So this is my latest fic! Can't say newest cause I actually started writing this over a year ago! Thing are different in this Remnant, as Beacon falls Ruby takes her rightful place in the Branwen tribe, bringing in a few new members as part of the family. With plans to free the world of Remnant from Cinder and Salem's tyrany who will be by Ruby's side? How did she get to where she is now? This is a Hummingbird fic and a Rosewick fic. If you have issues with either please back out now. If not stay tuned for more!

It always has to be dungeons! Why can't the bad guys for once just invite me to sit down and talk? Is it really too much to ask?

Ruby was ranting to herself as she was dragged through a dark, damp stone stairway. She and a few of her kids, had been scouting the area, the stone building was known to be one of Cinder's former prisons...and torture chambers. There were rumors that even though Cinder no longer traveled this far south that she still held prisoners in the building.

Ruby had hoped that the rumors were false and if anything they would find a few supplies, she had been so very wrong.

As far as Ruby could tell there were only about 10-15 guards but they were all well trained, unlike Cinder's usual henchmen. Usually 10-15 people wasn't too much of a problem for Ruby, even the well trained ones, but she had been caught from behind. She could only be thankful that the kids had stayed together and, so far, hadn't been caught. She could only hope that they would stay safe for now.

If she didn't check in with them within 12 hours she knew the kids would head home and bring reinforcements to tear the whole place apart, Yang was stubborn like that, Ruby was 27 years old now and Yang still acted like the world was ending when her 'baby' sister got hurt.

Ruby shook her head smiling at the thought of her sister tearing the building apart stone by stone.

Suddenly she was roughly thrown onto the stone floor of a cell, if she counted correctly, the fifth one on the right. She had seen flashes of hands and other limbs in some of the other cells but wasn't too sure if they were attached to anything living.

Her hands shot out just in time to catch herself before she could face plant into the unforgiving stone. Her captors slammed the metal door shut behind them and left without a word.

Sighing Ruby hoisted herself up and looked around her new 'quarters', for the next few hours at least. No windows, no other doors, sliding her hand along the door they had just brought her threw, she realized it was forged in dust.

So no breaking out without Crescent Rose… Ruby mentally thanked the jerks that had dragged her down here for only taking her weapons and not her shoulder pack of food. Her semblance required a lot of energy and she didn't want to get caught without food, again, last time she been captured she forgot her pack and her captors had not provided anything substantial. Her son and Yang had to practically drag her out of that one.

Trying not to focus on how weak she had been she tried to focus on the cell again, there was a pile of straw in the back left corner, a leg in the right corner and some bottles -

A leg?! Oh please don't be a corpse. Please don't be a corpse….

"Um, hello?" the leg twitched, well at least it's not a corpse… "Uh, you ok?"

"Cinder must be busy if I suddenly have company." A voice so rough from disuse croaked from the shadows. The voice sounded hurt and broken and so very small, but she would know that sass anywhere.

Ruby practically threw herself into the shadows grabbing hold of the man in the corner. Her hands grasped fabric that was dirty and tattered, the clothes felt huge over the too small, starved frame.

Broken, confused, dull green eyes stared at her and Ruby's heart sang and broke all at the same time.

"Torchwick? Is that you?"

"Who are you?"

"It's me, Ruby Rose." Ruby almost burst into tears at how broken the once strong and dangerous man appeared to be, "Remember me? You know, Little Red." for a brief second those dull eyes showed clarity and Ruby saw the second the recognition sparked across his worn face.

"Little Red? Wh-what are you doing here?" he looked around as if he wasn't sure where exactly here was.

Ruby laughed, a loud watery eyed laugh, "I'm here to break you out." his face lit up with the barest of smiles but it seemed to suck out what little energy he seemed to have.

"Good." his eyes slipped closed and just like that he was unconscious.

For a brief second Ruby thought he died, pressing her head to his chest she heard the faint thump of his still beating heart and she sighed in relief as tears rolled down her cheeks. She might be happy to hear his steady heart beat but she also felt every single one of his ribs against her cheek. She quickly realized that her hands were wrapped around the entire width of his arms. He was so frail she could literally snap his bones if she held him too tight.

She gently propped him back up against the wall and began to look him over. His clothes, if she could even call them that, were rags, a gray, tattered mess of what used to be black pants and a white t-shirt. He was covered in cuts, scrapes and scars and a layer of grime so thick she was sure he hadn't had a shower since the last time she saw him, 12 years ago.

Curious, Ruby readjusted, laying him down flat on the ground with his head in her lap as she sat cross legged. Brushing her hands over his chest she pushed a little bit of her aura into him trying to see if he still even had any. She found what was left of his aura curled around his heart, with a start Ruby realized that this last little bit of aura was the only thing keeping him alive, forcing his heart to keep pumping.

Taking a deep breath Ruby pushed more of her aura into him trying to heal every little crack that marred his body and mind, just like Jaune and Ozpin had taught her.

Ruby blinked and sleepily realized that she had dozed off, by the stiffness in her knees, she guessed for several hours. Glancing down to check on her patient she realized he was awake and staring up at her.

Ruby smiled, "Feeling better?" he was still desperately thin but some color had returned to his skin, most of the small cuts were gone and his heart seemed to be beating on it's own once more.

"Much. What did you do?"

"Gave you some of my aura, yours was so run down it was barely able to keep your heart beating." She wasn't going to mention that while they were in contact she would keep feeding him aura until she needed to stop so they could still escape later.

"Why?" Ruby frowned at him, the back of her mind thinking it was rather comical the positions they were still in.

"Why would I let you die?" he looked away from her staring into the darkness.

"I deserve to die after everything I helped cause." Ruby looked thoughtful but Roman wasn't looking at her anymore.

"True," Ruby felt him flinch, "But there are several people who are going to be happy to see you alive." Roman looked back at her like she was crazy.

"Like who?!" Roman sounded angry but she could tell he was curious as well.

"Well, if I had found you sooner, Neo and Junior would have been first in line. Then-"

"Would have been?" Ruby turned her eyes to the ceiling as she felt the tears collect. Roman watched her swallow and then look him in the eyes, he already knew the answer.

"Neo died in one of Cinder's attacks almost five years ago. Junior barely ate after she died and a few months later he went on a hunt and just never came back." Ruby could tell he was hurting but she had more to say, "Their daughter, Ivy, would love to meet you and so would your son. Believe it or not, I'm happy to see you too." Ruby saw the shock in his eyes before the gasp could even leave his lips.

"Remus? He's alive?" Ruby nodded smiling,

"The last time I saw Cinder she- she told me she had k-killed him…. So five years? I've been gone for five years?" Ruby's eyes went wide as both eyebrows rose.

"Roman? How often do you receive company down here?"

"Almost never. The last person I really spoke to was Cinder. The guards don't speak and they only stop by when they feel like it to deliver a scrap of bread and a dirty pail of water."

"So you can't really tell the passage of time can you?"

"Nope. Why?" Ruby frowned, he was barely holding on, should she really tell him how much he had missed? How much time he had passed in this dark hovel of a prison?

"Roman, how old were you when we first met?" He tilted his head causing his dirt covered hair that was much too long, to tickle the inside of her legs that he was still resting on.

"You mean the dust shop? I- uh- I had just turned 20." Roman's cheeks were dusted a light pink as Ruby's jaw dropped.

"Really? You're only five years older than me? I remember thinking you were a lot older." Ruby said in an accusing tone.

"Gee, thanks. And what do you mean five years, y-you were 15!? How the heck did you get into Beacon at 15?!" Ruby smirked

"Because I was the 15 year old that kicked the great Roman Torchwick's butt!" Ruby chuckled at the shocked look on his face, "So thank you for that, I guess. You unknowingly caused every problem you ever had because of me." Roman rolled his eyes but a smile played on his face.

They were silent for a few seconds, Roman mentally laughing at their shared past and Ruby silently wondering how he was going to take the news.

"So, why did you want to know how old I was?"

"Do you want to know how old you are now?" Roman quirked a brow at her and Ruby realized that she still hadn't seen his right eye...I wonder…

"Just tell me."

"Are you sure?" Ruby bit her lip in worry.

"Just tell me Red." Ruby's eyes lit up at the use of a nickname she hadn't heard in ages.

"32."

"32?" Ruby nodded

"32."

"32?!"

"Maybe 33, it kinda depends on the month because the last time I saw you I had just turned 16." Ruby winced, closing her eyes, her shoulders scrunching up waiting for him to freak out.

The freak out never came. Ruby peeked her eyes open and saw that he was staring up at her but seeing straight threw her.

Oh please don't go into shock….

So that's the first chapter of my latest story! Believe it or not I actually started this story before Hello Orange, this one just didn't progress as fast as I wanted. But now that I have unprecedented amounts of free time... who knows! Hope you enjoy and I hope it doesn't get too confusing as this continues. Stay Safe my friends!