parents. "Hello. I don't think I know you."

Amelia jumped in, "Oh, yes. This is Lucia Noceda. You already know her little sister, Luz. She's also my girlfriend."

Alador checked Lucia over with a slightly more scrutinizing eye, before giving a nod, "She seems like a strong girl."

Meanwhile, Odalia was pursing her lips over this new information. "Another human, hm? Well, I suppose at least in your case it couldn't be helped. You were stuck in the Human Realm all these years."

Amelia wasn't sure what to make of that comment, but she didn't have time to think on it as Odalia gave a clap of her hands, her other children straightening up sharply. "I have a nice luncheon prepared for us today in the courtyard. If you'll all follow me, we can enjoy our first meal together as a complete family… plus others."

As they followed the Blight matriarch into the house, Amity shuffled beside Amelia, and muttered just loud enough for the other girl to hear, "Well, we all know who the new favorite is."

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked, trying to keep the smirk off her face.

Amity shot her a dirty glare, "I had to fight an Abomiton with Luz to get our Mom to let me be friends with her, but you get to date your human just because you grew up in the human world? Blatant favoritism."

Lucia on the other hand was filing that bit of information away to get more details out of Luz later. If things went south with Amelia's parents, she needed to start planning some revenge.

Lunch was an assorted affair. Amelia and Lucia were both a bit embarrassed to admit they had no idea what any of the forks or knives were for, a task even Luz seemed to have some understanding of, which only made them feel worse about that fact.

Thankfully, many of the items on the menu were finger foods. Luz gave Lucia a brief rundown of what to avoid if she wanted to not barf her guts up later, but Amelia looked at the various items of food on display and couldn't help but want to try it all. Despite how horrific a lot of the food appeared, having eyeballs and tentacles, Amelia found Boiling Isles cuisine to be her favorite part about being trapped here so far, even if the texture was something she had to get past to enjoy the flavor.

Amelia told her parents everything she could about her time in the Human Realm, dating as far back as she could remember. Or, at least all the flattering stuff. She left out her trouble making tendencies she'd had in her past, when she'd been chasing cheap thrills at her old school, making especially sure to exclude her shoplifting and dating life. She did make a mental note to share those exploits with Ed and Em, though, as they seemed the type who would not only find them entertaining, but inspirational as well.

In return, she learned a lot about the family business. Or, as much as she could stomach. She tried to pay attention, but her mother droned on and on about things like stocks and market quotas, that it went in one ear and out the other. Instead she nodded along blankly, and hoped that didn't make her a terrible daughter. The fact her siblings had immediately zoned out as well was a good sign for her, at least.

Her father's part of the job was a lot more interesting. "I've seen Amity make these abomination things before. Vee, er, one of the only magical people around to teach me, said it's basically impossible back on Earth without the proper ingredients to make one, so I never learned."

Alador nodded, "students in the Abomination track start off with a pot full of ingredients to make a working abomination servant. It's fairly simple, so the same should apply even in the Human Realm."

The sandwich Alador was eating had already been precut into squares, so that didn't slow him down at all this meal. He took a bite, then continued, "More experienced Abomination summoners can do it without the pot, by calling forth the ingredients from their surroundings. Depending on where you are on the Isles, it can be tricky. The Knee in particular is difficult to summon on due to the liquid ingredients being frozen, for instance."

Odalia patted her lips with a napkin, "That reminds me, dear, is there any particular branch of magic you excel at? Perhaps while you're here we could get you in touch with some of Amity's old Abomination tutors, if you're interested?"

Amelia leaned her elbows against the table, before remembering that was considered rude and sat back in her chair, "Well, I'm pretty good with the basic elements. I can shoot fire, make ice, that kind of stuff. The only Track specific type of magic I think I know though is my illusions, which Vee told me were really good."

Ed and Em sat up in their seats upon hearing this, with Emira grinning, "You really are our other third!"

"We're illusionists as well! Best in our school." Ed added, twirling his finger to summon an example, but cancelling it when his mother shot him a glare.

"No magic at the table, Edric," Odalia scolded, before turning back to Amelia. "I'm very happy to hear you've found a talent, Amelia. Especially one that will bring you closer to your brother and sister."

Amity frowned at this, knowing her mother's habit of liking her children to match, and hoping for Amelia's sake it was rare genuine praise instead.

The conversation from there, drifting from place to place, never settling too long on one topic. Amelia told her parents about her choice to rise up as Gravefield's protector when she'd found out about her magic and demons, which had earned a short story about some various badass ancestors she'd had that helped make the Blight family what it was today by fighting off wild animals that threatened Bonesborough centuries ago. There was notably no praise for her own actions, just for that of her ancestors, leaving Amelia certain her mother disapproved immensely about her chosen work. Perhaps she thought it was beneath the current generation of the Blight name to dirty their hands fighting the good fight.

Lucia tried her best to engage in conversation when she saw the chance, but it became more and more clear that she was more or less tolerated by Odalia, and less a guest as she was more someone to politely ignore and talk over. Her scowl was only softened by Amelia's hand holding hers tightly under the table, and she bid her time until they could leave.

The day wore on, and eventually it came time for Amelia and the two humans to take their leave. The family walked them back to the entrance hall, where they prepared to say their goodbyes. Odalia stepped forward, her eyes wavering over her daughter, before she let out a sigh. "You have no plan to stay in this realm, do you?"

Amelia shook her head. "I don't. I'm… so glad to have the opportunity to meet you again. But I also have a family back home. In the Human Realm. Right now, they have no idea where I am, just that I left home one day and didn't come back, and I don't want to leave them like that."

Odalia understood that more than anyone, "Then I won't let you keep them waiting. You'll visit?"

"Of course," Amelia assured her, "I- I'll bring my human family with me, next time. I have a lot to tell them, but I want you to meet them."

Odalia nodded, "Please do. I want to thank the ones who have raised my daughter in my stead. Before you go, though.."

Odalia snapped her fingers, and Jeeves the Abomination stumbled into the room, a gift box in his hands. He slowly shuffled over to Odalia, handing her the box, which was immediately held out to Amelia. "A gift."

Amelia took the package and opened the lid of the box, pulling out a stuffed doll that she recognized vaguely. Her mother clarified for her, "It's your favorite doll from when you were a small Witchling, Otabin. A silly children's book character, but I have kept him close since you saw him last."

Amelia bit her lip, feeling a rush of emotion over seeing one of her old toys. Despite its age, it was well cared for, and recently cleaned if the softness of the plush and the smell of soap told her anything. "Thank you very much, Mother."

Odalia stood there awkwardly for a moment, then opened her arms for a hug. Amelia stepped forward to embrace her mother for the first time in over a decade. It wasn't a great hug. It was stiff and stilted, like this was an action Odalia wasn't used to performing, and it ended much too quickly, with the older woman giving Amelia a hard pat on the back and pulling away before it could even get close to comfortable.

Odalia coughed into her fist, and turned to her husband and other children, "Say your goodbyes to your sister. You too, Alador."

Amelia was swept up into a much bigger, much better hug given by all three of her siblings at once. It was warm, and tight, and brought her a lot of comfort.

"Take us with you," Edric murmured.

"Please?" Emira added under her breath.

"We'll be good!" Amity begged as she spoke through clenched teeth formed into a fake grin.

Amelia just gave a soft chuckle, and broke away from them. "I'll see you all again soon. Before I leave, okay? I'll let you know when to meet everyone else at Eda's place."

She turned her attention to her father, who looked even more clueless than her mother about how to handle this parting. He sent her a tight smile, "It was good seeing you again, Emil- Amelia."

"It was good seeing you again too… Dad." Seeing the genuine joy that reached his face on hearing that made Amelia feel a lot better. She held open her arms, and he joined her for a hug just as awkward as the one she shared with her mother, if a little bit softer.

"Take care of yourself. And if you ever need a bodyguard or home protection, just let me know."

Amelia nodded, "I will, thanks."

As the three of them left the Blight Household behind, Luz squirmed with questions. Once they'd passed the threshold of the gate, officially off the property, she finally let one out, "You're really not going to stay?"

Amelia shook her head, "Nope. I have a family back home, same as you."

She shivered, "Besides, as nice as it was to meet them, I can't imagine living there full time. Have either of my birth parents ever felt a full emotion before?"

Lucia laughed, clutching the Otabin doll in her arms, "They did both seem like they had some sticks shoved waaaay up their… butts." She finished, remembering Luz was there.

Her little sister rolled her eyes, "I'm not a little kid anymore, Lucy, you can say the word ass around me."

Lucia gasped, "Who said you could use that word?! Was it Eda? I'm going to kill that old, foxy lady!"

Amelia laughed, and threw an arm around her girlfriend's neck, ignoring Lucia's outbursts aimed at Luz as they made their way back to the Owl House.

The day had arrived. Everyone was to meet at the Owl House to say their goodbyes, which they all hoped wouldn't be their last. Luz was going to do her utmost best to convince her mom to keep letting her attend Hexside, and even had a pamphlet in her bag to show off, but even if that failed she would still visit as often as she could.

The morning began as any other did since the Emperor's defeat, with breakfast. Raine was at the stove today, frying up some griffon eggs for the humans to eat. One thing that hadn't avoided Luz's notice was that the bard, for the most part, hadn't left the Owl House, staying over most nights and being there to join them for breakfast. She hadn't seen any open signs of affection between them and Eda in the days since they'd started living there, but Luz was sure something was going on behind closed doors, even if it was just the start of a mended relationship. Either way, she was very happy for those two.

Breakfast went well, everyone joining in at once today, rather than all of them stumbling in at different times of the morning. Eda still couldn't tell Vee and Luz apart, much to the amusement of the two who did everything they could to throw her off, including swapping clothes. The others had at least started to pick up on the subtle differences in how they walked, talked and held themselves to mostly get it right when they were next to each other.

It always made Luz feel special on the occasions when Amity would visit, and the witch could immediately tell who she was, no matter what Luz was wearing or how hard she tried to fool her with Vee.

As breakfast came to a close, people started to show up. Amity was the first, of course, flanked by Ed and Em. All three tried to look happy for the humans, but it was clear there was a level of distress over having to say goodbye to them staying in their realm permanently, even if they'd have access to visit whenever they wanted. It just wasn't the same if they couldn't drop by the Owl House whenever they wanted to see their friends and their sister.

Next was Willow, shortly followed by Gus. Both Hexside students had already made plans to visit the human realm as soon as Luz and company had settled back in, with them planning a day out to go to a flower shop. It was a low risk setting that let Willow shop around and find new plants, while letting Gus explore a relatively safe area of the Human Realm.

Lucia warned them to be on the lookout for monster plants, and warned them even harder to not grow any of their own.

The BATs showed up, of course, though they weren't truly the Bards Against the Throne anymore. Rather, they all were helping with the reconstructive efforts and the reorganization of the government and its powers. They were all still a cheery bunch, though Eda made sure Amber didn't have any access to the alcohol this time.

And the last guest to arrive was Hunter and Li'l Rascal, absent of any guards and dressed in the same casual outfit Hunter liked to wear when he'd attended Luz's glyph lessons. Clasped in his hand was a familiar briefcase shaped object that had Luz gasping. The portal really was complete.

"Shouldn't you have like, royal guards, or something at your side at all times when you're out of your Castle?" Lucia asked him, cocking a brow as he handed the door over to Luz, who immediately whooped and threw herself into an erratic happy dance that almost immediately ended with her face planting on the floor.

"I'm the Emperor now, I can do whatever I want." Hunter shot back, earning a glare from Raine. With a sigh, he added an addendum, "Within reason. Whatever I want within reason."

Despite working together everyday, Raine still didn't trust Hunter fully, and as much as it irritated the young ruler, it was understandable. Belos seeded a lot of mistrust in authority figures, especially in someone like Raine who had faced imprisonment and torture. Hunter constantly had to remind himself that however inconvenienced he felt, that Raine had suffered worse and only wanted to ensure it didn't happen again.

The door was quickly set up by Luz and Eda, who understood how best to operate it. Not that it was hard. Once it was standing as a door and ready to be opened, Luz realized that this was a new door, and the old key they kept safely hidden away obviously wasn't going to work. "Uh, Hunter?"

"I've got you," He reached into his pocket and pulled out not one, but a set of two keys, handing one to the young human, and the other to the Owl Lady. Luz stared at it in awe. "It's the least I can do. Think of it as reparations for losing the old door."

"I can just… keep it and open the door on my end wherever and whenever I want, then?" Luz asked, her voice heavy in disbelief.

"That's how it works, kiddo." Eda nodded, fingering her own key. "Are these the only two?"

Hunter gave a short nod, "Yes. One key for either side of the realms."

Eda pocketed hers for the time being. "All right then, I don't think we should keep the girls waiting any longer, they do have a mother to get back home to. Gather around, say your goodbyes, and give her one of those parallel arm hug things."

It was clear Eda was rushing them out the door to hide her own emotional state, with her not doing a very good job at disguising when she was dabbing the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She moved out of the way, to the back of the room to let everyone rush to Luz.

Willow and Gus came first, teaming up on Luz and squeezing her in as tight a hug as they could, enacting sweet revenge for all the bone cracking hugs she'd given them. Luz just giggled at their attempts, and squeezed them just as tightly back. "I'll miss you guys so much."

We'll miss you too," Willow assured her, pressing a kiss to Luz's cheek.

"Visit as often as you can. Since I'm part of the HAO again, I'll need you to bring me plenty of human artifacts for me to show off. Including yourself, since you're my favorite Human artifact of them all!" Gus sniffled, and pressed his own kiss to Luz's other cheek.

"You two are so sweet. I'll keep in touch. I'll see if Crystal Balls work on Earth, and if they do I'll use it to talk to you guys every day. If I can't convince my Mom to let me come to school here, that is." Luz pat them both on the back.

Lucia reached out to ruffle both the heads of her sister's best friends, "don't you guys be strangers. We're pretty easy to find, so stop by anytime you guys want. I'm glad my hermanita's got some good people to call her friends."

After assuring that they would visit often, they pair stepped aside to let Amity and the twins step forward. Amity didn't waste any time and took Luz's hand in both of hers, whispering a parting only for Luz's ears. "It doesn't matter how much space separates us. You'll always be close to my heart, Luz. I love you. Te amo."

Luz's bottom lip trembled, and she brushed her lips against Amity's ears to repeat back to her "Te amo, Amity. Te mantendré en mi corazón como si estuvieras a mi lado, hermosa."

Amity didn't know what any of that meant, but she understood the intent and the way Luz spoke gave her goosebumps, as did the passionate kiss Luz pulled her into right in front of everyone. Amity's brain short circuited at the contact, and for a moment she was sure she was flying, though she came to realize Luz had literally swept her off her feet and into a tight hug. Around her she could hear playful catcalls from the other witches, and especially her siblings, but she found that this time, she didn't care.

While Amity clung tightly to Luz, Edric and Emira took the time to say goodbye to Amelia. "It was nice getting to know you," Emira said, taking her sister's hand in her own.

"It was especially good to know you weren't dead this whole time," Ed added, earning a sharp smack to his arm from Em.

"You're talking like you'll never see me again," Amelia's tone was teasing, but her smile was forced. "Was I that much of a disappointment?"

"No! No!" Emira assured her.

"Then you'll have to promise me you'll visit sometime. You guys think the market is cool, wait until I can take you to a shopping mall."

Both of her siblings nodded, and wrapped her up in a hug of their own. "We were actually kind of worried you didn't want us around." Ed admitted.

"What do you mean?" Amelia frowned.

"We're just… part of your old life, is all. You have a new one. A better one. With less stuffy and controlling parents. You've been great, but it was also pretty clear you wanted to get back home as soon as you could, so we…" Emira hesitated to finish her statement.

"We kinda thought it was us." Edric finished for her, looking sheepish, as if he'd realized how silly that sounded now that he'd voiced the concern.

The human raised witch shook her head, "That's ridiculous. Sure, I want to get back home, but I'll never forget you two, or want you to stay out of my life. We're a trio now, and we still have loads of catching up to do."

She turned to Amity, who was still in a tight embrace with her girlfriend, "That means you too, Amity. I know you'll be dropping in practically every other hour to visit Luz, but that doesn't mean you can weasel out of hanging out with me."

Amity smiled, dislodging herself from Luz's grasp to instead hug her older sister. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. You're my favorite older sibling, after all." She gave the others a smug grin at that.

Ed and Em gasped, "What have we possibly done to lose our little sister's favor?"

"Do you want that list by date, or alphabetically?" Amity asked in a deadpan tone. "How about we start with the time you tried to steal my diary to spread around the school?"

Ed and Em backed off after that, perfectly happy to accept that Amelia was Amity's favorite sibling.

The next to say goodbye was King, he came up to Luz sniffling and fighting back tears. "I don't want you to leave!"

"Aww," Luz got down on one knee and held her little buddy up in her arms. "Don't you worry about that King. We'll have plenty of sleepovers, anytime you want to stay over at my place, okay?"

King gave a little nod, and Luz poked his fuzzy belly, "And besides, I promised I'd help you find your dad, and we haven't finished that little adventure yet!"

"Oh, are we still doing that? Hoot hoot?" Hooty burst into the room, causing half the room to have to duck so as not to be knocked over by his swinging neck.

King gave Hooty a confused look, "yes? We never stopped doing that, Hooty."

"Oh! That's nice. I totally didn't forget about that or anything until just now. Totally didn't forget to give you anything in the past, either." Hooty said nervously, then began to hack. "I'- I'm just gonna leave this here with you now, totally hasn't been sitting in my stomach for months!"

The bird tube then threw up a single letter onto the floor, where it lay wet and sticky from what everyone hoped was just saliva. King had Luz set him down so he could open it up, and he let out an excited cry, "it's from my Dad!"

He scrambled to open the envelope, nearly tearing the damp letter in his effort. Upon getting it open, he peeked at it's contents, his eyes reading, then rereading what was written down for him. "H- he says he would like to see me! Me! And he left an address and everything and-"

King froze, then crumpled the letter angrily, "Hooty, you total idiot, this letter is dated! How did you forget to deliver it to me?!"

"Well," Luz sighed, kicking her feet wistfully, "Guess that's an adventure for another day."

King looked up at her, then set the letter aside. "I'll wait until you can come back, so we can go together." He swore after a moment, receiving another hug from the human witch.

After his farewell, next was Lilith, who kept things brief. "I'm sorry I almost got you killed a few months ago, Luz. I'm sorry you got dragged along on so many dangerous adventures with my sister and I as well. But I'm not sorry I got the chance to meet you, and learn from you, and become a better person because of you."

Luz tried not to ugly cry, wiping at her face with her sleeve. "I'm glad I got to meet you too. And you were a great student. I'm glad you got your job back as head of the Emperor's coven, too."

Lilith smiled kindly, "I'll make sure I do an even better job at it this time around. I won't take up any more of your time, I'm sure we'll still be seeing plenty of each other in the future."

She turned to Amelia, "And if you ever need a teacher, I have some experience mentoring Blights, I'll always be happy to help."

Lastly, she turned to Lucia, unsure of what to say to the other human. She gave a polite nod in acknowledgment, which was returned by Lucia, "I know what it means to be dedicated to a younger sister's care and safety. You've done a much better job than I could have ever hoped to do. Take care of her and yourself in your world."

"Will do," Lucia grinned, and with a returned smile Lilith melded back into the crowd.

Hunter approached next, "Still interested in becoming a teacher?"

Luz nodded eagerly, "Always!"

Hunter looked glad to hear it, "Good, because one of the legislation I'm looking to pass in the coming days will be unbanning and decriminalizing wild magic. So keep up your studies, because who knows, maybe a position will be open for a job teaching about glyphs at Hexside in a decade or so."

Luz hugged him tightly, a trend that was going to give all of her friends aching ribs by the end of the day, and as she did so he leaned in and said in a lower voice, "You were right, back then. My Uncle wasn't always going to be around forever. I won't either, but I'm going to make things better with the time I've got."

"You already have," Luz assured him.

Hunter pulled away from the hug, and turned his attention to the second Noceda, and her Blight. He offered them a hand, which Lucia shook. "Thank you for your contributions. It wasn't your fight, but you helped end things before they could go south. If either of you ever need anything, feel free to ask."

Amelia opened her mouth and Hunter immediately corrected himself, "No, you can't be the new Empress. Or empty the treasury. Or anything ridiculous like all you smart-asses from the Human Realm are bound to ask."

Amelia laughed, "alright, you got me there. But we'll keep your offer in mind."

"Thanks for keeping an eye on my sister," Lucia said sincerely, but Hunter just shook his head.

"She looked out for me far more than I ever did for her."

Raine was just as brief as Lilith, giving each of the humans a hearty handshake and a kind smile. "I've never been good with my words, I know, silly coming from a bard, much less one who was also a leader of a revolution. That said, I can't thank you enough for what you've done. I wish you all a fond farewell, and if you ever want to stop by for a chat, my door at the Bard Coven is always open for you."

Luz beamed up at them, "I'd like that. I'll bring you some music albums from Earth, I'm sure you'll like them. And I'm glad you'll be around when I'm not, I'm sure Eda appreciates the company." She slyly winked at the bard, who's face flushed crimson.

"Luz, things aren't like that… yet." Raine tried bashfully, but it was clear from their expression that they were happy to have Luz in their corner.

That just left Eda, who was biting her lip and trying not to cry. She looked down at Luz and crossed her arms, "You be a good girl, okay? Don't do anything I wouldn't do, because that would be stupid. Don't get into any trouble you can't get out of."

She turned to Lucia, "And you make sure to keep an eye on her when she eventually does get into something she can't get out of."

Then finally Amelia, "And you save their butts when that just makes things worse, okay? Good."

The tough act wasn't fooling anyone, and the three girls pulled Eda into a gentle hug. "We'll do our best, Eda." Lucia clapped the Owl Lady on the back.

"Thanks so much for letting us stay with you," Amelia followed up. "I'm not sure I'd have been able to handle rooming with my birth parents all this time."

"Thank you for everything, Mom." Luz spoke warmly, meaning it with every fiber of her being.

Eda's shell broke, and she began openly weeping. "What is it with you kids? First King, and now you too, Luz? You two are always making your poor mother cry."

It made Luz's heart sing to hear Eda say that, and she clung to her tighter than ever, giggling happily and letting out a few tears herself.

"I love you, kiddo."

"Love you too, Mom."

Then finally, it was time. The door was waiting for them. Camila was waiting for them. Except one thing, or more accurately, person, was missing.

Lucia glanced around the room, looking around in confusion. "Has anyone seen Vee?"

Vee sat by the cliff outside the house, feet dangling off the edge. Today was the end of an era for her. She'd done the job she'd set out to do, she helped find Luz, and soon the human would be on her way home. There wasn't any need for her to stick around anymore. No one needed a Changeling when the original was still around.

The time in between finding a new family was always the worst. She wasn't looking forward to it. To be alone, again. Then when she did find one, she'd have to bury herself away behind yet another personality that didn't belong to her, and abandon this one. This one that hadn't even really been Luz's in months.

No more hating the Azura novels. No more laughing with Lucia. No bunk beds, or tasty Dominican cuisine. No more Weird Al.

Moving on to another family was always hard, but it was going to be even worse than ever before, she could already tell.

"There you are."

She turned around to see Lucia and Luz stepping out the back door of the Owl House, Amelia behind them but waiting at the door. "I thought you left," Vee said softly, tearing her eyes away from the siblings so she could stare back at the horizon.

"Why would we do that without you with us?" Luz asked, settling in behind her.

Vee squirmed. Wasn't this already hard enough? "Because you guys don't need me."

"Says who?" Lucia challenged, cracking a knuckle. "'Cause I'll beat anyone's ass who thinks that, including yours."

"I'm just a Changeling, guys," Vee shook her head. "You don't need to keep me around anymore."

"You're not just a Changeling, Vee. You're our sister." Lucia said firmly.

"But-"

"Didn't you tell us that Changelings did what they did, moving from family to family, because they need to be loved to survive?" Luz asked."That's why you took my place."

"Well, yes, but-" Vee tried again, but was swiftly interrupted.

"And has any of that changed?" Lucia questioned.

Vee shook her head. It hadn't. She could still feel them, their love for her, like physical cords attaching them to her, anchoring her. Despite them knowing what she was, despite them not needing her because they'd found Luz, they still loved her just as immensely.

Lucia, who had once severed their connection, threatened her with harm, and treated her like a stranger, loved her. It brought to mind all that they had done and accomplished together, and that Lucia kept her around for more reasons than just because she needed a replacement for her sister.

Amelia, who wasn't even a member of her false family, loved her. A strong bond of comradery bound them together, each being the outsider among humans. The threads of affection between them promised harm upon any who'd hurt Vee, emotionally, physically, or otherwise.

Even Luz, who she'd only known for a brief time, who had never known her as anything but a Changeling, loved her. Powerful, radiant, like the very sun itself, feeding her with so much energy she'd never starve.

Each of the Noceda siblings scooped an arm under her armpits, and lifted Vee from her seat by the cliff. "Come on, we're going home, and you're coming with us. I promised myself that you'd never have to be alone, and I have no intention of breaking it, so no arguments." Lucia said firmly.

"We're not giving you a choice," Luz hummed happily, a cheery smile on her face as they dragged the Changeling backwards and towards the house, and Vee offered no resistance other than her own happy tears streaking down her face over the knowledge that she had finally found a place where she truly belonged.

A/N: And that closes the Boiling Isles side of things. One more chapter left. And it's a doozy. About twice the length of a standard chapter. That will be out on Saturday, and I hope you all enjoy it.

I wonder how many of you caught that Vee wasn't in that goodbye scene until it was pointed out. She's kinda been fading more into the background as she's been around a group of people who all know she isn't Luz, and hasn't made as much of an attempt to befriend everyone, since she planned on leaving everything behind. She didn't want to get attached. Now she's got the chance, though.

Combined, the Blight parents felt a full emotion between the two of them. It nearly destroyed them. I'm sure Amity doesn't know if she should be envious that her parents hugged Amelia, or thankful it wasn't her.