Part XIII

Yang rolled on onto her side, brow furrowing as she tried to wrap the sheets around her tighter. The night had turned colder than usual for mid May and it seemed like her body temperature ran perpetually cooler nowadays, as if losing her arm somehow made her-

Wait, where was her wife? Furrowing her brows, she rolled onto her back and checked the bed beside her- empty and cool to the touch. Sitting up slightly, she noted the lack of anyone in the bedroom and the bedside clock reading just shy of four in the morning.

Immediately, she worried- it had been years since Winter had woken this early, often too restless to remain in bed- and she grabbed her robe, pulling it around her shoulders in a motion made fluid by practice.

Four years after the accident and she almost felt whole again, though some part of her realized she'd never truly reach the level of independence she had before. Still, the custom made robe bereft of a full right sleeve didn't bother her anymore as she padded into the hallway, deciding to check the kids' rooms first, seeing as her wife had the penchant to check on them while they slept.

But Zachariah and Zise weren't in their bunk beds and Zephyr wasn't in her bed across the hall.

Panic flared as she hurried towards the staircase, unsure if there existed a plausible reason or if she was trapped in one of those terrible nightmares she sometimes had, where her entire family had up and left her while she slept, often standing just beyond a door she couldn't reach and-

"Whoa!"

"Zach! Quiet!" Zise whispered, though it could hardly be called that.

Pressing against the wall, Yang inched towards the living room and peeked inside, all her worries melting away as she found every missing member of her family accounted for- and rather busy at that.

Zachariah carried a large plate laden with cookies in his arms, tongue poking out of his mouth as he tried to carry it to the coffee table, a little bit of steam still wafting up and carrying the smell throughout the house. Behind him, Zise carried several boxes wrapped in yellow and purple paper, keeping an eye on her brother as they brought their burdens into the room from the kitchen. Meanwhile, by the fire place, Zephyr reached up from her perch atop Winter's shoulders to hang a banner that said "Happy Mother's Day!" in sparkling purple letters.

Her wife stepped back, obviously looking up for feedback. "Is it centered?"

Zephyr regarded the banner for a moment before giving a resolute nod. "Yep!"

"Good." With a nod of her own, Winter knelt and helped their eldest down. "Status report!"

"Cookies are cooling!"

"Presents are present!" A giggle.

"Banner's up!"

"Excellent," she said with a nod. "It's time for the next phase: to the kitchen for Operation Breakfast!"

"Aye aye!" The three little ones- ten, eight, and four- offered various degrees of salutes, from a pretty good imitation to a pretty silly one before the three dashed towards the kitchen, trying to calm their giggling as they laid claim to the various tasks ahead of them.

For a moment, Winter watched them with a smile before sighing and rubbing at her temple. "Please pretend they succeeded, Sundrop. They worked very hard on this." She remained silent, fairly certain her wife hadn't actually seen her. "After seventeen years, I know better than to try surprising you, but they really wanted to do this for you."

"You didn't try to talk them out of it?" She couldn't resist poking a little fun at her wife, a smile curling her lips.

"Have you met our children?" A groan- half frustrated, half adoration- reached her ears. "They certainly learned how to pout from their Auntie Ruby and they inherited stubbornness from both sides of the family. How you've managed to keep up with them is beyond me."

"It's a gift," she said, turning towards the staircase. "I suddenly feel really tired. Think I'll go to bed."

Returning to the bedroom, she slipped out of her robe and under the covers, wrapping the sheets around herself and doing her best to feign sleep even as the scent of fresh cooked bacon and eggs began filling the house. When she heard little feet coming up the hallway, followed by Winter's heavier tread, she buried her face in the covers and pillow to hide her smile. The door pushed open and a weight appeared on the edge of the bed as Zach crawled on hands and knees to start shaking her shoulder.

"Momma! Wake up Momma!"

"No," she said, unable to resist teasing her kids.

"But Momma! It's time to get up!"

"Five more minutes!" She echoed their pleas, wiggling further into the sheets as the kids laughed.

"Momma, you have to get up!" Zephyr seemed absolutely resolute in her logic. "You make us get up all the time!"

Immediately, her eyes snapped open. "And you always wake up right away, huh?"

While their eldest had the presence of mind to realize the trap she'd just walked into, Zise immediately countered. "We do, Momma! We just don't get outta bed right away!"

"We need to send her to law school," she said with a chuckle, glancing at Zach, perched up on her side and still lightly shaking her. "Hey, I'm up!"

"You gotta be up up!"

"I am up up!"

Zacharias shook his head, the gleam in his eyes speaking of a plan finally coming to fruition. "Nuh uh! I gotta call in… the claw!"

"No, not the claw!" She feigned shock as their son did his best to dig his little fingers into her side, trying to tickle her. For a few moments, she pretended he succeeded before wiggling her left arm out of the sheets.

"Two can play at that game!" Zach shrieked as she began tickling him, Zeph and Zise knowing to stay out of arm's reach once The Claw came out. By the time Winter scooped him up to save him, the little boy was completely out of breath and giggling uncontrollably.

"Now, kids, it's time you learn a very important lesson," Winter said, setting their son down by his sisters before sitting on the edge of the bed and leaning towards them, as if imparting a secret. "In engagements like these, experience always matters."

Yang had enough time to parse the advice before her wife turned and began tickling her, seeking out every weak point she had and exploiting it mercilessly. She laughed uncontrollably, thrashing lightly, and laughed all the harder when their kids joined the fray.

"Stop- stoo- ahahahaha! Sno- dri- hahah! Stoooooop!" When the assault came to an end, she couldn't catch her breath, pulled into a kiss almost immediately.

"Do you surrender?"

"Yes," she replied, pushing herself up and accepting the all encompassing hug from her children. "Momma's up. But now she wonders why she's up."

"Happy Mother's Day!" The three chorused, all beaming up at her. She gasped.

"It's Mother's Day already?" At the enthusiastic nods she received, Yang laughed. "Well then! I guess I should get up!" As the kids cheered, they got off the bed and bounced beside Winter, the four eagerly awaiting Yang to leave the bed. "So, what's on the agenda for today?"

"We made you breakfast!" Zephyr said.

"And presents!" Zise added.

"And then we're going to see Grandpa!" Zacharias finished, causing her brows to furrow.

Winter sat on the bed beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "I will tell you all about that part later. For now, there's a plate and some presents with your name on it."

Yang smiled, kissing her wife before looking at their kids.

"Well, sounds like a plan to me!" She got to her feet and immediately knelt down, pressing kisses to the kids' cheeks. "Lead the way!"

The three charged out of the room, their parents following in their wake a few moments later, but not before Winter caught her waist, pressing up against her back and speaking directly into her ear. "The moment we drop them off with your father, were doing whatever you want." She pressed a kiss beneath her ear and nipped lightly at the lobe. "Whatever you want."

"Hmmmm, that seems more like a birthday present to me," she replied with a chuckle.

"In that case, consider every day your birthday." Winter's smirk was audible and she braced herself. "Because not a day goes by where I don't want to see you in your birthday suit."

"I'm so glad they got my sense of humor," she said, turning her head to get another kiss before making to follow their kids. She was stopped, though, by her wife refusing to let her leave the embrace quite yet.

"Hey." She looked into the woman's expression. "Jokes aside? You're beautiful and a wonderful mother and I love you so very much. Today is all about you. Okay?"

She smiled at the warm affection filling her chest. "I love you, too."

They kissed again, breaking it off when little voices called out to them. They hurried down, hand-in-hand, to join their kids for breakfast, while more than a few ideas popped into Yang's head and set aside until that night.

Part XIV

Winter yawned, heading up the stairs and shutting off lights as she went. Yang was off supervising another trip, leaving her alone with the kids for two weeks, and while she didn't expect a good night's rest, she had to do something to be functional. Plus, she still had her wife's voice in her ears from their call- after the mandated lights out, during the brief privacy Yang had while away- so maybe tonight wouldn't be too bad-

She came to a dead stop in the hall as her hearing caught a sound that sent dread running down her spine. Silently, she waited, hoping she wouldn't hear it again, but another sniffle off to her left had her turning towards her eldest child's bedroom and knocking.

"Zephyr?" Slowly, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, taking in the darkened room. "Sweetheart? Are you awake?"

"Yeah…" Her daughter's voice- tiny and with a warble- came from the bed, which she reached in four long strides, sitting on the edge as Zephyr sat up and scrubbed at her face. "Sorry, Mom."

"Come now, why are you apologizing?" Her brows furrowed, a frown tugging at her lips. "Does your stomach hurt? Are you feeling well?"

"I'm okay." She muttered, head tilting down. "I'm fine."

"You wouldn't be crying in the middle of the night if you were fine," she said, reaching out and coaxing her daughter into an embrace, running her fingers through her daughter's hair to calm her. "You can tell me. If you want. Or perhaps I can sing you a song?"

For a while, they sat there quietly, until a small voice squeaked out. "I like a boy."

"Oh?" Her brows rose, surprised by the statement though she probably shouldn't be. Even if her children would always be exactly that in her eyes, Zephyr had just turned thirteen. Crushes were bound to happen and perhaps better now rather than later; both Yang and herself had been late bloomers in that regard and, while it did work out in their favor, it also made for some… interesting situations. "Is he a nice boy?"

"No," her daughter replied, sniffling again. "He talks back to the teachers and he doesn't do his homework. He never comes to the pep rallies and he always complains in gym. He acts like a bad boy…" She shifted a little. "But, he comes to the library during lunch like I do, and he's nice to the librarian and he always puts the books back in the right order. I don't think he's really as bad as he acts. And he's always nice to me."

"Your Momma did that sometimes- talked back to teachers, I mean. But only the ones that deserved it," Winter said, hoping to buy herself time. Feelings and relationships… any success she had in either department could be directly traced to others, chiefly Yang. Her wife had even agreed that, when it came time for The Talk, she would be better suited to give it. "Did you tell him you like him?"

Wide blue eyes looked up at her then, and for some reason it brought to mind the first time she'd told her wife about the time a Private nearly killed her team by throwing the grenade the wrong direction. "Mom! I can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because he'll say no!" She blinked, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks. "He won't talk to me in the halls or during class- only in the library. Otherwise… it's like I don't exist."

She bit her lip, trying to understand her daughter's logic. It seemed like addressing the issue head on would be the easiest option… but that didn't always work out for her, either, so she rubbed a hand along her daughter's back.

"Well then, why are you crying? If you're not going to tell him, then he'll never know-"

"Because he'll never know!" Her daughter's hands gripped her shirt as she buried her face in Winter's chest, her crying renewed. "I want him to know… but I can't tell him!"

She wrapped her arms around Zephyr, silently praying Yang could somehow feel their daughter's distress and would call, or suddenly appear at the door- anything, really, because she was entirely out of her depth at this point.

"It's so dumb."

"Hush now, don't say that," she said instantly, reminded too vividly of when her wife had said something similar and the shame that accompanied the words. "It's not dumb. Caring about others, no matter the capacity, is never dumb."

"But-"

"Listen to me." Winter waited until her daughter looked up, noting the seriousness in her expression. "I'm going to tell you the biggest secret right now, okay? Are you listening?" Zephyr nodded, wiping at her eyes again. "Love… is never easy. It wasn't for your Momma and I, it wasn't for Aunt Weiss and Aunt Blake, it wasn't for Auntie Ruby and Uncle Sun, and it won't be for you, or Zise, or Zach. It's going to keep you up some nights, and sometimes you won't even know why two months later, and sometimes you'll love the wrong person and get hurt. But love- caring about someone, be it family, friends, or a partner… it's never easy. And it's not dumb." She paused to wipe some of the tears from her daughter's face. "You don't know what to do right now. That's okay. You're young and you have time to explore. You have time to see if he talks to you outside the library or if you can't hold it in anymore and you tell him yourself. You say he's nice to you; see if he's nice to others. In time, you'll either tell him or move on… but if it gets to the point where you might not have a chance to tell him, do it then." She bent down and pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead. "There's not enough love in this world to go without telling someone. It's something that can eat away at you, the fact you never told them. Love freely, my dear, and live without regrets."

Zephyr sniffled and tilted her head. "Is that what you and Momma did?"

She pressed her lips together into a tight line. The children knew Grandpa Tai and had heard stories about their deceased Grandma Summer and Grandmother Raven, but Winter's side of the family remained a rarely mentioned open secret. Father had never approved of his daughters' choices, especially in partners, and both of them got disowned along the line. Weiss had managed to fight the battle with her father and claimed the family business in victory but by then their mother… well, if she even remembered she had children, she didn't miss them, and her liver didn't last long enough for them to change that. But where Weiss didn't remember the early years after Whitley was born, Winter did, and she remembered the woman her mother used to be.

"There's one person I wish I had the chance to say 'I love you' to one more time. I don't have that chance anymore. It's not the sort of regret I want you to ever know. So, even if it hurts, tell him, before you can't." She paused. "And, since we're being honest, I wasn't very nice when Momma met me. I was strict, severe, and I didn't always make such good jokes." She pointedly ignored the look her daughter gave her. "But when your Momma said she loved me… I knew I loved her, too, like no one else." She smiled. "You're a bit young to be that far but… saying 'I like you' isn't the end of anyone's world. And even if it is, Momma and I will be here to help you put it back together."

Zephyr hugged her tight then. "Thanks, Mom."

"Anytime," she replied as she returned the embrace, holding it for a few moments. "But now, it's time for you to sleep. You've got school in the morning."

After tucking her daughter in- a bit of a novelty, since she hadn't properly done so in almost three years- Winter kissed her forehead again and bid her goodnight. When she made it back to her bedroom, she changed into her sleepwear and settled into bed, though her previous weariness was entirely lost. Now, only one thought circled around again and again until she reached over and grabbed the scroll on her nightstand.

"Snowdrift?" Her wife's voice was thick from sleep.

"I just wanted to say I love you," she said. "One more time."

Yang chuckled, smile evident in her voice. "I love you too. I'll be home soon."

Part XV

Yang stared at the front door, leg bouncing as she sat in the chair, the living room television droning on in the background. Her nerves were frayed as she glance at the clock- half past eleven- and she put her hands on the arms of the chair, preparing to get up.

"Sundrop," her wife said, watching her from the couch. "We'd be able to hear them-"

"That doesn't mean I can't check!" Perhaps she was being a touch overprotective but it wasn't like Zephyr to stay out past curfew. Compound that with her sixteen-year-old being on a date- she didn't think she was wrong to worry. "This isn't like her."

"Things happen." Winter muted the tv. "They might've lost track of time. She's a good girl. She wouldn't disobey us without good reason, so we shouldn't be angry."

"I'm not angry- just worried," she said, though she did want to have a word or two with the boy when they got back.

When she'd heard the description of him, she didn't exactly get a warm and fuzzy feeling, and their brief introduction earlier that night hadn't done wonders, either. He looked like a kid who hadn't yet decided who he wanted to be and instead emulated whatever he saw in movies and shows without understanding the context of the behaviors- maybe it was the teacher in her talking, but she'd had students like him before, and they always had something smart to say, but rarely anything that came from the heart.

"Should we call the cops?"

"Are you going to have him arrested?"

"… no?" She smiled at her wife's laugh, the fond shake of her head making the situation a little lighter.

When the sound of a scroll rang out, Yang felt a little bit of relief- Winter was right in that their daughter wouldn't intentionally stay out and had likely just lost track of time.

"Schlong residence," Winter jokingly said with a curl to her lips that disappeared in the next moment. "Yes, speaking." Yang shifted at the difference in her wife's tone, watching the way her expression and posture straightened. "Is she alright?" She stood up, walking towards Winter as her chest tightened, unable to take comfort in the relieved little sigh that burst from the woman's lips. "Which hospital is she being taken to?"

"What's going on?" She felt her heart start to beat faster at the subtle shake in her wife's head. "Don't 'no' me- what's going on?"

"We'll be there soon as we can," Winter replied to the scroll, hanging up and dropping it to the ground, both hands immediately settling on Yang's shoulders. "Listen to me, Sundrop. She's okay."

"Don't fucking stall, Winter- what happened, where is our daughter-"

"There was a car accident." Blue eyes bored into hers as her chest caved in on itself. "She's okay, but they're taking her to a hospital for x-rays."

Tears sprang to her eyes as her knees went weak, hiccuping sobs lodging in her throat, and she nearly choked on them as she grabbed her wife's arms just to stay standing. "No no no no-"

"Sundrop- Sundrop, listen to me-"

Thoughts swirled in her head, terror surging forth- she'd never wanted her children to experience that, waking up in a hospital, the beeping, the smells, the foggy recollections because of morphine, the fear that none of it was real and she'd died-

"Yang!" Her gaze snapped to her wife's face, tears streaming down her cheeks; she didn't know when Winter had grabbed and pulled her in, held her tight, but she couldn't be sure she was supporting any of her own weight right then. "I know. I know this is hard for you. But our daughter is alive and conscious and she needs us right now. I'll get Zise and Zach; you get the car started and open the garage. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied, just barely processing the words. But she could latch on to a few phrases- Zephie was alive and needed them- and managed to nod. "Okay."

"Can you do that?"

"Yeah. Just- just hurry." She stumbled away, eyes searching everywhere, thoughts a trainwreck inside her head. It took her a moment to find the keys to the family car, entirely too long to remember how to operate the garage door, and by the time she'd strapped herself into the passenger seat and turned the engine over, her head had somewhat cleared enough for her to focus.

She pat herself down, finding her scroll and quickly shooting off a text to Ruby, Sun, Weiss, and Blake. They wouldn't be able to help- may not even be awake- but they should at least know.

By the time Winter brought out Zise and Zach, she had heard back from Blake, the perpetual night owl and light sleeper.

"I- I already texted everyone." She swallowed hard. "Did she break anything? Is her head okay? D-did she?"

"I don't know," Winter said, firmly though she reached out and grabbed Yang's hand, squeezing it in reassurance. "The officer didn't seem like it was anything major. She's being taken to the emergency room as a precaution. Let's just get there and hope for the best."

"Right. Okay." She breathed in deep, trying to keep the thoughts at bay of what could await them. Trying to distract herself, she turned in her seat and looked back at their two other children, both rubbing sleep from their eyes. Between them, the older of the two had fear evident in her expression, being old enough to remember the last time the family had rushed to the hospital sans one member. "Zise? Zachariah?" They both looked at her then. "Momma loves you. Mom too. You know that, right?"

"Love you too, Momma," Zach replied with a furrow to his brows, unable to understand why everyone seemed so tense, so scared. She'd hoped he'd never know this sensation for himself. "Where's Zephie?"

"Zach," his sister said, reaching out to grab his hand and hold it tight. "We're going to see her. Okay?"

"Okay," he replied, just as confused as before but understanding that right then, questions couldn't be answered.

"Zise, keep an eye on your brother for me when we get there, okay?"

"Yes Momma."

She turned back to watch the road but couldn't, the pain in her chest returning as she did her best to stem the tide of tears, clinging tight to her wife's hand to ground her. Pain shot through her right shoulder, the phantom agony she'd thought she'd left behind returning with a vengeance and she had to grit her teeth to the point of giving herself a headache to keep from crying out. Every blink brought with it headlights and she flinched at every intersection- she hadn't been this bad in years but in her head, all she could see was her little girl, lying in a hospital bed all alone, bandages wrapped around the remnants of her arm or leg or her head or-

"Yang," her wife said, bringing her focus back to the present as the car came to a stop in the brightly lit parking lot of the hospital- the same one they'd taken her after her accident. The same one she'd given birth to their three beautiful children. "If you want to go in-"

She never heard the rest. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she even shut the door, or completely disengaged the seatbelt- all she knew was that, three seconds after being given the go ahead, she found herself marching into the emergency room and zeroing in on the first nurse she saw.

"Where's my daughter?" Her voice was too loud- she knew that, she did, but she didn't care- and before the nurse could respond, she'd reached the desk and slammed her hands on it, the right one leaving a dent. "Zephyr Summer Xiao Long Schnee, car accident, where is she?"

"Ma'am, if you could take a seat-"

"Momma?" Her head snapped up, immediately ignoring anything further the man said and following the sound of the voice, throwing back the second curtain on a line of beds and finding her daughter sitting on it with another nurse standing beside her, swabs in hand as she clean the cuts on Zephyr's cheek. "Momma!"

"Oh Zephie!" She rushed forward and threw her arms around her eldest daughter, crying hard. From a glance, it seemed she had glass cuts on her face and bruises along her arms and the side of her head, but all limbs and digits were accounted for, and the nurse seemed to immediately understand Yang's need to hold her child, slipping off elsewhere for a moment. "I was so worried- you weren't home on time, and then we got the call and-"

"I'm sorry, Momma, we just left the theater late, and- and then there was a deer and Verdel swerved and-"

Suddenly, Yang remembered the boy, and at once felt anger and fear, because while she understood on some level he had no intention of losing control like he obviously had, she'd trusted him to bring her daughter home safe. "Where is he?"

"Momma, please, don't-"

"I'm not leaving you until Mom gets here," she said, lips turning down at the corners. "But once she does, I'm talking to him."

"Momma-"

"Zephyr?" Winter rounded the corner, one of Zise's hands clasped in hers and one of Zach's in her other one. Relief broke over three expressions- well two, while the third seemed more excited than anything- as they rushed forward, and Yang reluctantly left her eldest with the rest of the family while stepping away to find Verdel.

A quick glance around brought her attention to the nurse formerly attending her daughter, who seemed rather keen on escaping her notice with no such luck.

"Where is he?"

"Ma'am, you're not-" her gaze hardened and, for a moment, she thought the nurse might buckle. But then she stood her ground, putting her hands on her hips. "Ma'am, I understand you're upset, but he's been through a lot. He doesn't need anyone else making him feel worse."

That gave her pause, right hand clenching into a fist. "He's worse off, isn't he?"

"He is." She sighed. "And there's no one coming for him." Frustration colored the nurse's tone. "We contacted his parents but they're… too busy to come back from their business trips."

Yang frowned. "Where is he?"

"Ma'am-"

"Where. Is. Verdel?"

The nurse must've seen something in her eyes, silently turning and leading her down a hall, through doors with "Intensive Care Unit" stenciled on them and to a room with monitors and a single occupant staring at the far wall. Immediately, she felt something wrap around her heart and she honestly couldn't tell if it was horror at being back in the wing again- the sights, the sounds, the smells- or pain at seeing the young man lying in a too-big bed with heavy bandages on his left hand. Or at least, there were bandages where his hand should've been.

Yang stepped into the room and stopped at the foot of the bed, waiting for him to turn his head and acknowledge her. Almost instantly, his expression crumbled; gone was the boy with an attitude who bucked authority. Instead, she found herself looking at the young man her daughter saw during quiet hours in the library.

"I'm sorry," he said, tears in his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt her. I just didn't want to kill the deer."

She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, walking around until she could sit at the edge of the bed. Then, she reached out and coaxed him into sitting up, wrapping her arms around his shoulders lightly, mindful of his bandages and bruises.

"Honestly, I'm just glad you're both alive," she said, holding him just as she would her own son. "And I know right now it feels like you'll never be okay again. But I'm going to tell you: you're here. That means, one day, you can be okay again. So don't give up."

Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, fingers digging in on one side while the other couldn't- and never would. "My parents aren't coming, are they?"

"Fuck them." She smiled at his surprised chuckle. "I'm here. And we're going to get through this. Okay?"

"… okay…"

Part XVI

Winter gripped the wheel tight, lips pressed into a thin line as she barely kept a handle on her anger. Words ricocheted around her head, a full blown lecture waiting to be unleashed, but they were almost home. Better to get to the house, where she could look her middle child in the eyes while talking to her, than attempting to converse at the moment.

Zise, of course, had other ideas. "Mom, I-"

"Don't." She inhaled deeply and released it, scanning the intersection before proceeding through. "We'll talk about it when we get home."

"But I-"

"Zise, what did I just say?" She snapped that time, grip tightening even further. Her knuckles would ache the following day but it would be a small price to pay. "We'll wake Momma up and then talk about this-"

"You didn't wake her up?" She shifted in the passenger seat, crossing her arms over her chest. "Why?"

"Do you have any idea the sort of panic attack your Momma would've had if I woke her up saying that our daughter was at the police station?" A quick glance over allowed her to see the hunch in her daughter's shoulders. "Would I have even gotten that far? At the mention of 'police', you know exactly where her mind would've gone. You were supposed to be at a sleepover-"

"I just didn't want you and Momma to worry!" Zise sat up, putting her hands out in a placating gesture. "I didn't know anything about the alcohol or the drugs before I got there!"

"That isn't the point, Zise!" At a stop sign, she checked the rear view, confirming they were the only vehicle on the road at this time of night. Then she turned towards her daughter. "You told us you were staying at a friend's house when, come to find out, you weren't. The fact you were at a party with underage drinking and drug use is a little past the point." She paused, her anger not so great that she couldn't recognize the silver lining. "I am proud that you didn't imbibe though. I am. But that doesn't erase the fact you shouldn't have been there in the first place, and it makes me question if you would've ever told us if the police hadn't shown up."

"I was the one who called them!" She blinked, watching her daughter's face.

"You called them?"

Zise nodded, tears gathering in her eyes. "I was gonna go to Jasper's house, really, but then Isa texted me about this party and how there would be 'fun stuff' there, but she wouldn't tell me what that meant, so I got worried. I thought if I was there, then she wouldn't do something she'd regret, b-but then the party got outta control and I didn't see where she went and I panicked and called the cops- because some of the other kids were really drunk, and I didn't know what to do-"

Winter reached out and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Zise, why didn't you tell us?"

"I didn't want to worry you… and I thought I could handle it." She shrugged, scrubbing at her cheeks. "I know I was wrong but I just- I just thought-"

"Zizi," she said, waiting for Zise to look at her before smiling. She was still angry- of course she was- but she could see that her daughter had at least tried to do the right thing, albeit in her own way. "You still should've told us." She paused. "Does anyone else know you were the one who called the police?"

She shook her head. "I called the anonymous tip line."

"Then why stay?" Winter looked around, confirming they were still the only ones on the road. "The police were on their way. You could've left, not been arrested, and come home tomorrow with us none the wiser."

"I still couldn't find Isa," her daughter replied. "I didn't find her until the first cop car showed up, and then I didn't want to leave until I could get her into an ambulance."

"Is she okay?"

Zise shrugged. "I think so. I think she was just really drunk and dehydrated. The EMTs said she'd be okay."

Winter sighed, checking the road again before resuming their journey home.

"I can't say I approve of your methods, Zise. You should've told us," she said, considerably less angry now that she had the full story. "But you did the right thing getting those kids medical attention." With a sigh, she pulled onto their street. "And you are definitely your Momma's daughter."

Zise slumped in her seat. "She won't see it that way."

"Give her some credit." Winter felt a small smile curl her lips. "Charging into a situation that you're not entirely prepared for to help others, not telling others what you're doing or where you are, nearly getting yourself in a very bad situation for someone else's benefit… I think Momma understands that." A pause. "But you're still grounded pending your Momma's input."

Silence filled the car. "Is Momma gonna be mad you came to pick me up by yourself?"

"Yes, yes she will be." She winced. "I'll deal with that when it comes."

"But how is it any different from me going to the party without telling you two?"

"Please tell me you're going to law school." She chuckled, pulling into the drive and wincing again at the lights on along the first story. Yang was definitely awake. "Suffice it to say, when you've been with someone as long as I've been with your Momma, you trust each other to do things, and you know when two isn't better than one. It's rare, but it happens."

Parking the car in the garage, they got out and went into the house to find Yang sitting at the table, wearing her robe with a half empty cup of water sitting in front of her. Her brows furrowed, seemingly confused to see both of them walking in together.

"Everything okay?"

"It is now," she replied, immediately taking a seat next to her wife and intertwining their hands. "Zise has something she needs to tell you."

Winter nodded for their daughter to take a seat across from them, which she did. After a moment to gather her nerves, their middle child told the whole story- chronologically, this time- while Yang sat, expression betraying her surprise at every turn.

"So, yeah… that's what happened." Zise finished, then hung her head. "I'm sorry, Momma."

"Hey, Zizi." Yang waited until their daughter looked up. "It's okay. Go get changed and get some sleep."

"Am I grounded until I graduate?"

"You're not grounded."

"What?" Zise and Winter were both confused by the declaration, the latter more than the former. Her wife squeezed her hand before nodding.

"You know to tell us next time. You know you scared your Mom pretty bad this time. You called the proper authorities, even knowing you could get in a lot of trouble, and you came clean about it." She frowned. "I'm disappointed you didn't call us immediately but your Mom and I are just happy you're safe. So go to bed. I'm sure you'll wanna go see Isa tomorrow, yeah?" Zise nodded. "Alright. You'll need to rest, first. Come here."

Disentangling their hands, Yang beckoned their daughter closer, pulling her into a tight embrace. Zise hugged them both, whispering 'I love you's into their necks before rushing up the stairs and to her room. Winter's brows pinched together.

"You handled that better than I expected."

"You did all the hard stuff." A frown touched her lips. "You should've woken me up."

"You would've worried- and you know the doctor just warned you about your cholesterol."

Her wife sighed, leaning over to kiss her cheek. "Nothing a little healthy eating won't fix. And still no excuse."

"After our last brush with middle-of-the-night calls, I…" she trailed off.

Their hands intertwined again. "I get it, Snowdrift. I do. And you're probably right… I would've been a basket case on the drive to the station."

"I'm surprised you let her off so easy," she said, pressing a kiss to the back of her wife's hand. "I thought you would've been livid."

Yang bit her lip, then shook her head. "She made a mistake. She'll learn from it." A smile curled her lips. "Didn't you say that's what they get from me? They'll get hurt and come out stronger for it? Same thing here." She sighed. "At the end of the day, our daughter put herself in a bad situation for all the right reasons. There were better ways and she knows that now. I trust she'll do better next time." Lilac eyes sought hers out, a twinkle of amusement in them. "That's what they get from you. She won't let us down. Promise."

Winter found herself at a loss for a moment before smiling. "… you do have a point."

"I know." Yang winked. "Now, it's bedtime. We're going to the craft fair tomorrow after we visit Isa."

Oh hell; she'd forgotten about that. "Of course."

They got up, flicking off the lights and heading to the bedroom, still hand-in-hand.

"I love you, Sundrop."

"Love you too, Snowdrift." She smirked. "But you're not getting out of the craft fair."

Damnit.

Part XVII

Yang cracked her neck after being prodded back to semi-wakefulness. They'd opted to watch a movie on the couch but, hardly twenty minutes in, she fell dead asleep, curled up against her wife. Winter hadn't minded, though she was still working feeling back into her arm, and waited until long after the movie ended to wake her and suggest turning in for the night.

"Sorry I spent most of date night asleep," she said, a yawn splitting her apology in two.

"It's fine. You've been busy with exams and you deserve it." A kiss pressed against her cheek. "Let's just go-" She cut off as they heard their son laughing upstairs, a little surprised he was still awake. After dinner, Zach had gone to his room and they'd assumed he'd fallen asleep by now, given the late hour. Zach didn't usually stay up- their only child to be more of a morning person while his sisters were nightowls- but it seemed more unusual for him to be rowdy. They looked at each other, her wife's brows pinching together. "Should we talk to him?"

"He's a teenager." Yang shrugged. "They do weird stuff sometimes. I'll go wish him good night and tell him to keep it down."

Winter- with good intentions in mind- had started watching their children a little closer after the party incident. Thankfully, Zise didn't get charged and the vast majority of the party attendees faced no direct consequences, aside from angry parents, which meant she wasn't stopped from attending the school of her choosing. With their daughters away at college, it meant they'd had more time to spend with Zach, which they loved; he hadn't quite grown out of showing open affection towards his parents like some of his friends, and Yang liked to think of it as 'catching up', seeing as the first few years of his life were a particularly sore spot for her.

"Very well," she replied, pulling her into a brief embrace. "Come get me if it's serious."

Yang rolled her eyes but kissed her wife all the same; she'd become more of a worrywort than ever before, but one could hardly fault her for her concerns. Not that they'd had many brushes with either police or emergency services since then- save that one time, but Zach had sworn off chemistry experiments at home after it- yet she still checked up on their kids a bit more than was entirely warranted.

Heading up the stairs, she waited for Winter to enter the master bedroom before knocking on Zach's door, hearing a muffled 'come in' and cracking it open.

"Hey, buddy," she said, waiting for a moment as her son maneuvered his character somewhere safe.

She didn't quite understand the game aside from being very creative- some of the things Zach had done blew her mind, truly- but Yang had been enough of a gamer back in the day to wait patiently for him to reach a stopping point. He pulled his headset down to around his neck, looking back at her with those eyes that she swore looked blue in the right light while her wife insisted they were just a lighter shade of lilac.

"Hey, Momma. What's up? Was I being too loud?"

"A little… but do you have a minute?" At his nod, she entered the room and plopped down on his bed, seeing as she damn sure didn't want to sink into the extra gamer chair he had sitting off to the side; the thing was too damn comfortable and she'd fall right back asleep, if she didn't kill herself trying to get out of the damn thing. "Everything going okay?"

"Uh, yeah!" He smiled but it looked a little strained, like he was trying not to make it so wide. "Just great! I, uh, heard back from the zoo today. I got the job."

"That's great to hear," she said, beaming at him. "You looking forward to your first foray into the world of employment?"

"Yeah! I mean, spending money, who doesn't like that?"

She narrowed her eyes. He was downplaying it and trying to avoid admitting that this summer job meant a lot to him. "Think you'll enjoy it?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, aside from the whole 'working' thing, right?" He shrugged. "It's just a job."

"Zachariah, don't lie to your Momma." She leaned forward, resting her elbow on her knee and using her stump to gesture towards the door. "Ever since Mom and I took you and your sisters to the zoo when you were six, you've wanted to do something with animals. A vet, a researcher, a conservationist- whatever branch didn't matter as long as it lead back to animals. For your first job, this is pretty close to the dream, right?"

Her son ducked his head, trying to hide that goofy grin. "Yeah, I mean… basically." A shrug. "I'm really excited about it."

Yang frowned. "Really? 'Cause you seem like you're trying very hard not to be."

She watched as he contemplated his controller- which typically meant he was trying to politely ask to return to his game. Except, he didn't pick it up, instead scratching at his jaw, where peach fuzz was just starting to come in, making him look so much like his Grandpa it hurt sometimes.

"Zach?"

"I don't want you to be ashamed," he said, the words so fast Yang almost couldn't parse them.

"… what?" She spread her hands. "What's there to be ashamed about, Zach?"

He glanced at her before staring down at his jeans, picking at invisible specks- something he picked up from his Mom.

"Ever since we were kids, Zephyr and Zise knew what they were going to do- we all did. Zephie's the doctor, Zizi's the lawyer, but I'm…" He pointedly kept his gaze averted. "I just wanna be a zookeeper."

Silence stretched between them, the game's music softly playing from his headset.

"Am I… missing something?" She cocked her head to the side. "Zach, we've kinda figured out you wanna work at the zoo. I mean, it's hard seeing you doing anything else!"

"Is it 'cause I'm not smart enough?" The question genuinely blindsided Yang, jaw falling slack even as the words continued to tumble from his mouth. "I know I don't have the best grades but- but I try, ya know? I'm not doctor level or lawyer level-"

"Whoa, hold up, time out," she said, finally catching onto what had her son so upset, though he was trying his hardest to remain strong. Yang got off the bed and went over to him, lowering herself to the ground and throwing an arm around his shoulders. "Zach, look at me." Slowly, he turned his gaze her way, but mostly watched her from the corner of his eye. "You can be whatever you want to be. It doesn't matter if you're not 'smart enough' or 'strong enough'," she said, putting emphasis on the subjective words. "You've got that kinda work ethic that's worth so much more. If you'd ever expressed an interest in medical or law school, your Mom and I would support you fully. We never meant to imply you could just be a zookeeper."

"I know," he replied with a sigh. "I mean… I don't want to do anything else. I love animals and I wanna work with them for the rest of my life, however I can!" The genuine bit of joy in his voice at that declaration died out as his expression fell. "But… I also know how it sounds. My sisters really live up to the Schnee name and I… don't."

"Do not let your Mom hear you say that, or your Aunt for that matter." She tried to keep her tone light but she was very aware of her wife's thoughts on the 'family legacy'. "Both of them- and the rest of us, for that matter- just want to see you doing what you love to do. We don't care about how many letters come after your name or before it. Just that you're happy."

"… really?" He looked at her fully then. "I love my sisters, I do, but it's just so… hardsometimes, measuring myself up against them-"

"Hey, hey, that's not fair." Yang squeezed his shoulder. "You three are very different individuals; there's no competition between you three." She frowned. "Has Zephie or Zizi made you feel like that?"

"… no." He admitted with a little chagrin.

"Okay." She looked at Zach, weighing her options. "Buddy, I know we've never told you this… but before you were born, Mom was in the military." A quick look urged him to remain silent; of course they knew of Winter's service, but not all the details. "Mom… loved the military. Even the parts she claimed to hate; your Mom was a soldier, through and through, and she lived and breathed it. But then she met me, and we got married. That's when things changed." She paused. "She was gone a lot. She didn't want to be, but she missed out on a lot with Zephyr and Zise, and when I was pregnant with you, she decided she didn't want to do that anymore." Yang remembered those far off days- over fifteen years ago, how the time had flown- but pressed on regardless of the bittersweet memories. "She gave up the military to be a good Mom to you and your sisters and she never regretted it… but sometimes, I did."

"What?" Zach blinked. "Why?"

"Because it was something Mom loved, and she stopped doing it. For a while, I thought if I'd been stronger, given her less chances to worry, she would've stayed in." She sighed. "I would've supported her either way. I meant it then and now; I love her and would do anything to see her happy." She raised her stump. "After my accident, it got much worse. I felt like I wasn't good enough. I almost quit. But I had you, and your sisters, and Mom." Yang smiled at him. "I'm bringing up all this to tell you: the only way we got through all that was by supporting one another, in big ways and small, and I don't want any of you going through life having to leave behind something you love for any reason other than you want to. It took me a while to realize that Mom left because she really didn't want to be away from us anymore and there was nothing I could've done to change her mind." A shrug. "So, you wanna be a zookeeper today, and in five years an astronaut, and five years after that a crab fisherman? You have my full support. As long as you're safe and happy, you can do whatever the hell you want." She leaned forward, resting their foreheads together. "I'm always in your corner. Mom, too. And you better know Zephie and Zizi will brag to everyone about you, no matter what you do."

Zach smiled- a real smile, the one he'd been holding back all this time. "Even if I just wanna clean out the elephant habitat every day?"

"You'll be the stinkiest stinker in the family, and we'll love you for it." He threw his arms around her.

"Thanks, Momma." She returned the embrace as best she could.

"No problem, kiddo. Now, I'm gonna head to bed. Try to keep it down, okay?" Yang released her son, only to groan as she pushed herself to her feet. Several pops that probably shouldn't have popped made her wince. "Ugh, if I make it that far. Can I crash here tonight?"

"My bed isn't big enough for you and Mom."

"Who said she's invited?" As Yang got up, she stumbled towards the door, massaging a stitch in her side. "Good night, Zach. Don't stay up too late."

"Okay."

"Love you."

"Love you too, Momma." Yang made her way to the bedroom, happy to see Winter had both changed into her pajamas and laid some out for her, a book in hand and her reading glasses on as she waited.

Now pushing fifty, her wife's eyesight had started declining, but she still looked every bit as beautiful as the day they'd met, just seasoned by experience, laugh lines etched into her face and a scar from that fiasco with the lawnmower a few months back still healing along her arm.

"Hey, call me crazy, but I don't think you've heard this one before," she said, bypassing the pajamas for a moment to sit on the bed beside her wife, who watched her with a bemused expression. "I love you."

Immediately, she chuckled. "Such unfamiliar words. Can you teach me how to utter this strange phrase?"

"Oh, I can teach you a thing or two about love, Snowdrift." She scooted closer. "C'mere, you."

It wasn't the fervent makeout they'd enjoyed when they started dating or the deeper, slower embraces those early exchanges evolved into; instead, it was more holding each other, trading kisses lightly, and just… existing.

She would tell Winter about her conversation with Zach later. For now, she just wanted to indulge in the woman who supported her when she least felt like she deserved it.

Part XVIII

Winter watched as her wife shuffled around the room, relieved to finally be out of her fancier dress pants and content to walk around on her nice button up and underwear. When she felt ready, she'd ask for help, and it'd become a point of pride to assist her wife in such tasks, because she stood to date as the only person allowed to offer assistance in such matters, much less be sought out for that assistance.

For the moment, though, she let the reality sink in, slowly. They'd been through this twice already but she knew her wife, knew that sag to her shoulders, and when Yang turned towards her, she had a warm smile ready.

"Snowdrift?" Her lip trembled. "Our baby boy's all grown up."

"He graduated high school, Sundrop. He's hardly 'grown up'," she replied, opening her arms and welcoming the hurried embrace, fingers clutching at her shirt. "He's still our baby boy."

"It's not the same." Her gaze drifted off to the side, towards the bedroom door and the hallway beyond. "He's going off to college in a few months."

"And we'll make sure he has a wonderful final summer before leaving the nest, and he'll always be welcomed back, the same as Zephyr and Zise-"

"You mean our daughters, one of whom is getting married?" Winter chuckled, rubbing her hands along her wife's back in soothing motions.

"Verdel asked our blessing. You could've said no."

"Like I would crush Zephie like that." She sighed. "I'm gonna miss him. It's going to be so quiet with him off at college." A sniffle. "I miss all of them."

"And there's not a day that goes by where we're not on their minds, the same way they're on ours." Drawing back, she coaxed her wife into meeting her eyes. "If you want, we could call them up and tell them they have to come back home. I could go dig out their matching onesies… though they might be too small nowadays."

"Very funny." Yang smiled, though a sigh swiftly followed. "I just… I dunno. I'm thinking back on all the times we had together as a family in this house and I… want that back."

"We haven't lost it," Winter said, carefully swaying her hips and pulling her wife into a dance to a nonexistent beat. "We still have the house and our memories. Until we go senile, anyway."

"Don't joke." Yang sighed, swaying with her and smiling. "I'm not sure how I'm going to keep sane without the kids here."

Judging now to be as good a time as any, she put forth a suggestion on that front. "What if we're not here as often?" Her wife raised a brow. "When we first started dating, you told me you wanted to travel all of Remnant."

"Who doesn't at that age?" She chuckled. "You actually did it."

"What if I did it again, but with less bullets and more you?" Tongue darting out to lick her lips, she tried to word her request just right. "I know you've still got your classes to consider, but how about a vacation or two after Zach leaves for college? We could go to Mistral, Menagerie, visit Blake and Weiss or Ruby and Sun- we could sail for a week and get off somewhere new. Let's go on an adventure."

"I thought that was more of a retirement thing?" Yang's tone implied a lighthearted comment… but darkness lurked in her eyes. "You really want an early start? Think your back can take it?"

She smiled, having put the pain at the back of her mind during the day's events. Too long carrying too much too far had come back to bite her, but the medicines helped. "I'll be fine. And why not now? Why wait?"

Her wife seemed to mull the offer over a little before nodding. "Okay. Where should we go first?"

"You always wanted to visit Haven."

"You think your old barracks are still standing?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"No, but I could show you around anyway. It would be nice." Her head tilted as memories came flooding back. "I used to daydream about the places I'd take you, were you to visit. Before my transfer to Atlas, of course."

"Oh? You never told me this." Their dance came to a stand still, lilac eyes dancing with mirth. "You used to daydream about me?"

"Yes, and night dream, but those were a bit more… risqué." Yang laughed, drawing her into a sweet kiss.

"So here's the plan. We spend this summer helping Zach prepare for college. I'll take the first two months of semester off. And then…" a wicked smile came to her lips "… we'll spend a little bit making all your dreams come true."

"Oh, my precious Sundrop," she said with a chuckle, gazing lovingly into her wife's eyes. "They already have. But a repeat is always appreciated."

"Hmmm, let's see just how prepared we are for any encores." Yang winked. "Take off my shirt?"

"Gladly." Despite having surpassed the fifty year mark herself while her wife neared it, Winter found she still had more than enough energy and amorous inclination to indulge, seeing as Zach wouldn't return from the graduation party until the next morning. They might as well enjoy themselves… while they could.