Hey all! Blue here! I liiiiiive. Sorry for the super delayed chapter. School work has been taking up so much of my time. But, that shouldn't be as much of a problem now (thank goodness). Oh, and to the guest who guessed what this fic was gonna be about way back when, the art should be up on my blog by Wednesday, so keep any eye out for that ;)

Also, I am working on rewriting that mystery idea and will be trying to get that out to y'all when I can (might be a while, so I was thinking of trying my hand at some one shots while I work on it).

Thank you everyone for your reviews and support, you guys are great! And a shout out to Mew Shadowfang who came up with the idea that inspired the "side effects" in this chapter. Thank you so much for letting me use it. Also another shout out to my friend who has been my beta and wall for bouncing ideas. You are the best!

Anyways, enough from me. I hope you all enjoy the conclusion to this fic. Let me know what you think. Enjoy the Bees!

XxXxX

Epilogue

"All I'm saying is that we have no idea what my side effect will be? What if it's the wings? Or, or, or the claws. That would make things pretty difficult." Yang rambled at the dinner table. It had been a couple days since Yang's birthday, and the three girls were still readjusting to human life again. Ghira had gone back to his home in the village. He told Blake that he had just been hit with inspiration and that he had to finish the book as soon as he could. 'While it's still jumbling around in my mind' he said. He promised he would be back in time for their celebration.

It might have been two days, but now that everyone could find the manor, they all learned the truth of the manor and the curse the three girls had been under. News spread fast and luckily, their uncle had been in the area and heard of this tale. He rushed over to see for himself. When the curse was in place, he could never find the manor since he was always looking for it. He had driven himself a bit mad searching and had unfortunately turned to alcohol to deal with the grief of losing the only family he had left. Yang and Ruby were both shocked to see what had become of the man. He was much skinnier then before, and looked very ragged, tired and reeked of booze. Still, they gave him a warm welcome.

The man offered both girls so many beautiful and expensive gifts, 'to make up for lost time' as he said. But they turned him down. He practically begged them to take something, so they both agreed to a party. A celebration of their return. Well, in Yang's mind, it was a celebration of Ruby's return and nothing more. She did deserve it after all.

After his arrival, he started really bringing the manor back to the way it used to be. He summoned the guards that used to defend them, the maids that used to clean for them, and the servants who used to cook for them. It was nice to have them back but... It was also strange. Maybe it was the fact that Yang had gotten used to only having three people in the large estate (ok, well technically only one since Weiss was in a mirror and Ruby was a rose). The staff scolded her for doing their jobs for them. She would go in the kitchen and prepare a meal for everyone, clean the dishes when she was done, and put everything away nice and neat.

Qrow asked her if she was feeling alright more than once.

The four girls were eating a meal that Yang and Blake had made together. Yang was actually getting quite good in the kitchen, the pair worked seamlessly in tandem. They were all eating some sort of cheese based pasta concoction that the duo had created.

"Don't worry so much, I'm sure it will be fine." Blake told her, she took a small bite of her meal.

"Well Ruby's and Weiss' showed up already!" Yang exclaimed. "What about mine?"

Ruby laughed and continued eating away at the food on her plate.

"It won't be bad, Yang. Maybe it will be helpful!" Ruby said.

"Oh yeah, like shedding rose petals helps?"

"It helps for later at night." Ruby mumbled.

"Ruby!" Weiss shrieked, her face as red as Ruby's dress.

"Kidding kidding!" She defended. "But Weiss' is actually pretty awesome. And it comes in handy too."

"Yeah, I bet Weiss just loves it, especially when you were getting ou-"

"Yang!" Weiss cut her off before she could finish. Weiss' side effect was a bit complicated. If she looked in a mirror and thought of someone else, she could view them through that mirror, and they could see her. She had the unfortunate circumstance of figuring this out when she was thinking about Ruby... as Ruby was stepping out of a shower.

Yang vowed to never let her live it down.

Ever.

"Ok ok! It is useful." Yang said, shoveling food into her mouth in between sentences. "But I was the one who started this whole thing. What if I get that snout again? Or the scraggly hair" Yang shuddered.

"Then I would still love you." Blake said, smiling warmly at her.

"Really?"

"Of course! I fell in love with you while you were a dragon, remember?"

"I know, I know." Said Yang. "It's still nice to hear."

"Maybe you've just kept the same manners at the dinner table as the beast." Weiss quipped with a smirk.

"Oh ha ha." Yang deadpanned, her mouth full of food.

"Seriously, Yang. If you don't slow down, you are going to give yourself indigestion." Weiss chided, taking note of the speed of her food intake.

"I'll be fi-" Yang started, but felt a pain in her chest. "Ooof."

"I told you."

"No, I'm fine. I think it's just... just-" Yang started. "BUUUUURP!"

A stream of fire flew out... along with her table manners.

"Well, excuse you." Weiss quipped.

"Fire breath. I have the fire breath." Yang said in disbelief. Then, she slumped in her chair, relieved. "It's just fire breath."

"You aren't upset?" Blake asked.

"Are you kidding me? That was the best part about being a dragon." She exclaimed. "And it's better then some weird looking wings that probably wouldn't even work."

Blake slung her arm around Yang's shoulder and rubbed her back affectionately.

"Besides."Yang started with a smile cheesier than the dish they were currently eating.

"Oh dear." Weiss said in anticipation.

"Nope." Ruby joined in, covering her face with her hands.

"Yang, please don-"

"Don't you think it's kind of... Hot?" She said, pointing two finger guns at Blake.

All three girls groaned at the pun that they saw coming a mile away.

XxXxX

Later that day, Blake found herself in the library once more. She sat in her chair (She had basically claimed it at this point) and for once, read a book for pleasure rather then research. It felt so nice to be in this room and not have to worry so much what she was reading, if it gave her any important information, or if it was crucial to breaking the curse. She was entirely relaxed and just enjoying her book in peace and quiet.

She WAS enjoying it in peace and quiet, until...

"Raaaaaar." A clearly human voice attempted to roar. Yang ran into the library with her arms over her head, curled like massive claws. "I am the affection monster! You will pay the toll or pay the consequences!"

"Yang, I'm reading." Blake said, hardly sparing the girl a second glance.

"Consequences it is then." Yang said, still using her ridiculous monster voice. She marched over to Blake, scooped her up off of her chair (which caused Blake to let out a surprised squeal), and sat back down with Blake in her lap. "Ha ha! Now the affection monster has you!"

"Yang, you know you aren't a beast anymore, right?"

"Pssh. The affection monster is much more than that puny dragon." Yang boasted with a fake evil laugh. "Now you MUST pay attention to me. All part of my devious plan."

"You realize your error though, right?"

"And what is that, mortal?"

"I can still read my book like this." Blake said, holding up her book. As if to demonstrate, she brought the book back up and started to read again.

"Noooooooo! Foiled again!" Yang bellowed.

Blake smirked at her cry, but chose to say nothing. She was curious to see how long it would take the blonde to bother her again.

"Blaaaaaake." Yang said five minutes later, dropping the monster act.

"Yes, affection monster?" Said Blake cheekily. She lowered her book, and gave Yang half a smirk.

"I'm boooooooored. I need affection."

"Well I am reading a book right now, so maybe later." Blake teased. She was actually at a perfect place to stop, but she wanted to see how far Yang would take this.

"But you still haven't paid the toll, Blake."

"What toll."

"The toll people with the name 'Blake Belladonna' have to pay in this manor."

"How come I've never heard of this before."

"It's recent. You know, new management and all."

"Uh-huh." Blake said, placing her book in the chair next to her. Yang smiled brighter, knowing she now had her girlfriend's full attention. "And why is it only for 'Blake Belladonna'?"

"Because then they would run rampant!" Yang exclaimed in false urgency. "They would read all the books! And eat all the tuna!"

"Hey, I wouldn't eat ALL of the tuna."

"Yeah, because there's only one of you! And you've been paying the toll already to keep them away. Imagine, though, seven Blakes running around here. It would be anarchy!"

"Would you really mind that though?"

"I... Uh... Well actually no..." Yang admitted with a little chuckle. "But that's not the point!"

"Ok ok, so what is this toll?"

"Weeeeellll, I am the affection monster soooo... I think yo-"

Yang was cut off by Blake pressing her lips against hers. She slowly deepened the kiss, tugging a bit on the blonde's lower lip and prodding with her tongue slightly. But just as Yang tried to push in with her tongue as well, Blake pulled away with a coy smile.

"I believe that I have paid in full." She said, picking her book back up and resuming her previous task.

"You tease." Yang growled.

Blake, living up to that name, ignored Yang.

"Blaaaaaake."

She tried to.

"Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake."

Oh, she really REALLY tried to.

"Blaaaaaaaaaaa-"

"What?"

"Pay attention to meeeeeee." Yang whined, nuzzling Blake's neck with her nose.

"You weren't this needy when you needed help breaking the curse, you know."

"Well I never knew that I needed you."

Blake felt her cheeks heat up at that. She decided to indulge Yang a bit and snuggled in closer to her.

But that did not seem to satiate her desires.

"I'm getting bored, I'm just gonna take you outside now." Yang said, hooking the arm that was over Blake's stomach, under the bookworm's knees.

"What? Yang, no!" Blake said as she realized what the blonde was planning.

"Too late." She sang as she lifted Blake up and began to carry her out of the room.

"Sometimes I forget that you are still quite strong as a human." Blake commented, not even fighting the girl anymore. "Not as intimidating though."

"Hey, I can be intimidating." Yang defended. As if to demonstrate, she opened her mouth and chomped down hard just mere inches away from Blake's nose.

"Not the same without the massive jaw and razor sharp teeth, hun."

"Maybe." Yang agreed. "But I couldn't do this before."

And with that, Yang pulled Blake's head forward for another passionate kiss.

"That... Is certainly a plus." Blake said with a grin, draping her arms around the blonde's neck.

XxXxX

The grand hall was bustling with party goers, all laughing and dancing merrily. Atop the stairs, Yang Xiao Long made her way to join the festivities. She was late once again and she felt terrible about it. She was the host after all, she shouldn't be late to her own party. But she did have some business to attend to with her uncle. After they had discussed the issue, they came to an agreement and Yang was eager to tell Blake about it. Before she could make it all the way down to the party, however Qrow stopped her.

"Hey, kid!" He called after her. "You really have changed, haven't you?"

Yang smiled upon hearing that and turned back to him.

"I really have."

He seemed satisfied with this and slunk away to the study. He was never one for parties anyway. Looking out at the sea of people, Yang saw some familiar faces, but could not remember their names. She would have to remedy that problem later as she mingled with them.

But, even though she was hosting this party, she wanted to remind people that this was not a party for her. It was a party for Ruby. She wanted to celebrate her sister who was so selfless all those years ago, not her simply fixing her own mistake. Ruby and Weiss, they were the brave ones. Yang just learned a lesson.

Besides, even if she did deserve a reward, she more than got one with Blake.

Speaking of which, she was finally able to spot the raven-haired girl dancing away with Ruby. Yang glanced around to try and find Weiss. She was by the side of the dance hall, trying not to look jealous... and doing an awful job.

"Oooh, I get it." Yang voiced her thoughts aloud. Weiss probably refused to dance with Ruby out of embarrassment and honor and the rest of that guard crap. Then, Blake (who she learned could be quite devious as of late) stepped in and offered to dance with Ruby. All to get Weiss on the dance floor.

Well Weiss' stubborn streak was still going strong and Yang wanted to be the one dancing with Blake tonight. They hadn't danced since the personal ball they threw when she was still a beast, she wanted to show her how well she could dance now that she had her old form back.

So Yang sauntered over to Weiss with a plan.

"Hey, Weiss."

"Hello, Yang."

"Why aren't you dancing?"

"A guard must always be vigilant and-"

"Weiss, come on. We have other guards for that tonight." Yang said, pointing out the guards posted by the door.

"But-"

"No buts. Just dance with me."

"You?"

"Yes me." Yang said, holding out a hand. "Come on, it'll be fun."

"Yang."

"Not taking no for an answer, Weiss. You may be stubborn, but so am I." Yang argued. "I'll wait here all night if I have to."

"What about Blake?" Weiss said, crossing her arms.

"Well she seems to be enjoying herself with Ruby, right?" Yang teased with a smirk. Weiss visibly bristled at that and glanced over at the other pair.

Got her! Yang thought in celebration.

"Fine." Weiss agreed, taking her hand. Yang pulled her out to the dance floor and fell in step with the music. And Weiss... She actually had wonderful rhythm, matching Yang perfectly. Not as perfect as Blake felt, but she couldn't deny that Weiss was actually a great dancer.

"Wow, Weiss! Where did you learn to dance?"

"Sh-shut up."

"And eloquent too. Ruby's a lucky girl."

"I will step on your feet with my heels and it will hurt."

"Alright, truce truce." Yang chuckled. She glanced over to Blake and they both seemed to share the same idea. Both dancing closer and closer together, both Yang and Blake spun their respective partners, let go, and pushed them both forward into each other. Then the pair fell into step with each other and danced away before the guard could yell at them.

"Nicely done." Yang complimented.

"Couldn't have done it without your push." Blake said with a warm and loving smile. They both glanced over to see the pair awkwardly dancing, blushes coating their faces. "Honestly, you think they would be comfortable dancing together at this point."

"It's Weiss, she has this whole 'I must be a guard and nothing more' kind of thing."

Blake shook her head at the pair.

"I'm glad you aren't like that."

"Nope, I'm just obnoxious."

"Obnoxiously wonderful."

The world melted away as Yang stared into Blake's eyes. It was like she was drowning in honey, sweet and warm.

"Well, well, well. Yang Xiao Long. It's so nice to see you again." A smooth taunting voice infiltrated her ears. She stiffened a bit and couldn't bring herself to look over until she saw Blake turn her head and furrow her eyebrows in confusion.

Beside them was Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. They wore friendly smiles, but she knew how artificial they actually were. The warm from before started to chill as the sting of betrayal and regret started to consume Yang all over again. Just seeing them again, in this hall, it brought back who she used to be. What an awful person she was. What awful people they were. How they left her to rot away in this manor without a second thought.

Then, the cold started to ebb away as soon as she felt a hand grab her own and squeeze it tightly. She looked back over to Blake and saw a concerned expression on her face. Yang smiled, remembering that she HAD in fact changed. She wasn't that person anymore, so these people did not have power over her.

Not anymore.

"Hello Cinder, Emerald, Mercury." Yang finally greeted. She gripped Blake's hand a bit tighter, finding it a source of power for her in that moment. "It's been a while."

"Yes, it has. Glad to see you are no longer a beast. It truly would have been a shame to let all that beauty go to waste." Cinder said, stepping forward to run a hand through Yang's hair in an overly-familiar gesture. Before she could however, Yang felt Blake take a possessive step forward as warning. "Who's the bodyguard, Yang?" Cinder smirked, gesturing to Blake.

Yang's blood started to simmer at the thought of her doing anything to ruin what she had with Blake.

"Her name is Blake, she's the love of my life." Yang simply stated.

"Dramatic much?" Mercury scoffed. "And what gives, you don't even seem happy to see us. We came back after all."

"When it suited you." Yang mumbled.

"Hey, can you really blame us? You were a monster." Emerald defended.

Blake took another step towards the group, but Yang squeezed her hand again. She glanced over and gave her a small smile.

This is my fight, let me handle it. Yang tried to express without words.

"What do you want?" Yang asked, turning back to face them.

"We came to see our friend, we wanted to see for ourselves your magical transformation. This is a party celebrating your return, correct?" Said Cinder.

"No, the party is to celebrate Ruby's return, not mine."

"The little tag-along? You're serious?"

"Yes, I am." Yang stated. "Now I suggest you finish your drink, mingle with some guests and then leave. I think that you'll find these parties are no longer suited to your tastes."

"My my, you have changed. All grown up and mature." Cinder mocked. "What changed you?"

"She did." Yang said, pulling Blake closer to her side. "And if your not careful, you could end up like me, or worse."

"Is that a threat?" Emerald piped in.

"No, it's a warning. If you don't learn the important things in life, someone might come along and teach you the hard way."

"And what are these important things?" Cinder seethed.

"Love, compassion, kindness. They are so much more important than beauty and other vain things we concern ourselves with."

"Uggh, I think that enchantress cursed her to be sappy too." Mercury groaned.

"It appears we aren't welcome here." Cinder told her cronies. "Come on, let's go."

They began to leave.

"Wouldn't want to stick around a party for that brat anyways. She should have just stayed a rose."

Yang felt her blood full on boil. She let go of Blake's hand, stomped over to the boy and spun him around.

"Listen up, you pompous self-important jerk. You can insult me all you want, call me a monster, disgusting, sappy. I couldn't care less." She spat with cold ferocity. She then grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. "But you insult my sister or anyone else I care about... And I'll show you what a true monster is."

And for the first time since knowing the boy, Yang saw fear written all over his face. He scampered off to the others as soon as she released him. Apparently the display had frightened all of them, they seemed to walk much quicker to the exit. As soon as she saw them leave through the main doors, Yang returned to Blake, still heated from the interaction.

"Are you alright?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, it's just... They remind me of who I used to be."

"But you aren't that person anymore. You know that right?"

"I know, I know." Yang said, finally feeling calm again. "Thank you."

"Of course." Blake told her. "And it looks like there is another little side effect after all."

"What?"

"Your eyes. They still turn red when you're mad."

"They do?" Yang asked, looking about to find some reflective surface.

"They are lilac again, don't worry." Blake giggled.

"That makes sense, I can't be mad around you."

"You know, he was right about one thing. You are very sappy now."

"Is that such a bad thing?" Yang asked, a little nervous. Blake dashed those fears away when she stepped forward and pulled her closer for a small kiss.

"Not at all."

XxXxX

The party when on late into the night. They all danced the night away until the music stopped. Everyone cleared the dance floor and thanked their hosts before departing.

Two people, however, did not stop when the music did. Blake and Yang remained on the dance floor, lost in each others eyes and their own internal music. The same one that they danced to in their private ball. But this time there was no sadness. It wasn't bittersweet and painful. They were warm and content. And they weren't pressed for time. In fact, they felt like they had all the time in world.

"So, I was just talking with my uncle." Yang told Blake as their dancing slowed down to more of a sway.

"Hmm?"

"So, I sort of asked him.. If he would mind looking after the manor."

"Why would you need him to do that?"

"Well... I was thinking... I've been trapped here for two years and I was too young to travel before the curse... So I thought that maybe... We could travel somewhere?"

"Travel?" Blake asked, her eyes widening.

"I mean, if you want to! I won't go if you don't want to. But I figured that it would be nice if we could see the world... together."

"Yes!" Blake eagerly answered. She coughed to regain her composure. "Yes, I would love that."

"Excited, are we?" Yang asked, her lips twisting into a smirk.

"Sorry. I've always wanted to travel. To experience new things. New is good, after all."

"Aaah, tale as new as time..." Yang hummed before shaking her head in dissatisfaction. "Nah, something doesn't sound right about that."

"We'll workshop it." Blake said with a giggle. She then led the blonde to the table where the drinks were served. After rummaging through the discarded bottles, she finally found one unopened bottle of wine left. Opening it, she poured a glass for Yang and herself. "To the end of a truly beautiful story."

Yang shook her head, taking a step forward and linking her arm with Blake's.

"No, this is just the beginning." She whispered.

They both clinked glasses and took a sip through intertwined arms.

And thus is the tale of the beauty and her beast.