[I planned to end this book with Rosegarden, just didn't expect it to take so long, so here we are.]

"Look at that line," Ruby said to Oscar, as she put a stack of books on the table.

It was Oscar's first official book signing since his story World's End had just had its 2 year anniversary.

It had finally become available to the public (after a myriad of delays in preparation that were mostly due to Atlas no longer being up and printing shops being moved around so much and ink supplies being short), since the summer before the 6th Deliverance day, but it had had to be reprinted already, people had bought up the copies so fast.

Oscar had just released his second book, which was Grimm History, the non fictional telling of the same story but with more focus on the gods and how they'd come to power.

For his age, the professors at Beacon had said it was an impressive scholarly work. Even for any age.

Oscar was only glad he'd finally get a break from research, he hoped.

[I feel that at the end of every semester.] 

Ruby had been his cheerleader throughout this whole process, and now she was helping him sign autographs...and there were a lot of people here.

"Should have rented a bigger bookstore..." Ruby added.

Oscar laughed nervously. "I hope they don't all think I'm going to say something profound in every single message..."

"Oh, Oscar, you could say that in your sleep," Ruby said. "I've heard you."

Oscar turned red.

He and Ruby had been unofficially dating even before the book was out and finally owned up to it after that.

But they'd only been married for 2 months. Oscar still acted like a schoolboy about it.

Tai liked to say they were the kind of people who would always act like they'd just met a week ago, no matter how long they'd known each other, because of their joie de vive.

"Well," Oscar said weakly, "I think you might steal the show anyway. I mean, you're the most famous huntress in the world, and you're way cuter than I am, so...maybe I should be more worried about that."

"Psst, no one is going to listen to me talk about books," Ruby said. "Unless they want to listen to me geek out for an hour. You'll do fine. And, I brought cookies." She pulled out a tupperware. "In case you feel tired."

"Chocolate chip?" Oscar asked.

"And snickerdoodle, I put in your favorite too..." Ruby said.

"Thanks, that's really nice." Oscar managed a smile. "But, uh...do you think Dr. Oobleck is coming?"

"I don't know," Ruby said. "He could probably read the whole book in one hour if we let him talk, so... But, you know, he might be with Professor Peach."

"Oh, yeah... Huh, is that weird?" Oscar said.

"I don't understand--she was never around that much while I was at Beacon, but I guess she's Dr. Peach now. Maybe they met in those classes." Ruby shrugged. "Plus side, less time for him to give out tough homework to those poor, innocent new recruits."

"You can open the line anytime, Mr. Pine," the bookseller told him.

"Well, here goes." Oscar undid the chain that kept the line back.

* * *

"I think the book made me sound a little too immature, don't you?" Jaune said to his team over lunch.

"I dunno, sounds about right to me," Nora said, between eating pancakes. "Hey, Storm! Stop putting butter on your sister's pacifier! I told you it won't get stuck!"

Storm dropped a butter container guiltily.

Ren shook his head, looking both amused and tired.

"Nora Jr. seems a lot more like Ren than you," Pyrrha noted, wiping syrup off Lux's two-year old fingers.

"Funny how that works out, huh?" Nora said.

"But you guys all seem so cool in that book," Jaune said. "I mean, Nora is like a hammer goddess, Ren is a freaking ninja, and Pyrrha, of course, just seems like herself, and I'm the dork!"

"Jaune, you came off as charming and down to earth," Pyrrha said. "And I told you, Oscar would never make you look bad."

"I just wonder if that's really what he thinks of me," Jaune said.

"I did read to the end," Ren said more calmly. "I think by then you look like an experienced leader. Besides, it's not like people know it's true."

"I think they can figure out if it's true," Jaune said.

"You know, Ruby told me they want to make a movie/documentary of it," Pyrrha said. "We might all get interviewed again. I know I'll never be done telling that story."

"Your class never gets tired of it?" Ren said.

"No...I might have to have it at a real school if it gets any bigger," Pyrrha remarked.

"While you have two babies?" Ren said.

Jean Arc, who was in a stroller, was asleep.

"Oh, he's no trouble at all," Pyrrha said. "Anyway...Ben and Polly went to Beacon Academy this year, and the house felt so much emptier without them, we needed someone to fill it."

"You have the most patience of anyone I know," Nora remarked. 

"Well, aside from how I feel about how I come off," Jaune said, "the book is really good. Oscar has talent. Maybe he could just be a writer for his career."

"That would fit him," Ren said. "But I thought he was going to be a doctor, like Oobleck."

"He is. He didn't want to be a Professor Pine, like Ozpin, so instead of a lower title, he's going higher--Dr. Pine," Jaune said.

[Oscar does kind of have a Dr. Who vibe, with the other worldly friends and all.]

"Did Shine and Wally get a copy of his book?" Nora asked.

"Of course, I sent it to them...with the author's name taken off, " Pyrrha said. "Did you hear they have a son now?"

"They still have to catch up to Winter and Qrow," Nora said.

"Who has twins two times in a row...?" Ren said, looking shell shocked.

"People who have a Semblance that increases odds..." Jaune said.

"At least they have lots of help," Pyrrha said. "I know Emerald will be joining our ranks soon. She wants to be a mom so bad. I hope Mercury is ready for that."

"He'll be fine," Jaune said. "He's been really close with that Cliff kid he saved in that one village. Guess Mercury really wasn't as bad with the orphans and refugees as he thought... They like him now. He tells the best stories, I guess..."

"I think you mean the most stories he probably shouldn't be telling them," Pyrrha said. "Sometimes he reminds me of Qrow."

"Any idea when Shine and Wally will visit again?" Nora asked.

They had not been back all year.

"No." Pyrrha shook her head. "But...I've learned to accept it. It can't always be at our beck and call, you know. They have their own lives and so many other students to visit. They told me something about other weddings to go to... Really, I feel selfish for how often they've visited us."

"Before we go home," Nora said, changing the subject, "we should congratulate Cinder... I mean, it's weird, but I'm happy for her."

"They got engaged just last month, right?" Ren said.

"Yes, but it was a formality at the point when they got the ring," Pyrrha said. "We all knew what they were about... The wedding is going to be before the end of fall anyway. They're tired of waiting. I think, at a certain point, Cinder went from thinking she wasn't ready to thinking she might as well just dive in headfirst if she's going to do it. That's kind of how she is. And Esmeralda couldn't be happier for her, though she'll be living alone...at least, she will be till Elle joins her. I'm so glad they're good enough friends now to do that."

"Well, between the four of us, I think there's a guy with a little crush on Es," Jaune said. "She might not stay single for too long either. She's...so different now. I wouldn't even believe how timid she was when we first met her. Though, she's had some stuff to deal with...you know, just like Shine said, but Weiss honestly has been a great help with that. I thought a lot of people are going to do better, once this all gets around."

"And..." Pyrrha said, "there's a proposal Oscar wanted to tell us all about actually...if you have time."

"Oh? What?" Nora said.

* * *

"So I was thinking," Oscar said, at the meeting that was partially over the video call and partially in person, later, "it's time we made something like a meeting building just for our faith... There's so many more of us now, and I feel like we can never spread the resources and the music and the other things fast enough when we're so spaced out. I mean, it won't have to be anything fancy, just...somewhere we could direct things from."

"I think that's a great idea," Blake said. "Actually it's something I've thought about too, here in Mistral...and Menagerie, there too."

She adjusted her toddler on her lap. "Whatever you need, we'll do what we can."

"But who would oversee it?" Winter asked. "You, Pine?"

"Well, not just one person," Oscar said. "I have old students who'd be happy to help...but yeah, we could, when we're able... I just think we need to grow. We need a name people will be able to pick out, you know?"

"Maybe something with Rock in it," Jaune mused. "You know, like built on the rock...instead of the false gods of Remnant..."

"Probably could fit something about 'holy' or 'blessed' in there if you're going to use something that boring," Cinder commented, from where she was sewing something.

"Or 'sacred'?" Weiss suggestd.

"Sacred Rock? Sounds like a place you'd go to pray," Qrow snorted.

"Actually, that's kind of perfect," Yang said. "I like that...and think of all the puns I could make with Rock in the name."

"Oh boy..." Mercury muttered.

"There are some old warehouses right here in Argus that no one is using," Emerald said, "if you want to try to get one of those. We could pool our resources for it."

"That'd be great," Oscar said. "And I thought...maybe we could have a coat of arms for it, you know...because we're warriors? And swords...because of...the DJs."

"I like that too," Ruby said.

"And the cross for the symbol," Neptune suggested.

"Or maybe a dove," Raven mused. "Or a flame."

"Flame is too easy to mix up with dust," Cinder objected.

"Well, this sounds good to me," Royal said. "And I may even have just the warehouse in mind... Might take a scroll call though."

"If it's going to be to your cousin," Cinder said, "better let me talk to her. I need to speak to her anyway."

"Uh...fine, be my guest." Royal was only too glad to pass that along. "Just remember you asked for it."

Cinder just smirked.

* * *

"I never expected to get another visit from you," Vivian Lavida said when Cinder appeared in her office in Vale.

Cinder shrugged.

"You haven't met my husband, have you?" Vivia, motioned to the man in a gold colored suit who was sitting next to her at the desk. "He's not usually in this time of day, but, we have a closer."

Liam nodded at Cinder.

He had to be at least 10 years older than Vivian, though he was in good shape.

They seemed to be on good terms--so not much like the Schnees. Cinder had little experience with rich couples.

Liam had gold eyes that matched his suit and ruddy auburn hair that contrasted with the gold, but he wasn't a very handsome fellow, if you really looked at him, and Cinder wondered if Vivian had just married him for prestige, as she seemed to care about that.

But, no business of Cinder's.

"As you know," Cinder said, holding up her left hand, "I'm engaged to your cousin."

"Yes...I had a feeling you'd snare him in the end," Vivian said dryly. "I've reconciled myself to it...  At least--" With an air of giving up. "--you're better in business than he is. Though it won't do me much good."

"That's actually what I've come to speak to you about," Cinder said. "I have some thoughts about how we could better business between us, in more ways than one."

Vivian raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean that Royal is going into clothes again?"

"Not him," Cinder said. "Me."

"You?" Liam said, with surprise.

"I plan to co-own a fairly successful dress shop," Cinder said. "We also sell shoes." By way of getting at Vivian. "But we're not able to expand so easily outside of Argus. Zoning and things... I have...some issues with getting permits in Vale, as you can imagine."

Vivian sniffed.

"But you don't," Cinder said, smiling. "And once I'm part of the family, what's mine is yours, and yours is mine."

"Are you a gold digger?" Liam asked.

"She's marrying a Zapato. What do you expect?" Vivian said.

Cinder glared at her. "I would marry your cousin whether or not he was rich, and he's not rich. But I want to be able to support myself, thank you. And you want to use the Zapato family name. That's going to be my name soon."

Vivian began to look more interested. "I see..."

"With the brand name, I think our businesses could both expand," Cinder said smoothly. "As long as I can make things quality, and you can make sure of the quantity. I would keep all the design rights myself. You would be the supplier. We can negotiate that with a lawyer--I know a few. I already have connections with the SDC and other companies in Argus. I sew dust into clothes also. I'd like to bring The Perfect Fit back..."

"Royal wasn't interested in any of this?" Vivian said.

"No, he's not. But he's fine with me doing it as long as he doesn't have to do anything," Cinder said. "He hates business, but as his job is a lot more time consuming and doesn't pay as well as this, I'm concerned about our financial security... I don't want my shop to go under. This would give us the kick we need to get that momentum, and you would get to bring back your family name. Eventually we might even do both at once. I see it as a win-win."

"It's almost too tempting..." Vivian said. "But, how can I be sure you'd treat us fairly?"

"Hence the lawyer." Cinder frowned at her. "We'd both retain respective control, outside of the shared venture. I don't want you on my turf, and I'm sure you don't want me on yours. But we will be family. Important to share, don't you think?"

"It's not a bad idea..." Liam mused. "If she's willing."

Vivian looked bemused. "Well, I could look at your business proposal I guess."

Cinder pulled a folder out of her bag.

"Hmm." Vivian opened it. "Cinder, it seems I may have been wrong about you after all. You're going to make a lovely addition to our family."

"One more thing," Cinder said. "There's a warehouse that you used to use... I already have a shop, and I'd rather use the warehouses in Vale, since they're larger...but if, in repayment for the patent on The Fit shoes from Royal, you wouldn't mind signing over that particular one to us?"

"It's useless anyway for us," Vivian said. "Why would you want it?"

"Private project," Cinder said. "Nothing illegal," when she saw Liam's look.

"Just so long as it isn't," Liam said.

"Welcome to the team, Miss Fall." Vivian looked up. "I'll also come to the wedding now."

Cinder frowned.

"That's a joke. I was going to go," Vivian snorted. "But I won't bring up business, I promise. As long as you have good wine."

Cinder rolled her eyes.

* * *

The new meeting house was set up in record time, thanks to a lot of connections that Roman had in construction and shipping these days.

He'd have been a real kingpin if Argus had bigger businesses than it did.

Roman and Neo had finally gotten married themselves, deciding they were tired of being the only ones not joining that party.

They seemed as happy as ever. Neo's control with her Semblance was so good now that she hardly needed any time at all to use it. More and more people had just gotten used to her not talking. In fact, she was kind of looked up to for it. People said it made her seem more austere she was the "silent partner".

[Silent partners, by the way, should be their ship name if it isn't already.]

Shine and Wally did eventually visit again, with both their kids this time.

They pronounced the meeting house to be a good investment and blessed it.

After that visit, where they congratulated everyone on their new nuptials and new children, they didn't come back for years at a time.

The others learned not to mind it so much. They took what they got.

Besides, they were all older and wiser and moving more in different circles than before.

They all stayed in touch with each other, but not everyone got to hang out as often as before. They had their own circles of new friends, new students, new mentees.

Emerald's charity had become a world-wide one and finally had locations other than the two she'd had at first.

She and Mercury did start their own family after a couple years.

And to Weiss' great joy, she and Meridian finally did also. It happened when it happened, her mother said.

Jacques Schnee, surprisingly, did visit from time to time, and his children accepted it.

Willow never spoke to him, at least more than in passing, but Winter was civil to him and Whitley was friendly.

When Whitley and Libby finally got married, Jacques was even invited, provided he behaved himself.

Granted, he was still fretful and prone to complain, but he seemed to know that it was no use to expect anything but vague sympathy from any of them, and he didn't make any more critical comments on their choice of partners. He was a humbled man, if not by nature, then at least by circumstances.

He and Willow did finally annul their marriage, based on the false premise that he'd gotten her to marry him on, she said. 

Years passed one by one, and Atlas was begun to be rebuilt.

It wasn't on its old location but near it. It would take a long time to finish, and it wouldn't be called Atlas. They were changing the name to Elroi (which meant "God who sees"), because Winter said to the Council that it would be something that seemed to just appear from nothing by the time they were finished with it.

Winter and Qrow eventually let the younger recruits take over Argus' base, under Raven's watchful eye, and decided they would move.

And they were requested to take over the school of Haven, which had only been half in use all this time because of the lack of staff.

Surprisingly, they agreed. Qrow kind of missed teaching, and Winter was a born headmaster. 

Haven, under their watch, became the best huntsmen school in the world, rivaling Beacon. And people loved the philosophy they implemented in it also.   

Their kids took to it also... By that time they had 6. (The last two were not twins.)

Though their kids, when they were older, got complaints because they regularly beat everyone else in their classes way too easily...but what did you expect? They had parents who were tougher than anyone else, and a Ruby and a Yang in their family who taught them to kick butt, and an Oscar who taught them to think strategically...and the large group of extended family and friends who were all top tier fighters in the kingdoms. It was a wonder they held back at all.

Many of the others' kids even went to that academy and worked as huntsmen around Mistral. Others went to the other kingdoms.

Theo eventually passed on the headship of Shade to Meridian, not surprisingly--and Weiss. It became a slightly less insane school under their control...but not entirely. Weiss had learned to let a lot of stuff go in Vacuo, and she didn't try to control things too much. But there was a much stricter curfew...and no fireworks on the school's roof.

Theo and Vara never had any more than the one kid...but one was enough.

Theo did, with parenthood, become a little more responsible, and he and Oscar came to more of an understanding as Oscar got old enough to have more of a sense of humor about his antics.

When Aunt Emily finally passed away, Oscar got the farm and donated the property to Emerald's charity, since he knew he wasn't going back there.

Kip and Penny both became teachers at Shade academy, surprisingly. The students there loved them. When Victoria passed on, she left Kip all her research rights, which he took upon himself to modify and use much more responsibly than she had. He had a good head for science and became an inventor in his own right, though not like his mother or father. But that was no loss to him.

Documentaries were made of the World Heroes. But happily, they did become more known for their current good works and improvements in the world than just their past achievements.

Cinder's business did very well and soon was known all over the world, to her surprise. People forgot about her past when they saw she sold good shoes.

Royal was happy as always to be left out of the business part of it, though he would nitpick designs every now and then for not looking just right.

He and Cinder did have a family, which some people had bet they never would...and Cinder, surprisingly, turned out to be not as bad at parenting as she expected to be. She'd calmed down a lot over time, though she was always one with a sharp tongue and a little short tempered...but people got used to it.

She and Elle remained friends, and Hypnosia even started to work for her also, though she also became a huntress of sorts, and so did Mino... Mino became less bitter at the world when he found some acceptance with the group and an honest living. The Belladonnas helped work on that. The new White Fang became a much more philanthropic organization under their care.

The Fang's remains of the terrorists were stamped out after a decade or so.

The Grimm also began to be so rare within 30 years, that the huntsmen became more like police and vigilantes than they did like Grimm hunters. Only the most skilled of them hunted Grimm in the deep excesses of the world. Ruby and Mercury never got tired of finding their hiding holes and frying them.

One of Mercury and Emerald's kids did have Silver Eyes...and it took years to find out that they did work...but not quite the same way.

They thought the trait would die out now that the gods were gone and the Grimm would be gone soon too.

Things like dust did become more rare, but new sources of power were already being implemented before it was even 50 years.

The world was not perfect now, of course. Raven summed it up in one letter to Shine with these words:

"It's like the good book says--you'll hear of 'wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet.' We have our problems, our crime rings, our threats to peace...but we know now that no threat ever lasts forever. And it can't be as bad as one that lasts thousands of years. So, we soldier onward. Not enough to ruin our day anymore.

"We've become like you--things just bounce off of us. And really, it's better this way. I spent too much of my life worrying about things that could go wrong. Now with Hazel and Callum, I have too much else to focus on.

When you return next, we'll talk mostly about good news... I think we've got a handle on how we'll deal with things now. We don't need your advice as much anymore...but you will always have our friendship...and I know we'll always have your affection... I say things like that now. (You could hear her wry laugh there.)But sincerely, don't worry about us. Our world will find a way to go on. I hope if any other World Walkers are ever sent here, they'll be able to say we did a better job preparing the way than before.

O"r maybe, just when we're all at the end of time, we'll get to say it... See you on the other side."

[We're not quite done. One more short chapter after this.]