SnowNow that I wasn’t in constant danger, and my family was finally back together I only had one more puzzle piece to put into place: my love life. It’s not like anything was particularly wrong though. We were very much in love, my family accepted him, and even Ravenna was being civil. But there was still so much about him that was a mystery to me. I tried to tell myself that it didn’t matter, but then I would think back on that argument I walked in on between him and Ravenna, and wonder if I really knew him at all. 
I decided the best thing to do was to just ask him about it. He had harshly avoided conversations about his past before, but things were different now, so I was hoping he might be willing to share more with me. Before I could ask him anything though he told me he wanted to take me out to dinner, because he had something important to say. All thoughts of my prior mission were instantly forgotten, and all I could think of was if he was going to propose or not. 
He took me to a beautiful restaurant, and we got a table outside on the patio. He chuckled, “I’m a little nervous.”
Maybe he really was going to propose. “I’m nervous too. We’ve never been out on an actual date before.” “Yeah that’s true.”
We ordered then and exchanged small talk until finally he reached across the table to grab my hand, “Snow, there’s something I really need to say.”
This was it. It was really happening… “You see, the things is…I’m married.”
I yanked my hand back, jumped out of seat, and shouted, “WHAT?!”
He started to panic, “No, no, no! That came out wrong. I meant I was married. I’m not anymore.”
At the sight of me still glaring at him he added, “Honestly Snow I’m not married. She was…killed.”
I sat back down then, “Oh. I’m sorry.” “It was a couple of years ago, but the point is there are things about me that you don’t know. Things that I think you should know, because I want to marry you Snow.”
I just hoped that he wasn’t going to propose now. The mood was completely ruined. “I just didn’t feel that it would be right for me to ask you to enter into that kind of commitment with me, if you didn’t have all the facts. If you can hear all I have to say, and then you decide you still want to be with me, then I’ll be truly happy.”
I nodded slowly, “OK. I’m listening.” He took a deep breath, “I grew up in a town called Dragon Valley…”
He went on to discuss his upbringing in one of the founding families of the town, and his romance with his previous wife, Athena. He told me how his family disapproved of their relationship, but he ignored them and eloped with her. But after his eldest brother came to take over the family, he ordered Athena to be taken out as payment for the shame the couple brought upon the family. I shook my head in disbelief, “That’s horrible.”
“It was at such a time when Rosalie found her moment to employ me. That’s how she worked. When you were at your lowest, consumed by hatred, loss, grief, or pain, that’s when she would swoop in and offer you hope. She gave me the power to seek vengeance, and I chased my brother across the world destroying countless lives in my wake. My trail finally ended in Moonlight Falls where I finally cornered him and his men, and didn’t hesitate to put them all into the ground.”
He looked down at his hands, “Moonlight Falls of course is more accustomed to dealing with unusual criminals, and thus were on to me faster than any of the other places I’d been to. One glance at my record and they marked me with these, they are a symbol of one who brings death. They then stated that I was too dangerous to remain in this dimension, and would thus be sent to one where people like me wouldn’t be of harm to anyone. But as you know all of this had just been preparation for the job Rosalie had for me. That job of course was getting rid of you. So she freed me from their custody, and that’s how I found myself on your trail.”
He sat back in his chair suddenly looking tired, “Besides all that there’s just one last thing.”
I thought to myself, what else could there possibly be? “Athena and I had a daughter, and well I wasn’t in the best state to raise a child back then so she’s been staying with someone else. She’s about 4 now. Thanks to you, I feel like I’m finally ready to be her father, and I would really like it if you would meet her when she comes here.”
I’m pretty sure my jaw hit the table at some point, “Wow…um, Triton I love you that hasn’t changed and it’s not going to I promise, but this is a lot to take in right now. Can I just process for maybe a day or two?” He looked worried yet relieved at the same time, “Of course.”
A week later I was still processing. I just couldn’t shake this uneasy feeling, and yet I had no idea what the feeling was, it was so frustrating! I burst into the downstairs bathroom to throw cool water on my face in hopes of clearing my head, but I was instead met with a sight that only served to throw me into deeper frustration. The strange little girl playing in the bathtub smiled up at me, “Hi.” “…Hi,”
I said, eyes wide as I quickly backed out of the bathroom and shut the door. Triton came running up, “I can explain. My daughter arrived late last night, and I was going to tell you but I haven’t seen you all morning. I’m sorry. I should have told you she was on her way here though.”
That was the least of my concerns, “Tail…why does she have a tail?”
Before he could say anything the little girl spoke up from the bathtub, “I’s a wittle mermaid!”
“Your kid is a mermaid? Nice!”
Ravenna suddenly walked up, not helping the situation at all. He gave her a face, and then looked back at me, “Athena was a mermaid. That’s the real reason my family didn’t approve of her. They thought it was unwise to mix with the occult. That it was better to keep the bloodline purely human.” “That’s just garbage!”
Ravenna fumed. “Well that was my family.” “I can’t do this…”
I said suddenly. “Snow…”
He reached out for me but I pulled back and stormed off, “Just don’t!”
I heard Ravenna console him as I walked away, “Chin up fancy face, she’ll come around.”
I’ll ‘come around’. Since when was she nice to him? And what, was she on his side? My own sister?! 
“Ugh!”
I exclaimed. Then I did the only rational thing I could think of, went to cry my eyes out to my mom. I told her everything that had happened, minus Triton’s vengeance journey of course, and then finally asked, “What should I do?”
She rubbed my back, wiped my tears away, and brushed my hair off my face. I already felt a lot calmer. Was this what it was like having a mother? “Hmm, let’s see. What’s really bothering you, that fact that he has a daughter, that she’s a mermaid, or that it’s the cherry on top of his other life that you don’t know how to be a part of?” “The last one. I just feel like he already had a family, and I’m just some outsider swooping in.” “If you haven’t noticed his family puzzle is missing a piece.” “Yes but I’m not sure if I’m the one that fits. Can I really be her mother? I don’t know anything about mermaids. What could I possibly do for her?” “Don’t you think that these are questions you should be asking him? You won’t solve anything by sitting here. You should get to know her.”
She looked down at her phone and smiled, “They are at the park by the way. Off you go.”
When I got to the park I saw Ravenna and the little girl swinging while Triton pushed his daughter. I shook my head at Ravenna and muttered under my breath, “Traitor.”
She must have heard me despite being several feet away, because she looked over at me and smiled. I smiled back, geez, I could never stay mad at her. Triton noticed our interaction, said something to Ravenna, and ran over to me. We both said at the same time, “Hi.”
Then I started first, “Listen, I want to apologize for storming off like that earlier. It’s just that ever since you told me about everything I’ve been feeling kind of out of place. And then your daughter showed up with the tail, and I just can’t help but wonder if I’m the right person to be a part of your life. I mean you’ve already built this family, and I just don’t want to mess it up.”
He frowned, “Snow, you have to understand. I want to build a new life, create a new family with you and my daughter. And I know you’re nervous about being her mother, because she is different. Its ok, I am too. But we can do this together. You are perfect for me, and I know you are perfect for our family.”
He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to where Ravenna and the little girl were playing. He called out to her, “Come here for a second sweetheart.”
She ran over and Triton introduced her, “This is my daughter, Ariel. Ariel, this is Snow.”
She peered up at me, “Whoa, you are really pretty. Are you going to be my mommy?”
Triton laughed nervously and picked her up over his shoulder, “Why don’t we go skating?” S
he clapped her hands together with excitement, “Yay skating! You’ll come too right Snow?”
I smiled at her, “Of course.”
We spent the rest of the afternoon finding various ways to amuse ourselves. I hadn’t laughed that much in a long time. 
When we got back home Triton got Ariel ready for bed, but just before he tucked her in she whispered something in his ear. He looked shocked at first, and then he smiled, “Goodnight sweetheart.”
We walked outside to talk, “What was that about?” “You know I used to write to her all the time. I’d write about all sorts of things, but lately it’s just been about you.” “Me?”
He nodded, “Yeah. Just now she asked me what I was waiting for. Why hadn’t I asked you to marry me yet?”
He stood up and then got down on one knee, “I don’t want to wait anymore.”
