To The End

Epilogue

Jade fussed over the clothes she wore, smoothing down the material with her hands. She hadn't worn anything this nice in a very long time. She never cared to. Even is she did, it would most likely end up torn, covered in dirt and blood. So why bother? There was no need to until today. She stared at herself in the mirror. The simple black dress had been picked out by her human. She supposed it complimented her figure, or whatever else Victoria told her in order to get her to put it on. She only complied because it would please Victoria and nothing more. At least she was allowed to remain barefoot. She refused those heeled monstrosities, and since she wasn't allowed her go-to beat up canvas sneakers, she compromised on nothing at all. She had gotten used to being barefoot in the house and it wasn't like they were going anywhere anyway. They were staying in and Victoria's mother would be coming over to visit for dinner.

Since their decision to leave the small town behind them two years ago, she has been making an effort to visit. It further strained her relationship with her husband, but she never stopped. The first time she stopped by was unexpected. She showed up to apologize for her husband's behavior and to thank Jade for saving his life. She then went on to approve of their relationship. She didn't care what Jade was as long as her daughter was well taken care of and properly loved. Victoria never missed a chance to provide proof of that. Stories that always embarrassed Jade but delighted the Vega women. She had never been called cute so much in her life. That included every time her second mother fawned over her. But even at the expense of her reputation, she had been the happiest she had ever been.

With the help of the ring and some patience she managed that other part of her effortlessly. She could almost seem unremarkable if not for her heightened abilities. Those were harder for her to keep hidden. But through all the ups and downs, they lead a peaceful life in the city. Jade never thought she would be capable of such a domestic lifestyle. She stared into the mirror one last time and deemed herself ready.

"Jade, my mother will be here any minute!" Victoria called to her from another room. Right on time. She pulled on a simple smile and left their room to join Victoria in the living room. She loved how well her human's choice of décor paired with her small additions that reminded her of home. A home that was no longer standing. Jade made the hard choice to destroy the cottage once she collected anything and everything of value. The small town didn't deserve to keep it if she wasn't living in it. The day she decided to tear it down was a tough one, but she stood by it. She was moving on. She wasn't going to dwell in the past anymore. With everything gone, it was just an empty cottage.

There was a knock at the door and Victoria rushed to answer it. While Jade was lost in thought, she had been bustling around making last minute finishing touches. The apartment was immaculate, but that didn't stop her from making sure it stayed that way. Jade knew she loved hearing her mother's compliments on how well they were doing. It was a point she always liked to make after her older sister Trina teased her about failing at life on her own. Victoria made sure she would eat those words, and she did. They were doing great. Jade's smile grew as she stood from the couch to greet their guests, but it promptly dropped when she heard the all too familiar screeching on the other side of the door. Noisy.

She scowled and shot Victoria a look. She gave her an apologetic smile in return and shrugged. Jade growled. Victoria often neglected to tell her when Trina was stopping by so that she couldn't dispute it. Once she was there, Victoria knew Jade wouldn't kick her out unless she was disrespectful. It was a dirty trick Jade had to admire. Victoria offered her a soft smile meant to cajole her so Jade reluctantly plastered a welcoming but small smile on her own face to mask her distaste.

Victoria's smile brightened at the effort and rewarded her with a quick kiss before opening the door to let in her mother and sister. They greeted each other with the usual exchange of hugs, Jade and Trina staying well away from each other as usual. Jade was only recently comfortable accepting a hug from Victoria's mother. She didn't think she would ever feel comfortable accepting one from her sister.

"How are you?" Holly Vega asked, genuine.

"Good. Although, I'm sure Victoria will have more to say in just a moment," Jade replied, gaining an amused laugh from the woman.

"Come on, Tori. Why can't he come?" Trina whined. Jade glanced over at them.

"You know why," Victoria retorted, hands on her hips in frustration.

"I trust him. It's not like he'll say anything about your freaky girlfriend," Trina said with a wave of her hand.

"Fiancée," Victoria corrected, raising her hand to point at the ring she wore since Jade gave it to her, its new home now being her ring finger. Trina rolled her eyes.

"And it doesn't matter if you trust him. Jade doesn't," the youngest Vega continued, turning to walk away. Jade gave her a grateful smile and Victoria took her by the hand.

"Make yourself comfortable while Jade and I set the table," she said, pulling Jade into the kitchen. As soon as they were alone Jade took the human in her arms and kissed her.

"I love you," she whispered. Victoria sighed happily.

"Love you," she replied. Jade pressed one last kiss to her lips before letting her go.

"Let's get dinner going. The faster we get through this the faster I'll have you all to myself again," she jested. Victoria shook her head but laughed. They set up and invited the Vega women into the dining room. Even with Trina present, the night still went well. Jade felt happy and included into the family. No one need mention the Vega patriarch. Their talk was light and the two humans were even interested in a bit of magic lore. After all the hardship and years spent alone, Jade finally had a family again. And she had Victoria, someone she thought she would never have. While they listened to Trina recount a time she fought someone over a pair of boots, Victoria took Jade's hand in hers under the table. They exchanged smiles. Jade gave Victoria's hand a squeeze in return, her finger running over the ring. For the thousandth time, she silently thanked her second mother for her gift of life.

——————————

The end! Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed.