Hello Readers! I had the idea a few days ago to write a Holiday Special! And what would be better than adding onto the my story with perhaps the most continuation requests! I know it's no sequel, but it is an extended length afterword set on a Christmas day. Please enjoy my gift to you!

- Vengfulfate


Dreams faded quietly as Phoenix Rose felt himself slowly return to the waking world. He sat up, taking his time to stretch and search for where his stuffed beowolf, Beo, had fallen in the night. Despite it being Tuesday, Phoenix knew he didn't have school. The reason why escaped his still-tired mind. Something important was happening today, but what it was he wasn't sure.

As part of his morning routine, Phoenix went into the bathroom to take care of whatever needed to be taken care of. He didn't need the toilet, and he didn't think he was going anywhere so a shower could wait. He stood up on the stepstool in front of the sink and contemplated whether he wanted to brush his teeth and wait a while for breakfast or get food first and brush later. His contemplation cut short when he found himself staring into the mirror, trying to will his brain to finish waking up.

His eyes started with his hair. It naturally swept backwards and slightly up, no matter how often he tried to tame it. Combined with the colors his semblance had permanently dyed his hair, it easily resembled fire. As his eyes panned downed, they eventually focused on his left-side jaw. The scarring was a large, bumpy red patch that covered the area Adam had shredded against the cave wall. His forearms sported similar scars from that day in the caves as well.

The doctor had told him the scars were likely to fade away and the normal skin color would return. That was over two years ago now, and Phoenix doubted they would ever go away on their own. Not that he minded, he actually kind of liked his scars. They may not be tied to happy memories, but those memories were important nonetheless. His friend Cecile liked them too, which was something his mothers enjoyed teasing him about.

Finally, he was awake enough to make a decision about his morning. And his stomach made the choice quite clear. He made his way past the living room and into the kitchen, sparing only a momentary glance to the decorated pine tree next to the television. He fully expected to see his mothers in the kitchen enjoying a morning coffee, but they weren't there. Weird, they're usually awake before me… they must have been up late. Wait, how did I get to bed? I thought I fell asleep on the couch waiting for…

It clicked. Phoenix remembered why today was so important. Any thought of food was immediately lost as his eyes peered over the bar style counter that also served as a window from the kitchen to the living room, to look at the tree. The presents underneath it had doubled overnight! Santa did come! It was Christmas day! He ran back down the hallway, intent on waking his mothers.


Ruby and Blake were spread across the bed they shared, still clothed in their day wear after being too tired to change after the night before. They seemed to be in a deep, peaceful sleep. Until Blake's faunus ears started to twitch at the sound of Phoenix's feet thumping all the way down the hallway. Before her sensitive hearing could adjust to that sound and allow her to drift back to sleep, another sound rudely interrupted both women's sleep.

"Moooms! Momma! Mommy! Mom! Mom! Moooooooommm!" Phoenix pounded on the door to the room.

"Why is he awake so early…" Ruby quietly bemoaned while Phoenix continued to knock and shout.

"Because he actually slept…" Blake went to playfully slap her lover's arm, though her arm translated her brain's order as raising her hand weakly and letting it fall onto Ruby. "It's your fault you know…"

"Hey, you're the one who fed him that calming tea…" Ruby countered. "Phoenix! Quiet please!" She shouted over Blake at the door, "We'll be out in a minute, sweetheart!"

"Only because your son wouldn't go to bed and let us be Santa," Blake argued, "I mean, what eleven-year-old still believes in Santa?"

"Don't you dare ruin the magic for him, Blake Belladonna," Ruby warned, "And my son? Why is he my son whenever he's being a brat?"

"Because you are a brat," Blake playfully struck her lover's arm more successfully, "I, however, am a pillar of elegance."

"You're a pillar of something, alright," Ruby stood and stretched. "I need coffee. Then we can open our presents with our son."

"What about Weiss and Yang?" Blake asked, getting to her feet as well.

"If we wait to start opening presents until they get here, we won't get to sleep until past midnight again," Ruby pointed out. "I learned that when they came around last year with a truckload of extra gifts between them. No, morning gifts for the family, then a nap, take Phoenix out for lunch, then evening gifts with the extended family."

"Then a nice, big salmon for dinner?" Blake asked hopefully.

"We'll see," Ruby teased.


It hadn't had taken as long as Blake feared to settle in with Ruby and Phoenix in Mistral. After Ruby officially forgave her in the hospital two years ago, she further surprised Blake by almost immediately asking if Blake planned to move in. Ruby quickly realized how forward this sounded, and backpedaled with a nervously sputtered excuse. She then backpedaled on the initial backpedal when Blake told her that the faunus didn't have any single home and all but ordered Blake to move in.

They did have their occasional bumps in the road, mostly during the first few months while Blake was feeling out her boundaries. For one, Blake didn't think it was appropriate to jump right into Ruby's bed and slept on the couch for several weeks. It took Ruby reaching a boiling point and dragging the faunus into the bedroom, even if they were to only cuddle for the time being, to end that behavior.

A surprisingly easy boundary was if Ruby expected her to mother Phoenix at all or stay back and leave all the parenting to the redhead. Phoenix was a good kid who barely needed extra parenting, which made that easy. Preparing for the off-chance Blake might need to parent, she decided to suck it up and have a talk with Ruby about what the redhead expected, which Ruby made clear she greatly appreciated. It wasn't too long after that when Phoenix became both of their son and not just Ruby's.

Other boundaries were also tricky to navigate as Ruby went from being frustrated at Blake being too handsy, to being frustrated at Blake not being handsy enough. After three months, they finally found their groove. Blake found a place that wasn't to distant nor intrusive, which also had a comfortable growth curve. By month five, they had a fully developed bedroom relationship.

By month six, all the hard 'figuring things out' were behind them. And all three of them couldn't be happier.


The sound of tearing paper filled their morning as the three took turns opening present after present. It was hard to tell if Phoenix was more excited about Santa's gifts or the gifts from his mothers. In the end, it didn't matter to Ruby as long as she got her video footage of Christmas morning.

"I think there's one last gift for you Phoenix…" Blake reached around the tree to grab the last present. This was the big one for this year (at least from Blake and Ruby) and was slyly pushed behind the tree to make sure it was opened last. "'To Phoenix; From Momma and Mommy.' What do you think it is?"

"Hmmm…" Phoenix took the box and shook it lightly, hearing nothing. Whatever it was, was secure in the box. He grabbed the edge of the wrapping and peeled away one strip, revealing a logo that told him what this was right away. "No way!"

The rest of the wrapping stood no chance in the face of Phoenix's excitement. Soon he was staring giddily at the full box collector's set of the hottest RPG video game of that season, containing the game in a special case, an artbook, and an 8" statuette of the main villain. "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!" Phoenix shouted, hugging his moms around the middle before opening the box itself.

"I thought 'Santa' was getting that for him?" Blake asked Ruby quietly.

"If Nix went to school bragging about how Santa got him a two-hundred-lien collector's set, how would all the kids whose parents can't afford a two-hundred-lien gift from Santa feel?" Ruby rationalized, "Besides, he's been talking about this game for almost two months. I wanted to show him we listen."

"Fair enough," Blake accepted.

"That is so cool…" Phoenix held up the statuette of the black-armored villain, hands cupping the hilt of a sword with it's point on the ground. A deep purple cape flowed behind him as is blown by the wind.

"Why is the statue of the villain, anyways?" Blake asked, "Shouldn't it be the hero?"

"The main character is custom made by the player at the start of the game," Ruby answered.

"I didn't know games could do that…" Blake thought aloud.

"You need to play more games, honey," Ruby advised.

"Can I play now!?" Phoenix asked excitedly.

"Of course!" Ruby smiled.

"Will you watch!?"

"Of course!"

Blake and Ruby settled into each other on the couch while Phoenix turned on the game console. The tired parents barely made it five minutes before falling asleep right there.


Blake and Ruby were roused some time later by Phoenix. He had let them sleep for a few hours while he played, but it was time for another Christmas tradition. "I think it's lunchtime," He told them.

"Oh," Ruby slowly sat up, "I'm sorry I wasn't watching your game, sweetheart."

"It's okay," Phoenix assured, "Why are adults so tired on Christmas anyway?"

"You'll understand when you're an adult," Blake instinctively reflected.

"If you say so…" Phoenix shrugged.

Blake found her feet quickly. Despite not waking naturally, she was actually feeling quite refreshed after that nap. "Alright, I'll go grab our shoes," The faunus volunteered. When she returned with everyone's footwear, Phoenix was shaking Ruby once again. The young mother had slumped over and was snoring peacefully on the couch.

"She won't wake up…" Phoenix complained.

Blake frowned down at her lover. Going out to the two's favorite diner for Christmas lunch had been a tradition for years before Ruby came back into everyone else's lives. But Ruby had spent the last few weeks overworking herself on contracts to afford Phoenix's gifts. Blake couldn't help because they had already planned beforehand for her to take Phoenix to Menagerie to see Blake's parents. Ruby could probably use the sleep…

"Let's let her sleep, Nix," Blake decided, "We'll bring her food back in a go-box, kay?"

"But… we always go together…" Phoenix lamented.

"I know, and I really hope Momma doesn't get mad at me for going without her. But I think she needs her sleep this year," Blake explained, "Besides, just you and me shouldn't be too bad. You enjoyed yourself last week in Menagerie, right?"

"So many faunus everywhere!" Phoenix lit up as he was successfully mentally distracted. "I've never seen so many!"

Blake and Phoenix quietly left the house, leaving a note for Ruby in case she woke.


The only diner open Christmas afternoon also happened to be Phoenix's favorite. After learning this, it soon became tradition to go there for lunch every year, where Phoenix and Ruby would indulge in their favorite meals. Blake had joined them the last two years, not to mention whenever else they made it into the diner since Blake moved in. The waiters and waitresses knew them and knew what they would order the moment they stepped inside.

"Where's Ruby?" The waitress asked.

"Still asleep," Blake answered, "She's been working hard the past two weeks."

"I got a game, with a fancy case, and a fancy book, and a fancy statue too!" Phoenix told the waitress excitedly.

"Collector's bundle," Blake clarified.

While Ruby not being there did make things different, that's not to say Blake and Phoenix still didn't enjoy their lunch. It was nice for both of them to spend some time with each other without Ruby around anyways. Things still occasionally got awkward whenever it was just the two of them, but they would only get more comfortable with it if they spent that time for just the two of them and got more used to each other.

Phoenix was currently trying to describe his new game to Blake, trying to get her to understand it for whenever she finally saw him or Ruby play it. Blake never spent time with video games, and supposedly 'simple' concepts like 'DPS' or 'resource-grinding' were still a little lost on her. Health and Magic bar seemed simple enough, but what did a 'Focus' bar control? Ruby has a much better time keeping up with these conversations.

As Phoenix was explaining away, he accidently knocked his soda glass off the table while reaching for a drink. To his credit he did react quickly, but it didn't help as he was still too slow to catch the glass before it broke on the ground. "I'm sorry!" He told the waitress.

"It's okay, Nix," The waitress assured, "Accidents happen. Let's get this broken glass cleaned up and I'll bring you another soda, okay?"

Phoenix silently returned to his food, and Blake could tell something was weighing on his mind. He had even stopped trying to explain the concept of a 'left-stick-button'. "Are you okay, Nix?"

"Yeah," Phoenix assured, though his voice wasn't confident.

"It was just a glass, sweetheart," Blake tried to cheer him up, "No one is going to make a big deal of it."

"It's not that…" Phoenix admitted.

"Then what is it?" Blake pressed.

Phoenix set down his fork and took a deep breath. "When we were in Menagerie, there were faunus everywhere. And everyone was so fast, and agile, I swear I saw someone jump up onto a rooftop from the ground!"

"It's a wild place," Blake agreed with a smile.

Phoenix wasn't smiling. "I'm a faunus too, right? Why can't I catch one glass?"

"Oh," Blake saw, and couldn't help but giggle, "I sometimes forget there wasn't someone around for you to talk to about faunus stuff."

Phoenix finally looked up, eyebrows raised and eyes staring into hers. "You mean… there's an actual reason?"

"It can be easy for humans to forget just how much variety there are to faunus," Blake explained, "With so many feline, canine, and simian faunus around, people forget about rarer faunus that aren't naturally lithe and light footed."

Phoenix settled in his seat, listening intently to his faunus step-mother.

"As faunus, we all have heightened senses. Sight, smell, taste, etcetera…" Blake continued, happy to finally give Phoenix useful information he didn't already have. "As a feline faunus, I have a lighter body and tighter muscles that allow me to naturally jump high, step silently, and move quickly on top of the basic faunus traits. But you, Phoenix, are not a feline faunus. Nor a canine, nor a simian."

"I'm a bull," Phoenix was starting to understand what Blake was trying to tell him.

"Hold out your arm," Blake asked, extending hers as well. There was some definition on the elder faunus's arm, more of an athletic toning than built muscle. The younger faunus appeared to sport the same skinny arm any healthy eleven-year-old would, human or faunus. "Give your bicep a squeeze, like this," Blake demonstrated.

Phoenix copied Blake's motions, squeezing his bicep.

"Now, is your arm soft and supple like an eleven-year-old's arm?" Blake asked with a knowing smirk, "Or is it surprisingly firm?"

Phoenix's eyes glazed out as he thought about other kids in his class, kids his age. In fact, he had actually felt one of their arms like this before, pulling on his friend Cecile's arm for her attention. "It is firm…"

"You won't be tight-rope walking anytime soon. In fact, it's probably a bad idea for you to get on a high-wire at all," Blake pushed on, "But you are naturally strong, more than you know. Especially with your semblance. With the right training, you could be an absolute power-house. And while you may never be as fast as some of your peers, when you do hit-"

"I'll hit super hard!" Phoenix concluded, smiling.

"That's right," Blake smiled.

Blake's scroll buzzed close to the end of lunch, an incoming call from Ruby. She laid her scroll on the table and pressed 'accept' and 'speaker'. "Hey, babe, you're on speaker."

"I'm so sorry I missed lunch!" Ruby's voice came through the scroll, "How far in are you two?"

"We should be leaving pretty soon," Blake told her.

"I'm so sorry, Phoenix…" Ruby apologized again.

"It's okay, momma," Phoenix assured, "We're gunna get a go-box and bring you lunch!"

"It's not about that, though," Ruby lamented, "It's about sitting down with you two."

"And if you had sat down with us here, you would be asleep in the booth by now," Blake told her.

"Yeah, you needed your sleep, right?" Phoenix contributed.

"I… ugh, you're probably right," Ruby conceded, "Thank you, sweetheart, love… I don't know what I'd do without you two."

"We should be out of here in… however long it takes for them to make your food," Blake informed her lover.

"Well, hurry… I am pretty hungry…" Ruby confessed.

"Will do. Love you, babe," Blake signed off.

"I love you, too, momma!" Phoenix called out.

"And I love both of you. See you soon," Ruby ended the call.

"We had better hurry," Blake told Phoenix, "By the time momma finishes her food, Aunt Weiss and Aunt Yang will be there."


Blake was right on the money. No sooner did Ruby finish the meal she and Phoenix brought home for her had Yang started to nearly knock their front door off its hinges. Blake answered the door while Ruby washed up. "Hey, Yang!"

"Blake!" Yang was always excited to come to Mistral. Being able to visit her sister and nephew at their home never lost its novelty to the blonde, and Blake being there was an added bonus. Yang threw her arms around her faunus friend, pulling her into a deep hug. "Now where's my sister and her little man!"

Blake smiled at Yang's antics as the blonde pushed past her and into the house. Blake turned to greet Weiss next, and spotted a bag of charcoal. "What's that for?"

"Yang is cooking her burgers tonight, right?" Weiss asked, thinking Blake's ignorance might be a sign of changing plans.

"Is she? I didn't know," Blake lamented the truth, not being told the plan in the first place.

"What, something wrong with my burgers?" Yang appeared next to Blake, crossing her arms playfully.

"No, your burgers are great!" Blake quickly assured, "It's just that Ruby has been teasing me about seafood for the past week. I thought… we might be doing something else for dinner."

Blake helped bring in the burger stuff Weiss and Yang brought with them, and Ruby joined them to bring in the extra gifts. While Weiss and Yang sat with Phoenix as he opened his new presents, Ruby pulled Blake into the kitchen.

"What's up?" Blake asked.

"Okay, I know you've seen Yang's burger stuff by now…" Ruby opened.

"I have…" Blake nodded cautiously.

"Well… I had this whole thing planned a week ago, until Yang calls three days ago and insists she make her burgers. So, I came up with another plan…" Ruby pulled a packaged albacore out of the fridge.

Blake's mouth immediately watered at the sight.

"I found a recipe online," Ruby explained, "While Yang is on the back balcony making everyone hamburger patties, I'll be in the kitchen making you your very own, homemade, tuna-burger patties!"

Blake stared into Ruby's eyes. "I love you so much."

"I know you do," Ruby smirked, kissing her cheek quickly. "Merry Christmas, Blake Belladonna."


Phoenix had a lot of new toys by the end of the hour, most of which Ruby was sure would be lost or broken by next Christmas. Thanks to careful gift planning rigidly spearheaded by Phoenix's biological mother, no present surpassed the two-hundred-lien collector's box. Not because Ruby wanted to give Phoenix the best gift (well, not just because). Rather, because she knew if she let Weiss have free reign the heiress would have gotten Phoenix something the rich girl wouldn't realize was exceedingly extravagant and expensive.

So by the time everyone was sitting around and enjoying their burgers, all presents had been handed out, family time had been had, and Phoenix returned to his new RPG while the adults caught up over the kitchen bar.

"So, Blake," Yang asked, "How did you enjoy your burger?"

"It was amazing," Blake fawned, "You have to do that again sometime, Rubes."

"How about on your birthday?" Ruby suggested, "Me and Nix can have some then, too."

"I can't wait…" Blake sighed, "Literally. I can not wait. I want more tomorrow."

"Calm down, kitty," Ruby giggled.

The mention of Phoenix brought Weiss's gaze to the small boy, and Yang could tell something was on the heiress's mind. "What's up, snowflake?"

"I want one…" Weiss bemoaned.

"I know you do, we're working on it babe," Yang tried to reassure her wife.

"Working on what?" Ruby asked.

Yang and Weiss shared a gaze that said might as well tell them. "We've been looking into getting a child," Weiss told them.

"We've visited adoption centers, orphanages," Yang explained, "Even looked into donor sperm."

"Awww!" Ruby loved the thought of Weiss and Yang having a child of their own. "I think you two would make a great baby!"

"It's just so hard to pick…" Yang complained, "We could have our own, or we can give an already existing baby a good home. And if we go for the latter, which baby do we chose?"

"If we even chose a baby…" Weiss mumbled.

"Not this again…" Yang sighed.

"What?" Weiss accused.

"She's a brat!" Yang argued.

"She's lonely!" Weiss argued right back.

Ruby's hand suddenly appeared between them, cutting them off. "Okay! Stopping the shouting before it starts!" Ruby used her 'Serious Parenting Voice'. "Who is 'she'?"

Weiss pulled a photograph out of her pocket. A girl, close to Phoenix's age, with dark hair and sky blue eyes. "We found her in one of the orphanages. The older a child gets, the less likely they are to be adopted."

"Except she hasn't been adopted because she's a hair-pulling bi-"

"Yang!" Ruby scolded, shutting the blonde up. The redhead swore her parenting instincts were used more on her sister than they ever were on her actual son.

"She deserves to be adopted as much as any of the babies," Weiss calmly stated her argument, "Statistically speaking, all of the infants and toddlers we looked at will be adopted before she ever gets a chance."

"There's a reason for that, and it's not just her age," Yang countered, pointing at the picture, "You see that scar on her cheek? She got it by picking fights. She's a bully."

"She's lashing out!" Weiss defended. "Who are you to say someone is being too angry?"

"I never bullied anyone," Yang reminded her.

"She reminds me of me, dumbass!" Weiss snapped. "I thought you would have picked up on that by now!"

Ruby and Blake shared an uneasy glance. It was clear this argument had been going on for far longer than just tonight.

Yang was also stunned. "What do mean, 'she reminds you of you'?"

"She's lashing out because she's angry, and she's angry because she's lonely," Weiss explained. "When I looked into her eyes, I saw myself at her age. I saw myself at an age where I began to believe I would never be loved. Because if my own mother and father didn't care about me, who would? Anyone I met my own age didn't want to be my friend. I was an ulterior motive, and nothing more. It took meeting the three of you to finally change that, and even then, it didn't happen right away. Now I do have a family, people who love me. I have all of you."

"Weiss…" Yang spoke softly.

"I don't know what happened to her, that made her an orphan. But I don't think it was happy. And I get the feeling other kids her age are not nice to her. She might be throwing punches, but I wonder what the other kids might be saying that no one else hears. I guarantee she believes no one will ever love her," Weiss continued, "And that's what she needs. Somebody to love her. Just like anyone else. And I think we can do that, Yang."

Yang was quiet for a moment. Slowly and carefully, she pulled her wife into an embrace. "I'm sorry, Weiss. I didn't think about… well, I just didn't think."

"Clearly," Weiss scolded, though snuggled into Yang regardless.

"I think the night's over," Yang called, "Let's go to our hotel, and we can talk over this. I'll listen this time. I promise."

"You better…" Weiss frowned, though still took Yang's hand as they stood. "I guess we're off."

"Call us in the morning, we'll do breakfast before you leave!" Ruby offered, trying quickly to lighten the mood of the room before they left.


"I think Yang was right," Ruby told Blake. The two continued to talk over the counter for a while longer while Phoenix played, but Ruby had noticed he finally passed out while manipulating one of the RPG's many menus. "The night's over."

"And yet another perfect Christmas hosted by Ruby Rose comes to a close," Blake smiled, "I do have one more present for you, before the night is up."

"Really?" Ruby perked up, leaning across the counter toward Blake. "What is it? Why didn't you give it to me earlier?"

Blake elected to ignore Ruby's second question, only answering the first. "How would you like this for a present?" She smirked, leaning across the bar counter as well. Blake's next words were whispered softly and sultry "Me, wearing a bow… and nothing else?"

Ruby nearly fell as her elbow slipped off the counter, her face turning bright red. "I-I-I-I-I-I-I-" The redhead was truly at a loss for words.

"Go tuck Phoenix in," Blake kissed her lover's cheek, "I'll prepare your final present in the bedroom."

It took a lot of self-control not to move too quickly. Ruby knew it would only waste time if she accidentally woke Phoenix while moving him. She also made sure to save his game before turning it off, though mostly to make sure Blake had time to get ready. Despite this, it still felt like no time at all that Ruby was locking the door to the room she and Blake shared, staring at her 'final present'.

"I love you so much," Ruby finally managed words.

"I know you do," Blake stepped close and kissed her lover deeply, "Merry Christmas, Ruby Rose."

And Happy Holidays to All

I hope you all enjoyed the Phoenix Rose Holiday Special!

The above is the official end of the chapter, but there was one more scene I wanted to write below...


Postscript, three days later

Eisdra sat on her bed at the orphanage, legs curled up against herself, staring at herself in the mirror at the foot of her bed. It was a rare moment of freedom and solitude. A rare opportunity to cry. Because Eisdra couldn't be seen crying. Not by the other children, not by the adults. She was a tough girl. She had to be. It was how she survived. People pick apart the weak. She had to be strong. But words still hurt. She knew that better than anyone. Her knuckles wouldn't be bleeding right now if words didn't hurt. And now that boy knew better than to use hurtful words at her.

But the damage had still been done, and Eisdra had to find an excuse to leave. Because words hurt, and she couldn't be seen crying.

Eisdra was also an expert at ending a cry on a dime by now. As soon as the door to her room opened, she sucked in her emotion and capped it off. To her surprise, it wasn't the orphanage head here to scold her, or the police here to take her away again. It was a woman she didn't know but was still familiar. A woman in white, who had been at the orphanage a few weeks ago with a large blonde.

The blonde asked to see the babies. No one ever asked to see Eisdra. So Eisdra pulled on the blonde's long hair. The blonde exploded, slinging words. Not like the boy's hurtful words. The blonde's words she could shrug off.

But if I hurt her friend, why is she here?

"Hello. Eisdra, is it?" The woman greeted politely.

Eisdra did her best to ignore the woman, staring into the mirror once more. Whatever reason she had come, Eisdra doubted it was kind. It had been a long time since someone was genuinely kind to her.

"Eisdra, my name is Wiess Xiao Long. I'm here to talk to you," The woman introduced herself.

"Go away…" Eisdra finally spoke, hoping this 'Weiss' would take heed. Hitting an adult would get her in big trouble, but it wasn't anything she hadn't done before.

Instead, there was a moment of silence where neither girl moved.

"What did they say, Eisdra?"

The girl was sincerely surprised at the question. No one, especially no adult, had aver asked her that. They had all assumed the trouble child was throwing punches to start trouble. She looked Weiss's way long enough to see the woman looking toward the broken skin across her knuckles. That was quickly rectified, and her eyes found their own reflection once more.

"I think I know how you feel," Weiss took steps toward the little girl's bed.

"How can you know how I feel?" Eisdra shot.

Weiss sat down on the bed behind her. She turned her gaze to Eisdra's mirror as well. They could see each other's faces without turning away. And Weiss saw all she needed to see to be sure.

Mirror…

Once again Eisdra was taken aback. Was this woman singing?

Tell me something…

The song sounded sad… the song sounded lonely…

Tell me who's the loneliest of all…

Eisdra felt Weiss draw her into an embrace. This wasn't right. This shouldn't be happening. She was strong. So why wasn't she pushing this woman away? And why, gods, why was she crying into Weiss's arms? Maybe she does understand… how else could her song sound like how my heart feels?

They sat holding each other for several minutes until Eisdra's eyes ran dry. Eventually, Weiss stood and spoke, "It's time to go, Eisdra."

"Go?" Eisdra didn't dare believe, even after what had just happened. The past had taught her to be skeptical. "Go where?"

Wiess smiled softly and held out her hand. "Home, of course."