April 2nd

City Of Atlas

United Kingdom Of Atlas

Downtown

9:13 PM

"Did I catch you?" Tai asked as he tightly wrapped his arms around Elizabeth who shrieked in surprise before laughing when she realized it was just him. "Because I think I did."

"You did," Elizabeth said, turning around resting her hands on his chest. "You've got a way, haven't you?"

"Well…" Tai said, rubbing her back. "I'm madly in love with you, in case you couldn't tell."

"It's better like this, when you don't know any better," Elizabeth's tone was faintly sarcastic and she smirked. "But I won't trade you or the girls for anything."

"Of course you wouldn't, I know that." Tai kissed her gently before a rough voice interrupted them.

"Oh, for God's sake, get out of my face if you're going to do that," Qrow said, reaching for Harbinger. "I can't stand watching this, it's so disgusting."

"Qrow!" Elizabeth snapped. "You're an adult, act like it."

"Oh…" Qrow said, putting his hands up. "An order from an Atlesian official, my mistake. See, I mistook this as an indecent public display."

"Okay, seriously Qrow," Tai said, restraining himself from laughing. "Don't be an ass."

Qrow shrugged. "Why should I change what I am? Is it because we are so honoured by the presence of an Atlesian politician, one who's so close with its current president?"

"Qrow -" Elizabeth began with a warning note to her voice though she was cut off by the younger man. "I swear to -"

"Geez, I'm just fucking with your brain," Qrow said with a laugh though all he got was a narrowed glare in return. "Seriously, is Tai the only person who can get you to loosen up?"

"Yes," Elizabeth and Tai agreed unanimously.

Qrow glared. "Why are the two of you so obnoxious sometimes?"

"Because we can be," Elizabeth replied with a smug grin. "Now don't you have a mission?"

Sighing, Qrow nodded. "Sure, but, Tai, there's something you should know."

"What's that?" He asked, laughing at how serious he sounded while pulling Elizabeth into him before stopping off of the look on Qrow's face. "You aren't leaving permanently, are you?"

"What?" Qrow hesitated for a moment in shock before shaking his head. "No, of course not. I just… I'm going to tell Ruby soon that she's my -"

"No!" Elizabeth exclaimed in horror. "Qrow, that's a horrible idea and you know it!"

"She's my child -" He angrily reminded her.

"Biologically," Elizabeth said sharply. "Tai is her father in every other sense -"

"Oh that's just -" Qrow started angrily.

"Qrow, shut up and listen to me!" Elizabeth snapped, though she knew that it wasn't going to do any good for an argument with him to get much worse than this. "In every other sense, including the legal one, Tai is her father -"

"And I hate to cut across you again, Madame Morell but I ain't Atlesian." Qrow smirked while her eyes narrowed. "And that means things are different for me than they are for you."

"Even the records state that Ruby has an unidentified biological father and states Tai as her adoptive parent. There's evidence that proves my point, and I know full well that you're not from Atlas though I thank you for reminding me of that fact." Elizabeth said, forcing her tone to perfectly even and devoid of emotion. "Do you at least understand that, as her adoptive parent, Tai is technically the only one who can divulge that information to her?"

"You mean should," Qrow said. "Because I have every right to tell her even if Tai doesn't want me to and, speaking of which, you're not even her parent which I'm pretty sure means that you don't get a say in this no matter what authority you may hold in Atlas."

Elizabeth crossed her arms and glared at him for a long moment. "Qrow," She started dangerously. "I have been Ruby's mother since the day her own died, which, all things considered, has been most of her life."

"Okay, no," Qrow said with finality. "You're her adoptive step mother and, as much as she may like you, that doesn't make you her parent."

"Qrow…" Tai said, a warning note rising is voice. "Eliza is just as much Ruby's parent as I am."

"No, she's not," Qrow told him. "She's your wife, sure, but that doesn't make her Ruby's parent in any way that counts."

"Bullshit," Tai responded fiercely. "And I really don't want you to upset Ruby so, for now, I'm going to have to agree with Eliza. At least wait until she's a little older, when she'll understand. Ruby's only fifteen, do you really think that she'll be able to cope with that well, especially when she realizes that Yang and Violet are actually her cousins?"

Qrow sighed heavily before shaking his head. "I'm not waiting until she's an adult, if that's what you're suggesting. I don't want to hurt her either, but I want her to know the truth because she deserves that much. I'm going to tell her soon enough, but only when I feel that it's right."

"Which could be any time from the end of today to three years from now," Elizabeth commented irritably. "Knowing you, that is."

"And knowing you," Qrow said, choosing to hit a nerve out of annoyance with her more than anything else. "Any time from the end of today to three years from now, you could be walking out of here because you're done with Tai."

Elizabeth gaped at him in shock before shifting out of Tai's arms to slap him. "Why you little -"

"What's so bad about me being right?" Qrow asked her, getting slapped again and regretting what he was saying when he saw the look on Tai's face. Shifting out of her way, Qrow hesitated and didn't speak for a time before he looked at both of them. "Sorry, that was going too far."

"Why do you have to be such an asshole?" Elizabeth snapped. "Why do you have to be the world's greatest -"

"Elizabeth -" Qrow started, trying to apologise.

"I don't want to hear it!" She cut across him. "Because I am not going to do that! Ever! I don't think you know how much I love Tai, how much I love my daughter -"

"I know!" Qrow snapped back, startling her. "Okay, I know!"

Elizabeth sniffed and leaned into Tai. "Then prove it..."

April 10th

City Of Atlas

Atlas

Downtown

3:12 AM

"Ronnie, I don't like this," Rosella Katt said, pacing anxiously and fidgeting with her chiffon robe. "If by any chance Neon or Devin will be hurt by this –"

"Ella, kitten, listen to me," Ronnie said tiredly, running a hand through his mostly dark grey hair. "The two of them are going to be fine. Neon is perfectly safe at Atlas Academy and the same can be said of Devin at Beacon, regardless of the fact that they're both far younger than average. Neither of them have issues and he's basically a normal kid there at Becon, and he's on a team with Ironwood's younger daughter and Klein Sieben's kid. Why are you so concerned?"

"Because you're the Atlesian president, damn it," Rosella snapped. "I don't care that you only got elected back in November and were only instated in January after Gregory finally hit the wall. Everything you do will affect the two of them, and they are still kids!"

Ronnie went silent and stared at her for a moment. Then, by force of habit, he reached up and adjusted his glasses. Out of the corner of his eye, he briefly caught his reflection in the mirror. For the first time in years, he thought he looked his age. He looked even gaunter than usual, and he knew his eyes looked exhausted. Almost the entire morning had been spent in a meeting with the security council that seemed to drag on forever. Elizabeth Morell had returned back to Atlas from Patch following her brief vacation, and she seemed, if anything, far less relaxed than she had when she'd left back at the end of March. A tension had been forming between them since he had declared he was going to challenge Gregory for the presidency as a progressive (despite having been a vocal member of the conservative party his entire political career) that swung moderate and was willing to compromise. Elizabeth had accused him of having a lust for power, and she had been nothing short of irritated when he had become the nominee to challenge Gregory. She had admitted that she had voted for him over Gregory, but there was a bitterness behind it and they both knew it had to do with their personal history.

"I know they are," Ronnie finally said, sitting down and looking at his wife worriedly while she paced in front of the fire. "Believe me, I want them to have lives that are as normal as possible but we have to keep in mind that Neon's - legally - an adult and Devin's close enough."

"But they're still young," Rosella reminded him, pausing for a moment and then shaking her head. "I just worry for them. They've both been through enough because they're...because they're like me, and -"

"Don't think like that," Ronnie told her, perhaps more sharply than he had intended. "There has never been anything wrong with you being a faunus and our kids are -"

"The half-faunus children of the Atlesian president," Rosella said softly, tears rising in her eyes that she quickly brushed away. "They're easy targets...and so am I."

"No one is going to target you," Ronnie said with finality. "Or the kids."

"Why do you care so much?" Rosella said weakly, finally sitting down beside him and burying her face in her hands while she cried. "Didn't you only marry me because I was pregnant with Neon?"

Ronnie sighed and gently started to rub her back.

"Rosella, stop it," He said after a moment. "I love you, and the fact that you're questioning it…honestly, Ella, we wouldn't still be together if that weren't the case and you definitely wouldn't know some of the things you do, things that I may or may not have been allowed to tell you."

She glanced up and then curled tightly into him, her tail flicking sadly.

"I'm sorry," She finally said through sobs. "This has just been hard for me, especially with...with…"

Ronnie bit his lip. "We never told…"

"We still…" Rosella shook her head. "Ronnie, we still lost another baby back in February and…"

"Ella, if there were anything I could do to make you feel better, believe me, I would do it," Ronnie murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'm upset about what happened too, and I know this is the fifth time -"

"I just thought it was over, that we wouldn't have to go through...that we wouldn't have to deal with something like this again," Rosella glanced to her hands for a moment. "It's been over seven years since the last one, and I had...I'd hoped we wouldn't have to go through that again."

Ronnie pulled her in only closer. "I know, I thought that too. It was sudden...and it was awful for both of us."

"I should be…" Rosella bit her lip. "I can't...I'm a professor, I have to make sure Neon and Devin are alright, I -"

"You're human, El -" Ronnie paused, feeling guilty. "Ella, you're allowed to have emotions -"

"Do you honestly forget that I'm not human?" She stared at him for a moment and her eyes then widened in surprise. "You do, don't you?"

"It doesn't matter to me," Ronnie reminded her. "It never has but, more to the point, we need to work through this together...just as we have before."

"Maybe this is as bad as things will get…" She murmured weakly. "It can't get much worse, can it?"

"I doubt it," Ronnie softly said, stroking her hair. "It'll all turn around, kitten, I promise. I'm going to handle the...situations in Menagerie and Vacuo, I'm going to work with the Council to keep things safe in the kingdom. The Vytal Festival, too, will be just fine. We're already assessing possible threats and addressing them. There is nothing to fear...and, I promise, you and I will heal from this. I just hope you'll stop blaming yourself for the things people have said and done to you and the kids because it has always been their prejudice...it has never been the three of you."

Rosella sighed. "You really will fight for us, won't you?"

"My primary concern hasn't been wealth or power in a long time," He replied, gently scratching her behind her ears. "After Neon was born, that fell onto you and our children and, trust me, my resolve has not wavered. If anything...it's made me understand Emmett a heck of a lot better."

April 13th

City Of Atlas

United Kingdom Of Atlas

Downtown

1:51 AM

"Ooo…hi Eddie!" Twelve-year-old Samara Ciel-Schnee craned over her brother's crib and waved at him like a maniac. He, being only a year old, waved back although he wasn't quite sure why. "I'm home from school! It was boring today, but, ya know!"

Eleven-year-old Lysithea Ciel-Schnee sent her sister a disapproving look.

"You're going to scare him," She told her. "He's just a baby, you know, and you're a hyper kid."

"Samie!" He bubbled.

She grinned and turned to her sister, sticking out her tongue triumphantly.

"That's right," She told him. "That's my name."

Emmett, who had just come up the stairs with a basket of clean laundry on his hip, poked his head into his son's small bedroom nervously.

"What are you two doing?"

"Sam's trying to get Eddie to swear," Lysithea tattled with a smirk. "She's been repeating the word fuck to him for –"

"Fuck?" The little boy said, looking confused.

"Nope," Emmett said, setting down the laundry and coming into the room to pick up his son. "Come on, Eddie, let's go watch some Sesame Street and stop listening to your sisters."

Sam and Lily glared at each other once their father's back was turned to them and he started back down the stairs.

"What in the –" Emmeline caught herself against the wall but ended up falling into the laundry regardless. "What the hell is this doing here?"

"My ears don't hear complaining!" Emmett called up, barely paying attention and thinking he was responding to one of his daughters.

"Emmett!" Emmeline shrieked. "If you –"

"Daddy's in trouble…" Sam snickered.

Emmeline shot both of her daughters a sharp look.

"Where's your brother?"

"What is it, Emmy?" Emmett re-appeared at the bottom of the stairs, Edward giggling in his arms. "Umm… okay, sorry about that."

She scowled and pulled herself out of the laundry basket.

"I have a Council meeting in an hour," She reminded him, brushing off her uniform and slowly starting down the stairs. "But I'll be home well before dinner."

"That's good," Emmett replied, kissing her cheek once she was in reach. "I'm just ordering some tofu woks, nothing special. After all the papers I had to grade yesterday, I lack all motivation."

Emmeline sighed. "I don't care what you do, Emmett, just make sure Eddie gets his bottle on time. I have a few in the -"

Emmett Schnee woke up suddenly, feeling something tugging at his hair.

"What is it…." He groggily asked.

"I'm scared," Eddie said, wrapping his blanket tightly around him. "I keep hearing something moving downstairs."

Emmett tensed and snatched up his glasses, slamming them on his face. He felt better realizing his wife was still calmly asleep beside him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He knew it was in part because he was worried for his son, but there was something, possibly his psychitity, telling him that things were wrong. More than a few straws seemed to be out of place, and Eddie was usually a heavy sleeper, and the fact that he had woken up and thought something - or someone - was downstairs terrified him. He tried to reason that it was probably the cat. Poodles was, after all, an eighteen year old cat that had the temper of an old cat. It was entirely possible the cat had knocked a glass of water off the table or landed hard against the floor. Still, he picked up his sword just in case and slowly started down the stairs with his son hiding behind him.

It took all he had in him not to scream upon seeing the woman standing in the darkened kitchen.

"Oh, put that sword down," The amber eyed woman said silkily. "I'm just...checking this place out. Seems that you all have gotten much, much wealthier since the last time I saw you."

Emmett tightened his hand around his sword. "The last time I saw you, you were in prison for conspiracy and multiple counts of murder and attempted murder."

She scowled. "That's your wife's fault."

Emmett said nothing, his hands shaking.

"Who's this?" Cinder smirked upon seeing Eddie hiding behind Emmett. "He looks a lot like you."

"Eddie, go upstairs," Emmett told his son, whose eyes were wide in fear. "And -"

"Your son?" Cinder surmised with a smile.

Eddie ran upstairs, almost tripping on the steps, to wake up his mother.

"Yes, Eddie's my son," Emmett said teresly, eyeing his sister. "What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I would stop by," She said innocently. "Especially if -"

Emmett let out a small scream when she almost shot his hand when he reached for the landline.

"If you think that you're calling the cops on me, then you're wrong," Cinder started laughing. "You're far more likely to be bound and tethered on the floor."

Emmett was completely silent, unable to speak and pointed his sword at his sister defensively.

"What's -" Emmeline tore down the stairs but took in a sharp breath upon seeing the amber eyed woman. "My God."

"Been too long," Cinder said with a smirk. "Did your shoulder finally heal?"

Emmeline sent her a dark look. "Are you trying to get yourself thrown back in -"

"Oh, I'm not going back to jail," She tossed her hair back over her shoulder. "I've got powers, now, that the two of you can scarcely imagine."

"What?" Emmett stared at her in confusion. "You've -"

"Unfortunately, I don't have all of those powers," Cinder examined her nails, looking rather bored. "That Amber girl -"

"Amber?" Emmeline paled. "The -"

"The Fall Maiden," Cinder laughed. "Ever heard of her? I would hope so, considering that -"

Emmeline shot the floor near her sister-in-law and then shot a lightbulb overhead to seem hardcore.

"That's your warning," She told her. "If you try a damn thing -"

"So, that's how this is going to be?" Cinder rolled her eyes. "Well, in that case…"

She disappeared in a cloud of smoke and Emmett pulled Emmeline tightly into him, dropping his sword. Even once he knew she was okay and that their kids were okay, neither of them felt better. It was a living hell, and he could feel her trembling against him despite herself. Emmett wanted to cry, even while he let her cling to him and tried to comfort her. What had happened all those years before had been terrible, and it had scarred all of them. Lily and Samara were lucky to have been so little, and Eddie even more so considering that he was born years later. Yet seeing that face, knowing that she had terrified their son, and realizing that they could not hide forever was jarring. They had grown used to the peace they had known for so long. They all had.

It was then he realized that he already knew they weren't going to be getting much sleep that night after all.

April 17th

Beacon Tower

Beacon Academy

City Of Vale

Vale

7:13 PM

"So," Cristal said, eyeing her eldest critically for a moment. "What really happened the other day when you helped one of your friends hotwire a car?"

Carleigh shifted, not meeting her mother's gaze.

"Well…" She started awkwardly. "I didn't exactly help her hotwire a car."

"Yeah you did," Oliver started laughing when Carleigh sent him a mutinous look. "Leigh, come on. You did and you know it. Just like you taught her how to make poor man's liquid nitrogen out of dust cleaner."

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Apparently," Cristal said, looking rather unamused but smiling faintly when Ozpin wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Leigh's gotten into crime."

"That's an overstatement!" Carleigh protested. "It was one time, and wasn't that big a deal -"

"You helped Genevieve Sieben steal one of Jacques' cars," Cristal sharply reminded her. "A crime you're lucky the two of you didn't get pressed with charges for."

"I love that!" Thirteen-year-old Nathan Schnee declared, jumping over the small sofa in the living room of the family's (notably spacious) apartment just above their father's office in Beacon Tower. "When I'm her age, I want to be like Leigh!"

Carleigh smirked and smacked her hand against her brother's defiantly.

"I'm just glad you didn't crash the car," Annetta giggled. "That would have been a disaster."

"Let me put it this way," Cristal said, sending all four of her children a pointed look. "I never want to have to defend any of you in court, in part because I'm a ranking federal prosecutor and, in part, because the four of you should be smart enough not to end up with a criminal record."

"But some of the most enjoyable things in life aren't legal!" Carleigh countered. "Like drinking at fifteen and getting wasted!"

"Remind me how that ended, Leigh?" Cristal replied.

She suddenly looked rather awkward.

"I mean, I think the city was on its side in the distance," She said awkwardly, rubbing her neck. "But I did successfully tip a cow!"

"You didn't tip a cow," Ozpin chuckled and Cristal rolled her eyes. "You and a friend illegally snuck onto a farm while we were visiting people in southern Atlas and your brothers and Annie ended up dragging you back to the car when they realized you had gone three blocks down from where the rest of us were."

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Carleigh said, crossing her arms. "I was bored out of my mind!"

"You also almost failed out of high school, barely got your GED, and are still living with your parents and resisting studying, instead making peanuts off of your sculptures," Cristal reminded her. "Leigh, we love you but sometimes you're difficult to handle."

"Ha," Oliver stuck his tongue out at his sister rather childishly. "I think that makes Annie look like an angel compared to you."

Carleigh scowled and stomped off to her room, snatching up her sketchbook from the table.

"You really hit a nerve," Nathan laughed. "Maybe she'll scorch your hair later."

"If you four start using your magic against each other, we're going to have to lay down more rules about it," Cristal warned them. "Alright?"

Annetta put her hands up in surrender. "I only use mine when I'm bored or fighting."

"Is that why you have those levitating orbs in your room?"" Nathan teased. "Or your enchanted wardrobe?"

Annetta turned pink. "There's nothing wrong with using a bit of my magic to give me the perfect outfit and hair every day."

"It's called being vain," Nathan replied. "And it's hilarious."

"You're being a -" Annetta started.

"I'm a pretty boy," Nathan said, much to his sister's disgust. "You know how many girls ask me out all the time?"

Annetta stared at him. "What?"

"I have to agree with her," Cristal said, laughing a little despite herself. "You all are thirteen. Where would you even go out?"

"The mall?" Nathan suggested.

"With what money?" Ozpin put in, sharing an amused look with Cristal.

"He lifts cash out of mommy's purse all the time," Oliver said, then taking a step back upon his brother sending him a dark look. "Oops."

He ran off quickly, and Annetta smirked and pulled herself up onto the counter.

"Ha," She said, winking at her little brother. "Someone's been learning from Leigh, huh?"

"Why am I not…" Cristal paused for a moment and shook her head. "No, you know what, I don't care. Unless you start doing things that are actually illegal, I'll let it go."

Nathan sighed in relief. "Great, good to know."

"Oh, a girl called for you," Annetta suddenly said.

"Really?" Nathan perked up and sprung to his feet. "Who? Was it Mercie?"

"I don't remember," Annetta smirked. "This was a few months ago."

"Alright, I have to ask, now," Cristal glanced between them. "Should I be concerned?"

Annetta shrugged. "About the rest of them, maybe. But me? I'm an angel!"

Ozpin laughed while she skipped off and Nathan stormed down to his room looking rather annoyed.

"Well," He said, tucking a stray lock of his wife's dark hair behind her ear. "They really are something, aren't they?"

Cristal smiled. "They always have been."

April 23rd

Beacon CCTS Tower

Beacon Academy

City Of Vale

Vale

6:34 PM

"Oz, Cinder is going to attack Beacon, you have to act!" Emmett shouted, frustrated by the eerily calm nature of the man. "My vision -"

"Emmett, let's consider these visions for just a moment," Ozpin said, growing tense with how angry his brother-in-law had become when it came to this particular matter over the last few years. "Emmett, your visions, however accurate as some of them may have been, are not infallible. They are not perfect. And above all else, they are known to be clouded by your own emotions which quite frequently also cloud your judgement. And really, do you think that I wouldn't know if Cinder Fall herself was working with anyone to plan an attack on Beacon?"

"You don't know everything," Emmett snapped, his arms crossed. "Because my quote un-quote sister is more than just manipulative -"

"And this is an incredibly sensitive matter to you!" Ozpin said, his voice rising as he stood up while Emmeline loosely wrapped her arm around her husband's and sent Cristal and Ozpin an apologetic look. "Emmett, this is a family matter and it is one that has caused you - and all of us - more than just a bit of pain over the years!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Emmett shouted, slamming his fist down on Ozpin's desk. "This isn't some ridiculous -"

"Emmett!" Ozpin matched the younger man's tone almost flawlessly while he leaned on to his cane in annoyance. "You are blinded by vengeance whether or not you are willing to admit to it and you know full well and have admitted to suffering from PTSD because of what you witnessed when Cinder almost killed Emmeline, not mention the incident a few weeks ago when she surfaced after years in the shadows. I am concerned, and I know you mean well, but those things all are clouding your ability to effectively gauge the situation and your vision!"

"Oz, that is the last thing that is happening!" Emmett insisted, shouting still while his long white waves flew about. "And I can't -"

"Emmett," Emmeline said gently, looking to him pleadingly. "This isn't going to get us anywhere."

He fell silent and stared at her for a moment.

"She knows about Amber," He finally said. "And I'm almost certain she's the one that attacked her."

"I don't contest that," Cristal said tiredly, adjusting her glasses. "But we have no idea where she is now, and assuming that she's going to target Beacon could lead us vastly astray."

"It's not an assumption if it's true," Emmett said hotly.

"Emmett, you're being irrational again," Theodore, the new head of Shade Academy said, shaking his head. "Even I don't come up with schemes out of nowhere, if you -"

"Well, regardless," Emmeline said, cutting across him. "The Atlesian military is going to be here in May and we can handle the situation from there when we have more resources."

"You really think you and Ironwood bringing your army to Vale is a good idea?" Theodore pressed skeptically. "When Varna shows up here and sees that, to give you a fair warning, she's going to blow."

Emmeline sighed heavily. "It isn't our army, for one -"

"No, it isn't," Theodore agreed. "But the Atlesian Council trusts you and Ironwood the most of the seven admirals and generals, considering that the fourth admiral has yet to be appointed by Elizabeth Morell and the seven of you."

Emmeline swallowed hard. "Theodore, please, this -"

"I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job," He told her. "I am, however, reminding you that you and Ironwood are in a unique position, especially in your case. Look, I'm only here because Varna orchestrated a small coup and relinquished her position as the headmistress of Shade Academy to appear as if she was acting in the interests of the people when she's clearly trying to consolidate the rest of her power. She's already been named the prime minister for life, and, while I don't trust her, I hold her skepticism of the kingdom of Atlas. You all may be the greatest kingdom, the freest kingdom, and the -"

"That's enough," Emmett and Cristal snapped, almost in synchronization. The Schnee siblings stared at each other in surprise for a second and then he let her speak.

"You're in no position to criticize us," Cristal said, crossing her arms. "And I think you know it too."

Theodore sighed and sent Emmett a dark look. "Can you reason with your wife and teammate?"

Emmett shook his head. "After everything that's happened, we need the security."

An uncomfortable silence befell them.

"I will say this," Ozpin said shortly. "I agree that we need security, particularly with the Vytal Festival on the horizon, but we need to find a guardian...not an army. It already exists in Atlas and is going to pervade the rest of the world, but people are going to wonder that, if these are our defenses, then what is it that we honestly believe that we're preparing to fight?"

Emmett bit his lip, only marginally comforted by Emmeline setting her hand reassuringly to his shoulder.

"Maybe it has gotten personal," He said quietly. "Too personal, even."

Glynda looked at him sympathetically. "Emmett, if there's anything I can do -"

"You and James have done enough for me over the years," He said, sighing heavily. "I owe you two more than I can even say."