Epilogue

Dear, Maman

Sorry, it's been a while since I last wrote to you. I'm still adjusting to the new school year and everything's kind of hectic. Junior High's still so weird compared to elementary. We don't have recess anymore and the classes are longer and supposedly hard, but they're still not a challenge for me. I think my teachers are getting annoyed by it, and I know my classmates are, but they can suck it. I'm rich, pretty, and destined for greatness! I don't need their approval. Honestly, I'm too smart for my own good. At this rate, I might skip another grade or two.

Mama's doing well. She cut her hair real short two weeks ago to surprise Ruby for her birthday and their first year anniversary, I think? I don't really know much about what's going on, but they're so in love it's gross. I see that crap in school with couples who'll be "together forever" and come back home to the real deal. I can't catch a break! They can't keep their hands off each other, Maman. I know I should be happy to have parents with a healthy, functional relationship, but there's only so much I can take. If we ever move and get a new house or something, I'm asking for the room farthest away from theirs.

Crap. I gotta go soon, Maman. Ruby's telling me to start getting ready. Baaah! I want to keep writing, but Mama's going away on a really long business trip. I have to see her off. She can't take me with her because of school, so it'll just be me and Ruby for two whole weeks. I'm a little worried about how it'll go. I've never been alone with her for so long, but Aunt Ciel and Uncle Neptune will be checking on me, so I guess it won't be too awkward. Blakey's going to come by too. I really wish you had introduced her to me sooner. I love her, she's great. She's so awkward and cute and super smart, but her humour needs a little work. She makes the same dry jokes Mama does and they're usually both the only ones that laugh at them. Oh, Yang laughs too, but I'm not sure she understands them.

Ruby's calling me again. I guess I really have to end it here. Maybe I'll come back and finish this entry tonight before bed. Anyway, I'll write to you soon.

Love you always.

Chrys quickly got dressed and met Ruby out in the living room. She was playing a video game while Weiss was still in their room triple checking her things.

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" Ruby asked as she scooted a seat over to make room on the couch.

"Dunno," Chrys answered, plopping down next to Ruby before stretching out to use her lap as a pillow. "What about you?"

"Could go for anything," Ruby said, pausing the game to run her fingers running through Chrys' bangs. "We got your mom's credit card, so the world's our oyster. Seriously. We should go get oysters. They're expensive, right?"

"They are and sure, but what a weird thing to say. 'The world is our oyster,' " Chrys giggled, stretching her head up to nip at Ruby's hands. "What does it mean?"

"I… uh." Ruby blinked then shouted, "Babe! What does the 'world's our oyster mean'?"

Weiss walked into the living room looking like a boardroom badass with her suitcase in tow. "What was that?" she asked, but Ruby was speechless. "Ruby, what was your question."

"Golly, you're so pretty," Ruby murmured to herself, mesmerized by Mama's new look.

Neptune called it a short choppy bob, but Chrys don't really see where the "choppy" came in. It was pretty though and Weiss looked refreshed. Lighter. Happier.

"Do you two need some time alone because I can go to the other penthouse?" Chrys said, reminding her parents she was sitting between them.

"Funny," Weiss grumbled with her arms. "Look, whatever shenanigans you two are up to, it needs to stop. We have to go before that bitch Cindy tries to steal my jet. Again."

"You really don't like her, huh?" Chrys said as she got off the couch and dragged Ruby to her feet. "C'mon, Zoomies, you're driving."

"Yeah, yeah, driving… yeah," Ruby said, numbly walking wherever Chrys pushed her as long as she could keep her sights on Weiss.

"I don't dislike her, I'm actually quite fond of her," Weiss clarified, following after them. "She's an interesting character that keeps me on my toes."

"But…?"

"I just like messing with her more," Weiss maliciously cackled. "I can call her whatever I want and she can't say anything about it because legally I own her ass; her mommy said so when she signed off on the merger."

"Remind me never to sign a contract with you," Chrys muttered, unamused.

Ruby was thankfully more focused as she drove to the airport, though that didn't stop her from making gooey eyes at Weiss whenever the signs turned red. Chrys wasn't looking forward to the end though. Two weeks was a long time, and anything could happen between now and then, so she wanted to appreciate these final moments even if they were spent watching two dorks flirt.

After checking Weiss' ticket and getting her luggage weighed, they went to the security point for a final goodbye.

"I'm going to miss you both so much," Weiss said as she hugged both Ruby and Chrys. "You know the rules, right?"

"Yup," Ruby said, kissing the top of Weiss' head. "Don't worry, I got this."

"Take care of her," Weiss tearfully added.

"I will."

"Not you," Weiss chuckled, shifting her watery gaze and her kisses to Chrys. "Keep an eye on her okay?"

Chrys nudged Ruby with an elbow. "You hear that, champ? I'm in charge of you. I'll keep you on the straight and narrow."

"Wha?" Ruby blinked.

"The emergency numbers are all on the fridge, it's also fully stocked so you two won't starve… am I missing anything else?"

"Nothing I can think of, Mama."

"Wait, wait, circle back a bit—Chrys is in charge me?!" Ruby gasped incredulously. "The ten-year-old child with an attitude in charge of me, the mature, levelheaded twenty-two-year-old woman?!"

"Now that you've said that, yes, absolutely," Weiss smiled. "I have to make sure no one decides to try and scoop you up while I'm gone—no parties."

"Why would I throw a party!?" Ruby asked looking more confused than she was a second ago.

"Again, not you, darling. You," Weiss said, narrowing her eyes at Chrys. "I'll allow Briar and Heizell over, but no one else—and only if Ruby says yes, understood?"

"There go my plans for an all-night rager," Chrys huffed.

"Mhm, no booze and blackjack for you, young lady," Weiss chuckled as she scooped Chrys up into a hug and smothered her with more kisses. "I am going to miss you so much, mon coeur. I'll call you every day, okay?"

"I'm going to miss you too, Mama," Chrys said with tears stinging her eyes. She wanted to hold onto her mama forever, but her jet was ready to go. "I love you."

"Words cannot begin to express how much I love you, mon coeur," Weiss whispered, her lips brushing against Chrys' skin with each softspoken word. "I'll be home soon, okay?"

"I'll be waiting."

Chrys could tell from the way Ruby fidgeted in place that she wanted a second alone with Weiss. She was practically begging on her hands and knees. Now normally, Chrys would agree for something in exchange, but since they were going to be stuck with each other for two weeks, she decided to be as magnanimous as her mama.

"I see a Jim Holtons over there," Chrys loudly announced, pointing to a small coffee shop nearby. "You two get your mushy-gushy on while I get a doughnut and a hot choccy."

"Buy some for Ruby," Weiss instructed.

"Yeah, yeah, go on, you crazy kids, I'll get out of your hair."

Chrys ordered a box of twelve donuts and her hot cholate and took one of the open seats by the shop. As she was eating her chocolate covered cream filled monstrosity, she watched her parents say their goodbyes. It was like a movie. Ruby was crying while Weiss tried to comfort her with kisses and tender words. They were both so sweet yet so different it made Chrys' hot chocolate taste bland and bitter.

They broke apart and Chrys thought that was the end of it. Weiss would go through the checkpoint and Ruby would stand there and mope until she remembered her parental duties. But Weiss didn't forget. She set her sights on Chrys and came running, the sound of her heels clicking against the tiles and echoing throughout the airport.

"I love you too, Mama!" Chrys laughed as she drowned in her mother's love, her worries gone before they could fully set in.

She left after that and Ruby cried again, but at least she had a doughnut to comfort her.

Hey, Maman

Sorry for writing this so late. After Mama left, Ruby and I spent the whole day hanging out. We got sushi with Blake and watched a movie with her. She's staying over tonight because we were out way too late and the hospital's closer from here.

I didn't think I'd miss Mama as much as I do right now. I hardly see her because of work so I thought I'd be okay having her gone for a few weeks, but now I'm beginning to realize how much time she really spends with me.

Oh, that reminds me, that bottle Mama stole from you! Ruby's still scared you're going to haunt us. It was on the mantle next to your picture yesterday, but it's gone now so I guess Mama's going to return it. I kind of wish you did haunt us though…

Anyway, it's time for bed. I'll write to you again soon.

I love you forever,

Your little patch of spring

P.S. What does "the world is our oyster" mean?

This is it. What a wild ride it's been, huh? It started off as a simple thing where I wanted to be selfish and take charge of my hobby. Write what I wanted to write without anyone's input. Before this, I was in a deep creative slump where everything I wrote felt like a carefully curated plan to get likes and views. I trashed most of it, of course. I hated what I wrote. It felt disingenuous. Soulless. I knew I could be better than that.

ISC's got a lot of things that turn people off, things I know people have scorned me for, and, well, all I can say is "oh well." I had to fight so hard to overcome the anxiety to type "GP" in the summary because I was so ashamed for liking this genre and even daring to dabble in it. It was like a little secret I had to hide just so I could fit in. And that nagging little voice inside my head didn't help. It was constantly telling me I'd cross a line somewhere and insult someone by doing this. I spiralled. So many times. I considered just axing the entire thing because it didn't fit the narrative people wanted. The love people expected in their Whiterose stories. My friend, however, had other things to say. They told that voice to "fuck off." Seriously, without them constantly telling me "Sharky, you gotta write what makes you happy. Don't listen to what other people say," I would've given up and stuck to what was expected. The person that gave me this initial courage, this strength, isn't in my life anymore. Time passes and people change. I'm not the same person I was when I first started this story. I'm better, I think. Stronger. But I still miss them.

First Time at a Second Chance isn't your typical love story where the protagonists bump into each other and magically live happily ever after. It's the story of a young woman falling in love for the first time with a woman who has to be more careful with her heart. And while they both eventually fall in love, how they express and feel it are different. I won't say more than that because everyone interprets a story differently. Some will love this ending, some will hate it, and some will think it should've and could've gone differently. But for me, personally, I told the story I wanted to tell... and I want to thank everyone for supporting me through it.

The future isn't set in stone.

I dedicate this to you, wherever you are.

P.S. This isn't where this story ends. Far from it. There's a sequel in the works. But right now, I want to take a chance. A chance to try something new. I'll see you all soon.

P.P.S. I have a Whiterose Discord server. You can find the (working) link if you search me up on AO3. I got a funky version of it in my profile.

P.P.P.S. SC was written without any, uh, actual edits done to it. There is a lot I want to go back and fix, but that'll all be done in due time.