Finding a Home

Portgas D. Ace was barely a month old when he was lost.

Garp the Fist and the Hero of the Marines was not used to caring for babies. He had taken care of and "raised" his son long ago (if leaving the child alone for months and training from hell could be considered "raising"), but that did not mean he was an expert in child rearing. Which was why when his ship stopped on the island of Patch and he set down the tiny blue bundle that held the infant, he thought nothing of it.

It was true that Patch was deep in the New World, in the realm of Remnant to be precise, but Garp saw that as no issue.

Yes, Remnant was filled with terrible monsters known as Grimm (Grimm that were only kept in Remnant due to an ancient shield that made traversing into and out of Remnant near-impossible. Remnant and its Kingdoms were even more isolated than Wano Country.).

Yes, the World Government left Remnant to its own devices (because the World Government may be arrogant, but they knew that they could not win a war when many of Remnant's people were born with supernatural powers, their technology made Vegapunk jealous, and their airships could fly right up to Mariejois).

Yes, only the highest positions in the Marines and some pirates knew of Remnant's existence with even the Celestial Dragons remaining ignorant (for the safety and happiness of the people, the highest-ups claimed).

Yes, Remnant could be considered a separate world from the one the World Government ruled (different powers, different rules, even different human-like species known as "Faunus").

However, that did not stop Garp from taking his new adopted grandson into the secretive, secluded section of the New World that may as well be a different planet. Perhaps it was sentimentality that drove him to take baby Ace (Garp had to check the little note he had attached to the boy's blanket to make sure he remembered his name correctly) to Patch.

After all, this was one of the places where he had successfully caught up to Ace's father, the Pirate King Gol. D. Roger. It was also one of the places where Garp could not try to capture him. Not would not. Could not.

The Huntsmen did not respond well to outsiders battling on their turf.

The tentative "peace" between the Kingdoms of Remnant and the World Government was very fragile indeed. If Garp thought about it, he would hate to see the day their hesitant truce fell to pieces.

However, Patch was a little, insignificant island, and Garp was not the most careful of guardians, so he saw no issue in setting little Ace down on a cart for a moment as he studied the port town he had sailed to.

He saw no issue in turning away for a moment and letting himself reminisce about the past.

When he turned back to pick up his grandson, Ace and the cart were gone.

He spent days searching the town for Portgas D. Ace. The task was near-impossible since he did not want to admit he had lost a baby.

He never found him, and was eventually forced to return to Marine base or risk being questioned why he was in Remnant or why he had adopted a grandchild.

Unknown to Garp, his missing adopted grandchild was deep in the woods, in a secluded cottage near a forest filled with Grimm.

Taiyang Xiao Long just wanted to get home.

It took everything he had to put one foot in front of the other as he stumbled through the figurative quicksand that wanted to drown him. He focused on the path ahead, acknowledging the calls of the townsfolk with vague murmurs, but forged ahead. He could not bear to speak to anyone and hear their condolences.

Summer had vanished on a mission just weeks ago. When Taiyang got home, he knew Yang would be sitting on the porch, Ruby in her arms as she waited for their mother to return. Taiyang knew it was only a matter of time before his five year-old realized Summer was not coming back. His insides curdled as he imagined her tears. And Ruby...

Ruby did not understand. The three-year old had no concept of death yet. She did not understand how final it was. When Taiyang had tried to explain to her what death was, she stared at him with wide, innocent silver eyes and asked when Mommy was coming home.

Taiyang nearly choked on his breath at the thought. His eyes stung with unshod tears and a sob escaped his tight throat.

It was a rather high-pitched sob.

It was too high-pitched to come from him.

In fact, it did not sound like an adult's cry.

It sounded like a child.

And it seemed to come from behind him.

Taiyang halted in place and looked around at the desolate path that led to his isolated home, far from the bustling town by the port.

Again, he heard a tiny cry.

He looked at the cart and carefully lifted the blanket that covered his goods.

On top of the supplies he had gathered from the town was a small blue bundle.

It wriggled and gave another soft cry.

Taiyang's heart sank into his shoes and he lifted the blue bundle, pulling the blanket aside to reveal a tiny, round face. The first feature he noticed where the large, tear-filled eyes that looked at him. Taiyang sucked in a breath.

The baby's eyes were silver.

Like Ruby's.

Like Summer's.

His heart ached with loss.

Taiyang stared at the baby.

The baby stared at Taiyang.

Then it (he?) sniffled.

Instinct took over and Taiyang rocked the baby in his arms. The little thing whimpered and hiccuped, cheeks red and shivering from the cold. Taiyang put the baby down, heart shattering at his whimper, and removed his jacket, putting it around the blanket. The baby calmed when he picked it up and stared at Taiyang like he was the most interesting thing he had ever seen in his short life. And his life was short. By Taiyang's guess, the baby was no more than a month old.

Who would put a month-old baby in a cart?

Unless...

They abandoned him.

Qrow always joked Taiyang was a bleeding heart. He literally had a tattoo of a heart on his arm, "On his sleeve," as Qrow would sigh. While Qrow never wanted kids (because he believed his Semblance would hurt them at best, and feared it may be genetic like the Schnees' at worst.) and Raven was... out of her "family's" lives, Taiyang was more than happy to be a parent.

He loved children, and had wanted them as much as he wanted to be a Huntsman. The thought of seeing his little ones grow up filled him with joy that warmed his heart even now. It was why he chose to become a teacher at Signal after Yang was born.

He knew some parents did not feel the same. They saw unexpected children as an obstacle between them and their goals, and sought to leave that obstacle behind them. Like Raven, who left the moment that Yang was born. Taiyang had stopped making excuses for her long ago, which was not long after he held his firstborn daughter and walked inside Raven's hospital room to find nothing there except an empty bed. No Raven, and not even a note of explanation.

A note was attached to the baby's blue blanket. Taiyang unfolded the paper to see a single word scrawled on it in messy handwriting.

Ace.

The parent's note didn't even bother to say "Take care of my child." Only his name. And only his first name, at that. Taiyang resisted the instinct to throw the note into the snow and discard it like the writer had casually discarded their child. The only thing that stopped him was that Ace may want to see it someday.

Taiyang breathed until his anger had passed and looked at the baby. "Your name is Ace, huh? Hello then, little Ace."

The baby was too young to understand him but seemed to like the sound of his voice. Ace cooed and wiggled in his arms and Taiyang almost smiled. It faded like ashes in the wind. He should bring the baby back to town, but if he did, little good would come from it. Patch was a bustling place, but few would want to adopt a child.

Ace would be shipped off to Vale and put into the foster system. The Vale foster system was notoriously awful. Vale had almost as many street rats as Vacuo and Mistral did. Unless he was extremely lucky, Ace would find himself on the streets and dragged into whatever criminal gang got to him first. It was a problem no one in power wanted to acknowledge or take care of, not even Ozpin. Taiyang knew Ozpin had other priorities (like Beacon Academy) but he did not deny he was a bit bitter about it.

Taiyang could not let that happen. He could put Ace into the system and try to adopt him, but the process could take years. By then, the kid would likely vanish into the system that ruined so many young lives.

Taiyang took in Ace's black hair and silver eyes (like Summer's) and shut his own sorrowful blue. Summer went on a mission a few weeks ago. She was stubborn, and never stayed out of the action for long. She also wore a cloak that often hid her slim figure unless she was fighting.

Only those closest to her (Taiyang, Qrow, probably Ozpin) would know she had never been pregnant since Ruby. If Taiyang said she had given birth before going on that mission, many would believe him.

Qrow was such a bad influence on him.

Taiyang took Ace home. He carried and rocked the baby as he dragged the cart behind him, and hummed a little lullaby as he went. He would have to return to town later to get baby supplies, but Ruby's old crib was still in the attic, along with a few of her old onesies. Would Ace like the pirate one Qrow had gotten as a joke? Ruby had loved that one. It was her second-favorite, after the one covered in wolves (another gift from Qrow. Taiyang's teammate had the oddest taste when it came to baby clothes).

When Taiyang approached his cottage home, Yang was not on the porch with Ruby. Taiyang guessed the sharp winter wind had forced his daughters inside for the day.

Taiyang balanced Ace on his hip and unlocked the front door. A red blur slammed into his legs and was followed by a golden one. His daughters clung to his legs and looked up at him. Ruby was smiling. Her silver eyes were bright and innocent. Yang was not smiling, but her violet eyes shimmered with relief.

Taiyang reached down and ruffled his daughters' hair. "I'm home."

"Daddy!" Ruby squealed. She grabbed his pant leg in her small fingers and jumped in place. "What you get me?"

Seeing his younger daughter's excitement, Taiyang's hollow heart felt a little warmer. He chuckled. "Is that how you say hello to Daddy?"

Ruby's nose wrinkled and she considered his words carefully. She came to a conclusion and hugged his leg, balanced on his foot. "Love you, Daddy."

It was not a greeting but Taiyang did not care. The emptiness inside him retreated more. "I love you, too. Both of you."

He ruffled Yang's hair and she scowled, irritably pushing his hand away. She put her own protectively over her head.

"Don't mess up my hair." she wailed.

"Sorry." Taiyang said and he struggled to hide his amusement. "So do you want to see what I brought?"

The girls released him and backed up, eyes alight with eagerness. Taiyang pulled the cart inside and locked the door. He went to the couch and settled on it before he looked down at the bundle in his arms.

"Come meet your little brother, Ace."

The girls clambered up onto the couch with Ruby on his right and Yang on his left. They stared at the bundle curiously and Taiyang moved the blanket aside, revealing the baby's tiny face. Ace had fallen asleep and was breathing lightly. His dark eyelashes fluttered and he snuffled softly.

Yang gaped. Her violet eyes grew huge. "You got a baby at the store? I didn't know you could get babies there."

"Little brother!" Ruby clapped, bouncing around. "Little brother!"

"Shh." Taiyang shushed her softly. "Ace is sleeping right now. He's very tired."

Ruby clapped her hands over her mouth, horrified by her mistake. Taiyang chuckled and looked at Yang.

"Do you want to hold him?"

Yang's chest puffed out and she held out her arms in a silent demand. Taiyang gently passed Ace to her and adjusted her arms so she held him correctly. Ace whined at the transition but settled once more. A tiny fist peeked out of the blanket and Ruby squealed.

"He's so little."

She poked Ace's tiny fist. His fingers flexed and wrapped around Ruby's forefinger. Taiyang knew it was unintentional but Ruby did not see it that way. He wished he had a camera so he could show Qrow how the girls melted in little Ace's presence. Taiyang predicted the baby was going to have his big sisters wrapped around his tiny fingers.

Ace's tiny pink mouth opened in a yawn and his eyes slid open. Silver irises observed Yang and Ruby sleepily and opened wider. Ace studied his sisters curiously and found their presences acceptable. He gurgled and waved his tiny fist. Ruby and Yang cooed and Taiyang was hard-pressed not to join them. It was a fact of nature that babies were cute, but Ace's little freckles, wavy black hair, and wide silver eyes made him absolutely adorable.

Taiyang would have to record his first meeting with Qrow. Just in case he needed to blackmail his teammate.

Yang stopped her scrutiny of Ace and looked at Taiyang. "He has Mommy's eyes."

Taiyang's throat constricted. His eyes burned. "Yes, he does."

Yang played with Ace's black locks. "He has Mommy's hair too."

Don't cry in front of the kids, Taiyang ordered himself. "Yes."

Yang frowned. "He's bigger than Mrs. Margaret's baby when he was born."

"Ace is a month old." Taiyang said. He did some mental gymnastics. "He was born January first. I couldn't bring him home until now."

It hurt to have to lie to his children but they would not understand the delicacies of the situation until they were older. Taiyang looked at Ace's silver eyes, then Ruby's, and his grief welled up. It felt like a lance in his chest. Ozpin was a secretive man, but Summer told her husband almost everything. About Silver Eyes, and how they made her a target. It was more than a guess to say why and how Summer was killed on her last mission. Now he had two children with her eyes.

Taiyang picked up Ruby and Yang, and picked up Ace along with his older daughter. He set them in his lap and held them close. "Ace is your little brother. You are his big sisters. So you have to watch out for him, okay?"

Yang nodded solemnly. "Like I watch out for Ruby."

Although the five year-old was serious, she was serious in the mind of a five year-old. Neither Yang nor Ruby fully understood the seriousness (the fear) in Taiyang's voice. Ruby was unaffected (unaware of the pains of the world, and by the Gods Taiyang hoped she would not lose that spark). She looked from Yang, to Taiyang, to Ace, and the biggest smile crossed her face.

"I'm a big sister now?"

"Yes." Yang answered before Taiyang could. "Just like me, little sister."

Instead of pouting like she normally would, three year-old Ruby beamed and petted Ace's soft hair. "I'm going to be the bestest big sister ever!"

The Author's Notes: I never thought I would write a fanfic... I made the account but it was just to Favorite and Follow of my favorite stories... Now, here I am... Hello, friends?

I wrote this because could you imagine...

Ace having a normal(ish), loving family as he grew up.

Ruby being a big sister.

Ace having big sisters.

Ruby and Yang having a little brother.

Ace learning hand-to-hand combat from Tai and Yang.

Ace discovering his Semblance. (Maybe something fire-related or maybe something else.)

Ace having Silver Eyes (because most writers give him silver eyes and why not?)

Ace activating Silver Eyes when he sees Adam chop off his biggest sister's arm.

Ruby being a big sister.

Taiyang having a baby to take care of so he never shatters and leaves Yang to raise Ruby for a few years.

Ace growing up not burdened by Roger's legacy.

Ace being about twelve or thirteen when the Beacon stuff happens.

Ace growing up not thinking he shouldn't exist.

Ace deserves happiness, darn it.

Ruby being a big sister.

I do not think I am going to continue this but I may be convinced if it gets enough love. I have some ideas, like how Remnant natives cannot use Haki and most outsiders (non-Remnant natives) cannot activate Aura. The D's are the only exception. Ace gets his Aura activated, which is why Taiyang never thinks he is from outside of Remnant. On the other side, Remnant natives cannot get Devil Fruit powers. If they eat a Devil Fruit, they'll immediately vomit it up and get no powers and no weakness to sea water. Aura and Devil Fruits do not mix. The fruit will reform someplace else for someone else to pick up...

I'm rambling, aren't I? Sorry.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review.