"I slept just fine, how about you?" Cinder asked, trying to play off the awkward pause she had while she thought of an answer.
"I was a little cold, how about you?" Emerald asked. Making her mother's eyebrow raise as she realised that her daughter knew more than she was letting on.
Before anyone could go further Ferro waddled into the room still half asleep before looking around like he was expecting food to magically appear.
"Go sit at the table sweetie. I'll have breakfast ready soon." CInder said returning to the pancakes she was now done mixing and was starting to cook.
With the kids at the table Jaune walked in and she almost expected him to smoothly wrap her up in his arms making her realize just how long it had been since her last time getting "personal"
Instead he went over to the table and started talking. "Sorry for intruding like this but I figured that it would be best for Ferro to just spend the night."
Realizing that he was trying to help their cover story she responded. "Oh it's fine, like I told you, you could have stayed too but I understand why you didn't"
What she didn't see was that Jaune and Emerald had somehow wound up in a staring contest. Emerald was sizing up the potential suitor and Jaune was watching her reaction to her mother's words.
Ferro joined in though he seemed to simply be doing it because everyone else was.
After a few seconds Emerald seemed to approve of him so she looked away and Ferro did likewise. That told Jaune everything he needed to know but now wasn't the time for that discussion.
"Jaune can you do me a favor?" Cinder asked from the stove drawing everyone's attention.
"Of course what do you need?" he answered standing up from his chair.
"Can you get the syrup down for me?" as she spoke she pointed at the bottle that was placed up high enough that Emerald couldn't reach it and that was definitely not an accident.
Retrieving the bottle he returned to the table and waited for food just like the others. Soon enough a large plate of pancakes was brought over and Emerald ran to the fridge to get the orange juice and four cups.
Everyone ate in silence except for Ferro who was trying to talk to Emerald while chewing his food. When he decided that it wasn't going to work he stopped trying which allowed Emerald the chance to speak between mouthfuls.
"Mommy what are we going to do today?" she asked innocently.
"Well I need to go to work and I'm Sure Jaune does too so I think it would be best if you came with me." Cinder answered like she had already thought about this.
"Can Ferro come with us?" she asked her mother doing her best to use the pleading eyes children were known for.
Cinder didn't seem to mind it too much but she knew better than to answer for Jaune. Turning to him she asked him. "How does that sound to you?"
"Where do you work?" Jaune asked.
"I teach at the martial arts studio on seventh street." she answered "well I'm the only teacher and the owner so I guess I should."
Jaune chuckled at her humor and thought about it. He didn't want Ferro getting the idea that he was going to change his mind on hunting but he also knew that he wasn't going to be able to make this the forbidden fruit lest his son follow in his footsteps.
"I suppose that would be okay, I might even stop by for a little while myself." he said. Before he was done talking there was a loud roar of glee from the children.
"Well I don't want to take you away from your work." Cinder said honestly.
"You won't I promise, but there are a few things that I need to tend to today so this seems like a good idea for everyone." he explained. He had already finished his pancakes so he took a long sip draining his orange juice
"Well that settles it then lets get breakfast put away and get a move on then." Cinder said, taking charge of the children as Jaune brought a handful of plates to the sink and headed out.
He went back to his house and saw Janice waiting on her porch. He waved as he went past her when she said. "Jaune sweetie I saw someone looking at your house, he was a large man with large sideburns."
Jaune cut her off explaining. "That's fine, he's my friend. I've been expecting him actually." before waving goodbye and heading inside.
Just as he expected Hazel Reinhardt was sitting in his living room. "How long have you been waiting here?" Jaune asked.
"I have been here for the last thirteen hours, I needed to speak with you." the large man said.
"Is it about Cinder?" Jaune asked knowing what Hazel was doing here.
"Yes, I need you to leave her alone." Hazle all but growled.
Jaune scratched at the love bite on his neck. "Yeah that might not be possible anymore." he answered.
Hazel saw the mark and froze for only a moment. Making sure that the slight shock was no longer on his face he continued. "In that case I suggest that you make sure that she is cared for appropriately, if you don't then I will find you."
His platonically obligated death threat administered Hazel stood. He headed for the door and stopped there. Turing back to face Jaune one last time he said. "I mean that, she's been through enough." before disappearing through the front door.
While alone in his house Jaune went to the place that he considered to be his personal sanctum. The attic, Ferro never came up here, The spiders scared him.
Once inside he saw the stand with his old armor on it right where he left it. The sight of the blood spray on the shins where his shield couldn't cover him. He had long considered cleaning it but as far as he was concerned the man who wore that armor died that day and cleaning the armor might lead to him forgetting that.
If he was honest then he still felt the ich, every time he saw on the news that another grimm attack had happened, or saw a disaster relief team digging people out of rubble. That was where he was meant to be, no. that wasn't where he was meant to be. He was meant to be watching over and caring for his son.
Taking in the aged beauty of the steel he said to himself. "This was the armor that I had forged to kill Cinder Fall." it was a sentence he had said several times before. After Pyrrha was killed he was hellbent of vengeance. He forgot that he wanted to be a hero, he just wanted her blood on his hands.
But that was no reason to live. And he learned that the hard way when Weiss almost died. Reaching back up to the bruise on his neck Jaune made a decision. One born of a hope he long thought gone.
He was going to do everything he could to make sure that Cinder Fall became the woman he now knew she could be. He had to, it was the only way that he could REALLY avenge his lost partner.
He wasn't able to save Emerald and Mercury but he was going to save her. The most practical way to do that suddenly hit him like a truck full of lead rolling down hill. His thumb rubbed at his ring finger where a wedding ring would go. Was he willing to go that far. Was he willing to forgive the unforgivable.
His eyes were drawn to the read sash wrapped around the waist of the armor. It was all he had left of Pyrrha, what would she think about him now. Hiding from his friends thinking about marrying the woman who killed her.
What would Pyrrha have wanted? He wondered. He already knew of course his partner was painfully gentle natured and just as forgiving. Hell if she could, Pyrrha may have apologized to Cinder, or she would have if she knew just how hard killing her would hit the older woman.
Sitting down in front of the armor Jaune could hear his younger self screaming at him from within it.
"How fucking dare you, that bitch killed Pyrrha and your not only not planning on not killing her you want to try and make her life better, what the fuck happened to you,"
"People change, I've seen so much more blood than you, I spilled so much more. I've killed the guilty and the innocent."
"That's not a fucking excuse," the younger voice roared back. "Just because we happen to be failures that somehow got away with living this long doesn't mean that others get to go unpunished."
Jaune still kept his calm. " do her sins erase mine?" he asked.
"Does it matter?" his younger voice answered his rage still dripping off of every word.
"Yes it does, who am I to deal in death when I so readily deserve it." Jaune explained.
"Mercury and Emerald weren't your fault they made their choices not you." his younger self responded a little calmer than before.
"And Pyrrha, she would never have been there if not for us, if we weren't there she would still be alive." Jaune countered feeling his eyes water. He had gotten his best friend killed.
The younger voice was gone. The rage that drove him to train till he couldn't walk without his aura was gone, it had no answer to him so it gave up. Looking back at the armor Jaune reached out and rested his hand on the pauldron.
Wiping the tears from his eyes he stepped back and headed down the stairs closing the door behind him. He had come here for a simple answer. What should he do and not he had that answer.