[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[AndrewJTalon]

The heavy door to the basement levels of Beacon clicked shut behind them with a solid, final sound. Ozpin led the way into the basement lab, cane tapping softly against the stone. Glynda followed a half-step behind, riding crop already in hand, her posture rigid with the kind of tension that had been building since the previous night.

Raven was sitting cross-legged on the floor of her reinforced cell, fiddling with something small and metallic she'd clearly scavenged from somewhere. She didn't look up as they approached.

Ozpin's voice was calm, almost gentle.

"That won't work, Raven."

Raven snorted without lifting her head.

"Worth a try."

Glynda flicked her riding crop once. A wave of her Semblance rolled through the air, invisible threads of force checking every bar, every seam, every dust-weave reinforcement in the cell. Everything held. She gave a short nod as she snatched the tool from Raven's hands and caught it.

Raven finally looked up, eyes narrowing as she caught Glynda's stare. She leaned back against the wall, arms draped casually over her knees. On the small table beside her cot, the photos of her future grandchildren and the life she'd never had still lay spread out like silent accusations.

Ozpin moved to the main lab area, crouching beside Amber's stasis pod to check the readouts. Glynda remained where she was, staring at Raven through the bars in heavy silence.

Raven's lips curled into a mocking half-smile.

"So… how's your future husband doing?"

Glynda's nose wrinkled.

"He's fine."

Raven nodded slowly, as if tasting the words.

"Fits. I always figured you'd need an act of God to land anyone. Guess the universe finally took pity on you."

Glynda's grip tightened on her riding crop.

"It's no surprise you ran away from Tai. You could never handle anything more complicated than swinging that sword of yours."

Raven's eyes flashed dangerously. She pushed herself to her feet in one fluid motion.

"You're competing against my daughter, old crone. You'll lose."

Glynda's chin lifted.

"In my timeline, my husband and I… we get along fine."

Raven barked a short, sharp laugh.

"Then what's got you so insecure? You're practically vibrating."

Ozpin straightened from Amber's pod and stepped back into the main space, voice cutting smoothly between them.

"You really shouldn't be talking, Raven. You're already feeling the effects of age yourself." He adjusted his glasses. "Besides, Isabel will be down soon to check on you. Thank you for providing more life for Amber though."

Raven's scowl deepened, eyes narrowing to slits.

"What the hell are you talking about, effects of age?"

"Some women handle it better than others," Ozpin said, calm and confident. He turned as Raven stood up.

"What the hell?! What effect?!"

Ozpin ignored her completely, turning toward the lift with the calm certainty of a man who had played this game for centuries. Glynda followed, but not before shooting Raven one last cool look.

As they entered the elevator and the heavy doors sealed behind them, Glynda exhaled slowly.

"I'm sorry, Ozpin. I lost my cool."

Ozpin waved a dismissive hand, though his own shoulders carried a faint weariness.

"No need to apologize. The entire situation-old friends, new complications, Jaune… it has shaken all of us. I'm a bit off my game myself."

They reached the top of the tower and entered his office. Glynda's heels clicked sharply against the floor.

"I just… it's all hit me at once," she admitted quietly. "Jaune. The futures. Children... Everything."

Ozpin nodded.

"I understand. But we will make it through. We have eleven ways to win this war now. It won't be easy… but the chance of victory is real for the first time in a very long while." He smiled gently. "And you do have a happy future."

Glynda's steps slowed slightly. She nodded, but swallowed before she spoke again.

"…It wasn't without great cost in every timeline."

Ozpin was silent for several paces. Then he gave a single, solemn nod.

"Victory is never without cost. But it is a cost I will pay gladly, knowing we can finally save the world."

He stepped around behind his desk and sat down. Glynda stood at attention in front of him, then hesitated, biting her lower lip.

"Ozpin… I've learned something important from Dorothy."

He reached for his ever-present coffee mug and the pitcher from the coffee machine, pouring some into his mug and taking a slow sip as he turned back to her.

"What is it?"

Glynda drew in a steadying breath.

"Jaune… He's the Rusted Knight."

Ozpin paused mid-sip. He slowly lowered the mug, eyes sharpening behind his spectacles.

"I mean… he will be. He is right now… It's complicated."

Ozpin set the mug down with deliberate care. He swallowed once.

Then he tapped his Scroll.

"Weena? I think I might have a breakthrough for you."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian Chapel, Gallia, Vale

Five years after Salem's defeat

- - -

The small chapel on the edge of the Arc family lands smelled of white lilies, polished wood, and the faint scent of smoke that seemed to follow Cinder Fall no matter how many years passed.

She stood before the tall mirror in the side room that served as a bridal chamber, staring at the woman looking back at her. The dress was simple—ivory silk with subtle crimson accents at the hem and sleeves, chosen because anything too pure would have felt like a lie. Her hair was swept up, the usual wild mane tamed into soft waves. The glass eye she had worn for five years gleamed like molten gold in the soft light.

Cinder's hands trembled slightly as she adjusted the veil.

"I look… ridiculous," she muttered.

Emerald, standing behind her in a deep green bridesmaid dress, smiled with wet eyes. "You look beautiful, Cinder."

Mercury leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, trying and failing to look unimpressed. "Yeah, well, don't trip over the train and set the chapel on fire. Again."

Neo, perched on a windowsill and eating a cupcake, gave a silent thumbs-up and a wicked little grin.

Cinder huffed a laugh that sounded more like a sob. "I still can't believe he said yes. After everything I did… after the mountain, after Beacon, after-"

A soft knock interrupted her. The door opened just enough for Blake and Ruby to slip inside, followed by Yang and Weiss. The three of them had become unlikely constants in this strange new life: Proof that even the worst sins could be outlived.

Yang grinned, golden hair loose and bright. "You ready to walk down that aisle, Fall? Or should we start taking bets on whether you bolt?"

"I'm not bolting," Cinder said sharply, then quieter, "I… I'm terrified."

Weiss stepped forward and straightened Cinder's veil with surprisingly gentle hands. "Good. Means it matters. Jaune's waiting for you. If he can survive the Ever After, he can survive marrying you."

Blake offered a small, knowing smile. "You chose this. You chose him. That's more than most of us ever get."

Ruby beamed.

"Besides... We saved the world. We should get happy endings, right?"

Cinder closed her eyes for a long moment. When she opened them again, the old fire was still there, but softer now, tempered.

Outside, the organ began to play.

Emerald took her arm. "Come on. Your future husband is probably sweating through his tux wondering if you're going to show up."

The walk down the aisle felt longer than any battlefield Cinder had ever crossed.

Jaune stood at the front in a simple black tux, his beard neatly trimmed and cut, the scars on his neck and face catching the stained-glass light. He looked at her like she was the only thing in the world.

When she reached him, he took both her hands and whispered, just for her, "You came."

"I almost didn't," she admitted, voice barely audible. "Old habits."

Jaune smiled, the same crooked, farm-boy smile that had somehow survived everything. "I would've come after you. Like I always do."

The ceremony was short and simple. Vows were spoken-hers shaky at first, his steady as stone. When Father Percival asked if anyone had objections, the entire chapel held its breath for half a second before a collective sigh of relief swept through.

Then came the kiss.

Cinder expected something chaste and proper. Instead Jaune pulled her close, one hand at the small of her back, the other cupping her cheek, and kissed her like a man who had survived decades alone in a mad dimension just to see her again.

Like he always did.

When they broke apart, the chapel erupted in cheers. Emerald was openly crying. Mercury pretended to gag but couldn't hide his grin. Neo tossed flower petals with theatrical flair. Yang whooped loud enough to rattle the rafters, while Ruby cheered while jumping up and down. Even Weiss dabbed at her eyes while pretending it was dust.

Later, at the small reception in the Arc family barn (because Jaune had insisted on something "normal"), Cinder found herself leaning against Jaune's side as their friends and strange new family danced and laughed around them.

She watched the firelight play across his face and asked quietly, "Do you ever regret it? Choosing this… choosing me?"

Jaune turned her toward him, resting his forehead against hers. "Every day I wake up next to you is the opposite of regret, Cinder. You're not the woman who tried to burn the world anymore. You're the woman who helped rebuild it. With me."

Cinder's throat tightened. She reached up and traced the worst of the scars on his wrists-the ones her own hand had once helped create.

"I still see the ashes sometimes," she whispered.

"I know," he said. "But I see the garden we planted in them."

Cinder snorted.

"You're so corny."

"Well, I am a farm boy."

Cinder barely hid her smile as she leaned against him.

"That joke's not going to get old any time soon..."