I've decided to put this story into two separate arcs once this story is finished, it will in a sense be a prologue to the actual series. I don't really want this to be a massive story that goes into the high forties and beyond in terms of chapters. So once we hit where the series actually starts then that will be a new and separate story, and this one will come to a close.
Summer was nervous. She and Ruby had taken a day trip to Vale with Eli to wait for his meeting with Ozpin's specialist to be over. So far he had been in the woman's office for nearly two hours and Ruby was napping on her lap.
While she doubted that they would find out straight away what the results would be, they would still be happy to see Eli come out with a smile on his face.
But something else had been bothering her, she had noticed that Eli had been acting a little odd lately as if he was hiding something but she would leave it for another day since this was far more important.
"Thanks for your time doc. Surprisingly, that actually made me feel better.", "Well Eli I'm glad you were willing to open up, and with what I have found I don't think that you have anything to worry about. I will pass my report onto Ozpin shortly." shaking the doctor's hand he turned to Summer with a big smile, "Lunch? Because I really could go for some food right now.".
Picking Ruby up she snored softly into his shoulder as Summer linked her arm around his free and Eli felt like he could finally ask what he wanted to ask Summer.
Stopping at a small restaurant just outside the shuttle port to Patch they were met with stares as Eli walked in and instantly he knew what to expect. Though not everyone was staring at him there were a few friendly smiles, but he wasn't about to push his luck and meet their stares.
But Summer saw the stares as well and told Eli to take Ruby to a table while she ordered their food. Ruby was by this point awake and had been enjoying being carried around, and was taking in the sights of Vale outside the restaurant window. "How are you liking Vale so far Ruby?", "It's soooo big. It's so different from Patch.", "I'll be working at Beacon hopefully if you want I can see if Ozpin is alright with me giving you a tour. It's a really great place." he explained as he watched her bounce around with excitement.
He heard a few words from the corner with his enhanced hearing, sadly it was the usual racial garbage against Faunus. Which he was glad that Ruby could not hear. When Summer returned with their drinks she mentioned that the food would be a little longer but everyone was happy with what she ordered.
"Might be having a little trouble, just thought I'd give you a heads up." he whispered to her, he really did not want to deal with this with Ruby with them but he was not going to cower to racist thugs.
But it was an old couple sitting nearby that made him relax, 'Don't they make a cute couple?' the lady said and it was comments like that gave him hope that things would become better for Faunus. It would not happen overnight but it was a start at least.
"So what do you think Ozpin will say?" Summer asked, "Hopefully it will be a yes. First Faunus teacher at Beacon would be a milestone.", "Be interesting to watch you teach a class." she said smiling but Eli thought he could tell she was thinking of something dirty, but would not say anything in front of Ruby.
"Oi dog ears! Get out, animals aren't allowed in restaurants!" one of the men in the corner called out only for Eli to sigh, but before he could turn to address them Summer got up and walked across to them, she spoke something to them but it was all but a whisper and Eli could not hear it.
For a moment he wondered what was going to happen but very quickly they looked rather panicked before getting up and leaving the restaurant. When she returned Summer looked very smug with herself, "What did you say to them?", "Nothing…but they seemed to be very apologetic." Eli grinned as Ruby looked up at them, "What did those men mean dad?".
"Well, Ruby, I'm a Faunus as you know and some people don't exactly like us. And while it's not everyone, it's still hard for us to be seen as equals.", "That's mean, though…", "It's not always so bad Ruby, but things do need to change." Ruby lent over and hugged Eli, burying her face into his side.
"I don't hate you." Eli smiled warmly as he returned the hug, "I know you don't Ruby. I love you both so much." they ignored the sounds of cooing people around them at the touching scene.
Several days later after they returned to Patch and waited for Ozpin to get back to them, Summer headed out to visit Tai and Raven leaving Eli to look after Ruby but he had something very important to ask her.
"Ruby…you know I love your mother very much right?" she looked up from her picture book and nodded, "Well I wanted to ask her something but I don't want to do it if your not comfortable with it." he pulled out a small box and opened it up for her to see the ring. "I want to ask Summer to marry me but I want to get your blessing I guess." he said with a smile, "Really? That's great!" she quickly got to her feet and jumped onto the couch, she took a moment to clear her throat.
"Eli. I, Ruby Rose, hereby bless you to marry my mom, also known as supermom." Eli could not help but chuckle, she had been reading a lot of fairy tales lately so guessed she got it from the books, "Thank you, Ruby. I'm glad that you are alright with it.".
Now all he had to do was pick the right moment to ask her. Ruby had promised that she would not say anything which he was secretly happy for, as she did have a tendency at times to speak before thinking.
An hour past and Summer had yet to return. He did not want to worry Ruby but Summer was late coming back and the last few days there had been sightings of Grimm and while he was not overly concerned it still made him wonder why Summer was late.
Stepping outside for a moment he closed his eyes and listened, he could hear the sounds of Patch nearby and the usual sounds of the woods around his home. Then the sound of a rifle cut through the background noise and he recognised it straight away.
Rushing back inside to grab Shadows Claw he was about to tell Ruby to stay inside but noticed that she had decided to take a nap, and rather than wake her and worry her he locked the door on the way out. And ran as fast as he could in the direction of the gunshot.
Summer ducked under the swipe of an Alpha Beowolf, she had been taken by surprise when walking back from Tai's house. One managed to get a lucky hit in and while her aura had protected her it still had knocked the wind out of her, she had not brought any extra ammunition with her either, so she had to use what she had sparingly.
Thrusting her sword through the underside of its jaw she pulled the trigger, making sure it was dead as she withdrew Thorns Edge and used her Semblance to cut through three more Beowolves that had tried to charge her. While she was a trained huntress, nothing felt worse than being alone against Grimm.
While Beowolves were easy to deal with solo she failed to see the Ursa in time as it smacked her across the clearing, barely missing a tree as she skidded along the ground.
She saw the Ursa approach before it stopped and raised its paws to finish her off, only to hear a scream of pure rage as something attacked it, a dark mass cutting through the Ursa and turning it to ribbons.
"Eli!" the mass returned to Eli's usual appearance and while he looked furious it was not at her, but rather at the Grimm. "How many people I care about do you bastards have to take away!" extending his weapon to its full length he helped Summer to her feet with his free hand.
"Can you fight?" he asked getting a nod as an answer, "Good let's finish this and go home. Hopefully get back before Ruby wakes up." Summer tried to fight back a blush as she thought about Eli coming for her, he really did love her.
Summer's rifle roared as she picked off Grimm that were approaching, and covering Eli as he cut through the slowly thinning group of Grimm, before joining him using her sword. Of course, the final Ursa fell with both their weapons lodged in its body.
"Well, I'm glad that's done." Eli said returning his pole-arm to its katana form, "How did you find me?" Summer asked catching her breath, "Heard your gunshot. Waited until I got closer to use my semblance for some extra speed." he explained only for Summer to embrace him, "Thank you, Eli. Thank you so much.".
Eli hugged her back, glad that she was alright besides a few cuts and bruises that her aura could heal without any problems.
"Summer…I wanted to ask you something. It's been on my mind for a while and I wanted to ask…" he said reaching into one pocket, then another before patting himself down. "Shit…I must have left it at home. I'm such an idiot.", "Eli? What was it? What did you want to ask me?" Summer asked worried what had gotten him so worked up even after fighting Grimm.
But she lost the ability to speak when Eli took her hand and got down on one knee, "Eli…" she stuttered not sure how to respond, "Summer. I know this isn't the best place for this but I had a ring and everything, but I love you with all my heart. Will you marry me Summer?" he became slightly nervous when she did not say anything.
But he got his answer when she tackled him to the ground and smothered him with kisses.
Arriving back home they were met with a very worried Ruby who had only just woken up and found the house empty.
"I'm so sorry sweetie. We just stepped out for a moment while you were sleeping. I did not want to worry you." Summer said hugging her daughter, "But we do have some good news. Eli has asked me to marry him." she said filled with joy as Ruby's eyes lit up. "I gave him my blessing." Ruby cheered, "Oh really?" Summer asked looking over at Eli who had grabbed the ring box and was kneeling down next to her with the ring.
"I asked Ruby if she would be alright with me asking you. It wouldn't have felt right if she wasn't comfortable with it." Eli said getting a kiss from Summer, "You are just so amazing." leaning in she whispered something in his ear, "I think Ruby deserves a little brother or sister. What do you think?" Eli smiled warmly, "Just don't tell my mother…she won't leave you alone.".
The next day he received a message from Ozpin, asking him to return to Beacon at his earliest convenience.
Of course, he jumped on the first transport to Vale that he could find while Summer decided to take Ruby and take her over to see Yang and tell Raven and Tai the good news.
But now that he stood in the elevator up to Ozpin's office he suddenly became very nervous. If it was good news then he would be one of a few Faunus who became teachers, but he would also be the first Faunus to be a teacher at Beacon. As the doors opened he saw a number of people, first was a slightly large fellow with a bushy mustache, the next was a green haired man with glasses who seemed to be buzzing with coffee.
The next was an older woman who he recognised as Professor Peach, a nice enough woman but someone who would rarely tolerate bad behavior in the classroom and finally, Ozpin sat at his desk with a small smile on his face.
"Welcome Eli, I'm happy to see you arrived quickly." Ozpin said as Eli began to relax a little more with the friendly atmosphere, "Well regardless of the answer today I was just happy to have a chance.", "Indeed. Your past history while tragic will act as a symbol of your willingness to continue." the green haired man said extremely quickly. Eli turned back to Ozpin, "Does that mean what I think it means?" Ozpin smiled with a nod, "If you are still willing then yes. I would like to welcome you to Beacon.".
Eli was about to agree but then realised something, "What about Summer and Ruby? I can't just leave them in Patch and I can't take Ruby away from Yang." Ozpin mused over it for a moment, "Well I can see why that would be a problem but since you are new to being a teacher you will be only be required to teach two days out of the week. Afterward, we maybe able to expand on that.".
Eli nodded in thanks, he had just asked Summer to marry him, the last thing he wanted was to spend more and more time away from both of them. "Obvious question professor but what will I be teaching?", "Human and Faunus relations as well as a glass on survival in the wilds, something you excelled at." Ozpin answered as Eli thanked him.
"These are your fellow teachers, Professors Port and Peach and Doctor Oobleck.", "It's a shame Glynda is away at the moment." Peach said, "Glynda?" Eli questioned thinking that he had heard the name before, "My assistant I guess you could say, she also teaches the combat classes." Ozpin explained as he thought about the name and how it sounded familiar. "Glynda…I've heard that name before…It's not Glynda Goodwitch is it?", "That's right." Ozpin confirmed getting a small laugh out of Eli.
"Been a few years since I saw her. Last time was just before graduation." he thought back to his time as a student and remembered her blonde hair and emerald eyes and her laid back attitude.
"Well she knows of your appointment but for now you have about two weeks until the term break ends. Until then you are free to explore the grounds and get to know the layout of the academy. But please return the day before the term ends so we can get your assignments arranged and have your lesson plan ready for when the term begins." Ozpin explained.
"Thank you for this opportunity Ozpin, really it means a lot." Eli spent the next hour chatting with the other staff and getting to know them. Port loved to talk about his early years and part of him was wondering if the stories were true, Oobleck was someone he was barely able to understand he talked so quickly and Peach had given him a look as if he was still a student in trouble.
Returning home to Patch he went straight home and walked in, giving Summer a hug straight away.
"Good news?" she asked hopeful, "Your looking at the newest teacher at Beacon. I start in two weeks." Summer cried out in joy as she kissed him, "That is wonderful Eli.", "Where's Ruby?" Eli asked wondering why she wasn't already climbing over him giggling, "Sleepover with Yang. That way I was thinking…you and I could have a nice night in together…" Summer said blushing softly.
"Oh? What did you have in mind?" Eli asked wrapping his arms around her, "Nice meal, cuddling on the couch?" he asked only for her to lean in, "Yes and something very special for my husband to be.".
A hundred ideas rushed through his head as he picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the couch.
"I'll get something started for dinner. Then…we can cuddle." his amber eyes lit up as he winked at her, "Something tells me you are going to be very happy at the end of tonight." Summer said smiling as she relaxed on the couch as Eli started cooking, "Well let's see, new job, breaking into new ground for Faunus and spending the night in the company of my betrothed. Yeah, I will be extremely happy.".
It was at that moment that Summer thought back to if she had done the wrong thing by separating from Eli, even if it was just until after graduation, if she had stayed with him then maybe she could have made a difference to his recovery. But now the man in her eyes would be willing to move all of Remnant to see her smile, and most importantly to her, to see Ruby smile.
It had been a short two weeks in Summer's opinion but she and Eli had been spending the whole time together and Ruby would always smile when they were together. But there was something that she had wanted to tell him but decided to wait until he had settled in at Beacon.
But she would make do with looking through the available houses in Patch, since their family was going to get a little bigger soon enough.
Well here is the next chapter. And yes Summer is pregnant. There will only be two or three chapters after this one before the story starts as I would like to get onto the main storyline and the changes I have for it.
