Disclaimer: All characters belong to Rooster Teeth Productions

Edited by ToxicExotic

Chapter 78 - Mothers

Pulling the helmet free and shaking her head, Yang let out a small happy groan and leaned forward on her bike. It had been just over a week since she had first ridden her, and she still felt just as amazing as ever. The way the wind rippled through her hair as everything around her turned to a blur, how Bumblebee would respond to even her slightest touch, the vibrations that tore through her whole body; everything about the newest addition to her life was pretty much perfect. And now she had been able to bring it home to Patch. However, as the last of the vibrations faded from her legs, she sat back up and clipped her helmet's strap into the lock she'd installed and looked around her home.

Patch had never really been much, especially compared to the sprawling kingdom it sat next to, but that was what she loved about it. Its tallest building was only five floors, and the only area that people could do shopping was the main square, but that simply contributed to the feeling of community that exuded from the island. Whereas in Vale, you would pass a thousand people a day and not know a single one of them, rare was the day you met a stranger in Patch. Everybody knew everybody, and everybody cared for each other like family.

Yang could hardly count how many times a stranger had dropped by their house to deliver a pie they had made, or leftover food, or the amount of times she had done the same for her mom; but when she did remember those times, it was always a little painful. Despite living in Vale, and even above it as she currently did, for most of her life, Patch was always going to be her home and leaving it had always been something she wasn't happy about. But even though she understood why her dad wanted to leave, she couldn't help but resent him slightly for pulling her away.

"Hey, Yang." The voice came from her beside her, and she looked up with a smile at one of her old neighbors, Lyt. "Long time, no see. How've you been?"

"Not bad." She said politely to the girl whose hair was just as blonde as hers. "You?"

"Bored mostly." The girl grinned. "I'm so jealous you get to live in the city. I can't wait till my birthday so I can get out of here."

"Trust me." Yang chuckled in return. "You'll miss it when you're gone."

"Please. There's only so much more I can take of being ordered around by my mom." The girl waved away her words. "But as soon as I get to Vacuo, it's gunna be nothing but me and the beach until semester starts."

"Oh yeah. Your dad mentioned you got into Shade. Hard to believe after all the shit you used to pull."

"Heh." The girl shrugged mischievously. "What can I say. Smart and beautiful. I'm easy to forgive."

Laughing slightly at the fact her forgiveness had more than likely come from the fact the teachers knew her parents, Yang simply nodded along and pointed down to the very heavy looking bag she was carrying.

"Clearly not to your mom?" She grinned.

"Ahh yeah. I kinda snuck out last night and she got super pissed." She let out a small sigh and swapped the hand she was holding it with. "So I could probably get it to her before she pops a gasket. Next time you're in town though, we should definitely catch up and talk about all the news I've heard about you."

"Definitely." She smiled back genuinely. "I'll give you a message next time I have a spare afternoon."

"Can't wait. Laters."

"Later."

Shaking her head as the girl walked off, she kicked back the stand of her bike and stepped off the bike. As she did, she heard the familiar roar of another motorcycle ahead of her and watched as Raven pulled into another empty spot beside her, turning off her bike and shaking her mess of feathery hair free from her helmet.

"Did you get lost?" She teased the older woman. "Or is Sleipnir too old to keep up with Bumblebee?

"You'll eat those words if we ever find ourselves on a straight." The woman laughed as she stepped off her bike and took a parcel from a box attached to the motorcycles back. "She does run surprisingly well for being home built though."

"Surprisingly well?" Yang asked in false offence, popping open the seat and pulling one of the parcels. "She purrs like a kitten, thank you very much."

A sly grin spread across the raven-haired woman's face as she reached out and took the package. "Her purr is fine. It's her roar that needs some work."

"Ignore her, Bumblebee." She pouted and gently petted the back of her beautiful bike.

"Thanks for giving me a hand with this though." Raven said, motioning towards a store across the road. "I'd still be delivering to Scarlatina if I was alone."

"Yeah, saves you having to constantly go back and forth and waste fuel." Yang shrugged and put her hand in her pocket. "Besides, not like I had anything else to do today."

"Weiss still at work?"

Yang merely gave the woman a nod. Just as she had suspected, the retaliation for her behavior at dinner had been felt less than a few hours after. As they left the piano room, where Weiss had spent an hour trying to teach her how to play only for it to always end in laughter, Jacques had descended upon them to inform Weiss that she was to be in work at six in the morning. Unfortunately, that also meant Weiss had spent the night at the mansion while Yang had returned to the apartment alone. And with the exception of a single text at lunch to say she wouldn't be home until late, that was the last she had seen of her girlfriend. Sadly, she knew it wasn't going to be the only time such a thing happened.

So when Raven had called and asked if she wanted to help out and spend some time together, she had jumped at the chance to do something that wasn't just waiting in the empty apartment for Weiss to return. Plus, with her help, Raven would be finished cleaning up her boss' mess sooner and that meant she would be less tired and grouchy.

"Yup. And so is Ruby. And Blake…" Yang let out a small sigh. "And pretty much all my other friends."

"You miss it?"

"Sorta." She replied honestly. "Mostly just miss working with Blake and having something to kill time with."

"Could always have my job if you want?"

"Pfft. Fuck no." Yang scoffed and pushed open the door to the store so Raven could walk in. "I'm surprised you haven't punched him in the face already."

"I do that and I'm right back to jail." Raven laughed, though there was a slight edge to it. "Believe me, I asked my parole officer."

"Well I'd offer to do it for you, but with the amount of press following me around these days there'll probably be a hundred pictures that'll make the front page."

"Probably best that we don't then." The older woman grinned and moved to the counter. "Parcel for Verdana. Needs her signature."

"I'll grab her for ya. One sec." The boy behind the register said and took off into the back room.

Inspecting the shelves as she waited for him to return, Yang grabbed a few bags of cookies that she knew Ruby would enjoy and placed them on the counter, as well as a strawberry muffin for herself.

"So…" Raven hummed cautiously. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?"

Raising an eyebrow in surprise, she looked up at her birth mother. "You sure you wanna talk about that?"

"Not really." She replied honestly. "But it's important to you and thought you might wanna talk about it."

"I do." Yang admitted. "But not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"Yang." Blood red eyes met her own. "Me coming back to town is what led to you two having to do this. If you need to talk, then talk."

Though she was tempted to turn down the offer and save an uncomfortable conversation with Raven, she was in fact rather nervous about the upcoming therapy session. Not only had she never really been a fan of therapy in general, but she was really worried about how things might change between her and her dad. While she hoped it would make it better, she knew that more than a few relationships fell apart because therapy made them reveal ugly truths that couldn't be taken back. Despite constantly arguing and fallout, that was at least better to her than nothing.

"I'm just…" She shrugged after a minute of thought. "I'm not sure I want to bring up our history all over again. It's not exactly happy father daughter time as far as the eye can see."

"I used to think like that." Raven hummed and leaned back against the counter. "When I went into prison and was ordered into therapy for my anger, the thing that made me the most cautious was having to relive my past."

"And how did you deal with that?"

"I didn't." The older woman shrugged. "Not for a whole year, at least. But then I finally opened up and everythings got worse…"

Yang let out a groan. "Good tal-"

"And then… things got better." She looked to the side as the door opened and a woman in her late sixties walked out. "It took a while, but it helped me let go of some things and finally get to a point where I was able to come here."

"You need my signature, dear?" Mrs Greene said, Raven giving a nod and pointing to the space on her sheet.

"So your saying it's going to be painful?"

"That is exactly what I'm saying, yeah." Raven chuckled dryly. "But you'll come out the other side better for it. Not because your therapist is good, or because the issues aren't as big as you think; but because you want to."

As the woman returned to sorting out the delivery, Yang dropped a few Lien on the counter for her items and thought about what had just been said. Obviously she wanted things to get better with her dad, it was the entire reason she was even willing to go to therapy in the first place. But the fact that she could potentially walk away from the sessions feeling differently still had her scared.

"Besides…" Raven chuckled and gave the signature a once over. "It's not like it can be worse than that dinner last night."

"I guess that's true." Yang sighed and picked up the bag.

"Say. I know you, don't I?"

Looking up at who was talking, she saw Mrs Greene looking and Raven with interest in her eyes. Raven on the other hand was pointedly avoiding her gaze.

"Probably just seen me doing the rounds. Patch is a regular stop for me."

"N, no." The elderly woman said with a slight shake of her head. "I recognise those eyes."

"We should probably get going, Yang." Raven said quickly, not acknowledging the woman and shoving the paper into her pocket.

However, before they could even leave the counter, Mrs Greene's eye widened slightly in shock and she leaned forward to peer at Raven closer.

"You're that Branwen girl who used to stay with the Roses." She exclaimed, her face breaking out into a wide smile.

"I'm sorry lady, but you have me confused with someone else." Raven said, her eyes troubled as she stormed towards the door. "Yang, now!"

At Raven's inpatient voice, she cast an apologetic look towards Verdana and hurried after her birth mother. In the few months she had been getting to know Raven, she had never seen her flustered like that; not even at the party. She was frequently grouchy, and sometimes even a little angry, but never flustered. Fortunately it wasn't hard to piece together what had caused it as she looked back and saw Mrs Greene pick up the wall mounted phone beside the register. Patch was a small island, and Summer's parents still lived there; and given how much Raven tried to act as if Summer didn't exist, Yang didn't doubt she had tried to keep her presence in Vale a secret from them.

She wasn't sure why though. Summer's parents were good people, and were definitely not the type of people to simply stop caring about someone. Just like everyone on Patch, they were the kind of people that saw you as family for life; and if they'd let Raven live with them then they almost certainly had felt like that about her too. So the fact Raven didn't want them to know so badly was more than a little confusing. Did she really want so little to do with her old life?

"You okay?" She asked once she was out of the shop, Raven already straddling her bike and pulling her helmet free from the handlebars.

"Yes." Yang couldn't help but feel a little sad that the short, sharp tone of the woman's voice was back, especially after having been so happy all day. "I just want to leave."

Knowing better than to argue and risk souring the woman's mood more, Yang nodded. "Sure."

Pulling her own helmet free and straddling her bike, she looked over at her birth mother and let out a small sigh. She could already tell the happy-go-lucky Raven she had been enjoying the day with was gone, and that barring some kind of miracle, wouldn't be returning. Nevertheless, she was determined to at least try to enjoy the rest of the day together, so revved up her bike and gave the woman a thumbs up. If they were done with the deliveries early, then maybe she would take them to a nice tea place.

As stupid as it was, the underground parking garage of Compass Tower was quickly becoming on of Yang's favourite parts of the entire structure; and not for the reason many would think. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she could openly examine and take in the numerous other sports cars that were parked there, nor that it was a safe place to store her precious bike, or even that the large, underground cavern allowed the steady purring of Bumblebee to surround her. No, the reason she loved it so much was the singular door that she could see right in front of her.

As small as it was, that door had offered her more reprieve over the last month than pretty much anywhere in Vale due to it leading directly into the main entryway of the apartment building. It was because of that door in particular that she was able to avoid the mass of paparazzi that had been waiting outside with yet more questions about her time in the White Fang. Just as they had been when she and Raven arrived back from Patch, and when they had arrived at the teahouse. It was the same everywhere she went, and it was definitely beginning to get more than tiring.

Thankfully though, since none of them had access to the parking garage and security guards cracking down on the press entering the building, it meant she didn't have to put up with anymore questions for the rest of the day. So letting out a happy sigh, she finally turned off her bike and waited for the last of the vibrations to die down before getting off and making her way towards the beloved door.

Thankfully, the afternoon had not been as bad as she had thought it would be. Despite being very quiet as they had finished the deliveries, Raven had quickly lightened up when they got to the teahouse. Apparently an hour spent trying different types of tea from all over the world was one of the few miracles in the world that could cheer the woman up, and Yang had even bought a box of the ones the woman liked the most for the apartment. Eventually though, the woman had left for a meeting with her parole officer and Yang had decided to return to the apartment to make herself something to eat and go over a previous test paper.

So pushing her way into the atrium and heading straight for the elevators, since Yatsu wasn't on duty, and swiping her card against the reader, she slumped against the side and reached up to put her hair into a ponytail. While she loved her hair, it was undeniable that the sheer uncontrollable mass got in the way while cooking, and hair in food was never good. However, the second the elevator stopped and she stepped out into the apartment and dropped the box of tea on the table, she froze at the sight of a pair of black shoes. They were definitely not Weiss' or Blake's, and they were far too normal looking to be Ruby's; and as far as she knew, they were the only other people with keycards.

"Hello?" She called cautiously, though quickly shook her head at her stupidity. No thief would be able to get past security, and they certainly wouldn't take off their shoes. "Who's here?"

There was no reply, so she stepped further into the room and glanced around for the visitor. It didn't take long though, as she soon found herself locking eyes with a pair of light blue eyes that were watching her with interest from above.

"Oh… Hey." She smiled up at Whitley and returned to sorting out her hair. "You could have answered, you know."

"And miss out on the chance to watch your genius level detective skills at work?" He replied boredly, crossing his arms on the balcony.

"Ha ha." She replied sarcastically. "How'd you get in here anyway?"

"Weiss gave me a keycard." He shrugged. "She told me I could use this place if I ever wanted to."

"Ah, right." She vaguely recalled Weiss mentioning that after the party. "Well I'm about to make some food. You hungry?"

Again, he didn't reply straight away, merely choosing to look at her for a few seconds. Eventually though, without bothering to say anything, he gave a small nod and walked away. From the few times she had talked with him, she knew it wasn't uncommon for the boy to be distant, but he usually had a lot more pompousness to his personality than he was currently showing, and rarely missed a chance to play games with people. Though she supposed that should hardly be a surprise. If he was hiding out in the apartment instead of relaxing in his mansion, then clearly something had happened at home that caused him to leave.

"Tacos it is then." She muttered to herself and moved towards the kitchen.

Originally she had intended the ground beef in the refrigerator to be used for something a little more substantial than tacos, maybe a casserole or a lasagna, both of those would take a few hours to make. And having practically raised a fourteen year old before, she knew that was far too long a wait. Besides, the boy seemed to enjoy quick and easy food, and she could always buy some more meat. So, pulling out a few pans and dishes from the cupboard and she quickly went about preparing the food.

Thankfully it didn't take long as her own stomach was starting to growl from the delicious smell of cooking meat filling the apartment, and within thirty minutes she was plating up the food and heading up the stairs to the mostly unused living room. Walking down the small hallways and hearing the quiet sounds of the television, she saw the boy sitting on the couch with a book in his hand and plenty more laid out on the table in front of him. Just like when Weiss studied, there was far more in front of him than should ever be necessary.

"Here ya go." She said, placing the plate down on the table in the only open space. "I even over-seasoned them a little for ya."

Not bothering to lower his book, Whitley glanced at the plate of food and raised an eyebrow. "And here I was thinking you were a chef."

"Shush." She laughed, tapping his thigh with her foot and causing him to move over a little. "Just try one."

"If I get food poisoning then I will sue you." He scowled, reaching out cautiously to pick up a taco and inspect it.

"Sue away." She grinned confidently and sat down, crossing her legs and turning to face him.

With a shake of his head, the boy took a small, testing bite of the food and Yang waited with baited breath despite knowing what the outcome would be. Sure enough, a couple of seconds later, he took another much larger bite, and then another.

"It's good." He said finally after having eaten half of the taco.

"Wow. An actual compliment." Yang recoiled slightly, genuinely taken aback; though she quickly took it in stride and gave him a warm smile. "I'm glad you like them."

Reaching out, she grabbed one for herself and took a bite. The seasoning was a little too much for her taste, and the soft shell was a little dry due to being store bought, but it wasn't bad.

"So…" She said once the boy has swallowed his mouthful. "Who're you hiding from?"

"What makes you think that I am hiding from anyone?"

"Well you just complimented me, your vest is tossed on the other chair, you clearly haven't eaten all day, and you live in a massive mansion but are here for some reason."

"I think you are taking my detective comment too far." He mumbled, taking another bite of his food.

"Fair enough."

Giving a small shrug, she leaned back on the arm of the chair. From all the conversations she'd had with Weiss at night, she knew the boy was not very fond of being pressed for information so didn't want to pressure him to talk if he didn't feel like it. However, she was almost certain that he did and just wasn't sure how to, so kept her focus on him and continued to eat her food. There was definitely another angle she could try that had always worked with Ruby.

"So how was your dad after I left?" She asked, hoping some other conversation would help him ease into it.

"Furious." The boy said absentmindedly as he continued to work on his essay. "Though that is hardly unexpected considering the way that you talked to him."

"He didn't take it out on you did he?"

"He spent most of the night in his office." Whitley paused for a moment, his pen stopping its scratching as his eyes clouded over. It only lasted a moment though, and he continued. "Willow spoke to him according to my staff though."

"I hope she's alright."

"Apparently so." He said with a little annoyance in his voice. "If her frustrating continued attempts to bond are any indication."

"And I'm guessing that's why you're here?" She asked with a smirk, his eyes filling with surprise as he turned to look at her and realised what had just happened. "Detective Yang strikes again."

"Maybe I should have just ignored you when you came in." He mumbled to himself again, causing Yang to laugh slightly.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." She leaned forward and put a hand on his shoulder, looking him in the eye as she talked to him. "But seriously, if you want to talk then I'm here for you."

For a few moments, Whitley simply stared at her, his blue eyes peering into her soul as they usually did in search of lies and deceit. But she knew he would find none. As much as Yang loved her girlfriend, she understood why Whitley couldn't go to her regarding issues with Willow. As much as their relationship had improved, Weiss was still someone who Whitley was learning to forgive, and someone who still adored her mother after everything that had happened. Yang also knew she had been a little too forceful in trying to get Whitley to give the woman another chance; but Yang wasn't going to be like that.

She knew all too well what Whitley was feeling because she had felt it herself. The hesitation of having someone try to come back into your life, the uncertainty of whether that person deserved another chance or not, and if you gave them that chance would they just waste it and leave again. They were all things she had felt when she had first found out about Raven, and some of them were worries she still had; but at least she had Blake and Weiss to talk about those feelings with while Whitley had nobody.

"She just refuses to leave me alone." He sighed, as he returned to his work. With a satisfied smile to herself, Yang let go of his shoulder and returned to leaning against the arm; her attention still remaining on him. "No matter where I go, she is there. Skulking around every corner and trying to get me to talk to her. It's annoying."

She could certainly see how that would be annoying. She had been lucky so far in that Raven had always allowed her room to think and reach out on her own terms. Of course there were times when Raven made the first move and invited her to spend the day together, like she had today, but most of the time Yang was the one calling her. And that space to work out how she felt about the relationship had worked wonders in making her more comfortable with everything.

"She's trying to show you she's there for you." Yang reasoned with a slight shrug. "But I can see how she might be overdoing it. Have you told her to back off?"

"Of course I have." He growled. "It does nothing to deter her. I spent the entirety of the afternoon with her trying to converse with me about video games."

So that's what she wanted the book for, Yang thought to herself. "Well at least she's trying to take an interest in what you like."

"I would rather she not." He grumbled.

Yang doubted that. Though she had only had a few interactions with the boy, he was very obviously someone who was more than capable of shutting down something without much effort. So if the woman's attempts at bonding were really unwelcome, then there was no doubt that he would have done so already.

"Or are you worried she'll let you down again?" She asked casually, taking a bite of her food and not trying to sound like he was obligated to reply.

"That's the one thing she has done my entire life." He scowled bitterly. "Why should I believe this time will be any different?"

"Except this time she is trying." Yang reasoned again. Unfortunately, all that succeeded in doing was causing his scowl to be aimed in her direction. "Look, I'm not saying you don't have a good reason to be worried, because you do. But you've gotta ask yourself if missing out on a potentially good relationship with a mother who is trying to get to know you is worth saving yourself from a little pain in the future?"

Once again, the boy remained quiet as his eyes fell back to his work, but his pen didn't move. Knowing he was thinking over her words, she stood up and snatched the remote to change the channel. Flicking away from the news, where she was sure her face would appear within minutes, she switched to the second input and walked over to the cabinet where the gaming console was stored.

"What if she does though?" She heard from behind her, Whitley's voice quieter and holding more emotion than she had ever heard from the boy as he stared blankly at his notepad. "Let me down again?"

"Then that's her fault." She replied effortlessly, pulling out two controllers from the cabinet. "You're a good kid, Whitley. A little shit sometimes, sure; but someone that your mom should consider herself lucky to have as a son. I know she's been through a rough time too, but if you give her a chance and she wastes it, then shame on her."

Offering the boy a smile and walking back over, she ruffled his hair and sat back down beside him. Offering out one of the controllers, he tentatively took it.

"Now, you came here to relax." She grinned and powered the console on. "And since I very much intend to be the cooler sister one day, it's time to show you some real games; not just the indie stuff that Oscar's addicted too."

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"Grimm Hunter!" She said with more emphasis than was necessary. "Just me, you, and fifty minutes to take down a big, ugly monster with super over-the-top weapons. Trust me, you'll love it."

Looking at the screen curiously as it loaded up to show a huge, black, serpentine dragon rising from the water and four hunters surrounding it, he gave his head a small nod and powered his controller on.

"We'll see." He mumbled, putting his notepad aside. "And thank you. You know… for listening."

Glancing to her side, she gave the boy a warm smile and bumped him lightly with her shoulder. "Any time… bro."

Seeing his eyes roll and letting out a short laugh, she loaded up the game and selected her usual brawler class. As it loaded in, she reached out and grabbed two tacos, handing one to Whitley before settling back in to play the game.

A/N

Damn, Yang and Whitley's storylines matching up quite close... you would have thought :P In seriousness though, it was cool I got to make that connection more open. I have always been very precise about their interactions, as spar-se as they've been, and to finally be able to write that big sis/little bro scene was something I have been looking forward to for a while. But... I wonder who Yang learned that little bit of sisterly advice from :P

The Raven stuff was also really cool to write. I like being able to show the two getting closer, but also showing that while Raven has moved past some of her issues, she is still pretty haunted by some other things.

In all honesty though, I'm actually quite proud of this one. There is something about writing these calmer, more intimate chapters that I quite enjoy, so I really hope you all liked it too. That is all from me though, I hope you look forward to the next chapter too :)

Chapter 79 - Animosity will be up on the 4th of March

Reviews

timrocks99, MarkingDownTheBooks, KaijuKnight, Shadows Twilight, and Zoro50. Thank you all for the kind comments. It's so nice to see people liked how I'm handling Jacques :D He was the part I was worried about the most, but the fact you all liked it actually made me sigh in relief xD