This is just a little story I did just to get rid of the cobwebs. Just a little AU between Glynda and Ruby after the fall of Vale.
Glynda was worried, to say the least. While recent events had been a tragedy for Vale she was focused on the here and now. And the now was the fact that one of her best students was barely able to walk in a straight line without using her scythe as support.
Currently, they were in a small shelter on the outskirts of Vale itself, while the local population had been placed in larger more secure shelters put up in places such as warehouses.
Their shelter was bare bones with the couch being labeled by some of the hunters a luxury, and honestly, Glynda did not mind, they were not meant to be relaxing in a luxury five-star hotel.
"Miss Rose…Ruby. Are you sure you should be here? You look like you have not slept in the last three days." she asked as she made herself a cup of coffee, something that was one of the few things keeping her going these past few days.
She had kept referring to Ruby as Miss Rose, but had decided that the situation was different and they were not really teacher and student anymore, but rather two huntresses fighting Grimm.
Ruby shook her head, her once lively silver eyes were devoid of any almost any emotion and looked empty, as she reloaded the magazines for her weapon, she had barely spoken since the fall and she had called for Qrow to come and talk with her but he was on the other side of the city with Peter and Oobleck clearing out some of the denser nests of Grimm that had built up over the last week.
"Ruby…you can't keep up this pace. You're barely able to stand on your own two feet. How do you expect to fight?" Glynda almost pleaded with her young student as she stopped reloading her magazines.
"And why not!?" she asked, or rather demanded, "What else is there Miss Goodwitch? My team is gone!" she turned to face her and Glynda saw her eyes were now filling with tears.
"Yang lost her arm! Weiss was taken back to Atlas by her father! And Blake…" Ruby's voice hitched as she finally broke, days of holding back her emotions finally broke through and she just let it all out.
Glynda just wanted to hug the small reaper, she had gone through so much and it had all caught up to her.
She was aware of her relationship with Blake for some time but did not question it. She was glad of Blake's calm demeanor and hoped that it would rub off on Ruby, besides she thought the two looked adorable together, not that she would say it out loud.
However after the Grimm attacked, along with the White Fang and Yang losing her arm, Blake just vanished without saying a word. While she admired Ruby putting up a strong front, but at the end of the day, she was still a young girl who had her heart broken.
"She left Yang and she left me…we could have stayed together! We could have gotten through it all together…I guess Ozpin did make a mistake in making me a leader…" she said finally letting the tears flow.
Glynda set her coffee aside, still glad that their temporary accommodations were empty so they could have some privacy.
"Ozpin did not make a mistake Ruby, and I resent the fact that you think so. You have been an amazing leader for your team, far surpassing my own expectations and I will tell you this. Your mother would be proud of you." she said with a hint of pride in her voice.
She had met Summer a few times and was instantly able to understand why she was so well liked by everyone who met her. She was always wearing a genuine smile and was friendly to everyone.
But she would be lying to herself if she did not see Ruby as her favourite student, her endless energy, and skill in the arena were refreshing, and while she did not have the higher than average grades she would expect from her skill she was just easy to work with because she always took in new information.
"…really?" Ruby asked wiping her eyes, "Do you really think so?".
"I do. She would be so happy to see what you've accomplished. But Ruby just because your team has been forced apart it doesn't mean it was your fault. I don't think anyone could have prepared for…this." she gestured around her to Vale in general.
"We cannot dwell on what has already happened Ruby, all we can do is try our hardest to put things right." she walked Ruby over to a couch and sat her down, taking a seat next to her, "But please, have some rest. Our next shift isn't for a few hours. Try and get some sleep.".
Ruby nodded and decided to lay down on the couch, Glynda sat next to her and let her head on her lap, making sure that she was comfortable. She would not be able to look at herself in the mirror if she let Ruby go out to fight in such an exhausted state.
When their shift finally started Glynda had to shake Ruby awake, she was in such a deep sleep she had to get some coffee and wave it around her nose to wake her. Even though it was a couple of hours of sleep she was looking more refreshed than she had done earlier.
Before they headed out Ruby surprised Glynda by giving her a hug.
"Thanks, Glynda. I guess I really needed someone to open my eyes… Now let's take back Vale." she said with a determined grin as they headed out, joining a number of other hunters and huntresses who were heading deeper into Vale.
They met up with team CFVY who were still in Vale to help beat back the Grimm and both Coco and Velvet were happy to see Ruby with a smile on her face again even as Coco opened up with her minigun at a gathering horde of Beowolves and Ursa's.
Ruby was determined now to bring Vale back under control, afterward she would make sure Yang was alright and then she was going to go and find Blake, she needed to know exactly why she left.
In the back of her mind, she wondered if Blake just wanted to avoid breaking up with her directly but she shook her head clear as she unfurled her scythe, waiting until Coco finished shooting before using her semblance to launch herself into the spread out remains of Grimm.
She would do whatever she could for Vale, and would have some choice words for Blake when she found her.