[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[AndrewJTalon]

Blake Timeline: "Family"

Menagerie Hospital, Kuo Kuana, Menagerie

Three years after Salem's defeat
- - -

The waiting room smelled of clean linen and faint sea air drifting through an open window. Blake paced on the clean white linoleum in tight circles, black ears twitching at every distant sound from the hallway. Jaune sat nearby, watching her with quiet concern, while Nick lounged in a too-small chair with a children's book in his massive hands.

Blake wrung her hands. "She's strong, but at her age… What if something goes wrong? What if—?"

Jaune reached out and caught her wrist, pulling her gently into the seat beside him. "Hey. Don't worry. My mom is the best doctor in the world. She's got this."

Nick nodded firmly, not looking up from the book. "Izzy's the best there is. I'm confident it'll all be fine." He squinted at the page, frowning. "Damnit… Where's Waldorf? They always hide him so well in these things."

Jaune silently leaned over and pointed at the tiny figure half-hidden behind a tree. Nick blinked, then let out a booming chuckle.

"Thanks, son! My eyes aren't what they used to be."

Jaune smiled. "It's cool, Dad."

Blake tried to smile back, but the guilt kept crashing over her like waves. All the years she'd run away, all the pain she'd caused her parents, the worry she'd put them through… Now her mother was in labor, and Blake couldn't stop the spiral. What if she dies in childbirth? What if the baby doesn't make it? What if this is somehow my fault too-?

Jaune felt her tense and wrapped both arms around her tightly, pulling her against his chest. Nick set the book aside and crouched down in front of her, his big frame surprisingly gentle as he looked her straight in the eyes.

"Didn't my son break you out of that habit of blaming yourself for everything that could possibly go wrong?" Nick said, voice warm but firm. "It will be fine. And if it doesn't go fine-not saying it won't, but just in case-we'll all be together. Because we're family."

Jaune pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Yeah… You're stuck with us."

Blake flushed, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "Oh… Oh…"

The double doors swung open. Isabel Arc stepped through, still in her scrubs but wearing a broad, triumphant grin.

"Come on back!"

The three of them followed her quickly down the hall and into the delivery room. Kali Belladonna lay in the bed, exhausted but radiant, smiling down at the small bundle in her arms. Ghira, the towering Panther Faunus and leader of Menagerie, sat beside her—openly sobbing with joy, one massive hand gently resting on his wife's shoulder.

Kali looked up, eyes shining. "Come in… Meet your baby brother, Blake. This is Felix."

Blake approached slowly, almost timidly, as if afraid she might frighten the newborn. Jaune nudged her forward with a gentle hand on her back. She reached out and carefully rested a finger under the baby's tiny chin. Felix grasped it immediately, his little black ears twitching as he let out a soft, sleepy coo.

Blake sniffled, a wide, tearful smile breaking across her face. "He's beautiful…"

Kali laughed softly, voice thick with emotion. "Y-Yes… yes he is…" She looked up at Isabel with overwhelming gratitude, too moved to speak. Isabel simply smiled back.

"No thanks needed… You're family now."

Jaune stepped closer, wrapping one arm around Blake's waist. "Yeah… We are." He reached out and gently rubbed the baby's soft ears. Felix hummed happily, eyes half-closed in contentment.

Blake watched Jaune smiling down at the newborn—gentle, protective, full of love—and felt something bloom warm and fierce in her chest. Her face turned bright red as a single, crystal-clear thought echoed through her mind:

I want one.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Atlas, Solitas



One year, three months after Vytal Festival



- - -



Chaos had swallowed Atlas. General Jinjur Hardy, newly elevated Supreme Commander after James Ironwood's disgrace, had moved with ruthless efficiency.



For "national security reasons" after the attempted bombing of the winning candidate in the election, Hardy had slapped treason and terrorism charges on Team RWBY, JNPR and Qrow. Nora, Ren, and Qrow had gone to ground immediately—slipping into Mantle's underbelly with the help of old contacts and sheer stubbornness. The rest were scattered, hunted, or in hiding.



Pyrrha Nikos had paid the heaviest price in the immediate aftermath. During the desperate scramble at the election stage, she'd thrown herself between Cinder Fall and the detonation charges meant to turn the gathering into a slaughter. She'd stopped the worst of it… but not without cost. Deep burns scarred her left side, aura depletion left her weakened. She'd been in the hospital when they yanked her out and slapped an Aura suppression collar on her.



She sat slumped in the cold interrogation chair in the small, bare interrogation room at the local military base, a drab military coat draped over her thin hospital gown, red hair matted with sweat. Every breath pulled at the burns. General Hardy paced before her like a predator, riding crop snapping against her palm, her auburn hair waving like a flag behind her.



"Where are the others, Miss Nikos?" Hardy demanded again. "Rose. Belladonna. Xiao Long. Schnee. Valkyrie, Lie, and Branwen—they've all scurried into the shadows like the vermin they are. Tell me their locations and I might spare what's left of your little band."



Pyrrha lifted her head, emerald eyes defiant despite the pain. A faint, exhausted smile curved her lips.



"You're lying."



"I can be quite merciful," Hardy said, a small smile on her face, "When it suits me."



"Is that what Salem told you?" Pyrrha asked quietly. "What did she offer you?"



Hardy was silent. Pyrrha slowly nodded.



"Then you know about her... Serve her-"



Hardy slapped her riding crop on the table in between them. The older woman was fairly attractive, Pyrrha supposed... But the manic gleam in her eyes ruined the illusion she had maintained so long.



"You know nothing... But you'll cooperate if you know what's good for you," Hardy sneered. She tapped her Scroll. "Bring him!"



The door hissed open. Two burly military police dragged Jaune Arc inside. He was in full armor: Battered but alive. The aura suppression collar around his neck hummed ominously, his artificial eyes glowing a light blue. Bruises marred his face, but he carried himself with the same unyielding steadiness that had carried him through Beacon and beyond.



"Jaune!" Pyrrha gasped, straining against her cuffs.



"It's going to be okay, Pyrrha," he said calmly, voice steady as he oriented toward her by sound and residual aura sense. "We've survived worse."



Hardy's smile was thin and cruel. "How touching." She nodded to the guards. "Thank you, gentlemen."



"Sir," they replied... Before Hardy reached out, yanked away one of their guns, and opened fire. Both guards fell, gaping in shock as they died.



Jaune had thrown himself over Pyrrha, shielding her from the barrage as Pyrrha bowed and covered her head. When they both looked up,Hardy smirked. She tossed the empty machine gun onto the table before Jaune with a clatter.



"The official story writes itself," she said. "Dangerous criminal Jaune Arc murdered his escorts in a desperate bid for freedom, and was executed. You, Miss Nikos, will serve as the perfect bait to draw out the rest of your terrorist cell. Surrender is the only rational choice."



Jaune's fingers brushed the gun. "Why are you doing this?"



Hardy snorted. "Because someone has to do what's best for Atlas—for the world. If you won't serve, you'll die. Simple as that."



Jaune was silent for half a heartbeat. He nodded... Then he moved.



He kicked the table upward with explosive force. Even without his Aura, he was still very big and very strong. The table slammed into Hardy's chest, sending her staggering back with a grunt. Jaune surged forward, scooped Pyrrha up despite the cuffs, and bolted for the door.



"Run!"


- - -


Alarms screamed through the corridors. Boots thundered from every direction. Pyrrha stumbled, legs unsteady from her injuries and the suppression collar, but Jaune held her tight against his armored side, half-carrying her as they sprinted.



"Jaune—I'm slowing you down—!"



"You're fine," he cut her off fiercely, voice low and urgent between shots. "Just stay with me. I've got the slack."



Two soldiers rounded the corner, rifles raised. Jaune hurled a nearby chair with all his strength, smashing one into the other. He closed the distance in a blur of white armor, disarming them brutally. One rifle he kept; the second he tossed to Pyrrha. She caught it awkwardly, cuffs clinking, and fired a few suppressing bursts while leaning heavily on him.



They ran through a hail of bullets—sparks flying off Jaune's armor, Pyrrha's coat tearing as rounds grazed past. Jaune fired back one-handed, his shots guided by numerous lessons and raw instinct, while his free arm kept Pyrrha upright. They burst through a side door and tumbled from a low window into the sprawling vehicle yard below. Jaune twisted mid-fall, landing hard but cushioning her completely with his armored body.



"Are you all right?" Pyrrha asked, hands frantically checking him.



"I'll live," he grunted, staggering up. The collar and cuffs still hummed. Jeeps roared toward them, lights flashing, soldiers shouting.



Jaune's head turned, senses straining. A fierce grin split his face as he locked onto a hulking silhouette in the gloom. Pyrrha followed his gaze... And her eyes widened.



"Do… Do you have an idea?" Pyrrha asked, already suspecting.



"Yup!"



- - -



Outside the perimeter fence, General Hardy stood beside her command jeep. She scowled at the perimeter walls. All things considered, it was probably for the best things would look more chaotic. And she only needed one of them alive.



She barked into a radio. "All units, shoot to kill Arc! Don't hit Nikos! Do not let them—"



A thunderous crash split the night. The reinforced brick wall of the vehicle yard exploded outward as a massive T-88 Ragnarok tank smashed through like it was paper. Jaune stood tall in the open driver's hatch amid several bricks, armor battered, steering the beast with visible effort but wearing a large grin on his face.



Hardy's eyes bulged in disbelief. Her troops opened fire, but the rounds all bounced off the tank's armor or Jaune's.



She dove into her jeep. "Drive! DRIVE, DAMN YOU!"



Her driver yelped:



"But the soldiers-!"



"Use the bumper! THAT'S WHAT IT'S FOR!"



The car drove through many Atlasian soldiers. Those unlucky not to dive out of the way got slammed clear by the jeep's bumper.



The tank roared after them, treads chewing through parked vehicles and pavement alike (though slow enough to allow the remaining Atlasian troops to get clear). Jaune plowed straight through a row of jeeps like a battering ram, sending them flying.



Inside the cabin, Pyrrha clutched the seat, holding on for dear life as the tank barreled onward. Gunfire pinged off the armor.



"I'm not sure if this is a good idea!" she yelled over the engine roar and chaos.



Jaune just grinned wider, cybernetic eyes glowing.



"Probably not! But I've always wanted to try it!"



Pyrrha stared at him—this ridiculous, wonderful, impossible man in his battered armor who had charged into hell for her more times than she could count—and felt laughter bubble up despite the pain, despite the pursuit, despite everything. She smiled in pure exasperation and deep affection, leaning into his armored side as the tank thundered on, chasing Hardy's fleeing jeep through the heart of Atlas.



The general's coup had just met its first real resistance—and it was loud, armored, and utterly unstoppable.



- - -



In this version of events, we have a duplicitous General Jinjur Hardy to be the bad guy who stages a coup of Atlas. Let's just say things go badly for her in the ensuing chaos. Plus, Jaune gets to drive a tank! So he's quite happy.



And yes this is obviously inspired by the James Bond movie "Goldeneye".

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The training fields behind Beacon were still smoking faintly as the sun dipped low over the cliffs. Isabel Arc—Granny to most of the temporal invaders—had not held back. Neither had Winter, nor Jaune.. Especially not Grandpa Nick. Theodore Schnee-Arc rolled his shoulders as he trudged up the path, his pristine white-and-blue combat jacket scorched in three places and his hair sticking up at odd angles from repeated attacks. Every muscle burned, but the corner of his mouth still quirked upward in a satisfied little smirk.

He spotted the others sprawled across the stone retaining wall near the amphitheater steps. Dorothy was face-down on the grass, groaning. Amethyst sat beside her, knees drawn up, looking like she might cry. Xia had her head tipped back against the wall, eyes closed in pure exhaustion. Petra leaned heavily on her short sword, chain dangling limply. Ash and Ashley were slumped shoulder-to-shoulder, twins in misery. Nicholas looked half-dead. Only Julian and August were still upright, chatting animatedly about some new trick they'd pulled off with their weapons after working together.

Xia cracked one lilac eye open as Theodore approached.

"Could've stayed in the future if we were gonna be trained into the ground," she muttered.

"Speak for yourself," Julian grinned, wiping sweat from his brow. "That last combo with August's sniper-spade? Chef's kiss. We're gonna wreck Papa next time."

August nodded enthusiastically, though even he was favoring one leg. "Granny Isabel said we're making 'acceptable progress.' High praise."

The rest of the group answered with various noises of suffering. Ash and Ashley each lifted one hand just enough to flip them off without raising their heads.

Theodore chuckled and dropped down beside his half-siblings, stretching his long legs. "Come on, it wasn't that bad. Progress!"

"Easy for you to say, Mr. 'Atlas Military Captain'," Xia grumbled. "Some of us aren't cheating."

"If you're not cheating, you're not trying hard enough," Theodore said with a grin.

A pause.

"So, Xander's gonna be spying on his date with his mom and Dad, huh?" Julian asked.

"Like the rest of us can talk," August muttered, shooting a look at Theodore. He shrugged non-chalantly.

"Hey… I won't tell anyone if you don't."

Before anyone could retort, new footsteps approached—confident, swaggering ones. Theodore's head came up first.

Four figures were strolling their way from the direction of the dorms. Leading them was a sleek rabbit Faunus with perfectly coifed black hair, long ears twitching with interest, and a cocky smirk that screamed "I own the world and you're just renting space." His black-and-green bodysuit glowed faintly under the evening lights. Behind him trailed a short, potbellied frog Faunus who looked like he'd rather be anywhere else, an elegant red-haired ant Faunus with a regal bearing and a rapier at her hip, and a shredded grasshopper Faunus who was idly twirling a mandolin.

The rabbit faunus's smile widened as his black eyes swept over the tired group.

"Well, well," he drawled, voice smooth as oil. "The mysterious new transfers. Or should I say… the very talkative new arrivals who've been turning Beacon upside down? I'm Hex Skvader. This is Hortensia Pismire…"

The Ant faunus blushed and bowed slightly.

"Candide Nymph."

The Grasshopper Faunus grinned and posed, flexing her bicep. Hex paused. The frog faunus smiled nervously, adjusting his glasses. Hex slowly nodded, smirking a bit.

"And… Oh yes… Kupa Manduka," Hex finished, "Fourth member of our little band. Nice to meet you all."

He eyed the Arc women especially as he said this. Xia frowned, as did Ashley and Dorothy. Theodore raised an eyebrow. Ash's glare was tight and angry. August and Julian both stared coldly. Petra was carefully blank as Nicholas scowled. Ashley gave a flirtatious smile… But there was a knife's edge in it.

"Nice to meet you too," Theodore spoke. "I'm Theodore. That's Dorothy, Xia, Ashley, Ash, Julian, Nicholas, Petra, and August. You might be familiar with our other family members."

"Not as familiar as I would like to be," Hex said with a grin, "You've been remarkably anti-social for people causing this much commotion. We thought we might remedy that. Drinks tonight? My treat, of course. I'm always eager to make the acquaintance of promising newcomers. Especially ones with such… interesting family connections."

He said the last part while looking directly at Theodore, then let his gaze drift lazily across the girls—lingering perhaps a second too long on Xia and Dorothy.

Theodore pushed himself up smoothly, brushing grass off his jacket. His expression stayed pleasant, but his blue eyes sharpened.

"That's very generous of you. We'd be delighted to join you for drinks… tomorrow evening. After we've had a chance to recover from today's training, of course."

Hex's smile didn't falter, but it tightened at the edges—just enough that even Julian, still catching his breath, narrowed his eyes. The rabbit Faunus gave a theatrical little bow.

"Tomorrow it is, then. I look forward to it. Don't keep us waiting too long, friends. We though? We'll party extra hard tonight, won't we?"

The girls nodded eagerly. The Frog Faunus hesitated a moment too long, and Hex glared at him. He nodded.

"S-Sure Hex! Whatever you say!"

With that, Hex and his team turned and sauntered off toward the main courtyard, Hex already laughing at something Kupa mumbled. Hortensia shot one last appraising glance over her shoulder before following.

Theodore watched them go, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Julian stepped up beside him. "That guy's smile was faker than Uncle Roman's 'totally legitimate' Dust shipments."

"Yeah," Theodore murmured. "Something's off. He was fishing for information the whole time." He glanced back at the exhausted group. "We'll go tomorrow. Together. No one wanders off alone with them."

"We are confined to Beacon," Petra pointed out.

"I don't think that's going to stop him," August said wryly. "But it would be better if we could get him to stay here. Bring drinks here."

"Yes," Dorothy said with a nod, "It would. Something's… Familiar about him. I can't remember what though."

"I know," Theodore muttered. "So we'll have to play nice."

Xia groaned again, louder this time. "Great. More socializing after getting our asses handed to us by family. Can't wait."

Dorothy finally rolled over, glaring at the sky. "Still… If they try anything, I can definitely tell my mom on them."

"That might be a fate worse than death," Julian said seriously. He thought about it. "But given how that guy was eyeing us? He might deserve it… A little."

The group started moving slowly toward the dining hall—mothers waiting, dinner to be had, and another layer of the temporal mess to navigate. Theodore lingered for a moment, still watching the retreating backs of Team HPNK.

Tomorrow, he thought. We'll see what you're really after, bunny boy.

He turned and jogged to catch up with his siblings, the cheerful mask sliding back into place as he threw an arm around Julian's shoulders.

"Come on. Last one to the hall has to explain to Mom why they're late."

Groans rose up in chorus, but they picked up the pace anyway.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The basement beneath Ozpin's Tower was quiet, the kind of heavy silence that pressed in on the ears. Dim lights hummed overhead as Arjun Sarkara and Isabel Arc descended the reinforced stairs. The air carried the faint sterile bite of medical equipment and the deeper, earthier scent of old stone. He scanned around the room with interest, his eyes glowing faintly with his Semblance. They finally settled on one person.

Raven Branwen sat on her cot inside the reinforced cell, a stack of photographs spread across her lap—old images of Team STRQ, faded smiles from better days. The moment she heard footsteps, she shoved the photos aside with a sharp motion, turning her glare toward the approaching figures.

Isabel offered a small, professional nod. "Raven."

Raven's only response was a flat, hostile stare.

Isabel didn't push it. She moved instead to the adjacent medical station where Amber lay in her life-support pod, the Maiden's breathing slow and steady under the soft glow of monitors. The doctor pulled up a chair, fingers dancing across the keyboard as she checked readings and made careful notes.

Arjun approached the bars more directly. He slid a small paper plate through the narrow gap—rich chocolate cake, still slightly warm. Then he lowered himself to the floor, sitting cross-legged right in front of the cell, silver-blue eyes steady and unblinking.

Raven snorted, eyeing the cake like it might bite her. "You here to give me another little speech about our past friendship?"

"Words seldom have worked with you," Arjun replied calmly.

"Hmph."

A long beat passed. Arjun studied her, his expression thoughtful rather than accusatory.

"…I can appreciate the difficulty in changing from something you've known your whole life, though."

Raven's lip curled. "You? The pampered prince?! The king who rules—?!"

"I had to effectively dissolve the caste system of Pandu," Arjun cut in, voice even but firm. "You remember—all those resistance groups, refusing to work together. I had to dismantle a system that had been in place for thousands of years just to get everyone pulling in the same direction. Even now it lingers in unofficial capacities, because changing culture is difficult." He met her eyes. "Changing individuals can be just as hard."

Raven said nothing, jaw tight.

"What makes you think you can't change?" Arjun asked quietly.

Raven looked away. "…What makes you think this changes anything?"

"We have proof of eleven different ways we can win," he pressed. "So why are you being stubborn? Pride? Anger? Hurt? Your care for Summer?"

Raven huffed, arms crossing over her chest. "You think you know everything, don't you?"

"I know there was a time we fought together as comrades," Arjun said. "That I attended your wedding. That I once trusted you with my life. And that we are finally in a position to avenge Summer and save the world."

Raven's glare burned with bitter resentment, but she didn't speak.

Arjun nodded slowly. "I understand. Even this has not destroyed your pride. But you will need to make a decision, Raven. Especially if you care for your family as much as you pretend not to."

Isabel finished her checks and walked back over, wiping her hands on her coat. "I've got the results. Let's get to dinner."

Arjun rose smoothly. "Yes… You're also missing Jaune's latest date."

Isabel hesitated, a flicker of maternal longing crossing her face. "I… I don't want to smother him… Besides, there's a lot of bonding I need to do."

Arjun chuckled warmly. "Same."

His expression sharpened.

"Also…"

In one fluid motion he produced a compact grappling hook from his belt, fired it through the bars, and latched onto the frame of Raven's cot. With a powerful yank, he flipped the entire thing over. Raven's eyes widened as a small, sharpened piece of metal she'd hidden clattered loudly to the floor.

"You can't escape my eyes, Raven," Arjun said, voice low.

Raven's eyes burned with pure murder at him through the bars.

Isabel sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "She's going to be stubborn about this."

Arjun gave a wry half-smile as he retracted the hook. "Yes indeed."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Hastinpur Royal Palace, Pandu, Anima

Five Years After Salem's Defeat

- - -

The first rays of dawn filtered through the ornate windows of the royal bedchamber, painting the room in soft golds and warm crimsons. Queen Maia Sarkara-Arc—May to those who knew her best—slipped out of the large bed carefully. Jaune was still snoring softly beside her, one arm flung out where she had been lying. She smiled fondly at the sight of her husband, hair tousled and face relaxed in sleep, before padding quietly down the short hallway to the nursery.

August was already awake.

The little prince stood up in his crib, tiny hands gripping the rail, bouncing on chubby legs with excitement the moment he spotted his mother. His bright eyes lit up and a huge, toothless grin split his face.

May's heart melted instantly.

"Awww… Sweetie, you're awake! You're awake!" she cooed, voice soft and full of wonder as she hurried over. August let out a string of happy babble
—"Buh buh buh… Bah…"—and reached for her with both arms.

"Awww…" May scooped him up, hugging him close. He snuggled immediately into her chest, little face pressing against the soft fabric of her nightgown with a contented sigh. She breathed him in—the warm baby smell, the faint scent of the herbal soap they used in his baths—and felt the weight of queenship, duty, and endless responsibilities fade for a perfect moment.

These moments were fleeting. She knew that. Between rebuilding Pandu, managing alliances, and all the quiet threats still lingering from Salem's shadow… time like this was precious. She treasured it all the more because of that.

May rocked him gently, pressing a kiss to the top of his dark hair.

"...Say Mama," she whispered encouragingly.

August made a small, thoughtful noise. "Mmph…"

"Mama… Mamaaaaa…"

"Mmmm…"

"Yes… Yes, you can do it… Mama! Mamaaaa!"

August scrunched up his face in concentration, then beamed.

"...Mmmmngghh… Dada!"

May blinked. "Uh?"

"Dada!" August declared proudly, bouncing in her arms.

The nursery door creaked open. Jaune wandered in, yawning widely and rubbing sleep from his eyes, still in his sleep pants and an old Beacon shirt.

"Hwah… What's going on—?"

"Dada!" August shouted again, waving one chubby arm excitedly.

Jaune's jaw dropped. His eyes bugged out comically. For a second he just stood there, frozen in pure shock and delight.

May couldn't help it—she burst into giggles. "His first word!"

"DADA!" August repeated with a massive toothless grin, clearly very pleased with himself.

Jaune made a strangled happy noise… then his knees buckled. He fainted dead away, crumpling dramatically to the nursery floor.

"Jaune! JAUNE!" May gasped, eyes wide. She quickly set August back in his crib (where the baby immediately grabbed the rail and continued chanting "Dada! Dada!") and rushed to her husband's side.

Jaune stirred as she knelt beside him, blinking up at her with a dazed, utterly besotted grin. "Uwah… Haa… S-Sorry… I just…" He laughed weakly, eyes shining. "It's… Amazing…"

May helped him sit up, still giggling. "Heheheh… Yeah…"

Together they rose and returned to the crib. Jaune reached in and carefully lifted August into his arms, hugging the baby close and kissing the top of his head with pure fatherly reverence.

"Say it again, buddy! Say it again!"

August patted Jaune's cheek happily. Then, with perfect timing and a mischievous little sparkle in his eyes, he looked straight at May and declared:

"...Mama!"

May's breath caught. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she laughed again, this time with pure joy. She wrapped her arms around both her husband and their son, pulling them into a warm family embrace right there beside the crib.

"Heh... Little scamp," Jaune muttered.

"He gets that from you, for sure," May giggled.

- - -

Happy Father's Day! Sorry for the slowdown.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Arc Family Farmhouse, Radian

Nine Years After Salem's Defeat

- - -

The late afternoon sun bathed the farmhouse porch in warm golden light. Glynda Goodwitch-Arc sat in a comfortable rocking chair, one hand resting protectively on her rounded belly. The twins, two-year-old Mombi and Ozma, played happily on a colorful playmat at her feet, stacking blocks and babbling to each other. Glynda smiled softly as she watched them, but her gaze kept drifting to the lawn.

Jaune was out there with their eldest, four-year-old Dorothy. He had given her a comically large plastic baseball bat (sized for a child but still almost as tall as she was) and held a bright yellow plastic softball in his hand. His eyepatch was firmly in place over the eye he had lost years ago, but his smile was as bright as ever.

"Okay… Here we go…!" Jaune called, backing up a few paces with an encouraging grin.

"Careful, dear!" Glynda called from the porch, a hint of warning in her voice.

"I'm careful, I'm careful…" Jaune replied, waving a hand reassuringly.

He tossed the ball underhand in a gentle arc. Dorothy's face scrunched up in determination. She swung the bat with all the considerable strength a Aura strong four-year-old could muster—

Thwack!

The plastic ball rocketed straight into Jaune's eyepatch. He staggered back with a startled yelp and toppled onto the grass.

Dorothy's eyes went wide. "Daddy!" She burst into tears.

On the porch, Mombi and Ozma immediately joined in, their little faces crumpling as they wailed in sympathy.

Glynda was on her feet in an instant, hurrying over as fast as her pregnant belly would allow. "Jaune?!"

"Ow…" Jaune sat up slowly, rubbing his eyepatch with a sheepish grin. "Well… That was unexpected."

The three children toddled over (Dorothy running, the twins waddling) and piled onto him in a tangle of hugs and sniffles. Jaune laughed softly and patted their heads, pulling them close.

"I'm fine, just surprised. That's all," he soothed, voice warm and steady. The kids calmed quickly under his gentle reassurance, tears drying as he kissed the tops of their heads.

Glynda let out a relieved breath, brushing a hand over his hair. "Good… Good…"

She gathered the twins and returned to the porch while Dorothy, now cheered up, picked up the bat again with renewed (if slightly nervous) enthusiasm. Jaune got back to his feet, smiling at his daughter.

"Come on, let's try again!"

He pitched another soft underhand toss.

Thwack!

This time the ball flew low and fast—straight into Jaune's crotch. He let out a strangled "Arghhh…!" and dropped to his knees, curling forward.

"DADDYYYY!" Dorothy wailed again, bat clattering to the ground as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks.

Glynda hurried over once more, one hand on her belly, trying—and mostly failing—to stifle her laughter. "Again?"

"I'm fine… I'm fine… Ow…" Jaune wheezed, managing a weak thumbs-up. He straightened up after a moment and pulled Dorothy into another hug, calming her down just as he had the twins.

Mombi and Ozma had wandered back to their playmat. Jaune smiled.

"Come on sweetie... Again?"

Dorothy, however, crossed her arms and pouted fiercely. "I don't wanna!"

"Come on Dorothy! This is fun!" Jaune encouraged, still a little hunched.

"Nuh uh!"

"It is fun… Watch?" Jaune picked up the ball again, smiling hopefully.

Dorothy huffed but reluctantly lifted the bat. Jaune tossed the ball gently—

It sailed wide and bonked her squarely in the eye.

Dorothy dropped like a tiny sack of potatoes and howled in pain. "WAAAAHHHHH! DADDYYYY!"

Jaune was at her side in a flash, checking her eye with practiced medic's hands. "It's okay! It's okay! You're okay! There's no damage!"

Glynda sighed deeply from the porch, rubbing her temple as the chaos continued. The twins were starting to fuss again in solidarity.

After Jaune had calmed Dorothy down (again), he looked over at his wife with a sheepish, one-eyed grin.

Glynda shook her head, amusement winning out over exasperation. "Maybe try soccer from now on?"

"Maybe..."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Cinder adjusted her binoculars as an all too familiar set of feelings swelled within her chest. Feelings she was trying not to acknowledge. Jealousy. Envy. If it was just those two it would be easy to ignore but a third feeling was coiling about in her gut, a feeling that didn't have a convenient one word name yet she knew it well all the same.

It was a particular mix of self loathing that arose with hindsight; the realization that opportunity had passed you by and was now forever closed to you.

She could see it in the way Jaune laughed with his partner Pyrrha. The way they leaned in close to one another as they took turns decimating the targets of the shooting gallery and winning more and more plushies from the attraction.

The opportunities Cinder could see she had missed were already a legion and growing. Pyrrha was so obviously besotted with her team leader that it was clear that the Invincible Girl would do whatever the blond boy asked of her. A clear path to subvert her greatest obstacle within the student body had formed in her mind's eye, a way to make the brightest rising star of the next crop of huntresses a permanent extension of her own will via wrapping the redhead's crush around her finger and then graciously granting her a degree of access would have been so easy! The look Pyrrha gave Jaune was similar enough to the looks Emerald had directed towards her before the time travelers had arrived to make it clear such a plan could have worked.

Cinder could close her eyes and see how secure her lairs would have felt if she could have commanded the Invincible Girl to stand guard. How peacefully she could have slept knowing such a powerful warrior could dutifully keep watch through the night…

…Cinder allowed those thoughts to swirl on the surface to keep other thoughts from rising to the top. Dangerous thoughts that stoked other emotions that would be even more distracting. Imagining Pyrrha in the role of nightly watchwoman made it easier to ignore that Emerald wasn't her nightly watchwoman anymore, and thoughts about Emerald were particularly complicated at the moment.

The flames of anger danced around those complicated thoughts. Emerald had promised unshakable and unquestionable loyalty. Cinder had gone out of her way to test it and ensure it. For years she had relied upon and trusted that promise as it was the one thing she was truly sure of in the cloak and dagger world she lived in.

Then time itself decided to prove Emerald a liar.

Eleven possibilities, and from what she could gather through her access to Arc's scroll Emerald had betrayed her in all but one of them. The one where she had abandoned her mission, her purpose, her dream.

The one where she was weak.

And yet things were far enough off the rails now that Cinder didn't think they were beholden to any of those eleven possibilities. A twelfth possibility could be forming before her eyes… and that deepened the feeling of lost opportunity.

There was a timeline where Emerald remained true to her promise of loyalty. There was only one timeline where Cinder was weak. Somewhere in the sea of unrealized potential was a timeline where Emerald remained true while Cinder didn't become weak.

She wasn't thinking about how that timeline could have been this one. How if she had held her wrath until she had a more complete picture her loyal thief would still be at her side helping her plan and figure out her next move. With Emerald she could have devised a plan to separate Jaune… the man… the fa-… of her… Jaune. With Emerald she could have devised a plan to separate Jaune from the rest of the women and settle everything on her terms.

That was perhaps the most painful lost opportunity of them all. Emerald's absence was becoming more and more pronounced with each passing moment, especially since her present company wasn't content with silent observation.

"Your boy has good reflexes," Iridescent purred as she adjusted her own binoculars. She let out an appreciative whistle as the shooting range was set up again and Jaune took another turn. "No hesitation. No doubt in his movement." Iridescent shivered as she closed her eyes and imagined, "I can see it. How effective a killer he could become with the right... push. You really landed yourself a magnificent specimen of a man."

"I haven't landed him," Cinder did her best to not bristle at Iridescent's tone. "And I can't subvert him with the harem he has now."

"That is a fixable problem you know," Iridescent lowered her binoculars and smiled in Cinder's direction. "With the data we've been able to gather with the little spying chip Neo planted, we know that you killed Pyrrha in roughly half of the timelines. If you can kill her you can kill any of them! Remove the right ones from the playing field and you'll have plenty of options."

The image rose unbidden in Cinder's mind; Pyrrha removed, Cinder standing in her place. She saw herself with him in the fairgrounds, sharing food with him and laughing at something he had said.

Cinder clamped down on that image for a number of reasons. The first that she would admit to was that such fantasies were a distraction from the mission. The reason she wasn't admitting…

…her… children. They had been sending her photos. Photos of their home life. Photos of herself spending time with their… Father… His gentle expression as he looked upon her, her small smile in reply…

She would not see any tender expressions from him if she killed any of the other women.

The feeling of lost opportunity mingled with the smell of burning flesh and the screams of familiar strangers…

Today was not the day to kill.

"You want us to get closer?" Mercury asked using his scroll's walkie-talkie feature. He was at the other end of the fairgrounds with Neo, getting a different angle on their quarry.

"Maybe," Cinder replied with a tone that made it clear the word was a consideration but not yet a permission.

"Well, we have a… Nevermind. They're about to be on high alert." Mercury's frown could be heard in his voice. "I'm seeing several well known members of Mistral's paparazzi entering the fairground."

"Then the choice is made for us," Cinder started sweeping her binoculars over the crowd trying to see if she could spot any of the approaching pushy reporters and photographers. "We keep our distance and remain unseen…"

- - -

"Damnit," Xander muttered under his breath. Even after the War for the Dawn, reporters had survived—and thrived. Voracious as ever. On one hand, he could almost accept that they had to eat and people deserved information. And his father always emphasized that freedom of the press was vital to a healthy free society.

On the other… people who tried sneaking into his locker room right after his birthday deserved everything they got.

"Look at her fiancé!" hissed the lead paparazzi—a pink-haired woman with large square glasses. "It's that Arc guy with ten other fiancées!"

"We knew that, Karen, thank you," grumbled the man beside her.

Xander stayed in the shadows, tweaking Polarity here, causing an electrical surge there. A broken camera. A conveniently timed blackout. Most of the ambush photographers were neutralized before they could ruin his parents' night-Many weeping and shrieking in horror as their cameras and Scrolls exploded or melted down.

But the sheer volume was exhausting.

One particularly bold male reporter popped out of a bush, ready to ambush the young couple. Before Jaune or Pyrrha could notice, a metal trash can dropped squarely on his head with a loud clang.

Another reporter, a greasy looking man with a double chin and an unconvincing combover, approached him with a smirk and a box in his hands. Xander waved his hand... And the box sparked, but nothing else happened. The reporter laughed.

"HA! Fool! I've been following Pyrrha Nikos for years! From her debut to now!" He pulled the box off, revealing a wire mesh cage around his Scroll. "I have a Faradaying Cage! You can't do anything to me!"

"Oh really?" Xander asked with a nod, "You know what those are made of?"

"... Metal?" The reporter guessed.

The box slammed up into the reporter's face, breaking his nose and knocking him out. Xander sighed as a few people checked on the guy. He looked ahead and saw his parents moving ahead.

"Every Breaker-damned time..." Xander growled. "They're like fu—freaking cockroaches!"

He kept moving, staying just close enough to protect without being spotted. They'd circled back toward the dunk tank... Where Khalisah Bint was being strapped in.

"Oh no," Xander groaned.

She waved wildly at the couple.

"Hello, Pyrrha Nikos!" she called. "Any comment on sharing your new fiancé with ten other women?"

Pyrrha froze, her smile stiff and her eyebrow twitching. A lot of people stared her way. Jaune looked around quickly... And thought just as quickly.

Jaune raised his voice cheerfully. "That's flattering, lady… but this is just my girlfriend, Thetis Nereid! She's a really good Pyrrha cosplayer."

"Oh yes, I get that all the time!" Pyrrha played along perfectly. "You can check out my Dustogram!"

Bint scoffed.

"You're telling me that a cosplayer is out with Jaune Arc?! The same blond who is engaged to eleven women at Beacon?!"

Jaune blinked innocently.

"Huh? That guy? I look like him? Wow! Thanks!"

"Thank you for complimenting my boyfriend!" Pyrrha laughed, squeezing his bicep, "He is pretty hot, huh?"

Bint huffed in disbelief.

"Are you seriously trying to deny-?"

The mousy stall operator silently handed over three balls. Pyrrha handed over some Lien, still smiling.
She hurled all three balls at once. Every single one hit the target.

Bint's eyes widened.

"BWAH!"

SPLASH!

After the platform reset, Bint sputtered, "Follow-up: What do you have to say regarding Mr. Arc's polygamous relationship status then, Ms. Nereid!?" Maximum sarcasm dripped from every word.

"She's persistent," Jaune noted dryly.

"You have no idea," Pyrrha replied. She handed balls to Jaune. He dunked Bint again.

"PFFT! What about freedom of the press?!"

"You have plenty of freedoms," Pyrrha said sweetly. "Just not sure why you're wasting them on a cosplayer."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed.

They turned and walked off as onlookers laughed at the sputtering reporter. Jaune sighed.

"Geez…"

Pyrrha smiled softly. "Thanks, Jaune… Sorry about that."

"Nah… It's something we'll have to get used to, I guess."

"Yeah… But I'm okay as long as you're with me."

Jaune smiled back at her—that warm, caring smile that always made Pyrrha's heart skip. He leaned in for a quick peck. Pyrrha reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him into a deep, passionate kiss.

YES YES YES YES YESSSSSS! She thought happily.

From the tank, Bint gasped. She rumamged through her clothes... And found a spare camera. She grinned as she lifted it to her eyes.

"Yes! My break—!"

Her camera burst into flames. She yelped and tossed it into the water. Glaring daggers, she spotted Xander standing in front of the tank, smiling… and holding a ball.

"...You wouldn't dare—!"

Xander threw. Down Bint went again.

He sighed and shook his head. "She's not much better in the future."

"Oh really?"

Xander tensed and looked back at Ren and Nora, both glaring at him. Nora was holding a giant plushy panda. He coughed. "Ahhhh… Hey. What a coincidence, seeing you guys here... Where my parents are!"

"You were told to stay at Beacon," Ren said flatly.

Xander shrugged.

"Ahhhh... Well..."

Pyrrha and Jaune's kiss ended. Both panting for breath, smiling, blushing...

Xander winced. He looked back over at his aunt and uncle.

"So... Um... Could you guys please not say anything and maybe let me go?"

"No," Ren stated. Ren marched Xander over to his parents.

Bint was lifted back once more, ranting and wailing.

"HEY! Get me out of here! You can't just hold me here! GET ME OUT!"

Nora handed over more Lien. She took the balls and threw them, hard. All three hit the target and once more, Bint was dunked.

"BWAHHH!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian, Vale
Eight years after Salem's defeat
- - -

The rain drummed steadily against the roof of the cozy house Jaune had built with his own hands years ago, a sturdy place tucked into the Arc lands inRadian. Warm lamplight spilled across wooden beams, mismatched rugs, and the kind of clutter that only comes from children and love and too many people trying to live full lives under one roof. Yang sat in the big rocking chair Jaune had carved for her, Baby Pyrrha nestled against her chest, tiny fists clutching the front of Yang's oversized sweater. The little girl babbled softly—"Mah… bah… bwam!"—and Yang rocked on, slow and steady, eyes fixed on the front door.

Xia, their eldest, kept peeking around the corner from the hallway, clutching her stuffed Ursa. "Mama… when's Auntie Ruby coming home?"

Yang forced a smile, the kind that didn't quite reach her eyes but was good enough for a four-year-old. "Soon, Firelight. Soon." The last word slipped out quieter, almost lost under the rain.

Xia pouted dramatically. "She's so cool!"

Pyrrha blew a raspberry in agreement.

The front door finally creaked open. Jaune stepped inside, soaked through, blond hair plastered to his forehead—and Ruby cradled in his arms like a bride who'd forgotten how to walk.

Ruby's face was scarlet. "Jaune! I can walk just fine!"

"Yeah," he said, kicking the door shut behind him, "and you're not supposed to be walking at all."

The scars across his neck and chest—bite marks from Yang's dragon form in the worst days, claw gouges from Cinder's final, desperate swing—stood out stark under the lamplight. He still smiled, though, exasperated and fond in equal measure as he set Ruby gently on the couch.

"DADA!" Xia launched herself at him.

Jaune laughed, scooped her up after depositing Ruby, and hugged her tight. "You stay," he told Ruby, pointing one long finger.

"I'm not gonna—"

"You stay."

Ruby pouted harder than Xia ever had.

Xia immediately clambered into Ruby's lap. "Auntie Ruby! Tell me more stories!"

Ruby hesitated, then softened. "Well… I could tell you about this Arachne I fought once…"

Yang caught Jaune's eye over their daughter's head. He gave her the grim little nod they'd developed over years of silent communication: She's doing it again.

Yang clenched her fist until her knuckles whitened. Scales flickered briefly across her forearm—black and shimmering—before she forced a slow breath and watched them fade.

She mouthed, I'll talk to her.

Jaune mouthed back, I know.

He crossed to her, kissed her cheek, ran a gentle hand over Pyrrha's downy head and then over Yang's swollen belly. Yang gripped his fingers hard, leaning into the touch like it was the only solid thing in the room.

Pyrrha nuzzled between her parents.

Yang smiled despite everything. "She almost called me 'mom' again."

Jaune's eyes lit up. "Really?!" He knelt down and held his daughter with a grin.

"Come on, Pyr… Dada! You can say it. Dada!"

"Daaaa… Dwah… Pffft!"

Yang laughed softly. "Yeah. I'd say that counts."

Jaune sighed, mock-tragic. "One day…"

Xia piped up immediately. "Dada! I said it! Can I have ice cream?"

"Sure, sweetie." He lifted Pyrrha into his arms and let Xia take his hand, leading them both toward the kitchen. "Chocolate?"

"Chocolate!"

Ruby watched them go, expression caught somewhere between wistful and guilty.

Yang turned to her sister, channeling every ounce of disappointed-big-sister energy she possessed. "So. Have you got anything to say for yourself, young lady?"

Ruby blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, is that how you wanna play this?"

Ruby tried innocence. "Play what? I don't know what you're talking about."

Yang took a long, slow breath—careful, deliberate, because the baby (babies, her brain corrected smugly) did not need her losing her temper.

"We agreed—after your stitches popped earlier this week—that you were staying in bed until we were sure they wouldn't open again."

Ruby shifted. "I just… heard about a Grimm sighting outside the main wall. Papa Nick's still laid up! I could've—"

"Ruby." Yang's voice dropped. "That's what the town militia is for. They're trained. And if it gets bad, one call and Jaune or Izzy or half a dozen others handle it. You are on medical leave. That means no work. I cannot stress this enough."

Ruby scowled. "I don't want to sit around! There's always something to do! We saved the world—"

Yang's hand slammed down on the armrest. Claws gouged deep furrows into the wood. Her eyes flashed slitted gold. "YES. AND THAT WAS THEN. THIS IS NOW. WE EARNED OUR REST, RUBY. THE WORLD IS SAFE."

Ruby shot to her feet. "NO IT ISN'T! It will never be safe! We learned that the hard way! There's always another battle, another threat—the work is never done! IT WILL NEVER BE DONE!"

Yang's horns began to push through. Her voice deepened, edged with smoke. "AND YOU THINK FACING IT ALONE, HALF-DEAD, WILL FIX ANYTHING? NEWS FLASH, RUBY—IT TOOK ALL OF US TO DO WHAT WE DID, AND THAT WAS WHEN WE WERE AT OUR BEST!"

"Yang! Stop! You're pregnant—you'll hurt the baby!"

Yang gripped the chair until the wood groaned. She forced breath after scalding breath until the scales receded to scattered patches, claws stayed half-extended, eyes still slitted. "Haaa… thanks."

Ruby's voice cracked. "Yang… why are you so angry? I'm doing this for you. For all of you. It's what I have to do."

Yang shook her head, bewildered and hurting. "What could possibly make you think I'd want my sister to die?"

Ruby looked away. "I… what do I have? It's all I have. It's all Mom had in the end. To be a hero…"

"Summer wouldn't have wanted this." Tears slipped down Yang's cheeks.

Ruby's voice broke. "SUMMER ABANDONED US TO BE A HERO! I saw it… in the Ever After…"

Yang stared. "…What?"

"That's what I saw in the Ponderstorm. She ran off to fight Salem alone!"

Yang exhaled slowly. "Ruby. That's not how Mom died."

"IT IS! I SAW IT!"

"The Ponderstorm lies, Ruby. It likes to screw with people. For fuck's sake, it tried to get Blake and Weiss together. Blake and Weiss."

Ruby's tears fell freely. "If I'm not a hero… what am I? What do I have left?"

Yang leaned forward. "You have us. You've always had us. This place has always been your home. But only if you let it—if you let us—be that for you."

Ruby sobbed. "I… I can't."

Yang grimaced. "Then I guess that's it." She lifted her head, tears gone, expression hard and determined. "Plan C it is."

Ruby blinked through tears. "H-huh…?"

Yang raised her voice toward the kitchen. "JAUNE! WE'RE GOING WITH PLAN C!"

Jaune reappeared in the doorway, concern etched deep. "Yang… are you sure?"

Yang nodded, mock-sorrowful. "Absolutely. She won't listen any other way."

Ruby's head whipped between them. "What is this? What's Plan C? And why does it involve Jaune?!"

Jaune took Yang's hand. "You know I love you. More than anything."

Yang squeezed back. "More than sure, my heart. You gave me your word. Arcs don't break promises." Her grin turned teasing. "Besides… don't think I haven't noticed you sneaking glances."

Jaune flushed. "They were only glances… but if this is what you want to save her? I'll do it."

Yang patted his shoulder, then smirked wider. "You're acting like you wouldn't love her just as much as you love me."

"I would. I swear."

Xia wandered back in, leading Pyrrha by the hand. "Mama…? Why were you yelling?"

Yang eased herself up and waddled over. "Nothing you need to worry about, Firelight. Just… last-minute travel arrangements." She glanced between her apprehensive husband and her very confused sister. "Your dad and Auntie Ruby are going on a little trip together."

Ruby blinked. "I am?"

Jaune scooped her up again. "We are."

He carried her upstairs to the bedroom.

Ruby blushed furiously. "W-where are you taking me?"

"The bed room," he stated. He burst in through the door and dropped her on the bed.

"ACK!" Ruby scowled. Jaune closed the door. He turned back to her.

"And we're gonna…?"

"Talk," Jaune said blandly, as he sat down next to her.

Ruby relaxed a fraction. "Oh. So we're just gonna hang out and chat like… like we used to."

"Yes…" Jaune reached out and drew her against his chest, holding her close. Ruby flushed.

"G-Geez Jaune… Do you have to be so… Clingy?"

"You haven't been hugged in a while have you?" Jaune asked. Ruby scowled.

"I… It's not important-"

"Ruby… what's this really about? Why are you so determined to get yourself killed?" He stroked her cheek. "I've been so scared for you. My best friend. Why?"

She melted against him despite herself. "Someone has to, Jaune. The world still needs heroes. And it's not like I'm doing anything else."

"That Ponderstorm really messed you up, huh?" He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry I didn't help you more. Yang and I got so wrapped up in each other… in surviving. I'm sorry."

"Why are you apologizing? You were stuck in a fairytale hell for twenty years. Yang was a dragon. I can't even look at dragonfruit the same way."

"Even so. You were our responsibility."

Ruby's eyes filled. "Don't you think I know Summer wasn't perfect? That just means I have to be. I have to be what she couldn't."

"You saved the world, Ruby. We all did. You can let go. You can enjoy it." He kissed her—soft, then deeper.

Ruby's brain short-circuited. She kissed back, hungry, helpless. Rose genes, damn them.

Jaune murmured against her lips, "Yang wanted me to do this…"

He nibbled down her neck, hands roaming, squeezing, claiming. Ruby straddled him, humming at the heat of him. "So… this is Plan C?"

He smacked her ass lightly. "Mmhm."

"EEP! And… And Yang knows?"

"Ruby," Jaune looked hurt, "Do you really think I would ever cheat on my wife?"

"B-But-How do we handle this?!" Ruby demanded. "D-Do you love us both? Marry us both? What if we have a kid or-"

"Ruby," Jaune whispered. He touched his forehead to hers. "We'll figure it out. I love you, you know?"

Ruby went bright red.

"M-Me?"

"Yes… And we can figure it out from there," he murmured. Ruby flushed.

"S-Still… Um… Are you sure-?"

Yang opened the door. She glared at Ruby intensely.

"Ruby? You're banging my husband or I'm beating you up."

Ruby flushed.

"Well… Um… If you're both fine with it-"

"More than fine," Yang growled. "Now get to it before I beat both your asses!"

She shut the door behind her. Ruby gulped. She sucked in a deep breath. She looked into Jaune's eyes.

"Then…"

- - -

One month later…

Isabel raised an eyebrow at the much more relaxed Ruby Rose sitting in front of her on the examination table. Yang, Jaune, and little Xia stood nearby, looking anxious. Despite the tension in the room, Isabel did manage a warm smile at the young savior of Remnant.

"Well… Congratulations, Ruby. You've conceived a child. You're pregnant!"

Ruby gasped, tears filled her eyes… And then she grinned.

"Oh!" She looked over at Yang and Jaune. "Plan "C'! Now I get it!"

Isabel very slowly turned to glare at Jaune and Yang, even as Xia giggled as Ruby pulled her into her lap.

"'Plan C'?"

"Just an… In-joke, Mom," Jaune explained.

"But it's definitely growing," Yang grinned.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Hebei, Mistral


One year, six months after Vytal


- - -



The fire crackled low in the little clearing just outside Hebei. One year and six months after the chaos of the Vytal Festival, the group had fallen into a ragged but determined rhythm. Jaune sat sharpening Crocea Mors, Ruby poked at the embers with a stick, and the others lounged around the flames looking travel-worn and hungry.



"We're officially broke," Yang announced, shaking an empty coin purse. "Like, 'can't even buy stale bread' broke."



Ruby perked up. "Then it's simple! We hunt Grimm! There's probably a bounty board in town. Easy Lien, right?"



Arslan, cross-legged, shook her head. "We don't have licenses for that here. The local guild is strict. They'd fine us before we even drew our weapons."



Nora bounced on her heels. "We could just do odd jobs on the side like we used to! Delivery runs, chopping wood, beating up local thugs—classic stuff!"



"Doesn't give us money fast enough," Yang pointed out.



Pyrrha sighed. "The CCT network is still down. Weiss and I can't access our accounts."



Weiss crossed her arms. "Even if we could, most of my assets are frozen anyway."



Ren offered quietly, "We can always do honest chores. Dishwashing. Stable work. It's slow, but reliable."



"Boring!" Nora and Yang said at the exact same time.



Jaune stared into the fire for a long moment, then spoke.



"…We could do scams."



The entire camp went dead silent. Eight pairs of eyes turned toward him in shock.



Ren was the first to recover. He shrugged. "We've done it plenty of times before."



Nora's face lit up like the sun. "Yes! I'm in!"



Arslan's expression darkened. "Jaune. Theft is against the Commandments."



Jaune winced but held firm. "I know. But we need to reach Haven. We need to save the world. Sometimes… the greater good requires bending the rules a little."



Arslan sighed deeply, rubbing her temples. "Aslan forgive us. Fine. We could try asking for donations first. Honestly. Like pilgrims."



The streets of Hebei were busy but not generous.



Ruby planted herself in front of a middle-aged merchant. "Excuse me, sir! We're trying to save the world! Could you spare some Lien?"



The man snorted and kept walking.



Nora popped up next, waving enthusiastically. "Fund to save the world! Donations welcome!"



The woman didn't even slow down.



Pyrrha approached the third man with perfect poise and her warmest smile. "Good day. We're on a vital mission to protect Remnant. Any assistance would be deeply appreciated."



The guy grunted.



"I've heard that one before, kid." He walked off.



Ruby looked back at the group, crestfallen. Nora stood proudly beside her, holding up a handmade sign that read HELP US SAVE THE WORLD! Ruby's own sign was slightly crooked but enthusiastic.



Arslan facepalmed. Weiss did the same a second later.



Arslan sighed and looked over at Jaune. "We will do penance later."



"Totally!" Jaune agreed, already looking guilty.



Later that afternoon…



Ruby stepped boldly into the road in front of a slow-moving cart. She timed it perfectly—dramatic gasp, theatrical fall, dramatic cry of pain as the driver slammed on the brakes.



The driver leaped down, horrified. "Oh no! Are you all right, child?!"



Arslan appeared from around the corner like a vision of mercy, robes fluttering. "Good sir! You have struck this poor innocent girl! But fear not—I am a healer. I can mend her… for a small donation to cover medical supplies, of course."



The driver, pale and panicking, thrust a handful of Lien into her hands. Arslan scooped Ruby up with surprising gentleness and carried her into the nearest alley.



Once safely out of sight, Arslan set Ruby down. Ruby dusted herself off with a sheepish grin.



"Thanks. I feel kinda bad about that one."



Arslan sighed heavily. "I don't like this. Not at all."



Ruby nodded. "Yeah, but… we're trying to save the world."



From deeper in the alley came the sound of running feet. Pyrrha, Jaune, Yang, Weiss, Ren, and Nora skidded around the corner, breathless.



Arslan raised an eyebrow. "Jaune?"



Jaune held up a jingling pouch, grinning nervously. "Good news! We have the money we need. Bad news? We need to run. Right now."



From the street behind them came the angry roar of a mob.



"CHEATERS!"



Arslan closed her eyes and muttered a quick prayer. "Aslan forgive us…"



Weiss pointed an accusatory finger. "It was all Pyrrha's fault!"



Pyrrha, already sprinting ahead with the rest of them, called back over her shoulder, "Sorrryyyy!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

New Atlas, Atlas

Six Years After Salem's Defeat

- - -

New Atlas sparkled under clear skies on Victory Day. The central square—once a crater of war—now gleamed with fresh stone and banners of every Kingdom. At its heart stood the new memorial: a towering statue of intertwined figures, heroes and ordinary souls frozen in defiance. Pyrrha's likeness held her spear high beside Nick Arc's, among many others who hadn't made it home.

Weiss Schnee-Arc stood at the edge of the stage area, elegant in white and pale blue, one hand resting protectively on the small of her back where their son's handprint still lingered from that morning's goodbye hug. She watched Jaune with quiet concern. Six years had healed many wounds, but some scars ran deeper than anything could reach.

"Jaune," she said softly as they waited for their cue, squeezing his hand. "You've been through so much. Suffered so much. You don't have to—"

He squeezed back, thumb brushing over her wedding ring. "I'm all right, Weiss. I can do this." His smile was tired but genuine. "I have to do this. For them. For us."

High Councillor Henry Marigold—once an empty-headed dandy, now a steadier man tempered by war—smiled warmly as he stepped aside from the podium. The crowd roared as Jaune and Weiss ascended the steps together, her hand never leaving his.

"Atlasians… People of Remnant…" Jaune began, voice carrying across the square.

He glanced at his Scroll—and paled. Weiss looked over his shoulder and her eyes minutely widened.

The speech was gone. Deleted, corrupted, vanished into the digital ether.

Weiss moved instantly, ready to step forward and take over, but Jaune shook his head. He cleared his throat, looked out at the sea of faces, and spoke from memory and heart instead.

"Throughout the events of human and Faunus history, we have always dealt with the Darkness that threatened to engulf us all. A Darkness of the Grimm… and a darkness in ourselves. We had to fight that—inside and out—to end this war. It cost us… It cost us all dearly. Some more than others."

It was like he could feel Nick and Pyrrha's gazes on him.

His hand trembled in Weiss's grasp. She held it tighter, steady and warm. Jaune kept going, voice thickening but never breaking.

"It's easy to say that sacrifices are necessary to secure victory. To survive. To live. And that… that is true. It is easy to say. It is harder to go through it. That doesn't change that the sacrifice has to be made. It is easy to fall into darkness, into despair, as the losses pile up and you lose so much…"

He bowed his head for a moment, the weight of Pyrrha, his father, and countless others pressing down. Weiss's thumb stroked the back of his hand. He lifted his gaze again, found her eyes, and drew strength from the quiet love there. She smiled. He smiled back.

"I was alone for a very, very long time," he continued, voice growing stronger, "only the faint hope of seeing my friends keeping me going. Only the hope of victory. And that is what we won… A victory. And victories need to be celebrated!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

"And this… This is a victory! Every day I wake up with my wife. Every day I see my beautiful little boy… Every day the sun rises… I know it was worth it. The pain… The pain may not go away… But it doesn't change the fact that you've saved others from worse pains. For that reason did me, my friends, and everyone who fought in that war—whether they were on the front lines or behind them, shooting, swinging a sword, praying, or anything else… We fought together. We bled together… And the sun rose again. We made that happen… So don't forget that. Through all the pain and loss… That sun is still rising. And where there's life? There's hope."

The square fell silent for a heartbeat—then exploded into thunderous applause and cheers that rolled like waves across New Atlas.

Jaune nodded once, humble and exhausted, as Weiss guided him gently off the stage behind the curtains. The moment they were out of sight he let out a long breath and chuckled shakily.

"Phew… That was tough."

Weiss looked up at him, eyes shining with pride and worry. "I could have handled that, you know."

"I know, sweetie… I know." He cupped her cheek, thumb brushing away a tear she hadn't realized had fallen. "But I want to inspire hope, Weiss. Like you do for me… every single day."

Weiss's cheeks flushed that familiar, beautiful Schnee pink. Without another word she rose on her toes and kissed him soundly—fierce, grateful, full of everything she couldn't say in front of the crowd. Jaune melted into it, arms wrapping around her as the roar of the celebration continued just beyond the curtain.

For a moment, in the quiet space behind the stage, the weight of the world lifted. There was only the two of them, their son waiting at home, and the sun still rising on a future they had fought to keep.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

In the vicinity of Vacuo City, Western Sanus.

1 year and 8 months after the Vytal Festival Tournament.
- - -

The transition from the surreal Ever After back to Remnant felt like stepping through a dream and waking into noise and heat. Vacuo's streets were alive with movement—soldiers from Atlas, Vale, Mistral, and Vacuo itself gathered in every square and rooftop, banners fluttering, voices overlapping in a dozen languages. The city was crowded beyond belief, yet somehow still standing.

Jaune walked beside Winter, Ruby and Yang flanking them, Weiss close on her sister's other side. Blake moved a little more quietly beside them, while Nora and Ren brought up the rear after their long talk with Ozpin. The weight of everything they'd seen and lost still pressed on them, but they were home.

Then Jaune froze mid-step.

Through the press of bodies, a tall figure in full, battle-worn armor strode forward, a massive sword slung across his back. Beside him walked a smaller, curvy woman in elegant white and blue, a shawl draped over her distinctive white hair. The knight escorted her protectively through the crowd.

Winter and Weiss gasped at the same time.

"Mother!" Winter cried.

"Mother!" Weiss echoed.

Both Schnee sisters broke into a run, propriety forgotten in the dust and noise of Vacuo. Willow Schnee held out her arms and caught them both, pulling her daughters into a fierce, weeping embrace. For once, the Schnee name meant nothing—only family, only relief, only joy after so much loss.

Jaune couldn't move. His eyes locked with the knight's. The man stopped, staring back. With the helmet on, even with polished armor, the resemblance to the Rusted Knight was uncanny. Ruby and Yang stepped closer, each squeezing one of Jaune's arms in silent support. Blake gave him a small, encouraging smile from the side.

Jaune took a shaky breath and walked forward. Nick watched him approach, then slowly reached up and removed his helmet. His face—older, scarred, but unmistakably his father's—filled with emotion. Tears already glistened in his eyes.

"Dad… I…" Jaune's voice cracked. He clutched at his chest where the artificial heart his mother had built still beat steadily inside him. "Mom… she saved me, but… she…" His head bowed. "She died… because of me… I'm so sorry, Dad…"

Winter moved to his side without hesitation, slipping her hand into his and holding it tight. She looked up at Nick with quiet strength.

Nick stared at his son for a long moment, then pulled him into a crushing hug. His broad shoulders shook as soft sobs broke free.

"Son…" Nick whispered, voice thick. "Son… I am so glad you are alive… I missed you so much…"

"But—but I—" Jaune tried.

Nick held him tighter. "Your mother died saving you because she loved you. I would have done the same thing. Don't ever think any different, son."

Jaune broke. He pressed his face into his father's armored chest and cried—deep, wrenching sobs that had waited years to be released. Winter, Ruby, and Yang wrapped around him from behind, holding the family together in the middle of the crowded street. Weiss stood with her mother, Willow's arm around her shoulders, while Blake, Nora, and Ren watched with quiet, understanding eyes.

For the first time in what felt like forever, the weight of loss didn't feel quite so impossible to carry.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Pyrrha's smile was bright enough to replace a lighthouse. She had kissed Jaune. She kissed Jaune!

She had kissed him, and it had been everything she had imagined. The gentle warmth, the moving passion, a subtle flavor on his lips that lingered even now all topped off with the subtle smell of his preferred soaps and aftershave mixing with his own natural musk into something that was unmistakably Jaune. It was perfect, absolutely perfect, and she would never forget it.

"Wow," She giggled as she caught her breath.

"Wow," Jaune agreed with a breathy rasp in his voice that made Pyrrha's heart skip a beat. This was a moment she wished would never end.

But of course the moment ended as all moments do, and Pyrrha saw Ren approaching from the corner of her eye with her son in toe.

"Xander, what are you doing here?" Pyrrha asked with a tilt to her head.

"Yeah, what are you doing here?" Jaune added with an inquisitive tone.

Seeing that his parents were letting him explain himself instead of talking over any attempt to do so Xander let his words out quickly:

"I didn't come here to spy on your date," Xander held up his hands in a placating manner. "I'm just doing what I can to make sure nobody intrudes."

"Oh," Pyrrha's eyes lit up with realization, "That's why Bint's in the dunk tank, isn't it? You put her there."

"Yeah," Xander confirmed with a small smile, "I did that."

In the distance they could hear Bint shriek as she was dunked again.

"Well, Bint is near the top of the list of reporters that probably deserve something like that happening to them," Pyrrha allowed.

"Uh, is Bint the only reporter you did something to…?" Jaune asked as his eyes shifted to the movements of the crowd around them.

"No, I've sent at least a dozen reporters packing," Xander smiled a bit as he felt proud of his accomplishment.

"Okay, on the one hand I guess that means it's good you came out here," Jaune organized his thoughts aloud. "On the other hand that's part of why Penny's been tagging along so…" Jaune stopped as he noticed Xander and Pyrrha tense at the same moment. "What's wrong?"

"I just sensed metal I can't grasp entering Polarity's range," Xander sounded rather confused and disturbed as he and Pyrrha whipped their heads about in the direction they were sensing things.

Jaune turned his gaze in the same direction to see a man moving through the crowd. Literally. The man wasn't weaving about the throng or pushing people aside from his path; the man was walking througheveryone like he was a ghost to the alarm of everyone he passed.

"It's Ivan Peek," Pyrrha hissed as she grabbed Jaune's hand and started power-walking away from the intangible man. "We need to get going."

There was an urgency in his partner's voice that instantly put Jaune into leader mode: "Nora, Ren, grab our prizes. Penny? Try to delay him. Xander, clear a path ahead of us."

As everyone got moving Jaune asked the next important question, "Pyrrha, who's Ivan Peek?"

"Ivan is terrible," Pyrrha explained as Xander parted the crowd in front of them and they started picking up speed, not quite sprinting yet but they were close to the edge of doing so. "He has an intangibility semblance, and while nothing's provable in a court of law it's basically an open secret that he's used his semblance to get blackmail on basically everyone. If you don't give him his interview your secrets get out. I don't know what he has on my family but the only way to avoid him using it is to avoid him."

"Right, so we need to stay far enough ahead of him to make it believable that we don't hear him if he calls out to us," Jaune surmised.

"That would be for the best," Pyrrha agreed as she looked down at her garb. Her chiton barely reached her ankles and was loose and flowing enough to make running possible, but it was still risky, so she reached down to try and lift things and…

…Suddenly she didn't need to do anything to her chiton. Jaune had reached down and with a single smooth scooping motion she was in his arms being carried bridal style as he put some hustle in his step. For a split second she forgot about the urgency of the situation as her cheeks flushed the same color as her hair, but then she refocused as eyes roamed over the crowd for other dangers she might alert her partner to.

"Any other reporters we need to keep our eyes peeled for?" Jaune asked as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to make his sprinting carry easier. "Since so many have already shown up I wouldn't be surprised if there are a few more."

"The only one as bad as Ivan would be Bridget Skeeter," Pyrrha explained as she glanced behind them to see that they were still comfortably far enough ahead of Ivan. "She's a mosquito faunus with a size changing semblance that she's also used to get blackmail on almost everyone."

"Mosquito… Can she fly?" Jaune checked.

"Yes, her faunus trait is a set of wings," Pyrrha confirmed. Further comments were put on pause as Penny slid back in alongside them.

"After observing Ivan's intangibility my combat algorithms have concluded that anything I could do that would actually delay him involves weaponry undeployable in a crowd of civilians," Penny apologized.

"That's fine," Jaune reassured the ginger gynoid. "Take up overwatch instead; make sure our escape route isn't leading us to more reporters, and stay alert for a size changing flying faunus in particular."

"Will do friend Jaune!" Penny saluted before skipping ahead and lifting off into the air.

Not that far in front of them Xander made a space through the crowd that led out into the street. Just a few moments later they were on a relatively empty road and Jaune upgraded his power walk into proper running at a cadence one would expect from a marathoner. Ren and Nora exited the crowd right behind them, winnings from the festival slung over their shoulders as they matched Jaune's pace.

"Should we split up?" Ren asked as he looked to his leader.

"While I doubt you'll pull away anyone following us it's probably a bad idea to drag all of our prizes around during a chase," Jaune mused as his aura enhanced physiology let him push to speeds a normal person would need a bicycle to match. "So yeah, let's split up. Meet us back at the airfield."

Ren nodded his assent while Nora snapped off a cheeky salute, the pair of them peeling off just in time to go unnoticed by their chief pursuer if the way Pyrrha tensed in his arms was anything to go by.

"Ivan's made it through the crowd," Pyrrha hissed in Jaune's ear. "He's spotted us. He's running after us."

"Is he gaining?"

"Yes."

"Better kick it up a notch then," Jaune leaned forward and put on all the speed he could muster, flaring his aura to push himself to speeds too fast for a normal person on a bicycle to match.

From the way Pyrrha remained tense in his arms Jaune guessed he still wasn't putting on enough speed even as Xander beside them was putting in actual effort to keep up. As such Jaune kept his eyes peeled for some way to widen the distance between them and Ivan and he saw potential with the intersection ahead.

"Xander! The manhole cover! Give us a boost!" Jaune ordered.

"On it!" Xander stretched forth his hand and grasped the manhole cover with his semblance, raising it into the air just high enough to act as a platform for them to jump off of.

Jaune leapt, landed on the levitating manhole cover and leapt again landing this time on the back of a city bus that was accelerating through the intersection. The bus quickly built up speed, rapidly exceeding what most aura users without the right kind of semblance could match.

Xander had successfully made the jump right after them, and he joined his parents in looking back to see if they had managed to give Ivan the slip.

Ivan sprinted into the intersection using his semblance to ignore the oncoming traffic. The intangible reporter allowed a sports car to pass through him before turning his hand tangible enough to grab onto its spoiler and in an impressive display of acrobatic skill flip himself up and onto the roof of the car. The car swerved for a second as the driver freaked out just a little bit about the person they had literally driven through followed immediately by that person landing on their roof, but Ivan stayed on in spite of the swerving and leapt to a neighboring car.

The reporter then leapt to the roof of another car, and then another, slowly getting closer to the city bus.

"Dang it," Jaune muttered as he turned and started carrying Pyrrha to the front of the bus, looking for another vehicle farther ahead they could jump onto. At that juncture Penny swooped down from the sky and flew beside them to deliver a report.

"According to most social media feeds I can access the majority of foreign paparazzi are still converging on the park we just left," Penny explained even as she kept scanning the sky above her and the road ahead. "A handful are aware that we've left the park and are trying to pursue, but most of them…" Penny trailed off as her eyes zeroed in on a particular speck in the sky, "Paparazzo Bridget Skeeter located on an approach vector, moving to intercept!"

With that Penny shot up into the sky directly towards the mosquito faunus that was several stories up in the air.

"Halt! Come no closer to my charges and I will not apprehend you!" Penny warned as she got close enough to be clearly heard by the flying reporter.

"Vale has too many free speech laws for you to stop me girl," Bridget smirked as she angled her flight to pass Penny.

"You do not possess the appropriate licences to fly in this airspace," Penny countered as she put up her dukes. "You are under arrest."

Bridget's eyes widened as Penny lunged for her, barely shrinking in time to avoid a solid right hook. The faunus attempted to use her reduced size to slip past the flying gynoid, but Penny whirled about with enough force to create an updraft that Bridget's insectoid wings had a hard time pushing past.

Penny swung again, this time trying to catch the now sparrow sized faunus in her hands. In response Bridget shrunk again using the air displaced by Penny's movements to her advantage this time as she was pushed by it out of Penny's grasp.

Bridget tried to grow back to a more normal size and use her increased volume to dive, but Penny was on her again in an instant forcing her to shrink once again to avoid being caught. A game of aerial cat and mouse commenced with Penny holding the edge in speed and power and Bridget holding the edge in maneuverability.

Below them Jaune leapt with Pyrrha still in his arms from the back of the city bus to the back of a semi truck trailer, Xander following after. They quickly ran to the front of the trailer keeping their eyes peeled for the next vehicle they were going to jump to knowing that Ivan was doing all he could to catch up to them.

And they were right, Ivan had jumped from the roof of one car to another, leapfrogging his way closer and closer to the trio. He leapt from a family sedan to a taxi, from the taxi to a fast food delivery van, from the fast food van to a postal service vehicle and so on.

Jaune and his redheaded companions in turn leapt from the semi truck's trailer to the back of a rental movers truck, to a plumbers van, to an ice cream truck to a taco truck to a rental limo to a hearse.

The hearse passed through an intersection and Jaune hoped the intersection lights would change in time to stop the cars Ivan was using to close the distance. The lights did not change. Ivan leapt from a minivan to the roof of another sports car.

As Jaune jumped from the hearse to an RV he recognized the stretch of road they were going down and a plan began to form in his mind. The plan of course raised an important question:

"Pyrrha, do you know how Ivan's intangibility deals with water?"

"Hmm? Well, I don't think he can swim with his intangibility active," Pyrrha reasoned as she clung to Jaune tighter through his next great leap from the RV to an electrician's van. "At best he'd be able to run across the riverbed or seafloor like a hippo, why?"

"There's an onramp to the highway up ahead," Jaune explained as he kept on the lookout for any vehicle signaling that they were going to take the ramp. He spotted a furniture store delivery truck signaling and made his way to it, jumping from the back of the electrician's van to a pizza delivery car to a minivan to an SUV and finally to the furniture store delivery truck.

Ivan adjusted his pursuit, jumping to a station wagon then a hatchback and finally to a coupe that was also turning into the highway onramp. As the vehicles merged onto the highway Jaune leapt from the delivery truck to the back of another city bus with Xander right behind him. Ivan in turn jumped from the coupe to a kammback, and from the kammback to a pickup truck, and from the pickup truck to a fastback.

Jaune and Xander ran as fast as they could to the front of the bus where they jumped to the trailer of another semi truck. They ran to the front of the semi truck where they jumped to another truck and then another. Behind them Ivan jumped from vehicle to vehicle slowly gaining on them as his intangibility negated wind resistance at these highway speeds, reducing the complications one needed to factor into their jumps.

This went on for the next few miles of road, pursuer and the pursued going from moving vehicle to moving vehicle as the highway turned towards the biggest river that cut through the city and turned into a suspension bridge.

As they approached the middle of the river Jaune and Xander jumped to the roof of a third bus that drove on the bridge's outer edge. Pyrrha's eyes roamed over the water below where she saw an acceptable target.

"There!" Pyrrha pointed to a fishing boat not far from the bridge, close enough that Jaune's legs could propel them over that distance.

Ivan jumped onto the bus.

Xander grabbed onto his parent's shoulders and the three of them jumped off of the bridge towards the boat below.

Jaune flared his semblance, amping the auras of Pyrrha and Xander as they hurtled through the air. The two redheads reached out with their amplified semblances, gripping onto the magnetic field of the world itself to slow and guide their descent. The trio landed on the back of the fishing boat without rocking it.

Ivan's attempt to follow them was less fortunate. The man didn't make a splash when he hit the water thanks to his intangibility, but like Pyrrha had guessed he couldn't swim with the power active and promptly sank to the bottom of the river.

A few moments later Ivan bobbed back up to the surface a good distance downstream. Far enough away that trying to catch up to the fishing boat by swimming was impractical.

Jaune, Pyrrha and Xander all sighed in relief before turning to the bewildered looking fishermen surprised by their presence on the boat. Jaune retrieved his wallet from his pants and opened it, pulling out several Lien.

"I can pay you three hundred Lien if you take us to the closest dock upstream," Jaune bargained.

The fishermen looked at each other, shrugged, and then the captain of the boat looked back to Jaune and nodded in agreement.

Fifteen minutes later the trio had disembarked the fishing boat and were leaving the docks with relieved laughter that slowed down as they saw an obviously rental van wildly swerve into the parking lot by the docks before skidding to a halt. As soon as the van came to a complete stop its doors flew open and a quintet of reporters that Pyrrha recognized from her time in the arena stumbled out.

"For the love of…" Pyrrha muttered as the leading reporter extended a microphone towards her.

"Ms. Nikos! How long have you-" That was as far as the reporter got before Penny made a dramatic three-point landing between the reporters and her friends.

"They will not be taking questions at this time," Penny declared as she straightened out to stand at her full height, revealing a mason jar crooked in her arm that imprisoned a rather disgruntled Bridget Skeeter who was currently the size of a mouse.

"You can't obstruct the free press kid," one of the reporters blustered, unimpressed by the small flying redhead between her and the famous redhead she had come here to pester.

"Yeah, Vale's freedom of the press laws mean you can't touch us," another reporter grossly oversimplified a complex issue with the expectation that said oversimplification would make the small girl fold.

"So stand aside and let us interview the champion," A third reporter took to looming in an effort to intimidate Penny.

Penny took a good look at each of the reporters' faces, finding the correct I.D. of all them within seconds. She then projected her voice so all present could hear:

"According to the Vale Bounty Board all five of you have been accused of breaking and entering during your last visit to Vale, and there are warrants out for your arrest." Penny looked over her shoulder to the pair she was assigned to watch over, "Warrants that can be carried out by anyone who possesses a Student Huntsman License."

Jaune, Pyrrha and Xander shared glances as they processed Penny's words. Jaune shrugged, cracked his knuckles and started rolling up his sleeves. Xander rolled his shoulders like you would before a workout. A smile that was a little too eager began to grow across Pyrrha's face as she reached out with Polarity towards the van the reporters had arrived in.

The next couple of minutes were very exciting for reasons the reporters did not appreciate for a number of reasons.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Dinner had been chaos.

The long table in the guest dining room of Beacon had been packed with future kids, current students, parents, and enough overlapping conversations to make anyone's head spin. Yang had smiled through most of it—there was something warm and right about the noise, the clatter of plates, the way little hands reached for seconds and bigger ones passed dishes without asking. A big family. The kind she'd sometimes let herself imagine on quiet nights when Ruby was asleep and the world felt too heavy.

But it was also exhausting.

So when the meal finally wound down and people started drifting off in smaller groups, Yang slipped outside into the cool evening air. The courtyard behind the dorms was quiet, lit by a few scattered lamps and the distant glow of Vale's skyline. She spotted Ruby sitting on a low stone bench near the fountain, hunched over her Scroll, silver eyes faintly glowing as she muttered to herself.

Yang strolled up behind her, casual as anything. "Careful, or else your eyes might open a portal to the punch dimension."

"ACK! Yang!" Ruby nearly dropped the Scroll, whipping around with a scowl that could curdle milk. "Don't do that!"

Yang snickered and dropped down behind her sister, leaning back against the bench so Ruby's back rested against her shoulder. "Sorry, sorry…" She gave Ruby's hair a gentle ruffle. "What's got you so ruffled, though?"

Ruby huffed, shoulders slumping. "Just… ugh. A lot of junk." Her eyes dimmed, but the tension didn't leave her posture. "I suck at using my eyes. Jaune's on a date with Pyrrha and Blake right now. And Dad… he's off fighting some dangerous psychopath."

Yang's smile faltered for half a second. Right. Gods, this harem shit is gonna be a nightmare if they can't even be okay with other "dates"… Seriously, what does Blake see in him? If the kids never showed up she would've never even gotten the idea—

Dangerous thoughts. She shoved them down and scoffed lightly. "What do you mean you 'suck with your eyes'? What, are you color blind now? Please tell me I'm still blonde to you."

Ruby deadpanned without missing a beat. "Nah. Barf green."

"Rats." Yang snapped her fingers. "Well, I can probably figure something out."

Ruby groaned and leaned harder against her. "But… ugh. It's just really hard. And I kind of have to figure it out to save the world…"

Yang's brow furrowed. "Okay, who the hell told you that?!"

"All the future kids told me…" Ruby's voice was small. "I'm like… key to saving the world."

Before Yang could answer, a familiar voice cut in from behind them.

"That doesn't mean you should push yourself so hard," Arjun said, stepping into the lamplight with a small smirk. Isabel stood beside him, arms crossed but eyes soft. "Especially when I told you to rest the rest of the day."

Ruby and Yang both yelped. "GYAH!"

Yang recovered first, twisting to glare up at him. "While knock-off Owlman—"

"Knock-off?!" Arjun's smirk twitched.

"—is right," Yang continued smoothly, "I'm gonna have a talk with all these kids who pressured you like this. Because that's just not cool."

Ruby sat up straighter, defensive. "They're not pressuring me! They all say the same thing—I helped save the world!"

Yang nodded. "Yeah. Helped. They said the same to all of us."

Arjun's expression gentled. "It's less that they're pressuring her and more that she's pressuring herself."

Ruby crossed her arms with a huff. "Hmph! You don't have to talk like I'm not here."

Isabel chuckled quietly.

Ruby narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Just… nostalgia," Isabel said, a fond but bittersweet look crossing her face. "You remind me so much of Summer."

Yang tilted her head. "It's the hair, isn't it?"

"And the putting too much pressure on yourself," Isabel added gently, "and not listening to people trying to keep you healthy."

Arjun stepped closer, voice steady. "Ruby. I have read through all the reports the kids put together. Yes, you are key to saving the world in every timeline… but that doesn't mean you are the only one involved. Nor that you have to carry all that weight alone."

Yang squeezed Ruby's shoulder. "Exactly. Seriously, who cares what they think? They're kids who see you as their mom or Aunt Ruby and a superhero. But you know whose opinion actually matters?"

Ruby glanced up. "…Mine?"

Yang shook her head, smirking. "No. Mine. And right now, my opinion is that you're being a dummy. Even if you do end up saving the world someday, you don't have to kill yourself over it. That won't work."

Before Ruby could protest, two more voices piped up from the shadows.

Julian scowled as he and Xia stepped into view. "Hey! I'm not a kid! I'm as old as Mom!"

Xia rolled her eyes. "And we're the same age, Mom!"

Ruby jumped. "GAH! What, are you also Owlman?!"

Yang's eyebrow twitched dangerously. "OI! Quiet! Look at what you guys did to your poor auntie/mother. For shame!"

Julian shrugged. "Which one? Robby Patterboy or Chris Bailingwire?"

Ruby blinked. "Eh? The Dusk Vampire guy and the guy from Valean Psycho? They become Batman?"

Arjun actually looked mildly impressed. "They survive the War against Salem? Huh. Go figure."

Yang just muttered, "Oi…"

Xia moved closer, her voice softer. "The thing is, Aunt Ruby… you do save the world. You're like, one of our heroes. But you don't do it alone."

Yang gave her daughter an approving nod. "Better."

Julian grinned. "Yeah! So please stop being dumb! Um… Mom."

Ruby pointed at him. "You can't call your mom dumb! You're grounded!"

Julian crossed his arms. "Nuh-uh! You already grounded me!"

Ruby puffed up. "Well you're double grounded!"

"Nuh-uh!"

"Yeah-huh!"

Arjun sighed, long-suffering. "And they're both as mature as Summer."

Isabel nodded. "Yup."

Yang turned to Isabel with a wicked little grin. "Hey, just wondering—I know parents aren't allowed to have favorite children, but am I allowed to have least-favorite nieces or nephews from fellow wives?"

Isabel's eyes widened. "What?!"

Yang waved a hand. "Ehhh, don't worry about it, I'll figure it out. Look, Ruby, there's a reason we're in teams, y'know?"

Ruby huffed. "Well, I don't like Xia!"

Xia's eyes immediately went shiny, lower lip trembling. "Aunt Ruby…"

"Ah!" Ruby gasped, going over to her and hugging her. "I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!"

She saw Xia's grin, and scowled. "HEY!"

Yang fake-sniffed dramatically. "You're perfect…"

"Thanks Mom!" Xia sang happily.

Julian just crossed his arms with a hmph.

Before the chaos could escalate further, Arjun cleared his throat. "I have news about your father, girls."

Ruby and Yang both straightened. Arjun smiled. "Don't worry. It's good news."

Yang narrowed her eyes. "Us, or hers?" She nodded toward Xia.

Arjun raised an eyebrow. "Why would I have news about Jaune?"

Yang smirked. "You're telling me you don't have spies stationed, watching over him in case something goes down?"

Arjun's lips twitched. "…Clever girl."

He continued, voice steady. "Tai. He's all right. Lionheart escaped, but he left a massive bomb that would have blown up Haven—"

Ruby's eyes went wide. "WHAT?!"

Arjun held up a hand. "But Qrow's Semblance disarmed it."

Isabel let out a breath she'd clearly been holding. "Oh thank God…"

Yang frowned. "That doesn't sound right."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah… wouldn't it have sped up the timer instead?"

Yang pointed at her. "Yeah, that sounds more like what would happen to Uncle Qrow."

Arjun chuckled. "Well, 'disarmed.' It's more that his Semblance ensured the detonator malfunctioned and burnt out before it went off."

Yang relaxed a fraction. "Ah."

Ruby's voice was small again. "S-So… he's coming home soon?"

Isabel sighed. "I've told Qrow his Semblance may have depended on his mood. Many probability Semblances can respond to mental states."

Yang muttered under her breath, "He needs to get laid."

Arjun ignored that with practiced ease. "No. They're tracking Lionheart down. But they have backup. And I've assigned my most powerful warrior to aid him." His smile returned, warmer. "He saved my life a number of times. And we know Lionheart's abilities—what he's hidden from us. He will be fine."

Ruby looked down at her hands. "I… I still don't know why it took so long for you to talk to us. I'm sorry about this—"

Arjun shook his head. "No. A few conversations and a miracle of time travel won't erase all that pain. I understand, Ruby."

Isabel stepped forward and pulled Ruby into a gentle hug. "Yes… And some people just don't change, no matter what…"

The bitterness in her voice was quiet but unmistakable. Yang knew exactly who had caused it—Raven. She'd talked to her again, huh?

Yang scowled and turned away slightly.

Xia's small voice was worried. "Mom…?"

Yang forced a smile back onto her face, bright and a little too sharp. "Hm? Oh, sorry—running down the list of who would be willing to give Drunkle Qrow a shot and remembered that Glynda isn't… available. Which is so weird to think about. Got any ideas?"

Isabel deadpanned, "Well, if we could get Willow to stop ogling my husband for five minutes…"

Arjun raised an eyebrow. "Or yourself."

Isabel rolled her eyes. "She is not. You're ridiculous."

Yang barked a laugh. "HAH! That'd be hilarious. Weiss and Winter would blow a fuse. Can we make that happen?"

Ruby groaned, disappointed. "Yang…"

Yang held up her hands. "W-What? I'm just saying…"

Ruby turned to Julian. "Who does she end up with in our timeline, Julian?"

Julian beamed. "Uncle Qrow!"

Arjun actually looked pained. "…That's a disaster."

Julian shrugged. "I dunno, they seem happy."

Xia added helpfully, "She ends up with some Arminusian dude in mine."

Yang grinned wider. "See?! So it's possible! And it'd be entertaining."

Isabel sighed, long-suffering but fond. "Anything to make her stop ogling my husband."

Yang's grin softened into something warmer. "See? This is why you're my favorite mother-in-law."

Isabel gave her a flat look. "I'm your only…"

Yang's voice was quiet but sincere. "And I wouldn't trade you for a different one."

Isabel blinked. For a moment the older woman just looked at her—really looked—then a soft, genuine smile curved her lips. "Thank you."

The fountain bubbled quietly between them. Ruby leaned back against Yang again, tension easing just a little. Julian and Xia exchanged glances, the earlier chaos settling into something almost peaceful.

Yang let out a slow breath and wrapped an arm around her sister's shoulders.

One step at a time.

- - -

Things had gotten weird with that paparazzi ambush, but they'd kicked the guy's ass and weren't going to prison, so Jaune was calling it a win. Still, the evening had veered far from the quiet, normal date night Pyrrha had hoped for. He walked with her toward the airship field.

Behind them, Penny and Xander followed.

"Pyr, again, I'm really sorry for how things turned out," Jaune said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I know you wanted a nice quiet normal evening, but—"

Pyrrha turned to him with a radiant beam, her green eyes sparkling. "Well… Honestly? I had fun."

She leaned in closer, still grinning. "Being with you was fun, and fighting the paparazzi was great! I mean, it wasn't as exciting as actual combat but it was so satisfying!"

Jaune blinked, surprised by the enthusiasm. Pyrrha's cheeks flushed a soft pink as she realized how eager she sounded.

"Oh… Oh. Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away…" She glanced away, a touch sheepish. "Fighting always gave me a rush, and fighting that jerk was… fun…"

He felt a matching rush himself. The memory of them moving together in that chaotic scuffle—her grace and power complementing his raw determination—sent a warm flush through him. Jaune scratched the back of his neck, a small smile tugging at his lips as he blushed.

"Well… I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the fight."

Pyrrha grinned wider. "Yeah… Oh, Mother's probably going to be upset with me but… Worth it~…" Her voice dropped, playful and warm. "Especially for this."

She leaned in and kissed him. Hungrily. Jaune's thoughts scattered as he kissed her back, lost in the moment. He liked assertive Pyrrha. He liked assertive women, period.

The kiss broke too soon. Jaune instinctively tried to chase her lips, nearly stumbling before catching himself. Pyrrha's mischievous expression made it clear she knew exactly what she was doing—and that she loved the effect.

"Wow…" he muttered, dazed.

"HEY GUYS!"

They turned, still grinning. Nora approached, still holding all their festival prizes. The small family scanned around, along with Penny.

"Where's Ren?" Pyrrha asked, worry entering her voice.

Ren rounded a corner, slowly. At least they think it was Ren, given all the stuffed animals in his arms.

"Apologies," Ren said, "I didn't want to drop any."

"Awww!" Nora cried. She grabbed him in a hug… And all the stuffed animals fell to the ground. "AH! OH NO!"

Penny, Jaune, Xander and Pyrrha scrambled, catching them all. Ren sighed.

"Sorry," Ren said.

"Aw, it was my bad," Nora said, leaning in and kissing his cheek. He flushed. Jaune and Pyrrha shared a warm, goofy smile. Xander's smile was nostalgic… Until Nora kissed Ren on the lips.

"Oh no," he groaned, looking over at his parents, "Please… I'm scarred enough for life from you two…"

"Heh," Jaune chuckled, "I guess you know how I feel then?"

"Worse," Xander agreed.

"Ahem."

Jaune jumped and turned around. Blake stood there, looking stunning in a more purple, abbreviated version of her old Beacon dance dress. It hugged her figure perfectly, accentuating every elegant line. Her parents were behind her, smiling encouragingly.

Blake herself was staring intensely at Jaune, her cheeks light rosy pink.

"Hey Blake! Hey Mister and Mrs. Belladonna!" Jaune greeted on instinct.

"Hello Jaune," Blake said, her tone warm.

"Oh… Hello, Blake," Pyrrha said politely, though her tone carried a competitive edge.

"Hello, Pyrrha…" Blake replied, her voice silky. She strutted—slinked, really—right up to Jaune, taking his arm and holding it tightly against her. "I trust you had fun?"

"Oh yes… So much fun~…" Pyrrha purred.

"We'll have plenty of fun too," Blake shot back smoothly.

"I'm sure you will."

Nora opened her mouth, but Ren put a hand over it. Jaune shot him a grateful look, as Nora pouted.

"You look like you had a fun night," Kali observed with a small smile. Jaune and Pyrrha coughed.

"Ah, well… We got into… A fight or two."

Blake glanced at Pyrrha. "You got into a fight?"

"Oh… Just a little one. But Jaune and I handled it just fine~. Like proper partners."

"I see…" Blake's eyes narrowed slightly. Don't be impulsive, Blake. Don't be impulsively jealous over your future husband…

She took Jaune's hand and deliberately moved it over one of her breasts.

Squeeze~

"Ahn~…" Blake let out a soft, deliberate sound.

Jaune's eyes widened. "!!!"

Pyrrha's did the same. "!!!"

"Friend Blake!" Penny's eyes glowed with alarm. "I must object! This is not allowed! You are approaching the virginity threshold!"

Blake smirked. "What? Jaune is just touching what is his. Why shouldn't he touch me in whatever way he wants?"

"I'M ALSO HIS!" Pyrrha protested, narrowing her eyes.

"You had your chance."

"For now~." Pyrrha's voice carried an ominous promise.

"Mom! Aunt Blake! Don't make a scene!" Xander cried.

"Aren't you supposed to be at school, young man?" Ghira asked wryly. Xander coughed.

"Uhhhh…"

Leandra and Leander teleported in right on cue.

"Sorry Grandpa! We're getting him back, promise!" Leandra said quickly.

"Please don't punish us more, Dad?" Leander added.

Jaune sighed, extricating himself from Blake's hold. He crossed his arms, giving his children a stern dad-glare. "Take your brother and head back home. No—and I absolutely mean—no detours. If I find out you weren't in bed by curfew, I'll have your grandfather run you through his version of burpees for the whole rest of the afternoon. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes Dad!" the three chorused.

They teleported out in a hurry.

Penny clapped. "Wow, Friend Jaune! Your voice modulation when addressing your children is most impressive! How do you affect such a change?"

Jaune blushed and looked away. "I was just doing what my dad normally does with us. Did… Did my voice really sound all that different?"

"Yes~…" Blake purred.

"Very much sooo~…" Pyrrha echoed.

Blake grabbed Jaune's arm again. "My date now."

Pyrrha scowled. Jaune laughed nervously and cleared his throat. "Uh, Pyr, I'll leave disciplining our son up to you. While I'm more than thankful for his help, he still left Beacon grounds when he was explicitly told not to. I don't want the other kids thinking I'm showing favoritism because I let him slide on this. They need to understand that, despite us being the younger versions of the parents they knew, they should still listen to us."

"Of course I will, Jaune~…" Pyrrha walked up and kissed him again—deep, with plenty of tongue. Jaune knew he shouldn't be doing this in front of Blake, but damn it, he was just a man.

Penny's eyes glowed brighter, her virgin alarm clearly on the verge of activation.

Blake yanked Jaune away. "That's enough of that!"

"I-I was just saying goodbye!" Pyrrha protested.

"I'm saying hello!" Blake yanked him into a fierce kiss. "Mmmm~…" Her hand guided his right back to her chest.

"Now now!" Kali appeared like a shadow, gently but firmly pulling Jaune away from her daughter. "Easy, Blake! Don't wring him dry on your first date!"

"Huh, wha—?" Jaune blinked, thoroughly dazed.

"Mother!" Blake pouted.

Pyrrha managed a small scowl before softening. "Thank you, Mrs. Belladonna."

"Don't mention it, Pyrrha! And call me Kali! We're all family, after all!" Kali pulled her into a warm hug. Pyrrha, unused to such effortless motherly affection—even with her own mother's recent changes—practically melted into it.

Ghira appeared behind Jaune and clapped him heartily on the back. "Hahaha! Well… Would you indulge us a bit, Jaune? A picture?"

"M-Mom, Dad…" Blake flushed.

"Of our precious little girl going on a proper date with a good man?" Kali finished sweetly.

Jaune raised an eyebrow, still a bit flustered. "I cannot be the standard for a good man. I mean, I'm literally dating multiple people at once right now!"

Kali smiled. "Compared to Adam Taurus?"

Blake flushed deeper. "Jaune… You are a good man. Believe it. Even without that comparison." She took his hand gently.

Pyrrha glared. Blake winced. "Ah… Oh no… The dramatic reveal… It's too soon!" She groaned. "I messed it up—"

Jaune looked between them, sensing schemes but unsure of the details. "O-Okay, um, I guess I'll see you later, Pyr." He offered her a reassuring smile.

"Yes, you will." Pyrrha smiled back. "Partner." She walked off with a deliberate swing in her hips.

Blake scowled harder. Kali clapped her hands. "Now… Let's get that photo, hm?"

Jaune straightened up, still blushing from Pyrrha's exit. He squeezed Blake's arm close, offering her a caring, genuine smile. Blake blushed in turn and smiled—small, rare, but breathtaking.

He couldn't help it. "Seeing you smile like that… I can't help it. Your smile makes me happy. It's beautiful!"

Blake turned bright red and looked away, flustered. Kali cooed happily. "You're just so adorable!"

"M-Mom!"

Ghira chuckled warmly. Jaune scratched the back of his neck bashfully. "Hehe, too much?"

"Just enough, I think," Ghira said.

Jaune watched Blake become a blushing, blubbering mess under her mother's teasing and felt a quiet warmth settle in his chest. "You know, there are times where I ask myself how all this could come to be. Me falling in love with Blake, Pyrrha, everyone… But it's times like these—the little moments in between—where I just watch and, for a while… I can see it." Doubt crept in, and he looked away anxiously. "Or maybe it's just me deluding myself so I don't feel guilty about all this."

Ghira's expression softened. "Mm… I can see how it would be overwhelming. Some young men would just take advantage of it. Others would run for the hills."

"You're sticking around, despite your uncertainty," Kali added gently.

"Well, yeah, they're my kittens—Kids! I meant kids!" Jaune sputtered, blushing furiously. He took a deep breath. "They're my kids. What kind of father would I be if I just abandoned them for something as little as time travel?"

Ghira nodded approvingly. "It's the hardest thing you will ever do… But the best."

Jaune smiled a little, the doubt easing. "Wouldn't trade it for the world."

"So," Nora called, "Can Renny and I get a ride back home or what?"
"Of course!" Ghira laughed, "We'll even help you take your prizes back!"

"WOO HOO!" Nora cheered. "Have fun, Blake and Jaune! Don't do anything we wouldn't~!"

"That's… A loaded list," Jaune observed. Ren nodded.

"Yes. It is."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The curry stand sat under a string of faded lanterns near the edge of the commercial district, the kind of place that stayed open late because people needed something warm and cheap after long shifts. Steam rose from the big pots in thick, fragrant clouds—cumin, chili, coriander, and the slow-cooked heat of slow-braised meat. The three of them sat at a scratched metal table on the sidewalk, trays in front of them, looking for all the world like three office workers who had stayed too late and were now regretting it.

Cinder kept her shoulders slightly rounded, the way tired people did. Her black hair was pulled into a severe bun, glasses perched on her nose, expression carefully blank. She had practiced the posture for years under Salem's quiet instruction, but she had always leaned on Emerald's illusions to sell it. Tonight she had only her own body language and the quiet pressure of old habits. Every time she reached for her spoon she had to remind herself not to move like a predator. To stay inconspicuous.

Zaroff ate with the slow, deliberate pleasure of a man who had learned to savor ordinary things. The modern black suit sat a little stiff on him, but he wore the discomfort like it belonged to a tired manager who had spent the day herding juniors. Iridescent, for her part, looked almost cheerful in light grey jacket and skirt, white hair tied back neatly, eyes bright behind ordinary frames. Only someone watching very carefully would notice how often those eyes flicked toward the airship field in the distance.

Zaroff set his spoon down with a soft clink.

"Ah. Nothing beats a good curry. Half the reason old Albion conquered Pandu for it."

Iridescent tilted her head, playful, her grin teasing. "What was the other half?"

"We had the will to act then." Zaroff's voice stayed mild, almost conversational, as he stroked his beard. "Now? We're just a shadow of our former selves. Unwilling to fight for what's ours."

Iridescent's smile widened, dreamy and sharp at the same time. "Aw… such is the cycle of history. The endless waltz. The three beats of war, peace, and revolution. On and on it goes… until it stops for good~."

Zaroff gave a quiet, appreciative chuckle. "Heh. You're quite right, lass."

Cinder's eyes had drifted past them toward the airship field. She watched Jaune and Blake together—Blake's hand on his arm, the way the younger girl leaned into him, the soft, almost private smile that had appeared on her face when he said something quiet. Pyrrha's earlier goodbye kiss still lingered in the air between them like a challenge left unanswered. Cinder's fingers tightened around her spoon until the metal creaked.

A low, involuntary sound left her throat.

Iridescent's voice dropped, soft and careful. "My Lady… easy."

Cinder forced her shoulders back into the tired office-worker slump. She lifted her spoon again, tasting nothing. Looking beleaguered was not difficult. She simply stopped fighting the weight that had lived behind her ribs since the twins first appeared.

That made it easy.

Iridescent leaned in a fraction, still smiling. "Don't worry, my Lady… You'll be able to kill them all and take him for yourself~."

Zaroff raised one eyebrow without looking up from his tray. "Was I absent for that conversation?"

"Yes! Sorry~!" Iridescent's tone stayed light, almost sing-song. "I was just telling Lady Cinder how she could eliminate her rivalry! After all, we know Nikos dies in most of the future timelines! That means eliminating the rest would be far easier! Just imagine it-All for Lady Cinder~! Our victory assured!"

Provided I don't betray Salem in that scenario, Cinder thought. It was far more bitter than she imagined, and she had to work to keep her facial expression bland and neutral.

Zaroff set his spoon down properly this time. The mildness in his voice never changed, but something colder settled underneath it. "Time is not something to be trifled with so flippantly. We have eleven timelines to worry about. We need to maintain things as best we can."

Iridescent's eyes sparkled. "Aw, I thought the great hunter liked challenges!"

"There is a difference," Zaroff answered, "between fighting a wounded Grimm in a corner when you have no choice, and fighting one for kicks in its lair. I feel as though the hands of the great clock are hanging over us. We must remain cautious."

Iridescent's smile never slipped, but something bright and hungry flickered behind her eyes. "But breaking things is half the fun~. Surely they won't miss one girl who dies in most timelines, hm?"

Cinder spoke without looking away from the distant pair. Her voice was flat, the office-lady tone she had chosen for the evening. "We're not making any moves until we have more information. And until the moment is right. That will require patience."

For a single heartbeat Iridescent's expression cracked. Rage—bright, pure, and almost joyful—flashed across her face like lightning behind glass. Then it vanished as cleanly as it had come. She grinned, shrugged one shoulder, and went back to her curry.

"As the lady wishes~!"

Cinder's gaze slid sideways to Zaroff. He had seen it too. The old hunter's eyes were wary now, measuring. He gave her the smallest nod, nothing more.

Cinder looked away first.

Trust was a luxury she had never been able to afford. It never led anywhere good. She turned her attention back to the airship field, forcing herself to watch the way Blake's fingers curled around Jaune's arm, the way he smiled down at her like the rest of the world had gone quiet. She told herself she was only gathering information. She told herself the heat under her ribs was nothing more than professional interest.

She told herself a great many things.

None of them stopped the quiet, traitorous thought that rose anyway:

It could have been me. It should be me!

She crushed it the way she had crushed every other soft thing that had ever tried to live inside her, and reached for another spoonful of curry that tasted like ash.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Arc-En-Ciel Hospital, Radian, Gallia

Six years after Salem's defeat

- - -

Jaune kicked the emergency room doors open with one foot, Ruby cradled carefully in his arms. Her face was flushed, silver eyes squeezed shut, one hand clamped around the front of his shirt as another contraction hit.

Isabel and Nick were already waiting just inside.

"All right… Let's get you the painkillers and you'll be—" Isabel began, already reaching for a chart.

"N-No! No… I'm fine!" Ruby gasped. "I-I want to do this naturally!"

Jaune adjusted his grip, looking down at her with equal parts love and alarm. "Uh, Ruby, there's no reason you need to."

Isabel shook her head. "I used painkilling techniques for all my births. There's no need to—"

"No, no! I-I'm fine!" Ruby insisted through gritted teeth. "I want… I want to welcome the baby in the old-fashioned way!"

Jaune looked helplessly between his wife and his mother. "Um…"

Isabel sighed the long-suffering sigh of a woman who had seen this exact brand of stubbornness before.

Nick clapped his son on the shoulder, laughing. "Hahaha! Sometimes you have to learn the hard way!"

Ruby cracked one eye open at him. "What do you mean by—?"

- - -

Two hours later the "old-fashioned way" was in full swing.

Ruby was flat on her back in the delivery room, face red, silver eyes blazing, both hands locked around Jaune's in a grip that could have crushed steel. She screamed through another contraction, voice echoing off the walls.

"I'LL NEVER LET YOU TOUCH ME AGAIN!"

Jaune, kneeling beside the bed, nodded solemnly while his fingers slowly turned white. "I know, I know…"

"I'LL MURDER YOU WITH THE BLENDER!"

"We got that for our wedding," he reminded her gently.

"I HATE IT!"

"Good to know…" Jaune winced as her grip tightened further. "Nnngh…! Mom, she's crushing my hand!"

Isabel, calmly monitoring the monitors, didn't even look up. "It's okay. She'll be fine…"

Nick, leaning against the wall with a grin, added, "Ha! Izzy said worse things when she was in labor!"

Ruby's head snapped toward him. "I'LL MURDER YOU ALL!"

"Owww… My hand…!" Jaune whimpered.

The door to the delivery room suddenly slammed open.

A Grimm cultist in tattered robes burst in, wild-eyed, raising a handgun. "FOR QUEEN SALEM I WILL KILL YOU—!"

Ruby, still mid-contraction, somehow found the strength to snatch the bedside lamp and hurl it with perfect accuracy. The cultist took the lamp full in the face, flew backward, and slammed headfirst through the wall into the hallway beyond in a shower of plaster and drywall.

Ruby sat half-upright, chest heaving, silver eyes glowing faintly with residual Aura. "NOBODY TOUCHES MY FAMILY YOU BASTARD!"

Jaune stared at the hole in the wall, then at his wife, awestruck. "Wow, Ruby! That was amazing!"

"FUCK OFF GODDAMNIT MOTHERFUCKER AARRRRGH!" Ruby screamed as the next contraction hit.

Nick was already out the door, tackling the dazed cultist with two hospital security guards who had finally caught up. The three of them dragged the man away while Isabel simply shook her head and returned her attention to the monitors.

A few minutes later, after one final, ear-splitting push, the room filled with the thin, furious cry of a newborn.

Isabel moved with practiced speed—injecting Ruby with a carefully measured dose of painkillers the moment the baby was clear, cleaning him, clamping and cutting the umbilical cord, wrapping the tiny form in a soft blanket. She turned and placed the child carefully into Ruby's waiting arms, Jaune leaning in close on the other side of the bed.

"Congratulations," Isabel said, smiling. "It's a boy."

Ruby stared down at the red-faced, silver-eyed infant nestled against her chest. Tears spilled freely down her cheeks. "Oh… Oh Jaune… Look… He's so beautiful…!"

Jaune was crying too, one big hand carefully cupping the baby's head. "Y-yeah…"

Ruby sniffled, then beamed through the tears. "Name him Julian! July! Like Summer…"

"That's a great name," Jaune whispered.

Ruby hugged the baby closer, eyes shining with a slightly manic post-delivery glow. "My clone has been born! My heroic legacy is assured!"

Jaune looked from his wife to his mother, still holding Ruby's (now slightly less crushing) hand. "That's our son." He glanced at Isabel. "How many drugs did you give her?"

Isabel checked the empty syringe with a thoughtful expression. "…Maybe a little too much."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Blake strode into the restaurant ahead of Jaune, putting just a little extra sway into her hips with every step. The black dress hugged her figure, and she could feel his eyes on her—exactly as planned. As well as many other people's eyes, but Jaune's were more important.

She glanced back over her shoulder with a small, knowing smile… and timed it perfectly.

She "tripped."

Her foot caught on nothing in particular, and she fell backward into him. Jaune's arms came up instinctively, but the sudden weight and her momentum were too much. They both went down in a tangled heap on the polished wooden floor.

"OOF!"

Blake landed half on top of him, one elbow driving straight into his lap. She froze, ears flattening in mortification.

"Oh—sorry! Not used to these shoes," she said quickly, scrambling up with sudden perfect balance. She offered him a hand, face flushed.

Penny's cheerful voice cut in as she stood alongside them. "Friend Blake, your elbow!"

Jaune wheezed, carefully getting to his feet with Blake's help. "I'm… fine…! K-kind of… expected that… sooner…"

Penny tilted her head, genuinely concerned. "Friend Jaune, are your reproductive organs all right?"

Blake's ears twitched. She managed a dry little smile as she steadied him. "I mean, I think Cardin nailed him there in the first week of class way harder than I did."

Jaune gave a pained chuckle and let her guide him toward their table. "Urk… thanks a lot…"

The waiter arrived with a raised eyebrow and a knowing look. "Ah… you're the young man with eleven fiancées?"

Jaune opened his mouth, then closed it. "…Well… um—"

"Relax," the waiter said, almost kindly. "I don't know if I should shake your hand or pity you."

Blake slipped her arm around Jaune's waist, leaning into him with a quiet sort of pride, as if she were the only one who mattered in that moment. Jaune smiled and hugged her closer to his side.

They settled at a table with a clear view of Verdant Bay. The late afternoon light glittered on the water. Down at the docks a fishing boat was unloading its catch, the scent of salt and fresh fish drifting up on the breeze.

Blake sighed softly at the view, then smiled. "Penny suggested this place?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah. It's a great seafood spot. Blue Harbor."

She watched the boat a moment longer. "Oh my word… it's been years since I've had fish this fresh."

"I like fish too," Jaune said. "Used to go fishing a lot as a kid with my dad. River and lake near Radian. Freshwater mostly—pike, prawns, that sort of thing. Mountain valley town."

Blake leaned forward, resting her chin on one fist, golden eyes intent. "Really? Tell me about it."

Jaune's expression softened. "I was pretty sickly growing up, so getting outside to just sit and fish with him was… nice. He always knew the best spots. One time a pike actually tried to jump out of the water and snatch a fish I'd already hooked."

Blake chuckled. "Bastard."

"Yeah. We cooked him anyway." Jaune tilted his head. "What about you? Do you like to fish?"

Blake's smile turned quieter, almost wistful. "I love it. Dad was always so busy ruling Menagerie—him and Mom both. But every second Friday they canceled everything. Meetings, conferences, all of it. We'd go down to the lagoon early in the morning. Walk among the rays and the cuttlefish… sit where the seabed drops away and fish right there in the sea."

Jaune grinned. "I bet you ran away from the jellyfish."

Blake's tone was pure nonchalance. "Yeah, but to be fair, everyone on Menagerie knew someone who died when a Man-O-Dust jellyfish brushed their leg."

Jaune's eyes widened. "Wait—they're that dangerous?!"

"Fifteen minutes and it's over," Blake said matter-of-factly. "The annual fatalities are a little better now that we put emergency stations all over the beaches with bottles of vinegar."

"Geez… I thought Grimm were bad…"

Blake shrugged. "Menagerie's home. The desert out back has Grimm, sure, but there's plenty of deadly animals everywhere. And the Gimby-Gimby plant—just touching it gives you debilitating pain for decades. Silica barbs loaded with neurotoxin."

Jaune winced in sympathy. "We've got bears around Radian… and Choux birds, but they're not really dangerous."

"Choux birds?"

He pulled out his Scroll and showed her a picture, then a short video: a pair of dog-sized, bright blue flightless birds hopping after a butterfly and then cheerfully chomping it.

Blake's expression went soft. She could almost picture a young Leander and Leandra toddling after the same birds, laughing. "Bless."

Jaune chuckled. "Apparently Leander and Leandra ate butterflies when they were toddlers."

Blake sighed, a little rueful. "Yeah… I'm not surprised. Apparently I did too."

"I ate snails," Jaune admitted. "Before they were cooked."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought snails were common in Radian cuisine."

"They are. I just ate the raw ones." He made a face.

"Huh. I've never had snail. How do you prepare them?"

"Boil them alive. In salt water. You can also make caviar out of their eggs. Pretty good, actually."

Blake's ears perked with genuine curiosity. "Snail-egg caviar? How big are these snails?"

"Pretty small, but they make a lot of eggs."

"I've had regular caviar before. Really salty. I always figured that was because it was from a sea fish. Would snail caviar taste different?"

Jaune considered. "A little salty, but not as much. I always liked it—especially with sour cream and wheat crackers."

Blake's eyes flicked to the wine list. "And wine, I suppose?"

"Yeah. I grew up drinking it."

Blake blinked. "…Excuse me? For how long?"

Jaune looked mildly defensive. "Since I was… five?"

Her expression turned carefully neutral. "…Huh. I—really? And you aren't an alco—… ummm…"

"What? No!" Jaune said quickly. "I just had like a cup or two with meals growing up. Not exactly getting plastered at the dinner table."

"Alcohol can improve the health of children in small amounts!" Penny volunteered. "Though this is a controversial opinion!"

Blake covered a small snort with her hand. "Mom is pretty worldly and open-minded. But I think she would have blown a fuse if she saw that… You know, I've never had wine." She opened the menu. "Do you happen to have any recommendations?"

Jaune smiled, relaxed again. "North Juniper Vineyards is good."

Blake studied the list, then glanced up at him with a softer look than she'd worn when they walked in. The awkwardness of the fall, the elbow, the waiter's comment—none of it seemed to matter quite as much now. Just the two of them, the bay outside, and stories neither of them had told many people before.

She closed the menu gently.

"Then let's try it."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

"Do you see any change now?" Weena asked as Glynda looked through a piece of equipment that might have belonged in an eye-doctor's office.

"I do not," Glynda admitted as she squinted at the painting currently being projected on the screen in front of her. It was one of the original illustrations from The Girl Who Fell Through The World, drawn by the author Lewis to accompany the fifth chapter of the story where the Rusted Knight saved Alyx from the Jabberwalker for the first time.

It was an illustration she had seen many times throughout her life, the earliest she could remember being all the way back when she was just a child sitting on her father's knees as he read the story to her the first time. It was one of her oldest memories, one that had remained sharp and clear in spite of how long ago it had been.

As she grew and learned how to read The Girl Who Fell Through The World was one of the stories she read aloud with her parents, each of them taking turns with each chapter. Glynda could distinctly remember how proud she was with herself that she could understand all the fancy old fashion words from a grown up book as she made her way through the literary classic.

Reading the book aloud became a yearly tradition for her family, something they did in the week leading up to the summer solstice. This tradition remained until she was old enough to leave home for schooling at Beacon…

…She wasn't able to read the story with her family after that, but she still read it on her own at least once a year.

Looking at the illustration now was a surreal experience.

She could see Jaune Arc in The Rusted Knight. The broadness of The Knight's shoulders lined up with how the young man should finish filling out. The Knight's stance was clearly one that Ms. Nikos was doing her best to drill into the boy's mind. The Knight's sword, shield and breastplate all shared a disturbing resemblance to Arc family heirlooms.

It was the same image she had seen over and over again throughout her life and it looked alien to her in spite of the fact that nothing about it had changed. And yet Jaune was there so clearly she wondered how she failed to see the resemblance after he started to clean up his act and started getting good… not bad. When he cleaned up his act and wasn't bad anymore.

"Okay," Weena changed the lenses she was making Glynda look through, esoteric symbols forming a ring along the edge of the glass. "How about now?"

"Everything is still the same," Glynda answered, knowing that the results she was giving were very different from the results Ozpin had given when he went through this series of tests before her. When Weena had changed the lenses for him Ozpin had described radically different pictures each and every time.

"Alright, I've had our subject Glynda look through all the lenses at every important illustration from the first edition of the book," Weena narrated the notes she was taking. "We are now moving on to an object currently being livestreamed." Weena changed what the projector was showing. "Glynda, please tell me what you see."

"I see a statue," Glynda blinked away the melancholy she felt as the likeness of an old friend appeared before her. "A statue of Summer Rose, on display in… Is that the hall of heroes in Pandu?"

"It is," Weena confirmed before switching out the lenses. "Do you still see Summer?"

"I do," Glynda confirmed. Weena switched the lenses again, asked her question again, to which Glynda confirmed there had been no change once again. This continued until all the different lenses had been tried. With that done Glynda couldn't help but ask; "Why did you have someone set up a livestream of that statue of Summer?"

"From what I've been able to gather from the children, that statue only exists in six of the eleven timelines," Weena explained. "In five of the timelines Arjun and Saia were able to attend Summer's funeral. In the other six they could not, and so they had this statue commissioned to make up for that."

"I see," Glynda murmured as Ozpin stepped out of the corner he had been observing the experiment from.

"So what did we learn from this?" He asked as he looked over the notes comparing his run through the experiment with Glynda's.

"Well, the sample size is significantly smaller than I like and this data might be tainted so I can't be completely certain at this point," Weena hedged. "But if these instruments actually do what I think they're supposed to be doing then Glynda is only seeing her own timeline, unlike me and you who can see a different timeline depending on which lens we're filtering our perception through."

"I see, and how might the data be tainted?" Ozpin looked up from the notes with an inquisitive quirk of his eyebrows.

"Somebody told you two that Jaune is the Rusted Knight," Weena directed a stink eye towards Dorothy, who responded with a chagrined wave as Moses gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "That colored your perception of the experiment and could have skewed the results."

"That makes sense," Ozpin allowed as Glynda got out of the chair she had been using during the test. "Knowing the true identity of the Rusted Knight could have anchored Glynda's perception of things, or untethered mine, which would change the results of the tests either way if such a thing happened."

"I'm sorry," Dorothy apologized once again.

"It is what it is," Weena sighed. "We just need to make sure the other brides and their parents are tested without anyone telling them about Jaune being the Rusted Knight beforehand."

"Which raises the question of when and how," Ozpin brought a chin to his hand in thought. "Because I'd rather not have this knowledge looming in the back of everyone's minds during the remaining dates; that seems like an extra bit of pressure that could throw things off." He looked to Glynda, "Now I'm confident you'll be able to compartmentalize this before your date with Jaune, so right now we're lucky." He turned his gaze to Glynda's daughter, "Dorothy, what would you say the odds are that your paradox half-siblings will slip up like you did?"

"Ah, well, I think Xander could probably keep his mouth shut if you tell him to, so could Petra, Nicholas and maybe Xia," Dorothy began. "Theodore could, but he might question whether he should and then decide the answer is no. August is a maybe? Julian I'm not sure about, same with both sets of twins…" Dorothy trailed off with a look of deep contemplation.

"That doesn't give us a lot of breathing room," Ozpin noted. "It only takes one slipping up for all of the brides to find out, so if you think half of your paradox half-siblings could slip up we'll need to do the tests sooner rather than later."

"Tommorow then," Weena decided as she started to put the equipment used to test Glynda away. "I should have enough of this equipment to test everyone all at once sometime in the afternoon. Perhaps after Jaune has returned from the final date of the day."

"Are you certain we can't conduct the experiment after the final date?" Ozpin asked.

"If I'm going to make meaningful progress I need to know for a fact that my data is untainted," Weena replied as she put the last scientific instrument away. "We can deal with any emotional fallout the truth might cause after we have the data."

"Very well," Ozpin frowned as he looked about the lab. "How do you plan on conducting the experiment? Presentation is important with revelations this monumental after all, and just because the burden of knowledge is unavoidable doesn't mean we shouldn't be gentle when we drop it on their shoulders."

"That's a fair point," Weena allowed. "I suppose we could figure something out that is less… clinical in its delivery. I'm open to suggestions."

"What about a public reading?" Moses suggested. "We have enough copies of The Girl Who Fell Through The World for everyone to sit around in a circle and read together. That'd make the revelation a discovery everyone makes together."

"I could probably make that work logistically speaking," Weena looked around at the equipment she'd made. "I've slapped together enough cameras and other instruments to record everything from every angle, so it'd just be a matter of making sure the right questions are asked during the reading. I know that Isabel wants to give everyone physicals tomorrow, so we could combine the data from her test results with mine if I give her a list of things to look into while she looks at everyone… I think these sensors could be worked into a physical…" Weena picked up a box and gave its contents a speculative one over.

"Alright, what do you think Glynda?" Ozpin inquired. "Would a book reading make the revelation less jarring?"

"Perhaps…" Glynda brought her hand to her chin. "This is… To be honest, part of me is still… coming to terms with the idea." She shook her head, "If you had told me the day Jaune had arrived on campus that he would grow into the very model of virtue all young men aspire to… I'd have had a hard time believing it. Picturing him as the Rusted Knight… I can do it so easily and it's throwing me off…"

Silence hung in the air as Ozpin and the others waited for Glynda to find the words that matched her thoughts. Eventually she found them;

"Having someone else to share this feeling with… it would help. It will be a good thing to make this a shared discovery," Glynda concluded. "The question is how this will affect Jaune."

"Well," Moses spoke up, "If you're worried about him being alone in the discovery that he's his own childhood hero he won't be. He'll have The Red Reaper and The Wise Lion to share that burden with."

"Not The Golden Dragon?" Weena asked.

"That is a completely different kettle of fish," Moses answered.

"I suppose it would be," Weena allowed.

"I might have to clear some of my schedule for counseling," Ozpin wryly noted.

"You might," Moses agreed.

"Verry well then, tomorrow after the dates we'll let everyone know the secret truth behind The Girl Who Fell Through The World and see where the chips fall," Ozpin concluded. And with that the matter was settled.

Weena picked up one of the scanners she had made and turned it about as she considered its usefulness in the next day's experiments. The instrument caught Ozpin's eye and he came to Weena's side for a better look at the thing.

"Interesting," The Old Wizard noted as he looked at something only he could truly see, "It's rather difficult to get magical currents to flow like that, especially with such consistency. How'd you do it?"

"I'm sorry what?" Weena looked up from the instrument with confusion on her face.

"I mixed and matched different Antediluvian runic systems," Moses helpfully explained. "I basically used Lemurian counting logic while writing with Buyanian numerals. It was tricky."

"Verry well done," Ozpin congratulated his boy with a smile. "Could you see the quintessence when you were carving out the manna channels?"

"No, it was all by feel," Moses admitted with a bashful smile.

"Impressive," Ozpin would have elaborated if Weena hadn't spoken up right then.

"Wait, wait wait, rewind a second there," Weena put the scientific instrument down before waving her hands around for emphasis. "So you guys haven't been using Magic as a placeholder term for a phenomenon science hasn't fully explored yet, you're using Magic to mean Magic."

"Yes, that's right," Ozpin confirmed.

"Yep," Dorothy agreed.

"Correct," Glynda also agreed.

"That's what we've been doing mom," Moses looked at her clearly surprised that such a thing needed clarification.

"Does future me use Magic to mean Magic?" Weena looked back and forth between the two temporally displaced children.

"You do," Moses affirmed as Dorothy nodded in agreement.

Weena's gaze slid back to Ozpin. "So when you told me roughly half of your previous lives were spent in the role of court magician you meant you were being a wizard performing wizardry instead of a guy using the guise of a wizard as a cover for forgotten sciences from a lost age people wouldn't understand."

"That is correct," Ozpin raised an amused eyebrow as a small smile danced across his lips.

"And you're certain this magic isn't just a universal force that science just hasn't found a proper way to study yet, like the electro-magnetic force back when people didn't know how magnets worked, or the strong and weak nuclear forces before we had a way to detect subatomic particles?"

"No matter how you poke and prod at it electro-magnetism won't ever deliberately poke and prod back," Ozpin explained, "Nor will it decide to change the way it works because it doesn't like the way it's being used."

"Well that's not terrifying," Weena turned a now wary eye to the equipment Moses had helped her make. "That's not terrifying at all."

"Does this new insight change anything fundamental about your current theories or approach to this problem?" Ozpin asked.

"Yes it…" Weena paused as she reviewed the math in her head. After a minute of thought she continued; "Alright so it changes less than I thought it would. I just need to assume the quantum parts of the equations are actively screwing around instead of passively screwing around and that should make up the difference."

"That's how future you deals with it," Moses reassured her, "In all of the timelines."

"Well, if eleven other mes have come to the same conclusion after having time to actually study magic it's probably correct enough for present me to work with." Weena relaxed a bit, though she still looked at the equipment with a hint of suspicion in her eyes.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Blake studied the wine list again, then looked at the encrusted tuna on the menu. "All right. So what would pair with this? Or is that just something made up to sound fancy?"

Jaune shrugged. "Some pairings work better than others, but personal taste still matters. Fatty meats usually want a nice dark red."

Blake nodded and when their waiter arrived, she ordered the Rouge Arcadia. When he brought back their drinks, she took a careful sip… and immediately winced.

"Y-Yeah!" she said when Jaune asked if she was okay. She set the glass down. "Wow. That metallic taste… is that the alcohol?"

"Yes."

"Hmm. Not sure I'm seeing the appeal."

"My dad says it's an acquired taste," Jaune said. "I'm just used to it."

Blake took another cautious sip and decided to wait for the food. When the tuna arrived—perfectly encrusted in breadcrumbs and butter—she found the wine actually worked with it. The strong notes softened against the rich fish. She still didn't love it, but she no longer hated it either.

For a brief, dangerous moment she considered drinking more heavily. Getting a little drunk, letting herself look vulnerable… maybe tempting him. The old habits whispered that it would be easy.

She crushed the thought immediately.

No. She was not going to be that kind of person. Not with him.

Jaune, meanwhile, was happily working through his steak and a second glass. "Mmm… this is really good."

Blake took another bite of tuna and hummed in agreement. "Best I've ever had."

Jaune cleared his throat, a little awkward. "So… um… you like Ninjas of Love, right? I… never read it… willingly."

Blake's ears flattened in mild embarrassment. "Well… the obvious draw is nice. But I've always loved the story. A young warrior, estranged from her home, trying to find her place in the world and figure out how to fix things that seem unfixable."

Jaune nodded slowly. "I liked those parts. My sisters mostly just read the… spicy bits to me. To torture me. And their fanfic."

Blake winced in sympathy. "I can only imagine. I have a few megabytes of my own, though I don't see myself ever being okay with people I know reading it. But torture?"

"It was really bad fanfic," Jaune said, a haunted look crossing his face. "'Satori thought Akira was sooo dreamy and despite the fact they were both manly men, they could no longer resist their raw yaoi passion…' That will never leave my head. Ever."

Blake laughed softly. "Oh. So your sisters are one of those. What's the ship name? Hornet? I appreciate a good yaoi ship as much as the next girl, but the whole fan base of that particular one is not healthy."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. "Even though Satori was obviously in love with Kasumi until the fan backlash forced the writers to change it. I don't like yaoi ships myself, but if someone else does, that's fine… just don't be a jerk about it."

Blake's expression darkened a little. "Normally I would live and let live, but then I saw someone in our cell try to dox someone who didn't like it and… that's not okay."

Jaune blinked. "Wait. You guys doxxed people over a novel series? That's… weird to imagine for terrorists."

"No, only Karen did," Blake said. "Adam kicked her out because it was distracting from other tasks."

"But he kept Banesaw."

Blake's ears twitched. "Banes—? Oh, Timothy." She shrugged. "Adam didn't approve of anyone who wasn't monofocused on the White Fang cause. Which… may have been a red flag."

Jaune's voice softened. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

She was tensing up; he could see it. Blake exhaled slowly.

"I know… but I think I should. Maybe. Just… not today?"

"Yeah," Jaune said. "I get it. Or… I don't get it. But I understand not wanting to go there right now."

Blake almost took another sip of wine, then set the glass down deliberately. Better not to build habits that could turn her into a wine mom. "Sorry. We shouldn't focus on my past. We should make this about us."

Jaune smiled a little. "Yeah. We haven't really talked a lot. I know you like Dragonsphere and Ninjas of Love… and Back to the Present. You're a bit of a nerd, huh? I mean… so am I."

Blake tilted her head. "I don't know if 'nerd' is the right word, but I'm always in favor of a good story. As long as the creator takes pride in their work, it's usually worth it—even if I'm not in the usual demographic."

"Sorry," Jaune said. "Just how I've always thought of it. And Genji the Gutsy Ninja…"

Blake's expression turned tight. "I have a complicated relationship with Genji. I get annoyed by the very un-ninja parts of the setting too much to watch it ironically—something I never understood—but the hero's journey part is right up my alley, so I can't help being curious."

Jaune groaned. "Oh man, and the shipping. Uggghhh. I swear people still want Hanzo and Genji to be a couple."

Blake shrugged. "I'm okay with it in theory, but when I actually read the story and see them interact… I'm well aware of my entertainment reputation, but I haven't lost the plot so badly that I think everyone in a setting has to be gay or screwing each other for recreational time-wasting."

Jaune blinked, then looked faintly sheepish. "I… huh. I saw your copy of Ninjas of Love: Crossed Swords and I guess I assumed—"

"Believe it or not," Blake said dryly, "I am capable of differentiating between fiction and reality. …If my own personal crusades aren't involved."

Jaune smiled. "Sorry." He hesitated, then added more quietly, "And… yeah. That was a lot. Ruby was actually crying when you ran off the first time… Ugh. Why am I bringing that up?"

Blake didn't look away. "I don't think I mind. Between that weekend at the docks and now, I've had ample opportunities to realize I can't be trusted to be self-aware about my bad habits. So the occasional reminder is probably a good idea."

Jaune let out a breath. "Well… I'm not a lot better. I still feel overwhelmed and I'm just following everyone else's lead. But I don't really know what else to do in this situation."

"Time-travel stories always have that kind of issue," Blake said.

"I don't think I've read any with this premise."

"I have. Well… fanfiction. Sadly they all stopped after a few chapters once the author got the parts they wanted written down."

"Yeah. Hard to keep writing when you're not getting paid."

Blake gave him a thoughtful look. "As for what you can do? Frankly I think you just need to get used to being a harem protagonist. And I happen to have a few stories that may help."

Jaune shook his head. "There was that guy in real life who tried it and literally got torn apart."

"He was probably taking it a bit too literally," Blake said. "Maybe look up stories of Lion Tribe leaders in the ancient past. They had to deal with up to thirty wives. In those days, if a lion Faunus man couldn't satisfy his lioness women, they would castrate him. And if he didn't balance their personalities just so, the household would break up and the women's families would start a feud for the throne."

Jaune gulped.

Penny, standing near the table, beamed. "Do not worry, Friend Jaune! I will not allow you to be torn apart!"

Jaune looked relieved.

Penny added brightly, "I can provide sufficient volume of fire to break up most such altercations non-lethally!"

Jaune coughed.

"Ah… Thanks Penny?"

Blake continued, calmer. "You have an advantage in that almost all of us are already good friends with at least one other person… and we have a vested interest in making this work."

Jaune's smile faded a little. "Yeah… but… you'd all have preferred it just be you. In the various timelines."

Blake went quiet. She took a slow sip of wine, then set the glass down.

"…Well. I wouldn't."

Jaune blinked. "Huh?"

Blake met his eyes steadily. "I have always wanted a husband. As the only daughter of my family I would be selfish not to try and continue the bloodline. But I have never been opposed to female affection. I think my ultimate fantasy was to share a husband with close female friends."

Jaune's jaw dropped. His face went bright red. Blake allowed herself a small, knowing smile. She rather liked teasing him. Adam had never responded to teasing. Never liked it.

"And you know," she added lightly, "the most stable harems… have the ladies just as interested in each other as they are in the man."

Jaune coughed hard into his wine. His eyes glazed for a second before he shook his head rapidly.

"…You're evil," he managed.

Blake's smile turned sweet. "Ex-terrorist."

That did it. Jaune snorted and then laughed—really laughed. Blake found herself laughing with him. She didn't do that often, but with Jaune (and maybe the wine) it felt natural.

As the laughter faded she looked at him more softly. "Thank you, Jaune. For being… yourself. It took far too long for me to understand the value of that."

Jaune smiled back. "Well… thanks for being you. I'm learning a lot about you. You're… kind of a dark-haired weirdo. But I think I like that kind of person a lot."

Blake's ears flicked. "…I think I'm starting to like her too." She flushed. "And you!"

"Heh, thanks."

The conversation drifted into lighter territory after that. They ordered the same dessert—chocolate liquor ice cream, Glace à la liqueur de chocolat façon « Imperial Mantle »—and more wine. Blake was getting giggly and a little buzzed.

Jaune launched into a story about Nora attempting to reach space with Gravity Dust, Explosive Dust, and Magnhild. Blake nearly spilled her glass laughing.

"Y-you know, what even is Nora? She's not normal."

"No," Jaune agreed fondly, "but I love her. She's like the explosives-crazy little sister I never had. Coral and Verdy like guns and explosives, but they're nowhere near as crazy."

Blake's laughter faded into something quieter, more wistful. Her face was flushed, eyes a little watery—wine, conversation, or both.

"…Tell me about home, Jaune? I never had any brothers or sisters. Only the staff. What's it like?"

Jaune's voice gentled. "A lot of chaos. I had to get up really early just to get the bathroom. Navigate dozens of feminine products. Meals were noisy and dramatic… I think my dad introduced me to wine early so I could cope." He smiled. "But… always had someone to talk to. Always someone to play with. Orchid and Saphron—I was probably closest to them. Lilac was like a second mom, and a great cook. Tangy was crazy about military stuff and economics, so we watched action movies together with Coral and Verdy. Aqua was a real free spirit… and a crybaby. But she was terrifying if anyone tried anything with me."

Blake's eyes were shining. "That's… so beautiful."

Jaune reached across and squeezed her hand. "Hey… you're gonna get a little brother in the future, you know?"

Tears spilled over. Blake dabbed at them quickly. "I-I know, I just… I'm just so jealous. And upset at—at Sienna. And Adam and… " She sighed. "Sorry. I just…"

Jaune scooted around the table and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Hey… hey. It's okay. We're both dumb. I got into Beacon without my Aura unlocked…"

Blake's head snapped up. "Wait—you got in without your Aura? Surely you got it unlocked before Initiation… right? Please tell me I'm right."

Jaune looked sheepish. "Ummm… no. After."

Blake stared at him in pure disbelief. "How—? How did you—?! What is wrong with you?!"

"I'm stupid," Jaune said simply. "I'm really, really stupid. And lucky Pyrrha saved me."

Blake was quiet for a long moment. Then a small smirk tugged at her lips as she took a bite of dessert.

"…Huh. So that's what they mean when they say they feel an urge to kiss someone."

Jaune blinked. "Huh?"

She just smirked and took another bite.

Jaune cleared his throat. "Anyway… I mean… I could have been a terrorist…"

"No you couldn't."

"I didn't say I'd have been a good one."

Blake shook her head, still smiling. "You would be an activist. Organizing demonstrations, protest marches—proper ones, not a riot by another name—with the police fully aware ahead of time. And you and your wholesome, charming self would win more hearts and minds than any terrorist ever could."

Jaune looked quietly pleased. "You… think so? We didn't have protests in Radian… though we had a lot of Faunus. None of them complained about racism, at least."

Blake nodded thoughtfully. "I think the real issues are mostly in the big cities. All those people crammed together, no room to move or breathe. Almost all our recruits came from the major cities. We almost never got anyone from the rural areas or the wilderness."

Jaune hummed. "And my ex-girlfriend was of the Sith family—Dukes sworn to us when we were still kings…"

Blake's ears shot up. "…Ex-girlfriend? Jaune Arc, famed fumbler of heiresses, had game before Beacon?"

Jaune flushed. "I wasn't always the Dead Last. She was my neighbor… childhood friend." He pulled up a picture on his Scroll.

"Her name's Katy. Katy Sith."

Blake studied the photo: Blonde, cat ears, a bright smile, busty. She did look a little like Yang and herself put together. She then raised an eyebrow. "Childhood friend, huh? When was the last time you talked to her? You know… make sure she didn't get a surprise like everyone else a couple days ago…?"

Jaune's eyes went wide. "Oh shit… um…"

"Not that I'm jealous or threatened, of course!" Blake added quickly.

Jaune was already texting.

Jaune: Hey Katy… did our future kid show up?
Katy: …No. Are you high?
Jaune: No… I'm fine.
Katy: What a weird question. You hit your head hard? You eating right?
Jaune: I'm fine. Sorry it's been so long.
Katy: I'm glad you're not dead.
Jaune: Yeah, same…
Katy: Take a picture.

Jaune snapped one of himself and Blake and sent it.

Blake leaned in. "Are we going for jealousy or just an update picture with this?"

"Just an update," Jaune said quickly, before the reply came screaming back.

Katy: WHAT THE HELL YOU MOVED ON?!
Jaune: She's… we're dating. It's complicated.

A pause.

Katy: …Well… I kind of moved on too.

She sent a picture of herself with a cheerful blond human guy who looked a bit like a goofier Jaune.

Jaune: …Oh. Well… good. I hope he makes you happy.
Katy: Thanks.
Blake smiled at the exchange, then glanced at Jaune. "I think she has a type." Her golden eyes flicked over him with quiet amusement. "I think you have a type too. Or at least… A few different types."

Jaune opened his mouth, closed it, and turned a deeper shade of red.

Blake just took another spoonful of chocolate liquor ice cream and looked thoroughly pleased with herself.

- - -

Katy's gonna be in the background, but I wanted to address her here. We have way too many characters as it is.

But I may do more with her in the future.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Atlas, Solitas

One year, three months after Vytal Festival

---

The battleship Dominatrix, General Jinjur Hardy's flagship, hung in the cold Atlesian sky like a steel threat. Inside its main hangar bay, a squad of Hardy's personal guards stood ready as the unmarked transport airship requested landing clearance. The controllers granted it. The craft settled onto the deck with a soft hiss of thrusters.

"Still can't believe she named her flagship the Dominatrix," the first guard muttered as they approached the craft. His partner shrugged.

"Maybe she did it to improve morale. I sure wouldn't mind being her good little doggy."

"Don't talk like that, she'll have you courtmartialed!" The first guard muttered, "especially with the rebellion going on!"

The security systems in the bay flickered and died the moment the landing struts locked.

The first guard frowned at his Scroll. "That's weird… Why did the security go down?"

His colleague shrugged. "Maybe the rebels are trying to infiltrate the ship?"

The first guard laughed. "Ha! Like anyone would be crazy enough to try—"

The rear hatch of the airship slammed open.

Winter Schnee, Jaune Arc, and Qrow Branwen burst out in a coordinated blur of white, gold, and black. Swords flashed. Winter's glyph-assisted strikes dropped two guards before they could fully raise their weapons. Qrow's scythe carved a clean arc through the next pair. Jaune's shield took a spray of bullets and answered with a precise thrust that put a third man on the deck.

One remaining guard scrambled for the alarm panel. Jaune spun, Aura flaring, and unleashed a golden Aura slash that slammed the man into the bulkhead hard enough to leave a dent. The guard slid down in a heap, unconscious.

Silence fell over the hangar, broken only by the soft crackle of cooling metal and the distant hum of the ship's engines.

Qrow rested his scythe on his shoulder and grinned. "Another happy landing."

Winter shot him a sharp look as she wiped her blade. "Please take this seriously."

"You know," Qrow continued, voice full of lazy amusement, "we wouldn't have been able to mount this rescue if you and your boytoy weren't on a date—"

Winter cleared her throat with deliberate force. Jaune's face turned a deep red.

"That is irrelevant," Winter said coolly. "Let's get to the brig and—"

A rocket launcher fired from the side entrance.

The projectile slammed into their empty transport. The explosion tore the airship apart in a fireball of metal and Dust. Winter, Jaune, and Qrow threw themselves behind a row of cargo crates as shrapnel and flame washed over the hangar.

They rose cautiously, weapons ready.

General Jinjur Hardy strode into the bay at the head of a fresh squad of soldiers, a satisfied smirk on her face. Her uniform was immaculate, her posture regal, and the rocket launcher still smoked faintly in one of her troopers' hands.

"Oh, Winter," Hardy said, voice dripping with mock sympathy. "So predictable. The renegade Schnee daughter, bravely trying to save her sister and her boyfriend's idiot friends… Also you're here, Qrow."

Qrow gave her a once-over and smirked. "Hey Jinjur. Had some more work done on your tits, I see."

Hardy's expression soured.

Jaune stepped forward, shield raised, blue eyes burning. "You're going to destroy us all, General! The Grimm are our enemy! Don't you care about Atlas?! You're just going to make things harder for all of humanity, yourself included!"

Hardy regarded him with mild pity. "Foolish boy… Still the optimistic hero. Unaware of the real world's complexities."

"I didn't sell out mankind for a crown!" Jaune shot back.

"I just joined the winning side," Hardy replied smoothly. "All creatures adhere to their natures—"

"Yes," Winter cut in coldly, "just like a snake!"

Hardy tilted her head, almost amused. "You insist on clinging to ideals that will destroy us all… I intend to allow us to survive… And this…" She raised a sleek sidearm. "Is a gun."

She fired.

Winter's sword flashed, deflecting the bullet in a spark of steel.

From the floor, the cynical guard stirred and pushed himself halfway up, one hand pressed to his ribs. "Hey, I'm all right General—"

The richochet hit him cleanly through the throat.

"HURK!"

The man collapsed, blood spurting from his neck.

Hardy spun toward the body, face contorting into pure theatrical agony. She dropped to her knees, arms outstretched toward the ceiling of the hangar as if appealing to the Emperor Above Himself.

"STEVE?! NO! WHY MUST THE GOOD DIE YOUNG?!"

Her voice cracked with grief. She clutched at her chest.

"IT'S SO TERRIBLE!"

Winter stared at the performance, unimpressed.

"So's your acting."

Hardy's head snapped toward them, all pretense gone. Her eyes burned with cold fury.

"KILL THEM ALL!"

---

Much like her inspiration, General Jinjur Hardy is meant to be both menacing and slightly comedic in how over the top she can be.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Radian, Vale

Six Years after Salem's Defeat

---

The farmhouse kitchen smelled of warm bread and the faint scent of lavender from the window boxes. Afternoon sunlight spilled across the wooden table and the worn floorboards. In the middle of it all, Arslan paced slowly, rocking the small bundle in her arms with the same steady rhythm she once used to steady her breathing before a tournament match.

Petra was having none of it.

The baby's face was red, tiny fists waving, and the continuous, high-pitched cries filled every corner of the room. Arslan's usual serene expression had developed the slightest crease between her brows. Her voice remained soft, but there was a note of weary determination underneath.

"Hush, little one… hush…"

The back door opened. Jaune stepped inside, wiping his hands on a rag, and stopped short at the sound. His expression immediately shifted to concern.

"What's wrong with her?"

Arslan looked up, still rocking. "I am unsure… She's so cranky. I've changed her, fed her, cuddled her, sang her hymns…"

Jaune crossed the kitchen in a few long strides and held out his arms. "Let me handle her for a while. Give you a break."

Arslan hesitated only a moment before carefully transferring the red-faced, still-crying infant into his waiting hands. The moment Petra settled against her father's chest, the crying stopped as if someone had flipped a switch. A tiny, wet giggle bubbled up instead. Petra blinked up at Jaune with wide, content eyes and made a soft, happy noise.

Arslan's eyes narrowed.

She looked from the suddenly peaceful baby to her husband's carefully neutral face.

Jaune shrugged and coughed lightly. "I mean… babies are fickle."

"I am aware," Arslan said, voice even but dry.

"Don't take it personally."

Arslan folded her arms, watching as Petra waved one tiny hand against Jaune's shirt and cooed. The corner of her mouth twitched downward in the closest thing to a pout her composed features ever allowed.

"I shall try not to."

Jaune chuckled and leaned in, kissing her cheek.

"Don't pout."

"Stonebreakers do not pout."

"Sure, sure..."

"Hmph."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The laboratory was a converted sub-basement under Evernight Castle, the kind of place that still smelled faintly of rotten wood and Grimmfilth even after the ventilation had been upgraded. Banks of stolen Atlas equipment hummed along the walls. Holographic displays floated in the air, casting cold blue light across Arthur Watts's sharp features as he scrolled through another failed simulation.

He had not bothered to remove his coat. He rarely did when the work refused to cooperate.

Dr. Merlot leaned against a nearby console, arms crossed, watching with the mild interest of a man who had seen far worse tempers than this one. The biologist's coat was open, his usual easy posture at odds with the tension radiating off the other man.

Watts's lip curled.

"Ugh… That wretched Atlasian lapdog… Sucking up to Salem and playing at the loyal sycophant…"

Merlot's eyebrows rose. "Interesting insult, given your heritage."

Watts shot him a flat look but did not rise to the bait. His fingers flicked across the interface, dismissing another model that collapsed into cascading error messages.

"Not only do I have to compete with Cinder, I now must contend with more fools seeking Queen Salem's favor?"

Merlot pushed off the console and strolled closer, hands in his pockets. "Come now, Arthur. There's no need for this. You are the key part of our plans, after all. Cinder and Iri are just delivery girls. You are the mastermind."

Watts's jaw tightened. "Yet magic is the one thing I cannot crack. And that is what that empty-headed brat can use—" He paused and raised an eyebrow. "Iri?"

"Well," Merlot said mildly, "the young lady made a nice impression on me."

Watts turned fully this time, eyes narrowed. "You realize she's a homicidal maniac who would murder you given half a chance."

Merlot's smile was small and entirely unbothered. "True. But she asked me to use her nickname nicely. So I have."

Watts made a sound of pure disgust and returned to the holoscreen. "I suppose she's slightly more tolerable than Cinder and her little pack of minions… Or Tyrian and his lust for our Queen..."

"He's a young man and she's his fetish," Merlot observed, "Best not to think too long and hard about it."

"Pfft. At least he's more tolerable than Hazel. Such a sad sack brute, lamenting his lost sister and blaming Ozpin," Watts rolled his eyes.

"He does wear thin at times, I will admit," Merlot added. "As for the rest of our little band, I've yet to meet them all."

"That is by design," Watts sniffed, "We must maintain some kind of compartmentalization... Hmph."

He stared at the cascading data streams in silence for several seconds.

Merlot waited. Then, almost gently: "So?"

"I'm still working on this. It would be nice if you helped, you know."

"Don't look at me. My domain is biology, chemistry, and cybernetics. You're the polymath."

Watts's fingers stilled. The simulation froze on a complex lattice of interlocking timelines, each one marked with glowing nodes that refused to stabilize.

"The capacity for time travel in a Semblance has always been possible," he said slowly, "but the model would need to be a closed-loop system to avoid paradoxes. Yet the situation as described by Queen Salem is the definition of a paradox. All of spacetime should have turned into a singularity."

Merlot tilted his head. "But clearly, it hasn't."

"No. It hasn't." Watts's voice dropped, almost thoughtful. "That is the tricky part…"

He flicked through another layer of security logs and scowled. "It doesn't help that these brats have locked me out of the more sensitive parts of the CCT. They found the virus."

Merlot's expression finally sharpened. "That's not good."

Watts's reply was pure venom. "Thanks for that. However could I have gotten along without you, Viktor?"

"No need to snipe at me, Arthur… More than usual."

Watts ignored the jab and pulled up a different set of files—academic papers, theoretical models, old conference abstracts. His eyes narrowed further.

"Ugh… It doesn't help we're up against Doctor Weena Nebogipfel, the single greatest mind in physics since Fig Newton himself."

Merlot blinked. "Don't you mean Einholz?"

"His genius was incredible," Watts said dismissively, "but Nebogipfel has the potential to totally redefine our understanding of physics. Hmmm…"

He zoomed in on one particular cluster of data, the lines of the various timelines tightening around a single bright point.

"I can only conclude, based on the description and my reading of her works, that we exist in a kind of… superposition. Twelve enmeshed timelines, all held together by a number of critical factors, as the timelines try to correct themselves due to being caught. Not unlike twelve zippers all caught together..."

Merlot's voice was quieter now. "One of them being this Jaune Arc?"

"Yes." Watts's gaze remained fixed on the glowing node. "Which means there's something going on with him in particular."

"What about the time-traveling boy?"

"He is also a critical factor. But his removal would not threaten the entire structure of the universe as we know it… Arc's removal would." Watts tapped the interface, isolating the relevant data streams. "He is temporally displaced… but his existence is likely tied to Arc's, given he is native to this timeline and the key factor in the paradox."

Merlot waited.

"Having them both would be preferred," Watts continued. "But only eliminating one is a big enough threat to ensure compliance."

Merlot's usual lightness finally faded. "You do realize his elimination might collapse all of spacetime around our ears, yes?"

Watts turned his head just enough to meet the other man's eyes. A thin, cold smile touched the corner of his mouth.

"Yes… But to live is to risk. Besides…" He gestured at the unstable lattice of timelines rotating slowly in the air between them. "You can't tell me you're not the least bit curious about this incredible scientific opportunity."

Merlot was silent for a long moment. Then he exhaled through his nose, the sound almost a laugh.

"…I am. But I'm also not keen on mutually assured destruction as a plan."

Watts's smile widened a fraction, sharp and humorless.

"Then I suggest you start thinking of a better one, Doctor. Because the clock is already ticking. Our Queen wants to unravel this puzzle, as it may finally give us our victory..." He grinned, the light of the holograms reflected in his eyes.

"A victory for all time..."

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Atlas, Solitas

One year, three months after Vytal Festival

---

Jacques Schnee paced the length of his study like a caged animal, one hand gripping a sleek pistol, the other repeatedly checking his Scroll for word on the escape airship. Outside the heavy doors, the sounds of combat echoed through the mansion—gunfire, shouted orders, the clash of weapons. RWBY and JNOR were tearing through his security with ruthless efficiency.

Weiss sat rigid in a high-backed chair near the desk, the cold metal of an Aura Suppression Collar locked around her neck. Her hands were bound, but her eyes burned with pure, undiluted hatred as she tracked her father's every step.

"I did everything for you," she said, voice low and cutting. "And you only ever saw me as a tool."

Jacques didn't stop pacing. "A disobedient tool, to be sure. But you'll learn. So help me, you will."

Weiss's jaw tightened. "…I loved you once. Did you ever love me? Or was it all just nonsense?"

He finally turned, expression cold. "Love doesn't build an empire!"

"And if you'd loved me," Weiss shot back, "Maybe you could have had it without destroying us! Destroying everything!"

Jacques, enraged, pulled back his hand.

"Now listen you-!"

The study doors exploded inward.

Jaune Arc stood in the doorway, Crocea Mors drawn, shield already raised. Dust and plaster drifted down around him. His blue eyes locked on Jacques, then flicked briefly to Weiss before hardening again.

"Weiss!"

"Jaune!" she breathed, relief and fear colliding in her voice.

Jacques swung the pistol toward the intruder.

"You really want a fight, Jacques?" Jaune asked, stepping fully into the room.

"I'm more formidable than I appear, boy," Jacques sneered. "You're trespassing. The law is on my side. Surrender, or you'll be cut down the moment my guards arrive."

Jaune's grip on his sword tightened. "Then I suppose I have to fight you."

Jacques gave a disdainful laugh. "What, to the death? Typical of a barbarian—"

"No," Jaune said, voice suddenly calm and precise. "To the pain."

Jacques blinked. "I… I don't think I'm quite familiar with that phrase."

Jaune took another step forward, eyes never leaving him. "I'll explain. And I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you warthog-faced buffoon."

"You dare insult me—?!"

"It won't be the last," Jaune continued, voice dropping into something colder. "'To the pain' means the first thing you will lose will be your feet below the ankles. Then your hands at the wrists. Next, your nose."

Jacques forced a thin smile. "And then my tongue, I suppose."

"I wasn't finished. The next thing you will lose will be your left eye, followed by your right."

"And then my ears, I understand. Let's get on with it."

"Wrong." Jaune's voice was pure steel now. "Your ears you keep, and I'll tell you why. So that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish. Every babe that weeps at your approach, every woman who cries out, 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will echo in your perfect ears. That is what 'to the pain' means. It means I leave you in anguish, wallowing in freakish misery forever. All the riches in the world won't mean a damn thing when you're a hideous, misshapen monster—an object of pity and horror."

Jacques's face had gone pale. "…Y-You're bluffing."

Jaune's next words came out in a deadly whisper. "My mother is the finest surgeon in Remnant. She taught me how to ensure you will live through anything… no matter how much you want to die. So tell me… which of us is bluffing?"

He raised Crocea Mors slightly. "Drop the gun."

Jacques's hand trembled. For a long moment the only sound in the study was the distant chaos of the ongoing fight. Then, with a strangled noise, he threw the pistol to the floor and raised both hands.

Jaune moved carefully around the desk, never fully turning his back, and reached Weiss. With a sharp twist he tore the Aura Suppression Collar free. The metal clattered to the floor. Weiss rose immediately, yanking her hands free of her bonds, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.

"…Did you really quote The Royal Bride?" she murmured.

Jaune's expression softened just a fraction. "First movie we watched together. Of course I did."

Weiss let out a quiet, loving sigh. "You're a dolt."

He smiled. "Your dolt."

From the other side of the desk, Jacques made a disgusted noise. "Oh, for pity's sake…"

Weiss turned her head just enough to fix her father with a look of pure contempt. "Consider yourself lucky we're not conceiving our first child on your desk right now, bastard."

Jaune flushed.

"Weiss!"

"I may still do it!"

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The restaurant had quieted as the evening settled in. Most of the other diners had left, leaving Blake and Jaune at their corner table with only the soft clink of dishes from the kitchen and the distant hum of Vale's nightlife beyond the windows. Penny sat a polite distance away, ostensibly giving them space while still fulfilling her protective duties.

Blake turned her teacup slowly between her fingers, watching the residual steam curl upward. "Honestly, if twelve-year-old me could see me now—going to Mom, having an actual conversation with her, taking her advice seriously… She'd likely say I had betrayed the Faunus cause. Like I once thought my parents had."

Something stirred in Jaune's memory. He leaned forward slightly.

"Well… if it helps… the night before I ran away from home, I had a fight with my parents. I wasn't very wise or kind to them either."

Blake's ears flicked once. She set the cup down and rested her hand over his on the table. "I guess we both have done more growth than we thought."

"Yeah…" Jaune's voice softened. "But I have a long way to go."

"I think we both do. And I think the others do too." Her thumb brushed lightly across his knuckles. "I know Weiss is very different from the person she was when she first enrolled at Beacon."

"She is." A small, fond smile touched his mouth. "My Nana once said that learning from your mistakes is the worst way to learn… but it ensures you'll never forget it."

Blake's lips curved. "Dad has something similar. 'Experience is the most brutal teacher, because she gives the test first, and then the lesson.'"

Jaune huffed a quiet laugh. "Heh… Maybe they should meet."

Penny's head lifted with sudden brightness. "Calling Arturia Pendragon-Arc."

"No no no! No! I'm good, Penny!" Jaune waved both hands frantically.

Blake's ears twitched with amusement. "He would be over the moon if you could arrange that. She's one of his inspirations. But… maybe for another time."

"Yeah…"

While Jaune excused himself to the restroom, Blake quietly checked the map application on her Scroll. A green icon glowed just next door—Oum Memorial Park, complete with winding paths, water features, and quiet garden alcoves. Perfect.

When he returned, she was already sliding her Scroll across the table toward Penny. "I was just looking to see what else we could do after dinner. It would be nice to have a walk through the Oum Memorial Park." She tilted the screen so Penny could see the soft evening photographs of lantern-lit paths and koi ponds.

Penny's eyes lit up. "I believe this would be highly romantic!"

"Yes, it would." Blake allowed a carefully measured note of disappointment into her voice. "Oh, surrounded by green… lovely water features… just the two of us—" She sighed. "I guess it can't be just the two of us."

"Well it must be! You all must be protected!"

Blake played the part of reluctant understanding. "I know, but it's such a hindrance, having a bodyguard. The purpose of this date is for Jaune and me to become closer. If someone is looking over our shoulders the entire time, it's just… counterproductive."

Penny's expression flickered with internal conflict. "Nngh… Friend Blake, I am having issues with my core directives! … I mean orders!"

"Because you're a perfectly normal human girl," Blake said gently.

"Yes!"

Blake tilted her head, pretending to consider. "Surely you can protect us without being right beside us. After all… if you could get somewhere high up, you could watch everywhere an assailant might come from, right?"

Penny's face fell slightly. "Well, I did that before, but I got distracted with Friend/Complicated Feelings Whitley…"

Blake's ears perked with genuine interest this time. "And why is that, Penny? Talk to me. As a friend."

The gynoid hesitated, then spoke in a softer, more uncertain tone. "I am unsure. I am having complex feelings for Friend Whitley. I have done analysis of these reactions but… it is most incongruous. As a perfectly normal human girl I would be happy to feel… romantic feelings, but the reality is… somewhat more complicated."

Blake nodded, patient. "That is perfectly normal. Romance is very complicated. But you like Whitley, right? And does he like you?"

"I have… not inquired. How would one know?"

"Talking about it with his relatives can help," Blake offered. "They know how family acts normally, so they would notice if something is different. And if you have the family's approval, things become more straightforward. However… the Schnee family has been under strain, so it would be worthwhile to gather data from other sources as well. Observe him. Does he treat you differently from other girls who aren't related? Does he go out of his way to do things that make you happy that he doesn't for others? Does he invent ridiculous pretexts just to speak with you? Things like that. Does that help?"

Penny's eyes brightened. "That does help greatly! Thank you!" She paused, processing. "I am analyzing… It seems he does act strangely around me. But he has not made ridiculous pretexts to see me yet…"

"You've only known each other a few days," Blake said warmly. "These things take time. Love at first sight isn't really a thing."

Penny's head tilted. "Yet you have fallen for Friend Jaune, have you not?"

Blake allowed a carefully controlled wistfulness into her voice. "Oh yes… but we had known each other for months before everything happened."

"Yet you act as though you are in love with him… when you were close to Friend Sun. I am trying to understand."

The question landed harder than Blake expected. For a moment the carefully constructed poise she had been maintaining wavered. She frowned, staring down at the table as old doubts stirred.

"…In another life, I think Sun and I would have been meant to be. But that was before I met Leander and Leandra. Before I learned what kind of man Jaune can become… and saw what kind of man he already is. And I think Sun has found someone else as well."

"I see… But is that love?"

Blake's fingers dug into her hair as the spiral threatened to pull her under. The weight of futures, of choices, of everything the children had shown her pressed in all at once—

"Haa… sorry about—" Jaune returned, then stopped short at the look on her face. "Oh! Blake. Uh…"

He paid the bill without further comment—Ozpin's credit card making the process mercifully quick—and gently guided her out into the cool night air, Penny trailing a few steps behind.

Blake remained quiet, still partially stuck in her own head as they walked.

Jaune cleared his throat. "…I'm glad the night is clear. The weather's been great the last week…" He immediately grimaced at himself. Oh good going, Arc. Great thing to talk to her about.

"Oh… yes. It's been… nice. Not too hot."

An awkward silence stretched between them.

Penny, sensing the tension with almost painful clarity, suddenly lifted one hand and fired a small plasma blast into a nearby trash receptacle. "Oh dear! Whatever was that? Something is now on fire! I will deal with it!" She rocketed upward before either of them could respond.

Jaune watched her go, then sighed. "…Do… does everyone trying to be a Hunter just… suck at socializing? Or is it just me… and Ruby… and Penny…?"

Blake's ears twitched with the first genuine amusement of the evening. "Heh. And Weiss. And Pyrrha. …And me."

"…And Nora… and Ren…"

"Okay," Jaune conceded. "So it's all of us."

"Well, given our lifestyle, I guess we would have to be a little off…"

A light seemed to click on behind Blake's eyes. "And so would our relationships. Love, and what form it takes, and what sparks it… wouldn't be normal either."

Jaune's expression grew more serious. "I mean… that's a good point. But a lot of crazy people in love… everything falls apart. And on top of everything else… I'm…" He rubbed his face with both hands.

Blake noticed that Penny was still occupied in the distance. She took Jaune's hand and gently pulled him off the main path into a more private stretch of the garden, where the lantern light filtered softly through the leaves.

"And on top of it all," she said quietly, "you are a good man. Other people sometimes just need something out of the ordinary to see it."

Jaune's voice was rough. "A good man wouldn't need to… constantly be worrying about screwing things up…"

"No." Blake's tone was firm but gentle. "A good man absolutely would. Because he cares about everyone around him—even people he has never met. Because he sees them as just as worthwhile as the people he does know."

Jaune was quiet for a moment. "…Ruby's got a lot more on her shoulders than me. Daughter of a legendary Huntress… in every timeline, she's the one who stops Salem."

Blake stepped closer. "And a sword may kill a Grimm, but it doesn't kill in a vacuum. There's always a hand holding it. Supporting it. In every future, she never would have done it alone."

"You were there too, you know…"

Blake's ears lowered slightly, then rose again with quiet resolve. "Yes. And when I first came to Beacon, I had hoped to become something that could inspire Faunus to return to the principles of seeking equality. And now… now I can see we all have the potential to become something even more. Someone who can forgive past grievances and forge a better future."

Jaune smiled—small, genuine, a little disbelieving—and chuckled under his breath.

Blake tilted her head. "What is it?"

"You just… heh. I dunno… You remind me of Princess Yelen from Mecha Wars: Wings of Peace… in a good way! In a good way."

"I'm not familiar with that one. Who is she, and how am I like her?"

Jaune scratched the back of his neck, growing more animated as he explained. "Well… at first she wants revenge on the NIMH organization for killing her father. Then she learns she's the heiress to a kingdom dedicated to total pacifism, so she tries to bring peace to a warring Remnant and the space colonies. She gets threatened with assassination, used as a tool by people who want to rule over Earth and space… but she's so popular she nearly ends the war. Her brother Sento wants to make a war so big and terrible that nobody will ever want another one… but she sticks to her convictions and grows and becomes this crazy badass. She's always trying to live up to her ideals even when it's hard, and she finds a way…"

He trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. "I-I dunno…"

Blake stepped closer, a soft smile curving her lips. "And… does she find a blonde doofus of a noble-hearted knight?"

Jaune flushed. "Ah, well… actually it's a child soldier who tries to kill her a few times, but she humanizes him."

"Ah." Blake's smile widened just a fraction. "Well, it sounds like an interesting drama. Maybe you and I could watch it sometime?"

"I… yeah. It has a lot of giant robot fights."

"Then I suppose it would be worth watching just to see what the Paladin was intended to be."

"Oh yeah, that thing… it's like a complete joke…"

They continued walking along the quieter paths of the garden, the tension of the earlier conversation easing into something warmer. As they passed a koi pond, a seabird suddenly dove, snatched a fish from the water, and began eating it with noisy satisfaction.

Then the scent reached Blake first—familiar, and unwelcome.

Three figures in dark clothing stepped out from the shadows of the trees ahead.

Blake's ears flattened. "…Karen? Is that you? Did Adam really let you back in?"

At the same time she discreetly thumbed her Scroll, sending a silent ping to Penny.

Karen's lip curled. "Blake… I see you sold us all out. All to be some human's whore."

Jaune's Aura flared bright and hard around him. His voice dropped into something cold and steady that Blake had only heard a handful of times.

"…You have ten seconds to turn yourselves in peacefully."

Blake didn't bother answering the insult. She simply drew Gambol Shroud in one smooth motion.

Karen laughed. "You really think we'll be caged and leashed like you? We escaped your little attack on us, and now you're going to pay!"

One of the others—an elephant Faunus with heavy tusks—raised an assault rifle and opened fire.

Jaune moved first, stepping in front of Blake and surging his Aura into a dense shield that absorbed the initial burst. The ground around them cracked from the force of the impacts. He drew Crocea Mors in the same motion and unleashed a wide Aura Slash that tore up the path and filled the air with a sudden cloud of debris and flying leaves.

That was Blake's opening.

She leapt forward, forcing herself to remember Nick Arc's advice about using her clones offensively rather than purely for retreat. A Fire Dust-infused clone surged ahead of her. Karen's short sword cut through it—and the resulting explosion sent the older woman flying backward into a tree trunk with a sharp crack.

Blake closed on the third attacker, a quick mousy Faunus already drawing an Uzi. Knives flashed through the air; she deflected two with Gambol Shroud's ribbon and closed the distance.

Jaune, meanwhile, was locked in a brutal exchange with the elephant Faunus. The bigger man's spear thrust again and again; Jaune tanked the hits on his shield and answered with heavy, punishing sword strokes that forced the larger opponent to give ground.

Blake's second Fire Dust clone charged the elephant Faunus at the same moment she pressed the mousy one. The distraction cost the big man dearly—Jaune's next Aura Slash at near point-blank range blasted him clean through a tree trunk in a shower of splinters.

Karen had recovered enough to switch to gun mode and open fire on Blake. "History is our guide! We ruled this world after the Moonshatter! Humanity stole from us! Took from us! Enslaved us!"

Blake dodged, ribbon whipping out to tangle Karen's weapon arm. "Even assuming Adam's rubbish is real—if Faunus are so superior, how could humans steal anything? How could they overcome us if we were so superior-?!"

"TRAITOR!" Karen snarled, barely blocking Jaune's sudden strike from behind with a second short sword. "Was that human's cock really big enough for you to betray us?!"

Blake's ears flattened in pure exasperation. "Why is everything sex with you?! Can't someone be motivated by something more than basic biological functions?"

"WE ARE ANIMALS AT OUR CORE! YOU'RE JUST IN DENIAL!" Karen unleashed a wave of Ice Dust that momentarily enshrouded the area. She tried to flank Blake through the mist—and ran straight through a shadow clone.

Blake's knee came up hard between Karen's legs. Gambol Shroud's hilt cracked against the back of her head in the same motion. Jaune's follow-up strike to the chest sent the woman crashing into the tree a second time.

All three White Fang members were still trying to rise when plasma cannon fire lanced down from above.

Penny descended on rocket thrusters, expressions of focused determination on her face as she methodically put each of them down with carefully calibrated non-lethal shots.

"My apologies, Friends! Are you okay?"

Jaune lowered Crocea Mors, breathing hard. "We're okay… When did you get a plasma cannon?"

"It is a recent upgrade because I was a good girl!"

Despite everything, Jaune managed a breathless grin. "You totally were!"

Blake sheathed Gambol Shroud and glanced toward a more secluded garden alcove a short distance away. "We'll recover over there while you handle this threat. That work, Penny?"

"Absolutely, Friends!"

They moved into the quieter space while Penny efficiently secured the unconscious attackers and contacted the proper authorities. Blake and Jaune sat together on a low stone bench, still holding onto each other more tightly than either of them would have admitted under normal circumstances.

"…You okay?" Jaune asked quietly.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Blake's voice was steadier than she expected. "You did great, by the way. You've made a lot of progress."

"Me? You were amazing…" He looked down, almost embarrassed. "I-I'm just… a sledgehammer—"

Blake kissed him.

It started soft and almost chaste—an impulsive thank-you, a reward for the hero, a small reclaiming of the evening she had planned. Then it deepened, grew hungrier for a few heartbeats, before she deliberately pulled it back to something gentler. When she finally drew away, her forehead rested lightly against his.

"You are so much more than just a sledgehammer, Jaune. I want you to know that."

"Hwah… Heh… Th-Thanks…"

Blake's smirk returned, quieter this time. She used Karen's confiscated Scroll to activate an emergency beacon and ensure the authorities would find the three attackers without difficulty. Then she gently guided the still-flushed Jaune deeper into the garden, toward a more private section where the lantern light barely reached.

"I-I mean, uh… Blake… maybe we should call the cops—"

"Right! Yes. Yes, we should." She pulled out her own Scroll, already making the call, while silently scolding herself. Steady, girl. Don't get tunnel vision and ruin it.

They ended up sitting close together on another bench, still leaning into one another as the adrenaline slowly drained away.

"I'm sorry," Blake murmured after a while. "I don't know why they were so eager to attack. The White Fang doesn't really go for these sorts of attacks. At least, not in public places like this."

Jaune's arm settled more securely around her shoulders. "Our kids got most of them arrested when they blew up Mount Glenn… There were escapees. Makes sense they would need cells in the city to maintain intel for their plans."

Blake's ears lowered. "…And to be honest, part of why I left the White Fang was because I thought Adam was losing it. And going by what the future children who know of him have said… he only ever got worse. Could Adam have jumped off the deep end? And if he survived the attack… what if he decided to send any remaining cells after me? Us?"

Jaune's arms tightened. "We won't let that happen, Blake… I won't let that happen."

The images rose unbidden—future Jaune, scarred across so much of his body, the marks Adam had left while trying to bleed him out. Jaune had killed Adam in that timeline. But the scars had remained. He had suffered so much… because of her. Because he had loved her.

She shouldn't burden him with that. She shouldn't burden anyone with that. If Adam is starting to attack people over her, she should remove herself from the equation…

And yet…

Leander and Leandra's voices echoed in her memory, patient and stubborn. Running had never worked. Not from her parents. Not from the White Fang. Not from anything that truly mattered.

Blake wrapped her arms around Jaune more tightly and buried her face against his chest, nuzzling under his chin the way a cat might seek comfort.

"…Thank you."

Across the street, the neon sign of a discreet love motel glowed softly through the trees. Blake noticed Jaune's gaze linger on it for a moment longer than necessary.

She smirked, one finger beginning to trace slow circles against his chest. "What are you thinking about, Jaune? You're looking at that building over there pretty intensely…"

"Ah—uh—oh, well, um…"

Blake's voice dropped into something soft and teasing. "You know… Penny's going to be busy for a while. We could… you know… go over. I hear those establishments are very… private."

"B-Blake…!"

She fluttered her lashes up at him. "Yes, Jaune?"

"I… uh… I mean… the others…"

"They can take their turns." Her tone was almost educational. "It's all about finding the balance so everyone is happy."

"T-T-Turns?!" Jaune's face had gone such a vivid red that Blake briefly wondered if traffic could be stopped by it alone. He was rather adorable like this.

She cupped his cheek, pressed a tender kiss to the other side of his face, then looked him in the eyes with quiet warmth.

Jaune leaned in and kissed her properly this time—deeper, more certain. One arm pulled her fully into his lap. Blake returned it without hesitation, one leg sliding up over his hip as the kiss grew hungrier.

"Mmmm…" she murmured against his mouth. "We could go… and both find some relaxation…"

"I…"

She nipped lightly at his ear. "And maybe… start on the twins early~?"

She wasn't that reckless, of course. But the way Jaune's entire body reacted to the suggestion made the teasing more than worth it. His hand settled firmly on her ass, gripping—

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH! AWOOGAH!

A sudden jet of ice-cold water blasted them both square in the faces.

"GAAAAHHHH!"

"MEEROOOW!"

Penny stood a short distance away, one hand still extended, looking both relieved and faintly apologetic.

"Thank goodness I was not too late again!"

Jaune sat there dripping, hair plastered to his forehead, expression somewhere between mortification and exhausted gratitude. "…Yeah… Thanks, Penny."

Blake's ears were completely flat against her head, water streaming down her face as she scowled. "…So much."

Penny beamed. "You are welcome!"