Guest, GojiraFan455515, merendinoemiliano- Thank you for the reviews. It makes me so happy to see them.

Ruby cracked open her eyes, stubble scratched her forehead. Her mind cycled, ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod. We were so upset. How did this happen?

After he had asked her to kill him she didn't want him out of her sight. Between the kisses and the crying Ruby had pushed him on his back. Oh right I happened, Weiss is right I need to be supervised at all times!

Oscar had stiffened.

She nuzzled her nose into his neck, "You okay?"

Oscar embarrassed, "Oh uh did I speak out loud?"

"No, but you seem tense. We were rash and I wish we were happier." Ruby propped herself up , the blanket slipped off and she felt giddy at his gaze.

"No Uh Ozpin in my head, was chattering. Not exactly who I want to have a conversation with."

Ruby covered herself with blankets, "Oh right, was he around last night?" Her face red. Did I just sleep with Salem's husband...ex husband...late husband?

"Yeah, but he gave us as much privacy as he could. I am sorry, I really should have had this conversation with you before."

Did Ozpin help? Is that why it felt so… hehehe She started laughing, "Yeah how would that go." Deepened her voice to mimic Oscar, "Hey Ruby, so it's a threesome."

Oscar chuckled, "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Hey did Ozpin just cheat on his wife?"

Oscar squinted, "I'm not going to ask."

She couldn't help but smile "You sound a bit like my father, I think he would like.." Her eyes had widened as reality of what her family and friends would think began to set in.

He rubbed her back, "Hey we don't have to decide anything today. How about we just enjoy this little bubble of peace." He started to kiss her neck and muttered, "Perhaps this time we can be a little more cheerful." Ruby sighed, enjoyed his attention. She stiffened when she heard glass shatter.

"Probably just Alice dropping a vase or something."

...

Outside they heard Alice yell, "Do you know how much it costs to replace stained glass out here?"

"I don't know kiddo, how much?"

"I- I don't really know. My father just says things like that."

"Well, it's going to get more expensive, so scram."

...

Ruby hissed, "That is Uncle Qrow."

"So much for bubbles." Oscar and her rolled out of bed and dressed. Oscar opened a cabinet and called to her, "Ruby catch." He tossed her folded scythe. She caught it and stared at him. He looked a mixture of scared and angry, then he clutched his skull and muttered "Ozpin what was that?"

Ruby looked at her weapon in her hand, "Oscar, what? I don't know what I'm going to do." Her heart ached

Oscar cupped her face, stared intently into her eyes. "I'm okay if you want to end this right here." Did a part of him still wish she would? "I am trusting you to do what you believe is right."

"I want to figure that out together." She hugged him.

Oscar nodded in agreement then grabbed his shield and ax.

XXX

They ran down the hallway. Cinder and Mercury fought Qrow. Oscar threw down his shield. With a running start jumped on it to slide between Mercury and Qrow, his ax deflected Qrow's sword and an arm to push aside Mercury's leg.

"STOP" Oscar trusted Mercury stood down behind him. Felt apprehension as Ruby stood between Cinder and Qrow. Ready to protect her uncle. "Cinder, Mercury go," Oscar saw Qrow's wrist twitch, the boy kicked up his shield in time to block the blade's arc into a scythe. The older man's eyes wandered over the kid's ax. Oscar smirked, "At least this time you broke through the glass rather than splatter onto it."

The old man's eyes widened, "It was one time Oz!" Qrow swung at the kid's throat, however his blade only met air. Oscar ducked, lowered his center of gravity before he lunged forward shield bashing the Qrow in the gut.

Qrow grabbed a knife from his belt, stabbed downwards onto Oscar's back. The boy evaded, onto the ground, spun on his back and landed a kick on Qrow's hand. The knife skittered away, the boy back on his feet.

His subordinates were still there, Oscar, "Did I stutter. I said go. I will settle this."

Oscar tapping into Ozpin's magic summoned a fireball, the force pushed him back as he sent it flying.

Bang

Qrow's clothes were singed but his scythe held forward. The shot of Ice Dust seemed to protect him from the worst of it.

Qrow, "I shouldn't have let you go with Arthur." he swiped up and Oscar hooked his ax blade in the curve of the huge weapon. He twisted the ax, metal grinding resonated in the hallway.

Qrow, glanced downward, allowed his grip to rotate and used his superior strength to shove Oscar. The boy slipped on broken glass and fell on his back. Oscar, about to roll away, screamed as Qrow stomped on his knee. With a mechanical whirl Qrow held a sword again, pointed directly at Oscar's throat.

"Ruby, use your eyes to end this."

Ruby held her scythe to her Uncle's throat. "Let him go."

He looked over his niece, hands shaking, hair a mess, and her lacing wasn't quite straight. Qrow pressed his blade into Oscar a bit harder, "Pipsqueak you couldn't."

"I don't know what I'm going to do. Please just let Oscar go." tears rolled down her eyes.

Qrow folded his weapon up and strapped it to his back in a fluid motion. "Gods, now what?"

Oscar on his feet, a pinprick of blood trickled down his throat, "If you like you can stay here the night, provided you give up all your weapons until tomorrow-"

"No way, we're leaving now." Qrow still had one hand on the hilt of his blade

Oscar nodded curtly as a cold detachment settled in him, "Ruby we had an agreement, someone came for you and you are free to leave. Ruby you know where the entrance is, you two wait there, I'll get her things." Turning to Qrow, "My friends here will protect themselves if you try to cause harm."

Oscar walked away internally chanting, 'Don't cry' Oscar grabbing the pack she came with he was little surprised not to hear from Ozpin. Perhaps when he mentally shoved him, he put the old wizard into some sort of time out. Oscar shook his head, not the time to think about it. Back at the main entrance. Alice handed Ruby a sack, full of water bottles and dried food.

Alice, "That should last you three months. I wish the airship was docked here, you could have left that way."

Oscar gave Ruby her bag, "Everything you came with, For the first day the Grimm should be docile. Further and Further away they will be more aggressive."

Ruby, "Oscar you're looking a little pale."

"Just upset, I'm going to miss you."

Ruby nodded, tears on her cheeks, "I'm sorry, I won't abandon my family."

The young man pulled her into his embrace and rested his chin on her hair "If this is what you feel is right, I accept it." He could see Qrow try to make sense of the dynamic and attempt to cover his disdain. Oscar to the man, "Do you know how to avoid the pools?"

"Yeah, I've flown about here a lot over the years. I know a good path. Would have preferred to kill you."

Oscar nodded, still held Ruby close to him. He could hear her whisper that she didn't want to be enemies.

"Let's move kiddo." Qrow gripped her hood and pulled her away.

XXX

Ruby and Qrow walked quietly for a while. Ruby asked, "It is really going to take three months?"

Qrow nodded, "Yeah, it'll be grueling. Takes me a month to fly when I'm a bird.

Ruby, "Did you tell anyone you're coming?"

Qrow, "When you didn't meet Sun near Argus. He beelined for Haven. Jaune called us, he'd a team combing through where you were last seen. You've been here for two months"

"I imagine Salem told you about our last conversation."

"Yeah and I yelled at her for being so tactless. But she knows what path we're taking. She can get an Airship headed our way, so maybe after a month or so we'll be picked up."

"Thanks for coming."

"Of course kiddo. Although it didn't look like you wanted to be saved." After some silence he sighed, "Look I get it, there's an appeal to those immortal souls. They're strong, they can't die on us."

Ruby covered her ears, "I don't want to hear it about you and Salem. I spent years trying to avoid this topic."

"Yeah and I let you. It's not exactly an option now. Those immortals can't love like we do. You're setting yourself up for some loneliness."

"Oscar isn't like that, Oscar has a mortal life."

"I guess that boy wasn't a completed Oz. I'd be dead if he was. Hell the boy might have held back because of you. He manipulated you Ruby."

Ruby glared at her Uncle, "Yeah, he was and I tried to manipulate him. You think I didn't know who he was when I saw those veins."

He grumbled, "Is this your distrust of Salem again?"

Ruby, "Of course! This whole time, even with the Jinn. We didn't know what we were fighting for."

Qrow patronized, "Oh and now you know."

She let out a short scream of frustration, "Enough to know I don't want those Gods to judge us worthy or not. Why have you been so loyal to Salem?"

"Well I can turn into a bird, and that's fun." he saw his niece's scowl. "Okay, You know my sister and I were a part of a tribe of bandits when we enrolled at Beacon. Salem taught me then I could amount to more than being a bandit. That I could make my own family, and protect them." He ruffled her hair.

Ruby quietly, "I have to protect my family."

Qrow smiled, "There you go kid."

Ruby looked at the castle, "I'm choosing between two evils."

Scratched the back of his head, "I guess so. I'd say Salem is the lesser evil."

Ruby, "You've only gotten to know one, and seen mostly what she wanted you to see."

Qrow grabbed her wrist, "No."

Ruby, "The relics are too dangerous."

Qrow dragged her after him, "You don't get to make that choice."

"Neither does Salem."