RWBY: Time Paradox

Hey everyone, I'm alive! I've had some personal stuff that needed dealt with, and by the time I got back to this, it had been so long that I was a bit intimidated to start on it again. So yeah, anyway I managed to get back to this, that's what counts, right? I want to give a special thanks to everyone who has read, followed, favorited, and reviewed. Also, an author who read this suggested I do a spin off story to this focusing on Roman and Neo working cases together. I plan on making it a series of one shots that start with their first case and then go in no particular order. Basically something to do for fun. If anyone has any suggestions, please do not hesitate to share. I could use all of the ideas that I can get. Anyway, I've kept you waiting too long, so let's start the show!

I do not own RWBY. I only own my OCs and this plot.

Chapter Ten:

"They were here. Ozpin, they were here!" General Ironwood said, slamming his fist onto Ozpin's desk. "They were here, and if those two students hadn't shown up, then they very well could've escaped!"

"We're very much aware of that," Glynda Goodwitch said, her tone showing that she was growing exasperated with Ironwood's ranting. He had been on a warpath ever since arresting Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury. He believed that they had merely been lucky to avoid them escaping, and believed that Ozpin had been grossly negligent in handling the situation.

"Fantastic, you're aware," Ironwood sarcastically replied, "Now are we going to do something about it, or are we just going to stay the course and ignore what's right in front of us?" He emphasized his point by pointing at the ground in front of him with the last five words. Suddenly, Ozpin's desk started beeping, signaling the elevator arriving at his floor. Slowly, Ozpin stood up from his desk.

"Come in," Ozpin said, as he finished standing. The elevator doors whooshed open, revealing two occupants, Jack and Ruby.

"Ah! Sorry it took so long. Someone accidentally hit all of the buttons in the elevator on the way up here. It wasn't me. Umm... Jack did it!" Ruby said, pointing at Jack. Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head, crossing his arms as he did so. The three adults in the room didn't look convinced with her obvious lie. Ruby sheepishly looked down, realizing they didn't believe her lie.

"Thank you for coming Ruby, Jack. How are you feeling?" Ozpin asked.

"Okay, I guess. I'm just glad that we caught the bad guys. Now my bad guy catching record is officially 1-2!" Ruby said with a slight chuckle.

"I'm alright. I'm just glad that we were able to stop them in time. I'll feel even better if someone can figure out what Cinder did in the CCT and reverse it," Jack said, looking thoughtful. Just then something occurred to him. "You know, technically your bad guy catching record would be 3-2, since we got Cinder, which led to Mercury and Emerald being caught."

"Oh yeah, your right! Awesome!" Ruby exclaimed with a smile. "Now my bad guy catching record is in the positive!" She concluded this by making peace/victory signs with her hands. Jack smiled at her. Even as an adult, she never lost that energy and passion that she possessed even now. Seeing her like this, his homesickness wasn't quite so bad.

"On that note," Ironwood interrupted, walking toward them as he did, "I feel it is appropriate to let the two of you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a huntsman and huntress is all about. You recognized a threat, you took action, and you did the very best you could. You even managed to apprehend the suspect, and you were able to provide information which led to the arrest of two of her teammates. You two have done extremely well, and even more seasoned huntsmen could learn from your example," Ironwood gave a more pointed glare to Ozpin as he stressed the word seasoned. Jack recognized the hostility in his tone and actions, and decided to say something he may regret.

"I appreciate the kind words, sir, but you're not exactly very young yourself."

To say that everyone was shocked would be correct. Ruby's jaw dropped, before she had to fight back giggles. Goodwitch was torn between glaring at him for his impudence, and smirking at General Ironwood being told off. She settled for a mix between the two. Ozpin kept a carefully neutral expression, but inside he was smirking at the boy's cheek. Ironwood, meanwhile, was stunned, but quickly grew angry.

"While you did act bravely, as any huntsman should, you should learn to respect your betters," he said, although his tone made it more of a demand. Well, I'm already this far, I might as well roll with it, Jack thought.

"Sure, I respect my betters," Jack said with a shrug, "But tossing backhanded insults to others while giving praise is pretty low. If you're low enough to do that, then you're obviously not my better," He put on his cheekiest grin as he said that last sentence. Ironwood narrowed his eyes, already not liking him.

"Now you listen here, I have fought for and defended these kingdoms! I serve on the Atlas council-"

"And I don't care," Jack interrupted Ironwood's rant. "You just used a compliment to us as a way to take a jab at professor Ozpin, our headmaster. I don't care what you're disagreeing on, but that is pretty immature and, in my opinion, unbecoming of someone of your position. If it's about this whole Cinder situation, then he had it handled, and you're out of line."

"I'm out of line!?" Ironwood seethed. Despite not liking the fact that a student was telling off a headmaster and General, Goodwitch couldn't help but agree with Jack's infallible logic. Secretly, she allowed herself a small smirk. Ironwood, however, did not like this at all. Pointing his finger at Jack he said, "If you're so sure that Ozpin had it handled, then tell me what he was doing!" Jack looked over to Ozpin, seeking permission. Ozpin nodded, a neutral expression on his face.

"It's all right. Despite his tendency to sometimes be a bit overzealous, he is still someone I trust very much. He is a trusted friend of mine, and I believe he can be trusted with this information," Ozpin said. Goodwitch scoffed, obviously disagreeing.

"You're not seriously going to allow this, are you?" she asked Ozpin.

"He has been standing here in my office, accusing me of inaction. I've already trusted him with other vital secrets, one more won't hurt," Ozpin countered.

"Those secrets are why he's here, accusing you of inaction in the first place!" Goodwitch responded.

"What are you two talking about?" Ironwood demanded.

"Uh, you probably aren't going to believe this, but can you promise to keep this confidential?" Jack asked. Ironwood narrowed his eyes at him, then turned to Ozpin.

"You trusted a student with confidential information?" he asked. His tone made it clear that he was not happy.

"Hardly. He and his team had this information first. Only he, his team, and the parties affected are privy to this information, as well as Glynda and myself," That seemed to somewhat mollify the General. Nodding, he gestured to Jack to continue.

"Well, as I said, you probably aren't going to believe this, but my team and I... we aren't exactly from around here," Jack began, shuffling a bit nervously, "I mean, we are from around here, but we're also not. What I'm trying to say is that we come from the future. Or rather, an alternate future." Ironwood was silent for a moment, not quite sure how to react. Then...

"Ozpin, do you seriously expect me to believe this?" Ironwood asked, turning to Ozpin.

"Yes, James. I do. Miss Rose only has one sibling, and that is her sister. Look at her and Mr. Flint, and tell me what you see," Ozpin replied. Ironwood took a close look at both Ruby and Jack for a minute. He noted their hair color, their silver eyes, the similar skin complexion, although Jack appeared slightly paler than her, as well as their similar sense of fashion. He analyzed every similarity and difference. Finally, he turned back to Ozpin.

"I admit, they do bear a remarkable resemblance to each other. But that alone won't convince me of this preposterous story!"

"Phil, one of my teammates, can create glyphs like the Schnee family uses. He's Weiss Shnee's son," Jack interjected. Ironwood flinched in surprise.

"Is this true?" he asked.

"It is. I've seen him use them in combat training. He is remarkably skilled, and you yourself are well aware that there isn't a 17 year old male Schnee huntsman," Goodwitch replied. Ironwood took on a contemplative look, thinking over and analyzing this new information, comparing it to what he already knew about the Schnee family. Finally, he looked at Jack again.

"You say you're from an alternate future?" Jack nodded in response. "Tell me, what do you mean by alternate? What is different?" Jack hesitated a moment before answering. He had told Ozpin and Goodwitch, but only because they deserved to know, since he and his team just showed up out of the blue. Seeing Ozpin give a slight nod, he took a deep breath and explained.

"Well, uh..." Jack nervously put a hand onto the back of his neck, shuffling in a manner similar to Ruby, "my dad is sorta from an alternate future as well, one where Cinder and the bad guys weren't caught," At this piece of news, Ironwood narrowed his eyes and the atmosphere seemed to grow more serious.

"Go on," Ironwood said.

"It's a bit of a long story, and I don't really know all of the details. My dad doesn't really like to talk about it, and it kind of happened before his time. His grandmother was involved, though. You see, my dad's grandmother, which makes her my great grandmother, is Weiss Schnee," At this piece of news, all of the adults were surprised. He hadn't told any of them this.

"Why haven't you mentioned this to us?" Goodwitch demanded, glaring sharply at him.

"It just didn't seem important," Jack replied with a shrug.

"Anything else you left out?" she demanded.

"Well, you really should learn to relax more. All of your pent up stress is going to make you look old. I mean, really old. Ozpin still looks the same, though," Jack said with a smile. Goodwitch seemed surprised, and slightly worried, before she decided to glare at him some more.

"While this is somewhat amusing, please continue explaining more about your alternate future," Ironwood said, bringing them back on track.

"Right! So according to what my dad did tell us, Cinder and her team teamed up with the White Fang to assault the school by releasing a whole bunch of Grimm into the school. They attacked at some point during the Vytal festival, and the White Fang attacked during the chaos from all of those Grimm running around. Apparently, right after they succeeded in taking down the school Adam, the White Fang's leader betrayed Cinder and he and his soldiers killed her and her two teammates. Roman Torchwick died during the assault, apparently he got eaten by a Grimm or something. Long story short, the White Fang ruled Vale with strength and fear, as well as daily executions of humans and any faunus suspected of aiding or even showing any kindness toward humans," at this everyone looked disgusted.

"That's so sad," Ruby commented, looking down.

"This is just more reason to make sure that the White Fang are stopped and eradicated," Ironwood said, slamming a fist down into his open palm.

"Actually, there's no need for that. You see, among the survivors is my uncle Alex. Well, he's actually not my uncle, he's my cousin's uncle. But he's like an uncle to me. My parents and I would go on vacations and trips with him. But the Alex from my dad's time line had this idea for a one way time machine, and he and the other survivors spent many years designing, gathering parts for, and building the machine. Eventually, my dad was selected to use it, since he was the best fighter out of everyone young enough to withstand any potential stresses traveling through time could cause, as well as be able to properly carry out his mission. Basically, he was assigned the task of locating and killing Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury before the events leading up to the Fall could happen."

"So your father was sent back in time as an assassin? I'm assuming that he was successful. What then?" Ironwood asked.

"Yeah, basically he was. As you just guessed, he did succeed. He was arrested at first, but considering the remains of the pod he used to travel back were still there he had a pretty easy time proving he was from the future. Life remained peaceful, dad married mom," at this he pointed his thumb at Ruby, "and all was well."

"But what does this have to do with the White Fang?" Ironwood asked.

"Oh, right! Sorry, I almost forgot, heh heh..." Jack trailed off, a sheepish expression on his face. "My parents became full time huntsmen, or huntress in mom's case. I wonder what the term is for huntsmen and huntresses when describing them in general? Anyway, my dad also convinced Roman Torchwick to leave crime and become a private investigator. How is another story entirely. Weiss eventually gained control of the SDC with some help from Alex, who in our time line is the owner of a very successful company of his own and a major pro at gathering information. My aunt Yang also became a full time huntress, while her husband split his time between being a huntsman and helping his brother, which is my uncle Alex. Blake, however..." Jack trailed off, realizing that he had no clue as to whether or not the adults here knew of Blake's heritage. He quickly decided to stretch the truth a bit. "Blake knew someone who used to be in the White Fang, but left after they became more violent. Together, they managed to gain control of the White Fang with my dad's help, as well as her then boyfriend and now husband Sun Wukong. Under their control, the White Fang completely turned around and became a peaceful organization to promote faunus equality, rather than the terrorist group that they are now fighting for faunus supremacy. After Weiss gained control of the SDC, Blake was appointed head of human-faunus relations, and together they have done an excellent job of turning the SDC into a company that is well respected and is an equal opportunity employer for both humans and faunus," Jack concluded. Ruby beamed proudly at everyone's accomplishments.

"...I see," Ironwood said, allowing all of this new information to sink in. "I would like to hear more about your father's involvement with Torchwick, but that can wait for another time."

"Yes, I would also like to hear about that. I'm sure it will be most interesting. But for now, we have more pressing matters," Ozpin added. "Now the General has already informed us of last night's events, but now that you both have rested we were wondering if either of you had anything that you would like to add." Jack and Ruby were quiet for a moment as they both thought over whether or not there was anything pertinent to add. Finally, Ruby seemed to have an idea.

"We know that Cinder is connected to the White Fang, right?" At her question everyone nodded. "Well, we did some investigating of our own and found out that the White Fang have a hideout in the southeast, just outside of the kingdom. Maybe we will find Roman Torchwick there?" she suggested.

"It is an interesting possibility. Perhaps we can look into it. I will certainly consider it. But, tell me, what prompted you to do some investigating of your own?" Ozpin asked.

"It's a bit of a long story..." Ruby said, not sure how to explain. Jack stepped in to rescue her, knowing how much of a touchy subject Blake's past was with the White Fang.

"If I recall correctly, Blake and Weiss had a fight earlier this year, and it resulted in Blake running away for a whole weekend, right?" Jack asked Ruby, wanting to make sure that he had his facts straight. Ruby nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "While Blake was gone, and you were all searching for her, she ended up coming across an attempted dust heist by the White Fang, right?" Again Ruby nodded. "And during that heist, she saw Roman Torchwick ordering them around?" Another nod. "So, knowing that the White Fang of this time line hates humans, that's highly unusual. Isn't that why you all decided to check it out? After all, this could be really big, and as huntresses in training you wanted to get to the bottom of it?"

"Well... basically, yeah. It's sort of like that..." Ruby answered, trailing off as she did so. While there was more to it than that, she wasn't sure how much to actually say. She was thankful for Jack's quick thinking, though. Ozpin, who knew about Blake's connection to the White Fang, realized that Jack was helping Ruby cover for her teammate. He decided to let it slide since he wasn't sure how well James would react to her past with them.

"Interesting. Well you were certainly correct in your assumption that it was something big, as Jack so tactfully put it. However, next time I suggest that you report to me, or perhaps a trusted teacher next time. Glynda would certainly appreciate it if you could keep her informed, and she is a highly skilled huntress. She would be someone I would highly recommend, should you be unable or unwilling to report any strange activity to me. It would be most unfortunate if you were hurt or killed simply because you were tracking criminals on your own," Ozpin said, effectively reprimanding them and ending the conversation at the same time.

"Please, do tell someone before deciding to strike out on your own. You especially, Mr. Flint, should have said something to either the headmaster or myself. Why didn't you?" Goodwitch asked.

"I didn't really want to alter history too much, not anymore than our being here would alter it anyway. Also, I actually didn't know that Mr. Torchwick was involved with the White Fang until after we did our investigating. I only knew that he had a criminal past, and he used to be pretty big in the criminal underworld," he answered. Jack looked pretty dejected as he said that. The adults quickly realized that the Roman Torchwick of his time must have a pretty good relationship with him, if his expression is anything to go by. Ozpin decided to go ahead and dismiss them.

"In any case, thank you both for your cooperation. You and your teams have both done well so far, albeit you were a bit reckless. Why don't you go and spend some time with them. You have a big day ahead of you."

"Anytime," Ruby replied, turning to leave.

"No problem, sir," Jack replied, also turning to leave. The three adults watched them leave, each of them dwelling in their own thoughts.

As Jack and Ruby were entering their rooms, they both opened their doors to a similar scene. Their teammates were at the door, and immediately upon opening were in their face, demanding to know what happened. Upon noticing this, Jack and Ruby both looked to each other and shared a sympathetic smile before entering their rooms to explain.

After explaining how the conversation went, his teammates apologized for forgetting about their mission. They each had trouble meeting his eyes. Raelin especially found that she couldn't even look at his face, she was so consumed with guilt. She stared at the floor, her cat ears flattening themselves sadly against her head. Jack looked at them for a moment, and specifically at Raelin for a long moment, before sighing, though from what emotion he couldn't quite place.

"Look, I know you guys are beating yourselves up over forgetting the mission yesterday. I get it, okay? But I'm not holding it against you. Let's just learn from this, and move on. If we treat this as a learning experience, then we can look at this objectively and use it to do better in the future, right?" Jack said, hoping that his words would somehow make them feel better. Unfortunately, it didn't really seem to be working. Raelin sadly looked up at him, but she still wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Jack, that's easy for you to say. You never forgot. But I was supposed to go with you. Jack... I let you down. If something had happened to you, it was because I wasn't there, and I should have been. I'm glad that everything turned out well, but still..." at this her eyes immediately turned back to the floor, unable to even look in the general direction of his face. Jack looked at his other two teammates, seeing that they were still feeling guilty for forgetting the mission. Jack sighed again, although this time it was from frustration.

"Okay, we have an official mission today and we are not going out there like this. So we are going to resolve this right now, got it?" Jack said. He allowed his frustration to show in his voice and posture. His teammates nodded in silence, but their expressions showed that they didn't have much hope for it. Jack decided to try going for the source of their distractions.

"Okay, first I want to ask you, Phil, what you were doing when you forgot about the mission. The last we saw of you was when you went to go talk to your future dad. What happened after that?" Jack asked. Phil shifted uncomfortably, not really eager to share. Still, he knew that Jack was right about them not needing to go on another mission with these issues unresolved. So reluctantly, he told them.

"Well, the short version is that I followed him up the steps to the balcony and overheard a conversation between him and Jaune. Jaune said some things up there that really had me thinking about some stuff. I guess I just got caught up reexamining some of my life choices. Nothing related to being on this team, of course, just the way I've always gone around flirting with random girls. Jaune made me realize that it may not be as harmless as I always thought," Phil said, sadly looking down to the floor as he said that last part. Jack nodded in agreement.

"I'm glad you're finally starting to see it. We've tried to tell you before, but you had always just brushed us off. It's good to see that you've finally matured enough to see it now. I suppose I'm fine with letting this slide, seeing as to how it was a major life altering event for you. Ladies, what do you say?" Jack asked, looking at Solaris and Raelin.

"Yeah, it's fine. No hard feelings," Raelin glumly replied, barely looking at him for a brief moment before staring at her lap again, since she was seated on her bed.

"Uh, yeah. What she said. I'm proud of you," Solaris awkwardly said, shooting him a half smile. She looked down at her own lap, since she was seated beside Raelin. It's not like flirting is going to get me anywhere with him, she sadly thought to herself.

"Ooookaaaay..." Phil said, staring at the girls, "Is it just me, or are the girls acting really weird?"

"Definitely weird. And I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Now then, Solaris, I'm guessing you and Raelin continued talking about the topic you approached us with when Phil went upstairs?" At this Phil sent her a questioning look and Solaris squirmed in her spot while blushing deeply. Small wisps of flame began to rise from her hair, but Raelin gently nudged her with her elbow to get her attention and she quickly put it out.

"Uh... yeah. We did. I guess I got really caught up in that. I... I'm sorry. It's just something really... personal. Please don't be mad..." Jack couldn't remember the last time he had her her voice be so small. She looked like a small child that had done something bad and was being punished for it, and her voice was so soft that if he had been standing any further away he would not have been able to hear her. As it was, he had to strain to hear her.

"Of course I'm not mad. That was something really personal, and I fully understand. You're forgiven as well," Jack said.

"You know I'm not going to hold it against you," Raelin said, looking up at her and smiling sadly. Everyone turned to look at Phil.

"Why am I the only one who's being left out of this?" he asked with a slightly hurt expression. Jack cringed at his mistake in allowing Phil to realize that he's out of the loop.

"Uh..." Jack stalled, trying to come up with something. Fortunately, Raelin came to his rescue.

"Actually, I sent Jack away when we heard what it was about. Among other things that you guys just wouldn't get, she was bothered by your nearly constant flirting with other girls. The only reason I'm saying this now is because you admitted to realizing that it's not as harmless as you thought," Raelin said, quickly twisting and distorting the facts to cover for Solaris. Solaris quietly mouthed a grateful thank you to her when Phil wasn't looking. Phil, meanwhile, seemed satisfied with her answer.

"Okay, now that just leaves you, Raelin," Jack said.

"I got caught up talking to Solaris, that's all. I'm sorry," Raelin quickly said. Something about her statement didn't seem right, however. Jack decided to dig a little.

"Are you sure that's it? There's nothing else?" he pressed.

"Yes, that's all there was to it. I'm sorry," she repeated. Jack sighed again, this time in disappointment.

"You're lying," he said, disappointment and hurt clear in his tone and body language. Everyone looked at him with a startled expression, especially Raelin.

"W-what do you mean? Of c-course I'm telling the truth!" she quickly stammered out. Jack forced himself to refrain from sighing again. He was doing a lot of that today, it seemed.

"Raelin, you always stutter when you realize you've been caught lying. Also, I knew you were lying because your ears always twitch when you lie. I even asked you if you were sure if that was it just to make sure it wasn't a coincidence. Now could you please tell us what really happened?" Jack asked, clearly hurt that she would lie to him.

Raelin looked away from him. She couldn't tell him that she had been expressing her own feelings about him to Solaris. Not now. Not after she had failed him so miserably. He had been counting on her. Relying on her. Trusting her to be there when the time for action came. Instead, she had allowed the mission to slip from her mind over her own feelings. No, she had no right to tell him that, not now.

"I... I don't want to talk about it. I'll be fine. I won't fail you this time," she said, refusing to meet Jack's gaze. Jack was about to argue, but he was cut off by the intercom.

"Will all first year students please report to the amphitheater," came the voice of professor Glynda Goodwitch. In one fluid motion, Raelin stood up, tied her bow over her ears, and was out the door before anyone could even say anything. Jack just stared after her, dumbfounded.

"Don't worry, just give her some time," Solaris said, placing a comforting hand onto his shoulder.

"What is it that she talked about? This isn't like her," Jack asked, turning to look at her. Solaris shook her head.

"It's something personal. It's not my place to tell. She will, in her own time. Just leave it be for now," was her response, before passing him and following Raelin down the hall. As she disappeared, Phil stepped up beside him.

"I'm guessing that there was more to what Solaris said than what I was told, and you can't talk about it?" Phil asked. Jack nodded in response, still piecing together what just happened with Raelin. "Yeah, I thought so. Just tell me, is it something that I should be hurt over for being left out on?" he asked, allowing his mask of calm acceptance for Raelin's explanation to slip off now that the girls were gone. He had always allowed himself to show his true feelings around Jack, since he was his closest male friend. However, he always put an emotional mask on over his insecurities around others, even his other close friends. As heir to the Schnee Dust Company, he had to appear strong and sure at all times, and as is the case with Raelin and Solaris, he couldn't let himself be uncool enough to truly show how hurt he was. Jack only had that privilege because he was his closest guy friend, and he had a good head for advice, something he takes after his father in. Other than Jack, only his parents and a few close family members or staff members ever saw the real him.

Jack sighed once more and shook his head. He really needed to stop sighing so much, he mentally noted.

"No, the part I caught before getting kicked out by Raelin is that she has a crush on some guy. Yes, I heard who, and no, I'm not allowed to say. But you have nothing to worry about, trust me. He's a pretty cool guy, from what I know," Jack said with a smirk. Phil was unfortunately slow to pick up on the hint Jack gave him. He was busy mourning the loss of a possible romantic relationship with her. It took a few moments for the last sentence to register.

"Wait a minute, a pretty cool guy? You don't mean..." he trailed off, seeing the playful smirk on Jack's face. Jack gave an exaggerated shrug.

"Hey, I'm not allowed to say who I heard she likes. All I know is that this guy is pretty cool. I will say this, though. The rest of the competition, assuming you're in the running and excluding myself, are technically a lot older than us. So that would be weird," Jack said, smirking at him. Jack had secretly been shipping Phil and his cousin for a long time now, and was all too happy to help things along for them. And hey, he never really said who, did he? So if Phil figures it out, then he couldn't really be accused of telling him, right?

"So I do have a chance..." Phil whispered, seeming to be thinking aloud to himself. Jack smiled.

"Hey, if you really like her, go for it. Of course, I never told you anything. Just remember, she respects honesty. No gimmicks, no suave moves, just plain and simple honesty. Alright?"

"Right. Thanks, Jack. I really mean it. And don't worry, I never heard a thing," Phil gave a thumbs up and a grateful smile before heading out the door. As soon as Phil left, Jack's smile faltered. He knew that he had done the right thing for Phil and his cousin. Sure, he laughed yesterday at the dance when he found out that Solaris liked him. Sure, he had been shipping them secretly for a while. But he knew that Phil was a notorious flirt, and he honestly never thought that it would happen until at least a few years later. Still, after seeing Phil mature like this, he was all too happy.

Yes, he was glad for them. But Raelin had him worried. After their conversation a couple of days ago, he had been doing some serious thinking. What did that look in her eyes mean? Could it be that she had feelings for him? Did she want to be more than just friends with him? What did he want? He knew that he liked her. He really did. But did he love her?

The truth is, he did. He didn't realize it for a long time. Even yesterday at the dance, he wasn't sure. When he saw her in her dress, he definitely felt something. He was so used to seeing her in her normal everyday clothes that he had forgotten just how beautiful she could look when she tried. But even in her normal outfit she had a way of standing out, at least to him. But today, seeing her so broken at the fact that she feels like she had failed him, and seeing her leave like that, refusing to speak, he knew. There was no way that he could hurt like this if he didn't love her.

What could it possibly be that she didn't want to speak about? Look, kid. You wanna help? Fine. Let's see if you can figure this out. Solve this case. See, I already have all of the evidence. What can you make of it? That's what Mr. Torchwick had said to him the first time he had asked to help him with one of his cases. It took him some time, but he eventually managed to piece all of the evidence together to solve the case. Of course Mr. Torchwick had already solved it, and Jack had taken a little too long to solve it, but he was only ten at the time. Still, while Mr. Torchwick hadn't exactly said as much, he had been impressed that he could still solve it at all. Neo had practically beamed at him for managing to do so. That was the start of him teaching him how to be a detective, and Jack had even managed to talk him into showing his friends as well. These same friends were the three people who became his team, and together they even managed to help Mr. Torchwick with some of his cases. Granted, he also would sometimes have them do more secretarial work, but it was still worth it in the end.

This was no different. He knew that he had all of the evidence. Their conversation a couple of days ago. Her words to him today. The look shared between her and his cousin... wait. Could it be? He knew that Solaris had spoken to her about her feelings for Phil. Is it possible that...

The pleading look in her eyes in the restaurant. Her blushing when she asked him to be her date for the dance. He had dismissed it as a figment of his imagination at the time, but now he wasn't so sure. The way she smiled at him while they were dancing. She was nervous, shy even. A sharp contrast to her usually more calm and collected demeanor. Today, she was being especially hard on herself because she felt that she had let him down. And her words earlier... she seemed especially upset at the thought of something bad happening to him because she wasn't there. Could it be that she had a conversation with Solaris that was of a similar nature to the one that Solaris had with her? Could it be that Raelin reciprocated his feelings for her?

Yes, that had to be it. It was the only logical conclusion. But now the question becomes what to do about it. She was obviously too distraught for such a conversation now. Also, there was still their first official Beacon mission today. Speaking of which, his team is waiting for him, no doubt wondering what happened to him. He decided to shelve his thoughts for later. He would definitely have to talk to Raelin when things settled down somewhat.

As he was leaving his dorm, he caught sight of Ruby leaving with her backpack. While there was nothing unusual about that, seeing as to how he had his on as well, what was unusual was the small furry head that poked out of the top. After a moment, he realized what the head belonged to. Grinning, he ran to catch up to her.

"Hey mom! Is that Zwei?" he asked as he neared her. Jumping, she immediately turned to him and mad a big shushing motion and sound at him.

"Shush! My dad just sent him in the mail to us today. My team thinks we're leaving him for the week, but I just can't bear the thought of poor Zwei all alone for the whole time. Don't tell anybody, please?" she asked, making a really cute pleading face. Jack chuckled.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Now come on, our teams are probably wondering what happened to us," he said. Ruby immediately got a panicked look on her face at the reminder.

"Oh, right! Thank Jack!" she said before immediately disappearing in a flurry of rose petals. Jack chuckled at the sight. She really doesn't change all that much, he thought.

As he finally reached the amphitheater, he saw team RWBY and the rest of his team standing near professor Ozpin at a large holographic terminal. As soon as he approached, Weiss and the others immediately glared at him.

"Where where you! You completely missed professor Ozpin's speech, and even kept us waiting here for two minutes!" Weiss practically yelled at him. Jack rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Sorry. I kinda got caught up in my thoughts. There were some things that I was trying to work out. I... I may have gotten a bit turned around on the way here as a result. Also, I don't have my mom's speed semblance," he said. Weiss glared at him a moment longer, before Ozpin stepped in.

"Mr. Flint, I advise you to be more punctual from here on out. Tardiness is not a good trait for a huntsman. Now then, since you are all here, I believe that it is time for you to be given your assignments. After you and Ms. Rose left my office this morning, my colleagues and I discussed the information you had given us, as well as what little information the General has managed to obtain from Cinder and her associates," at the mention of Cinder, Raelin's head lowered. I will have to talk to her soon, Jack thought.

"While the other teams are selecting their own assignments, we decided that due to your exemplary performances thus far you will be given assignments normally deemed too dangerous for first year students. Team RWBY, you will be shadowing a huntsman on a search and destroy mission in Quadrant 5. As you may or may not be aware, Quadrant 5 is the location of Mountain Glenn. Due to the information you gathered during your own reconnaissance, I believe this to be a very possible location for the White Fang hideout that you heard mentioned. You are to locate this base, and report it back. Proper authorities will handle it from there. You are there to observe only, not engage. Is that clear?" Ozpin asked, giving a pointed look to team RWBY. They all responded with their own respective version of a quick 'yes sir!' and a nod.

"Good. Team JSPR, you will also be shadowing a huntsman here in Vale in a search for the notorious leader of the White Fang, Adam Taurus. Again, you are only there to observe. Do not engage under any circumstances. You are only to defend your lives, that's it. Even so, you must take every precaution to avoid such a circumstance. But I want all of you to hear me. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far, but you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the kingdom will not care. Stay close to your huntsman at all times. And do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission. And he can have you sent back to Beacon, if he find your skills to be unsatisfactory," Ozpin continued. After a brief pause where Ozpin started to walk away, he leaned back towards them and wished them good luck before actually walking away.

After Ozpin gave them their assignments and spoke to them, the two teams parted ways. After a few moments of walking in silence, Solaris spoke up.

"You know, that wasn't exactly the most uplifting thing I ever heard," she said, stretching her arms out across her torso.

"It is the truth though. Hunting the White Fang is going to be dangerous, especially their leader," Phil pointed out.

"Eh, we got this. After all, this isn't the 'everything went south' future. We can do this, and we'll have a full fledged huntsman helping us! I wonder who it'll be?" Jack queried. Just then, they saw team CFVY returning from their mission. Team CFVY had been missing for a week now, and they were currently being interrogated by team RWBY. They were just within earshot, and team JSPR overheard that the reason for their being gone so long was because of there being so many Grimm that they had to deal with. Velvet, the rabbit faunus of team CFVY, who was the one answering RWBY's questions, then tried encouraging them by saying that they would be fine because they were only shadowing huntsmen. The members of team JSPR all either shook their heads or rolled their eyes, respectively, before continuing on.

As they walked, Phil motioned for he and Jack to slow down and fall behind the girls of their team. Once they were just out of Raelin's range of hearing, Phil looked at Jack with a concerned expression on his face.

"Hey, they'll be fine, right?" Phil quietly asked. Jack looked at him, a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah, of course. Why?" Jack responded. Phil looked down for a moment, unsure.

"Eh, no reason. You're right. But, what about us? You heard about this Adam guy from your dad, right? Do you think that we really have a chance?" Phil asked, finally getting to what was actually bothering him. Jack paused to think for a moment, not sure of what to say.

"Yeah, I think so. We're only observing, right? And besides, we've got a full fledged huntsman on our side! So yeah, we should be fine," Jack replied, smiling confidently at Phil. Phil smiled back before looking ahead to Solaris, where his smile faded into a sigh. Jack noticed this.

"I guess you haven't asked her out yet?" Jack asked. Phil glumly nodded.

"I just... I don't want to hurt her, y'know? I mean, yeah, it's great to know that she likes me and all, but what if this doesn't work out? What if we do get together and she gets fed up with me, or decides that she doesn't like me as much as she thought she did? I don't know if I can really risk hurting our friendship like that," Phil said. Jack thought over what he said. Honestly, he's had very similar thoughts run through his head about him and Raelin. It took him a moment before he could give an answer... for the both of them.

"Honestly, it's your call. You know I'm rooting for you. But before you decide not to pursue her, I want you to ask yourself a very important question: which is worse? To date her, suffer heartbreak, and move on? Or to not take that chance, see her with someone else, and know that you had the opportunity and were too afraid to take it? If you can honestly answer that question, then you will know which path you should take. Just remember, you always miss 100% of the shots that you don't ever take," Jack said, quoting one of his favorite lines at the end. Phil thought over what he said for a moment, before nodding his head, his mind made up.

"Thanks Jack, I can always count on you for good advice. I think I know what I'll do now. I just need to wait for the right moment," he said. With that out of the way, the two guys sped up until they caught up to their team. Less than a minute later, they reached their destination, where they saw the bullhead that would take them into Vale. Emerging from it was the last huntsman they thought they would ever see for this. His graying black hair and tattered red cloak swayed in the breeze. His long tailed gray dress shirt and black dress pants appearing to have been slept in. His black dress shoes were badly scuffed and dirty from travel. Sunlight glinted off of his crooked cross necklace. His red eyes studied them intently as he took a long drink from his flask. Team JSPR stood there, jaws hanging loosely, too stunned to speak.

"You're late," Qrow Branwen said.

And that's a wrap! As I said up top, I had some personal issues going on, and by the time I got those taken care of, I was a bit intimidated to start back on writing, since I felt that I had lost my touch. But I finally got this out! I want to give a big thank you to Fatti-chan for being extremely patient with me. This author has been very understanding of my busy schedule of work, family, and church. Third shift really turns your life upside down. I also want to give a special thanks to Pygmanlion for letting me bounce ideas off of him/her for a story I want to do some time in the future. Probably after this story is complete, but maybe sooner if I can find the time and effort to do it alongside this and Link in Wanderland. It'll be a crossover of RWBY and Undertale, for anyone who's interested. Pygmanlion is also the one who gave me the idea for doing a side story about Roman and Neo solving cases together. I can only hope that I do well on it. Anyway, I am late for bed and I still have to put my laundry away. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and hopefully it was worth the wait!

Oh, and to anyone wondering why Glynda and Ozpin didn't know about Jack being related to Weiss, it was because they had stepped away when JSPR was introducing themselves to RWBY.