Chapter 170: Aftermath

I woke up. Confused. Dizzy. Alive.

"She's awake! Lita's awake!" Voices. Familiar voices. Happy voices.

Cole's face appeared. Crying. Smiling. Relieved.

"You're alive. You survived. You came back." He kissed me. Held me. Wouldn't let go.

"The others? Sarah? Maya? Luna?" I tried to sit up. Too weak. Couldn't move.

"Alive. All alive. All four of you survived. Against the odds. Against everything." Cole was laughing and crying. "It's been three weeks. You've been unconscious for three weeks."

Three weeks. Gone. Lost. But alive.

"The Dominion? The fleet? Earth?" I needed to know.

"Destroyed. All of it. You destroyed everything. Saved everyone. Won the war." Cole helped me sit. "You're heroes. All four of you. The entire world is celebrating."

Through the bond I felt Sarah. Maya. Luna. All alive. All weak. All recovering.

"They're in other rooms. Being treated. Healing. Same as you." Cole read my mind. Knew what I needed.

Over the next week we recovered. Slowly. Painfully. But surely.

Sarah was first to walk. Then Maya. Then me. Luna took longest. She'd given the most power. Pushed the hardest. Nearly died completely.

"I saw something. When we were combined. When we were one." Luna told us. We sat together. All four. Recovering together.

"What did you see?" I asked.

"The future. Possibilities. Paths. Choices." Luna looked distant. Remembering. "We won this battle. But there are more. More Dominions. More threats. More invasions. Earth isn't safe yet. Not completely. Not forever."

"But we can't fight forever. Can't save the world forever. Can't be heroes forever." Sarah was tired. Really tired. Forty two years old. Survived everything. Done fighting.

"We don't have to. The next generation is ready. Young Thomas. The new Guardians. Luna's children eventually. They'll protect. They'll defend. They'll carry on." Maya was wise. Accepting.

"So we retire? Really retire? Actually stop fighting?" I wanted to believe it. Wanted to hope.

"Yes. We retire. We rest. We live. Finally. Actually. Completely." Luna smiled. "I'm going back to Portland. Raising my babies. Leading my pack. Living my life."

"And we're going back to California. To our pack. To our family. To peace." Sarah and Maya decided together.

"What about you, Mama? What will you do?" Luna asked me.

"I don't know. I've been fighting since I was twenty. I don't know how to not fight. How to not lead. How to not be Luna Triad." I was honest. Lost. Uncertain.

"You learn. You adapt. You become something new." Cole suggested. "You become grandmother. Wife. Teacher. Mentor. Retired hero."

"Retired hero. I like that. Has a nice ring to it." I smiled. Trying it on. Seeing how it fit.

The world honored us. Massive ceremony. All nations represented. Humans and supernatural beings together.

"For saving Earth. For defeating the Dominion. For protecting all life. We honor Luna Triad. We thank them. We celebrate them." The speech was long. Emotional. Beautiful.

They gave us medals. Awards. Recognition. Everything.

But what mattered most was the peace. Real peace. Earned peace. Lasting peace.

"No more threats. No more enemies. No more wars. Just life. Normal. Beautiful. Simple." The Elder announced. "Supernatural beings and humans are officially united. Equal. Together. Forever."

It was everything we'd fought for. Everything we'd sacrificed for. Everything we'd bled for.

We went home. To California. To our pack. To our life.

I was forty six. Gray hair. Wrinkled face. Scarred body. Tired soul.

But alive. Victorious. Free.

"What now?" Cole asked. We sat on our porch. Watching sunset. Peaceful. Quiet.

"Now we live. We enjoy. We rest." I leaned on him. "We watch our grandchildren grow. We help the pack. We be family."

"Sounds perfect." Cole kissed my head.

Through the bond Sarah and Maya sent love. Peace. Contentment.

We'd done it. Saved the world. Multiple times. Against impossible odds.

We'd survived. Together. Always together.

Luna Triad. The three sisters who became legends. Who fought wars. Who saved everyone.

Now we were just family. Just women. Just people.

And that was enough. More than enough. Everything.

Young Thomas visited often. Now a full Guardian. Protecting Earth. Continuing the legacy.

"Thank you. For everything. For raising me. For teaching me. For saving me." Thomas hugged me. "I'll make you proud. I promise."

"You already do. Every day. Just by being you." I meant it.

Luna brought the babies. Thomas was ten now. Looked twenty five. Baby Margaret was one. Growing normally. Beautiful. Perfect.

"Look Mama. Margaret said her first word today. Guess what it was?" Luna beamed.

"What?"

"Luna. She said Luna. Like she knows. Like she understands." Luna was crying happy tears.

The legacy continued. Through Thomas. Through Margaret. Through future generations.

They'd protect. They'd defend. They'd fight when needed.

But for now. For today. For this moment.

We had peace. We had family. We had everything.

I was Lita Dillard Hartman. Former Luna. Former fighter. Former hero.

Current grandmother. Current wife. Current retired legend.

And I was happy. Finally. Actually. Completely.

The wars were over. The battles were done. The story was ending.

But life continued. Beautiful. Precious. Worth everything.

I'd fought for forty six years. Saved the world countless times. Lost and won and survived.

Now I'd rest. I'd live. I'd enjoy.

Finally. After everything. After all of it.

I was home. I was safe. I was free.

And that was the greatest victory of all.

The story continues as Lita enjoys her retirement, but new challenges await the next generation...