My thoughts are with the husband and son, as well as the parents left behind by a very close family friend whom I've known ever since I was little. She died today at 2 PM, after three years of fighting cancer, because of mutiple organ failure.

Christiane you will be missed by us all and I will forever hold you in my heart.

Chapter 46: Victory

"What are you, you monster?"

Everyone was looking at the two women and the stand off they were having. Neither had seen such power before and most teachers and students weren't sure what to think. Ozpin looked at the girl with interest. She had a unique gift, but if it were possible that she teach others that gift, then maybe they could coexist with the Grimm.

Adam stood up and positioned himself a little behind Serena, not sure if it was wise to approach her now when she was so tense. He looked at the girl in amazement; she was unbelievable. He had never thought that he would meet such a strong woman and the respect he felt for her was well-earned. A Grimm came up to him and sniffed him, before recognizing him and giving him a lick of the face in a way of greeting.

The Grimm started to gather behind Serena, assembling like an army and ready to protect their dearest friend if need be. Ajax and Loki were standing directly next to her, while Napoleon and the others were behind them. Serena glanced back and saw that one Grimm was standing beside Adam while another was looking after Ruby. She smiled and thanked them in her mind, the Grimm sending back a 'no problem'.

Turning her attention back onto the woman, she noticed that she was scared. If not of her, then of the countless Grimm that were now backing her up and looking every bit menacing. Her eyes were no longer glowing and she had created two glass swords for protection.

"You damn monster," she repeated again.

"I may be a monster," Serena replied coldly, all compassion for the woman lost who had done and created so much misery. "But I will protect those dear to me. Unlike you, I value the lives of others and do not throw them away. I will protect them with my own life if it has to be!"

The audience was stunned by her response. This person, whom the fewest had met, was ready to give her own life to protect theirs. Even the Faunus were shocked and touched by this, and some started to think that now would be a good time to get out of the situation they were in. But most were too scared of the Grimm and the girl herself and remained rooted to the spot.

Cinder, in her rage, attacked Serena again, but the girl absorbed the attack just like before and sent it back, the attack making impact in front of her. Serena didn't want to kill the woman, so she only demonstrated that it was best to give up while she still could. But judging by the woman's pose and the look in her eyes, she was nowhere near giving up. It saddened her that she had to fight the woman and all the others, but things had to end now. Cinder was just about to launch yet another attack when Serena's voice stopped her.

"Time to finish this nonsense. This fight has gone on long enough already and I do not want any more blood to be spilled." Turning to the Grimm, she told them, "Take care of them, but don't kill them. Just incapacitate them, okay?"

The Grimm nodded and Napoleon gave a howl before they all scattered. Teachers and students as well as the Faunus took a defensive stance, but soon the people of Beacon relaxed when they saw the creatures only attacking the Faunus. Neither Grimm hurt them and the Faunus that were incapacitated were either knocked out if they fought back, some were too scared to even move, and others even fainted. Even Emerald and Mercury gave up, while Cinder was knocked out after attacking two of the Grimm. The weapons were taken away from them and thrown onto a pile, and Napoleon and Ajax made sure that no one tried anything to hurt their human friend.

Spike and Cinder didn't move an inch, not quite comprehending how they could have lost so quickly, and to a girl! Cinder was seeping with anger while Spike was even angrier, glaring at the human with rage and hate. He was angry at Adam and Raven as well; it was their fault that this had happened!

In blind rage, he barreled forward, throwing Raven aside and dodging the Grimm that tried to stop him. He was heading straight for Serena, hammer poised to hit her full force and kill her, or at least hurt her so bad that she won't be able to live normally in the future. People saw him, some trying to stop him, but they were easily thrown aside just like Raven had been.

Serena noticed the man lunging for her and heard Ruby call out to her, but he was already so close that it was impossible for her to avoid him now. She put her arms up out of reflex, trying to somehow protect her body, although she knew it was futile. He would crush her arms and head with his hammer. But just when he was about to hit her, he suddenly stopped and coughed up blood. Serena's eyes widened as a few drops landed on her cheeks and throat and looked down to see a blade protruding from the man's chest, right through the middle. Spike fell to the side, hammer clanging to the ground and revealed Adam who still stood with his blade up.

"Adam…you…" the leader of the White Fang wheezed out, glaring at the man with hate filled eyes. Adam swung his blade, getting all the blood off and sheathed it, before looking down at his former boss with cold eyes.

"I won't allow you to hurt her anymore Spike. It's over."

Spike wanted to say something but before he could, his eyes dimmed and his head hit the concrete ground, dead. The Faunus, those still conscious, looked at their leader with shock before looking up at the man that had killed him. Adam glared at them and they instantly sunk to their knees, admitting their defeat.

Silence reigned for a few minutes, everyone trying to understand what had just happened before, one after another, everyone started clapping and cheering. Ruby was the first to run over to her friend and give her a hug. Her teammates soon followed and soon the entire school was congratulating the young girl and some were even thanking Adam since he had also played an important part in the whole ordeal. Serena's hair and eyes returned to their natural color and the Grimm retreated back into the forest.

"I'm so happy that you're okay!" Ruby exclaimed, hugging the girl again. Serena laughed in joy and returned the hug, glad that it was finally over. "Oh, this is my team! This is my sister Yang," Ruby introduced, pointing to a busty blonde that stood beside her.

The girl grinned at her and said, "Nice to meet you. My sis has told me a lot about you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Serena replied.

"I am Weiss Schnee," a white-haired girl introduced herself next, not giving Ruby the chance to do it for her and both girls shook hands while Weiss did an additional curtsy. Next was a girl with black hair and golden eyes wearing a bow.

"I'm Blake," she introduced herself with a soft voice. Serena smiled at her before the girl's eyes widened when suddenly Adam appeared behind Serena and looked at his former partner. "Hi," she quietly greeted her former mentor, not quite sure what to do.

"Hey," Adam replied, happy to see his former disciple and actually be on her side. He had missed her; the both of them had been good friends. Serena noticed that the two had a lot to talk about; Adam had told her about his former partner and she quietly excused herself to give them some privacy.

"Listen Blake, I-" Adam started but was cut off when the cat Faunus suddenly hugged him. He was momentarily surprised before returning the hug, happy that she forgave him.

"I'm so glad you're back. I thought I'd completely lost you back then," she said quietly.

"You did. But I met someone who opened my eyes. But thank you for trying and always being there, even when I almost became a monster," he answered, head resting on hers.

Blake retreated and gave him a small smile, him giving her a grin in return. Both looked over to Serena who was currently involved in a conversation with Professor Ozpin. "She's a good girl. You should treasure her," Blake suddenly said, still looking at the blue-eyed girl.

Adam looked at his partner with surprise before smiling and replying, "Yeah, she is."

Ruby and her two friends walked up to the two and Blake introduced her former mentor to them. They all welcomed him and talked a lot about what had been going on and what would happen from now on. Adam looked over at Serena and noticed that she was standing alone, Ozpin having left after finishing their conversation. He walked over to her and hugged her from behind, making the girl jump in surprise. Serena turned around and then smiled at Adam who looked at her with those red eyes that she so loved.

"Is everything okay?" he inquired worriedly. "What did that man want?" he asked, nodding over to the coffee sipping Ozpin.

"He proposed me a deal. For the both of us."

"What kind of deal?" Adam asked, raising his eyebrow skeptically.

"He says that we can both become teachers. At Beacon," she said, not quite believing it herself.

"Teachers?"

"Yeah. You know, me teaching how to treat Grimm and you teaching combat. He also said that he would handle the military for us. Speaking of which," she added, looking to the sky where numerous military aircrafts were hovering and closing in. Soon, soldiers were arresting the Faunus and taking them away and Ozpin talked with General Ironwood about what had happened.

"You know that we can't just ignore this girl, Ozpin. She has a power far too great and it is necessary that we arrest the man that is with her, as well as the woman. They were members of the White Fang and have committed crimes and you know just as well as I do that I can't simply ignore that," Ironwood argued, refusing to give in to his friend's proposition.

"I am well aware of the law, James, but I can't allow you to do that. The three of them are under my protection and guidance now and two will be becoming teachers at my school," Ozpin said, not giving in.

"But what if-"

"I will make sure that none of them will do anything again. And the girl does not pose a threat to us or the other kingdoms. Just leave them to me and I'll handle the council and everything else."

"If you think so, then have it your way. But don't say that I didn't warn you," the general sighed before going back to his ship to oversee the transport of their prisoners.

Ozpin walked over to the two people in question. "Have you made your choice yet?" he asked, looking at both of them. Serena nodded her head and told him that they would accept his proposition. "Very well. I will see you two the day after tomorrow then, at 8 A.M.," he said, taking another sip of coffee before leaving the two.

"Wow," Serena breathed out. "I didn't think that everything would end so well."

"Yeah, but there's one thing missing," Adam said.

Before Serena understood what he meant or could ask him what that would be, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes widened in shock, but she soon closed them and relaxed into the kiss, her arms going around his neck and hugging him closer to her. She felt tears starting to leave her eyes and when the Faunus withdrew, he was worried that he had something wrong. But she just told him that, no everything was fine, she just was so happy. He smiled and kissed her again, both of them forgetting everything around them and simply enjoying the moment.

A/N: I do not own RWBY or its characters. I do, however, own my OC Serena and any other OCs that appear in this story.

So, even though someone very close to me died today, I still wanted to get this out to you guys.

Promise me one thing and look after your health, so that you won't be leaving behind someone important.