How

"Look, before anything gets answered, we need to sit down," Yang said to everyone, "We've been walkin' a lot." Everyone agreed and walked to the porch as team JKDW and Preacher walked closely together.

"Auron… What in the hell did you do?" Preacher asked in disbelief, "That was Jeff's semblance you used. It don't make any damn sense."

"Trust me, I got no idea what the fuck happened," Auron answered and looked at his hands, "I just… got to thinkin'. I wasn't gonna let that thing tear down what you an' dad built or hurt anyone here. I don't know how I did it or why it happened."

"I… I might know an answer," Jace said and the two looked at him, "You know how dad and Gen's auras went to me and I have their eye colors? I'm thinking that maybe your dad's aura went to you and instead of eye color…"

"I got his semblance?" Auron finished, "That's… I don't know what to think about that…"

Preacher put a hand on his shoulder. "It don't matter how or why. What matters is that you got a bit o' your dad in ya. Maybe that's his way o' lookin' out for ya."

"That's something you'll have to practice with," Alyss said at Jace's side, "And we'll help you."

"It's what friends are supposed to do. We've all got your back with this." Raine added.

Auron smiled as he looked forward to the house. "Thanks. Oum, what's mom gonna say?"

Alex stepped up to Jace and gave a small grin. "At least you don't have their eyes either. Gods I'm glad I don't." He said as he retracted his blade and sent it into the sheath on the underside of his wristguard. He detached the blade and hooked the hilt into his belt.

"So that's where you pulled your sword from. Pretty cool." Jace remarked and the younger teen grinned.

"Yep. It's got a dust chamber in the hilt that I can use to make the blade catch completely on fire or I can use whatever."

"I can recommend bolt dust," Jace said, "I figured out that it's pretty awesome. It gives your blade a really high frequency and it slices through things like butter."

"Sweet. I'll have to try it." Alex said.

"The hell is it with you Atlesians an' dust?" Auron asked them.

"Atlas home to the world's largest supplier of it. I'm making use of those assholes." Alex remarked.

"Not all of the Schnees are like that." Yang said almost absentmindedly as she clenched her fist.

"Hey, I know. Don't worry. Jace told me about everything about how you guys saved his life," Alex said, "Weiss isn't like her family, I know that much."

"You have no idea." Yang sighed.

Alex nodded and turned to Jace. "Now you have to tell me where that thing came from." He said and pointed to the greatsword on his back.

"I finished putting it together a few days ago. Took two months to put it together right." Jace answered.

"Big fucking sword." Alex remarked and shook his head.

"Yep. Name of the club."

"What?"

"Ask Sun."

The group stepped onto the porch and most of them stayed there. A few of them sat down in chairs and a few stood. Sun stayed while his team, Erron, Nora, and Ren went to patrol around the house. It was a few minutes until someone decided to speak about the most pressing matter.

"I-I… how?" Ruby stuttered as she looked between her sister and her teammate, "H-How is your arm back, Yang? And where… W-where were you?" She asked the last question to Blake on the verge of tears.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you Yang's arm, Ruby," Jace said and smiled a bit, "I kinda wanted it to be a surprise when you saw her again."

"That's uh… that's a hell of a surprise." Jaune remarked, still in shock.

"Oh yeah!" Yang said and stood. She quickly walked over and gave Alyss a strong hug.

"Thank you Alyss. Just… Thank you so much." She said and Alyss returned the hug.

"I'm glad it worked." She replied.

"What worked?" Sun asked.

"When we were at Patch, I worked on trying to heal her arm for thirty minutes a day and two weeks straight. Then, it happened." Alyss answered and sat back down.

"Oh, I forgot your semblance could possibly do that," Sun said, "It's been a long time since you helped with Jace's burns. I kinda figured Yang got a prosthetic like Jace's."

"Nope. All real." Yang gave a laugh.

"You mean you got your semblance to evolve?" Qrow asked Alyss and cocked an eyebrow.

"I don't think it's an evolution of it. I think it just comes down to the time I spend on an injury. It put me to sleep for a month, but it worked."

"I think that's what gave me the push I needed. And… I know about what that scientist said, Qrow." Yang said and got her uncle's full attention.

"Really? Didn't I ask you not to tell her?" He directed the question at Jace.

"Well…" Jace started and looked down, "We started yelling at each other and I said that if it didn't happen to us, it would've happened to them."

"I'm the one that told her." Alyss admitted.

"I had a bad relapse. It's part of what pulled me back together." Yang said.

Qrow sighed and took a drink from his ever-present flask. "Well, I guess we should tell Ruby and Blake, then."

"Yang already told me when she found me," Blake said and shook herself, "It's a disturbing thought."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Jace and the others that knew remembered the details. Every second that passed, Ruby grew more curious and agitated at not knowing anything about what they were talking about.

After a few more moments, it was Jace that broke the silence. "The short version is that we were kidnapped to keep your team from being kidnapped." He told Ruby.

Ruby's head tilted in confusion. "Huh?"

Jace sighed and took a breath, but Yang spoke first. "He means that the scientist guy would've tried to take us but he found Jace and Genesis instead. He chose them over us."

Ruby went wide-eyed and looked between Jace, Qrow, and Yang. "I-I don't know what to say…"

"At least he can't do it anymore." Jace said.

"So, where were you at anyways, Blake?" Alyss asked her fellow cat Faunus.

"Why did you leave?" Ruby asked her, looking right into her amber eyes.

Blake hesitated and looked to the ground in shame. "I was scared… I didn't want my friends to get hurt any more because of me. Especially… Especially you, Ruby."

"Blake, y-you know we can deal with it together, though." Ruby said in a hurt voice.

Blake flinched at the tone of her voice. "I just… ran, I know. I broke that promise and I-I'm so sorry… I won't blame you if you hate me now…" She said quietly, now on the verge of tears herself.

"No, I don't hate you. Y-you did what you thought you had to to protect everyone… I can't hate you for that." Ruby assured her and they went into another silence.

"Blake, where… where exactly were you?" Alyss asked again after a few moments.

"I went back to our dorm… for something familiar and just remotely warm after the invasion… I decided to stay there. After awhile, I saw the White Fang in the city. I stayed for months trying to find out where they were operating out of. I… I almost died of starvation."

"What has you so interested in the Fang anyway?" Qrow asked her.

Blake hesitated and looked to the ground again. Yang and Ruby looked to each other with worried glances.

Ruby looked to Blake and their gazes met. Ruby mouthed the words "It's your choice."

She nodded and looked through everyone. "I…" Blake took a deep breath and exhaled, "I guess I should just get this out in the open now and stop running from that, too," She took her bow from her head, revealing her cat ears, "I… used to be with them."

That sent the group into another uncomfortable silence.

"You were a part of the White Fang?" Jaune asked to make sure he heard right.

"Yes."

"I'm gonna need you to be real clear on this," Preacher started and clenched his shaking fists, "You used to be with a bunch o' terrorists that cause havoc an' hell all across all the kingdoms?"

"Yes, I used to be with them. But after they turned into what they are now, I couldn't take it anymore and I left."

"An' you think just because you left it makes everything alright that you're here?" Preacher said with a harsh edge to his words.

"Preacher, hold the hell on an' calm down." Auron said to the old man.

"I ain't gonna calm down… I'm as calm as I'm gettin' around her for now. How can you be so calm after what happened to Smoke?"

"Preacher…" Auron gritted his teeth and glared at the old man, "As far as I'm concerned… it was only the Crimson Lance that caused that. I don't give a damn about the Fang, the Lance are who did that to you an' dad. It's a separate branch, remember?"

"It don't matter if it's another branch or not, boy!" Preacher snapped and glared back at Auron, " The Fang sprouted the Lance! As far as I'm concerned, she'd be on the same fuckin' level! Don't you remember who attacked Vale or what happened to Pyr-!"

"Don't you fuckin' dare blame her for what happened to Pyrrha!" Auron shouted back at him, "An' just because she was in the Fang don't mean you can blame her for dad bein' killed! Cinder was the one that killed Pyrrha! An' we both know who killed dad! It wasn't Blake, it was Hawk… She had nothin' to do with dad or Vale or Pyrrha. An' you can't blame her for what happened to Charity… You don't get to fuckin' blame her for any of it."

"Auron…" Preacher growled and clenched his fists, "You're crossin' a damn thin line talkin' about her…"

"An' you're crossin' one talkin' about Pyrrha."

"You listen to me, boy… I'm not gonna fuckin' take you bringin' Charity into this… You didn't see what the Fang did to her… I'd rather her get what happened to Pyrrha. It seemed quick from what I know. Charity didn't get quick."

"Don't you fucking speak like that about Pyrrha…" Jaune started lowly and stood from his seat, "You don't know what happened to her. She was shot in the heart with an arrow… She… S-she was gasping for breath and suffering… It wasn't quick… None of this is Blake's damn fault!"

"Don't you fuckin' start with me," Preacher narrowed his eyes at him, "Just because she got all friendly with you don't mean she's outta the Fang!"

"You think I'd still be a part of them after what they've done!?" Blake yelled back at Preacher, "All I wanted was equality and peace. Their new leader turned them into what's here today. The man that was my friend used to think that way too… But he slowly became corrupted by the injustices caused by humans. I tried to put them in the past, but he won't stop until all I know and love is dead." She had tears in her eyes as she glared at the old man.

"An' how am I supposed to know you won't run back to 'em?" Preacher questioned her.

Blake pointed to her stomach, specifically to a scar there. "He stabbed me… and he cut Yang's arm off. He destroyed my home and he hurt my friends. I'll never forgive him. I'll never go back."

"Hey Preacher, come in here with me," Auron's mother said suddenly and everyone looked to the door, "You need to calm down and try to understand her."

"You're sidin' with her too?" Preacher asked in disbelief.

"Well if you don't remember, Preacher," Kathy's voice had a sharp edge to it that Preacher or Auron hadn't heard before and it made them both shiver, "She helped bring down the Paladin that could've destroyed the house and could've possibly killed us all. I trust her for that."

Preacher reluctantly stood and walked past Kathy, but not before casting a glare back at Blake, Auron, and Jaune.

"Thank you both for helping. It's nice to meet you." Kathy said to Blake and Yang.

"You too." They both replied and Kathy walked back in the house.

Blake took a deep breath and looked through all that were there. Team JKDW, Alex, Ruby, Yang, Qrow, Sun, Jaune, and Emowyn.

"So, what do the rest of you think?" She asked and prepared herself for the worst.

"I'm old enough to where I honestly don't care about someone's past," Qrow said, "It's the present that matters to me."

Jaune rubbed the back of his neck. "Blake, nothing's gonna change the fact that your one of my friends. Sure, it's weird to me that you were with them," He looked up and gave her a smile, "But you're just you. Nothing's changing that either."

"I mean, if you left when they went bad, then…" Alex started and shrugged nervously, "I can't judge you for it. It's not my place to judge anyone. It might not mean much coming from someone you just met, but I'm fine with it."

"It actually means more than you think," Blake said to him, "You don't even know me and you think that way about me and my past. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Alex said with a smile, then he turned to Jace, "I want to talk to you sometime after this."

"Sure." Jace replied simply.

Auron let out a loud breath of air and looked to Blake after he calmed himself down. "I don't care. I meant what I said, you can't be blamed for anything that happened," He nodded to her, "You helped with the Lance here, even if it was only takin' down one thing. I agree with mom."

"And just because you were with them doesn't change who you are," Alyss said with a smile, "You're an extremely nice person and you're loyal to your friends. Being with the Fang doesn't change that."

"You have my support, too," Raine said, "The Fang were able to really hurt my best friend's right arm a couple years ago. She can still use it fine but the scars are horrible… I hate the Fang for that… But that's not your fault. Not her arm, not Vale or anything. None of it's your fault."

"Deserters of the White Fang are usually executed now," Emowyn started and shook her head, "The fact that he didn't outright kill you is confusing."

"He told me he would make it his mission to destroy everything I love. He wants to see me suffer for leaving him." Blake told her.

"Who exactly is 'him' anyway?" Raine calmly asked her.

Blake took a long, deep breath to steady herself. "Adam Taurus. He was my mentor… He was my best friend… He was an officer, then he was made the Valesian branch leader and he just slowly turned into the evil man you know him as… He wasn't always like that…"

"Did you girls know about this?" Qrow asked his nieces.

"Yeah, Weiss knows too." Ruby said and put a hand on Blake's shoulder.

"Same with me." Sun said quietly.

"So does Jace." Blake said.

"How long have you known?" Qrow asked Jace.

"Grigori told me when he said he planned on taking team RWBY. I promised I'd keep her secret." Jace replied.

"And I appreciate it, for as long as you have. Same with you three." Blake nodded toward Jace, the two members of her team, and Sun.

"H-hey Auron," Alyss said and looked over to her partner, "Who is Charity?"

Auron sighed. "She was Preacher's… She was his girlfriend a few years ago…"

"Why was he lookin' for a girlfriend at his age?" Yang asked quietly.

"They were both going through difficult times," Emowyn said, "Charity was almost fifty. She had just lost her daughters in an accident and Preacher lost his closest friend in the Rangers. There wasn't anything intimate. They took comfort in each other and they were able to talk through their grief. We couldn't get through to Preacher, but Charity did because she knew what he felt… worse than what he felt."

"What happened?" Jace asked her.

"Preacher was trailing a group of White Fang soldiers that were up to something near Shion… where Charity lived. They found out he was spending so much time with her and they took her. They tortured her and were somehow able to send videos of it straight to Preacher… Then they killed her…"

"Oh my Oum…" Blake said in disgust.

"What happened to the Fang?" Jaune asked her this time.

"They thought it would break his will… Make him quit trailing them and just give up the will to live. They were so wrong…" Emowyn sighed as her eyes watered from telling the story, "He tracked them down and he killed them all. They had no chance against him. Not even their senses helped them. He picked them off one by one, he put fear into their hearts and slowly worked his way toward the leader of the group. He killed the man by choking him to death. He was able to give her a burial but… it had to be closed casket."

"We all hated seein' him like that after it… he seemed so broken," Auron said with a sigh, "Charity was one o' the sweetest people you'd ever know… wouldn't hurt a fly. She didn't deserve what she got. It still hurts 'im… He never had anyone like that an' she got taken away from 'im. He drank a lot after it. I knew he was lyin' about not touchin' whiskey since he was a teen. I just knew it by how he looked all the time after that."

"And how'd he get better?" Alyss asked.

"He tried to put it behind him," Emowyn said, "He started to accept it and he kept himself from any sort of relationship since then. He hasn't fully worked through it though. He never wants to talk about it. He doesn't want to remember how she died. You all saw what happens if someone mentions her name around him."

"That doesn't give him the right to talk about Pyrrha like that…" Ruby said with tears in her eyes, "We might not have saw what happened to Charity, but he didn't see what happened to Pyrrha. He doesn't know how horrible that was."

"The only reason I know what happened to Pyrrha was because it was best for Ruby to tell me…" Jaune said silently, "I didn't need any fake reports of it… I needed the truth and it was horrifying."

"Jaune… Promise me somethin'…" Auron told the blonde teen and faced him, "Never let yourself get like that about Pyrrha. No matter what."

Jaune nodded. "I promise… She wouldn't want that…"

"No, she wouldn't." Auron sighed.

"Preacher should know that Charity wouldn't want him to be like that, right?" Alyss asked quietly. Jace was rubbing her shoulder, trying to keep her from shedding tears.

"He probably knows, but he can't help it. He just hardly can take it…" Emowyn said.

"Aw hell…" Auron said and put his head in his hands, "I say we should all just dry ourselves off an' get some sleep."

"Yeah, that'd be nice after all this." Yang said and stretched her limbs.

"Actually, I want to talk to Blake for a few minutes." Ruby said and looked at her teammate.

"S-sure, Ruby. Good thing the rain stopped." Blake agreed and they went off the porch to talk while the others went inside.

Jace, Alyss, and Alex stayed on the porch. "What did you wanna talk about?" Jace asked Alex.

"It's about my name…"

"Oh…" That was all Jace could say.

"I think I know what he's getting at." Alyss said quietly.

"I… I don't want to share the name of those abusive pieces of shit anymore… I don't know if I have any right to ask this because you were raised by them… but…"

"You wanna know if you can use our last name?" Jace asked lowly as a small smile crept to his lips.

"Y-yeah… I know I don't know your family. I know they would have no idea who I am. But you're the only member of my family that's even accepted me-"

"I'd be glad to have you as a part of our family." Jace cut him off with a full smile.

"Whoa, wait. You already decided that?"

"Yep. I know how you feel with wanting to change your name. I went through the same thing and Alyss was there to hear it. You deserve to not be associated with them in name anymore. If you really want it, then you can have Reznor be your last name too." Alyss smiled and moved to kiss Jace on the lips, showing how proud she was for his decision.

Alex let out a nervous laugh. "Man, I really didn't expect an answer so fast. I… I guess I'm Alex Reznor now?" He said with a smile at how it sounded to not say their birth parents' name with his. "Thanks, Jace."

"Don't mention it," Jace said to him, "I'm sure dad and Gen would've accepted you too. Welcome to the family."

XxXxX

AN: Yep, Auron's got two semblances now. He'll really need to understand that somehow.

Blake finally got it off her chest on how she was with the Fang. Given the fact that she drove herself half to death trying to find them, I think she needed to. Even if Preacher blamed her for Charity.

See you next chapter, and have a nice day!