I DON'T OWN RWBY! BUT I DO OWN THESE IDEAS! **Sorry for lateness and how short it is, didn't really have the time or ideas for this chapter...

`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…` Blake – 5 and ½ `…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`

Tukson watched his niece as she walked in and around the plants Evan kept on the roof of their building. Every now and then he would hear a loud squawk from one of the three chickens they had as well and would look up to see one or two trying to escape the hyperactive hunter.

Ghira had asked him to babysit the night before at dinner. His brother had explained how Blake had managed to sneak off before Blake interrupted and excitedly told him about the bird she had befriended. He'd gotten a kick out of the story, reminding his brother of the time he had done something similar in their youth.

Kali and Evan had hit it off after being introduced, somehow going in depth on the topic of herbs and their uses in the field. Tukson hadn't even pretended to listen, knowing his knowledge of herbs only extended as far as the kitchen like his brother.

"Uncle Tuck!" Blake called out, drawing the man out of his thoughts as Blake ran over to him with something in her hands. "Help!" She cried as she ran, Tukson noticing the angry bird chasing his niece holding its egg.

"Tiny Kali strikes again!" Tukson mumbled as he dropped his book and got up, taking the long steps to swing his niece up into his arms. "What did I tell you about the chickens?" He asked as he shooed the bird away with his foot. The bird gave an angry cry as it was shooed, unhappy with losing an egg.

"Don't mess with 'em?" Blake said as she held her prize close, following the bird's walk with her eyes.

"And that means no taking their eggs." Tukson said as he carefully took the egg out of Blake's hands and walked over to the coup. "Now, if you mess with the chickens again, I won't let you have any new books." He told the girl as he slipped the egg into one of the three nests there.

"Okay," Blake said softly, disappointed with her fun ending but she liked her Uncle's stories more than antagonizing the chickens.

"Now, scooch. Stay away from the edge and the chickens." He told her, setting her down before going back to his seat and grabbing his book.

Blake sighed as she looked around again at the roof. Half of it was more of a greenhouse area with plants climbing the walls while the other half was split with a bird coup and sitting area. Her Uncle sat there, propped up with a thick book with no picture on the cover to interest her and didn't want to help her explore. She wished one of her friends were there. Sage would have helped her dig for buried treasure in the garden and eat the big berries growing there. Adam would have told her all about how to get the mean birds to like her and tell her about the pretty plants that were growing. Peter would be boring, so maybe she shouldn't wish for him, but the others would be good to have.

"What's that?" She whispered to herself when a certain smell caught her attention. It was a heavier smell, unlike the sharp and light smells growing on the ground. It made her feel funny; which meant she had to find it. Maybe it was a good plant, like the small rough leaves that made her think of Uncle Evan's green ice cream.

`…`…`…`…`

"Oh shit. Oh shit." Tukson muttered as he rushed around his kitchen. "Blake stop chewing on that!" He snapped hoping his harsh tone would cut through to his niece and get her to stop chewing on his couch. Her eyes were huge, meaning she'd chewed more than a few leaves off the plants he grew.

"Butterflies," Blake said, her laughter making Tukson wince as he poured a sippy cup full of milk. His brother was going to kill him for not watching which plants his daughter played with. Then again, he didn't think Blake would climb up to the top of the shed and mess with the catnip and weed planted there.

"Hey Puffy, I'm baaaa, oh Oum what happened?" Evan exclaimed as Blake rolled off the couch and hit the floor with a thud. "Blake, look at me." He said, running over to the laughing child to see her eyes blown wide and a strong smell surrounding her.

"I already got the milk and your special crackers." Tukson said, walking into the room with a sippy cup in one hand and a bag of crackers in the other. "Help me fix this before my brother kills us both." He said as he passed the other man the cup and fixed pillows around the couch to create a sort of nest to put his niece in.

"Both of us? He'll kill you, you mean." Evan snapped as he tried to pull Blake out from under their coffee table, the child trying to lick the underside of the glass. "I'm innocent and not the sitter." He added as he pulled Blake into his arms and pushed the other man aside, trying to wrap himself around the wiggling child and reach for a blanket at the same time.

"Hold it." Tukson told the scowling man as he snatched the blanket away and pulled a small hood off the coat rack. "Do it." He ordered, watching with an almost scared look as Evan wrapped Blake in her mother's jacket and forced the sippy cup in her mouth.

"What happened?" Evan asked as he held a now stunned and still loopy Blake, giving her a bite of his crackers as he waited for a response. "She's stoned!" He said, his attention on Blake as she tried to wiggle free of his arms and the jacket while Tukson carefully sat down in a chair across from him.

"I, uh, she…She ate a few leaves before I realized what happened." He said, his words blunt as he watched Evan settle Blake back down. "I know I'm awful and I'm sorry, just please don't leave me alone with my brother when he finds out." Tukson pleaded as Blake munched on the crackers, letting out a giggle every other bite.

Evan didn't say anything, choosing instead to try and get Blake to switch between pigging out on crackers and taking her cup. On one hand, Tukson deserved whatever his brother gave him for letting his child get into their more relaxed garden, but he also didn't feel like paying the bills all on his own.

"I'll help." He said and quickly made noises to get his relieved boyfriend to pause the beginnings of his joy. "BUT! You have to clean the loft and I to take over the bedroom for a week." He added, watching as the young man pouted a bit as he considered the offer before nodding his agreement.

It took them a little over an hour to get Blake to come down from her high, the toddler crashing midway through climbing the back of the couch. If it weren't for the pillows Evan had placed under her, when she fell it would have been a lot harder than the soft thump they heard.

Both had peeked over the furniture piece to find Blake passed out on top of the pillows, her mouth open and her left claws still sticking to the couch, a rip showing where it'd come from. Neither wanted to move her, afraid of waking her back up and dealing with a high and hyper child.

"We still have time till they come back?" Tukson said as he carefully dropped Kali's hood down on the child and looked up at the human man. Evan hummed, seeming to think over the other's words before shaking his head.

"You can get started on locking up the plants. I'll get started on dinner. Meatloaf okay?" He asked, ignoring the mild grumbling he received as Tukson left for the roof and he slipped into the kitchen.

"Blake? You okay?" Evan asked a short time later, walking into the room to find Blake pale and panting. "Does your tummy hurt?" He asked as he pulled the jacket back just as Blake rolled over and vomited on the floor. "That answered that." Evan said, trying to fight back his own rising bile as Blake whined.

"It's okay, you're okay." Evan soothed, rubbing the girl's back, and lifting her into his arm. "Hold on," he mumbled as he went to the bathroom and grabbed a towel to clean the mess. "Let's get you a bath." He added as an afterthought, setting Blake down on the counter before quickly going to the living room to drop a towel down on the mess.

"I want maw." Blake whined when Evan returned, slowly climbing down from the counter, and trying to leave.

"Your Mummy will be back soon." Evan soothed, gently pulling Blake toward him so he could slip her out of her clothes while warm water filled the small tub. "Let's see if this will help make you feel better." He said as he carefully set a now annoyed and fussing Blake into the tub.

"No!" Blake whined, kicking furiously at the water, and letting out loud panicked sounds. Evan immediately pulled her out of the tub, thinking the water was too hot for the girl. As soon as he let her go though she was gone, running out of the bathroom with not a strip of clothing.

"B-Blake!" Evan called out in a panic, afraid she'd be sick again or hurt herself in their home. He really hadn't childproofed their home and now that he thought about it he hadn't cleaned their room from last ni- "BLAKE NO!" He practically screamed, slipping over his own feet as he frantically ran after the five year old.

Tukson peeked over the lip of the roof, hearing Evan yell as he moved Evan's plants to a new spot next to his own. He'd take his time on the roof, whatever had the other man in a panic was not something he wanted to be a part of.

`…`…`…`

Evan sighed as he fell to the floor, a book falling from his fingers as he glanced at the sleeping child. He'd found Blake hidden in a cabinet in the kitchen an hour ago, Kali's jacket wrapped around her as she glared at him from the dark space. It'd taken him half an hour to get her out of the cabinet, cleaned up, and into one of his old shirts. He'd tried Tukson's but she'd been swallowed by it and slipped through the head of it completely. Evan was a bit smaller so his fit better.

"Huh?" He mumbled when a knock interrupted his thoughts on the punishments he'd give the other man for his lack of help. "Hello?" He asked as he opened the door and let out a relieved breath and smiled. "Mr. Ghira, Mrs. Kali! How did your meeting go?" Evan asked as he moved to allow the couple into their home.

"Surprisingly well." Ghira admitted, getting a scoff from Kali that made the larger man smile.

"New lighting in the dorms, a new system for night courses, and somehow changed the dietary plan for the entire school!" Kali told them with a sarcastic air as she walked over to her dozing child and pulled her into her arms. "Good morning Blake." She whispered, smiling when Blake's ears twitched and she let out a small mew; snuggling against Kali.

"What happened?" Kali asked after a few seconds, her nose picking up a familiar and very unwanted scent on her baby girl. Immediately Evan felt death approach as frigid gold eyes landed on him and felt a larger one join it.

"I-I," Evan stuttered, trying to come up with a way to explain things without getting killed.

"Evan? Did you move the new shipment again?" Tukson interrupted, his appearance a blessing for Evan as he immediately threw him under the bus and ran to the kitchen.

"TuksonletBlakegetintotheweedandcatnipanditmadehersick! I'm sorry!" He rattled out as he ran, barely avoiding Ghira's sudden charge at his brother.

"TUKSON!" Ghira roared as Kali wrapped Blake more firmly into a blanket, the child letting out a whimper and folding her ears back at her Daddy's rage. Kali had her own plans for revenge, but she rarely got to hold her active little girl so she would wait for her turn.

`…`…`

Kali smiled as she looked up from her book to see Ghira soothing Blake. After leaving his brother's home, Blake had refused to leave either of her parent's holds. Ghira had tried to put her in his pouch pocket but the fuss she made about it told him not to try again.

"Any better?" She asked softly, scooting closer to the father daughter pair to look over her little kitten.

"Still smells sick, but no fever yet." Ghira told her, his fingers slowly brushing through her hair and down her back. "I can't believe how much of an idiot my brother is." He grouched, not taking his eyes off the sleeping child on his chest.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, he's being punished." She said, holding up a key with the word garden carefully painted on it. Ghira let out a soft huff of amusement, a smile and shine in his eyes telling of his approval. "Do you want me to take her? You haven't eaten yet." She asked, holding her arms open to take their girl only for Ghira to shake his head.

"I won't get to hold her for too much longer." He whispered, looking at the girl that had him wrapped around her finger. "I'll eat later." He added when Kali nodded, understanding what he meant as she leaned against him and reopened her book.

`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…` Blake – 6 `…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`…`

Blake glared up at Kali, the woman ignoring the look as she waited for Blake to speak. Normally, at this time of day, Blake would be in school and both her parents at the White Fang working, but today, Blake had decided to climb one of the larger trees near the school with no reason why.

Kali had been on her way to her own office, a pile of paperwork waiting for her, when Eileen had appeared next to her. The small heart attack both had received at the sudden appearance had taught both to be more careful in their surroundings.

"Do you want to explain?" Kali finally asked, getting a huff from the girl as she crossed her arms and turned around. "Blake." She warned, watching her daughter's ears fold back for a second before she stubbornly held her ground.

"I hate boys." Blake said passionately just as Kali was about to give her last warning. The young mother paused, confused on what the statement had to do with Blake climbing a tree. "They're stupid mean butts." She added, her insult making Kali smile a bit though she tried not to show it as she walked around her daughter to look at her.

"What happened?" She asked in a gentle tone. "Oh, baby," she whispered when Blake sniffed and let out a hiccup before jumping into the Kali's arms. It took a few minutes, Kali moving to set them both in Ghira's chair, before Blake calmed down enough to talk. "Talk to me

"Az're got mad cause Sage told him to leave me a'one, and he chaseded me up the tree cause Sage got sick an' had to leave." Blake mumbled, sniffling as her fingers played with the clasp of Kali's half coat. The woman sighed, she wanted to be mad at her daughter, but it seemed she had listened to Kali's countless reminders of not fighting anyone.

"Has Azure been mean for long?" She asked, wondering if she could perhaps bring this to the attention of the teachers or possibly track the boy's parents down. Blake shrugged not truly answering and causing her Maw to frown. "Blake, do you know why he's mean?" She asked, getting a sad look from her little girl as she nodded her head and tried to bury her face against Kali's chest. "Oh baby," she hummed while folding her arms around her baby and brushing her hair. She'd let it go for now, but she'd tell Ghira about it later and see what he thought on it.

`…`…`…`…`

"Lord Ghira, have you ever thought about allowing Blake to move ahead?" Iris asked as she and Ghira sat in her classroom with cups of warm coffee between them. Ghira raised a brow at the question, confused on why they would be discussing Blake's place when they had been discussing her and a few others being bullied. "I sent a letter to your home a few days ago, I'm guessing you didn't get it." The dark skinned lioness laughed, unsurprised as she opened a drawer behind the desk and leafed through a few things.

"Is Blake alright?" He asked, now worried about his little girl's schooling as Iris pushed a folder forward and motioned for him to take it.

"We usually give the kids mock tests every few weeks, to see how they're learning and compare it when they first got here." Iris said as Ghira flipped through a few papers, his eyes tracing over the small doodles Blake had put on her papers before Iris spoke up again. "I gave Blake a test from one of the first grade teachers, to see what she knew and she scored quite well on it." She told him, leaning forward to pull a paper from the back of the file, showing Ghira the well scored test. It wasn't perfect, but it was close and impressed him a bit.

"I understand if you want to keep Blake in her age group and socialize more, but she's not being challenged and I suggest allowing her to move up a year. I know that she already has a friend in first grade as well, so she wouldn't be alone." Iris told her, smiling a bit when she remembered that one of her friends was also a teacher for the boy. "You don't have to make an immediate choice. It's only a suggestion, but it is an opportunity for her as well. Now, I need to go talk to a few of our other teachers and the principal to see what we can do about this bullying going on." Iris said, standing with a smile as Ghira grabbed the paper asking for his permission.

"Yes, I need to get back to my office as well. Have a good day, Mrs. West-Allen." Ghira said with a bit of absentmindedness before leaving, pushing the papers into one of his pockets to look over later.

"Lord Ghira!" A friendly voice said in surprise as Ghira exited the building. A breeze and bright smile telling him who had appeared. "What brings you here? Blake okay?" Barry asked, dust kicked up from his approach settling around his worn boots.

"Everything is fine. Why are you here? I thought you would be helping repairs in the market." Ghira said as he looked over the young man before him, taking in his slightly darker eyes and the shadows there. "Is everything okay?" He asked, the shadows around the man worrying him.

"Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. I just, I'm just worried about Iris." Barry told him, rubbing the back of his neck and making Ghira frown. "Was it…Was it hard? When you had Blake?" He asked suddenly, his words making Ghira's worries change.

"Being a parent is the most terrifying thing to face." Ghira told him with a smile. "More so than Grimm." He added before nodding his head back the way he had come. Barry smiled, dipping his head to the larger man before running off.

"But wives that are the mothers of your children are fair competition." He mumbled as he tried to come up with a way to tell Kali he wished to move Blake up a year. Oh, she'd be proud, he was sure but she'd be worried of what it meant as well.