"I CANNOT STRESS how proud of you I am," he whispered in her ear, one of his arms snaking around her waist.

Odile casted a glance back, giving him a cheeky grin. "I just can't believe this is all real," she admitted, glancing around the ballroom. They'd managed a fairly large crowd tonight, and more people were in the gallery next doors, observing the paintings. Her own creations were among them. People had already approached her, interested in buying them.

There would be an auction, of course, at the end of the night. They'd worked it out in the end: half the proceeds to the artists, half the proceeds to the Wayne Foundation. Except her own paintings.

She didn't need the money. It was much better off for charity.

The entire family had come tonight, at least the ones who were in Gotham. Half of them had already retreated to corners where they wouldn't be bothered, being the antisocial asses they were, but they'd all showed up to support her anyways.

And in a way, she was the star of the show tonight. The other artists were here too—she'd gotten them all custom-made outfits to go along with the occasion, and were now gathered in an awkward group in one corner.

Odile frowned. "I should go talk to them."

"I think it'll be better to direct them to the gallery. People will be more interested in talking to them about their art there," Damian suggested, resting his chin on her shoulder. "You're needed here."

"Really, I'm not."

"You're the reason why any of this has happened."

"Fine." Odile grunted. Damian released his grip on her, letting her head over to the artists. As per his suggestion, she led them all over to the gallery.

She tilted her head at her own piece in the corner. Gotham. Pastelic. Similar to the one she'd had in her bedroom in the Wayne Manor. It formed a startling contrast to one of Adelaide Knox's creations besides it. Dark. Gritty. An upwards glance from one of the streets of the East End.

A small crowd had gathered around it. People dressed in splendour and covered in jewellery, gaping at the underbelly of the city that they tried so hard to ignore.

Adelaide's steps stopped besides Odile.

She turned to glance at the woman, offering an encouraging smile. "Go talk to them about it."

"I don't belong here," Adelaide whispered.

"They're gathered around your painting because they're interested. This night isn't about them, it's about you. It's about all of you. Show them the city you're familiar with. That's why we're here tonight." She laid her hand on Adelaide's arm. "Go."

With one last frantic glance at her, Adelaide started heading towards the crowd's direction. Odile watched with no small satisfaction as the crowd immediately parted ways, recognising Adelaide was one of the artists. And as Adelaide began gesturing to the painting and explaining, the crowd rapt with attention.

The rich of Gotham City weren't all evil, selfish and cruel. But their ignorance was just as responsible for what half the city suffered on a daily basis. Slowly, their eyes would be opened. And if just a few of them were willing to make a contribution, try to make a change...

Maybe this city would end up better after all.

"Look at you, all grown up." Dick approached her from behind, his voice filled with mirth. "Bruce is ecstatic, by the way."

"I wouldn't be here if not for all the kindness and guidance you've all shown me across the years," Odile said earnestly, turning around to face him. "Thank you, Dick. Truly."

"No time to get sentimental," Dick laughed. "And I don't think I did all that much anyways. It's Remiel you have to thank, not me. And in case you're wondering, we stuck Jason on patrol duty. He's going around the building making sure no one crashes it."

"I wasn't going to ask," Odile said, amused, "but that makes sense. I cannot envision him mingling with the crowd here."

"We tried a couple times." Dick winced. "Didn't go too well. Callie's with him to keep him company."

Odile frowned suddenly. "Who's watching the city, then? Surely we can't just leave it..."

"Don't worry about it. Jon got Kara to watch the city for tonight."

Odile blinked. "Kara?" Kara Zor-El? That was not the person she'd expected to be called in tonight. But with Jon himself attending the ball, that made sense. Clark needed to be in Metropolis, of course, and if Kara was free... "I ought to say thank you to her, then."

"Eh, save it for later." Dick yawned. "I also told Koriand'r to be on stand-by, but I doubt she'll be needed with Kara around."

Odile raised a brow. "And how does Remiel feel about that?"

Dick let out a chuckle. "We're long past that phase. She knows Kori and I are just friends, nothing more. She's fine with it."

"So... are you going to propose to her again? Any time soon?" Odile asked carefully.

Dick's gaze turned to the ballroom, where she assumed Remiel still was. "Who knows? Maybe tonight. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe never. Heaven knows."

"You know she'll say yes eventually."

"I know." Dick sighed. "But when's the right moment for it?"

Odile gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Well, you could be in worse situations. Good luck. Do tell me if you need any help with it."

Dick's response was a dramatic sigh. Odile let out a laugh as she headed back towards the ballroom. But then the glimpse of a woman on the terrace stopped her. A familiar silhouette. Odile's gaze hardened as she stepped out into the cool weather.

Talia al Ghul turned her head as Odile approached. "I'm not here for battle, girl."

"You shouldn't be here at all. I thought you'd left Gotham."

"I will. Tonight." Talia tipped her head backwards, her dark hair caressed by the cold night wind. "I just wanted to speak to you. One last time."

"We both know we'll have conversations in the future." Odile kept a distance, just in case. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you. Security cameras here, and we have people on patrol."

"I'm aware. I just wanted to speak. And perhaps tell you a little about myself."

"I think I know more than enough about you," she retorted. "Just go, Talia. Trying to prolong your stay isn't doing anything for any of us. And Damian doesn't want to see you right now either."

"I'm also aware of that. Which is why I sought you out instead."

"You didn't seek me out, I found you."

"I placed myself in a location where I knew you could find me. A nice event you have gathered here, by the way. I doubt how much of an effect it'll have on this horrible city, but at least you're trying." She shrugged. "You're very optimistic, are you not? A dreamer."

"People have described me with those words, yes."

"I was like that. Once."

Odile raised one brow in disbelief. "Raised in the environment you were?"

"I thought, once, that love was enough for everything. That if I tried my hardest, I could have everything I wanted. My lover, my child, my father. I thought if I gave enough of myself, cared enough for them, they'd see my side of the story eventually."

Odile groaned. "Not this again, for the love of—"

"No, no. Listen." Talia turned her head. "I have lived lifetimes more than you. But the simple truth is, if I put myself in your shoes, I don't think I'd be able to stand where I am today."

"Flattery is going to get you nowhere."

"I didn't expect it to." Talia pushed her hair back. "But the point is, despite all our disagreements and the grievances you feel towards me, I was incorrect to say you were a poor match for my son."

Odile let out a snort of disbelief. "If you're here to give me your blessing, I assure you I do not need it."

"No." Talia's voice was more quiet now. "I just... I just wanted you to perhaps tell him one day, that no matter what path he picks, whether it is against or with me, I do want him to be happy. Happy in a way I never was. I saw how hard Seraphina tried to escape. The way she bargained with me to let Remiel go. I am trapped with nowhere to go. But he is not. Just like Seraphina is not, just like Remiel is not."

"You're not trapped," Odile pointed out. "You make a conscious decision to continue what you are. Your father is long dead."

Talia shook her head. "I am too far gone. There is no going back, there has never been any going back. I am his eldest daughter. I am, really, his de facto heir, even if he's always stressed the position ought to go to Damian. I was always more suited for it anyways."

"You didn't have to come all the way here just to tell me these things."

"Perhaps I wanted a final glimpse of him." Talia shrugged, placing down her cup of wine. "I will be back, of course I will. But... perhaps not for some time. Perhaps you will understand one day, the perils and pains of motherhood."

"You chose your own path, Talia. It is far too late to regret anything now." Odile shook her head, turning to stare at the dimly lit garden. "You should go."

To her surprise, Talia didn't argue. The woman just gave a nod, gave her a last look, and walked down the terrace steps into the garden. Odile stood there, watching her disappear into the darkness.

And then she headed back inside.

—

AND IN THE early hours of the morning, when all the guests had gone and they all gathered in the living room of Wayne Manor, still dressed in their fineries, Bruce raised his cup. "To Odile!"

Echoes sounded across the room along with gleeful laughter and hearty congratulations. Odile grinned, a little embarrassed, a little proud.

The event was a success. The amount raised... God, what Odile could do with all that. And she'll try. She'll try her very best to make a change in this city, to leave her own mark.

She hadn't told anyone about Talia's visit. If anyone had been keeping an eye on the security cameras and noticed it, they didn't bring it up either. She didn't plan on telling Damian about it. He didn't need to know. She didn't think Talia wanted her to tell Damian she'd been there anyways.

But she would tell Damian someday that his mother did care. And wanted him to be happy. Even if it wasn't in the way she wanted him to be.

But she didn't need to think about all that tonight. Tonight she could count her victories, and she'd worry about her future tomorrow. Everything was going to be alright, and everything was just the way she wanted it to be. She was in the arms of the boy that she loved, surrounded by a family that cared for her and would always be behind her. And she was making a change in this city. Bit by bit, step by step. She might be a dreamer, but she was someone able to make those dreams reality, to turn her vision into the real world.

She had that ability. And she was going to make sure she made good use of it.

And it let her think about her own life and reflect on how far she'd come. From that frightened girl hiding in from a massacre, those years in the Yuannan Mountains, her first time meeting Remiel, Damian and Dick, her first steps into the rest of the world, all the years that had passed and...

Now.

She was proud of herself.

She could have done some things differently. She did some things too early and too late. She should have been more honest and upfront from the very start. But that was all in hindsight. She only knew all that in hindsight. How could she have known then?

There was no point berating herself about mistakes made in the past that she could do nothing about.

She had to live in the now. And plan for the future.

Remiel reached over, wrapping her in a warm hug. "I'm so proud of you, kid. You have no idea how proud of you I am."

Odile's response was a grin. "I'm pretty sure I do, because I'm quite proud of myself too."

Remiel laughed. "I'm sure you are. Good for you, Odile, good for you."

And later, when they were alone, Damian whispered the same words in her ear, again and again and again, as they laid on his bed. "Maybe you should just move in," he murmured. "Or maybe I should move into yours."

"We literally live five steps apart," Odile said with an exhausted yawn. "What's the point of that? Not like anyone can move into either of our penthouses anyways."

"I heard Jason and Callie are looking for a new place to stay," he muttered. "I was thinking..."

"I'm not giving up my penthouse," Odile huffed. "I'm too attached."

"I'll move into yours, then. It might be nice, having more than just the two of us up here."

"I thought Callie..."

"I think relations are improving. Besides, it doesn't look like she's going anywhere." Damian twirled a lock of her hair around his fingers. "Enough about them. More about us."

Odile turned around, placing a hand on his chest. "I'd prefer just going to sleep, really. It's like, five in the morning."

"Just another ordinary night, then? Not like we have anything to do tomorrow. We can lay in as long as we want."

"Doesn't seem very... productive." She yawned.

"You just threw one of the biggest charity events in Gotham to astounding success." He sounded amused. "And you're already worried about being productive? Again? Is that really necessary, Odile?"

"Hey. I don't like wasting time." She opened an eye to glare at him. "And you're being annoying."

"Am I?"

"Sleep deprivation is torture, by the way."

"And what would you know about torture? I'm the one well-versed in it."

"Damian, for fuck's sake."

He let out a gentle chuckle. "I'm just kidding. Come here."

So she inched closer towards his embrace. He breathed in her hair. "You smell like peach blossoms."

"I know. It's my body wash."

Damian opened his mouth to speak, but that was when Odile's phone suddenly lit up. Odile frowned, turning to grab it from the bedside table.

Remiel.

She showed the screen to Damian, who shrugged. Odile accepted the call, turning on the speaker. "Hello?"

"He proposed again."

"And?"

"I said yes."

Odile snapped upright, letting out a squeal. "Finally! When's the wedding?"

"Haven't decided that far yet."

"And why on earth," asked Damian, with no small deal of amusement in his voice, "did you feel the need to call at five in the morning?"

Remiel's retort to that, after a moment of pause, was, "Why are you two together at five in the morning?"

"Why do you think?" Odile shot back. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Remiel. Tell Dick I give my congratulations."

Remiel's attention was elsewhere. "Remember to use protection, kids. Odile, you're only nineteen, really, both of you should know better, but—"

Odile decided to end the call, shooting Damian a dirty look. "You did not need to speak up."

"Not like anyone's actually surprised," he said, followed by a yawn of his own. "Okay. Fine. Maybe we do actually need to sleep. Even I'm getting tired."

"Why did he propose at five in the morning?" Odile mused.

"Maybe he didn't. Maybe she just remembered to call."

"I doubt it." Odile sighed. "I don't even want to think about it. Let's just go to sleep, Damian."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Let's do that. I love you, by the way."

She glanced at him and giggled. "What on earth was that for?"

He shrugged. "I just felt like it."

She leaned forward, pressing a kiss on his lips. "I love you too, Dami. I've loved you all my life, and I'll continue loving you as long as I breathe." 

!!!!!! only the epilogue left !!!!!!! i'll miss my little dami and odile. love them loads. but also very excited to see what's in store for callie and jason!!!!!!!

on another note, this book took me three months and one day to complete. not too bad, eh? esp considering university applications and all...